The Dandy's Duchess

Chapter 149: Bickering is a Form of Affection (3)

"Yes, it's true that I had an extraordinary encounter, and yes, I did meet a master..." Rongjing smiled and shook his head, letting out a sigh. "You could say she's a master! Even more stubborn than I am. I believed no one could match my perseverance, enduring for ten years. Yet she managed to be even more steadfast and resilient. If it weren't for her determination, you probably wouldn't be seeing me now, and even if you did, I would still be the old me."

Xian Ge was momentarily stunned, looking at Rongjing in confusion.

"It's the woman in the eastern courtyard who's currently indulging in a feast!" Rongjing clarified with a smile.

"Ah?" Xian Ge was completely bewildered, his eyes widening as he stared at Rongjing. "Are you saying that the one who helped you dispel the cold poison and your chronic illness is Miss Qianyue?"

"Who else could be in the eastern courtyard right now, eating and drinking?" Rongjing responded.

"She... how could that be possible?" Xian Ge was incredulous. Indeed, the aroma of the dishes from the eastern courtyard wafted through the walls—who else but Miss Qianyue could create such a feast?

"When she said she would help me, I also thought it was impossible. I had given up myself, but she insisted there was nothing impossible. By the way, she said she doesn't believe in fate; she believes that 'where there's a will, there's a way; burning the boats ensures success; with determination, one can conquer the most formidable obstacles.' I might not know the backstory behind those words, but they certainly strengthened my resolve. Can you imagine my shock? I thought I might as well give it a shot." Rongjing slowly recounted, seemingly recalling how he had nearly given up multiple times, only to be inspired by her steadfastness—a moment he would never forget.

"Then... how did Miss Qianyue manage to do it?" Xian Ge still couldn't believe it.

"At that time, she had been poisoned with an aphrodisiac and was thrown into a secret passage. I followed her in to stop her but ended up trapped in a sealed underground temple with her. I used my skills to help her merge the two streams of true energy within her, assisting her in dispelling the aphrodisiac poison..." Rongjing began to narrate.

"Rongjing, do you know that what you did was extremely dangerous? Your skills were being used to suppress the cold energy within you. How could you recklessly expend them?" Xian Ge looked at him disapprovingly, muttering, "I knew it! The moment you meet Miss Qianyue, you become so generous!"

Rongjing chuckled but ignored Xian Ge's complaints as he continued, "I had no idea she would be so resolute. With my help, she managed to break the aphrodisiac's curse. But then she discovered my cold poison and chronic illness. She insisted on helping me break the seal and remove the cold poison and heal my wounds."

"Even Master Lingyin, with his high skills, couldn't do it; how could Miss Qianyue be so reckless? If I were there..." Xian Ge's voice trailed off as he suddenly remembered that Rongjing was now cured, and he stopped speaking.

"I thought just like you. I had no hope at all. But she was determined, and I figured it was just a broken body. So I let her do as she wished! Her inner strength and mine are from the same source, so I thought there might be a chance. With her insistence, I agreed. I never expected she would really break the seal Master Lingyin had placed on me, melting away the cold poison inside me with her true energy while I merely assisted her from the outside..." Rongjing explained simply.

"And then?" Xian Ge listened intently, not daring to breathe.

"After she broke Master Lingyin's seal, she realized it was not as easy as she had thought, but instead of retreating, she firmly used her true energy to dissolve the ice cold at my heart meridian. In the end, when only one-tenth remained, her true energy was exhausted, and so was mine..." As he spoke, Rongjing paused, noticing that Xian Ge was holding his breath. With a smile, he continued, "I told her to withdraw; if I died, she could still live. But she refused. Just when I thought we were doomed, she activated the hidden power of her Phoenix Scripture, and we were saved. Not only was the cold poison removed from my body, but my wounds from the Fire Palm were also healed, restoring my heart meridian. We both ended up depleting our inner strength."

"Are you saying that Miss Qianyue also lost her inner strength?" Xian Ge asked in a low voice.

"Yes." Rongjing nodded.

Xian Ge turned to leave, saying, "I'll go thank Miss Qianyue for her great kindness!"

"Come back!" Rongjing called out to stop him, chuckling, "You can thank her later. Right now, this matter mustn't be made public. She won't speak of it, and neither will I, so you mustn't either."

Xian Ge halted in his tracks, momentarily forgetting that such matters shouldn't be disclosed. There were still people wishing for the heir's death! It was best that fewer people knew about the heir's recovery for now, especially since he had lost his martial skills; he needed to stay close to Rongjing. He returned to ask, "Rongjing, will your and Miss Qianyue's martial skills recover? When will they return? They won't be permanently lost, will they?"

"They shouldn't be lost, but I fear they won't recover anytime soon," Rongjing said nonchalantly.

"Then I can rest assured." Xian Ge let out a breath, unable to hide his joy. "You must be hungry, right? I've instructed the kitchen to prepare medicinal dishes. I'll bring them in right away."

"Mm!" Rongjing nodded.

Xian Ge quickly went downstairs and soon returned with a table full of dishes.

Suddenly, Rongjing recalled something and said to Xian Ge in a low voice, "You need to find Qian Yan and tell him that no matter what he discovers or deduces, he must forget it as soon as possible and never remember it again. I promise to protect him and his family. If he says anything he shouldn't or leaks any information, both he and his family will vanish from this world forever."

Xian Ge was stunned, looking at Rongjing. "Rongjing?"

"You need to tell him right away, but don't let anyone find out you went to see him. He should be in Ye Tianqing's courtyard now," Rongjing added, then explained, "The woman in the eastern courtyard triggered a mechanism and hid twelve golden Buddha statues. Some traces were left behind; they can be concealed from Ye Tianqing and the others, but not from Qian Yan."

"Understood! I'll go now!" Xian Ge said, suddenly enlightened. He nodded and turned to leave. He had gone quite a distance from the North Mountain villa when he suddenly recalled that Rongjing had mentioned it was Miss Qianyue who triggered the mechanism.