Chapter 37: I Have a Way to Save Him

Xu Mu gathered all the servants in the front courtyard, arranging them into two rows. After a brief wait, Liu Ji strolled in, accompanied by a few attendants, appearing quite full of himself. Xu Mu hurried forward, cupping his hands in a respectful salute.

"Welcome, Your Highness the Heir Apparent!"

The servants followed suit, offering their own salutes. Seeing such a display, Liu Ji was clearly satisfied.

"Your Highness, please, this way."

Xu Mu personally led Liu Ji into the dining hall. He had already rearranged the room, removing all unnecessary items, leaving it somewhat spacious and dimly lit, with only a single table centered in the room.

"What is the meaning of this? It’s pitch black in here. Is the Xu family unable to afford lamp oil?" Liu Ji remarked bluntly, unable to hide his disdain.

"Not at all, not at all. To host a guest like your Highness, one must surely have a sense of atmosphere, must one not?"

"Empty and dark—you call this atmosphere? At the very least, you should have arranged for a few maids to play music or dance. Only then could I truly enjoy the company of Miss Xu," Liu Ji grumbled.

"Ah, Your Highness, would that not be rather cliché?"

Xu Mu snapped his fingers. Suddenly, candles lit up atop the dining table. The candlelight illuminated the table, making the surrounding area appear even darker. Yet, at a single glance, Liu Ji felt something shift within him. The scene was incredibly evocative.

"Your Highness, please, have a seat. Miss Xu will be here momentarily."

Liu Ji walked to the table and sat down, noting that the candle holders were exquisitely crafted. Hearing the sound of footsteps, he looked forward.

A slender figure emerged slowly from the darkness. At the sight of her, Liu Ji was instantly captivated. First, a pair of shapely legs entered the radius of the candlelight. She wore a silk gown embroidered with blue patterns, featuring side slits that revealed the smooth, full curves of her legs. Then, her slender waist came into view, with a pair of delicate, snow-white arms folded gracefully over her abdomen. Finally, Xu Shuangyi stood fully before him.

Seeing her attire, Liu Ji stood up involuntarily, his eyes fixed firmly upon her. She emerged from the shadows as if stepping out of a painting. Her figure, set off by the exquisite gown, was nothing short of perfection.

Now, Liu Ji understood what was meant by "atmosphere." This was true atmosphere! He was utterly bewitched by Xu Shuangyi. He had seen countless beauties in his life, but never one like this. The candlelight added a hazy, ethereal quality to her beauty, and the surrounding darkness only made her image sharper in his mind.

"I am... I am absolutely captivated..."

"Greetings, Your Highness."

"Please, please sit."

Xu Shuangyi gestured for him to be seated, and the two took their places. Liu Ji’s soul had been spirited away. Never in his life had his blood surged with such intensity. His mind was filled entirely with the image of her emerging from the darkness, revealing herself bit by bit. Especially those legs. His heartbeat began to accelerate.

He had brought many gifts for Xu Shuangyi today, mostly fine clothing worth over two hundred taels. Yet, he now felt they were unworthy of being presented; compared to the gown she wore, his gifts were like common trinkets beside a celestial treasure. They were utterly incomparable.

Xu Shuangyi realized that her entrance had been meticulously choreographed by Xu Mu, but she had not expected to stun the Heir of the Liang Prince’s Mansion to such a degree. Though young, Liu Ji was no stranger to the world; it was a testament to Xu Mu’s skill that he had managed to manipulate the Heir so completely. Though she was being used as a tool, what girl does not love to look her best? She felt a sense of great satisfaction and accomplishment.

Perhaps due to nervousness or some other reason, Liu Ji accidentally knocked an exquisite ornament off the table. As he instinctively bent down to retrieve it, he caught a glimpse of the space beneath the table. With the hem of her gown draped over the chair, it could no longer conceal the lines of her legs, the side profile of which looked particularly enchanting in the gloom.

Liu Ji braced one hand on the table, the other clutching the ornament, staring forward as he looked down. A sudden heat flared in his nose, and blood began to gush out. His heart rate soared to dangerous levels.

Noticing that Liu Ji had not risen for a long time, Xu Shuangyi pressed a hand to her chest and leaned forward slightly to look. "Your Highness, what is the matter?"

Liu Ji stared at her legs, wide-eyed, completely unresponsive. "Your Highness? Your Highness?" Xu Shuangyi called out several times, but there was no reply. Suddenly, Liu Ji tumbled from his chair, collapsing onto the floor, motionless.

Seeing this, Xu Shuangyi stood up in a panic. "Someone, come quickly!"

Xu Mu rushed in immediately. Seeing Liu Ji on the floor with blood streaming from his nose, he quickly checked his pulse. *Could this boy have never seen a woman before? Did he actually die of shock?*

The servants scrambled to light the lamps, and Liu Ji’s attendants rushed over in a flurry. "Your Highness!"

"What is happening? His Highness was perfectly fine, how could he..." The attendants were drenched in sweat. This young master was the apple of the Liang Prince’s eye; if anything happened to him, they would all pay with their lives.

"The Heir has suffered a shock," Xu Mu stated.

"What!" One of the attendants fainted on the spot, seemingly preferring to follow his master into the afterlife rather than wait for the Prince’s wrath.

The lead attendant shouted, "Quickly, bring the Heir back to the mansion!"

"Don't move!" Xu Mu barked. "If you take him back now, he’ll be dead for sure! I have a way to save him!"

Without hesitation, Xu Mu hoisted Liu Ji onto his shoulder and shouted to Xu Shuangyi, "Quick! The medicinal bath, thirty times the dose! Have it ready in half a stick of incense!"

With that, Xu Mu carried Liu Ji and bolted out of the room.