Seeing Lin Er's eyes darting around, looking like he was outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, Song Zhiyu sneered, grabbed Lin Er's cheeks and shoved the poison into his mouth, "You'd better do as I say, or you can expect to die suddenly in three days."

After saying that, Song Zhiyu ignored Lin Er, who was lying on the ground coughing wildly, and turned to leave without hesitation.

She wasn't afraid that Lin Er would go back on his word, after all, this kind of person valued his life very much.

Halfway there, the sky suddenly darkened, a dark mass looming overhead, and in the blink of an eye, a light drizzle began to fall.

After a moment's thought, Song Zhiyu walked towards the dilapidated temple not far away.

Pushing open the overwhelmed temple door, Song Zhiyu patted the raindrops off her clothes and was about to sit down in a corner and wait for the rain to stop before leaving.

Before she could even step inside, the straw on the ground suddenly trembled slightly, as if a boot were stepping on it.

Is anyone there?

Song Zhiyu's eyes sharpened, and his whole body tensed up, the silver needles hidden under his sleeve poised to be used.

She looked up in the direction the sound came from and met a pair of eyes as cold as ice.

Their eyes met, and before she could even see the man's face clearly, a fierce glint flashed by. As the long sword was placed against her neck, the silver needle in her hand was simultaneously flung out and pierced the man's shoulder.

The man hidden in the shadows let out a muffled groan, his longsword trembling slightly. He glanced sideways at the three silver needles gleaming on his left shoulder and the wound that was gradually turning black. Unable to withstand the corrosive effects of the poison any longer, his tall body collapsed to the ground with a thud.

“It’s you.”

Song Zhiyu stared blankly for a moment at the man in front of her, whose handsome face was deathly pale and whose eyes were closed but whose noble aura was still undeniable.

Zhou Xingzhi, the Crown Prince of the Lintian Dynasty.

It was also the person who, in her past life, had someone cover her with a cloak when she died tragically in the snowy night, giving her a final bit of warmth before her death.

Thinking of this, Song Zhiyu shifted her gaze from Zhou Xingzhi's face and saw that the wound on his shoulder was still bleeding. She frowned, took a few steps forward, helped him up from the ground, and leaned his back against the wall to check his wound.

“Zhou Xingzhi, meeting me today means you’re not destined to die. This is how I repay the kindness of the clothes you gave me.” After saying this, Song Zhiyu first gave Zhou Xingzhi an antidote pill, and then took out some hemostatic powder and sprinkled it on his bleeding wound.

Seeing that the bleeding from the man's shoulder wound had stopped, Song Zhiyu breathed a sigh of relief and used a strip of cloth cut from the hem of her skirt to bandage the wound. The whole action was clean and efficient.

After treating the wound, Song Zhiyu's gaze fell on Zhou Xingzhi's pale lips, her eyes flickering slightly.

It seems the detoxifying pills worked; the toxins in the man's body have been brought under control. With further acupuncture treatment, his body will soon recover completely.

Thinking of this, Song Zhiyu took out silver needles, grabbed Zhou Xingzhi's arm hanging by his side, and quickly and accurately inserted the needles.

Soon, Zhou Xingzhi's arm was covered with silver needles, and black blood slowly seeped out from the needle holes and dripped onto the ground.

After a while, just as Song Zhiyu was about to withdraw the silver needles, her wrist was grabbed by a large hand with distinct knuckles.

Zhou Xingzhi suddenly opened his eyes, his deep, cold gaze fixed on Song Zhiyu. He parted his thin lips slightly and asked, "What's your name?"

"Song Zhiyu." Song Zhiyu looked down at her wrist and gestured for him to let go.

The girl before him wore a light purple dress, her long black hair casually tied up with a single jade hairpin, a few wisps of hair playfully falling from her forehead, and a white veil as thin as a cicada's wing covering her face, revealing only a pair of clear eyes as bright as stars, which made Zhou Xingzhi somewhat lost in thought.

"I apologize for the offense, thank you for saving me, young lady." Zhou Xingzhi looked at the eye-catching white in his hand, put his hand behind his back, and gently rubbed his fingertips, without mentioning the misunderstanding from earlier.

Song Zhiyu put away the silver needles, and after thinking for a moment, she still spoke up to remind him, "I have already treated your wounds, and the toxins in your body have been mostly cleared. Remember to take good care of yourself when you get back."

Zhou Xingzhi leaned against the wall, a faint smile appearing on his slightly pale, handsome face. He reached out and pulled off the jade pendant from his waist, handing it to Song Zhiyu. "Miss Song, if you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can take this jade pendant to Xuanji Tower to find me."

"No need, just consider it a good deed I did today." Song Zhiyu didn't take the jade pendant, and said half-jokingly, her eyes crinkling.

She has always been clear about her gratitude and grudges, and her act of saving him today is nothing more than repaying a debt of gratitude from a past life.

Besides, they will meet again.

After saying that, Song Zhiyu threw the medicine bottle in her hand to Zhou Xingzhi. Seeing that the sky outside had cleared up, she picked up her basket and walked out of the dilapidated temple.

Zhou Xingzhi's deep eyes were fixed on Song Zhiyu's receding figure. His large, calloused hands gently stroked the bottle, and a faint smile crept onto his lips. His sharp gaze softened. "Do a good deed every day, huh?"

*

At the foot of the mountain.

Two women, one in pink and one in yellow, were walking towards Mingyin Temple, which was not far away.

"Miss is kind-hearted and went to Mingyin Temple to pray for Miss Jinshu. If His Highness the Crown Prince knew about this, he would surely fall for her too." The maid held an umbrella for the woman in pink, her flattering words making the woman beam with delight.

Lian Siyi covered her face and chuckled, her fair and delicate face flushed. "Jinshu and I are close friends, so it is only right that I pray for her. I am not trying to gain fame or the Crown Prince's favor."

The maid sighed, her face full of regret, "Miss, you are beautiful and talented, and you and Miss Jinshu are known as the 'Twin Beauties of the Capital.' You are the most promising noble lady of the capital to be selected as the Crown Princess."

It's pitiful for Miss Jinshu, to be humiliated like this by an orphan girl from the countryside, and her reputation has been damaged as a result.

Upon hearing this, a hint of disdain flashed in Lian Siyi's eyes. "Jinshu grew up in the Marquis's mansion since she was a child, and is rightfully the daughter of the Marquis. Even if a vulgar village girl has some tricks up her sleeve, she can never surpass Jinshu."

I've met all four of Jinshu's older brothers; they dote on her like a precious jewel.

Lian Siyi's tone carried an air of superior confidence. These noble ladies, who had been carefully cultivated by their families for many years, were far superior to Song Zhiyu, a mere village girl, in terms of both temperament and talent.

She believed that the people of the Marquis's mansion would never give up Shen Jinshu, a treasure who could bring glory to the Shen family and lead them to great heights, for the sake of mere blood ties.

As soon as she finished speaking, the maid stared wide-eyed in surprise, pointed at Song Zhiyu who was walking down the path, and said in a low voice, "Miss, look! Isn't that the village girl who caused Miss Jinshu to fall into the water?"

Lian Siyi frowned. "Why is she at Mingyin Temple? Did she have a change of heart and come to pray for Jinshu's well-being?"

Seeing that the person had already gone far away, Lian Siyi leisurely withdrew her gaze, not taking the matter to heart.

She was just an unloved village girl, not even worthy of her attention.