Women disguised as men went to the battlefield and the emperor bowed down in submission.

Lin Ruoshui waved her damp sleeves in front of Xuan Yuan Yu and said, "Am I that beautiful? You're staring at me like a daze."

Xuanyuan Yu was brought back to his senses by the word "old lady". "You woman, how can you speak so rudely?"

Xuanyuan Yu was very dissatisfied with Lin Ruoshui. He felt that her delicate face was like that of a fairy from the heavens.

But when Lin Ruoshui spoke, the fairy seemed to have fallen to earth and become a commoner, shattering the beautiful image in his heart.

"I'm just like this, you'll get used to it." Lin Ruoshui rolled her eyes at Xuan Yuanyu.

"Yingyi, bring two sets of clothes," Lin Ruoshui instructed the roof.

Xuanyuan Yu felt a sense of incongruity as he looked at Lin Ruoshui's rude actions and perfect image.

He suddenly grabbed Lin Ruoshui's arm and said, "Are you Chu Xiao?"

Lin Ruoshui was startled by Xuan Yuan Yu's sudden questioning. He had forced her to admit that she was Chu Xiao before, but now he suspected that she wasn't. Xuan Yuan Yu's paranoia was really severe.

"How could the ruler of a country be so vulgar!" Xuan Yuan Yu gripped Lin Ruo Shui's arm even tighter.

"You son of a bitch, Xuanyuan Yu, you're hurting me!" Lin Ruoshui had barely finished speaking when a loud crash came from the roof, and tiles and the man in black fell down together.

Wearing a plain white undergarment, Xuanyuan Yu flew out of the hot spring and fought the man in black with his bare hands.

An assassin rushed towards Lin Ruoshui, but Xuan Yuan Yu dodged in front of her and blocked her way. A group of assassins, wielding sharp blades, simultaneously slashed at Xuan Yuan Yu.

Xuanyuan Yu slowly raised his hands, and powerful true energy overflowed from in front of him, attacking the group of assassins with overwhelming force.

With a bang, the air surged, and a group of assassins had their internal organs shattered, coughing up blood and collapsing to the ground.

Lin Ruoshui patted Xuan Yuan Yu on the shoulder from behind and said admiringly, "Xuan Yuan Yu, you are my idol, can I get your autograph?"

Three black lines appeared on Xuan Yuan Yu's forehead. Before he could speak, two powerful waves of energy surged towards them. Xuan Yuan Yu quickly turned around, grabbed Lin Ruo Shui's waist, and leaped into the air.

The shockwave struck the hot spring water, which seemed to transform into numerous hidden weapons that hit Xuan Yuan Yu. Lin Ruo Shui was well protected by Xuan Yuan Yu, and she only heard his muffled groan after being hit and felt his body tremble.

Lin Ruoshui looked up at Xuan Yuanyu and found that his face was pale, as if he had been seriously injured.

Xuanyuan Yu remained expressionless, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and turned to look at the person who had made the move.

The two middle-aged men were not masked; one had a gray beard, and the other was completely beardless. Both were ugly and clearly not good people.

Lin Ruoshui smelled a strong medicinal odor on them. She held her breath, took a step back, and whispered to Xuan Yuan Yu, "If these two are not good people, they must be experts in poison. Try not to breathe and get out of here quickly."

Before she could finish speaking, two middle-aged men simultaneously blew their whistles, and countless wasps swarmed in from all directions, a sight that sent chills down one's spine.

Lin Ruoshui was terrified and shouted as she ran, "Run!"

Xuanyuan Yu led Lin Ruoshui and the surrounding guards to rush to the roof, while Huang Feng quickly chased after Lin Ruoshui and her group.

Everyone leaped onto the roof and ran in different directions. The wasps followed Lin Ruoshui closely and did not attack the others.

Lin Ruoshui cursed inwardly, "Damn it, he only chases after me!"

"Shadow One, Shadow Two, Shadow Three, tell everyone to go and get torches," Lin Ruoshui ordered loudly.

Soon, someone brought torches and formed a circle around Lin Ruoshui and Xuan Yuanyu. The swarm of wasps, which blotted out the sky, paused for a moment, then rushed toward the flames at the whistle's urging.

I've heard of moths flying into a flame, but never wasps. Swarms of wasps rushed wildly toward the torches, a terrifying sight that sent chills down the spines of the palace maids watching from afar, who screamed in terror. Many others collapsed to the ground in fright, scrambling and crawling away into the distance.

A burnt smell filled the air. Lin Ruoshui pinched her nose and said, "This smell is awful!"

Driven by an instinct for danger, Xuan Yuan Yu asked hesitantly, "Is there anything strange about this taste?"

Lin Ruoshui said, "This smell is not only unpleasant, but it also has a strange and disgusting sweet smell. Oh no!" Lin Ruoshui said with a sudden realization.

"What's wrong?" Xuanyuan Yu asked.

Lin Ruoshui covered her mouth and nose and said, "The wasp has aphrodisiac on it. Which concubine is this, going to such lengths just to climb into someone's bed?"

Xuanyuan Yu also covered his mouth and nose and said, "I have fought on the battlefield for many years and have never seen such a despicable woman in your harem."

"Everyone hold your breath, throw away your torches, and hurry to the lakeside!" Lin Ruoshui shouted loudly, ignoring Xuan Yuan Yu's complaints.

Lin Ruoshui pulled Xuan Yuanyu towards the nearby lake, with the guards running alongside and Huang Feng close behind.

Everyone jumped into the lake and dived to the bottom. This time, the wasps didn't chase after them. Now, two middle-aged men on the shore took out two bottles of purple liquid from their pockets and poured them into the lake.

Lin Ruoshui suddenly noticed purple water on the lake surface, spreading out in all directions.

Two of the guards with poor diving skills had already come into contact with the purple water. Lin Ruoshui held her breath, swam upwards, and pulled the two guards to the bottom of the lake.

The group quickly swam to the other side of the lake and finally reached the shore.

Lin Ruoshui cautiously peeked out. The shore was quiet; there were no assassins or wasps, and everything was peaceful.

"Come on up, it's safe for now," Lin Ruoshui said, gesturing.

Everyone rushed ashore. The two people who had been poisoned with the purple drug reacted quickly; their bodies were burning hot, their faces turned purple, and they began to tear at their clothes.

Lin Ruoshui moved extremely fast, knocking them unconscious with two hand chops.

"Quickly send him to the Imperial Medical Academy," Lin Ruoshui said.

Lin Ruoshui and Xuan Yuanyu changed into clean clothes and went to the Imperial Medical Bureau. Looking at the guards who had been exposed to an unknown purple liquid, Lin Ruoshui asked the old imperial physician who was taking their pulses, "How are they?"

The old imperial physician knelt down and reported: "Your Majesty, these three people need to engage in sexual intercourse for three days and three nights. If there is any pause, they will die immediately. I have already sealed their seven meridians and eight acupoints with silver needles. In one hour, the effects of the medicine will begin to reach their peak. If they do not start engaging in sexual intercourse, they will die suddenly."

Lin Ruoshui was speechless upon hearing this result. She said, "Three days and three nights, won't that be fatal??"

The old doctor said, "With ginseng to prolong life, plus my family's heirloom life-prolonging pill, there might still be a glimmer of hope."

Lin Ruoshui said, "Someone, quickly send the three of them to a brothel."

Ying Yi flashed out, knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, their mission is to protect Your Majesty. In this situation, there is no need to treat them, just give them a quick death."

"Shadow One, what are you saying? They protect me, so they are my people. I will not give up on them even if there is only a sliver of a chance they have to live." Lin Ruoshui stood up and said resolutely.

Yingyi's eyes reddened, deeply moved by Lin Ruoshui's unwavering devotion. He felt that having such a master was their blessing.

Lin Ruoshui ordered someone to bring the dead wasps that had attacked them earlier to the old doctor for examination.

The old doctor put on a white cloth, covered his mouth and nose, placed the charred wasp carcass in a bowl, poured in an unknown liquid, and soon the liquid turned purple.

The old imperial physician said to Lin Ruoshui, "Your Majesty, the venom on the wasps is the same as that on the two guards just now, only the dosage is very small and the toxicity is not great. Because of the amount of venom inhaled, the symptoms and onset time will vary from person to person."

"What? It can cause an attack? That means all the guards present today have been poisoned, but haven't shown any symptoms yet?" Lin Ruoshui was shocked.

“Including us,” Xuanyuan Yu added.

Lin Ruoshui's face turned deathly pale, because she was certain that she had inhaled the poisonous fumes, but she didn't know if the purple poisonous liquid had gotten on her.

"What treatment options are available?" Lin Ruoshui asked anxiously.

"I can use acupuncture to delay the onset of the poison, but it will definitely take effect; it's just that the timing varies from person to person," the old doctor said calmly.

Lin Ruoshui pulled the old doctor aside and said, "Is there any way to cure this poison?"

The old doctor said, "There is currently no antidote for this poison. The only thing we can do is have sexual intercourse. If time permits, we might be able to prepare an antidote and try."

Lin Ruoshui said, "That's great! Now you can administer acupuncture to us, and then have everyone in the Imperial Hospital work together to prepare the antidote. Whoever prepares the antidote first will be richly rewarded."

The old imperial physician and the other imperial physicians present all replied, "We will obey the Emperor's command."

Lin Ruoshui and Xuanyuan Yu returned to their bedchamber to await acupuncture treatment when Physician Li pushed open the door and entered.

"Why is it you?" Lin Ruoshui asked.

"I am the Emperor's personal physician, has the Emperor forgotten?"

"You also know the old imperial physician's acupuncture techniques?" Lin Ruoshui looked Li Taiyi up and down before asking.

"I do," Physician Li replied.

As Xuanyuan Yu watched Lin Ruoshui scrutinize Physician Li from head to toe with her bright, curious eyes, a sudden surge of anger welled up inside him.

Lin Ruoshui happily said, "Then let's go!"

"No!" Lin Ruoshui suddenly remembered that she was a woman, and this personal imperial physician must have treated her before. Could it be that he knew Chu Xiao's secret that he was a woman?

Lin Ruoshui made a gesture to block Physician Li from approaching, and tentatively asked, "Do you know my secret?"

Imperial Physician Li knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I have known this since childhood. Have you forgotten?"

"So you always get acupuncture without wearing clothes?" Lin Ruoshui asked, her mouth agape in an "O" shape.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I have been performing acupuncture on you with my eyes closed." Physician Li was somewhat puzzled; it seemed the Emperor had forgotten about him.

"I recently fell into the moat and hit my head. I don't remember many things, so please don't take offense," Lin Ruoshui cleared her throat and explained.

Xuanyuan Yu watched the two people chatting happily, his fists clenched involuntarily, and he said coldly, "Hurry up and put on that strip of cloth to apply the acupuncture. If the poison takes effect soon, I don't know if the Emperor will still be alive."

Lin Ruoshui rolled her eyes at Xuan Yuanyu, thinking to herself, "Anyone who had to fight with Xuan Yuanyu for three days and three nights would probably die before even a day was up."

Thinking of this, Lin Ruoshui's face contorted.

Seeing that the two of them were silent, Xuanyuan Yu calmed down a bit.

Physician Li found the right spot, covered his eyes with a white cloth, and Lin Ruoshui took off her clothes, revealing the fake skin.

Xuanyuan Yu's recently calmed mind began to race again. He frowned and said in a chilling voice, "Wear your cloth and don't peek, or I'll gouge your eyes out."

The blindfolded Physician Li smiled slightly but did not respond to Xuan Yuan Yu's words.