Fairy, don't be afraid, I, Wang Daqi, am truly an honest man.

Wang Daqi remained on edge, pretending to chat and laugh with everyone while subtly using the opportunity of serving food to Xia Chunlian to scan each dish with the system's purple aura.

Strangely, half an hour later, all the drinks and dishes were completely clean, with no signs of being drugged.

"Are they planning to poison me again later?" Wang Daqi wondered.

He used the excuse of needing to urinate to escape, and at the corner of the corridor on his way back to his seat, he bumped into Xu Sheng, who was grinning mischievously.

Wang Daqi pulled him aside, lowered his voice, and said impatiently, "Brother Sheng, what are you up to? I've been observing for a while now, and the food and wine are all fine! Did you drug it or not? I need to prepare in advance, in case the drug is too strong, I'm afraid my little body can't handle it."

Seeing Wang Daqi's eager expression, Xu Sheng patted him on the shoulder, smiled broadly, and calmly said, "The medicine? It's already been prepared."

"What?" Wang Daqi feigned surprise. "When did it download? I didn't see it!"

"Brother Taibing, you haven't been back for over a year. How come you've forgotten even the special skills you taught me before?" Xu Sheng winked and said, "You told me yourself that putting poison in food is the worst and most unreliable method. After all, cultivators are very wary of what they ingest. You said the best method... is by smell!!!!"

Wang Daqi felt a sudden chill run down his spine.

He subconsciously turned his head and looked through the carved wooden window at where Xia Chunlian was sitting.

Behind Xia Chunlian's seat, in an inconspicuous bronze incense burner, a vermilion incense stick was burning quietly.

The cigarette smoke was so thin, almost transparent, that it went unnoticed amidst the aroma of alcohol and the noise.

"I took your advice and specially asked someone to find this 'Crimson Beauty Soft Bone Fragrance' on the black market."

Xu Sheng lowered his voice, a sinister glint in it, "This fragrance is colorless and odorless. Once inhaled, it will lurk in the meridians. Those of us who took the antidote beforehand are naturally fine, but for those without the antidote, hehe..."

Xu Sheng gave Wang Daqi a knowing look, a lewd smile playing on his lips.

"The timing is about right now. Look at your senior sister's face."

Wang Daqi looked closely and indeed found that Xia Chunlian, who was originally as aloof as an angel, now had an abnormal blush on her cheeks.

Her eyes gradually became unfocused, and even her breathing became slightly rapid.

"It's done!!!" Xu Sheng gave Wang Daqi a push. "Before the drug fully takes effect, you can help her back to her room now. I guarantee that tonight she will be the most beautiful person in the world. You can do whatever you want with her."

Wang Daqi's heart sank!

This is bad.

I originally thought that as long as I was careful, there wouldn't be any problems.

Unexpectedly, Senior Sister Xia Chunlian has already fallen victim to this!

What... what should we do?

"Hey Taibing, what's wrong? You seem unhappy."

"Oh, no, I'm just a little surprised."

Wang Daqi immediately put on a grateful smile: "Brother Sheng, I can't thank you enough, I'll be going now!!!"

After saying that, he rushed to his seat, and amidst the ambiguous gazes of the crowd, he caught the swaying Xia Chunlian and left the place.

The night was as dark as ink, and a cool breeze was blowing.

Wang Daqi half-supported, half-carried Xia Chunlian, walking quickly.

They wished they could slip away from the Xu family mansion as fast as they could.

The laughter and foul language from the banquet behind me gradually faded as the distance increased.

The two then turned into a secluded corridor.

When there was no one else around, Xia Chunlian paused, feeling somewhat exhausted, and leaned against a pillar in the corridor.

Her normally fair and cool face was now abnormally red.

It was as if she had applied a thick layer of rouge, and her eyes were also shrouded in a lingering mist.

"What's wrong... why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

Xia Chunlian was slightly out of breath, and her voice was softer and sweeter than usual, even though she herself didn't realize it.

At this moment, she only felt a slight heat all over her body. The heat rose from her lower abdomen and flowed through her meridians to her limbs and bones.

But she didn't take it to heart, assuming it was just because the "spiritual wine" she had drunk at the banquet had too strong an effect, causing the medicinal properties to spread throughout her body.

Wang Daqi looked around.

After confirming there were no spies from the Xu family, he leaned close to Xia Chunlian's ear and whispered anxiously, "Senior Sister, we were careless!!! The food and wine were definitely not poisoned, but the red incense burning in that room was problematic!"

Wang Daqi quickly recounted the events.

"What???" Xia Chunlian was stunned. A wave of dizziness washed over her, forcing her to grab Wang Daqi's arm for support. "You mean... I've already been infected??"

"That's right!! That's the Crimson Beauty Soft Bone Fragrance, colorless and odorless, specifically targeting a cultivator's meridians. Do you feel hot all over now, and your spiritual energy isn't flowing smoothly???"

Wang Daqi, his face filled with guilt and his voice urgent, said, "This method... it's said to have been devised by Xu Taibing, but I never imagined that this beast Xu Sheng would actually use it on you!!"

Upon hearing this, Xia Chunlian's previously dazed eyes flashed with a chilling light.

The air around us seemed to have dropped a few degrees.

She gritted her teeth and said bitterly, "The Xu family is a den of snakes and rats, despicable and hateful! How dare they scheme against me..."

She tried to use the foundation-building spiritual energy in her dantian to suppress the heat.

However, they discovered that once their spiritual energy touched that heat, it rebounded even more violently, as if adding fuel to the fire, and a tingling sensation instantly spread throughout their bodies.

"Senior sister, don't force the medicine's effects!!!"

Seeing that her expression was off, Wang Daqi quickly stopped her, saying, "Let me help you back to the house first. Although that place isn't necessarily absolutely safe, it's still better than being outside."

"Okay, quick!!"

Xia Chunlian took a deep breath, enduring the strange sensation in her body, and walked towards the guest room with Wang Daqi's help.

Push open the door and light the candles.

Wang Daqi helped Xia Chunlian sit down on the couch. Looking at her struggling appearance, he sighed and comforted her, "Senior Sister, fortunately, this poison isn't a deadly poison that kills instantly, nor does it have the side effect of destroying one's foundation. It's just... it will shake one's mind and cause lust. Senior Sister, your cultivation is profound and your character is resilient. I believe that as long as you keep your Dao heart steadfast, you will definitely be able to get through this."

Xia Chunlian sat on the couch, her legs crossed, her hands forming a mudra.

He managed to assume a posture suitable for cultivation.

Then, she closed her beautiful eyes slightly and snorted coldly, "Of course. We cultivators seek the path to immortality and defy the cycle of fate. What can a little physical desire possibly trouble me? You stay here and protect me. I want to see what these mortal evils can do to me!!!"

She was confident that her own state of mind was enough to calm this turmoil.

However, as she calmed her mind and entered a meditative state, the faint crimson fragrance seemed to explode completely within her body…

At this moment, the effects of the medicine surged like a flood bursting its banks, coursing wildly through Xia Chunlian's limbs and bones.

Wang Daqi stood aside, watching Xia Chunlian's once icy face now flushed crimson, her delicate body trembling slightly uncontrollably, and he inwardly cried out that something was wrong.

How could this happen?

"Junior Brother Daqi, I...I have a sheep..."

Because of her disordered breathing, Xia Chunlian could not speak clearly.

"This is a disaster..." Wang Daqi was extremely anxious.

His first thought was Xu Yan.

At times like this, it's always better to have a woman by your side to help than for this rough old man to stand guard.

He quickly took out a communication talisman from his pocket, and with a slight movement of spiritual energy at his fingertips, a stream of light flew out.

However, Xu Yan's helpless voice soon came from inside: "Daqi, Liu said she has something to tell me, and she's pulling me into her room to talk. She said she won't see anyone tonight... What's wrong with you?"

Wang Daqi's heart skipped a beat after hearing this.

The Liu family!!

That old woman is indeed cunning and treacherous!

She was worried that Xu Yan might become a variable, so she simply kept her by her side.

This person was determined to force him and Xia Chunlian to consummate their relationship tonight.

"Damn old hag," Wang Daqi cursed.

Seeing that Xia Chunlian's breathing was becoming heavier and heavier, and she even let out a suppressed moan, Wang Daqi knew that he could not wait any longer.

His gaze sharpened, and his hands moved swiftly, forming hand seals. He planned to use magic to put her into a coma, thus delaying the onset of the drug's effects.

"Senior sister, I'm so sorry!!!"

He gave a low shout, put two fingers together, and shot out a stream of pure spiritual energy, aiming directly at the Fengchi acupoint on the back of Xia Chunlian's neck.

hum! ! !

Just as the spiritual energy was about to touch Xia Chunlian, an ancient jade pendant hanging at her waist suddenly burst out with a dazzling pale blue light, and a solid spiritual energy shield instantly opened, deflecting Wang Daqi's finger force back.

Wang Daqi was forced back two steps, dumbfounded: "The defensive array automatically protects its master? Senior Sister, you're too dedicated!!"

While these high-end items could normally save lives, they have become a barrier to rescue efforts at this moment.

Wang Daqi dared not forcefully break the formation.

If the recoil were to injure Xia Chunlian, who is already delirious, the trouble would be even greater.

"Senior sister... Senior sister, wake up! Can you hear me? Can you hold on?" Wang Daqi called out anxiously as he circled the protective shield.

Xia Chunlian slowly opened her eyes.

Those eyes, which were once as clear as an icy spring, now looked like shattered starlight.

It was hazy and moist.

She looked at Wang Daqi through the light blue protective shield, her original resolve already crumbling.

Under the influence of the drug, Wang Daqi's originally unremarkable face became angular and distinct in her eyes.

He exudes an indescribable masculinity and handsomeness.

She could almost smell Wang Daqi's fresh, captivating scent through the protective shield.

That flavor seemed to have a magical power, drawing out the most primal desires deep within her heart.

"I...I can..."