Chapter 71 The Male Husband "This male husband? He must be exhausted."...

Xie Lanzhou threw the Scrophularia ningpoensis onto the cliff, telling Gui Bo to keep it safe.

He then pulled out the sword he was standing on and jumped down.

"Your Majesty, be careful!" Seventeen exclaimed, and was about to jump down after him when Gui Bo grabbed him.

"If you all leave, what will happen to this old man like me?"

Seventeen glanced at him, then said, "His Majesty's safety is of utmost importance."

Uncle Gui still wouldn't let go, "What about your master's life? She's waiting for this medicine!"

Seventeen hesitated for a moment, then finally gave up on jumping, but remained on the edge of the cliff.

Below, a thick fog enveloped the area, obscuring the bottom and making it impossible to see Xie Lanzhou's figure.

The two sat on the edge of the cliff for two hours, making Uncle Gui anxious and pacing back and forth.

“My ancestors, we have to get down the mountain. It’s freezing cold up here at night, and you could fall and die if you walk down at night.”

Seventeen remained silent, staring intently at the bottom of the cliff, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

Uncle Gui pulled him down, saying, "Come on, come on, he's very capable, he won't die!"

Seventeen turned her head and looked at him deeply for a moment, but in the end she followed him down the mountain.

The two returned to the carriage as dusk fell, where Feixue was boiling water to cook porridge.

"Has Master woken up?" Seventeen asked.

"No, she's been unconscious the whole time. I'm trying to feed her some rice porridge, but she won't eat anything." Feixue's face was full of anxiety.

Uncle Gui scooped a bowl of porridge from the pot and slurped it down.

"Hey, what are you doing? This is for the young master!" Feixue stopped her.

"I worked myself to death to find medicine for her, and she can't even have a bowl of porridge!" Uncle Gui said matter-of-factly.

"Hey, where's His Majesty? Why didn't he come back with us?" Feixue asked hurriedly, realizing what was happening.

Seventeen explained the situation to her, but Uncle Gui shook his head and went to brew the medicine himself.

After serving Su Panyue her medicine, Feixue fed her some rice porridge and then stayed by her side.

Around midnight, her fever finally subsided, and Su Panyue woke up the next morning.

"Your Majesty?" She vaguely saw a figure sitting by the bed.

Feixue immediately poured a glass of water and brought it over. "My lady, it's me."

Su Panyue blinked hard and finally saw the person in front of her clearly. "Feixue, it's you."

When I opened my mouth, I realized my throat was so dry it felt like it was on fire, so I took the water and drank it all in one gulp.

He cleared his throat and continued, "Where is His Majesty?"

Feixue lowered her eyes and pretended to be busy, answering somewhat awkwardly, "Your Majesty, His Majesty went to collect Blood Condensation Flowers."

Su Panyue immediately exclaimed with delight, "You found the Blood Coagulation Flower?"

Feixue nodded. "My lady, I'll take the medicine bowl out first."

After saying this, he quickly got out of the carriage, his face full of worry.

Seventeen was tidying up her clothes when she whispered, "Uncle Gui said that the young mistress must not have any more emotional fluctuations. We must not tell her about His Majesty's matter. I'm going up the mountain to find His Majesty now. Please take good care of the young mistress."

Feixue nodded and watched him go back into the mountains.

Inside the carriage, Su Panyue ate some food and regained some strength. She had been unconscious for a day and had no idea what had happened yesterday.

Feixue peeled an orange for her, saying, "The medicine that Uncle Gui prescribed for you was missing an ingredient. His Majesty and the others went up the mountain to pick it yesterday."

"Stop peeling, you've already peeled eight," Su Panyue suddenly reminded her after hearing her words.

Feixue gave an awkward laugh, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"Are you hiding something from me?" Su Panyue asked, looking into her downcast eyes.

Feixue quickly shook her head, "No, no."

Su Panyue stared at her for a couple of seconds, then said nothing more.

As the sun began to set, Su Panyue finally realized something was wrong. "Where has His Majesty gone? Why hasn't he returned yet?"

"Look up at me!" she said anxiously, noticing Feixue's evasive gaze.

"My lady, please don't rush, take good care of your health!" Feixue said worriedly.

Su Panyue frowned. "Are you going to tell me or not?"

"You won't tell, huh? Call Seventeen over! I'll ask him."

Feixue whispered, "He... he went up the mountain too, and he hasn't come back yet."

Su Panyue's chest heaved slightly, as if she had guessed something. "They got lost in the mountains?!"

Seeing that she had already guessed most of it, Feixue knew she couldn't hide it any longer, so she told her the whole story.

Upon hearing this, Su Panyue frowned even more deeply.

Feixue comforted her, "My lady, it's not dark yet. They might be back soon. His Majesty and Seventeen are both very skilled; they will definitely be safe."

Su Panyue touched her wildly beating heart. "I'm still alive and well, so of course he'll be fine. I can't panic."

"Call the Ghost Lord here."

Feixue responded and went to retrieve Guibo.

"Uncle Ghost, I heard you went up the mountain with us yesterday. Do you know what it's like up there? What would happen if you stayed for two days in a row?"

Uncle Gui waved his hand, "That mountain is incredibly cold. If someone stayed up there for two days, they would definitely freeze into an ice block."

Su Panyue's face paled slightly, but her tone remained calm as she continued to ask:

"Since the Gu worms in His Majesty haven't been cured, does my survival mean that His Majesty..."

Gui Bo stroked his beard and said, "Logically speaking, that's true, but there are always exceptions. If the offspring Gu is strong enough, it might be possible for it to survive outside of the mother Gu."

Su Panyue clenched one hand into a fist, unaware that her nails were leaving deep marks on her palm.

Before long, it got completely dark, and Xie Lanzhou and Seventeen still hadn't returned.

The remaining three sat together, but no one spoke; only the fire crackled.

Su Panyue has remained silent since the afternoon, and still has now.

Feixue had been observing her expression with concern, but she did not see any obvious panic.

After a moment, she finally spoke: "We'll leave tomorrow."

Feixue asked, "Where are we going, my lady?"

“Go back, go around this mountain, and look at the other side. He must still be alive.”

Su Panyue's firm tone reassured Feixue, who lacked a sense of direction.

After making the decision, Su Panyue quickly told everyone to go and rest, so that they could conserve their energy for the search for the missing person the next day.

Su Panyue slept very restlessly, waking up almost as soon as the first rays of dawn shone into the carriage.

She had been taking medicine all day yesterday, and her health had improved considerably, but she was still somewhat weak, so they set off by carriage.

Uncle Gui then took out his rusty compass, turning it as he walked, muttering incantations.

The group spent the entire morning circling around half the mountain, but did not see any cliffs.

Before my eyes lay a dense forest, shrouded in a thick, miasma-like fog, so dark that even in broad daylight, nothing could be seen.

Gui Bo immediately raised his hand, his usually carefree attitude turning serious. "Stop! It's poisonous!"

After saying that, Gui Bo raised his hand to cover his mouth and nose, took two steps inside alone, and heard rustling sounds. He immediately turned and ran away.

Then came a spotted venomous snake, its tongue flicking, which slowly turned and disappeared into the forest only after he had run far away.

Su Panyue had been peering out from inside the car, and seeing this scene, her heart sank. If Xie Lanzhou had really fallen into this snake pit, his chances of survival would be slim.

"Is there any way, Uncle Ghost?"

"Let me see," Uncle Gui rummaged through his medicine chest, "Found it!"

He took out a few pills from the corner of the medicine box and carefully poured out three of them.

"What is this?" Feixue asked.

"An Immunity Pill," Gui Bo chuckled. "Eat one, and it will keep you immune to all poisons for two hours."

The miasma was resolved, but the forest was too dense for the carriage to pass through, so the three of them had to get out and walk.

As Gui Bo walked, he sprinkled medicinal powder, but he couldn't drive away the insects and snakes that came from all around.

Feixue supported Su Panyue from behind. Su Panyue was not fully recovered and was wrapped in a thick cloak. She coughed a few times after taking a few steps.

After walking for about 15 minutes, the area suddenly opened up before them.

The hazy miasma disappeared, and even the endless white snow outside vanished, as if spring had suddenly arrived, leaving only birdsong and the fragrance of flowers.

But before the three could even be surprised, they were surrounded by several women who rushed over.

Although they were women, they were unlike any of the women Su Panyue had ever seen before. Each of them wore animal skins, revealing strong arms and muscular calves, with healthy blushes on their cheeks.

Feixue immediately drew her sword and stood in front of Su Panyue, watching the women who had formed a circle around her warily.

At this moment, a woman walked over from a distance. She was very tall and looked no shorter than Xie Lanzhou.

She was also dressed in animal skins, but her skin was tiger skin, which made her look even more majestic and imposing. When she got closer, Su Panyue was so frightened that her eyes widened.

Because she discovered that the belt wrapped around the woman's waist was actually a snake, with red and black stripes, tightly coiled around her waist, staring around with its beady black eyes.

Su Panyue gave Feixue a wink, signaling her not to act rashly, and then spoke up:

"Young lady, we apologize for disturbing you; we have no ill intentions and are simply looking for someone."

Upon hearing this, all the women present laughed heartily.

Su Panyue frowned, puzzled, wondering what they were laughing about.

Then the woman in the tiger skin spoke up: "I am the queen here, and they are my soldiers. We have no girls here."

Although Su Panyue didn't quite understand, she still readily agreed and asked, "Your Majesty, have you ever seen a man dressed in black fall off a cliff?"

The queen pondered for a moment, then asked, "Which of my new husbands are you referring to?"

"Husband?" Su Panyue realized something was wrong and quickly asked, "Can you take me to meet him?"

The Queen glanced at her a few more times, and finally nodded.

So Su Panyue and the others were taken to a location near the cliff.

Around a steaming lake, tents of all sizes were set up, and many women were drying animal hides, while several men were drawing water and washing clothes by the water.

The largest tent in the middle must be the queen's residence; she casually lifted the curtain and let them in.

Only Gui Bo was stopped. "You can't go in. How dare a man like you enter the Queen's residence?"

Su Panyue ignored him and strode straight to a bed inside, which was more like a large stone covered with animal hides than a bed.

The man lying on top with his eyes closed was Xie Lanzhou, who had been missing for two days.

"What's wrong with him?" Su Panyue asked anxiously as she turned her head.

The Queen glanced at him. "This husband? He must be exhausted."

Seeing that everyone was alright, Su Panyue breathed a sigh of relief, but then something occurred to her, and she tilted her head incredulously to ask again:

You said he's your...husband?

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Author's note: Boys need to be careful when they're out, okay? [glasses emoji]