Dongfang Huaizhu weakly leaned against the wall for a while. A servant beside her handed her a cup of water. "Miss, have some water. Maybe it can relieve the snake venom." The guards and servants around her all looked worried.
Dongfang Huaizhu gave them a reassuring smile. "I'm fine for now. You don't need to be so nervous. It's just ordinary snake venom." Hearing this, their expressions indeed improved. For a moment, no one in the cave moved, and there was a deathly silence.
Leaning against the wall, Dongfang Huaizhu was secretly thinking. Although Qin Lan knew martial arts, she was still young and hot - tempered. What if she ran into some trouble...
The more Dongfang Huaizhu thought, the more something seemed amiss. She was annoyed with herself for allowing Qin Lan to go out alone to look for herbs. At this moment, she was extremely worried. What if something happened to her...
"Some of you, go in groups to look for Qin Lan. If you find her, make sure to protect her and prevent her from doing anything dangerous." Dongfang Huaizhu pointed at two or three guards beside her.
"Yes, my lady." The appointed guards replied. As if to reassure Dongfang Huaizhu, they strode out of the cave.
Only after seeing someone go to protect Dongfang Qinlan did Dongfang Huaizhu feel relieved. She let out a breath, and her tense body slumped against the wall. Her mind was in a turmoil.
Why wasn't Jin Renfeng, who usually fawned on her so much, in sight? Logically, her being bitten by a snake was a perfect opportunity for him to show off. But he was absent at this crucial moment. What kind of plot was he up to? Given Jin Renfeng's character, he would never miss such a great chance to curry favor with her, unless there was something more important for him to do. But what could it be? Profit? Fame?
Dongfang Huaizhu didn't dare to think further. The more she speculated, the more uneasy she felt. So she simply stopped thinking about the disappeared Jin Renfeng.
However... her foot being bitten by a poisonous snake was a great excuse to avoid going to the Wangquan family. Could she take this opportunity to turn back? In this situation, her father wouldn't make things difficult for her, would he?
Just as Dongfang Huaizhu was in a dilemma, the guards protecting her suddenly held their breaths one by one and tightened their grips on the swords at their waists. "The aura around us is surging, Miss. Be careful. It seems that a master is approaching."
Seeing the guards so tense, Dongfang Huaizhu couldn't help but take it seriously. You should know that the Dongfang family's strongholds were well - guarded because the guards' magic was quite good. So hardly anyone could break into the Shenhuo Manor under the protection of so many guards.
Dongfang Huaizhu looked around the cave. "It seems that someone lives here..." she murmured. There were footprints on the ground that didn't belong to their group. Moreover, an uninhabited cave should be covered in dust, but this one, although full of dirt, didn't have that choking feeling. It felt as if it had been deliberately cleaned.
Dongfang Huaizhu looked deeper into the cave. Although it was pitch - black and hard to see clearly, there seemed to be some daily necessities for living. Seeing this, Dongfang Huaizhu said, "We've intruded into someone else's territory."
Everyone in the cave was startled. "Let me see who is so bold as to break into my cave while I'm away?" A voice came from outside the cave, getting closer, along with unhurried footsteps. Obviously, he felt no pressure facing Dongfang Huaizhu and her group.
When the blurry figure gradually became clear, the people in the cave could finally see. It was a short and stocky old man with steady steps. His face showed some annoyance. Clearly, he didn't like others intruding into his territory.
"Sir, I'm sorry. We really didn't know this was your cave. We were forced by the situation and had to take shelter here in a hurry." Dongfang Huaizhu couldn't stand because her left foot was bitten by a snake, so she had to speak while sitting.
The guards beside her held their breaths as he approached, in case he made any dangerous moves. They tightened their grips on their sword hilts, ready to draw their swords at any moment.
"Humph, you little girl have a sharp tongue. I've always disliked others intruding into my territory." The old man named Gao wasn't receptive and ignored Dongfang Huaizhu's explanation.
"Moreover, you little girl dare to sit while talking to your elders. You have no respect for seniority at all." The old man named Gao nitpicked everywhere and was very venomous - tongued. He stood in front of Dongfang Huaizhu's group, bossing them around, completely ignoring the tense atmosphere created by the guards.
Facing such criticism, Dongfang Huaizhu wasn't angry. More than a decade of upbringing had cultivated her good temper. She motioned for the servant beside her to help her stand up. She moved her snake - bitten left foot. A tingling sensation enveloped her whole left foot. With the support of two guards, she managed to stand up slowly, using her right foot to bear the weight of her whole body.
"Sir, to be honest, I was sitting just now because my left foot was injured." Dongfang Huaizhu explained, with kindness in her tone.
"So what? I, Old Man Gao, have always been straightforward." The old man named Gao looked as if he had done nothing wrong and completely ignored Dongfang Huaizhu's explanation.
"But if you didn't provoke the snake, why would it bother you for no reason?" The old man named Gao deliberately nitpicked again, with a smile on his face.
At this, the guards around couldn't stand it anymore. "How dare you speak rudely to the young miss of the Dongfang family? You old man, don't be ungrateful!" An impatient guard drew his sword and shouted at the old man named Gao. He was eager to protect his master.
"Oh, I, Old Man Gao, can't stand being provoked the most in my life." After saying that, the old man named Gao rolled up his sleeves and stared at the guard with wide eyes, as if they were about to fight. His angry expression didn't seem like that of an experienced old man at all.
"Don't be rude!" Dongfang Huaizhu scolded and motioned for the guard not to act rashly.
"Sir, I'm sorry. Don't take what he said to heart. Please don't be angry with us." Dongfang Huaizhu quickly tried to appease him, fearing that this blustering old man would really fight with their group.
Dongfang Huaizhu took two steps forward and was about to grab the angry old man named Gao. Suddenly, there was a "pop" sound as something dropped. Dongfang Huaizhu looked back at the ground, and the old man named Gao also looked in the direction of the sound.
It was the hairpin given to her by Wangquan Baiye, a white and slender one made of transparent white jade. It was obviously very valuable at first glance.
The old man named Gao's eyes lit up, and he looked extremely excited. Dongfang Huaizhu silently picked up the hairpin and carefully put it into her bosom.
"Is this jade hairpin... made by someone from the Dongfang family?" The old man named Gao suddenly asked this question.
Dongfang Huaizhu was confused and didn't know what he meant, but she still replied, "Yes."
The old man named Gao let out a couple of chuckles and took two excited steps towards Dongfang Huaizhu. "It was given by that kid from the Wangquan family, right?" His tone was very certain.
"Yes. So what?" Dongfang Huaizhu was extremely puzzled and waited for his follow - up.
"That kid, hehe, has finally come to his senses." Then he carefully sized Dongfang Huaizhu up. Standing there, she seemed to have an ethereal aura around her. Her face was well - contoured, her skin was fair, her almond eyes were watery, her eyebrows were like distant mountains, and her eyes were like rippling autumn waters. She had a graceful figure and was a peerless beauty.
"No wonder," he murmured to himself, then nodded in approval and stroked his beard.
Dongfang Huaizhu didn't know what he really meant and felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze.