Zhou Ye wasn’t angered. He laughed heartily. "Seventh Brother, that temper of yours truly suits my taste! If two heroes like us were to join forces, what chance would that whelp Zhou Yang have? Da Cheng would surely be ours for the taking!"

Zhou Cangyan twirled his sword in a flourish, then held it level as he slowly walked toward him. "Then why don’t you tell me, Third Brother," he said unhurriedly, "if we were to take the world, who would sit on the throne? You, or I?"

Zhou Ye narrowed his eyes, then waved his hand magnanimously. "I just can’t stand that hypocrite Zhou Yang! As long as we can pull him off his high horse, what does it matter if Seventh Brother takes the throne?"

"Heh," Zhou Cangyan sneered. "Cheng Xiao’s false benevolence does indeed deserve death, but at least he never opened the nation’s gates to foreign enemies! He never disregarded the lives of an entire city’s people!"

Zhou Ye scoffed in disdain. "Those who achieve great things shouldn’t sweat the small stuff. Besides, I’ve already made thorough preparations! Once they’re in the city, it’ll be like shooting fish in a barrel! On that point, you and I are of the same mind, Seventh Brother. In fact, you should be thanking me for your great victory!"

Inside the room, Song Lianhe heard everything clearly.

’This Prince Yongdong is so shameless. The nerve of him!’

’He used Nanchen to deal with Zhou Cangyan, all to resolve the crisis in Yu State. As for whether Nanchen would become a problem later, he still had the cities of Daisui and Fengbai. Plus, with the geographical advantage on his side, Nanchen probably couldn’t touch him!’

’Besides, if Nanchen wanted to enter Da Cheng and overthrow the dynasty, they would need a "lost pearl" of the legitimate Zhou Family line like him!’

’Now that Yan Jiayu has suddenly withdrawn his troops, Zhou Cangyan may have left, but his men are still garrisoned inside Sishui City! Without the barrier of Sishui City, they could be trapped and starved to death!’

Song Lianhe’s assessment was more or less correct. Upon learning that Zhou Cangyan was secretly sending the Princess Consort back to Ling’an, Zhou Ye had set up an ambush along the road. With Nanchen Death Warriors and a meticulous plan, he was determined to capture Zhou Cangyan. With Zhou Cangyan as his trump card, how could he fear that his men wouldn’t obey him?

He knew everything Zhou Cangyan did was for revenge, and that Zhou Yang would never tolerate him. For Zhou Cangyan, this trip back was a suicide mission. That was why Zhou Ye had risked showing himself to try and persuade him.

But while he called it persuasion, the Death Warriors he brought along had already sealed off the area completely. For Zhou Cangyan, escape was impossible.

Zhou Ye took a step forward and continued his appeal. "Seventh Brother, don’t you want to avenge your mother? Join forces with me! I will definitely help you get your revenge!"

The corners of Zhou Cangyan’s mouth lifted slightly, as if in disbelief.

Zhou Ye sneered. "Do you know why Zhou Yang wants to kill you?"

"He fears Sui Bei. He fears the Luo Family."

"Heh, that’s only one reason. The real reason is..."

Zhou Ye stared at him intently. Seeing that he had indeed captured Zhou Cangyan’s attention, he suddenly raised his hand...

"Watch out!"

Song Lianhe had been watching his every move. She knew this guy would pull a dirty trick! She rushed out to protect Zhou Cangyan, terrified he would fall for the ploy.

In truth, Zhou Cangyan was already on guard. The instant Song Lianhe rushed over, he pulled her into his arms, spun around to block the white powder Zhou Ye had thrown with his back, and held his breath while covering her nose and mouth with his large hand.

But who would have thought that Song Lianhe would be even faster? As she lunged forward, she had already tossed out a paper packet from her hand!

As Zhou Cangyan shielded her, she took the opportunity to grab his lapel, pull him directly into the room, and slam the door shut with a BANG. Then, she pulled his hand away and stuffed a pill into his mouth.

Zhou Cangyan never had his guard up around her, so he swallowed the pill she gave him without question.

Only after swallowing it did he ask, "What did you throw?"

Song Lianhe covered her face to hide a mischievous smile. "You’ll see in a moment."

The words had barely left her mouth when Zhou Ye’s curses rang out. "Damn it! What is this stuff?!"

Immediately followed by the agonized cries of his men: "Ah! It hurts so much!"

Zhou Cangyan looked out the window. Everyone outside was on the ground, their bodies convulsing and twisting in pain.

"After what happened when we were trapped in Sishui City, I did some painful reflection and improved a lot of my formulas! The one they’ve been hit with is my newly developed ’Joyful Leisure Pill’! Anyone affected by it will have the pain receptors under their skin attacked. The nerve endings will immediately feel a pain like being pricked by needles! And once the brain perceives it, it amplifies that pain, causing unbearable agony!"

Hearing Song Lianhe’s explanation, Zhou Cangyan understood.

"The drug is deceiving them."

"Exactly!" Song Lianhe stroked his cheek in admiration. "As expected of my man. So perceptive!"

’She was a healer, after all. Even for self-preservation, she couldn’t bring herself to use vicious and deadly methods. So, she could only rely on these clever tricks to protect herself.’

’But even if they were just clever tricks, the effects were astonishing.’

’That one small packet she’d just thrown could easily take down nearly a hundred men. The drug combined with the air quickly, though only briefly. If someone was careless enough to inhale just one breath, their nerves would be paralyzed. In that sense, it was quite "vicious." Song Lianhe only dared to use it because the area was open and wouldn’t involve any innocent people.’

Song Lianhe counted silently. After just twenty or thirty seconds, she moved to push the door open.

"It’s done."

Zhou Cangyan suddenly grabbed her wrist. "I’ll do it," he said cautiously.

Then he pushed the door open with his sword.

Seeing all these men lying defenseless on the ground, the pain alone had clearly drained them of a great deal of mental and physical energy.

Zhou Ye’s face was pale with pain, his forehead covered in sweat. He raised a hand and pointed at the people standing in the doorway.

"Seventh Brother! I came to see you in all sincerity, and this is how you treat me!"

Hearing that he had stopped referring to himself with the royal ’I’, Song Lianhe let out a low laugh and whispered in Zhou Cangyan’s ear, "The drug will last for one hour."

"That’s enough."

Zhou Cangyan walked over and lifted his chin with the hilt of his sword. Zhou Ye couldn’t hide the hatred in his eyes, but he knew he was now a fish on the chopping block. He desperately suppressed his resentment, trying to make his gaze and tone sincere. "Seventh Brother, you..."

His words died in his throat as the blade flashed.

"I’ll ask the questions, you’ll give the answers."

Zhou Cangyan’s eyes were ice-cold as he said, word by word, "What do you know about my mother’s death?"

Hearing this, Zhou Ye’s eyes lit up. But the pain was too intense, so he tried to use the opportunity to bargain for the antidote. "I... I will tell you everything I know. It’s just... I’m in so much pain I don’t have the... the strength to speak..."

Without another word, Zhou Cangyan slammed the hilt of his sword hard against his head!

"Then let me help you clear your head!"

"You—"

Zhou Ye gritted his teeth in pain and glared at him fiercely. Blood immediately started to flow from his forehead, blurring his vision.

"Ah, blood..."

He was so enraged he started cursing. "Zhou Cangyan! You son of a bitch! You dare lay a hand on me! No wonder... you’re Zhou Yang’s spawn..."

A sudden chill touched his neck.

Zhou Ye fell silent.

Zhou Cangyan gritted his teeth and gave a savage grin. "What was that, Third Brother? I didn’t hear you clearly. Say it again."