"Second-in-command, is this the medicinal herb you've been looking for?" Dongfang Huaizhu handed the herb to Zhili, allowing him to take a close look.
"The deep pit I fell into just now actually had a hidden wonderland. I accidentally found this herb growing in the cave beneath the pit. I was really pleasantly surprised." Unable to bear the surprised and inquisitive looks from the group, Dongfang Huaizhu silently explained.
"This herb is exactly the same as the one I've been searching for. It's the life - saving herb." Zhili held the herb and examined it from all angles for a long time.
Everyone let out a sigh of relief. Finally, they didn't have to keep searching in this perilous environment.
"Here are the other ingredients for the antidote." Somehow, Zhili had already gathered the other herbs and magically handed them to Dongfang Huaizhu.
Dongfang Huaizhu was overjoyed. This would save a lot of time. The top priority now was to hurry back to the Divine Fire Mountain Manor.
After the group left this eerie place, they bid farewell to each other. Dongfang Huaizhu promised to repay Sister Mei and her group handsomely another day, then rushed back to the manor with Dongfang Qinlan.
Dongfang Huaizhu was extremely anxious, so the two walked very fast. But when they reached the Divine Fire Mountain Manor, everything had changed.
When they entered the mansion, the previously well - ordered scene was nowhere to be seen. There was not a single soul in the huge manor. The bustling and busy servants on normal days had all disappeared. The manor exuded an atmosphere of desolation and solemnity.
The originally clean and tidy ground was now in a complete mess, with many chaotic footprints. It was obvious that the owner had been in a hurry and panic. Dongfang Huaizhu had a strong premonition of bad news. She silently said to herself, "It can't be, it can't be what I'm thinking..."
Dongfang Huaizhu led Dongfang Qinlan back to her own courtyard. Her feet were already numb, and she didn't even know how she had managed to get there. Her heart was cold. She slumped into a chair like a paralyzed person. Had she failed again this time? Was she really so useless that she couldn't do anything right? Had she once again let her loved ones get hurt...
Dongfang Huaizhu forced back the tears in her eyes. Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open.
"Senior sister."
Dongfang Huaizhu blinked her eyes and finally recognized that the person was Yu Ping.
"Senior sister, you should leave quickly, along with Senior Sister Qinlan. Hurry and escape secretly!" Yu Ping looked extremely panicked. While talking to Dongfang Huaizhu in these few seconds, she kept looking around, as if there were some ferocious beasts coming.
"Why? What happened?" Dongfang Huaizhu still couldn't believe what she was thinking in her heart. She asked with a glimmer of hope.
Yu Ping's originally tense nerves suddenly snapped. Her tears gushed out like a broken embankment, as if she had been holding it in for a long time and finally exploded: "It's Senior Brother. Senior Brother killed the old manor lord!"
Dongfang Huaizhu felt as if her nerves were breaking. She endured the heartache and thought carefully.
"It can't be, it can't be." There was grief on her face, but she was extremely clear in her heart. It wasn't the right time yet... It wasn't the right time yet...
"It's true! Senior sister!" Yu Ping took out an object with a trembling hand. "This is, this is the tracking talisman I picked up from Xiao Lu..." Big tears rolled down Yu Ping's face.
"Look! It clearly belongs to Senior Brother!"
Dongfang Huaizhu took the tracking talisman. Her hands were trembling, and she could no longer say the self - deceiving words. Big tears splashed onto her dress and the ground.
"Father!" Dongfang Huaizhu's heart ached so much that she could hardly breathe. Her expression was full of grief.
A few days passed. During these days, Dongfang Huaizhu had been devoting herself to looking for clues. She couldn't believe that her father was really dead. She didn't let go of any slightest hint or sign. She had trouble eating and sleeping, and she had lost a lot of weight.
She didn't know how long she had been searching like this. When Dongfang Huaizhu went to the back mountain to search again, she finally found the figure of her father. The old manor lord was lying in the grass, leaning against a big rock. He completely lost his usual vitality and looked extremely weak.
"Father!"
Dongfang Huaizhu knelt down beside the old manor lord. With trembling hands, she took out the medicine she had brewed long ago from her brocade pouch and was about to feed it to the lord of the Dongfang family.
"Junior sister?"
Suddenly, Jin Renfeng's voice came from behind.
"It's really you, junior sister?" Jin Renfeng squatted beside Dongfang Huaizhu. His voice was still as disgusting as ever. Dongfang Huaizhu stiffened. She reminded herself to stay calm, pretended nothing had happened, and turned her head.
"Junior sister, there's no need for this medicine..." Jin Renfeng's eyes drifted to the pill in Dongfang Huaizhu's hand. He spoke in a shrill voice with a vicious expression.
"Why?" Dongfang Huaizhu forced herself to stay calm and tried to find her voice.
"Master is just in a coma now, and staying here is good for his recovery. The fresh air here is the best for a patient." Jin Renfeng spoke, and there was nothing wrong with his words.
But Dongfang Huaizhu always felt that he had some evil scheme. However, judging from the current situation, the old manor lord was just in a coma and not killed, which meant that Jin Renfeng hadn't got what he wanted yet, that was, the old manor lord's blood. The old manor lord should be safe for the time being.
Dongfang Huaizhu took another look at her father. His eyes were tightly closed. He was obviously in a coma and unconscious. There were no obvious scars on his body, but now, leaning against the rock, he looked extremely weak. Was this still her father who was once highly skilled in martial arts?
Her father had always been in good health. In terms of martial arts, no one in the Divine Fire Mountain Manor could match him. But now, he completely lost his former energy.
Dongfang Huaizhu withdrew her gaze. She didn't dare to look anymore for fear of exposing her sad emotions and giving Jin Renfeng a clue. Jin Renfeng was extremely dangerous now. He might take action at any time. She mustn't let him see any clues and anger him.
Dongfang Huaizhu pretended to be calm, endured the shivering from the bottom of her bones, and calmly said, "In that case, I'll have to trouble you to take good care of father, Senior Brother."
Dongfang Huaizhu pretended to be innocent, afraid that she might show that she had seen through his scheme. She tried to regain her previous attitude towards Jin Renfeng.
"Don't mention it, junior sister. This is what I should do."
Dongfang Huaizhu nodded and didn't say anything else for fear that he would see something. Then she went down the mountain.
When she returned to the manor, Dongfang Huaizhu felt that her tears were about to flow out. Every word Jin Renfeng had said on the way kept echoing in her mind.
And beside Jin Renfeng was her comatose father. All these made Dongfang Huaizhu feel a great deal of pressure. A string in her heart was tightly stretched.
At night, when Dongfang Huaizhu was about to go to sleep, she suddenly heard a faint sound at the door, as if someone was pacing back and forth. She became vigilant, holding a small dagger in her hand, guarding against the sudden intrusion of the person outside.
Just as she was getting closer to the door step by step, suddenly she heard Jin Renfeng's voice coming from the door.