It was always rumored that the Serpent Lady was most skilled in using the Love Flower Serpent to kill people.

Never did he expect to encounter her himself today.

The Serpent Lady was from the southern borders and was highly adept at raising venomous creatures.

The venom of the Love Flower Serpent was a type of gu poison.

Without an antidote, the afflicted would be trapped in endless intimacy until death.

Though his internal energy was strong, it was impossible to completely suppress such poison.

When Xuan Tian heard that his master was poisoned, he immediately pointed his sword at the Serpent Lady.

The Serpent Lady covered her face and let out a coquettish laugh. “Of course, there is an antidote—my body. I have long desired to share a night of passion with the Prince. Now that the opportunity is right before me, I am more than willing to become your cure.”

“Did the Prince of Huainan send you?” Beichen Yuan asked, though his tone was certain rather than inquisitive.

The people sent by Prince Liang were always assassins and death warriors, but only the Prince of Huainan would employ someone like the Serpent Lady from the martial world to deal with him.

“That old man doesn’t have such influence. It is I who has long craved your body, my lord. This is merely a convenient opportunity.” Although she was approached by the Prince of Huainan, if her target had been anyone other than Beichen Yuan, she wouldn’t have bothered.

After all, she disliked stepping out in this cold weather.

But Beichen Yuan was different.

The Serpent Lady had been with countless men in her lifetime, yet none could compare to him.

If she could obtain this man, then this trip would be well worth it.

“Xuan Tian, kill her.”

Beichen Yuan could no longer suppress the surging heat within his body and let out a low groan.

If there truly was no antidote, then there was no reason to keep the Serpent Lady alive.

Xuan Tian’s sword flickered as he lunged toward the Serpent Lady.

Though she was highly skilled, she could not overcome Xuan Tian so easily.

Seeing that Beichen Yuan was intent on killing her, the Serpent Lady panicked. “My lord, if you kill me, you will die as well!”

But Beichen Yuan was unmoved by her threats.

His determination to eliminate her remained unchanged.

Worried that she might escape, Xuan Tian summoned more than twenty hidden guards.

Although the Serpent Lady had been able to match Xuan Tian evenly at first, she immediately fell into a disadvantage when faced with the combined assault of the guards.

Shen Qingwan was awakened in the middle of the night by the sounds of battle.

She got up and stepped outside, only to be momentarily stunned by the sight.

Wasn’t that Xuan Tian, Beichen Yuan’s personal guard?

What was he doing here?

She recognized Xuan Tian instantly and was slightly surprised.

Just as she was about to return to her room to continue sleeping, she suddenly spotted a staggering figure inside the house and stopped in her tracks.

What happened to Beichen Yuan?

Why did he look so weak? He couldn’t even stand properly!

Driven by curiosity, Shen Qingwan took a few steps closer. When she saw Beichen Yuan’s entire body flushed red, like a boiled shrimp, she immediately sensed something was wrong.

“Beichen Yuan? Are you alright?”

Her sudden voice caught both Beichen Yuan and Xuan Tian off guard.

“Master Shen, my lord has been poisoned. Could I trouble you to look after him for a moment?”

Xuan Tian didn’t know that Shen Qingwan was actually a woman, but he trusted Shen implicitly.

Since he needed to interrogate the Serpent Lady about the antidote, he feared he wouldn’t be able to tend to his master right away.

Shen Qingwan frowned. “She poisoned him?”

Seeing that Shen Qingwan was looking at the Serpent Lady, Xuan Tian immediately nodded.

Without hesitation, Shen Qingwan took the sword from Xuan Tian’s hand and swiftly cut off one of the Serpent Lady’s arms.

The Serpent Lady was utterly shocked.

She had not expected this young man to be so ruthless—severing her arm without a second thought.

“Hand over the antidote, or I won’t mind cutting you into pieces and tossing you into a latrine pit.”

Shen Qingwan’s voice was chilling.

The Serpent Lady trembled, her face contorted with pain, yet she stubbornly spat, “There is no antidote. If you want him to live, he must sleep with me. Otherwise, he will die.”

Shen Qingwan glanced at Beichen Yuan, her expression clearly asking: How about it? Want to sacrifice a little and sleep with her?

Beichen Yuan, struggling to suppress the poison with his inner energy, shot her a cold glare and gritted his teeth. “Kill her.”

The message was clear—he would rather die than touch the Serpent Lady.

Shen Qingwan refused to believe there was truly no antidote.

Without a word, she swung the sword again, slicing off the Serpent Lady’s other arm.

The sheer brutality of the act sent chills down Xuan Tian’s spine, as well as those of the hidden guards.

“Is there truly no other antidote?”

The Serpent Lady convulsed from the pain, her once seductive demeanor now completely twisted in agony.

“You wretched brat! I told you—I am the antidote! If you want him to live, he must—”

Before she could finish speaking, Shen Qingwan thrust her sword through the Serpent Lady’s heart.

Since there was no antidote, there was no point in keeping her alive.

The Serpent Lady stared at Shen Qingwan in disbelief, unable to die in peace.

Xuan Tian, seeing that she was dead, immediately ordered the body to be removed and the blood cleaned up.

“I won’t be of much help here. Since everything is settled, I’ll take my leave.” Shen Qingwan turned to leave, only to have her wrist seized by Beichen Yuan.

“Everyone, get out.”

Xuan Tian was initially worried about his lord, but the prince’s sharp command left no room for argument.

The guards obediently withdrew to stand guard outside.

They all blamed themselves for not arriving in time earlier—if anything happened to their lord, they would have no choice but to atone with their lives.

Shen Qingwan stared at the closed door and then at Beichen Yuan’s burning grip on her wrist, looking completely dumbfounded.

“Beichen Yuan, I don’t know how to detoxify poisons, nor can I help you circulate your energy for healing.”

His hand was scalding hot like a branding iron, making her flinch.

His eyes were blood-red, and his usual mask had already been removed.

Beichen Yuan’s mind was in turmoil, but his instincts urged him to hold onto Shen Qingwan.

He didn’t know why he chose to keep her, only that in that moment, he had to.

He wasn’t sure if he could survive this, but his body, driven by sheer instinct, desired nothing more than to consume her entirely.

Shen Qingwan grew uneasy under his intense, predatory gaze.

Just as she moved to escape, a strong arm pulled her back.

She landed in Beichen Yuan’s lap, startled. When she tried to get up, a firm hand gripped the back of her head, and a searing kiss crashed down upon her.

She had admired his physique before, but only in passing thoughts.

Now that she truly had the opportunity, she found herself hesitating. After all, he wasn’t in his right mind—was he really mistaking her for an antidote?

Beichen Yuan’s mind was in chaos, yet images of Shen Qingwan’s fierce determination when interrogating the Serpent Lady kept flashing through his mind—along with the memory of their first meeting, when she boldly tore open his robe, her eyes filled with fiery admiration.

Shen Qingwan struggled for breath under his aggressive kiss. His lack of experience was evident; it wasn’t a kiss so much as a desperate, fevered devouring.

The candlelight flickered as the battle on the bed raged on.

Beichen Yuan, caught between his instincts and his internal struggle, sought to suppress the poison with his energy—if he failed, he might very well die tonight.