IRTBACIWLATCP CH 11

Chapter 11 — The Medicinal Bath

She untied his belt and removed his undergarments as well.

His firmly trained upper body was fully revealed.

‘Wow. His physique really is perfect.’

She had to admit it.

His clearly defined muscles and strong body, along with the several scars across his chest and back, only made him look even more masculine.

It would be such a waste to just kill someone with a body this good.

Maybe I should put him on display somewhere on the street, or sell him to a pleasure house…

He would definitely be an incredibly popular commodity, wouldn’t he?

As Jiui looked him over while even calculating how much money she could make from him in her head, she eventually burst out laughing.

Jingyun stepped into the bathtub and sat down. He gave her a cold sideways glance before closing his eyes.

“Lewd woman.”

Jiui continued smiling sweetly.

“Prince Jing, you have such a high position, such an excellent character, and you’re even this handsome.”

“What woman could possibly look at Your Highness and not have her heart flutter?”

Jingyun merely gave a cold laugh and ignored her.

‘Considering how unusually kind she’s being all of a sudden, she must have something else planned.’

Jiui stood to one side, continuing to add hot water and medicinal ingredients to the bath.

Then, just as she took out a small porcelain bottle and poured the medicinal powder inside into the bathtub, Jingyun happened to notice.

His gaze instantly turned cold.

He grabbed her slender wrist in one swift movement.

“What is that?”

All the medicinal ingredients used for the bath had already been examined by the physician at the residence, and they had confirmed that there was nothing wrong with them.

But Jiui was adding something separately, so he naturally became wary.

Jiui explained in a gentle voice,

“The dark circles under Your Highness’s eyes make it seem like you haven’t been able to sleep because of your pain for a long time, so I added a little of a special medicine I made.”

“So that you can sleep well tonight.”

“You’re actually that kindhearted?”

He looked at her suspiciously.

His deep, dark eyes made it difficult to read what he was thinking.

The night breeze drifted inside, causing the flames atop the silver candleholders to flicker.

Under the candlelight, he looked almost otherworldly.

Jiui obediently replied,

“Of course. I hope Your Highness recovers as quickly as possible. That way, I can become free too.”

A faint mocking smile appeared at the corner of Jingyun’s lips, but he said nothing.

‘Even if I manage to remove the poison, I have absolutely no intention of letting this woman leave.’

‘More importantly, she knows that the Dragon Scale Guards are searching for me.’

‘The moment that information reaches the imperial palace, those people in the palace will realize what I am looking for.’

‘I absolutely cannot take that risk.’

When the hall became quiet, Jiui yawned as though she were bored. Before long, she leaned against the table and fell asleep.

After finishing the medicinal bath, Jingyun stood up and put on his clothes.

Just as Jiui had said, the medicinal bath was the preliminary step before acupuncture and bloodletting to remove the poison three days later.

For the next few days, the priority was to regulate his condition through medicinal baths and medicine.

Jingxun entered and carefully asked,

“Your Highness, how are you feeling?”

Jingyun briefly assessed his condition before answering,

“I feel a little better.”

The Heart-Seeking Poison had not yet flared up, and since this was his first medicinal bath, there was no major change.

However, Jiui had not been lying.

The medicinal bath had a calming effect and helped ease his pain. His fatigue had genuinely lessened somewhat.

His gaze fell upon Jiui, who was deeply asleep.

“Take her to Yunshe Pavilion.”

“Yes.”

Jingxun respectfully answered before personally lifting Jiui into his arms.

Jiui did not wake up at all before they reached Yunshe Pavilion.

Jingxun shook his head.

“She really sleeps like a pig.”

Just as he was about to put her down—

The woman in his arms suddenly opened her eyes wide, and a sly smile flashed across her lips.

The next moment, the sedative in her hand pricked Jingxun.

When he felt a faint sting, Jingxun stared at her in shock.

“Miss Song, you…!”

He knew that Jiui had no internal energy, so he had lowered his guard.

But he had never expected to be caught off guard by her!

Jiui quickly jumped down from the bed and stepped several paces away.

A bright smile spread across her beautiful face.

“Jingxun, you knocked me unconscious before too, remember? Let’s call this even.”

“Miss…”

Jingxun gritted his teeth and desperately tried to force the medicine out of his system.

“His Highness was right. You really are this cunning. I shouldn’t have trusted you…”

Jiui even kindly explained,

“Don’t strain yourself. It isn’t poison. It’s medicine. The more you struggle, the faster you’ll fall asleep…”

Her voice gradually faded away, and eventually Jingxun completely lost consciousness and collapsed.

In the dead of night, when everyone was asleep—

The guards on duty throughout Prince Jing’s Residence had one by one collapsed to the ground, unable to regain consciousness.

Jiui crouched low and carefully moved behind the artificial rockery.

After tying up the hem of her skirt securely, she planted her foot firmly and tried with all her strength, but she still couldn’t climb over the wall.

‘This body is far too weak!’

‘It can’t even compare to my original body.’

The walls of Prince Jing’s Residence were much higher than she had expected.

She gritted her teeth and encouraged herself.

‘Once I get back, I have to leave the capital immediately. Otherwise, Prince Jing will never let me go…’

While wandering around Prince Jing’s Residence, she had already memorized the layout and guard arrangements. She had even put sleeping medicine into the kitchen and the well.

Unless something unexpected happened, most of the people in Prince Jing’s Residence should be deeply asleep by now.

This was the perfect opportunity to escape.

“Need some help?”

A deep, heavy voice suddenly came from behind her.

Jiui instinctively waved her hand.

“No, it’s fine. I can climb up by mysel—”

Before she could finish speaking, her eyes widened.

Why does that voice sound so familiar?

A chill ran down her spine as she slowly turned around.

Just as she had expected.

The man was looking down at her with a face as dark as a storm cloud.

His gaze was as sharp as a blade, seemingly capable of piercing straight through her.

Swallowing the scream that was about to escape her, she pretended not to notice him and began climbing the wall again.

But the moment her toes slipped, her body fell straight downward.

‘This is the end…’

She gritted her teeth.

But in the next instant, instead of crashing to the ground, her body was caught in a strong embrace.

A familiar medicinal scent brushed against the tip of her nose.

She shuddered and quickly opened her eyes.

A sharply defined face.

Dangerously deep and cold eyes.

A straight nose and firmly pressed lips.

Who else could it be but Prince Jing, Xiao Jingyun?

“P-Prince Jing…!”

She nearly cried inwardly.

Why is Xiao Jingyun here?

I clearly put sleeping medicine into his bath. Shouldn’t he be asleep by now?!

Jingyun gave a cold smile.

That smile carried an almost beast-like danger and a chilling murderous intent.

“Where are you trying to go in the middle of the night?”

“I… was exercising.”

Jiui forced a smile as she tried to escape from his arms.

But Jingyun firmly held her with one arm while using his other hand to pick up the bundle that had fallen beneath the wall.

Clink.

The gold and silver valuables inside struck against each other, producing a clear sound.

“Taking the residence’s valuables with you while exercising? You certainly made thorough preparations.”

Jiui was momentarily speechless.

“That… is weight training. If you want to strengthen your body, you have to lift heavier things than other people.”

‘I thought my escape was practically successful, so I didn’t put the gold and silver valuables I took from Yunshe Pavilion into my jade ring. That was my mistake.’

She had been completely exposed.

The corner of Jingyun’s mouth lifted mockingly.

“You lie remarkably well.”

‘If I hadn’t continued watching her from the shadows, I might have actually lost this cunning woman.’

With her lie exposed, Jiui finally fell silent.

Jingyun carried her back into the residence.

He clearly had no intention of letting her go.

Jiui blinked and looked up at him.

“Prince Jing, could you put me down now? The poison is already circulating through my body, and it must be tiring for you to keep carrying me.”

Jingyun glanced at her coldly.

“Are you still thinking about escaping?”

Jiui pouted as though she had been wronged.

“You clearly took my medicine. How did you realize that I was trying to escape?”

She simply couldn’t believe it.

I only needed a little more time, and I would have succeeded!

Looking down at her, he calmly said,

“I have been poisoned for a long time. And the Heart-Seeking Poison has already spread throughout my body.”

“The amount of sleeping medicine you put into the bath was nowhere near enough to knock me unconscious.”

Jiui sighed.

“I miscalculated this time.”

After a moment, she muttered,

“But Your Highness really is pitiful.”

Even when Jingyun had resisted the sedative last time, Jiui had found it difficult to believe.

‘This man has been exposed to so much poison that he has developed resistance to medicine as well.’

Only after entering the main hall did he finally set her down.

But he clearly had no intention of simply letting her go.

His large, bony hand reached toward her.

Jiui was startled and instinctively stepped back.

“Prince Jing, what exactly are you trying to do?”

“I’m going to search you for every piece of medicine you have hidden on you.”

Jingyun’s black eyes were deep and unreadable, while his face remained completely expressionless.

‘Gulp.’

Jiui swallowed nervously.

“What medicine? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Stop pretending. Hand it over.”

‘This woman not only knocked out everyone in my residence, she even put something into my bathwater.’

‘There’s a very good chance she is hiding other medicines on her as well.’

As he approached step by step, Jiui kept backing away.

But his cold hand quickly forced her back against a pillar.

Her entire body stiffened with tension.

“Don’t come any closer… Don’t you know there should be boundaries between men and women?”

But Jingyun did not stop.

When he searched around her clothing for hidden medicine, Jiui held her breath in alarm.

“Ah!”

She finally cried out desperately,

“There’s nothing! I already used all the medicine I brought with me!”

But Jingyun did not believe her.

After thoroughly searching her waist and finding nothing, he continued checking for anything else she might have concealed.

Jiui’s ears quickly turned red from embarrassment.

“Pervert! How can you be so rude?!”

She shouted angrily, her face flushed.

“If you want everyone to come running over and watch, then keep shouting.”

She glared at him through gritted teeth.

“How can a gentleman torment a helpless woman like this? Aren’t you afraid of damaging your reputation, Prince Jing?”

“Do you really think that rumor would spread?”

Only after searching Jiui thoroughly from head to toe did he finally withdraw his hand.

He had confirmed that she had nothing else hidden on her.

“Song Jiui, if you try to escape again, I really will take your life next time.”

Jiui, her face still flushed with anger, dropped heavily into a chair.

After silently thinking over what had just happened, she soon sensed something strange.

‘Even if Xiao Jingyun didn’t fall asleep, something still doesn’t make sense.’

‘How did he know exactly where I was and what I was doing?’