Chapter 10: Long Jingrui, the Poison of Jade Fire

A certain villa on Mount Qingliang.

In the dead of night, within a small, secluded courtyard hidden from the bustling city, a single room remained lit. A man in black knelt on the floor, awaiting judgment from his master above. Though his expression remained stoic, the sweat on his brow betrayed how nervous he truly was.

The man seated at the head of the room had a resolute appearance and wore fine robes. If one could ignore the pallor of his face and the fine beads of sweat on his forehead, he appeared to be enduring something while keeping his eyes closed, unwilling to reveal his pain. He was exactly the type of man Yun Yi had favored in her past life.

After about the time it takes for half a stick of incense to burn, the man finally managed to open his eyes. His voice was slightly hoarse as he said, "You must have Yin Yi and the others investigate today’s matter thoroughly. I want to see who is so calculating and audacious.

Clean up the people outside. As for you, since you failed in your duty, return to the Mingyan Pavilion to receive your punishment. Withdraw."

The man in black felt a sense of relief. After bowing, he hurried out of the room. Only after walking a hundred meters away did he let out a long breath. It was fortunate that his master was unharmed this time, and his own life had been spared. Thinking about having to return to the Pavilion to be punished for today’s events, he wished he could tear those who had come looking for trouble into a thousand pieces. Even if his master hadn't given the order, he would have investigated the matter clearly himself. To dare to scheme against his master and even injure him—he, the Jade-Faced Envoy, would show no mercy. For those who opposed his master, there was only one word: 'death.'

The man inside the room was none other than the illustrious Prince Rui, Long Jingrui, who had earned great military merit. Today was another night of the full moon. He had been born with a poison in his system.

Since childhood, every full moon brought him the agony of both ice and fire; his internal organs would burn with unbearable heat, while his body would be chilled to the bone. It was a pain worse than death, yet every time the torture ended, he would survive.

He had visited the world’s most renowned physicians, but they were all helpless, leaving him to rely on profound internal energy techniques to suppress the affliction.

If not for the secret sect techniques passed down by his master, he would have long since departed this world. His master had once said that his condition was most sensitive to alcohol before the full moon, which would intensify the severity and prolong the duration of the attacks.

But today, they had been careless. No one expected the alcohol to be hidden in an inconspicuous glutinous rice ball. If he hadn't been alert enough to induce vomiting after eating just one, the consequences today would have been unimaginable. In recent months, he had felt as though he could no longer suppress the poison; each time, he barely managed to keep it in check. He did not know how much longer he could hold on, though miraculously, his internal energy would increase after each ordeal.

When the old Valley Master of the Medicine King Valley was still alive, he had said that only the blood of a thousand-year-old snow fox from the Snow Spirit Mountain in the Dongjun Kingdom, combined with a spirit crystal formed by the infusion of thousand-year-old ice essence, could cure the Jade Fire poison in his blood if he soaked in it for over six hours.

The person who created the poison was long dead, and the only existing antidote had been kept in the Medicine King Valley.

However, years ago, internal strife broke out in the Medicine King Valley, and a traitor emerged. The antidote was lost in the chaos and had remained missing ever since. He had long given up; rather than wasting time searching for an untraceable antidote, it was better to intensify his cultivation, which would at least allow him to suffer less during each full moon.

Thinking of this, a bitter smile appeared on his lips. His mother had fallen ill several times because of this, unable to face him. She spent her days eating vegetarian meals, praying to Buddha, building bridges, and repairing roads, hoping to accumulate merit and pray for his well-being.

Thinking of his mother, his heart ached. For so many years, he had never seen her smile. Every time they met, her face was filled with sorrow, feeling that she had failed her son. She blamed her own incompetence for allowing her 'Rui'er' to suffer such torment.

(End of chapter)