Chapter 85: "Elixir of Ecstasy"!

The death of Wang Baotian brought Li Yuanjing back to his senses in an instant.

He also realized that his emotions had been running awry.

But perhaps this was not merely because of the many sudden events that had unfolded tonight...

Li Yuanjing could not help but recall the cup of "wedding wine" he had drunk earlier with Zhao Yinling!

After instructing Zhang Kun and the others to deal with Wang Baotian’s remains, Li Yuanjing stepped outside to breathe the cold night air, which made him feel much better.

Reflecting now, he understood that the reason he had so violently kicked Wang Baotian just now was not only due to the special circumstances of the night.

There was another reason.

Wang Baotian’s slippery, oily demeanor and his very nature had long since worn out Li Yuanjing’s patience.

And furthermore, that cup of wedding wine from earlier was likely a crucial factor as well...

"Master, Madam Wang wishes to see you..." Chen Chunyan hurried over to report in a low voice as he was lost in thought.

"Bring her here," Li Yuanjing said after considering that the room had already been tidied up by Zhang Kun and the others.

At once, "Madam Wang," whose real name was Xun Keqing, entered the room and fell to her knees with a plaintive cry:

"Master, I am innocent! I am grievously wronged! Master, you must believe me—tonight’s events have nothing to do with me, not in the slightest..."

But before Xun Keqing could truly raise her voice, Li Yuanjing impatiently kicked her voluptuous waist and hip, spitting,

"When did I say I didn’t believe you? I’m not dead yet, and here you are mourning me?!"

"Huh?" Now it was Xun Keqing’s turn to be stunned. She looked at Li Yuanjing and asked,

"Master, you—you still trust me?"

Li Yuanjing gave her another firm kick and said,

"I have no time for your nonsense! If I were so narrow-minded, would all those years of studying the sages have been for nothing?"

"Listen to me!"

Li Yuanjing crouched down, fixing Xun Keqing with a fierce stare:

"Zhao Yinling has not been laid to rest yet. Go and examine her carefully and find out what really happened! Also, the pot of wedding wine I drank with Zhao Yinling earlier—examine it thoroughly as well! Do you understand?"

"Yes! Understood!" Xun Keqing was suddenly overjoyed. Who would have thought that at this moment, Li Yuanjing would still be willing to trust her? Delighted, she hurried off to carry out his orders.

Watching her graceful figure depart, Li Yuanjing let out a long breath.

He pushed open the door and stepped out again, letting the cold wind brush his face, grounding himself with a deeper clarity.

If it had been before Wang Baotian’s death, Li Yuanjing might not have dealt so leniently with Xun Keqing.

However, Wang Baotian’s death, and especially this newfound calm, had brought Li Yuanjing a sudden clarity.

Consider this:

Earlier, Zhao Yinling had said that as long as she could stay by his side and earn even a portion of his trust, she could become a "candidate for the Saintess."

By that logic—

Zhao Yinling had no motive to harm him.

Li Yuanjing was quite sure that Zhao Yinling was fiercely determined to survive—she had not yet savored the full splendor of the world.

And yet the facts were these:

—Zhao Yinling harbored poison in her body and died tragically on the spot!

Secondly, the black-clad men led by Biaozi who attacked tonight were undoubtedly under Master Dong’s command, but after Wang Baotian was captured, he tried to put the blame on Wang Youdao!

Then, under torture, terrified of death, he turned and accused Master Dong instead.

Clearly, something was deeply amiss here!

Li Yuanjing now surmised:

Even if those behind Zhao Yinling and Master Dong both belonged to the Fragrant Sect, they were likely not on the same side!

All the tangled events of tonight, even if not entirely coincidental, must have been, to a great extent, the product of coincidence.

The pity was this:

Though Quanzi Village had no shortage of able-bodied men, Li Yuanjing’s actual control was still far too limited.

Furthermore, with the need to defend the village, he simply could not spare anyone to send to the Pi family stronghold to capture people and learn more.

"Yuanjing! We caught two scoundrels—the fire at the north gate was set by these bastards!"

As Li Yuanjing was sorting through his thoughts, the old village chief arrived, flanked by a dozen men and escorting two bound prisoners.

Li Yuanjing’s eyes narrowed at the sight of the horse-faced man among them.

This man was not tall, with shifty eyes; precisely the sort of face Li Yuanjing remembered well.

When Biaozi and his men were causing trouble outside Wang Youdao’s house, this horse-faced fellow was among them!

"Bring these two dogs over and interrogate them thoroughly!" Li Yuanjing barked coldly.

"Yes, sir!"

Soon, the two men—already badly beaten—were dragged into a dark room.

This time, however, Li Yuanjing did not interrogate them himself, but left the task to Zhang Kun, choosing instead to converse with the old village chief.

The main thing now was that the overall situation was settled, and with no strength left for revenge, it was better to solidify his control first.

Though Li Yuanjing had "lost a wife," the old village chief was in high spirits, consoling him:

"Yuanjing, don’t lose heart—she was just a woman, after all. If she’s dead, so be it! Besides, I doubt she ever meant you any good! Don’t dwell on it, don’t let such things drag you down..."

Li Yuanjing managed a bitter smile.

"Uncle, don’t worry. I know what’s important and what’s not."

"Good, good," the old chief said with a sigh of relief. "Yuanjing, though it seems we suffered a setback tonight, it may turn out to be a blessing in disguise! From now on, anyone who thinks of playing tricks on us will have to think twice about whether they have the appetite for it!"

"And another thing, Yuanjing. Tonight’s events—I must admit, I didn’t think things through. So, I’ll make it up to you: I’ll find you another concubine. What do you think of my daughter, Lianhua?"

"Uh…"

Li Yuanjing was still mulling over the village’s future when the old chief suddenly shifted topics so abruptly…

"Uncle, I…"

"What’s the matter? Yuanjing, are you unwilling? Do you not fancy my Lianhua? Or do you think I, your uncle, am not fit to make this decision for you?"

Seeing Li Yuanjing hesitate, the old chief feigned a stern look.

Li Yuanjing could not help but shake his head and laugh, hastily explaining,

"Uncle, if you can’t decide for me, who can? It’s just that after all that’s happened, my mind is a bit unsettled—I’ll need a few days to recover. As for Lianhua, I’ve long admired her, I have no objection whatsoever."

"Truly?"

"Brother Yuanjing, do you…do you really admire me?"

But just then, without his noticing, Lianhua had come up the slope with a few others, fetching water.

Hearing Li Yuanjing’s words, Lianhua could not contain her joy and exclaimed aloud, heedless of the occasion.

This…

Her outburst left not only Li Yuanjing but the old chief dumbfounded as well.

Who could have guessed his precious daughter would be so forward…

Fortunately, both Li Yuanjing and the old chief were seasoned enough. With a quick glance from Li Yuanjing, the old chief snapped back to his senses and scolded,

"You silly girl, what are you blabbering about? Go deliver the water!"

"Oh…"

Lianhua’s face was so red it seemed blood might drip from it, but she dared not defy her father, and hurried off with the others.

Li Yuanjing, meanwhile, let out a long breath and was about to suggest changing the subject to ease the awkwardness.

Just then, Chen Chunyan returned with Xun Keqing in tow.

At the sight of their urgency, Li Yuanjing felt a jolt and was about to excuse himself, but the old chief, ever shrewd, smiled,

"Yuanjing, if you have business, go tend to it. I’ll just enjoy the cool air out here."

Indeed, in this freezing weather, he wanted to "enjoy the cool air"...

But such is the way with adults—some things are better left unquestioned.

Li Yuanjing promptly led Xun Keqing into the room.

Yet, even though he had been prepared for the worst, after hearing her report, his expression grew so dark it seemed it might drip water.

He glared at Xun Keqing and growled,

"What did you say?"

"The 'Hehuan Powder' Zhao Yinling had hidden inside her was something the matrons have always peddled to young women, claiming it enhances intimacy?"