Prince Li's Residence.

Being woken up by Leng Yang, the Ninth Prince was grumbling the entire way to Prince Li's courtyard. His eyes still half-closed, he yawned and held up a cup of water as he continued to complain, “Seventh Brother, what do you need from me this late at night?”

Zongzheng Wuyou lazily leaned against the soft chair, not bothering to raise his head, “Go find me a woman.”

“Pu—cough, cough, cough…” The Ninth Prince only took a mouthful before he spat it all out, choking and coughing, his sleepiness immediately disappearing. Widening his eyes, he tried to confirm, “Seventh Brother, I didn't hear wrong did I? You, you said you want a woman? Ha…haha…”

“Is it funny?” Zongzheng Wuyou's voice was ice-cold and he shot him a cold look.

“Not funny…it's not funny at all, haha…I'll go do it right now.” The Ninth Prince turned around and left. He couldn't help but let out a laugh when he reached the doorway, turning his head back, “Seventh Brother, you've finally seen the light, that's the right way to go. Otherwise, always relying on the ice lake to suppress it, you'll get ill sooner or later. Who knows, you might even become a beast. Haha…” Not waiting for Zongzheng Wuyou's reaction, he disappeared in a flash from Wuyou's courtyard.

Zongzheng Wuyou furrowed his eyebrows, not bothering to deal with him. Recently when he was practicing his martial arts, his body often felt uncomfortable. Not only did his skills not improve, there were also signs that it was regressing. He was unable to find the reason why. However, tonight's loss of control made him more alert and when he returned back to the residence, he felt that his body became more comfortable, making him a little suspicious.

For a pract.i.tioner of the heart sutra(1), one must utilize the earth's natural flow, following the laws of nature. But he detested the matters that happen between men and women, so he has always been using the ice lake in the ice room to help him suppress the force inside him. Could it be that after using it for so long, it has broken the supposed natural laws of the heart sutra to cause one to have shortness of breath and blocked meridians? After such a long time he had already reached his limit, and when he touched a woman's body, he became a beast just like what happened a while ago. Since that's that case, then no matter how much he detested that type of stuff, he has no choice but to touch now.

The Ninth Prince's success rate was quite high. With just an incense stick's worth of time, he brought back a woman. Willow eyebrows and phoenix eyes, cherry lips and rosy cheeks, her hips swayed from side to side as she walked, looking like a vixen. When the woman saw Zongzheng Wuyou, her eyes brightened and her heart started to beat like a drum. She didn't think that the person the Ninth Prince wanted her to serve was such a handsome man.

Zongzheng Wuyou lazily glanced at the woman and then narrowed his eyes towards the Ninth Prince, “This is your taste?”

The Ninth Prince jerked, “Unsatisfied? I didn't think that Seventh Brother's standards would be so high. Then what type of woman do you want?”

A beautiful and refined face suddenly appeared in front of Zongzheng Wuyou, those bright and clear eyes and that high nose, those tender and enticing lips…he became lost in his thoughts.

“Seventh Brother, Seventh Brother…” The Ninth Prince watched in fascination as the man fell into a once-in-hundred-years' daydream. Zongzheng Wuyou came back to his senses as his heart lurched, he actually thought of that woman! The Ninth Prince curiously raised his eyebrows as he laughed, “What are you thinking of so deeply? Ah! Seventh Brother, did you actually take a fancy to some woman? Who is it? Tell me, I have to give her a medal to represent my admiration for her!”

Towards his teasing, Zongzheng Wuyou narrowed his eyes, “It seems…that your residence is in need of people! I heard that your name is on Princess Rong Le's list. If you want to marry her, it's just the work of a sentence.”

The Ninth Prince's laughter froze, and he frantically ran in front of him, sincerely repenting, “Don't, please don't! Seventh Brother, I'm thinking of you! Look, this is Jingcheng's famed girl, Seventh Brother you…it's the first time, so I have to find someone with plenty of experience for you, don't you agree?”

Zongzheng Wuyou's lips twitched as he coldly squinted at him. He hurriedly pulled at his lips, “Seventh Brother you…take your time. I'll leave first.” Finished he disappeared like smoke, not even a trace of him was left behind.

Hearing the name Zongzheng Wuyou, that woman smiled so brightly her eyes couldn't be seen as flowers bloomed in her heart. The Ninth Prince blindfolded her and brought her into this courtyeard. Even though she did not know their ident.i.ties, they definitely weren't simple people. She secretly thought: If I serve well this time, I might be able to strike it rich and live out my days in luxury!

Zongzheng Wuyou had an indifferent expression on his face as he watched the woman walk towards him, slowly shedding her outer garments with each step. Finally only a thin red muslin was left, leaving her curves bare, causing one's blood to broil. He suddenly thought of the woman in the pond whose figure was outlined by the wet clothes pasted to her body. Her finely defined curves were extremely tantalising. Looking at the woman in front of him, he actually felt annoyed.

The woman leaned close to him, her foxy voice entering his bones, “Ye…this servant, will help you change clothes.” With one hand on Zongzheng Wuyou's collarbone, another stroked against his chest. Her foxy eyes were slightly closed, clearly intending to tease him.

Zongzheng Wuyou furrowed his eyebrows, a feeling of disgust welling from his heart. His instincts told him to break this woman's neck and throw her out the door. When he raised his hands, he remembered his body's current condition and could only forcefully suppress his disgust. Holding onto the woman's waist, he carelessly tossed her onto the ground and pressed her underneath him. With a “peng” sound, the back of her head hit the ground and she cried out, almost fainting. Zongzheng Wuyou didn't care at all as he ripped the woman's clothes, covering her body with his when suddenly, those cruel images that he hid away in the recesses of his mind started appearing. 

A house filled with the smell of medicine, ripped clothes that were messily tossed onto the ground, a man feverishly demanding as the person below him lost the strength to resist, crying with tears of hopelessness. Those eyes had no light in them, through the last few breaths before death…bright red blood stained the white bedding. The whole room was filled with a disgusting stench that mixed with the strong smell of blood, so pungent it made one want to throw up…

Zongzheng Wuyou's face immediately changed and he stood up. Turning around, he forcefully suppressed the urge to throw up, and taking a deep breath, he coldly spat out two words, “Get out.”

The woman was frozen by his cold aura, not understanding how the man who was like a deity just now suddenly became the devil. That ice-cold and cruel gaze he had when he stood up looked as if he had a deep grudge and hatred against her, wanting to tear her in half. Her body trembled as she laid uselessly on the ground, not able to get up.

“Leng Yan.” Zongzheng Wuyou's gaze contained killing intent, his voice dark and cold, “Take her away. Benw.a.n.g doesn't want to see this woman again.”

The woman widened her eyes, her heart full of fear, he called himself “benw.a.n.g“? Just now, the Ninth Prince called him “Seventh Brother”? Could he be…? She knew she was finished. Before she could open her mouth to beg for forgiveness, a hand already pressed against her acupuncture point. Holding onto the woman's collar, Leng Yan immediately disappeared from Wuyou's courtyard.

Zongzheng Wuyou's hands were clenched so tightly his fingers turned white and the veins portrude out. Shutting his eyes, the nightmare that had hara.s.sed him for so many years kept replaying in his mind. No matter how he tried, he could not get rid of it. With a pale face, he pushed open the window and raised his head to take deep breaths. Even so, his heart felt so stifled that he could just die in the next moment.

As the wind blew past him, the candlelight flickered endlessly, lighting up his lonely figure.

After standing for a long time, he stepped out to head towards the ice room. His phoenix eyes tightly shut, he crossed his legs to sit in the middle of the ice lake, pressing the palms of his hands against each other in front of his chest. Fog raised up due to the water's coldness. Even though the night pearls lit up the room, his expression could not be clearly seen.

Condensing his inner force, the discomfort in his body increased. His eyebrows were tightly creased. Both were women, but why did they bring forth such different feelings from him? In the garden, that kiss with that woman not only did not make him feel disgusted, he actually felt pleasure! What was different about her? Could it be…he could have no one else but her?