Empress, please lay down your armor, for I will save the world with a single sword!

Wu Liang's hand was on the door latch when he heard a sharp "Stop!" behind him, and he paused.

He didn't open the door immediately, but he also didn't turn around.

He paused for about two or three seconds before slowly turning around. His face was expressionless; there was neither fear nor anger, just a bland, somewhat indifferent look.

He looked at Shangguan Na.

Shangguan Na was truly furious at this moment. Her chest heaved, her beautiful face flushed red, and her large, dark eyes were filled with rage. She gripped the ivory fan in her hand so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

She glared at Wu Liang, her voice shrill and sharp, "Who said you could leave?! How dare you! I haven't finished speaking yet!"

Looking at her like this, Wu Liang twitched the corners of his mouth and smiled, saying calmly, "Miss Shangguan, please make sure you understand two things first."

He held up one finger: "First of all, I, Wu Liang, am not your servant, much less a lackey whom you can order around. I came as scheduled to see a doctor; I left because I felt the illness was unbearable. I am free to come and go as I please, and that's none of your business."

Then, he raised his second finger: "Secondly, the current situation is—you are the patient, and I am the doctor. Your illness needs my treatment."

In other words, you are the one who needs my help, not the other way around.

He paused, his gaze calmly fixed on Shangguan Na's face, which was contorted with anger: "When you ask for a favor, you should have the proper attitude. Your bossy, threatening manner... I'm sorry, I don't buy it."

This statement is very blunt and also quite ironic.

Shangguan Na has always been the center of attention and always had the final say.

Who would dare to speak to her like that?

Why would someone ask for help?

She was trembling with rage, pointing at Wu Liang, her voice shrill and distorted: "You...you dare not treat my illness?! Believe me, I'll call someone in right now to kill you!!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Liang was not afraid at all; instead, he burst out laughing.

He took half a step forward, getting closer to Shangguan Na, leaned down slightly, looked into her fiery eyes, lowered his voice, and said slowly, "Fine. Then go ahead and kill her."

He paused, his tone suddenly becoming light and airy, "If you kill me, no one can cure your illness, and you'll be in pain for the rest of your life. Or... I can find another way."

"I'll agree to treat you right now. Then, I'll secretly add something else to your medicine... like a colorless, odorless, slow-acting poison that even the imperial physicians can't detect. It will make your body deteriorate day by day without you even realizing it, and you won't even know how you died in the end."

He straightened up, spread his hands, and smiled brightly, but his words were icy cold: "Believe me, Miss Shangguan. Killing someone is much easier than saving them. Especially dealing with a patient who knows nothing about their illness and has offended the doctor to death."

"you……!"

Shangguan Na felt as if someone had grabbed her by the neck, and the rest of her words got stuck in her throat.

She stared wide-eyed at Wu Liang, her pretty face first flushing red, then slowly losing its color and becoming somewhat pale.

Her lips moved, wanting to refute, wanting to curse, wanting to continue threatening... but her mind involuntarily followed Wu Liang's words.

A slow-acting poison... it happens without you even realizing it... you don't even know how you died...

A chill suddenly shot up from the soles of my feet and spread throughout my body in an instant.

She suddenly realized that, despite being a princess, she really had no way to deal with this guy in front of her who seemed to have no real connections and was just a quack doctor!

He is a doctor and an expert in pharmacology.

If you really wanted to poison someone, it would be too easy.

It's impossible to defend against it yourself.

But what about myself...? Do I really dare to gamble? Bet he wouldn't dare? Bet he doesn't have the ability? Or bet the people around me can see through everything?

She didn't dare.

The room was deathly silent.

Shangguan Na glared at Wu Liang, and Wu Liang calmly looked back at her.

After a while, about ten seconds.

The anger, arrogance, and murderous aura on Shangguan Na's face receded like a receding tide.

Then, as if by magic, a completely different expression appeared instantly.

She suddenly laughed.

It wasn't a sneer, nor a mockery; it was a bright and beautiful smile.

Her smile was radiant, her eyes curved into crescent moons, and the corners of her mouth curved into a beautiful arc.

She even lightly covered her mouth with her fan, her voice becoming crisp and sweet, with a hint of coquettish reproach: "Oh dear~ look at you! How could you take it so seriously?"

She blinked her big, watery eyes and said in a sweet, coquettish voice, "I was just... just joking with you! Dr. Wu, you're so magnanimous and broad-minded, please don't take it to heart, okay?"

The speed at which he changed his expression and the naturalness of his tone shift were truly exceptional.

Wu Liang cursed inwardly: What a vixen! So fickle! She changes her mind faster than flipping through a book!

But his expression remained unchanged; he merely gave a faint "humph" and uttered two words: "Apologize."

"..."

Shangguan Na's smile froze for a moment, and a flash of anger and disbelief crossed her eyes.

Make her apologize?

But she adjusted extremely quickly.

That hint of displeasure was instantly covered by a sweet smile.

She stood up, faced Wu Liang, and actually curtsied slightly, performing a standard Central Plains woman's curtsy.

Her movements were elegant and her posture graceful.

Then she raised her face, looked at Wu Liang, and said in a soft, sweet voice, "This humble woman... knows she was wrong. I spoke rudely and offended Doctor Wu. Please forgive me, Doctor Wu."

She spoke with genuine emotion, her eyes innocent and sincere.

Wu Liang stood there, watching her performance, his wariness growing even stronger.

She can bend and stretch, change her expression as easily as turning the pages of a book, and even lower herself so much...

This little vixen is definitely not someone to be trifled with.

I reckon even Jiang Qingluan isn't as difficult to deal with as her!

Wu Liang stopped pressing the matter and shook his head slightly, "Let's leave it at that. However, I've already explained the method for treating the young lady very clearly."

"Acupuncture can cure the condition in three days, but the acupoints on the lower abdomen need to be exposed. Herbal medicine requires a month, and the treatment will be accompanied by continuous pain."

He looked at Shangguan Na and said calmly, "The choice is yours, Miss. Don't waste any more time."

Shangguan Na was furious; she was so angry she felt like she was grinding her teeth to powder.

No one has ever dared to speak to her like that before!

How dare you act so arrogantly! How dare you force her to make a choice!

But unfortunately... she has absolutely no way to deal with Wu Liang right now.

Her illness really depends on the other person for treatment.

Fighting is out of the question (at least not now); verbally abusing is futile; and threats only backfire.

Wrong!

So frustrating!

Her mind raced, and after a moment's thought, an idea popped into her head.

……