Everyone had left, and the door was shut tight, leaving only Lu Zhaoling and Prince Jin in the room.
Prince Jin felt the suffocating pressure on his heart finally release. His heartbeat returned to a steady, normal rhythm. He let out a long breath and finally spoke.
"My knees hurt terribly."
Lu Zhaoling looked at him, speechless.
Why did his tone sound a bit like he was pouting or acting spoiled?
Given his sharp, defined features and his cold, distinct expression, was that really appropriate? Was it even coordinated?
However, looking at the providence surrounding him, Lu Zhaoling couldn't bring herself to give a cruel rejection. Siphoning off his energy through a bit of touching was always more efficient than just plucking it from the air around him.
"Let me see."
As she withdrew her hand from his chest, she siphoned another handful of energy. She meant to grab the Merit-infused Gold-Purple Providence, but as she pulled back, her fingernail accidentally brushed against his skin.
Instantly, Prince Jin's body jolted and tensed up. His skin erupted in goosebumps, a shiver running through him.
Lu Zhaoling's hand froze.
This...
She had indeed been a bit improper!
"Sorry, I didn't do it on purpose," she apologized quickly, scooting her body away in a flash.
It was only then that they both realized something. Although she had come to save his life and they hadn't had the luxury to think twice during the life-and-death crisis, now that his life was back on track, things felt a bit over the line.
His collar was torn open, and her hand had been pressed directly against his bare skin. That little slip-up just now had felt far too intimate.
Prince Jin's hands clenched into fists. He closed his eyes, and it took a long while before he slowly relaxed his grip.
"My knees... look at my knees. I'm dying of pain."
His ears were burning red, though he couldn't see them himself. Lu Zhaoling didn't dare look at his face again.
She was usually bold; having been surrounded by many junior brothers in the past, she wasn't particularly shy or timid around men. But that action just now had been a bit much, even for her.
Good thing I trimmed my nails... Bah, what am I thinking?
"Your legs must have suffered a very serious injury. How did it happen?"
Lu Zhaoling hurriedly changed the subject, but she didn't look at his knees first. Instead, she stood up to draw a talisman.
As for the thing in his chest...
She had siphoned that massive burst of providence just now specifically to draw this talisman. Otherwise, drawing one of this caliber would have been far too exhausting.
By now, Prince Jin was able to sit up. He struggled to brace himself against the headboard and pulled his clothes back together.
A mass of blackness sat beneath the skin of his left chest, surrounded by countless fine, dark purple lines branching outward. It looked like a spherical creature covered in long hair, hidden just beneath the surface.
Seeing the terrifying state of his own chest, the embarrassment and heat from being touched earlier dissipated significantly.
He looked at Lu Zhaoling as she concentrated on drawing the talisman. She wasn't afraid and didn't scream; she was already incredibly impressive. How could she possibly harbor any romantic thoughts?
If anything, she probably felt disgusted by him.
"My knees were once injured by a shard from an Ancient Tomb Cold Ice Coffin," Prince Jin replied, answering her previous question. "They haven't healed since."
"An Ancient Tomb Cold Ice Coffin?"
Lu Zhaoling made the final stroke. The talisman was complete, a faint golden light flashing across it.
She walked over with the talisman, asking as she moved, "Were there any incantations carved inside that ice coffin?"
"How did you know?" Prince Jin's expression tightened.
"I can tell." Lu Zhaoling saw that he had already pulled his clothes shut. Her fingers twitched; she really wanted to reach out and pull them open again. "You have at least four types of curses in your body. If you didn't have such strong Merit, Gold-Purple Providence, and fortune protecting you, you'd have been dead long ago."
"Four curses?"
"They were cast at different times, but it just so happens that these four curses have reached a strange, delicate balance within you. Their power constrains one another."
"If that's the case, don't they just cancel each other out? Could it be..."
Could it be that he would be fine?
Before he could finish, Lu Zhaoling understood his meaning. She gave him a look that clearly said, "Keep dreaming."
"You think curses are a game? They are only temporarily restraining each other, but your body is already ill! These curses are consuming your Merit and Providence day and night. Once your body weakens and your Merit is depleted, all four curses will erupt at once..."
Lu Zhaoling paused for a moment and then made a soft "bang" sound with her mouth. Her eyes filled with pity.
"...You will die in extreme agony. Furthermore, your death will be incredibly horrific and ugly."
Prince Jin: "..."
Why did he feel like she was threatening him?
"Don't think I'm threatening you," Lu Zhaoling said, as if reading his mind. She continued, "My body hasn't recovered yet, so I can't dispel all the curses for you right now. Dispelling only one won't work either; it would break the balance and you'd die even faster."
"So, for the next six months, the two of us must cooperate well. I can only save you once I've fully recovered."
As she spoke, Lu Zhaoling held the talisman between two fingers and gave it a light flick. With a whoosh, the paper talisman ignited instantly.
Prince Jin's eyes darkened as he watched the flame dance between her fingers. Just as he was about to speak, Lu Zhaoling reached out with one hand and yanked his clothes open. With her other hand, she slapped the burning talisman directly onto his chest.
The moment the talisman touched his skin, it burned away, but Prince Jin felt the heavy weight in his chest lighten. A scorching heat spread from his heart.
The black mass under his skin suddenly contracted. All the branching threads were sucked back in. Very quickly, the black mass faded and shrank until it was nothing more than a small, bean-sized black dot.
He looked up at Lu Zhaoling and noticed that her complexion was significantly paler than before.
"You..."
"That was an Imprisonment Talisman," Lu Zhaoling explained proactively. "It will keep that curse from exploding for the time being."
"Didn't you say they had reached a balance?" Why would one of them suddenly start acting up?
"I should be asking you that. Who have you met lately?" Lu Zhaoling thought for a moment, narrowing down the possibilities. "This curse flared up the day you returned to the capital. The person you met that day is someone you've met again recently. This person must understand the Mysterious Arts; they triggered the curse in your body."
However, that person likely couldn't see the other curses within Prince Jin. Otherwise, they wouldn't have dared to trigger the most terrifying one doing so would likely cause a backlash.
The moment she finished speaking, a name flashed through Prince Jin's mind. His expression shifted slightly.
"What? Someone you trust?" Lu Zhaoling raised an eyebrow, glancing at him.
His reaction suggested he knew exactly who she was talking about, but it was someone he would have never suspected.
Prince Jin looked at her, feeling that her expression was somewhat mocking.
Was she laughing at his lack of discernment?
"How would they trigger the curse?" he asked in a low voice.
"If they weren't the one who cast the curse, then to trigger it, they would need your blood," she replied. "And they would also need to know your Eight Characters."
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