He Lan Tianxia

Ever since returning from Yan Garden that night, Murong Junlan had demanded that Jiang He tell her everything about the woman. He could tell that he used to know her and care about her, so why didn't he recognize her now? Did something happen when they fell off the Cliff of Broken Hearts? Jiang He only knew that they fell off the Cliff of Broken Hearts and knew nothing else. He was even more absurd, not even recognizing the woman, let alone knowing that she was a princess.

That morning, after finishing her work, Murong Junlan strolled alone to Yan Garden. Spring was in full bloom, and Yan Garden was filled with the vibrant atmosphere of spring. A woman was intently watching a bee collecting nectar among the flowers. Murong Junlan watched from afar, her delicate face giving one a feeling of being bathed in a spring breeze. Suddenly, a hawk cried out in the sky, and a hawk swooped down.

"Potato." The woman excitedly waved to the eagle, which landed in front of her. She hugged the eagle affectionately, pressing her face against its wing. As if the eagle could understand human speech, she began to talk to it, "Potato, I'm so bored! I have nothing to do all day long, and I'm just foolishly waiting for the prince to fall in love with me. That's a complete fantasy. I don't even want to be a princess anymore. I think I'm better off living in the 21st century. Do you have any way to take me back?" The eagle nudged the woman with its head, as if it understood, and let out two cries.

"What kind of woman is she?" Murong Junlan had a hundred different guesses in his mind.

"Now the glass lock is gone again, and all hope of contacting the old monk is lost. What should I do?"

A glass lock? Murong Junlan touched his pocket, took out the glass lock, intending to return it to the woman, but after thinking for a while, he put it back in his pouch. This enigmatic woman was indeed someone he couldn't fathom. He suddenly thought of Ling Yi and decided to go find Ling Yi to ask him what was going on. He turned and left Yan Garden, but behind him came cries of "Help!" followed by the screeching of an eagle.

An assassin? Murong Junlan rushed back to Yan Garden and saw a woman lying unconscious on the ground, with an eagle cawing incessantly beside her.

Murong Junlan immediately picked up the woman and rushed towards his bedroom, where he encountered Jiang He at the door.

"Your Highness, what is this?"

"Quickly, summon the imperial physician." The imperial physician was originally the emperor's personal doctor, but because the emperor doted on Murong Junlan, who was still the crown prince, the emperor granted permission for the imperial physician to serve Murong Junlan.

"The sleeping potion is poisonous. I'm afraid she won't wake up," the old imperial physician said fearfully.

"Jiang He, prepare a guest room for the imperial physician." It seems that if the woman doesn't wake up, the old imperial physician's life will be in danger. "Investigate who has the audacity to attempt an assassination in broad daylight in my own residence?"

"Yes." Jiang He accepted the order, but did not leave.

Murong Junlan turned to look at the woman's pale face on the bed, and a sudden feeling of irritation welled up in his heart.

"Summon other imperial physicians." Murong Junlan paced anxiously back and forth in his bedroom.

The other imperial physicians rushed in, examined the woman, and then, their legs trembling violently, they said in a trembling voice, "I am incompetent, please forgive me, Your Highness."

"They're all a bunch of useless trash." Murong Junlan rarely cursed. His steps were a little unsteady, and he had lost his usual composure and calmness. Jiang He clearly sensed that even with a large army pressing in, Murong Junlan had never been this panicked.

"Your Highness, my greatest ability is to stop the effects of the medicine from taking hold. As for treatment, I would appreciate it if Your Highness would seek a more skilled physician, since the toxicity cannot be delayed." The old imperial physician wiped the sweat from his brow and told the truth.

"Then you can stay in the manor; everyone else, leave." The other imperial physicians were overjoyed and scrambled out of the prince's manor.

The bedroom was eerily quiet; you could hear a pin drop. Murong Junlan sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes fixed on the woman whose breath was growing weaker and weaker, his face as black as a pot. The old imperial physician tried his best to calm himself so he could administer acupuncture to the woman, but his hands trembled violently uncontrollably.

"Your Highness, it would be best if you excuse yourself," Jiang He risked his life to step forward and remind him.

"Didn't I tell you to thoroughly investigate the assassin? Why are you still standing here?" Murong Junlan impatiently flicked his sleeve, but still got up and left the bedside.

"This subordinate will take care of it immediately." Jiang He had already given the order, but seeing the princess's serious condition, he was afraid that the prince would lose his composure, so he stayed behind on his own.

"Wait a minute. While we're at it, let's find out where there are any renowned doctors."

"Yes, Your Highness." Jiang He went to carry out his business, while Murong Junlan stood at the door of the bedroom, his previously chaotic emotions now calmed. He watched the old imperial physician's acupuncture needles rising and falling from afar, a strange, intermittent pain throbbing in his heart. How could this woman, whom he had never met, make him care so much? Was it simply because she said she was his princess? No, it couldn't be. Jin Chuchu and Xia Muyao were betrothed by the Emperor himself; he felt nothing but hatred for them.

The old imperial physician had been busy for quite some time before finally stopping. He walked up to Murong Junlan and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, the poison has been temporarily contained."

"You should go and rest for now."

"Thank you, Your Highness." The old imperial physician left the bedroom and only then did he feel a chill. He then realized that his clothes were completely soaked.

Murong Junlan sat down by the bed, gazing tenderly at the woman. He gently smoothed her slightly disheveled hair and, without thinking, leaned down to kiss her forehead. He'd heard from Jiang He that since this woman had fallen from the Cliff of Broken Hearts to this place, she had either been killed by him or beheaded by the Emperor and his grandmother. She had even shielded him from arrows, fallen off the cliff, been captured by the enemy, and now, right under his nose, had been poisoned. She didn't seem like a spy at all, yet she claimed to be his princess. Murong Junlan took out the glass lock and the small sachet, lost in deep thought.

Just then, a hawk's cry came from the dormitory window, followed by "Potato" flying in. It circled the woman's bed once, then snatched the glass lock from Murong Junlan's hand in its beak and flew out. Murong Junlan was about to push open the window to chase after it when Jiang He entered.

"Protect the Princess." Murong Junlan left those words and chased after her.

The eagle, carrying the glass lock in its beak, flew onward. Murong Junlan, riding his fiery red hare, gave chase. Reaching the skies above Broken Heart Cliff, the eagle stopped, tossed the lock back to Murong Junlan, and then plunged towards the cliff. A moment later, a cloud of mist surged up from the bottom of the cliff, and a giant python soared through the air. In the blink of an eye, a handsome young man stood before Murong Junlan, bowing and saying, "Your Highness, I am deeply sorry for not greeting you sooner. What are your orders?"

"I would like to ask Brother Lingyi to help the Princess detoxify." Murong Junlan finally understood Cangying's intention.

"The princess has been found? That's wonderful! Lingyi will go right away. Your Highness, please return to your residence first. Lingyi will bring all the herbs and follow shortly." Having learned his lesson from the poisoning incident last time, which nearly cost him his life, Lingyi prepared ample amounts of Baijieteng (a type of vine) and several other herbs this time. He quickly packed them into a large bag, transformed into a giant python, and soared away.

Murong Junlan had barely entered the house when Ling Yi followed closely behind. After a thorough examination, Ling Yi suggested a more spacious room, as it was necessary to store the antidote and ensure there was a room for him to recuperate after treatment. Although Murong Junlan had forgotten who Ling Yi had treated last time, he remembered the process clearly. Therefore, he decided to treat him at Yan Garden and ordered it to be sealed off.

Lingyi was very satisfied with the environment of Yanyuan and immediately began the detoxification process. Given Murong Junlan's jealous behavior last time, Lingyi stood there unsure what to do.

"Is Brother Lingyi in trouble?" Murong Junlan asked urgently.

"Your Highness, this poison is inhaled through the mouth and circulates throughout the body via the bloodstream. I must suck out the poisonous blood from the Princess's body to neutralize the toxin. I wonder if Your Highness would mind?"

"How should we treat her?" Murong Junlan frowned for a moment, then relaxed. "As long as we can wake her up, and it won't be too bad, you can go ahead and treat her."

What does "not going too far" mean? The prince didn't explain clearly, making it difficult for anyone to guess, causing much confusion. Lingyi had no choice but to say, "I need to draw the poisoned blood from the princess's hands."

After listening, Murong Junlan walked over, casually took the woman's hand and kissed it, then gently said to the woman on the bed, "Brother Lingyi will suck out the drugs for you, so bear with it." Then he looked at Lingyi beside him, "Let's begin."

"I'd better transform back into a snake to make the treatment easier." Lingyi noticed the prince's jealousy and made up her mind.

"Whatever." Murong Junlan pretended to be nonchalant, but just stood there motionless.

There were only three people in the house. One was sleeping and couldn't be seen. Murong Junlan had seen him transform before, so Lingyi immediately transformed into a medium-sized python, darted to the woman's side, and bit the hand that Murong Junlan had just kissed.

Although he had been notified in advance, Murong Junlan's hand still involuntarily clenched, almost pushing away. He was certain that he wasn't jealous, but rather nervous and worried. However, as Lingyi's snake mouth spat blood and sucked at the woman's hand, Murong Junlan's heart felt like it was being scratched by cat claws, leaving him with a very unpleasant feeling. He paced back and forth in the house unconsciously.

As the woman's complexion regained its rosy hue, Lingyi's body went limp. Murong Junlan quickly administered the imperial antidote to Lingyi, then carried the woman to the princess's chambers he had prepared beforehand. Murong Junlan didn't want too many people to know that Lingyi was a snake. Lingyi remained in the room to recuperate and recover from the poisoning; the room was already stocked with the antidote she had brought.

The woman finally woke up in the early hours of the next day. Lingyi, however, was listless and looked sickly.

"Brother Lingyi, how are you?" Murong Junlan asked with a worried expression.

"Your Highness, I have a request to make." Lingyi said weakly.

"Brother Lingyi, you must hold on! I will do everything I can to save you!" Murong Junlan shouted to the imperial physician.

"Your Highness, no need. I only wish for you to use that jar of turtles as a medicinal ingredient. What do you say?"

“Okay, not just one cylinder, a hundred cylinders are fine too.”

"One vat is enough, thank you, Your Highness." Lingyi forced a smile.

Murong Junlan immediately ordered Jiang He to bring a jar of turtles into the house. Jiang He didn't understand why, but he thought to himself, "He's already so poisoned, how can he still have the mood to cook turtles?"