Chapter 468: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 468: Critical Condition (Part 4)
"Awoo—" Xiao Hua understood its master's intent. It obediently nudged her hand with its big head and then called out to Mao Mao.
Time was of the essence in saving a life, so Mo Yan dared not delay any longer. Quickly, she left the space with Xiao Hua and Mao Mao.
The door of the room banged loudly, accompanied by anxious shouts from Xin'er, Wu shi, and the others. Mo Yan hurriedly opened the door. Amid their astonished gazes, Mao Mao flapped its wings rapidly and shot into the sky at high speed, soon becoming a small black dot that disappeared beneath the blue sky and white clouds. Xiao Hua did the same, racing out of the courtyard like a speeding arrow, following Mao Mao's direction, and quickly vanished from sight...
Facing Xin'er and their concerned inquiries, Mo Yan's mind was in turmoil, unsure how to explain. Seeing her reluctance to speak, despite their deep worries, they didn't dare press her further, only advising her to lie down and rest.
Mo Yan's mind was chaotic. She followed their advice and lay down on the bed, pretending to sleep. Once they left, she abruptly opened her eyes, her mind racing as she pondered what danger Xiao Ruiyuan might have encountered.
In the last letter, he clearly stated he would return by mid-April. Today was already April 18th, and based on the timeline, he should be on the road, possibly very close to the capital. As the commander of a hundred thousand troops, he had recently achieved great victories, recapturing lost cities and defeating tens of thousands of enemies, severely damaging the Ba Ren tribe. In the short term, they wouldn't dare to invade Da Chu again. At this moment, he was at the height of his fame. Who would harm him now?
Was it political opponents? Or perhaps the Ba Ren tribe, unwilling to accept defeat, sent someone to assassinate him? Or... having achieved great success, did he arouse suspicion from those in power, seeking to eliminate him?
Thinking of the latter possibility, Mo Yan's face lost all color, and a dull pain surged in her chest, almost suffocating her. Looking at her dried bloodied palms, she wished she could grow wings and fly to his side to ensure he was safe.
...
By the small riverbank stained red with blood, nearly a hundred warriors in sturdy armor surrounded a circle, each wielding sharp swords, guarding the person within, preventing even a fly from entering. These warriors were elite guards under the Prince's Mansion, tasked this time by the Crown Prince to assist the Ghost Physician in receiving Xiao Ruiyuan, but they arrived too late.
As the Ghost Physician administered the final stitch, he stood up sweating profusely. Perhaps due to bending over for too long, his head spun momentarily. If not for the quick action of the nearby warrior catching him, he might have collapsed on the ground.
Xiao Ruiyuan lay on the ground, his upper body bare. His eyes were tightly closed, devoid of any color in his face. His thin lips displayed a strange bluish-purple hue, clearly showing signs of poisoning. Countless silver needles were densely packed around his chest, with an arrow piercing through his heart, revealing only a short section of its shaft.
It turned out that among the assassins, there was a master archer hiding in the nearby dense forest, waiting for an opportunity. Taking advantage of Xiao Ruiyuan's brief relaxation, he shot an arrow poisoned with a lethal toxin. If Xiao Ruiyuan hadn't sensed the danger and instinctively leaned aside just as the arrow was about to hit, it would have pierced straight through his heart without any chance of survival. However, even so, the highly toxic arrowhead deeply penetrated his body.
After a while, the Ghost Physician, slightly recovered, squatted down again and took Xiao Ruiyuan's pulse. Seeing that his pulse was weaker than before, he closed his eyes with an expression of profound sorrow.
Never did he expect to arrive just a step too late. Although he tried his best to seal Xiao Ruiyuan's heart veins, this poison had already penetrated deeply. Even with the best of efforts, without the Blood Lingzhi, there was no hope for Xiao Ruiyuan!
Seeing this, Xiao Jiu beside him knew his master was in grave danger. Overwhelmed with grief, he grabbed the Ghost Physician and incredulously questioned, "You managed to suppress this lethal 'Heart-devouring Poison' for the Crown Prince in the past. Why can't you save my master now?"
The Heart-devouring Poison, introduced from a foreign land decades ago, was extremely aggressive. Once it infiltrated the heart veins, the victim would suffer excruciating torment before a painful death.
The Ghost Physician didn't take offense at his disrespect. He watched Xiao Ruiyuan, whose breath was weakening by the minute, his eyes reddening. "The Crown Prince survived by consuming the royal treasure Blood Lingzhi. Even if there were a second Blood Lingzhi in the world now, Young Master Xiao wouldn't make it in time. This is fate!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jiu's face filled with despair. His entire body seemed drained of strength, and his grip on the Ghost Physician's hand loosened involuntarily.
Seeing this, the Ghost Physician felt even more sorrowful. Thinking of the bottle of Red Python Gall kept in the medicine room, his regret deepened. Young Master Xiao's body hadn't been emptied of toxins. As long as there was a small piece of Black Lingzhi... No, even if it was a Blood Lingzhi, without a thousand-year-old ginseng, he was confident he could save Young Master Xiao. However, Black Lingzhi hadn't appeared in five hundred years, making it even rarer than a thousand-year-old ginseng.
Now that the Heart-devouring Poison had invaded his heart veins, even with Xiao Ruiyuan's profound skill and extraordinary willpower, he couldn't survive the night. In such a short time, finding Black Lingzhi was simply impossible!
Although Xiao Ruiyuan lay with closed eyes, he was still conscious. He never believed in so-called "fate". Otherwise, he would have died the moment he was framed and fell into the wolves more than ten years ago!
As long as there was a breath left in him, he would never give up hope of survival. He hadn't even seen her alive yet, nor had he told her in person that he was fond of her... Thinking of the woman hidden in his heart, Xiao Ruiyuan gritted his teeth against the intense pain in his chest, forcefully opening his eyes. His originally cold eyes now radiated a breathtaking brilliance...
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