Chapter 126 Life Hanging by a Thread
The Second Prince gave him a light slap, calling him completely suicidal.
As Qin Daofei stood up, Ye Lishang instinctively hid behind the Second Prince, who in turn shielded Ye Lishang reflexively, dodging Qin Daofei as though he were a ferocious beast.
"Rest assured, I won't strike you. I pity you instead!" With a sympathetic glance, Qin Daofei delivered these words and walked out the door.
Ye Lishang bristled with indignation. "What does he mean by that? What on earth is he implying?"
"Aren't you supposed to be tending to the patient? What's with all the shouting? What if you frighten them?" the Second Prince remarked with chilling indifference.
Lowering his voice, Ye Lishang muttered, "I swear, Feng Linglong must be plotting something. Otherwise, Qin Daofei could never remain so calm!"
"Ah, you've finally grown a fraction smarter. Congratulations!" With that, the Second Prince turned his back on Ye Lishang and walked away.
He left Ye Lishang standing there, swallowed by gloom.
Upon returning to Xiaoyao Manor and sensing no sign of Aifei's presence, Qin Daofei asked, "Where has Aifei gone?"
"Isn't she up on the rafters?" Linglong replied drowsily, lacking any real energy.
Qin Daofei smiled faintly. "She is not on the rafters."
"Oh, then she must have gone out for something!" Linglong slumped over the desk and fell fast asleep.
Qin Daofei carried her into the inner room and laid her down beside Feng Yixiao. Watching their equally innocent, sleeping faces, a deep warmth bloomed in his chest.
*Shh!*
A very faint sound rang out, yet it still failed to escape Qin Daofei's sharp ears.
Stepping out of the Linglong Pavilion, he made his way toward the study.
Entering the room, Qin Daofei asked in a low voice, "What is it?"
"Master... First Madam sent Aifei to Suiye City to investigate Hu Hanzhi!" The speaker remained hidden in the shadows, but the voice belonged to a young man.
Qin Daofei's hand froze. After a long moment, he said quietly, "Understood, you may withdraw."
Once the man had gone, Qin Daofei clutched his chest, a mouthful of dark blood spilling from his lips. He pressed a hand to his mouth, and seeing the crimson stain on his palms, he smiled with desolate bleakness.
He knew that no matter how deeply Linglong loved him, she was now a different person. Before him, she was no longer someone who kept zero secrets!
Did he hate Linglong?
Of course not. He hated himself.
That night, following the medicinal powder trail left behind in the account books, Qin Daofei tracked it all the way to a dilapidated house in the west of the city. He did not approach immediately. Instead, after cautiously observing the surroundings for a while and confirming it was deserted, he stepped inside.
The ruined house resembled any other abandoned dwelling, draped in cobwebs. Broken tables and chairs lay overturned and askew upon the floor. Walking across the room stirred up thick plumes of dust.
Qin Daofei gently covered his nose with his hand, standing silently in the center to sense whether there was even the slightest breeze drifting from a hidden passage.
Suddenly...
Qin Daofei shifted his gaze toward a corner. Drawing his dark red blade, he crept forward and tapped the corner wall with the tip of the weapon, instantly hearing a hollow ring.
No sooner had he retracted his blade than a secret door swung open, only to snap shut in the blink of an eye.
Gazing sternly at the corner, Qin Daofei stood his ground in quiet anticipation.
Suddenly, a rush of tearing fabric whistled from above. Lifting his eyes, Qin Daofei saw a masked figure in black hurtling straight toward him, palm aimed squarely at his head.
Startled, Qin Daofei leaped aside.
The moment he dodged, the black-clad figure's palm strike slammed into the spot where Qin Daofei had just been standing. The destructive force was earth-shattering; the entire room trembled like an earthquake, roof tiles clattered down, and every piece of furniture shook. The ground struck by the assailant cracked straight down the middle.
Such terrifying power chilled even Qin Daofei. The martial arts of this person were formidable indeed!
Daring not to underestimate his foe, Qin Daofei drew his sword to counterattack.
"Hmph! If I were you, Qin Daofei, I would leave this place immediately. After all, Feng Linglong is not by your side, and without the Lotus of Step-by-Step Growth, no one can defeat me!" The intruder's tone was exceptionally arrogant.
Furthermore, he spoke in his natural voice—one that sounded entirely unfamiliar and bore no resemblance to Hu Hanzhi.
Yet, since Jifeng possessed the ability to mimic others' voices, Qin Daofei naturally would not rush to rule out the possibility that this man was Hu Hanzhi.
"Even without the Lotus of Step-by-Step Growth, I can still kill you!" With those words, Qin Daofei launched the offensive.
As they exchanged blows, Qin Daofei noticed during an attack that the man's skin possessed the same rock-hard resilience as little Xiaoyu's had when corrupted by the gu poison.
What was the meaning of this?
While trading strikes, Qin Daofei racked his brain for a way to force the opponent to reveal a flaw.
Yet this man was not only alert but fiercely intelligent. Although his skin was as unyielding as stone, unlike little Xiaoyu, he did not rely solely on motion to gauge positions. Even if Qin Daofei stood completely motionless, this person could still launch pinpoint attacks.
As the battle reached a fever pitch, Qin Daofei suddenly halted, watching helplessly as the man lunged toward his shoulder with an eagle-claw strike.
Realizing Qin Daofei hadn't moved, the attacker attempted to pull back his palm strike. But faster than thought, Qin Daofei suddenly lashed out, tearing the mask from the man's face—along with a peeled layer of human skin mask.
At the sight of the face beneath, Qin Daofei was struck dumb with astonishment.
This person was definitely not Hu Hanzhi. First, the crisscrossing scars on his face were genuine; no one could craft a skin mask with such exquisite detail. Second, his eyes were pitch black, lacking Hu Hanzhi's distinctive heterochromia.
Moreover, this man was advanced in years, appearing to be in his fifties!
His aged appearance was completely natural and impossible to fake.
"Courting death!" Upon seeing his mask torn away, the man whipped out a bizarrely shaped, butterfly-like throwing knife. It grazed Qin Daofei's cheek, instantly sending a heavy, burning sensation through his skin.
The moment Qin Daofei clutched his cheek, the man leaped away. Even a master of Qin Daofei's caliber failed to catch the trajectory of his escape; he seemed to spring into the air and vanish into thin air.
Turning back, Qin Daofei plucked the small dagger from the wall. Intending to leave, he suddenly felt his limbs turn leaden and collapsed weakly to the floor.
His mind grew hazy and chaotic; he wished to flee, but lacked even an ounce of strength.
The blade was poisoned!
Gritting his teeth, Qin Daofei reached into his tunic, retrieved a signal flare, and fired it into the sky. The flare tumbled onto the dirt, and Qin Daofei lost consciousness entirely.
Meanwhile, in a small farmhouse courtyard in the south of the city, a middle-aged man in his forties glanced up at the aerial signal flare. Leaving his mask behind, he sprinted toward the west of the city.
As he ran, he ripped a strip of fabric from his black robe to wrap around and conceal his face.
By the time he reached the site of Qin Daofei's mishap, members of the Qin family had already arrived.
"Master... Master has been poisoned!" One of them hoisted Qin Daofei upright, terrified into a stammer upon seeing his purple lips and the faint violet tint around his eyes.
"Go fetch the Divine Doctor Ye, quickly!" Someone shouted, turning to run.
Stepping out from the shadows, the middle-aged man said coldly, "It is already too late to fetch a physician. The poison afflicting him is the venom of a salamander from the Arctic ice fields. Step aside, I shall treat him."
"We are grateful for your kind intentions, Senior, and Xiaoyao Manor will not forget this. But our master is a person of high status, and I dare not let just anyone treat him, so—" Before the man could finish, a gust of wind kicked up by the middle-aged man's sleeve flung him straight out into the snow outside.
"The current generation of Xiaoyao Manor has truly degenerated," the man remarked with cold disdain. "You cannot even recognize such a lethal poison, yet you dare claim you 'dared not let just anyone treat him.' If not for his decent martial arts, he would already be a corpse by the time you found him!"
With that, the middle-aged man hoisted Qin Daofei up, applied some medicinal powder to the wound on his face, and bade him sit cross-legged. Seating himself directly behind Qin Daofei, the man began channeling his internal energy to circulate and cleanse his blood.
The members of Xiaoyao Manor exchanged uneasy glances, not daring to make a move.
"Should we invite Young Master Jifeng or Young Master Wuying here?" someone suggested.
Just as the words left his mouth, Jifeng arrived in a rush, striding in anxiously to demand, "Has something happened to the Master..."
"He's poisoned!" someone answered.
Lifting his gaze, Jifeng spotted the middle-aged man treating Qin Daofei. Someone asked anxiously, "Young Master Jifeng, should we surround and attack him?"
"Surround, surround, surround my ass! He is saving the Master's life! Wait here while I go fetch Divine Doctor Ye!" Jifeng smacked the man over the head, nearly driven mad by his stupidity.
The aggrieved subordinate watched Jifeng sprint away, then turned back to monitor the situation between Qin Daofei and the middle-aged man closely.
A quarter of an hour later, Ye Lishang arrived in the west of the city in Jifeng's wake, grumbling all the way. The moment he laid eyes on Qin Daofei's condition, he was so startled that he strode forward and sealed Qin Daofei's vital acupoints with silver needles.
"Not bad, kid," the middle-aged man praised.
"You know your stuff, Senior!" Ye Lishang gazed solemnly at the middle-aged man and said, "Since you are knowledgeable, please cooperate with me. The moment I pull out the needles, strike his Lingtai acupoint on his back with lethal force!"
Horrified at the mention of striking the Lingtai with lethal force, Jifeng hurried over. "Ghost Doctor, are you serious?"
"Step aside! He is already standing at the Bridge of Helplessness. If you disturb me now, no one will be able to save him!" Ye Lishang spoke with rare and severe sternness.
Jifeng clamped a hand over his mouth, not daring to interfere further.
Once Ye Lishang had embedded every silver needle into Qin Daofei's body, he instructed the middle-aged man, "Strike!"
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*
The instant the man struck, the silver needles embedded within Qin Daofei's body burst forth, scattering in all directions like rain.
"Everyone hit the ground!" No sooner had Jifeng shouted than he threw himself flat into the snow.
Those slow to react were struck by the stray needles, hissing in pain.
*Puff!*
Qin Daofei spewed a mouthful of black blood darker than ink. Though his complexion remained grim, the color of his lips finally eased slightly.
Standing up and wiping his sweat, the middle-aged man told Ye Lishang, "Take him back first. Within half an hour, I will secure the antidote."
"Many thanks, Senior!" At this juncture, Ye Lishang had no bandwidth for anything else; his sole desire was to rush Qin Daofei back.
Avoiding notice, the group smuggled Qin Daofei back into the Linglong Pavilion in secret.
Jarred awake from her sleep, Linglong bolted upright and demanded, "Who is it?"
"First Madam, the Master has returned!" Jifeng's lowered voice was laden with heavy dread.
Hearing Jifeng's words, a sudden surge of panic gripped Linglong. She flew to the door and flung it open to find Jifeng and Ye Lishang supporting Qin Daofei, whose head hung limp, concealing his expression.
"What happened?" Linglong asked.
Jifeng and Ye Lishang squeezed into the room in a flurry, whispering, "The Master is injured. Close the door quickly!"
Linglong hurriedly shut the door.
They settled Qin Daofei onto the daybed in the outer chamber, and it was only then that Linglong caught sight of his face—the unmistakable visage of someone afflicted by a deadly toxin.
"Is... is this the poison of the Arctic salamander?" Linglong asked, trembling.
"Yes, the venom of the Arctic salamander," Ye Lishang confirmed.
"How could this be?" Linglong pressed a hand to her mouth as large tears spilled down her cheeks.
Ye Lishang comforted her, "Fortunately, a senior managed to curb the spread of the poison just moments ago. He has gone to retrieve the antidote now. Let us wait a while."
"A senior?" What senior?
"Come to think of it, is this person even from Xiaoyao Manor?" Ye Lishang asked.
Jifeng shook his head. "He simply rushed over upon seeing the signal flare the Master set off."
"You're pinning your hopes on a total stranger who might never return?" Linglong asked in disbelief.
Lowering his head in guilt, Jifeng replied, "Right now, besides him, no one else can cure the Master's poison."
"What if he doesn't come back?" Linglong pressed.
Jifeng and Ye Lishang fell silent.
Thus, the three of them stood watch over Qin Daofei, awaiting the appearance of the mysterious middle-aged man.
Inside the city, the middle-aged man raced through the streets, hunting for the whereabouts of the person who had ambushed Qin Daofei. Yet after searching for half an hour, he found no trace.
Drawing a bamboo flute from his tunic, he brought it to his lips and blew two soft notes. Instantly, four or five ghost-like figures in black materialized around him.
Silently, they dropped to their knees, awaiting his orders.
"Hunt down the Asura of Death and bring him before me!" Murderous intent bled into the middle-aged man's eyes.
"Understood!" the figures chorused.
In the end, the scar-faced man was dragged back. Judging by the rigidity of his limbs, life had already left his body.
"Master, this was found on him. The medicine is gone," one of the black-clad assassins reported, handing over a medicine vial to the middle-aged man.
"To think he struck faster than I did!" the middle-aged man hissed with hatred.
"Master, what now?" someone asked.
Lifting his gaze to the sky, the middle-aged man said coldly, "There is still one person we can try."
With that, he vaulted into the air and strew toward Xiaoyao Manor.
True to his word, the middle-aged man arrived at Xiaoyao Manor. Tracking their presence, he strode into the Linglong Pavilion and pushed the door open with an unbothered swagger.
"Senior, where is the antidote?" Ye Lishang and Jifeng demanded.
The middle-aged man cast a profound look at Linglong. For reasons unknown, Linglong felt a chilling murderous aura in his gaze, yet she could not recall ever offending such a person.
"Many thanks to Senior for saving my husband. This humble woman is deeply grateful for your life-saving grace!" Though bewildered, Linglong knelt with proper decorum to express her gratitude.
The man swept a cold glance over her and stated flatly, "That man was killed, and the antidote was dumped."
What?
The group froze in shock, looking at one another, utterly at a loss for how to handle the situation.
Stepping back in agitation, Linglong stammered, "Then... he's beyond saving? No, how can this be? How is this possible? Ye Lishang, save him! Save him!"
"Come outside with me," the man commanded, pointing at Ye Lishang.
Ye Lishang hurried after him. When he returned moments later, the middle-aged man was no longer by his side.
Anxious, Linglong and Jifeng demanded, "Where is he?"
Looking bleakly at Linglong, Ye Lishang answered, "He left. He said..."
"What did he say?" Linglong and Jifeng were at their wits' end with anxiety.
"The Lotus of Step-by-Step Growth. Aside from that, there is virtually no other way!" Ye Lishang ground out through clenched teeth.
Linglong fell silent for a brief moment before saying, "The Lotus of Step-by-Step Growth? I have it!"
"But this method is a gamble!" Unsure of the outcome, Ye Lishang was fundamentally opposed to Linglong taking such a risk.
Linglong offered a soft, gentle smile. "The Lotus of Step-by-Step Growth is the nemesis of all worldly poisons. It is worth a try."
"Then we can only stake everything on the lotus within your body. A successful gamble will detoxify him; a failed one could cost you your life." Ye Lishang gazed at Linglong with heavy worry.
"Very well!" Linglong did not hesitate.
Flabbergasted, Ye Lishang cried, "This is a life-or-death gamble, and you agree just like that?"
"Heh. For some reason, if he dies, I feel I won't be able to live on either. Ye Lishang, if I die and he changes, take Feng Yixiao away. I trust the Second Prince to care for Yixiao better." Linglong had already prepared for the worst.
Hearing her words, Jifeng lost his emotional composure, staring at Linglong with red, murderous eyes. "It hasn't even come to that yet! Why can't First Madam be more optimistic?"
"Fine, fine, optimistic, optimistic!" Linglong placated Jifeng.
Standing in quiet contemplation for a moment longer, Linglong turned to them. "Could you step outside and wait for me for just a little while? Only for a little while!"
"Take... take your time." Ye Lishang ushered Jifeng out.
Seating herself beside Qin Daofei, Linglong pulled his icy hand against her cheek and smiled. "Who would have thought? In the end, I'd still be this foolish. But for some reason, I simply cannot bear the thought of you perishing while I linger alone in this world. I want you to live. If you live, you will be consumed by endless guilt and longing. Through that guilt and longing, I shall exact full revenge for every wrong you ever did me in the past! So, Qin Daofei, if I die, you must survive. You must live on until the day I feel you have suffered enough punishment. Only then shall I come to fetch you! But until I return to claim you, you are forbidden to die. Do you hear me?"
After muttering to herself for a while, Linglong stepped into the inner room to check on Feng Yixiao. Pressing a kiss to the child's forehead, she whispered, "Someone will always love you properly."
Emerging with two letters in hand, Linglong said quietly, "You may all come in now."
As Jifeng and Ye Lishang stepped inside, Linglong handed them the letters. "Here are two epistles—one for Qin Daofei, and one for the Second Prince. If anything happens to me, deliver them."
"First Madam!" Jifeng dropped to his knees before her, utterly robbed of speech.
Linglong smiled. "Alright, alright, I know. I'm staying optimistic! I only meant for you to hand them over *if* something happens, not that I'm actually going to die, right?"
"Oh, and pass a word to Aifei: if she bears a daughter with you, name her Feng Linglong!" Linglong smiled.
Unable to bear it a moment longer, Ye Lishang angrily gripped a door pillar. "Since that bastard is courting death, we needn't be polite with him either!"
"Let us begin." Linglong gripped Qin Daofei's hand, smiling. "Remember to be gentle. I hate pain the most."
With tears shimmering in his eyes, Ye Lishang choked out, "Rest assured, I won't let you feel a thing!"
With that, he struck Linglong unconscious with a single palm blow, then drove silver needles into several of her acupoints. "This way," he said, "she will feel no pain, no matter how intense."
Turning to Jifeng, Ye Lishang instructed, "I must cut open the palms of them both. Afterward, you must press their palms together and hold them without the slightest slack. But the moment the wound on Qin Daofei's cheek fades back to a normal red, pull them apart instantly. Once separated, Linglong may hemorrhage due to the poison. You must take this bottle of medicine, pour it over her wound, and press down on it for twelve hours without lifting your hand. As for Qin Daofei, whatever happens to him on this end, I will handle it. You are not allowed to let go, understood?"
"Understood. Even if someone tries to kill me, I will not let go of the First Madam's hand!" Jifeng nodded.
Ye Lishang warned, "There is a chance Feng Linglong might not wake up, and we could all perish. Are you prepared?"
"If the First Madam can die for the Master, so can I." Jifeng felt that without Qin Daofei, he wouldn't even know what his life had been for.
Ye Lishang offered a faint, wry smile. "To tell the truth, I have no desire to die at all. But what can be done? For friends, I suppose death is just death."
Picking up a blade, Ye Lishang first sliced an incision across Linglong's palm, then did the same to Qin Daofei's. Pressing their bleeding palms together, he commanded Jifeng, "Hold them tight! I need to apply the needles!"
The moment Jifeng took over, Ye Lishang darted back and forth, embedding needles into both Linglong and Qin Daofei. Halfway through, Feng Yixiao woke and wept bitterly until Wuying returned and coaxed her back to sleep.
Throughout the process, neither Ye Lishang nor Jifeng allowed their attention to waver. Sensing that Qin Daofei had sustained grave injuries and that Feng Linglong was his only salvation, Wuying wisely refrained from interfering, standing guard to protect them while keeping a watchful eye on Feng Yixiao inside the room.
Roughly two hours later, the wound on Qin Daofei's face finally began regaining its normal skin tone. "Ghost Doctor," Jifeng called out, "the Master's wound is turning pink!"
"Do as I said!" Following Ye Lishang's command, Jifeng wrenched their palms apart. The very second they separated, blood gushed from Linglong's palm like a fountain, spraying Jifeng from head to toe.
Obeying instructions, Jifeng grabbed the medicine he had prepared on a cloth pad and pressed it hard against Linglong's palm, but the bleeding refused to stop.
"Ghost Doctor, the blood won't stem!" Panicked, Jifeng's voice warped out of pitch.
"Add more medicine and press harder!" Ye Lishang shouted.
Seeing this, Wuying rushed over, tore off a strip of his own sleeve, poured medicine from the bottle onto it, and told Jifeng, "Are you ready? I'm pressing down!"
"Do it!" The instant Jifeng lifted his hand, Wuying slammed his down.
Yet still the bleeding persisted, soaking through the fabric in moments.
Jifeng grabbed more medicine, trading places with Wuying for a fresh exchange. Not until the fourth attempt did the flow of blood from Linglong's palm finally cease. "Ghost Doctor, can I stop switching places with Wuying now?"
"No. Wuying, you will keep pressing the First Madam's hand. You must not let go under any circumstances, understand?" Ye Lishang said while tending to Qin Daofei's wounds.
Wuying nodded. "Very well. The Miss always favored Jifeng best, so having him take the lead earlier was fitting!"
After settling Qin Daofei onto the bed, Ye Lishang returned to administer acupuncture to Linglong. "Xiaoyao Manor was once such a glorious place. Who would have thought that in the end, it wouldn't even have a single trustworthy soul left? This is truly Brother Qin's tragedy."
"I've always suspected that the mysterious mastermind's ability to reach their tentacles into Xiaoyao Manor means there is a critical detail we've missed. Otherwise, so many people wouldn't have betrayed the Master," Jifeng muttered, his anger simmering. He hadn't noticed it before, but upon closer inspection, far too many individuals harbored ulterior motives.
Once the needles were set, Ye Lishang told Jifeng, "Give me a hand. Help me move her to lie beside Qin Daofei, then put up a large folding screen to block this area. No one is permitted to visit."
"But if the Master continues to stay out of sight, people in the manor will surely grow suspicious," Jifeng and Wuying chimed in simultaneously.
Ye Lishang countered, "Aren't you skilled at disguise? And don't you have ventriloquism..."
"I call it vocal mimicry!" Jifeng protested, refusing the label.
Waving a hand dismissively, Ye Lishang snapped, "My old bones are about to snap in half; call it whatever you like! I don't care what it's called. The point is Qin Daofei is incapacitated, so you must masquerade as him to move about the manor. If worst comes to worst, recall Tang Li. With major crises hitting Xiaoyao Manor, the search for Hua'er must be paused for now. I'll head back to consult the Second Prince and use his men to summon Tang Li home. His people are far more reliable than anyone in Xiaoyao Manor right now."
"Understood. Please hurry back!" Jifeng admitted to a creeping terror.
As Ye Lishang turned to leave, a wave of dizziness struck him. He joked weakly, "Ah, truly I am old. My legs refuse to carry me."
"Shall I go instead?" Seeing how exhausted the physician was, Jifeng offered to make the trip to the Second Prince's residence.
"Tomorrow I cannot afford to stay by his side; I must go brief the Second Prince myself," Ye Lishang replied. "I'll go. I will be back as soon as possible."
It was deep into the night by the time Ye Lishang returned to the Second Prince's manor. The moment he stepped through the gates, the Second Prince sensed his unstable breathing and hurried out to greet him. The instant their eyes met, Ye Lishang's legs gave out, and he collapsed toward the floor.
"Careful!" Eyes wide with alarm, the Second Prince crossed the distance in two strides, catching Ye Lishang in his arms. "Has something happened?"
"Qin Daofei was poisoned with a lethal venom. The man who poisoned him is dead, and the antidote was destroyed. Afterward, Linglong... Linglong used the Lotus of Step-by-Step Growth inside her to save Qin Daofei... Chengjie, I always thought Linglong would use the lotus to destroy Qin Daofei, but I never expected her to trade her life for his without a backward glance. I am so despicable!" Unable to hold back any longer, Ye Lishang buried his face in the Second Prince's chest and wept.
Folding him in a tight embrace, the Second Prince gently stroked his hair. "None of us wished for this outcome. Self-reproach is useless now; you must focus on helping them."
"Qin Daofei is out of danger, but whether Feng Linglong can recover remains unknown. Oh, right—this is a letter she left for you. I was afraid that if she doesn't wake up, Qin Daofei might go mad and slaughter the rest of us... When that happens, you are forbidden from seeking revenge!" Ye Lishang clutched the Second Prince's sleeve.
The Second Prince knitted his brows. "Has it reached such a grave state?"
"Yes. If Linglong does not wake, he will surely lose his mind. But we are his friends; when he is at his lowest, you must not make things harder for him, or he truly will shatter!" Reaching out to touch the Second Prince's throat, Ye Lishang smiled faintly. "For some reason, the moment I look at you, my strength returns."
"Don't move." As Ye Lishang tried to pull away, the Second Prince pulled him tighter, refusing to let him go.
For the first time, Ye Lishang actively returned the embrace. "Chengjie, in my next life, I will love you openly and proudly!"
"This life will do just as well," the Second Prince murmured, lowering his head to capture Ye Lishang's lips in a tender, lingering, and inseparable kiss.
After a moment, Ye Lishang gently pushed the Second Prince away. "There are still many things I need to entrust to you."
"What else could you possibly want to say?" The Second Prince held him fast, entirely reluctant to let him go.
Patting his arm, Ye Lishang instructed, "Keep up the deception regarding your father the Emperor. Tomorrow, if anyone asks why I am missing, tell them I went searching for rare herbs to buy some time. When you feel the time is ripe, announce that you have recovered. Inside my medical box, you will find a red vial containing medicine I spent three years brewing for your father. Once he consumes it, he won't die—instead, he will fall into a year-long slumber. By the time he awakens, your ascension to the throne will be secure, and he will no longer have the energy to meddle in affairs of state. The road ahead is one you must walk alone."
"I will never allow anyone to kill you. If they dare take your life, I will slaughter everyone in Xiaoyao Manor. I don't want this empire; I want you!" The Second Prince held him fiercely. Only now did he realize just how deeply rooted Ye Lishang was in his heart.
*Heh.*
Ye Lishang pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Truth be told, I don't want to die either. I haven't even managed to sleep with you yet, damn it! I will do my utmost to keep Qin Daofei sane. Like Linglong, I am merely preparing for the worst."
"I'll wait for you to come sleep with me. No matter how long it takes, I will wait," the Second Prince said with deep emotion.
*Oh my!*
Putting on a coy, theatrical display, Ye Lishang covered his face and wriggled bashfully for a moment before instantly snapping back to a deadpan expression. "I must go. Who knows what state things are in over there? You... wait for me to return alive, and you'd better dress in women's clothes so I can have you!"
*Puff!*
"Unless you have a death wish," the Second Prince replied with chilling dry humor.
Clinging to the doorframe, Ye Lishang gave his hips a flirtatious wiggle. "Why yes, I do have a death wish—I want to die of sheer bliss!"
With a hearty laugh, he swept out the door.
The Second Prince knew that this journey back spelled grave danger for him as well!
Suppressing his grief, the Second Prince broke the seal on the letter Feng Linglong had written for him:
*"To the Second Prince: By the time you read this, I am likely already brawling with Meng Po. Do not grieve, however, for I have left you a generous parting gift. I entrust Feng Yixiao to your care because I know that should I die, Qin Daofei's temperament will undergo a drastic and violent shift. I do not entirely trust him—especially given Yixiao's unique background. Yet I will do everything in my power to protect Ye Lishang; I will not permit Qin Daofei to harm him. However, I have one demand of you: I hope you will take Yixiao and Ye Lishang and leave Hanshi. Do not entangle yourselves in the struggle for the throne. I do not wish Yixiao to grow up in such an environment once more. If the Second Prince cannot fulfill this, you are destined to lose Ye Lishang, rendering Yixiao's presence pointless under your care. In that event, Aifei will surely come to claim her. I am not coercing you; rather, I believe that nothing in this world is more precious than the smile of the one you love. I hope you will cherish it."*
After reading Feng Linglong's letter, the Second Prince covered his face and sat in silence for a very long time. At last, he murmured softly, "With a woman as loyal, affectionate, and brilliant as you, even if Qin Daofei loves you to his very bones, it is only right."
Xiaoyao Manor.
Upon returning, Ye Lishang immediately rushed to check on Linglong and Qin Daofei.
"How is it?" Jifeng and Wuying asked.
Ye Lishang set Qin Daofei's hand down. "The poison in his body has essentially been purged. Yet though Linglong's body is clear of toxins, for some reason she refuses to wake."
"Could it be due to excessive blood loss?" Jifeng asked, trying to comfort both himself and Ye Lishang.
Ye Lishang declared, "Regardless, our priority right now is to wake Linglong as soon as possible!"
"When will the Master wake?" Jifeng asked.
"Three days," Ye Lishang said. "We have only three days!"
"Let us pray the First Madam wakes safely within these three days," Jifeng muttered.
Wuying added, "Dawn is approaching. When the Miss wakes, she will surely look for the First Madam and the Master. Big Brother Jifeng, you should prepare quickly... Where is Miss Aifei? Why is she not here?"
"Ah, she left me a note saying the nether halls summoned her back to discuss some matters. It might take seven or eight days before she returns." Hands were truly stretched thin, yet Jifeng knew well that Aifei was an independent woman whose affairs he could not dictate. The best dynamic between them was for each to attend to their respective duties and live side by side.
Ye Lishang sighed. "I cannot show my face, but I can look after Feng Yixiao. Still, once you return from handling matters outside, Jifeng, you should take Feng Yixiao out for a stroll. Otherwise, this little creature will throw a bigger tantrum than her mother!"
Right on cue, Feng Yixiao began babbling from within, searching for Linglong: *"Longlong! Shh!"*
"Uncle Jifeng will take you to go *shh*. Don't make a fuss, go back to sleep!" Jifeng hurried in to tend to the child, returning moments later to announce, "I'll go rig up a screen to block this area off so no one spots anything amiss."
When Tang Li had departed, he had handed all administrative duties over to Jifeng, granting him the keys to the storage warehouse.
Taking advantage of the pre-dawn darkness, Jifeng retrieved an opaque folding screen and positioned it before the daybed. Disguising himself as Qin Daofei once more, he completed his preparations just as daylight broke and the residents of Xiaoyao Manor began stirring.
Adopting Qin Daofei's usual morning routine, Jifeng first toured the storefronts before stopping by the street to buy small wontons. En route, he ran into Housekeeper Zhang and instructed him, "I bought wontons for the First Madam and the Miss. There's no need for the kitchen to send over breakfast."
"Understood, Master!" Housekeeper Zhang harbored no suspicions and hurried off to inform the kitchens.
Jifeng breathed a silent sigh of relief. If he could fool Housekeeper Zhang, he could fool everyone else in Xiaoyao Manor.
Returning to the Linglong Pavilion, he found that Feng Yixiao was already awake. Having just risen, she was running around crying for Linglong and Qin Daofei: *"Want Daddy! Want Longlong!"*
With no other choice, Ye Lishang stayed inside to pacify the child.
Stepping into the room and hearing the wails, Jifeng scooped up Feng Yixiao. "What's wrong, Xiaoxiao?"
"Uncle! Uncle, hug!" Feng Yixiao looked as aggrieved as if Ye Lishang had pinched her.
Jifeng gently patted her back. "It's alright, Xiaoxiao. Uncle Jifeng bought you delicious wontons. Would you like some?"
"Okay!" Sniffling, Feng Yixiao rewarded Jifeng with a tear-streaked smile.
Jifeng felt a wave of despair. *When did I get reduced to a wet nurse?*
"Judging by her, Aifei doesn't look like the motherly type. You'd better learn well now—it'll come in handy later!" Ye Lishang gloated.
Jifeng sneered. "Then I truly thank the Divine Doctor for his misplaced praise!"
Having pacified Feng Yixiao, the child toddled in and out of the rooms, entirely oblivious to Qin Daofei and Linglong resting behind the screen on the daybed. The morning passed in peaceful tranquility without a single incident.
However, just before noon, Tan Xiyin arrived.
Pushed by a maidservant downstairs, she gazed up impassently at the upper floor of the Linglong Pavilion. A secret guard rushed in to report: "Tan Xiyin is here."
"Why is she here?" Jifeng looked panicked, turning to Ye Lishang.
Ye Lishang muttered, "Imitate Linglong and Qin Daofei's voices. Send her away."
With no alternative, Jifeng cleared his throat and imitated Qin Daofei's voice in dialogue with Linglong's. Downstairs, however, upon hearing their conversation, Tan Xiyin merely sneered. "Brother Daofei, I am preparing to leave Xiaoyao Manor. Won't you come out and see me off?"
"That woman must have caught wind of something. Otherwise, given her shameless nature, she'd never volunteer to leave. She's trying to force Qin Daofei to show himself!" Ye Lishang narrowed his eyes. "For all our precautions, she's still tangled up with that mastermind!"
"What do we do now?" Wuying asked in a low voice.
Jifeng gritted his teeth. "I can disguise myself as the Master, but I can't impersonate the First Madam! Normally, when Tan Xiyin shows up, the First Madam is the one who steps out to deal with her."
"Use Linglong's voice to throw some cold sarcasm at her. *Oh, Master Qin, your concubine misses you again. Aren't you going to go see her?*" Ye Lishang prompted Jifeng.
Clearing his throat, Jifeng mimicked Linglong's tone. *"Oh, Master Qin, your Tan concubine misses you. Won't you go grace her with your presence?"*
*"If I go, won't you be jealous?"*—Jifeng switched voices to reply in Qin Daofei's cadence.
*"Who wants to be jealous? Get lost!"*
*"Very well, knowing it's snowy and you don't wish to venture out, I shall go myself!"*
Handing Feng Yixiao over to Ye Lishang—who promptly sealed her acupoints so she wouldn't blow their cover—Jifeng completed his disguise, stepped out onto the balcony, and looked down at Tan Xiyin with chilling indifference. "Are you certain you wish to leave?"