Xiao Yanxi's brows drew together slightly, and she looked thoughtful. "Then who could it be?"

Ning Chen smiled. "Once we find the man who tried to kill Mu Zhaozhao and pry his mouth open, we'll know who put him up to it."

Xiao Yanxi gave a slight nod.

Ning Chen yawned. "Little Xixi, give me another Blood Yang Pill. I'm getting a little tired!"

Xiao Yanxi shook her head. "The High Priestess said you can only take one Blood Yang Pill a day."

Ning Chen gave a wry smile. "But I'm about to fall into one of those deep sleeps again, and who knows when I'll wake up? By then I'll probably have forgotten everything that happened today.

Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. One more shouldn't be a big problem."

Xiao Yanxi still wasn't easy about it. "Are you sure?"

Ning Chen nodded.

Xiao Yanxi had no choice. She fed Ning Chen another Blood Yang Pill.

The Blood Yang Pill couldn't get rid of the yang gu in Ning Chen, but it could hold it down and perk him up.

"Little Xixi, go get me brush, ink, paper and an inkstone."

Xiao Yanxi said, "Mm," and went to fetch them.

She ground the ink for him, a beauty keeping him company at his desk.

Ning Chen's brush flew across the paper.

What he was writing mattered a great deal. It was his strategy for moving troops against the eastern frontier, Nanyue and Xiliang. You could call it state policy.

Xiao Yanxi's eyes reddened. She knew why Ning Chen was writing all this.

"Ning, dear, you're the one who has to carry out these strategies. Why write them down?"

Ning Chen gave a soft laugh. "I'm afraid that one day I'll forget everything, maybe even who I am. So I'm putting it all down first... Even if I lose my memory completely someday, with these strategies the Great Xuan will still be safe."

Xiao Yanxi shook her head. "That won't happen. There are lots of ways to cure you, Ning, dear. You're going to get better, I know it."