Following the vine to find the melon
With no progress in the investigation, the people in the Department of Ill-fated Men were stuck in a stalemate. Perhaps, as the people below said, Du Shaoyou was indeed a good husband who cared for his family.
It has been three days, and no news has come out of Rong Yan since he entered the Hidden Sword Pavilion.
Her senior brother reassured her that Rong Yan, being such a cautious person, would not be in danger.
Even so, Lin Yueyao was worried that Rong Yan wouldn't be able to tame the spiritual weapon. She knew her junior brother's strength all too well.
Aside from minor concerns, I miss Rong Yan's cooking skills the most; everything he makes tastes delicious.
The food at the resort is prepared by local chefs, and after a while, it becomes rather bland and loses some of its natural and rustic charm.
As the days grew hotter and the dog days of summer arrived, Song Qingyun sent someone to deliver lychees to her every day. Eating too many would inevitably cause her to get a sore throat, so she would eat only one or two and then give them to her maid.
Seeing that she wasn't eating much, Song Qingyun assumed she had a poor appetite and decided to cook for her herself.
Lin Yueyao refused, only saying, "Fish."
She wanted to eat grilled fish, especially the kind Rong Yan made.
Song Qingyun went to learn overnight and showed off his skills in the kitchen, only to find that the fish was burnt. Feeling embarrassed, Song Qingyun went to ask the head chef for help.
The chef is indeed quite skilled, with a wide variety of techniques including frying, stewing, and boiling. He can prepare one type of fish in seven or eight different ways.
After tasting it, she still felt it was tasteless, so Lin Yueyao went to the kitchen by herself and recalled Rong Yan's cooking skills.
The servants are very good at reading people's expressions. Song Qingyun sent lychees and cooked for them personally. The maids and servants all regarded Lin Yueyao as the future young mistress.
Once inside the kitchen, they rushed to fawn over each other.
Too many people would get in the way, so Lin Yueyao called them out, leaving behind a rather clever little maid to serve her.
The fish was ready, and the charcoal fire needed to be burning as brightly as possible. The maid was about to fetch firewood, but she said no need.
He summoned the "Questioning Love" weapon, flew out of the kitchen, picked up a bundle of firewood, and flew back into the room.
The young maid exclaimed in amazement, "Fairy Qingyi is so amazing!"
Without batting an eye, he was completely unfazed by praising Lin Yueyao.
Now that they needed to start a fire, the maid took out a flint from her pocket and tapped it little by little until she managed to get a few sparks out.
"No need for such trouble." She gestured for the maid to step back, then cast a spell, and a burst of spiritual fire shot out, instantly enveloping the kitchen.
She's good at exorcising demons, but not so good at cooking. She thought she had her powers under control, but ended up setting the kitchen on fire.
It seems there's a lot to learn about cooking.
Flames climbed onto the roof, burning the little maid's hair off completely. She screamed and ran around in a panic.
"Don't run—"
The young maid rushed into the fire, desperately trying to salvage things. Clutching more than a dozen medicine jars, she ran out the door and then rushed back into the fire.
The servants shouted from below, "Fire! Help! Put out the fire!"
A group of people rushed over, grabbed wooden buckets, and began drawing water from the well.
The little maidservant recklessly turned back, and Lin Yueyao, preoccupied with saving people, forgot about the water-controlling talisman and rushed in after her.
Upon hearing the news, Song Qingyun summoned a talisman, and a torrential downpour gradually extinguished the flames.
Lin Yueyao was soaked to the bone, and her hands were burned, but she seemed oblivious to the pain, only questioning the maid, "Are you out of your mind?"
The little maid was holding the earthenware pot, which Song Qingyun protected very well. When Song Qingyun saw Lin Yueyao's injury, she felt annoyed, but seeing the little maid's terrified appearance, she remained silent.
“This is the lady’s medicine, it can’t be burned…” she murmured.
"What medicine?" Song Qingyun asked immediately.
"It's the madam's medicine to prevent miscarriage." The little maid instinctively hugged it tighter.
Lin Yueyao snatched the earthenware pot from her arms, opened the lid, and smelled a medicinal aroma that hit her head.
The jar contains donkey-hide gelatin, dodder seed, and perilla. These are traditional Chinese medicinal herbs used to replenish qi and blood and stabilize pregnancy.
Lin Yueyao knows about pharmaceuticals. Looking at all those medicine jars on the ground, can one person finish them all?
Now that Qi Qian'er has lost her child, these pregnancy-preserving medicines are just taking up space, so the maid has been keeping them.
"Junior sister, your injury." Seeing that she remained silent, Song Qingyun felt a pang of heartache.
"It's alright," she said, returning the earthenware pot to the maid, who nodded and said, "Thank you, fairy."
Lin Yueyao was not a cautious or suspicious person, but the little maid's behavior made her suspicious.
She opened the other earthenware pots, and the bitter smell of medicinal soup wafted out.
Physicians emphasize observation, listening, questioning, and palpation. Listening refers to examining the five tones. Although Lin Yueyao did not inquire about the cause of Qi Qian'er's illness, she could tell from the smell of the pregnancy-stabilizing medicine that it had a similar effect.
The salvaged earthenware jar was slightly different.
Seeing that she was listening intently, Song Qingyun couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong, Junior Sister?"
"It's nothing." She put down the earthenware pot, behaving normally.
Song Qingyun accompanied her out of the kitchen and into the hall, where they sat down and invited the villa's doctor to treat her injuries.
After the burns were bandaged, Lin Yueyao said, "There's something wrong with the medicine."
"What does Junior Sister mean?" Song Qingyun was only vaguely aware of the meaning. Lin Yueyao met his gaze and secretly explained, "There's something extra in the medicine."
"What's extra?"
Scutellaria baicalensis.
Scutellaria baicalensis is used to clear heat and stabilize pregnancy. Qi Qian'er is so weak that even eating is difficult for her. How could such a herb be added to the medicine for stabilizing pregnancy?
There was also the dosage, enough for several people. Combined with the rumors he'd heard, that Du Shaoyou frequented brothels and theaters, Song Qingyun unconsciously clenched his fist.
"If that's the case, I will not be lenient."
"I hope so." She said this, but her eyes conveyed another meaning.
Song Qingyun only had a superficial understanding.
As evening approached, Song Qingyun went outside and knocked on the door.
Lin Yueyao opened the room and let him in.
Song Qingyun sat down at the table and took out an account book from his pocket. He had secretly torn it out when no one was paying attention. The account book recorded the details of the items brought into the mansion, including the medicinal materials for the pregnancy.
They came from different sources, as if they were prepared for different people.
Even though Du Shaoyou was very careful, he still made a mistake in the details.
Song Qingyun held the account book, his face gradually turning pale.
"Senior brother, seeing is believing." The truth cannot be determined based on just a piece of paper.
"Then what should I do?"
"Send someone to keep an eye on him."
Song Qingyun immediately sent people to keep an eye on Du Shaoyou, and to report back immediately if Du Shaoyou did anything amiss.
Sure enough, Du Shaoyou made a move in the middle of the night.
A trusted attendant reported that Du Shaoyou had entered the Hidden Sword Pavilion behind the main room.
The Hidden Sword Pavilion is all-encompassing and not just about finding magical artifacts; it contains countless sword chambers and a main hall.
Being sneaky in the middle of the night, they must be doing something bad.
Without a second thought, and without alerting anyone, the two left and headed towards the Hidden Sword Pavilion.
In the corridor, Du Shaoyou looked around and, seeing no one around, confidently opened the main door and slipped into the Hidden Sword Pavilion.
The two exchanged a glance and followed.
Not long after Du Shaoyou entered, the stone door opened and slid open. After carefully entering, Du Shaoyou disappeared without a trace.
Song Qingyun was very familiar with the internal affairs and fortunately knew where to go.
Passing through gates and overcoming obstacles, the two searched for Du Shaoyou.
After searching the pavilion for half an hour without finding any trace, Song Qingyun extinguished the candle and suddenly looked up.
It should be in that place, that place is the secret chamber of Wanjian Manor.
At the very center of the entire underground palace, it can both hide and imprison people.
When they arrived, the door to the secret room was ajar.
Knowing that no one could discover this place, Du Shaoyou became more confident and bold in his actions.
The two stood outside the door, separated only by a wall. Inside the door were ingenious machines and top-level martial arts techniques, which only members of the manor could enter.
Lin Yueyao was an outsider, and as he led her in, a strange feeling rose in his heart.
Du Shaoyou's voice came from inside the door—
"You've suffered these past few days." He tried to hug her, but she struggled and resisted, even scratching him.
"I've had enough! I've really had enough!" Wu Jinfeng tore at the blanket and threw the pillow on the floor. "I don't want to be locked up in this dark and gloomy place! I want to get out!!"
"Wait for me a little longer. When they can't find anything wrong with me and leave completely, you will be my wife, the only lady in the manor." Ignoring her resistance, Du Shaoyou forcibly hugged her.
Wu Jinfeng bit him desperately, biting his shoulder as if she wanted to crush his bones.
Instead, he hugged me tighter, saying, "Bite me, bite me. The more you bite me, the happier I am. It proves that you care about me and have me in your heart."
Wu Jinfeng felt nauseous and broke out in a cold sweat. Knowing that she was feeling unwell and had been frightened by the fox demon that day, I said, "This is a medicine to prevent miscarriage. Drink it quickly."
"I won't drink it—"
"Crash—" The bowl and cup fell and shattered into pieces. "Let me go—"
"No!" He picked up a new tea set, poured in the pregnancy-stabilizing medicine, poured it into his own mouth, and pressed it against her lips.
Hearing the sounds of the man and woman entangled inside, Song Qingyun's expression grew increasingly grim, while Lin Yueyao remained calm.
"Don't touch me—" Wu Jinfeng gasped for breath, clutching her chest. "Since you're unwilling to give up this child, then I'll give birth to it and leave you alone."
"I will never agree to that." He released her abruptly, the teacup clattering on the table.
"What exactly do you want?" Wu Jinfeng felt unfamiliar with him. Wouldn't it be better to part ways amicably?
"I only want you. I want you to stay by my side with dignity, as my wife, Du Shaoyou."
Wu Jinfeng was not moved; instead, she felt a chill run down her spine. "You can even be so cruel to your own wife. How can I possibly trust you?"
"That's because that bitch deserves to die. She was jealous and caused the deaths of so many people around me. Even her father threatened me with your life."
He retorted, "How can I tolerate this?"
Wu Jinfeng shook her head in disbelief, "But you shouldn't have done anything, you shouldn't have caused her to lose her child."
"She conceived that child while I was drunk, how could I possibly acknowledge it?"
"She's like this now because she was stupid."
"Du—Shao—You—"
Enraged, Song Qingyun called him by his full name and barged in, shouting, "Is this how you treat my cousin?!"
"You've ruined her like this!" Song Qingyun stood up, nocked the Moon Chasing Bow, and prepared to kill him.
From a young age, his father was strict with him, and his cousin was always there for him. His cousin was his family, so how could he tolerate being betrayed by a villain?
Unexpectedly, someone managed to break in. Song Qingyun was furious, and Wu Jinfeng was extremely upset.
As Du Shaoyou dodged, he desperately tried to explain, "Qingyun, let me explain—"
"What's there to explain?!" Song Qingyun went to block him, but accidentally bumped into the corner of the table and hit Wu Jinfeng.
Upon thinking of this, the spirit pouch at his waist began to frantically stir.
Wu Jinfeng's expression changed instantly.
"You're the one who ruined Auntie!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
