Chapter 188: Imperial Brother, How About I Turn You Into a Puppet?

Ling Xue said: "Brother, don't worry, I won't let just anyone hurt you. After all, when we were in Feng Guo, only you were best to me."

"Back then, when my mother the consort was beheaded, I was only five years old. Everyone said I should have gone to die with her, because we both carried the blood of a defeated nation. It was you who stood up to plead for me, which allowed me to survive."

"Although you are my Imperial Brother, in Xue'er's heart, an elder brother is like a father, far better than our cold-hearted and ungrateful Imperial Father."

"So..."

She smiled sweetly, as innocent as ever, but the words she spoke were hair-raising.

"Imperial Brother, how about I turn you into a Puppet? That way, you won't leak my secrets, and you can stay with me forever!"

Ling Zhen suddenly widened his eyes.

"Imperial Brother, don't be afraid. I won't let a Corpse Silkworm parasitize your body; that would be too painful."

She took a white porcelain bottle from her sleeve, and while slowly mixing it with water, she said:

"It's a pity that the batch of Flying Corpse Silkworms kept in the ice cellar of Tianxiang Lou were all destroyed, and there is only this little bit of Heart-Gu Powder left. Originally, I wanted to save it for the Qi Guo Crown Prince to enjoy. Now, I can only give it to you, Imperial Brother."

"Oh my, this Heart-Gu Powder is just too troublesome to dissolve; it has to be stirred for a long time to melt completely. However, it is colorless and tasteless when drunk, very easy to swallow."

"Alright, it's finally dissolved."

She held the cup, pinched a small ceramic spoon, and coaxed him gently: "Imperial Brother, have a taste and see if the temperature is just right?"

Ling Zhen gritted his teeth, struggling to resist.

"Be good, Imperial Brother. Once you drink it, your seven emotions, six desires, and your mind will all degenerate. Although after becoming a Puppet, you won't be as lively and vivid as before, at least this can ensure you keep your life."

"Don't blame Xue'er for being heartless; I am doing this for your own good, otherwise the people of the Guiyuan Sect won't let you off. Don't worry, even after you become a Puppet Human, I will take good care of you and let you remain a dignified prince of Feng Guo."

"Imperial Brother, drink, hurry up and drink!"

The medicine on the spoon was not fed to him, but instead spilled out entirely.

Ling Xue was somewhat annoyed; she threw the spoon aside, grabbed Ling Zhen's chin to force his mouth open, and then poured the medicine in the cup down his throat all at once.

Seeing that he had swallowed the medicine, Ling Xue then released his acupoints.

The rough feeding caused Ling Zhen to clutch his throat and cough incessantly.

He clawed at his throat, trying to spit out the medicinal powder.

Ling Xue said: "It's useless. Once this medicine enters the mouth, it will quickly flow into the body's eight extraordinary meridians, and then slowly make the whole body limp, causing you to lose control over yourself. After one hour, your consciousness will be completely lost, and you will become a Puppet Human who obeys orders."

"You!" Ling Zhen suddenly reached out and gripped Ling Xue's neck tightly.

Seeing this, Yan Qiu'er did not move to rescue her, but merely sneered.

Ling Xue also appeared completely unafraid.

Ling Zhen hated this wolf-hearted and dog-lunged younger sister to the extreme, hating her so much he wanted to strangle her to death.

But for some reason, after grabbing her neck, he could not muster the slightest bit of strength in his hands.

It was as if a strange force was controlling him, making him unable to deliver a lethal blow.

Ling Xue easily pushed his hand away and said with a smile: "Imperial Brother, you don't need to waste your effort. My blood was mixed into the medicine you just drank, and I am the master of this Puppet body of yours. Therefore, you cannot lay a hand on me."

"You bitch, all these years, I have truly been nursing a viper!"

"Imperial Brother, why be so angry? Yes, thanks to you back then, Xue'er was able to escape death. You indeed treated me better than Imperial Father. But you are just like them, viewing me as a chess piece in your hands."

The beautiful young girl was still smiling, but her eyes were permeated with a layer of cold chill.

"Do you really treat me as your sister? Or as a tool for your political marriages?"

"A princess of golden branches and jade leaves, what a pleasant title... but as we are both of royal blood, why is it that you princes can contend for the world, while we can only be married off to distant lands?"

"In times of peace, we are the ties that maintain peace. When the flames of war ignite, we are the first to become sacrificial offerings. Just like my mother; they cut off her head right in front of me, before the three armies. I watched that head roll to my feet, shedding so much, so much blood..."

"When my eldest sister was married off to a foreign land, she was in the prime of her youth, yet she had to serve a decrepit monarch."

"My second sister only wanted to break her shackles and elope with a guard. Imperial Father actually made her watch as her lover was sliced to death, one cut at a time, until his flesh and bones turned to mud. She went mad, and having no more value, she could only pick at the leftovers in the cold palace."

"This is the royal princess of Feng Guo, the princess of golden branches and jade leaves!"

"But what about you? You princes, regardless of your birth, can own mansions upon reaching adulthood, and if you are lucky, you can even lay your hands on the world!"

"By what right? Being children of the same Imperial Father, are we born to be tools, to be stepping stones on your path to power?"

"By what right? By what right!"

Her voice rose, and her tone gradually became insane: "I cannot sit and wait for death, I cannot let myself end up like my eldest and second sisters. Fortunately, later I... encountered the Guiyuan Sect."

"That sect is very interesting; even women can obtain great power. So I used my status as a princess to provide cover for them, opening branches large and small throughout Feng Guo."

"And they gave me the position of Elder. They also taught me how to raise Flying Corpse Silkworms. With these things, I can refine Heart-Gu Powder, turn people into Puppets, and use them for my own purposes."

"My purpose in coming to Qi Guo was also to deploy branches of the Guiyuan Sect here and carry forward our sect."

"As for this infatuation with the Qi Guo Crown Prince... hehehe, how could someone like me be trapped by love?"

"However, that Dongfang Qi is indeed a decent candidate for a political marriage; if he is willing to be with me, that is naturally best. If he is not willing, I will find a way to turn him into a Puppet Human and then control Qi Guo through him!"

Ling Zhen had never imagined that Ling Xue harbored such great resentment, and had even committed such crazy acts.

"Although Feng Guo is a large nation, it borders the 26 nations of the Western Regions and is frequently harassed by those countries. With years of constant war, the people suffer, and the national treasury is empty."

"Many times, political marriage is a matter of necessity. Not only princesses, but even princes, our marriages are beyond our own control. But what can be done? We are in the royal family, and the life of luxury we have lived since childhood comes from the support of the people. Naturally, we must fulfill the duties of a princess or prince."

"Imperial Brother also knows that as girls, the shackles you bear are even heavier. That is why I agreed to bring you to Qi Guo this time; even if there must be a political marriage, marrying into Qi Guo is better than being sent far away to the Western Regions."

"Even if Dongfang Qi has no interest in you, Imperial Brother is also actively planning for other royal members of Qi Guo for you. For example, that Dongfang Yan, young and powerful, is the best candidate besides the Crown Prince..."

"But why must I depend on others?" Ling Xue interrupted him, "For so many years, I have had enough of a life dependent on others!"

"Dongfang Yan? Ha! Do you really think he is anything good? He just took a fancy to my status. If I really married him as you wished, it would just be moving from one cage to another."

"I want to make myself strong, I want to raise more Flying Corpse Silkworms, I want to make those powerful men all become my Puppets!"

"Imperial Brother, after you become my Puppet Human, let's go back to Feng Guo together. Imperial Father trusts you the most. Anything you give him, even poison, he will eat it without worry. At that time, let's turn Imperial Father into a Puppet Human too!"

"Hahaha, just thinking about it is very interesting!"

"Sigh, it's just a pity about Dongfang Qi's good skin; he was originally in my grasp. But now that things have changed, I can only return to Feng Guo first."

She turned her head and asked Yan Qiu'er: "Is everything packed?"