It seems like there are past events
The atmosphere in the days that followed was eerie and tense.
Gu Jinghong tried to avoid Xie Yan and focused on helping Xuan Ru or tidying up the herb garden.
After Xie Yan was poisoned, the meridians sealed by Gu Jinghong's needle needed time to slowly open up, and he was still unable to move around easily. Most of the time, he stayed in his room with a gloomy face. Occasionally, when he came out, he would stare at Gu Jinghong from afar with a chilling look.
Gu Jinghong quickly noticed a strange phenomenon: Xuan Ru made several trips to the forbidden area almost every day, always in a hurry, carrying prepared medicinal decoction and clean cloths. However, Xuan Ru never seemed to be able to get the other person to drink the medicine.
Gu Jinghong was very curious—who could it be? Coming to the Valley of the Medicine Master for medical treatment, yet refusing to even drink the Valley Master's medicine?
...
On the third day at noon, Gu Jinghong couldn't help but stop Xuan Ru when she returned from the direction of the forbidden area once again, and asked in a low voice, "Xuan Ru, is the person in the forbidden area's secret chamber a patient with a strange temper?"
Xuan Ru paused, a hint of unease flashing across her face. She glanced around warily and lowered her voice, "Yes. It's a very high-ranking guest, recuperating in a secret room."
Gu Jinghong's smile held a hint of lewdness completely at odds with her appearance: "Did he give you a lot of money? Or..."
Xuan Ru nudged Gu Jinghong: "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Gu Jinghong exclaimed "Oh!" as if suddenly realizing something, "Handsome and with a good physique?"
Without thinking, Xuanru blurted out, "Of course." Then she added, "Don't go over there, or you'll upset the important person, and I'll ask you for your... purse!"
Gu Jinghong nodded with a grin, "I know, don't worry. With me here, not even a fly will be able to get in."
As evening fell, Xuanru finally found Gu Jinghong, who was drying herbs, with the cloth bag in hand. Her face showed exhaustion from staying up all night and a hint of seriousness.
"Any results?" Gu Jinghong put down the herbs in her hand.
"Hmm." Xuan Ru unfolded the cloth bag, pointed to the powder, and spoke in a very low voice, with a hint of lingering fear.
"This stuff... is extremely vicious. It's an extremely potent mixture of toxins. Once dissolved in water and ingested, it immediately causes severe abdominal pain, uncontrollable vomiting and diarrhea, followed by a persistent high fever, and finally... the toxins erode the internal organs, making one feel as if countless hands are tearing and ripping them apart inside."
"...The process is extremely painful, and people with weaker constitutions simply cannot endure it! It has a name, 'Intestinal-Piercing Evil,' a poisonous substance produced by the now-extinct Southern Wind Kingdom... Jinghong, where did you get this thing?"
Gu Jinghong's face turned deathly pale instantly, a chill running from her feet to the top of her head! She grabbed Xuan Ru's wrist abruptly: "Dissolves in water? You mean... if it's thrown into a well, or... a water source..."
“Yes, colorless and odorless!” Xuan Ru nodded firmly, her eyes filled with horror. “If this is done, the consequences are unimaginable. Anyone who drinks that water will suffer severe damage to their vital energy, or worse… die in excruciating pain… This is something designed to harm people on a large scale! Where did you get it?!”
Gu Jinghong felt a chill freeze through her limbs and bones. The Southern Wind Secret Box, the Southwest Plague, the strange pills... countless fragments of clues collided wildly in her mind.
—Could there be another hidden story behind the Southwest Plague Incident back then? Could it be that the plague that killed so many people was not a natural disaster, but... a man-made disaster?
Thinking of this, Gu Jinghong suddenly asked, "Aru, can you help prepare the antidote?"
Xuanru frowned and thought for a moment: "It should be possible, but..."
"I can pay with silver."
Xuan Ru glared at Gu Jinghong reproachfully: "What do you take me for? Do you think I'm the kind of person who only cares about money? I am the Valley Master of Medicine Master Valley. Medicine Master Valley is naturally responsible for dealing with such harmful things!"
Gu Jinghong glanced sideways at Xuan Ru, waiting for her to continue.
Xuanru: "...What I mean is that it takes time!"
Gu Jinghong remained unmoved.
Xuan Ru: "...Alright, of course it costs money...Hey, what are you laughing at? Doesn't it cost money to make the antidote? That's strange!"
Just then, a sickeningly malicious laugh came from the side.
Xie Yan was seen leaning against a bamboo fence not far away, clearly able to move around.
A repulsive, amused smile played on his lips, but his eyes remained coldly fixed on Gu Jinghong: "Tsk tsk tsk, the Intestine-Piercing Fiend? Grand Secretary Gu, the things you investigate are getting more and more interesting..."
As he spoke, he moved closer to Gu Jinghong with an unsettling intimacy, reaching out as if to brush away a stray strand of hair from her temple, his tone flippant: "Come on, tell your brother, who's so unlucky..."
Gu Jinghong was still reeling from the terrifying truth of the "Intestinal Piercing Fiend" when Xie Yan, this scoundrel, started pestering her. A surge of anger rushed to her head, and without thinking, she forcefully shoved his hand away: "Get away! Xie Yan, try touching me again!"
The two were pulling and shoving each other, which inevitably made quite a commotion.
The person recuperating in the secluded room frowned slightly upon hearing the noise.
The next instant, a pair of deep, cold eyes suddenly opened. Even through the door and the mist, their gaze seemed to pierce through everything, carrying the calm and imposing presence of someone who had long held a high position.
"Squeak—"
The silence of the valley was broken by the dry sound of a door hinge turning.
The heavy wooden door of the forbidden chamber, carrying the damp, cold air unique to the valley, was pushed open from the inside.
A tall, imposing figure appeared at the doorway.
It is Xiao Chengyan.
His dark casual clothes accentuated his tall and straight figure, but his face was pale and weak, as if he had just recovered from a serious injury or had suffered a great loss of internal energy. This contrasted sharply with his sharp, hawk-like eyes, which were now filled with a storm.
His gaze, like a branding iron, first swept over Gu Jinghong's face, which was flushed from pulling her closer to Xie Yan, and then fixed heavily on Xie Yan's excessively pale hand that was tightly gripping her wrist. An invisible chill instantly spread through the air.
“Gu Jinghong,” his voice was low and hoarse, with a hint of barely perceptible weakness in his internal energy, yet it made the surrounding air seem heavier. “What are you doing?” The object of his question was Gu Jinghong, but the icy pressure was directed at Xie Yan.
Gu Jinghong's heart skipped a beat when he looked at her, and she subconsciously tried to pull her hand away, but Xie Yan held it even tighter.
A hint of guilt crossed her mind—after all, the person in front of her was Xiao Chengyan, while she was currently arguing with Xie Yan, this "troublemaker."
But that feeling was fleeting, replaced by even greater frustration. She exerted a sudden burst of strength, finally shaking off Xie Yan's hand, leaving a clear red mark on her wrist. She glared at Xie Yan irritably before turning to Xiao Chengyan, her tone stiff: "Can't Your Highness see? Of course, you should get rid of this clingy pest!"
Xie Yan, far from being annoyed by being shaken off, seemed to find it amusing. He exaggeratedly rubbed his wrist, but the moment Xiao Chengyan finished speaking, he stretched out his long arm and, with remarkable naturalness and even a hint of deliberate intimacy, put his arm around Gu Jinghong's shoulder.
Xie Yan's gaze, like a poisoned hook, instantly shifted from Gu Jinghong's face, fixing on Xiao Chengyan's sickly pale face and the forbidden chamber behind him. A knowing, mixed with jealousy and malice, pleasure flashed rapidly in his eyes.
He deliberately pulled the struggling Gu Jinghong into his arms, his smile almost ferocious, and his voice drawn out.
"Oh! Who do we have here? It's our esteemed Prince Jin! My apologies, my apologies. Your Highness, your complexion... tsk tsk, you look even weaker than my hoarse voice! What, have you reached the point where you need Sister Xuanru to take care of you personally in the forbidden area?"
He deliberately emphasized the word "close," glancing sideways at Gu Jinghong with his phoenix eyes before abruptly turning to Xiao Chengyan, his tone suddenly becoming sharp and cold, "Could it be... that the 'warmth-inducing powder' was too strong, completely draining your 'hard-working' body, Your Highness? Hahahaha!"
"Insolence!" The angry shout was like a thunderclap.
Changfeng's figure shot out like an arrow, his sword at his waist not even unsheathed, but with a fierce gust of wind, he slashed straight at Xie Yan's arm that was holding Gu Jinghong.
Xie Yan seemed to have anticipated this. The instant the wind blew, he skillfully loosened and pushed Gu Jinghong's hand, gently moving her to a safe spot to the side and behind him. At the same time, his footwork was as unpredictable as a ghost, and he took a half step back, barely avoiding the wind's angry attack.
"Oh ho, what a fierce guard." Xie Yan said flippantly, his eyes instantly turning icy. "Want to fight? I'm ready."
He took the initiative to step forward. He had no weapon, but his pale hands moved swiftly, his finger strikes were sharp and cunning, targeting vital points. His movements were unpredictable, and he fought Changfeng to a standstill in an instant, with strong winds swirling around him.
Changfeng was secretly shocked; this playboy's skills far exceeded his expectations!
His moves were ruthless and precise, his internal energy was cold and long-lasting, and he was experienced and no ordinary person. Changfeng was also a person with rich martial arts experience. He had been sent to a temple by King Jin to learn internal energy cultivation techniques from a high monk for ten years. He was full of qi, but he couldn't defeat this seemingly carefree guy for a while.
Xiao Chengyan seemed oblivious to the fierce fighting around him. His face was so dark it could drip water, and his eyes were like torches, fixed on Gu Jinghong, who had been pushed aside and had a complicated expression.
He stepped forward, his tall figure exuding an imposing pressure, directly blocking Gu Jinghong from the battle, and demanded in a deep voice: "Answer me, what brings you to Medicine Master Valley? And why are you entangled with him again?"
Gu Jinghong was thoroughly provoked by his interrogative tone, and her initial guilt vanished. She raised her head, met his gaze without fear, and retorted, "Then may I ask, Your Highness, what brings you to this forbidden area of Medicine Master Valley? It seems that you and Valley Master Xuan... have quite a close relationship?"
She emphasized those four words, glancing towards the forbidden area. "What? Has the Prince also contracted some unspeakable ailment, requiring Master Xuan to personally care for him in the forbidden area?"
Xiao Chengyan's eyes suddenly darkened, clearly stung, but he did not get angry. He simply said coldly, "I have known Xuanru for many years."
"What?" Gu Jinghong was truly stunned. Xuan Ru had never mentioned it before, and this sudden information made her forget the argument for a moment, her mind filled with doubts.
Xuanru watched the two of them back and forth, suddenly finding herself intrigued by the gossip—these two... seemed to have some past connection.
Just as Xuanru was about to perform the Bagua, the situation between the two who had been fighting suddenly changed.
Changfeng, unable to gain the upper hand after a prolonged battle, was further enraged by Xie Yan's foul language. He seized the moment when Xie Yan's internal energy was momentarily slowed due to an old injury, and with a palm strike imbued with his full internal force, he struck Xie Yan's vulnerable chest.
With a muffled thud, Xie Yan's face turned deathly pale. He groaned and staggered back several steps before barely managing to regain his footing, a sliver of bright red blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Clearly, he had suffered a severe injury, his internal organs damaged.
"Xie Yan!" Gu Jinghong's heart tightened, and she exclaimed in surprise.
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