Night falls at Songxi Courtyard.

As soon as Song Zhiyu stepped into the courtyard, the faint fragrance in the air made her slow down. She wrinkled her nose slightly, carefully trying to identify the source of the fragrance. She looked up and saw the closed door not far away, and a dark glint flashed in her deep eyes.

The filth from the sewer has crawled out again and is harming people; it's truly courting death.

Song Zhiyu twitched the corner of her mouth, lifted her foot and walked forward without hesitation, pushing open the tightly closed door.

"Hiss hiss hiss."

A rustling sound came from behind the door, growing clearer in the silent night.

As soon as the door opened, a chilling scene unfolded before her eyes: venomous insects and snakes swarmed towards Song Zhiyu.

With a cold face, Song Zhiyu chopped off the snake's head with a single stroke. He then flicked the white powder in his hand, and the poisonous insects on the ground instantly retreated to a large open space, not daring to approach Song Zhiyu any further.

Song Zhiyu lowered her eyes and looked at the bed not far away that was making a slight noise. She took a few steps forward, lifted the quilt, and unsurprisingly saw dozens of poisonous insect corpses that were not quite dead yet. The snake bodies that had been cut into several pieces were still wriggling on the bed.

If Song Zhiyu hadn't been exposed to various poisons since childhood, and hadn't been thrown into a venomous insect den in her previous life to test poisons for the Ghost Doctor in order to save Shen Yuzhou, she would probably have been poisoned today.

Only Shen Mingyi could come up with such a ruthless and vicious method.

Since some people insist on courting death, she'll play along with them.

Song Zhiyu casually tossed the bedding on the ground and turned to walk out the door.

*

Songyun Temple.

In the brightly lit room, three men sat around a table, drinking tea with great interest.

"Third brother, isn't what we're doing a bit inappropriate? Didn't we agree that we were just going to teach Zhiyu a small lesson? Those poisonous insects could very well kill her."

After a long silence, Shen Muxun frowned, his words carrying a hint of disapproval.

Compared to Shen Jinshu, with whom he had spent over a decade, it was clear that he had little affection for Song Zhiyu, his younger sister who had only recently returned, and even harbored some resentment towards her.

Therefore, when Shen Mingyi suggested teaching her a lesson, he acquiesced and stepped in to help.

But now he couldn't help but feel a little regretful. Even though he was very dissatisfied with Song Zhiyu, he never thought of taking her life.

Upon hearing this, Shen Mingyi raised an eyebrow indifferently, lightly waving his folding fan, a wicked smile curling up on his handsome face. "Second brother, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I won't harm her. I'm just venting my anger for Shu'er and Fourth Brother."

This also made her realize that hurting Shu'er was tantamount to going against us brothers. If she still wanted us to acknowledge her identity, she should keep a low profile.

Besides, Song Zhiyu prides herself on her superb medical skills, having cured even the Princess's intractable illness; a few tiny poisonous insects wouldn't be enough to kill her.

Mentioning Song Zhiyu, Shen Yanxi gritted his teeth in hatred, becoming more and more agitated as he spoke, "Third Brother is right, Song Zhiyu has no respect for hierarchy and is vicious. All the injuries on my body are thanks to her."

And then there's Shu'er, whose body was already weak, and she almost lost half her life after falling into the water.

This is just a small lesson for her; she's been let off easy.

Song Zhiyu, who had always tried to please them and humbly given everything, began to rebel and even spoke ill of him. Shen Yanxi felt an emptiness in his heart and a kind of vexation and discomfort.

He desperately wanted to suppress Song Zhiyu and turn her back into the silly girl who only knew how to please them and just wanted to get a glance from them.

"Don't let anyone die. She's still our own sister, after all." Shen Muxun was gradually persuaded, but still gave a word of advice out of concern.

With a doctor's heart full of compassion, he did not want anyone to die before his eyes.

Standing at the door, listening to this conversation, Song Zhiyu sneered inwardly. Her cold gaze fixed on the three people inside the room through the window. The lower half of her face, hidden in the darkness, obscured her expression, yet it sent a chill down one's spine.

Since you dared to scheme against her, you must be able to withstand her revenge.

As she turned to leave, the blood-red sash around Song Zhiyu's waist swayed gently in the cool evening breeze, and her long fingers twitched slightly at her sides.

In a short while, countless poisonous insects poked their heads out from all directions in the courtyard, eyeing the brightly lit inner room with predatory intent, while the people inside were still unaware of the impending danger.

Suddenly, Shen Yanxi's right eyelid twitched, and an ominous premonition rose in his heart. "Third Brother, something's not right. Are you sure you put all the poisonous insects in Song Zhiyu's yard? Why is it so quiet tonight?"

Logically speaking, she should…” Shen Yanxi suddenly stopped speaking, her eyes wide with fury as she stared intently at Shen Mingyi’s back, her eyes filled with deep fear.

Noticing Shen Yanxi's strange behavior, Shen Mingyi's smile faded, and he turned around warily. The scene before him made his scalp tingle.

Countless venomous insects crawled into the room through the window, relentlessly approaching them, and even showing signs of attacking...

After a while, Song Zhiyu, who had just walked out of Songyun Courtyard, was not surprised to hear a series of piercing wails. He looked up at the unusually round moon tonight and squinted his eyes with a pleasant expression.

With Shen Muxun around, these poisonous insects won't kill them; at most, they'll just make them suffer.

She was simply returning tenfold the tricks Shen Mingyi had tried to use on her; she just hoped they were tough enough to survive the night.

This is both a retaliation and a warning, telling them to think twice before taking action against her in the future.

If there's a next time, she won't be so lenient.

*

Chaos reigned at the Marquis of Chengen's residence. Several young masters had been bitten by poisonous insects, their lips had turned black, and they lay on their beds, barely breathing. Their condition was not optimistic.

The white-haired doctor withdrew his hand from taking the pulse, his brows furrowing into a deep frown, his face showing even more wrinkles. He bowed and replied, "My lord, I have used acupuncture to suppress the toxins in the young masters' bodies. However, this poison is too potent, and my medical skills are insufficient to cure it completely."

"What exactly happened? How could someone be bitten by a poisonous insect out of nowhere?" Shen Feng's face was ashen as he sternly questioned the servants of Songyun Courtyard, his anger rising steadily.

His eldest son is already ruined, and his other sons must not be allowed to suffer any more mishaps.

Upon hearing this, everyone present knelt down on the ground, their bodies trembling as they helplessly endured Shen Feng's overwhelming rage.

"My lord, I have heard that the female physician who treated the princess is skilled in acupuncture and detoxification. She can even cure the princess's long-standing ailment. If we could invite her here, perhaps we could save the lives of the young masters." The doctor stroked his white beard and pondered for a moment before speaking slowly.

Although Shen Muxun and the others had taken the Rejuvenation Pill in advance to protect their heart meridians, and he had also used acupuncture to draw out most of the toxins, they were able to save their lives for the time being.

However, if these residual toxins are not completely eliminated, there may be endless troubles in the future.

The only way to cure this is to find a doctor who is skilled in treating various toxins, use acupuncture to draw out the remaining toxins from the body, and then carefully treat the patient with his prescribed medicine.