The more Su Zhirou didn't want to hear Xia Houqing continue, the more Xia Houqing insisted on talking. One can't help but sigh: people are truly different. Some were once high and mighty, but now they've fallen to the ground; others, though mediocre, have been blessed by heaven and, overnight, have soared to prominence, transformed into phoenixes, becoming the masters of the world.
Take Tang Chen and Su Zhirou for example. When Xiahou Qing intended to investigate Tang Chen, he accidentally discovered Su Zhirou, a person who could be of use to him.
Xiahou Qing lifted Su Zhirou's chin slightly and said, "Speaking of which, although Tang Chen may not be as beautiful as you, Miss Su, or have a prominent family background, nor as proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting as you, I am lucky. Now, your only remaining value is because of her."
Seeing her nagging and quibbling, unwilling to admit reality, Xiahou Qing became even more excited. However, to avoid wasting time, he signaled for someone to cover her mouth first: "Woo woo woo woo!"
Su Zhirou, who was tied up and gagged, was like a caterpillar that had fallen from a tree and was snatched by birds. No matter how she struggled, if no one helped her, she was doomed to be eaten.
Xiahou Qing stood up, kicked Su Zhirou with his foot, and said impatiently: "Stop it, I'm too lazy to talk to you. Since you are unwilling to cooperate, I can only let you suffer."
After saying this, Xiahou Qing gestured for the tightly closed door to be opened and said, "Go and invite Huangfu Zhong over. Everything he wants is already prepared."
"yes."
After a while, Huangfu Zhong came over. He was not polite and started to touch Su Zhirou as soon as he came in. After a while, he seemed to be dissatisfied with the person Xiahou Qing had prepared.
Seeing Huangfu Zhong frowning, Xiahou Qing asked with a smile, "Brother Huangfu, what do you think of this test subject?"
Huangfu Zhong thought for a moment and said, "... barely. He still has this aura despite all the injuries on his body. It's obvious that he's in good health."
Xiahou Qing said that if they were looking for someone with excellent physical qualities, Qinghe County would have plenty of them. But when it came to finding someone who could withstand the effects of the poisonous insects and enter the Qingliang Palace with integrity, Su Zhirou was the only candidate. He knew Huangfu Zhong was dissatisfied with this scarred experiment, but he had no choice: "Don't be fooled by this girl's appearance; she has a strong connection to Qingliang Valley."
Huangfu Zhong saw that Xiahou Qing had made up his mind, so he didn't say anything more. He just added, "Okay, it doesn't look like it will have any major impact on the Pavilion Master's plan, so we can give it a try. However, the medicinal properties are still unstable, so after taking it, there may be some uncomfortable reactions."
Xiahou Qing glanced nonchalantly at the person on the ground and said, "It's okay. It's just a test product. As long as Brother Huangfu can speed up the development, it doesn't matter if there are more test products."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiahou Qing dismissed everyone in the room, leaving only Huangfu Zhong. Huangfu Zhong pulled out a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve and removed the cloth stuffed around Su Zhirou's mouth. Just as Su Zhirou tried to struggle, Huangfu Zhong clamped her jaw tightly, preventing her from moving.
After making sure that Su Zhirou had swallowed the red pill, Huangfu Zhong not only let go of his hand, but also took the dagger handed over by Xiahou Qing and untied the rope tied to her.
The ropes were untied, but Su Zhirou remained curled up on the ground. She didn't know what Huangfu Zhong had given her, but the burning sensation in her throat as soon as the pill entered her throat was excruciating. Now that the pill was in her stomach, not only did her entire body feel like it was on fire, but the slightest movement was accompanied by a piercing pain that was beyond words. She wanted to scream out the pain, but the moment she opened her mouth, she could only curl up on the cold floor with her mouth wide open.
Just when Su Zhirou thought she was going to die, the sudden pain disappeared in an instant. It was as if everything she had just experienced was just a dream she had imagined.
Su Zhirou's joints creaked as she slowly climbed to her feet. Her eyes widened as she looked at the two men who had watched everything unfold coldly. Her fury was fully expressed in the volume of her voice the next second: "You, you evil people, what on earth did you give me to eat?"
Huangfu Zhong smiled and explained, "They're just some cute little things. They'll break out in a month, and the only antidote is in the Qingliang Palace. I'm playing a game with you. If you can get the antidote in a month, I'll let you go. If you don't take the antidote by the time the deadline comes, you'll die from a ruptured stomach without me having to do anything."
Su Zhirou's face turned pale as she roared, "You, what exactly do you want me to do?! Why should I gamble my life with you?"
Huangfu Zhong clearly disliked Su Zhirou's type, and his entire body radiated impatience at her questions and rants. Seeing that Huangfu Zhong was no longer willing to speak, Xiahou Qing reminded him, "You can choose not to cooperate with us, but you've experienced the pain just now. Although it was only for a moment, it's likely etched in your memory. If you don't get the antidote, the pain you'll endure when the poison takes effect will be a thousand times greater than before."
Upon hearing this, Su Zhirou subconsciously took a step back and pointed at the two of them, saying, "You are demons, demons without humanity! You have done such unscrupulous things, and you will definitely be punished!"
At this moment, Huangfu Zhong continued, "If you want to see what will happen to us, you can try to keep her alive. Pavilion Master Xiahou, you can let her go now. The medicine has stabilized. Judging from the strength she has to speak now, the poison shouldn't take effect before she reaches Qingliang Valley."
Since Huangfu Zhong had spoken, Xiahou Qing didn't say anything more. After snapping his fingers, the tightly closed door opened again. "You all heard what I just said. Tell our people to get our Miss Su Zhirou safely to Qingliang Valley. If she ends up somewhere else, don't worry about it. Do you understand?"
After saying that, Xiahou Qing added with a forced smile, "After all, I'm worried that Miss Su's miserable condition will scare my timid subordinates."
"yes."
Su Zhirou stumbled out of the guest room and made her way to Lin Feng's study. Seeing the door closed and no one guarding it, she didn't know if she was just venting her anger at the humiliation she had just received, but without a word, she kicked the door open with a flying kick.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
