Chapter 35 The Calamity of Shangxu: Blindness

Pain, just bear with it, it will eventually pass.

The forest was extremely quiet, with only the sunlight growing more intense and dazzling as time went by, dappling the two of them through the clouds and leaves.

Xie Xingzheng was in complete darkness and unable to perceive the changes in light and shadow. He focused solely on the sun's heat and the wind direction to determine his approximate orientation. Tang Yu, however, was awakened by the blinding light and groggily raised her hand to shield her eyes.

Sensing that the person behind him was about to wake up, Xie Xingzheng deliberately slowed his pace. Tang Yu slightly opened her eyes, and when she saw Xie Xingzheng, she was momentarily stunned.

The dappled, scorching light, along with the shadows of the leaves, bathed his chiseled profile, making him so handsome that it felt almost unreal. If it weren't for the warmth emanating from his broad back, she would almost think she was still dreaming.

Still dazed from just waking up, she quietly admired the scene for a long time before suddenly realizing that Xie Xingzheng's usually cold and stern black eyes had become somewhat empty.

Tang Yu's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously reached out to touch it.

Although Xie Xingzheng was blind, his ears were extremely sensitive, and he immediately caught her subtle movements.

"woke up?"

His words startled Tang Yu, who awkwardly withdrew her hand and laughed, "Yes...where have we run off to?"

"We're almost at the foot of the mountain," Xie Xingzheng said casually.

He didn't actually know the exact location and could only give a vague answer.

The two fell silent for a moment, the atmosphere slightly awkward. Just then, they heard the sound of horses' hooves approaching from afar, and Xie Xingzheng immediately led her behind a tree.

Tang Yu looked up and saw a tall, magnificent horse galloping past down the slope. The two of them reacted almost simultaneously.

Those weren't the masked men chasing them, but rather Xie's army searching for the two of them.

Thus, their less-than-dignified escape finally came to an end.

"Young General!" The soldiers looked worried when they saw that Xie Xingzheng's clothes were still half wet and he was covered in blood and smelled of decay.

Xie Xingzheng asked in a deep voice, "How did you find this place?"

They found it rather quickly and by some coincidence, making him vaguely suspect that there might be someone pulling the strings behind the scenes.

After exchanging glances for a moment, the group answered in a low voice, "It was Lu Sizheng who sent someone to tell us to search along the foot of the mountain on the north side."

Lu Ya...?

Xie Xingzheng felt a sudden surge of suspicion and wariness. How did this person know the direction they were fleeing? And was this person friend or foe?

The soldiers looked at the doctor Su on his back and assumed he was seriously injured. They stepped forward to help the young general, but were afraid of hurting him, so their hands froze in mid-air.

Tang Yu wanted to get off Xie Xingzheng, but he refused, citing his injured arm as the reason that he could not ride the horse on his own.

"I'll help you mount the horse."

After saying this, Xie Xingzheng helped her onto the horse, and in the next instant, Tang Yu nestled into his warm embrace.

The wind whistled past their ears, hooves thundered, and Xie Xingzheng, with her in his arms, galloped against the wind. The summer breeze was neither cold nor dry, carrying warmth as it brushed against Tang Yu's cheeks. The man's arms and chest behind her formed an unbreakable cage, encircling her. Even through her half-damp, cool clothes, she could clearly feel his warm body temperature and the subtle power emanating from his muscles.

Strangely enough, the timing and circumstances were both wrong, yet Tang Yu still enjoyed being close to him like this.

Whether it was in the woods when he carried her on his back, or now, being held in his arms, she felt very happy.

A smile unconsciously crept onto her lips, and she let out a soft hum.

Upon hearing this, Xie Xingzheng's heart tightened, and he asked worriedly, "What's wrong? Does it hurt somewhere?"

Tang Yu glanced at the wound. Although it had stopped bleeding, the bright red bloodstains on the cloth strip were still glaring.

Does it hurt?

Her left arm used to hurt terribly, but now she doesn't feel any pain at all.

But whether it hurts or not doesn't matter right now. Tang Yu said in a light tone with a smile on her face, "Yes, my left hand still hurts a little, so please ride slower."

As soon as the words were spoken, the horse indeed slowed down. The wind suddenly stopped, and there was no more jolting from the previous gallop. The two of them strolled leisurely as if they were in a garden on the outskirts of the capital, showing no sign that they had just escaped from a crisis.

However, her clothes, soaked with blood and stained, and her somewhat disheveled hair shattered the otherwise enchanting atmosphere of the scene.

*

When they returned to Wangyuan Escort Agency, Xiao Fangliang and Wang Shanyue had not yet returned; only Wang Yunxi was anxiously waiting. Seeing the two in such a disheveled state, her heart tightened, and without asking any further questions, she hurriedly arranged to summon a doctor.

The doctor arrived quickly. After taking Tang Yu's pulse and examining his injuries, he looked somewhat puzzled: "Although the young master has some external injuries, his pulse is generally steady, and there are no signs of poisoning..."

But why is this pulse so strange? It seems to lean towards a woman's yin nature.

As he was puzzled and suspected he had made a mistake in his diagnosis, he was about to examine the patient again in detail.

Tang Yu had already put her hand back into her sleeve and said with a smile, "No need. I am also a doctor and know my own physical condition. Doctor, please take a look at General Xie first."

Seeing his refusal, the doctor could not force him and had no choice but to turn around and ask General Xie to extend his hand. Unexpectedly, Xie Xingzheng took a step back, his brows furrowed slightly, and he refused in a low voice: "It's alright, I will find someone to treat you when we return to the Xie residence."

Despite his cold tone and straight back, Tang Yu could still detect a hint of pallor and strangeness in his handsome face.

Especially those eyes, which were once as clear as obsidian, now appeared as dull and lifeless as a night sky without stars. Tang Yu's smile vanished instantly, and she suddenly reached out to grab his wrist.

Xie Xingzheng sensed the movement of the wind around him and instinctively tried to dodge to the side, but he was a step too slow and she grabbed his wrist. Just as he was about to break free...

Tang Yu coldly reminded him, "My left arm is injured."

Those five short words truly made him pause. His previously tense body relaxed a little, his knuckles loosened, and he ultimately did not stop him.

Tang Yu placed her fingertips on his pulse point, her expression instantly turning cold. The pulse was sluggish, the breath chaotic, and poison lurked within. When she looked up at his eyes again, her brows furrowed involuntarily; she knew he was blind.

So, he just carried her, who was asleep, in the dark to escape? Without even asking her for directions?

That's really impressive!

Tang Yu felt a tightness in her chest, and anger surged within her. She was so angry that her breathing became heavy, and she abruptly shook off his hand.

Xie Xingzheng keenly noticed her emotional fluctuations, but a greater doubt arose in his heart.

He didn't speak up because the poison wasn't a major issue at the moment. Just like on a battlefield, even if you're left with only a breath, you have to grit your teeth and fight on, let alone lose a hand or a leg. If you were to immediately announce your injury to everyone, wouldn't that shake the morale of the army?

Pain, just bear with it, it will eventually pass.

Therefore, he didn't see anything wrong with deliberately concealing it. Naturally, he also didn't understand why Tang Yu was so angry at this moment.

At this moment, Tang Yu's anger, though not completely dissipated, had subsided considerably. She gritted her teeth and pulled his wrist again.

This time, she took the pulse even more carefully, and her movements were incredibly gentle.

Skin touched by the poison of the blood pool would burn like being peeled, and she knew exactly what that pain was like. So she was afraid that she might accidentally add even the slightest bit to his existing suffering.

Xie Xingzheng's heart skipped a beat, and for some reason, he felt a little nervous.

Tang Yu's behavior gave him a very subtle feeling. It was different from the worry and concern that subordinates or relatives would show when he was injured. It was as if she was saddened and angry for him, far more so than if she was worried about him.

It felt strange and unfamiliar, so much so that my heart felt a little numb.

Perhaps he really is deeply poisoned...

The atmosphere inside was strange and heavy, the silence making Wang Yunxi uneasy. She didn't understand why Su Yutang hadn't uttered a word during the two pulse examinations.

She was so anxious that she stamped her feet and finally ordered, "Doctor, please take General Xie's pulse again!"

The doctor dared not be negligent and was not stopped this time. When his fingertips touched Xie Xingzheng's pulse, his expression changed drastically, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. After withdrawing his hand, he waved it in front of Xie Xingzheng's eyes, his expression becoming increasingly solemn.

"The poison in the general's body has seeped into his meridians. Although he can suppress it by sealing several major acupoints, if he cannot detoxify within five days, even if he can save his life with his powerful internal energy, his martial arts will surely be reduced by seventy or eighty percent."

He paused, then sighed, "My eyes have already been damaged by direct contact with the poison, and I can no longer see. If this continues, I fear I will go completely blind."

The room fell into a deathly silence.

After Wang Yunxi finished processing the meaning, she hurriedly urged, "Then quickly find out how to detoxify! Our escort agency may not have much else, but we have all kinds of rare medicinal herbs!"

“Miss, it’s not that I don’t want to treat him…” The doctor’s expression revealed a hint of helplessness as he explained, “General Xie’s poisoning is not a single poison, but a mixture of multiple toxins with varying degrees of toxicity, making it extremely difficult to treat. Moreover, there are signs of Gu poisoning in his body, which is not something that doctors in the Central Plains are good at. We must find a shaman who is familiar with Gu poisons.”

After hearing this, Wang Yunxi paced anxiously to the side, her mind racing as she tried to figure out if the escort agency could find someone who understood Gu poison.

Tang Yu remained silent, as if something was tightly blocking her chest. She seemed to be angry, but in reality, she was restless and anxious about figuring out the possible cure for Xie Xingzheng's poison.

Just as the atmosphere became heavy, footsteps and commotion suddenly came from outside the courtyard. It turned out that Xiao Fangliang and Wang Shanyue had returned with their men, with the little girl in red who had been resisting being escorted behind them.

Upon seeing her, Tang Yu's eyes suddenly lit up. She quickly stepped forward and pulled her close, demanding, "Tell me! Where is the antidote for the poison in that broken blood pool?"

Xiao Qimeng was startled, but quickly realized that there were two familiar faces in the room, and she also sensed the aura of Gu worms on Xie Xingzheng. She immediately raised her chin and sneered: "Antidote? There are hundreds, if not thousands, of poisons mixed in the blood pool, Gu worms, snake venom, herbs, whatever they catch, they release. How could there possibly be an antidote!"

When she glanced at Xie Xingzheng again out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly turned her head, trying to shake it, but Tang Yu quickly pulled off the bells on both sides of her hair bun and held them tightly in her hand, not letting them make a sound.

Tang Yu handed the bell to Wang Shanyue and coldly instructed, "Keep it safe. Never let her have a chance to touch it again."

He then moved a few steps closer to her and coldly threatened, "You dare to try controlling the Gu in front of me? If I live, I will make you wish you were dead."

These words indeed frightened Xiao Qimeng. She herself was not skilled in Gu techniques, and the person in front of her was identified by Yue Weng as Yue Qimeng. In addition, she had entered the blood pool but showed no signs of being poisoned or affected by Gu, which made her feel even more that this person must be unfathomable.

In the end, Xiao Qimeng shrank her shoulders guiltily, nodded obediently, and gave up the idea of ​​resisting.

Tang Yu glanced at her coldly, then turned to the crowd and said, "We need to get her to confess all the poisons used in the blood pool, and then find the corresponding antidotes one by one."

Wang Yunxi immediately responded, "I'll do it. A-Yue is soft-hearted, so leave the matter of interrogating the child to me." After saying that, she ordered her men to tie up Xiao Qimeng and take her to the side courtyard.

Tang Yu then half-pushed and half-dragged Xie Xingzheng into the inner room. In an unyielding tone, she said, "Your eyes are currently beyond repair, but I can first use silver needles to temporarily seal the poison in your meridians, preventing it from spreading to your heart. However, during this time, you must not use your internal energy."

This was a delaying tactic devised by the Tang Clan members after her brother was poisoned. No matter how strange or unusual the poison, this method, as long as internal energy wasn't used, could buy at least half a year, allowing time to find a cure later.

Xie Xingzheng's lips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't speak.

Tang Yu focused on her hand movements, deftly inserting the needle. A few breaths later, Xie Xingzheng noticed that the burning pain from the blade scraping his skin had mostly subsided.

"Don't worry." Tang Yu raised her eyes, her tone firm and serious: "I will definitely find a way to detoxify you."

She immediately asked for paper and pen, and quickly wrote down the required medicinal materials on the table.

Taking advantage of the moment when the two had some free time, Wang Shanyue and Xiao Fangliang recounted what they had experienced and seen at Shangxu.

After describing the strange iron chain cages and eerie secret chambers, Xiao Fangliang turned to Xie Xingzheng and asked in a low voice, "General Xie, you participated in the campaign to wipe out Nanyue and are quite familiar with the Southern Frontier. Could you deduce what their purpose was in building this Upper Ruins and Blood Pool?"

Xie Xingzheng remained silent for a long time, but a chilling glint slowly appeared in his lifeless eyes: "I can guess. They want these women from the Southern Frontier not for anything else, but to have children through surrogacy."

He paused, his voice extremely low: "The purpose is probably to... recreate Yue Qimeng."

Upon hearing this, the room fell silent.

Upon hearing that name again, Tang Yu's hand holding the pen trembled violently, and ink dripped and spread on the paper. When she looked up again, her eyes were filled with confusion and shock as she looked at Xie Xingzheng.

Why... does he know this name too?

[Author's Note]

Tang Yu: You're capable!

Xie Xingzheng (foolishly): Thank you?

Tang Yu: ... (Her eyes rolled back, she was about to faint from anger!)