Burning Heart

Lin Qingyan's release from prison was smoother than expected.

The Empress Dowager personally intervened, and the Emperor was reluctant to completely offend Prince Jing, who held military power and had just demonstrated his considerable value, over a "non-essential" imperial physician during the fierce battle between the Crown Prince and the Third Prince. Within two days, Lin Qingyan was released and reinstated, even receiving a symbolic reward for his "contributions to the study of rare poisons."

The first thing he did after returning to the Imperial Hospital was to secretly go to Prince Jing's Mansion.

When they met again, Lin Qingyan had become much thinner, and his official robe seemed a little empty on him. There was fatigue in his eyes from his imprisonment, but when he saw that Xu Xianyue was safe and sound, and learned that Xie Wuqi had woken up, his eyes instantly lit up with relief and excitement.

"Your Highness! Miss Xu!" He stepped forward quickly and was about to salute.

"Doctor Lin, there's no need to be so polite." Xie Wuqi leaned on the couch, raised his hand to support him. Although his tone was still weak, it was obviously serious. "I'm sorry for causing you trouble this time."

Lin Qingyan waved his hands quickly, his expression earnest: "Your Highness, you are too kind! As a doctor, it is Qingyan's duty to treat Your Highness! Moreover..." He looked at Xu Xianyue, his eyes full of gratitude and amazement, "If it weren't for Miss Xu's strategic planning and clever maneuvering, Qingyan would probably have... Miss, this is a great favor, Qingyan will never forget it!"

Xu Xianyue nodded slightly. "As long as Imperial Physician Lin is alright, that's all good. Although the 'burning heart' poison in the prince's body has been temporarily suppressed, it's deeply rooted. Imperial Physician Lin's cooperation is needed to find a way to eradicate it."

Mentioning the "burning heart" poison, Lin Qingyan's expression immediately turned serious: "Your Highness, young lady, Qingyan has not been lazy even in prison, repeatedly scrutinizing the medical records. Considering the miraculous effect of your use of velvet flowers to guide the medicinal properties and soothe the soul, Qingyan boldly speculates that we might try a method of 'leading the poison back to its source'!"

"Lead the poison back to its origin?" Xie Wuqi's eyes narrowed.

"Yes!" Lin Qingyan explained, "The 'Burning Heart' is extremely toxic, entrenching itself in the heart meridians and the soul. Forcibly removing it would only harm both. But if we can treat the toxin as a 'different energy', using its complementary and counteractive properties as a guide, combined with Miss Xu's rhythmic velvet flower, we might be able to guide it from the vital heart meridians to the secondary meridians, or even... out of the body!"

He laid out his plan, which involved the combination of several rare medicinal herbs and an extremely dangerous method of acupuncture. The core idea was to use the unique soothing and guiding rhythm of Xu Xianyue Velvet Flower, which could penetrate the soul and meridians, as a "guide", in combination with drugs and acupuncture, to open up a "way out" for the violent toxin.

This plan is unprecedented, unthinkable, and extremely risky, but it is currently the only hope for a cure.

Xie Wuqi listened silently, his fingertips tapping unconsciously on the edge of the couch. After a long moment, he raised his eyes and looked sharply at Lin Qingyan: "How confident are you?"

Lin Qingyan took a deep breath and said frankly, "Less than 30%. There are a lot of variables involved, especially relying on Miss Xu's precise control of the guiding rhythm and her immediate judgment of the reaction of the toxin in the prince's body. If there is any mistake, the toxin will backfire, and the consequences will be unimaginable."

The hall was completely silent. Less than 30%, a narrow escape.

Everyone's eyes fell on Xu Xianyue. Her velvet flower, her rhythm, was the core key to this dangerous plan of victory.

Xu Xianyue felt the heavy gaze, her face remained calm. She looked at Xie Wuqi: "Your Majesty, do you dare to give it a try?"

Xie Wuqi looked into her cold eyes, which held no fear or retreat, only a clear calm and determination. He suddenly chuckled, a laugh tinged with the arrogance of someone who had braved death to survive. "I have crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, so why should I fear death? A 30% chance of success is more than enough."

He looked at Lin Qingyan and Xu Xianyue, and said firmly: "Get ready. If you need anything, just ask."

With the decision made, the entire Jing Palace, like a precision instrument, began to operate at high speed. Lin Qingyan compiled a list of the rare medicinal herbs needed, Jingzhe mobilized all his hidden channels, searching for them at all costs; Steward Yan deployed resources within the palace to ensure a foolproof outcome; and Xu Xianyue once again locked himself in the workshop.

This time, what she needs to make is no longer just the soothing "Medicine Charm" or "Ink Bamboo", but a weapon that can serve as a "guide" to actively guide and even "capture" the toxins!

She selected silk threads from the strongest and most conductive golden silk cocoons and soaked them in a concentrated decoction of several extremely cold herbs, specifically formulated to counteract the "burning heart" fire poison, provided by Lin Qingyan. She repeated this process nine times, allowing the threads to fully absorb the medicinal properties. Using hair-thin platinum threads as the framework, she sketched the form of a budding Datura flower. According to ancient texts, Datura possesses hallucinogenic and anesthetic properties, and can also attract certain poisons.

During the weaving process, she immersed her whole mind, not just guiding the rhythm, but also "weaving" the idea - guiding, binding, and stripping! Her fingertips were like the most precise chisels, and every hook, every twist, infused this powerful idea into every inch of the velvet flower's texture.

This process was extremely draining on her mind and spirit. Her face grew increasingly pale, and fine beads of cold sweat oozed from her forehead, but her eyes were surprisingly bright, like burning stars.

Three days of no sleep.

When the last silk thread gathered at her fingertips, and a mandragora flower with a strange dark golden color, tightly closed buds, but faintly emitting a cold suction, appeared in her palm, the air in the entire workshop seemed to freeze.

It worked.

Xu Xianyue looked at the "poison-inducing" velvet flower that emitted an ominous yet beautiful light, let out a long sigh, and his body swayed, almost exhausting himself.

The time is urgent and there is no time to breathe.

That night, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse.

The east wing of Jinglan Courtyard was heavily guarded, like an iron barrel. Only Xie Wuqi, Xu Xianyue, Lin Qingyan, and Jingzhe remained inside.

Xie Wuqi, dressed only in his undergarments, sat cross-legged on the couch, his expression solemn. Lin Qingyan had already prepared several cold-gleaming golden needles, disinfected and ready. Jingzhe stood guard nearby, his muscles tense like a cheetah poised for action.

Xu Xianyue walked up to Xie Wuqi holding the dark golden mandala velvet flower.

"Your Highness, please relax. No matter how painful it is, do not resist the guiding power of Ronghua." Her voice was calm, but it carried an unquestionable power.

Xie Wuqi looked at her deeply and closed his eyes: "Let's start."

Xu Xianyue gently placed the Mandragora velvet flower on the Baihui acupoint on Xie Wuqi's head. At the same time, Lin Qingyan moved with lightning speed, instantly piercing several golden needles into several acupoints on Xie Wuqi's chest and back. The needles trembled slightly, emitting a low humming sound.

Xu Xianyue took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and cleared her mind of all distractions. Her fingertips lightly pressed against the datura flower, and she began to channel the unique rhythm that had long since been imbued with the flower, carrying with it a cold medicinal property and a powerful desire to detach.

Buzz——!

An invisible, yet distinctly perceptible, cold wave suddenly spread out from the datura flower! The dark golden petals seemed to come alive and began to spin extremely slowly. A strange suction force locked onto Xie Wuqi's sea of ​​consciousness and heart meridians!

“Ugh—!”

Xie Wuqi suddenly let out an uncontrollable roar of pain, his body trembling violently! Veins popped on his forehead, and his face instantly turned from pale to a terrifying crimson, as if flames were burning from within him! That was a sign that the "burning heart" poison had been activated and enraged!

Lin Qingyan was fully focused, staring closely at Xie Wuqi's reaction. His hands were as steady as a rock. He occasionally adjusted the angle and depth of the golden needle, and coordinated with the guidance of the velvet flower to forcibly open a channel for the violent poison.

Jingzhe clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms.

Sweat trickled down Xu Xianyue's forehead. Her mind was completely connected with the datura flower. She could "see" the hot and violent toxin like magma lurking deep in Xie Wuqi's heart and soul. Under her guidance and the cooperation of Lin Qingyan's golden needles, the toxin was being extracted reluctantly, bit by bit, and slowly moving upwards along specific meridians!

This process was like unraveling a cocoon, more like dancing on the edge of a knife! Xie Wuqi endured the extreme pain of burning meridians and gnashing veins, crushing bones and scattering them to ashes. His body convulsed, his teeth clenched and chattered, but he always remembered Xu Xianyue's instructions, forcing his mind to relax and not resist the cold guiding force.

Time passed slowly in extreme pain and tension.

After an unknown amount of time, the dark golden mandragora flower began to change color, gradually turning from dark gold to an ominous dark red, as if it had absorbed blood. Meanwhile, the crimson color in Xie Wuqi's body began to slowly fade.

At the moment when the last of the purest and most violent source of poison was forcibly drawn to Xie Wuqi's throat and was about to be completely sucked out of his body by Ronghua—

Something strange happened suddenly!

The original poison seemed to realize that it was at the end of the road, and suddenly burst out with a last crazy counterattack force, like a wild horse that had broken free from its reins, trying to break free from the guide and rush towards Xie Wuqi's heart!

"Not good!" Lin Qingyan's face changed drastically!

At the critical moment!

Xu Xianyue suddenly opened his eyes, a fierce look flashed in his eyes, and the index finger of his right hand, which had been pressing on the velvet flower, pointed without hesitation at the center of the datura bud that had turned dark red and was beating as if it had life!

laugh--!

A very slight sound was heard, like a branding iron burning into ice and snow.

An extremely pure rhythm that combined all her mental strength with the cold medicinal properties, like the final spear of judgment, followed her fingertips and fiercely slammed into the flower bud, accurately piercing the original poison that was trying to counterattack!

"Come out... to me!"

Xu Xianyue let out a low cry, her face instantly turning pale as paper, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of her lips. But her fingers pressing on the flower bud were as steady as a rock, not moving at all!

The violent original poison let out a silent wail under this blow that condensed all her strength, and was finally completely stripped away, turning into a thin dark red airflow, which was completely swallowed up by the datura flower that had become like blood jade!

puff--

Xie Wuqi suddenly spat out a large mouthful of ink-black, foul-smelling poisonous blood. It was as if all his strength was drained away from him. He fell backwards and was supported by Jingzhe in time.

The red color on his face had completely faded. Although he was still pale and weak, the violent and deadly aura that had lingered between his brows for many years had disappeared, leaving only a kind of fatigue that came from recovering from a serious illness and... a calmness like a new life.

Success!

Lin Qingyan hurried forward to take his pulse. After a moment, his face lit up with ecstasy, his voice trembling, "Your Highness! The poison... the poison has been cleared! Although the heart meridian is still damaged, his life is no longer in danger! He just needs to be nursed back to health, and he will recover in time!"

Jingzhe's tense body suddenly relaxed and he almost collapsed.

Xu Xianyue slowly withdrew his hand and looked at the datura flower that had turned dark red, no longer spinning, and seemed to have lost all its spirituality. His body shook, his eyes went dark, and he fell to the side.

A pair of strong arms supported her in time.

It was Xie Wuqi. He had struggled to sit up without knowing when. Although weak, his arms held an undeniable strength.

He looked at her snow-white cheeks and the bloodstains at the corners of her lips. In those deep phoenix eyes, there surged unprecedented and extremely complex emotions - shock, gratitude, guilt, and something called "heartache" that he himself had not even noticed.

"Xu Xianyue..." he started, his voice very hoarse.

Xu Xianyue used his strength to steady herself, gently breaking free from his support. She raised her hand to wipe the blood from her lips. Her tone remained calm, but with a hint of fatigue that was difficult to conceal: "The poison has been cleared, Your Highness, you can rest. This flower is useless and needs to be properly disposed of."

She pointed to the dark red mandala.

Xie Wuqi looked at her distant attitude, and the inexplicable irritation in his heart surged again, but seeing her weak appearance, he swallowed his words and said to Jingzhe, "Do as Miss Xu said."

He looked deeply at Xu Xianyue's slightly thin but straight back as she turned and left, and his eyes did not move away for a long time.

The poison burning in my heart has been cured.

But some things are like stones thrown into the lake of the heart, causing ripples that can never be calmed down.

The long night is ending and the dawn is coming.

The fate of Prince Jing's Mansion, and even the entire situation of the capital, have been completely changed because of this thrilling exorcism tonight.