Chapter 16: Returning the Slap

Three more days passed in the blink of an eye. Only two days remained until the wedding of Sima Lingkong and Nalan Ruoshui. Sima Lingkong’s injuries had fully healed. Though he hadn’t enjoyed the same limelight as Chen Nan recently, he had ultimately won the beauty. He could imagine Chen Nan’s bitter anguish at this very moment, and the thought brought a smile to his lips. He decided to visit the Qishi Mansion and see for himself.

Sima Lingkong swaggered along, greeting everyone he met. Turning a few corners, he arrived outside Chen Nan’s courtyard. Just then, Chen Nan stepped out, and they came face to face.

“Well, if it isn’t the Guardian of the Nation Talent. Where are you off to? Your humble junior was just about to pay his respects to the esteemed Guardian.” Each time Sima Lingkong spoke the word “Guardian,” he emphasized it heavily, his face brimming with mockery.

Rage surged within Chen Nan, and a cold gleam flashed in his eyes—but he slowly suppressed it.

“Sima Lingkong, don’t get too cocky. The emperor may have decreed your marriage, but what he values is not you—it’s your father and your family. You’re nothing but a trust-fund brat!”

Sima Lingkong sneered. “Say whatever you want. One thing remains unchanged: in two days, Ruoshui will marry me. The groom isn’t you. Heh heh.”

“Sima Lingkong, get lost. I don’t want to see you.”

“Very well, since the Guardian has spoken, I’ll take my leave. But you must come to my wedding in two days! Oh, and feel free to crash the bridal chamber. Heh heh.”

Chen Nan’s face turned ashen. Watching Sima Lingkong walk away, he smashed the gate behind him with a single palm strike.

When Chen Nan appeared before the old poison master, the old man was startled.

“Hey, lad, why is your face so ghastly? Are you sick?”

“Perverted old man, tell me—where does Ruoshui live?”

“You… what are you planning? Lad, don’t do anything rash. If you’re thinking of snatching the bride, I advise you to forget it. Over the past couple of days, the eldest princess has dispatched a large number of highly skilled warriors to the Left Chancellor’s residence to protect Nalan Ruoshui. You don’t stand a chance.”

Chen Nan’s expression shifted. He silently marveled at the eldest princess’s foresight—she had apparently anticipated his possible actions.

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The night was like water, utterly silent. This was destined to be a sleepless night.

Chen Nan tossed and turned, his thoughts racing. “What should I do? Perhaps there isn’t deep affection between Ruoshui and me yet, but there is mutual goodwill. Am I supposed to watch helplessly as she marries that bastard and falls into a pit of fire?” Finally, a resolute light shone from his eyes. He muttered to himself, “Let me be reckless for once. I don’t want to leave any regrets.”

Even as he made his decision, a faint unease lingered in his heart.

“In less than three months, so many unexpected things have happened. Once this matter is resolved, I must leave here as soon as possible…”

Eventually, he drifted off to sleep.

Early the next morning, Chen Nan hurried to the old poison master’s courtyard.

Seeing the smile on his face, the old poison master grew suspicious. “Lad, you’ve looked awful for days. What’s with the sudden turnaround?”

Chen Nan said, “Let’s talk inside.”

Once inside, he swiftly tapped over a dozen major acupoints on the old poison master’s body. Though the old man’s martial arts were decent, they were only passable at best—nowhere near the level of a ranked expert.

“Lad, what are you doing? You—”

“Shh. Don’t shout. I just want to have a proper talk with you.”

“If you want to talk, you don’t need to seal my acupoints, do you?”

“Because what I want to discuss with you is too shocking. I was afraid you wouldn’t agree, so I had to resort to this.”

“Alright, out with it. What is it?”

“I know your mastery of poisons is unmatched in Chu. I’d like to ask for a certain potion.”

“What kind of potion?”

“Something that won’t harm a person’s life, but will temporarily render their cultivation completely null.”

Upon hearing this, the old poison master cried out in alarm: “Lad, what exactly are you planning? Are you really going to cause a huge commotion?”

“Exactly. Do you have that kind of medicine or not?”

Breaking out in a cold sweat, the old poison master said, “Chen Nan, don’t be foolish. The capital is filled with experts. You can’t possibly succeed.”

Chen Nan looked him straight in the eye. “There may be many experts, but I have the Houyi Bow. No one can stop me.”

The old poison master’s voice trembled. “If you stir up chaos in the capital, even if you manage to escape, you’ll face endless pursuit from Chu.”

“That’s none of your concern. Perverted old man, do you have that medicine or not?”

“N-no… I don’t.”

“You’re lying. I can tell from your expression. Given our friendship, you wouldn’t begrudge me this, would you?”

“It’s not that I begrudge it. I just can’t bear to watch you jump into a fire.”

“I told you, it’s not your concern. I’ll be perfectly safe. Just give me the medicine.”

The old poison master grimaced. “You’ll be safe, but I certainly won’t. When things go down, you’ll vanish, and what about me? They’ll trace it back to me for sure.”

Chen Nan thought for a moment. “No problem. After you give me the medicine, I’ll knock you unconscious. You can say I took it by force.”

“Impossible.” The old poison master glared. “That plan is far too crude. If they investigate, I won’t even have a chance to flee.”

Chen Nan said, “Then what should we do? Tomorrow is Ruoshui’s wedding. If I can’t rescue her during the ceremony, her life will be ruined.”

“Do you absolutely have to take this risk? Can’t you just…” He wanted to say “give up,” but the words wouldn’t leave his mouth. Looking at Chen Nan’s resolute expression, he finally sighed. “Fine. I’ll go all out. You once gave me a manual on poisons—that was an immense kindness. Even if you asked for my life, I’d give it. Today, I’ll repay you with my life.”

Chen Nan looked at him with a half-smile. “Repay me with your life? Fine. After you give me the medicine, I’ll kill you on the spot, so you won’t have to suffer under torture later.”

The old poison master yelled, “You wicked brat, you’re ruthless! Not a shred of sympathy! Sigh… It seems I can’t stay in the capital anymore. After I give you the medicine, I’ll flee far away to another country.”

Once his acupoints were unsealed, the old poison master asked, “So, what’s your exact plan?”

Chen Nan replied, “I plan to make my move during tomorrow’s wedding ceremony.”

“You… you’re insane! General Sima Changfeng and Left Chancellor Nalan Wencheng are both key ministers of Chu. With their families joining through marriage, they will surely invite the emperor to attend the wedding. By then, the Sima residence will be as impenetrable as an iron fortress. Choosing that moment to act is… is suicide! You’d be better off storming the Left Chancellor’s mansion right now.”

“Heh heh…” Chen Nan smirked coldly. “Since I’m going to make a scene, I’ll make it a big one. I intend to rescue Nalan Ruoshui right in front of the emperor and all the civil and military officials. I want to make Chu lose face completely. What the three Tianyang Dragon Knights failed to accomplish, I’ll finish myself. I’m going to slap Chu hard across the face!”