Xiao Feng scoffed as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world: "Is it acceptable to use any means necessary for profit? Is it acceptable to resort to such underhanded tactics? Is this the code of conduct for your Ming Cult? I've truly opened my eyes!"
"Xiao Feng, you..." The High Priest was clearly enraged.
"High Priest! Stop talking!"
Su Xueqing suddenly raised her hand, interrupting the high priest.
Her hands trembled slightly, and her face was filled with struggle and pain.
She looked at Xiao Feng with a complex expression, a mixture of grievance and guilt.
Xiao Feng gave Su Xueqing a deep look, his eyes seeming to say "You'd better watch yourself," before shaking his head and showing an expression that said he was too lazy to waste words with them.
He ignored the two people inside the hall, turned around, and walked straight out of the hall.
All he wants to do now is see someone else.
As you walk through several corridors, the sandalwood scent that filled the air is gradually replaced by a faint herbal aroma.
Xiao Feng pushed open a simple wooden door and went inside.
The room was small, simply furnished, and softly lit.
Zhao Yuwei was sitting on the headboard. Although her face was still a little pale, her complexion was much better than when Xiao Feng left.
She heard the door open and instinctively looked up. When she saw that it was Xiao Feng who had entered, her originally dim eyes instantly lit up, as if they had been filled with starlight.
"Brother Xiao... Brother Xiao!"
Zhao Yuwei's voice was filled with surprise and a slight sob. Her eyes quickly reddened, and tears rolled down her cheeks without warning. Overwhelmed with joy, she cried, "You...you're back..."
She struggled to sit up straight.
Xiao Feng stepped forward, pressed down on her shoulder, and said softly, "Don't move, just lie still."
He sat by the bed, looking at her pale yet joyful face, and felt a little relieved.
However, just as his gaze shifted downwards and landed on Zhao Yuwei's wrist outside the blanket, his pupils suddenly contracted!
On her once smooth wrist, a ring of fine black lines had appeared, like some kind of eerie tattoo or the traces of spreading toxins, standing out starkly against her pale skin!
"Yuwei! What's going on?!"
Xiao Feng's voice suddenly rose, filled with disbelief, shock, and a hint of barely perceptible panic.
He carefully grasped her wrist, his fingertips able to feel the cool texture of her skin beneath, and his heart sank to the bottom.
This thing is definitely not a good thing!
Zhao Yuwei followed his gaze to her wrist, her eyes dimmed, and her original joy was covered by a layer of gloom.
She weakly tugged at the corners of her mouth, trying to force a smile, but it looked worse than crying.
"It started appearing a few days ago..."
Her voice was soft, carrying a resigned helplessness: "The Ming Cult's doctor came to see me... said... said I've been poisoned..."
"Poisoned?" Xiao Feng's heart clenched. "What poison? How could I be poisoned? Who did it?!"
Zhao Yuwei gently shook her head, her eyes blank: "The doctor couldn't say what kind of poison it was, only that... it's very difficult to cure... As for how I got it... I don't know..."
She lowered her head, her long eyelashes trembling and casting a shadow, her voice even lower, carrying a heartbreaking despair.
"Brother Xiao, perhaps... perhaps this is my fate... please... please don't worry about me..."
Her fingers curled up unconsciously, as if trying to hide the glaring black lines.
"Bullshit! What bullshit about destiny!"
Xiao Feng suddenly stood up and paced anxiously around the small room, the floorboards creaking under his feet: "I refuse to believe this! I'm going to find a doctor and ask him! He must have a solution!"
He turned to rush out, but a small, cold hand grabbed his sleeve.
The force wasn't great, but it brought him to an instant stop.
"Brother Xiao...don't...don't go..."
Zhao Yuwei looked up, her pale face filled with tears again, her voice trembling with sobs, as weak as a candle flickering in the wind: "Doctor... the doctor... he said..."
Xiao Feng turned around and saw her tearful face. His heart ached terribly, and his tone softened slightly: "What did he say? Yuwei, tell me, what exactly happened?"
Zhao Yuwei bit her lower lip, seemingly finding it difficult to speak. After a long while, she managed to utter a few words with difficulty: "He said... the only way... is... to exchange lives..."
"A life-for-life exchange?!" Xiao Feng's pupils contracted, a chill running from the soles of his feet to the top of his head: "What do you mean?"
"It means... exchanging someone else's life for mine..."
Zhao Yuwei's voice was barely audible, her eyes darting around, avoiding Xiao Feng's gaze: "Brother Xiao... I don't want to... I don't want to... I don't want to implicate anyone... really..."
She shook her head violently, tears streaming down her face, dripping onto the blanket and spreading a small, dark patch: "This is probably...my fate...please leave me alone...please..."
Seeing her resigned and waiting-to-die attitude, Xiao Feng felt a surge of anger rush to his head, but even more so, he felt a heart-wrenching pain and pity.
He suddenly squatted down, grabbed Zhao Yuwei's thin shoulders with both hands, and forced her to look at him.
"Nonsense!" His voice was deep but carried an undeniable power: "With me here, there's no such thing as fate! Listen to me, Yuwei!"
He spoke clearly, each word distinct: "I will never let you die! Never! In this world, no one can decide your life or death except yourself! Not even God!"
His gaze was intense, filled with unwavering determination, and also a hidden pain and love that he himself was not fully aware of.
Zhao Yuwei was stunned by his appearance and forgot to cry for a moment, just staring at him blankly.
"I will definitely find a way to save you! I definitely will!"
Xiao Feng said decisively, his tone carrying a ruthless determination.
He released her hand and gently stroked her cheek, his movements tender, but his eyes remained as firm as iron: "You get some rest, and wait for me to come back!"
After saying that, he didn't hesitate any longer, stood up abruptly, and strode out of the room.
He didn't have time to care about any high priest or the interests of the Ming Cult; he only had one thought in his mind: to save Zhao Yuwei!
As you walk through several corridors filled with the scent of herbs, the air grows thicker and thicker, carrying a hint of bitterness.
Following his memory, Xiao Feng went directly to the outhouse where the Ming Cult doctor was.
He didn't even knock; he simply pushed open the simple wooden door.
The room was dimly lit, and the shelves against the wall were filled with various bottles and jars and dried herbs, with a strong medicinal smell permeating the air.
An elderly man with white hair and beard, dressed in hemp clothing, was sitting at a table, carefully examining a yellowed medical book under the dim light of an oil lamp.
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