"Has the monarch shown any signs of improvement?"
Outside the Crown Prince's chamber, Lu Yu, Ji Qianqing, Po Xian, and several other high-ranking ministers anxiously inquired.
The head of the Apothecary House, Fang Lu, was sweating profusely. Hearing the ministers' questions, he quickly responded, "The monarch has taken the medicine today, but the situation is rather strange. His wounds are healing at an almost miraculous speed, yet for some reason, he cannot wake up."
Ji Qianqing's eyes filled with deep worry: "Is there some special or rare medicine required? If necessary, I can immediately go to Da Fu. Its vast land and resources may have the right cure."
Minister Ji Ze's expression was cold: "Where is the maid who drugged the monarch?"
"She has been locked in the dark prison. We interrogated her thoroughly but couldn't get more information. We only know that her family was taken by the pigeon-dog people, who threatened her to poison the monarch."
Meng Gui answered.
"Her family was captured, and she plotted against the monarch?"
Ji Ze sneered: "Even if her entire family is wiped out, it wouldn't be much of a loss for Tai Cang, but does she know this? If the monarch dies, Tai Cang is doomed!"
Ji Ze snorted, his voice hardening: "For the life of one family, she was willing to sacrifice the lives of countless citizens. Such a person could be pitied in times of peace, but in Tai Cang's current state, she deserves nothing but death a thousand times over!"
"What about the pigeon-dog people who took the maid's family?"
Ji Qing took over the conversation, asking.
"They've been captured by Jing Ye. Aside from the maid's father, her mother and brother are unharmed. After questioning, we found out that the pigeon-dog people had already planned this. If peace talks failed, they intended to curse the monarch!"
"Hmph! So the pigeon-dog kingdom is indeed facing severe tribulations."
Lu Yu's eyes burned with anger: "If anything happens to the monarch, we will make them pay!"
Po Xian nodded: "Thanks to the miraculous effects of Tai Lai Ling Shui, the overall cultivation of the Cang Guard has improved significantly. Even if we clash head-on, we may not lose to the pigeon-dog army! If the monarch is harmed, I will lead the 9,000 Cang Guard to strike the pigeon-dog kingdom! Let them know the consequences of plotting against our monarch!"
"Stop speaking such ominous words," Ji Qianqing interrupted, "The monarch's luck is deep, and with the protection of the Great Wind, he will certainly be fine."
As the ministers outside the room anxiously awaited, the golden light in the Tai Cang National Order seemed to finally run out. The Great Sun Spirit Furnace had turned all the excess golden light into golden spiritual essence and suppressed it in the furnace.
Finally, Ji Xia slowly awakened, realizing he had been changed into clean clothes and was lying on the Crown Prince's wooden bed. At his side was the maid Guan Xi, who looked at him with deep concern.
When Guan Xi saw that Ji Xia had woken up, she froze for a moment, but quickly responded: "Let me get you some water."
As she ran to the table to pour water, she instructed the guard at the door, "The monarch has woken up! Go tell the lords outside."
Ji Xia took the water from Guan Xi and drank it. At that moment, the ministers burst into the room in a hurry.
"Your Majesty, you're finally awake!"
"Great Wind protects you, Your Majesty is unharmed."
"If anything had happened to Your Majesty, what would have become of Tai Cang's people?"
Ji Xia looked at the ministers' faces, full of genuine concern and fear, and couldn't help but feel a warm sensation in his heart. He could clearly see that they were truly worried about him, fearing for his safety.
"I'm fine." He smiled at them, "I am Tai Cang's monarch, with the protection of the past kings of Tian Cang and the Great Wind walking with me. How could I die so easily?"
When Ji Qianqing saw the smile on Ji Xia's face, her furrowed brows finally relaxed a little. She looked him up and down, asking, "Monarch, do you feel any abnormalities in your body?"
"There is some difference," Ji Xia nodded, "I feel... stronger than before."
Ji Qianqing frowned: "How can you still joke at a time like this? If there are any abnormalities, let Fang Lu come for a thorough check-up. We can't leave any hidden consequences."
Ji Xia helplessly thought: "I tell the truth, and they don't believe me."
From the moment he woke up, he could feel an overwhelming force within his body. The Great Sun Spirit Furnace had refined his body to an extreme level. Even he didn't know how strong his body was now.
Moreover, the immense spiritual essence hidden in his Daxue Mountain was pure and refined to perfection. He was confident that, at his current level, neither Po Xian nor Ji Qianqing could surpass him in terms of spiritual essence!
More importantly, he had now reached the pinnacle of the Nine Heavens, and once the Heavenly Obstruction was broken, he could immediately ascend to the level of divine power and transcend the mortal realm.
"The Great Sun Spirit Furnace obtained with 5,000 spirit seeds is indeed powerful," Ji Xia thought to himself.
"But even if I am strong, achieving divine power wouldn't help Tai Cang's situation. Clearly, exchanging for the Tian Sheng Right Guard Army would be a better choice."
He felt a pang of regret but quickly became somewhat relieved: "If I hadn't exchanged for the Great Sun Spirit Furnace, my soul would have dissipated by now. What would be left of Tai Cang, or the Tian Sheng Army? Only living is the foundation of everything."
As Ji Xia fell into his thoughts, the ministers exchanged looks and stood in silence.
Ji Xia thought of something and took out a cloth bag from his waist. Inside was the Tai Cang National Order.
The National Order looked unchanged, but Ji Xia could clearly feel that the current order was vastly different from the previous one. When he first held it, he felt a vibrant life force emanating from it, but now it felt like a dead object.
"What exactly is the golden light in this Tai Cang National Order?"
He wondered: "This immense power saved me in my time of danger but almost took my life. Did the first monarch of Tai Cang leave something behind intentionally when he created the order?"
He thought for a long time but couldn't come to a conclusion. Eventually, he gave up guessing and placed the National Order safely by his side. He then jumped off the bed.
The ministers, seeing Ji Xia acting so casually just after waking up, immediately urged him to rest. Ji Xia waved his hand with a smile: "I'm a cultivator, this little injury is nothing."
Ji Qianqing couldn't help but smile, "Your Majesty, your cultivation speed is indeed astonishing, but you have practiced for such a short time, and your realm is still low. You are far from being a true expert."
Ji Xia wasn't bothered: "When I say I'm an expert, I am an expert. You just need to believe it."
Ji Qianqing chuckled, thinking that the monarch was just joking, so she didn't argue.
"Your Majesty, what exactly happened in the Crown Prince's chamber earlier?"
Lu Yu could no longer contain his curiosity and asked.
Ji Xia's lips curled into a cold smile: "The pigeon-dog queen set up a curse spirit domain to try and curse me to death."
Lu Yu fumed: "I knew they were up to no good when they came seeking peace. They had prepared a second plan all along—to remove the monarch and leave Tai Cang vulnerable to the pigeon-dogs."
Ji Xia's eyes gleamed with murderous intent: "It seems the pigeon-dog kingdom is truly desperate, which is why they resorted to such a vile scheme."
"How did you escape the curse spirit domain?"
Po Xian asked curiously, "As far as I know, the pigeon-dog queen is a Nine Heavens expert and practices a curse spirit technique. Once she implants a curse, even someone at the Divine Power level would be affected."
Ji Xia grinned widely, revealing a row of white teeth: "I killed her. That's how I got out."
Po Xian looked thoughtful.
Meng Gui bowed and asked, "What should be done with the maid who was coerced into poisoning the monarch by the pigeon-dog people?"
Ji Xia asked, "Have they found her family?"
"When Jing Ye found them, her father was already dead, but her mother and brother were unharmed."
The young monarch was silent for a moment before turning away: "Release her mother and brother. The kingdom is small, and the people few. There's no need to punish innocent people."
"As for Kong Ying, don't make her suffer too much. Execute her."