Chapter 84: I Want to Kill You

"How audacious! Do you know who I am?"

"Heh, you're nothing but a dog at the Crown Prince's side, wagging your tail and begging for pity before Mo Junheng, fancying yourself his confidant. That little airs of yours might work in front of others, but before me, you'd best pack it away!" Chi Nan Yi looked at Gao Han's increasingly bloodshot eyes and continued, "Even if you truly were his confidant, that was in the past. Now that your hand is ruined, does the Crown Prince still want you waiting upon him?"

Without waiting for Gao Han to speak, Chi Nan Yi laughed on her own: "Taking a crippled guard out — the Crown Prince would probably find it embarrassing."

"You! How did you know about my hand…" Thinking of a possibility, Gao Han's right fist clenched tightly: "It was you! It really was you! You did this! You did this, didn't you?"

"Heh, not entirely stupid." Chi Nan Yi smiled and said, "But only realizing it now is a bit too late."

Hearing this, Gao Han gave his arm a forceful shake, the scabbard fell away, and the long sword gleamed with cold light, its tip pointing straight at Chi Nan Yi's throat: "Bitch! You'd spotted me that day — you were putting on an act for me! You ruined me!"

"Ruined you? What does ruining you even count as?" Chi Nan Yi said indifferently: "I want to kill you."

"Heh, kill me? You overestimate yourself!" Gao Han swung the long sword in his hand and thrust it toward Chi Nan Yi's vitals.

Seeing this, Chi Nan Yi's lips curled into a mocking smile. Just as the long sword was about to reach her face, Chi Nan Yi's figure vanished directly.

The sword struck empty air, and Gao Han's body pitched straight forward.

He looked all around — there was no one in sight.

"Come out! Come out here!"

Just then, a cold laugh came from behind him.

Before he could turn around, Chi Nan Yi kicked him in the back, and Gao Han lost his footing and fell flat on the ground.

"Pfft… cough cough cough…"

"Overestimate myself? Between you and me, who is the one overestimating themselves?"

"You—" As the words fell, a mouthful of fresh blood spurted out. Feeling the pain radiating from his internal organs, he pointed at Chi Nan Yi: "You… poisoned, you poisoned me!"

"Mm, that's right." Chi Nan Yi walked slowly over to him: "I did indeed poison you, but the poison I used this time isn't Soft Tendon Powder, nor knockout drops — it's an upgraded version of the Intestine-Severing Powder you gave Zhao Huilan just now." She took out a white porcelain bottle and said with a smile: "Here's the antidote. Do you want it or not?"

"Anti… antidote…"

"Wanting the antidote isn't impossible. You have to tell me — why did you poison the Chi Family?"

Gao Han gritted his teeth, a trace of struggle flashing through his eyes.

"Speak, and this is yours. Don't speak, and you can wait for your liver and intestines to be corroded clean bit by bit — a fate worse than death."

"Only if you're dead will Prince Li's legs never recover. Prince Li is His Highness's only opponent. Only when he is thoroughly ruined can His Highness the Crown Prince… can he rest easy."

"You're certainly loyal." Chi Nan Yi gave a cold laugh: "Just for this? Why do I feel it's not that simple?" A look of understanding flashed in her eyes: "I'm treating Prince Li, and at the same time treating your Highness. If I were to make any mistake, your Highness wouldn't survive either. It seems you're not that loyal to him after all!"

"Nonsense! My loyalty to His Highness can be witnessed by the sun and moon and testified by heaven and earth!"

"No need to sound so resolute with every word — your Highness can't hear you. You sound like you're reciting wedding vows."

Wedding?

What was that?

"Whether you're loyal to him or not, I don't care. But what to do? Your Highness and I have a blood feud! Since you're so loyal to him, I'm afraid I can't give you this antidote."

"You! You're going back on your word…"

"They say a gentleman's word cannot be retracted, but I'm no gentleman — I'm a woman." A trace of killing intent flashed through Chi Nan Yi's eyes: "Letting you go last time was merely to let you taste the feeling of being abandoned and humiliated. Living in this world, one must taste every flavor — sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy!"

"If you kill me, His Highness won't let you go."

"If you hadn't acted with murderous intent first, I wouldn't have taken your dog life so quickly." Chi Nan Yi looked at his increasingly deathly pale face, a smile rising at the corner of her lips: "My Intestine-Severing Powder — once ingested, you won't live past the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. By now, it's about there."

As her words fell, Gao Han violently spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his cheeks rapidly turning a blue-black color. The toxin had already penetrated deep into his organs, and in the next instant, he stopped breathing.

Chi Nan Yi opened the porcelain bottle and poured the transparent liquid over his body. Wisps of white smoke carrying a pungent stench drifted through the mountain forest. Before long, the black silhouette on the ground vanished completely.

Having dealt with Gao Han, Chi Nan Yi rushed nonstop toward the Chi Family.

Zhao Huilan said she had poisoned the Chi Family's water vat. Though half of the vat was Spirit Spring Water, Chi Nan Yi still felt uneasy. It wasn't until she returned to the Chi Family and saw them safe and sound that her heart was put at ease.

Early the next morning, the village was already abuzz with talk.

"Dead, they're all dead! The whole family is dead! Oh my, I saw it with my own eyes — scared me to death."

"Blood was all over the floor, their eyes wide and round — oh my heavens."

Just then, several constables arrived outside the Chi Family's door: "Does the Ruan woman live here?"

Hearing this, Ruan Qin hurried out: "Constable sirs, I am the Ruan woman."

"Early this morning, someone reported to the authorities that your maiden family all died. Preliminary investigation indicates homicide."

"What?" Ruan Qin's heart jolted in alarm, and her body swayed backward. Chi Zhiqiu caught her with quick hands: "Qin'er, be careful!"

"We know you've already severed ties with the Ruan Family, but now that the Ruan Family has no one left, there's no one to collect their bodies. After all, you are blood kin — you should bury them."

The Ruan woman's face was pale, and waves of dull pain came from her abdomen.

Chi Nan Yi noticed something was wrong with her, took out a Silver Needle, and pierced it into an acupoint on her hand.

The Ruan woman panted heavily, her breathing gradually steadying.

The Ruan woman gripped Chi Nan Yi's hand tightly, her body trembling uncontrollably.

After the constables left, the Ruan woman finally broke down in tears. Chi Zhiqiu sighed, but didn't know how to comfort her.

Though losing one's relatives is truly grievous, the members of the Ruan Family really did make people gnash their teeth in hatred. All those wicked deeds they committed — truly, their deaths were no loss.

Because of what happened to the Ruan Family, whenever the villagers brought it up, they said the Ruan Family had suffered heaven's wrath.

"It goes to show — you can't do wicked deeds."

Chi Nan Yi delivered the medicinal ointment to the Crown Prince's villa and explained the usage method to Gao Feng at Mo Junheng's side.

Mo Junheng looked at her, his gaze lightly appraising, and said indifferently: "Since you are Gu's physician, it is only proper that you apply the medicine for Gu."

Hearing this, Chi Nan Yi's brow lifted slightly — was the Crown Prince trying to act the rogue?

"Men and women should keep their distance. How could this humble woman apply medicine on Your Highness?"

"In a physician's eyes, is there still a distinction between men and women?"

Chi Nan Yi nodded and said with a smile: "There is. Even dogs come in male and female — let alone people?"