Deep in the bamboo forest on the outskirts of Mingzhou, a small courtyard with blue tiles is hidden in the twilight.
When Wang Xiuxiu was carried off the carriage by Zhou Yun'an, she vaguely saw the four large characters "Xinglin Bieyuan" on the lintel.
The toxins in her body were taking effect, and her vision was so blurred that she could only make out a hunched figure standing under the eaves.
"My lord," the old man bowed deeply, his voice hoarse as sandpaper, "I have prepared the 'Soul-Severing Powder,' which will surely make this lady wish she were dead!"
Wang Xiuxiu felt a chill run down her spine.
Who would have thought that this universally praised healer would be so ruthless!
"Old Chen," Zhou Yun'an's voice rang out from above, "Detoxify first."
Doctor Chen raised her cloudy eyes, her gaze darting like a venomous snake across Wang Xiuxiu's face: "This is Lu Jingze's woman. How many of my Dayong men has he killed? My son died by his sword!"
"I said, detoxify."
Wang Xiuxiu felt Zhou Yun'an's arm suddenly tighten.
His tone was eerily calm: "Chen Yuan, are you questioning my decision?"
The bamboo leaves rustled.
Doctor Chen finally lowered his head and stepped aside to let him pass: "This old man dares not."
Zhou Yun'an placed Wang Xiuxiu on the bamboo couch.
The room smelled strongly of medicine.
Wang Xiuxiu forced herself to stay awake as she watched Chen Yixian take out a set of silver needles that shimmered with a blue light.
When the first needle pierced the acupoint, the excruciating pain made her vision go black, but she gritted her teeth to keep from fainting.
"The poison has entered the heart meridian." Doctor Chen deliberately increased the pressure on his hand. "We need to draw blood first before administering the medicine."
Zhou Yun'an stood beside the couch, his face half-hidden in shadow: "How long will it take?"
"Three days." A silver needle pierced the vein in Wang Xiuxiu's wrist, and dark blood gushed out. "If she can make it through tonight."
Wang Xiuxiu's fingernails dug deeply into her palms.
The excruciating pain felt like being burned alive, and Wang Xiuxiu bit her lip until it bled to stop her screams.
In a daze, she saw Zhou Yun'an's hand clench and unclench in his sleeve—this subtle movement stirred her heart.
"Lord Zhou..." she said weakly, "Could I... have a glass of water...?"
Doctor Chen sneered: "Your Majesty need not pay any attention to her; this woman is always putting on an act."
Zhou Yun'an suddenly turned around and poured a cup of warm water from the kettle.
The next morning, Wang Xiuxiu's high fever subsided slightly.
Taking advantage of Chen Yixian's absence, she struggled to sit up and looked around the room.
In the hidden compartment of the medicine cabinet in the corner, several porcelain bottles with red labels can be vaguely seen.
"You'd better behave yourself," Zhou Yun'an's voice came from outside the door. "Chen Yuan's poison is ten times more potent than mine."
Wang Xiuxiu leaned weakly against the pillow: "Lord Zhou guards me every day, is he afraid I'll run away, or is he afraid Doctor Chen will poison me?"
Zhou Yun'an's eyes darkened, and he slammed the medicine bowl on the table: "Don't flatter yourself. I'm keeping you around only to lure Lu Jingze into a trap."
"Really?" Wang Xiuxiu suddenly coughed, a trickle of blood sliding down the corner of her mouth. "Then why did Lord Zhou... switch the poison prepared by Physician Chen?"
Zhou Yun'an suddenly grabbed her chin: "You saw it?"
"I heard you." Wang Xiuxiu looked him straight in the eye. "Your conversation in the courtyard last night."
She deliberately softened her voice, "But I don't understand Zhou Yun'an, why are you letting me live?"
These words pierced Zhou Yun'an's heart like a knife.
He released his grip and sneered, "You're overthinking it. I just want you to see it for yourself while you're alive—"
"See how Lu Jingze died at your hands?" Wang Xiuxiu suddenly laughed. "Then you'd better hurry. This morning, Doctor Chen secretly added some 'heart-corroding powder' to my medicine behind your back. I'm afraid I won't last three days."
Zhou Yun'an's pupils suddenly contracted.
He abruptly lifted the medicine jar, took a sip of the dregs, and sniffed it lightly. His face instantly darkened.
That night, a fierce argument broke out in the courtyard.
Wang Xiuxiu, pressed against the window, heard Zhou Yun'an's angry shout: "Who gave you permission to add medicine without authorization!"
"Young Master is confused!" Doctor Chen's voice was hoarse. "How can we spare her life! If Young Master continues to be so stubborn, I will have no choice but to report to the Lord and see what he decides!"
The sound stopped abruptly.
A moment later, Zhou Yun'an pushed open the door and entered, his long sword dripping with blood.
Wang Xiuxiu's heart suddenly raced!
"You...killed Chen Heng?"
She had intended to sow discord, but she never expected Zhou Yun'an to act in this way.
Zhou Yun'an remained silent, only tossing her a bundle: "Put this on and leave immediately."
\"Why?\"
"Shut up!" Zhou Yun'an grabbed her and pulled her up, but softened his grip when he touched her wrist. "Lu Jingze's men are already in Mingzhou. I don't have time to play along with your act anymore."
As the sound of horses' hooves shattered the moonlight in the bamboo forest, Wang Xiuxiu leaned against Zhou Yun'an and quietly hid a silver needle in her sleeve.
She stole it from the medicine pillow; the needle tip was coated with a deadly poison that would kill instantly upon drawing blood.
"Lord Zhou," she suddenly said softly, "I feel like I can't see through you anymore..."
Zhou Yun'an's body stiffened visibly for a moment.
In that split second, Wang Xiuxiu's silver needle was already pressed against his carotid artery: "Stop the carriage, or we'll both die."
Under the moonlight, she saw a fleeting emotion in Zhou Yun'an's eyes that she couldn't decipher.
It wasn't anger, nor surprise, but a kind of peace that felt almost liberating.
"Wang Xiuxiu, as expected... you've never disappointed me."
He chuckled softly as he pulled on the reins. "What a pity..."
A sudden wave of dizziness washed over her, and Wang Xiuxiu was shocked to find that her arm was losing sensation.
Zhou Yun'an easily snatched the silver needles: "Chen Yuan is right, I've seen all your little tricks before you drink your medicine."
"You...knew all along..." Wang Xiuxiu's consciousness began to blur.
"I know you switched my antidote, I know you poisoned the medicine, I even know you hid a needle under your pillow." Zhou Yun'an's voice seemed to come from near and far, "I played along with this charade, just to wait for someone..."
In her last moments of consciousness, Wang Xiuxiu heard a familiar bugle call coming from afar—the Xuanjia Guard's iron cavalry had arrived.
They were walking step by step into the trap that Zhou Yun'an had already laid deep in the bamboo forest...
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