Chapter 233 Something's Wrong with My Body
"What's wrong?" Jiang Zhi, who was fast asleep, was woken up and rubbed her sleepy eyes. "The Frost-Holding Grass has bloomed?"
She looked up and around.
Xie Qi rose from the ground with a frosty expression, gripping the hilt of his sword, his eyes sharp with a gaze reserved only for those on the battlefield.
"No, it was Di people passing by at the bottom of the cliff. Judging from the sound of them relaying messages, they should be the Night Wolf Guards of the Helan tribe."
Having fought against the Northern Di for so many years, Xie Qi knew the Helan tribe inside and out, and had also learned a lot about their special communication language, so he could tell them apart at a glance.
The Night Wolf Guards are the personal bodyguards of the Helan tribe leader, and they only obey the leader's orders.
After the old leader was killed by him, this group of Night Wolf Guards came into the hands of the new leader, Hutulie.
What are they doing near Broken Bone Cliff so late at night?
"Zhizhi, you stay here and wait. I'll go down and take a look. If the Frost-Holding Grass blooms along the way, pick it and put it in your pouch. As long as it's isolated from the outside world, its medicinal effects won't dissipate."
He quickly gave Jiang Zhi instructions, then took off his cloak and gave it to her, wrapping her up tightly. "I'll be back soon."
Jiang Zhi looked worried. "Then you must be very careful."
"Mmm." Xie Qi quickly kissed her forehead, then quietly descended the rope.
Being alone in the cave, even Jiang Zhi, who was quite brave, felt a little scared.
She tightened her cloak and strained to see the Frostweed on the cliff face in the darkness.
Without Xie Qi's body heat protecting them, the damp and humid air around them immediately seeped in without any resistance.
She sighed, took out her water pouch, and took a sip of water. The already icy water went straight into her lungs, almost freezing her internal organs.
She took a sip and then tightened the cap again.
Xie Qi should be fine as long as she waits quietly and doesn't cause him any extra trouble.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but just as Jiang Zhi was about to drift off to sleep again, she heard rustling sounds coming from outside the cave.
Jiang Zhi jolted awake, her drowsiness vanishing instantly.
Who came up?
Xie Qi?
What if it's not him?
She gripped her cloak tightly, held her breath, and stared intently at the cave entrance, picking up a rock from the ground and holding it in her hand.
She could hear the man climb up the rope to the cave entrance, and then disappear into the cave in a flash.
She couldn't see anything in the darkness, only hear her heart pounding.
"Zhizhi?"
A familiar voice rang out.
Jiang Zhi was stunned for a moment, and her tense nerves finally relaxed.
It is Xie Qi.
"You, why did you take so long? I thought something had happened to you." Jiang Zhi sniffed and couldn't help but step forward to check on him.
Xie Qi looked at the stone in her hand and realized he had frightened her. He felt a pang of heartache and pulled her into his arms.
"I'm fine, are you worried about me?" His voice was still hoarse.
Jiang Zhi, however, detected a faint smell of blood. Her relaxed state of mind immediately tightened. "You're injured? Where are you injured?"
She rushed to touch his face and hands, and then felt a wetness on his chest.
Jiang Zhi was immediately shocked. "What happened? Weren't we going to check? How come there's blood?"
Xie Qi grabbed her flustered hand and comforted her, "Don't worry, Zhizhi, it's not my blood, it's from those Night Wolf Guards. I killed them all and accidentally got their blood on me."
Xie Qi found her nervousness quite amusing, but not wanting to actually frighten her, he quickly reassured her, "Feel it yourself and see if you're hurt. Who am I? How could I possibly be hurt by these petty scoundrels? Don't worry, don't worry..."
He took her cold hand and pressed it against his chest and lower abdomen.
It felt solid to the touch and was completely undamaged.
She couldn't help but punch him lightly, "You scared me to death!"
If something happens to Xie Qi, she will be helpless in this cave, and she really doesn't know what to do.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's all my fault for making you worry. I promise I won't hit you back if you hit me." Xie Qi hugged her tightly and nuzzled her neck with the top of his hair.
I felt that even if I got hurt, it would be worth it.
Zhizhi was worried about him. Was there anything happier in the world than this?
Jiang Zhi calmed down and let out a long breath.
"What are those Night Wolf Guards doing here?"
Speaking of this, Xie Qi couldn't help but proudly take out what he was holding and show it to her.
“Zhizhi, look, these are the letters I intercepted from them.”
He lit a tinderbox and handed it to Jiang Zhi.
The more Jiang Zhi looked, the more alarmed she became.
This was actually a secret letter from the leader of the Helan tribe to Xiao Yunheng, who was far away in the capital!
“I killed all four members of the Night Wolf Guard. This is what I found on them.”
The secret letter not only mentioned their collaboration, but also included her name.
It was Xiao Yunheng who conspired with Hutulie to have someone drug her in Yaocheng, thereby sowing discord between Xie Qi and Xiao Xuanyou and turning them against each other.
Then the Helan tribe could join forces with other tribes to capture Yaocheng and advance deep into the heart of Daqi.
"As expected, it was him. With this secret letter in hand, let's see how Xiao Yunheng tries to deny it." Xie Qi chuckled.
But Jiang Zhi was not so optimistic.
The Crown Princess was poisoned, an assassination attempt occurred at the hunting grounds, and the Crown Princess embezzled funds intended for disaster relief from the imperial court—any one of these would be a capital offense.
The Emperor, however, treated Xiao Yunheng with utmost care, not even uttering a single question.
Although the reason is unknown, if this letter were to be presented to the Emperor, it would likely be lost without a trace.
“Your Highness, this matter needs further consideration,” Jiang Zhi advised him. “We must not alert the enemy yet. We need to find a way to ensure that His Majesty can no longer protect the Prince of Xiang.”
Xie Qi put the secret letter into his pocket. "Zhi Zhi is right. We'll discuss it with the Crown Prince when we get back."
"Don't you feel a bit hot in this cave?" he asked again.
Jiang Zhi frowned in confusion.
In such cold weather, he gave me his cloak, and now I'm only wearing a thin brocade robe. It's already a miracle that I'm not frozen, so how could I feel hot?
However, Xie Qi was indeed somewhat unusual.
His heart was beating unusually fast, and his body temperature was much higher than when he left.
Jiang Zhi assumed Xie Qi was like this because he had climbed up from the bottom of the cliff, so she didn't take it to heart.
The two sat down and waited quietly for the Frost-resistant Grass to bloom.
But as she sat there, Jiang Zhi noticed something was wrong.
Xie Qi's breathing behind her grew heavier and heavier. The sound of his heartbeat, transmitted through her chest against her back, was almost violently trembling. The heat he was exhaling on her felt like it was melting her.
"Xie Qi, what's wrong?" she asked him.
"I... I don't feel well," Xie Qi's voice was hoarse and low, as if it had been sanded on sandpaper. "I feel so hot, and my heart is beating so fast."
Jiang Zhi handed him the water bottle, and Xie Qi tilted his head back and drank it all in a few gulps.
But it was still to no avail.
"What exactly happened to you when you killed the Night Wolf Guards?" Jiang Zhi was slightly startled.
Xie Qi frowned and recalled, "I killed two of them when they were off guard. The other two reacted, and I pierced one of them through the throat and stabbed the other through the neck. They were both killed instantly."
"But the last one sprinkled some powder on me before he died, most of which I avoided. I checked my pulse and found nothing wrong, so I came up here."
His voice grew louder and louder as he spoke, his chest heaving violently. "Could there be something wrong with those powders?"
Jiang Zhi's heart sank to the bottom.
If she wasn't mistaken, Xie Qizhong's medicinal powder was the same one mentioned in the secret letter as the one to be used on her—the Entangling Silk Thread.
This is what is commonly known as an aphrodisiac.
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