The Sickly Emperor Is Only Immune to Me-Chapter 164 - : The Strange Flower
Chapter 164 -164: The Strange Flower
Without waiting for He Ying to respond, Han Chen asked the guard beside him, “Do you recognize him?”
These guards spent their days and nights together.
While he might not recognize everyone, how could he not recognize a fellow guard?
Upon hearing the question, the guard lifted his head, gave He Ying a glance, and a look of confusion appeared on his face.
“No—”
His words were not yet finished when his neck felt warm, and a spray of fresh blood gushed out.
He Ying pulled out his long sword and instantly dispatched the guard beside him.
Han Chen, ready for trouble, quickly retreated a step, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said sternly, “To have infiltrated Chonghua Palace too, quite the clever trick. Someone, kill him!”
While giving orders, he reached for Sang Yan first.
But He Ying was one step ahead and had already retreated into the hall, tightly grabbing Sang Yan’s hand.
“Be careful!”
She dared not expose He Ying’s identity, so she didn’t dare to call out his name.
At last, their fingertips intertwined.
Tears streamed down Sang Yan’s face, filled with both emotion and anger.
He actually disregarded his own safety like this!
It was too late for more words.
The guards swarmed in from outside.
He Ying’s swordplay was exquisite, but he couldn’t stand against the overwhelming numbers, and compounded with the injuries he had already sustained, he seemed to be losing ground after dozens of exchanges.
“Be careful! The left side! Don’t worry about me!”
Sang Yan was full of panic, loudly alerting him.
He Ying shielded her behind him, facing the entire guard team alone with the strength of one man!
Sang Yan’s heart raced up to her throat, the corners of her eyes reddening.
She couldn’t let him face danger alone.
Unless—
“Kill him! Mr. Jiu has promised a hefty reward!”
Han Chen didn’t know He Ying’s identity, but he had some guesses and was determined to have the man’s life.
Hearing Han Chen’s words, the guards were even more spirited, striking towards He Ying’s vital points with every move.
He Ying pushed his strength to the limit, the long sword in his hand dancing to show only a blur of light and shadow.
Until a sudden pain in his chest caused him to stagger and he vomited a mouthful of black blood.
The poison inside him had not been cleared yet!
Now, greatly exerting himself, his qi was in disarray!
Spotting this opportunity, Han Chen fought even faster, “Your end is nigh, what’s the point in struggling? I’ll send you off right now!”
His long sword was about to strike down—
He Ying instinctively covered Sang Yan’s eyes.
He didn’t want her to witness this scene.
“A Yan, don’t be afraid—”
If there’s a next life, if fate allows…
Sang Yan fiercely pushed him away, took a fallen guard’s sword, and held it against her neck.
She stood in front of Han Chen, her cool face showing a resolute determination to face death.
“Stop! Han Chen, if you kill him today, all that Qi Jiu will be left with is a corpse.”
The sharp edge of the sword rested against her fair neck.
Instantly, a string of blood beads oozed out.
“Don’t! Stay calm! Miss Sang, dying like this is meaningless!”
Han Chen clenched his molars, desperately trying to persuade her.
He was thoroughly annoyed by this woman!
But if she truly died, leaving aside how disappointed Mr. Jiu would be with him, even he couldn’t accept such incompetence from himself!
“Take us to see Qi Jiu!”
Sang Yan guarded He Ying in front of her, letting him lean on her shoulder.
Feeling his weakness, her tone became even more severe, “I want to see Qi Jiu! Immediately!”
Her voice intensified, and so did the force on her hand, the blade of the sword pressed more deeply into her flesh, the blood flowing more profusely!
Han Chen knew she was always a madwoman and, not daring to delay, could only unwillingly nod.
“Fine! I’ll take you!”
He eyed Sang Yan’s bleeding neck, stepping back, thinking once they met Mr. Jiu, with Mr. Jiu’s years of scheming ambition and courage, he would personally kill this woman!
That was the decisive Mr. Jiu!
How could he possibly give up the victory within his grasp for the sake of a woman?
“Put that sword away a bit—”
Han Chen kept a stiff face, his heart in his throat, leading the way.
Sang Yan and He Ying followed behind.
“Don’t—don’t do anything foolish.”
He Ying, clutching his chest, coughed up another mouthful of black blood.
At this moment, he wasn’t worried about himself at all, only afraid she would do something foolish.
She was capable of doing it.
Just now she had told him she wouldn’t let Qi Jiu use her to threaten him.
That was her resolution to face death!
Sang Yan looked at him with tear-filled eyes, remaining silent, her hands gripping the sword tightly, not daring to divert her attention for a moment.
*
Banquet Hall
The banquet was nearing its end.
The Puluo King wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth, casting a reluctant glance at the uneaten pig trotter.
Suppressing his anger, Qi Jiu reminded him, “King, have you forgotten something you haven’t mentioned to Emperor He?”
His tone was more of a warning than a reminder.
Startled into awareness, the Puluo King slapped his forehead, his flabby cheeks trembling.
It made others feel uncomfortable.
“This King’s Imperial Garden houses an extraordinary flower of this era. Today, as Emperor He visits our Puluo Country, he must not miss it!”
Having said that, he turned to Qi Jiu with a smile: “However, I suddenly feel unwell, so I must trouble Mr. Jiu to take my place.”
“It is my honor to guide Emperor He,” replied Qi Jiu, looking at Tan Yunjian: “Please.”
Seeing the two of them play off each other, the king not seeming like a king, the minister not like a minister, Tan Yunjian sneered: This is good. With the Puluo King absent, he’d take the chance to see what skills this Qi Jiu possessed!
Thinking of Jiang Ke, who had died at his hands, he almost wanted to take Qi Jiu’s life right there!
“Then please, Mr. Jiu, lead the way.”
Tan Yunjian replied coldly.
Qi Jiu was indifferent to his coldness.
After all, he’d be a corpse soon!
Why should the living bother with the dead?
The group left the banquet hall and made their way to the Imperial Garden.
As soon as they entered the garden, a strange fragrance assaulted their senses.
It was accompanied by the ethereal and otherworldly sound of the Fan Yin zither music.
Who was playing the zither here?
Tan Yunjian dared not lose focus, he held his breath and concentrated, surreptitiously taking in everything about the Imperial Garden.
The Imperial Garden was not large.
Perhaps because of the small island nation’s environment, there was plenty of sunshine and abundant rainfall, ideal for the growth of flora.
Various flowers that were not seen in Da He thrived here, bursting with vitality.
Aside from the persistent fragrance of flowers, there was only the sound of the zither music echoing through the air.
No other anomalies were present.
Could it be that Qi Jiu’s trap wasn’t set in the Imperial Garden?
Tan Yunjian’s heart sank.
At this moment, Qi Jiu spoke up: “I, Qi Jiu, have traveled the maritime nations and happened upon several extraordinary flowers. Today, I have the great fortune to share them with Emperor He.”
Tan Yunjian couldn’t be bothered to respond to his hypocritical words, simply following him forward.
The two unknowingly ventured deeper into the garden.
The source of the zither music then became visible.
The player was a handsome young man.
Dressed in snow-white garments, he sat beneath a flowering tree.
Behind him was a sea of flowers, a riot of colors.
In the midst of the flowers, several red blooms stood a man’s height, conspicuously vibrant.
The rich fragrance that had filled the air originated from these blooms!
Upon closer inspection, the flowers were trumpet-shaped, deep red in color, turning almost black under the moonlight, revealing a dark and enigmatic beauty.
Stranger yet, apart from those flowers, the surrounding plants were wilted, their petals brown and crumbling.
Such a domineering flower!
It was stealing the life force of the other plants!
The tune of the Fan Yin was pure and enchanting, cleansing the soul, sounding ever more pleasing.
And with the beautiful music, the flowers bloomed even faster, the fragrance in the air growing so intense it caused headaches.
Tan Yunjian had a sudden realization: there was something strange about this flower!
The alarming name ‘Fan Yin Flower’ flashed in his mind.
“Emperor He, what do you think of my flowers? Aren’t they strikingly beautiful?”
Qi Jiu’s voice suddenly rang out from behind.
He walked up to Tan Yunjian with a poised gait, an expression of arrogance that said he had everything under control, a smile curling his lips: “In all the world, you are the only one worthy to appreciate my Fan Yin Flowers.”
The Fan Yin Flower!
This content is taken from fгeewebnovёl.com.
So, it really was!
Having roamed the worldly society for many years, seen much, and read extensively, Tan Yunjian recalled a book about rare and exotic plants that mentioned the Fan Yin Flower: [The flower understands human nature, enjoys music, and has a peculiar fragrance that can paralyze the mind and body, and is highly toxic.]
A few brief words captured the peril of the Fan Yin Flower.
Qi Jiu, unable to read Tan Yunjian’s emotion, thought he was unaware of its value and was about to sneer in derision.
But Tan Yunjian laughed first, full of disdain: “Just the Fan Yin Flower? Is that all you have? How disappointing.”
Qi Jiu: “…”
He actually knew!
But what did it matter if he knew?
It only meant his death was imminent!
He sneered: “Still so defiant when facing death.”
Tan Yunjian’s expression turned stern, his eyes full of disgust: “It remains to be seen who the deer will fall to. Wuya, you think you are cunning, using the name Qi Jiu to hide your true face from the world?”
