Chapter 66: The Storm in Beijing, the Imperial Master is Heartbroken
The accompanying imperial physician finished examining Xiao Yu's injuries and reported, "Your Majesty, although the poison in the prince's arm has been removed by miraculous means, the toxicity is still potent, and a small amount of it has still penetrated the meridians. I have sealed the acupuncture points with golden needles and supplemented them with nourishing and strengthening herbs, which have temporarily suppressed the toxicity. However, to completely eliminate it, you must return to the capital and recuperate for a period of time. You must refrain from using your vital energy recklessly."
The emperor nodded upon hearing this, and looked at Xiao Yu with a hint of concern in his eyes: "Xiao Yu, thank you for your hard work. You should rest well these few days. We will discuss the investigation of the case after we return to the capital."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The matter was settled, and everyone prepared to leave. Chu Xuanyi dragged Ah Jiu, who was still dreaming about the "Bear Paw Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs," out, but Ah Jiu kept looking back at Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu couldn't help but say, "I feel...what Ah Jiu said might make some sense."
"What's the reason?" Chu Xuanyi asked unhappily.
Xiao Yu raised his injured arm and gently moved it, frowning slightly. "Although I can't feel the poison, I still feel a lingering stagnation in my meridians, like... I'm entangled in an invisible net, unable to muster any strength. I've never felt this way before."
Chu Xuanyi: "..."
He was stunned.
Spider webs... a lingering stagnation...
He suddenly turned around and looked at the little girl who had run to the door of the tent and was showing off her newly won "gold medal for eating" to the guard at the gate. His heart was filled with shock.
This is no longer divine calculation, this is simply... a monster!
At the same time, in another tent, Censor Qian, who had also received a reward, was boasting to a group of colleagues with saliva flying all over his body.
"...Thinking back to that time, I was so brave, standing alone against the countless demons! With the 'Haoran Zhengqi Talisman' in my left hand and the 'Demon Slaying Sword' in my right, I roared, and the demons trembled in fear! That Imperial Master and the Regent, if I hadn't held off ninety-nine percent of the pressure from the outside, how could they have succeeded so easily? In this battle, I deserve the greatest credit!"
As he spoke, he took out the yellow talisman that was soaked with his sweat from his arms and showed it to everyone, his face full of pride.
The next day, the Autumn Hunting Brigade's procession returned to the capital in a grand procession.
Along the way, Ah Jiu was lost in her endless reverie about the imperial kitchen's "Bear Paw Sweet and Sour Pork" and "Bird's Nest Egg Custard." Her mouth never closed, her saliva practically dripping onto the "As if I were there in person" gold medal the emperor had bestowed upon her. She felt that being a fortune teller was truly the happiest job in the world.
As soon as Chu Xuanyi returned to the capital, he plunged into his secret room filled with all kinds of rare medicinal materials, ancient books and alchemy furnaces, and did not sleep for three days and three nights.
In the center of the chamber, a purple-gold Bagua furnace burned beneath a faint blue earth fire. The furnace itself was covered with talismans hand-painted by Chu Xuanyi to suppress evil. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair disheveled. The usually elegant and well-mannered Imperial Preceptor now looked like a madman possessed by a demon.
"No... still no!" He grabbed a handful of priceless 'Spirit-Concentrating Incense Wood' and threw it into the fire, pacing the room anxiously. "This poison is incredibly strange. It's not made of metal or stone, not from plants or trees, and certainly not ordinary miasma. It's like... like it has life. If you suppress it even a little, it will sprout from somewhere else, reproducing endlessly, like a maggot in your bones!"
On the table before him lay a dozen yellowed ancient books, ranging from the Ancient Poison Scripture to the Records of Strange Things in Southern Xinjiang, all of which he had thoroughly read. Beside them stood a row of white jade bowls, each containing blood samples taken from Xiao Yu. However, no matter how he tested with silver needles or used secret techniques, he could not completely remove the strange poison.
This is simply a challenge to his authority as the authentic descendant of Xuanmen!
"Master Imperial Master, please rest for a while." The medicine boy beside him whispered, "His Royal Highness the Regent sent a message saying that he is fine, so please don't worry too much."
"Nothing serious?" Chu Xuanyi jumped up like a cat whose tail was stepped on. "He's using his profound internal energy to suppress it! Even my master can sense the stagnation, so how could he not feel it? It's like there's a bomb buried in his body ready to explode at any moment. If it doesn't explode now, it doesn't mean it won't explode later! If this delays... what will happen if it ruins my master's reputation!"
Medicine boy: "..." He felt that the Grand Master seemed to have missed the point.
Just when Chu Xuanyi was so worried that he was about to pull out all his hair, Xiao Yu came to his door in person.
The two of them dismissed their attendants in the secret room, and Xiao Yu got straight to the point: "How is it?"
Chu Xuanyi slumped in his chair, feeling deflated. He shook his head weakly, "I have no clue. This poison is beyond my comprehension."
Xiao Yu didn't seem surprised by this. He pulled out a map of the capital, spread it on the table, and pointed to a place on the outskirts of the city. "I've already found out. The 'Bishui Villa' mentioned in the secret letter changed hands three years ago. The current owner is a retired Taifu who has returned to his hometown. The manor has also been renamed 'Qingfeng Villa'."
"Retired Grand Tutor?" Chu Xuanyi raised his eyebrows. "What is his reputation?"
"He's honest and upright, with students and friends throughout the government and the country. No one would have thought he'd be associated with a cult." Xiao Yu's fingertips gently tapped the three characters "Qingfeng Manor," his eyes cold. "The more that's the case, the more suspicious it becomes. I've sent our best secret guards to monitor him day and night, but so far, we've found nothing unusual. The manor is just like its name: a gentle breeze, peaceful and tranquil."
"It's just the calm before the storm." Chu Xuanyi snorted coldly, "They must be waiting, waiting for that so-called 'elder', waiting for the time set for the Autumn Hunt!"
The two men discussed for a while and decided to keep their positions in place for the time being so as not to alert the enemy.
After sending Xiao Yu away, Chu Xuanyi looked at the row of blood samples on the table that remained unchanged, and thought of Ajiu's theory of "the spider web entangled the little flower", and felt overwhelmed.
At this moment, Ajiu was also having a headache in his new mansion.
Her courtyard was filled with gold, silver, jewels, silks and satins bestowed upon her by the emperor, but she was too lazy to even look at them. She was lying on the windowsill, her chin resting on one hand, her beloved slingshot in the other, sighing.
"Hey..." she said to the chirping sparrows outside the window, "The spider web on Brother Xiongxiong's head hasn't fallen off yet, so the big spider must still be there. What are spiders most afraid of? My master said that if you hit it with a stone, you can drive it away!"
The maidservant beside her was confused: "Miss, what spider are you talking about?"
"It's the big spider on Brother Xiongxiong's head!" Ah Jiu said seriously, "I have to help him kill the spider, otherwise all his pink flowers will be eaten! Then he won't be able to laugh anymore!"
The little maid opened her mouth wide, unable to react for a long time. She felt that this new young master's brain seemed... indeed different from that of a normal person.
The more Jiu thought about it, the more she felt that her idea was correct. She jumped down from the windowsill, put the slingshot on her waist, and carefully selected a few of the roundest and hardest pebbles from the garden and put them into her purse.
"I've made up my mind!" She clenched her fists and encouraged herself, "I'm going to treat Brother Xiong Xiong! I want to be a miracle doctor!"
After saying this, she took advantage of the maid's daze and ran out of the yard like a clever kitten, heading straight for the heavily guarded Regent's Palace.
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