The leader, Sha Gua, looked dazedly at the people around him. He struggled to sit up and asked in bewilderment, “What, what happened?”

Qiao Mu flicker her fingers, and several talismans shot into all ten of the River Horse Academy students’ foreheads with a faint blue light.

“Someone poisoned you guys, and they even used a forbidden curse on you. When we were facing off earlier, you guys went completely berserk and tried to kill us.” Qiao Mu explained calmly, “Rest well once you get back. You guys are fine at the moment.”

After saying this, she tossed Sha Gua a porcelain bottle. “All of you take one pill each day, and you’ll fully recover in three days.”

“Thank, thank you.” Sha Gua could hear himself speaking with a lisp, and he hastily covered up his mouth and smiled at Qiao Mu in embarrassment.

Although he didn’t know what exactly had happened, he could tell that it wasn’t anything good from everybody’s expressions.

“Do you all still remember when you lost consciousness?” Mo Lian suddenly asked.

Sha Gua furrowed his brows in deep contemplation. He was at a loss and shook his head, recalling, “I-I don’t remember. I only remember that we went out together as usual in the morning. When we walked past a black carriage parked by the side of the road, I saw a corner of the carriage curtain lift up. Other than that, nothing abnormal seemed to have happened.”

Qiao Mu nodded. “This person’s poisoning methods are shrewd and ruthless. There is no wonder that you guys fell victim.”

“Many thanks for Miss Qiao’s assistance.” Sha Gua and the other River Horse Academy students who barely managed to get up bowed toward Qiao Mu again. He then left with his companions.

Qiao Mu gazed grimly at the direction they left in. With a flick of her sleeve, a line of miniature black poison-tailed butterflies fluttered out and chased after Sha Gua and company.

—-My Qiao’s section break—-

The Ultramarine Province, located in the southeast territory of the Upper Three Provinces.

From a bird’s-eye view of the entire Ultramarine Province, it looked like an immortal realm wreathed in wispy clouds, with the multitudinous birds soaring among these lofty immortals’ mountains.

Because the Northern Hope Forest and the Wangchuan Sea in the west separated this southeast territory from the Divine Province and the Nether Province, it was rather content with its existing governance.

It had been more than a hundred years since the Ultramarine Province had been in war. The citizens lived and worked in peace and contentment, happy and harmonious.

The latest topic of conversation that everybody on the streets was chatting about was… the emperor of the Ultramarine Province had grandiosely brought his fourth son and the latter’s mother back to the imperial palace.

The imperial palace, in a corner of the southern court of the Nanqiao Palace.

A man wearing a white robe sprawled lazily on the stone table in the gazebo at the center of the lake. He used his slender fingertips to fiddle with a cup filled halfway with jade flower wine.

The man rotated the white jade cup with his fingers as he propped his hand on his forehead and let his mind wander from boredom.

“Your Fourth Highness, Your Fourth High… Your Fourth Highness!”

“Ah.” The man gave a dull response. His voice sounded drowsy, as if he had just stirred awake.

“Your Fourth Highness. His Highness the Crown Prince, His Second Highness, and His Third Highness’ carriages have reached the Donggu Gate. W-Will Your Fourth Highness please ti-tidy up before head-heading to the main hall to greet, greet the three highnesses.”

*Clunk.* The man’s cup got knocked over, and a small stream of jade flower wine spilled out before flowing along the cracks in the stone table.

“So boring.”

“Y-Your Highness.” His personal junior eunuch was nearly frightened to death. He dropped to the floor and repeatedly kowtowed, “Your-Your Highness, the three highness should jus-just about be entering the main entrance now.”