The atmosphere froze for a moment.
The disdain in the purple-clad man's eyes was undisguised, but he hesitated to take action due to his scruples about Ye Xi.
Just as they were in a standoff, suddenly came Saimeng's voice:
"Quick! It's just ahead. Hurry up!"
Then there was a neat sound of running, which seemed to be a well-trained team of officers and soldiers.
The assassins exchanged glances and instantly disappeared into the air without a trace.
Saimeng ran towards them shouting "Miss" at the top of her voice. Behind her was Xie Huaiyue leading a group of officials from the Supreme Court of Judicature.
Yi Yuan felt a sense of relief wash over him. Then, his vision went black and he involuntarily slumped forward.
Ye Xi was quick to react and caught him in her arms. However, as a grown man, Yi Yuan was quite heavy. Ye Xi couldn't steady herself and ended up falling backward with him in her arms.
Fortunately, Xie Huaiyue was there in time. He grabbed Yi Yuan's arm and pulled him up, saying:
"Back to the mansion."
Thankfully, the mansion was not far away. All of them were injured, so they supported each other and made their way back.
Xie Huaiyue had official duties to attend to, but he happened to run into Saimeng. After safely delivering Ye Xi and the others, he gave them a few instructions and then left with his men.
It was the first time Doctor Ji had seen them all so badly injured. He was shocked and kept muttering "How cruel!" as he took out his medicine box to tend to their wounds.
Yan Xuanyan Gui and the others only had superficial wounds. Ling Yan, however, had been kicked in the chest by the black-clad man and had injured her internal organs. She needed to rest for some time.
The most seriously injured was, of course, Yi Yuan.
Thankfully, the Omei dagger had not hit his heart. For the time being, he was out of danger. However, no one knew what had been added to the strange incense. Yi Yuan seemed to be in a deep sleep and showed no signs of waking up.
Doctor Ji examined him for a long time, frowning deeply but still unable to find the cause. After some thought, he asked:
"What was the situation like at that time? What color was the medicine? And what did it smell like?"
Ye Xi was extremely anxious, but she forced herself to calm down. She carefully recalled the terrifying moment and said:
"It seemed to be peach-colored. I was a bit far away, so I only smelled a faint aftertaste. It smelled like yellow plums, but there was also a strange smell that I couldn't quite describe."
"Um..."
Doctor Ji stroked his beard and then turned to leave.
Ye Xi and the others were left standing there, looking at each other in confusion.
Thankfully, it didn't take long for Doctor Ji to return with an ancient book in his hand.
He sat back down beside Yi Yuan and took out a black, leaf-shaped object from his medicine box. He placed it on Yi Yuan's lips.
Everyone craned their necks to watch.
After just a few breaths, the "black leaf" suddenly began to change color. It gradually turned from black to green and finally became a deep cyan color.
"What does this mean?"
Ye Xi stared intently at the "black leaf" and asked.
"Has A Yuan's poison been cured?"
Doctor Ji picked up a delicate pair of tweezers and carefully removed the "cyan leaf" and placed it in a small porcelain bowl beside him. Then he said seriously:
"This black leaf is called 'Cuijian'. It is a kind of herbal medicine that grows prostrate on the ground at the border between the Great Yin and the Ying State. 'Cuijian' only blossoms once every sixty years. The flower is called 'Hongshuai'. 'Hongshuai' looks like a peach blossom and smells like a yellow plum."
"Those who smell it will fall into a coma within a short time and will die silently in endless sorrow and pain within ten days. The name of this herbal medicine comes from the saying 'The withering of the green leaves and the fading of the red flowers will kill one with sorrow'."
"Six leaves of 'Cuijian' will produce one flower. One flower will bear one fruit after six years. The fruit is the size of a fingernail and is called 'Wuai'. The flower is highly poisonous, and only its leaves can be used to test for the poison. And this fruit is the only antidote for the flower's poison."
"Okay,"
Ye Xi gently stroked Yi Yuan's handsome and calm face with her slender fingers:
"I'll go find it."
Doctor Ji shook his head helplessly and glanced at Ye Xi, saying:
"This is not so easy to find. Even if you are extremely lucky and find it, the 'Wuai' fruit will only last for six hours once it is picked. Once the six hours are up, the 'Wuai' fruit will turn into a pool of putrid water."
"It takes more than ten days to travel from the capital to the southwestern border. You won't make it in time."
Hun Yuan, who had rushed over despite his injuries, also had a rare solemn expression on his face. He wanted to divinate a hexagram for Yi Yuan to find a way out, but he was worried that his injuries were too serious and he might make a mistake and end up doing more harm than good.
The room fell silent for a moment.
Ye Xi pursed her lips slightly, and her eyes were filled with deep thought as she quietly looked at Yi Yuan in front of her.
A thin layer of sorrow gradually appeared on his face, indicating that the poison was slowly eroding his mind.
"Doctor Ji,"
Ye Xi suddenly spoke:
"You said that if you had a bottle of almost incurable poison with you, and this bottle might easily break. Would you not keep the only antidote for this poison with you but leave it thousands of miles away and let it disappear?"
"Of course not."
Doctor Ji replied without hesitation. But then he suddenly realized:
"You mean... the antidote is on the assassin who tried to assassinate you today?"
"Exactly,"
Ye Xi said firmly:
"Since this flower can be made into a mist-like poison, then this fruit must also be able to be preserved and made into an antidote."
Hun Yuan's eyes flashed with a glint of excitement as he said:
"Come to think of it, when my master was still alive, he once mentioned an Ice Soul Bottle. It's the size of a fist and can preserve things for a hundred years without decay."
"If they really have this Ice Soul Bottle, then the antidote must be on that purple-clad assassin you mentioned."
"However..."
Hun Yuan's face suddenly showed a look of worry as he continued:
"Where can we find them now?"
Ye Xi turned to look at Hun Yuan with her almond eyes as deep as a well and said:
"There's a way."
At the Tianzi No. 1 Elegant Room on the top floor of the Qunying Tower—
"How can you give me the 'Wuai' fruit?"
Ye Xi got straight to the point, her face cold and expressionless.
"What?"
Shen Zhou was taken aback. The joy on his face froze instantly. He hesitated for a moment and then walked over and sat down opposite Ye Xi.
"What 'Wuai' fruit?"
Ye Xi sneered disdainfully, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes:
"Stop pretending. I don't believe you don't have the antidote for 'Hongshuai'."
The secret joy in Shen Zhou's heart was instantly extinguished, like a bucket of cold water being poured over his head. He felt cold from the inside out.
The light in Shen Zhou's peach blossom eyes dimmed. He said:
"I do know about 'Hongshuai', but I really... don't understand what you mean."
By the end, his voice had become even lower, and there was an indescribable sense of grievance in his mellow voice.
But Ye Xi was in a hurry at the moment and didn't care about Shen Zhou's emotions. She immediately sneered back:
"You don't know? Well, then I'll be more specific."
"In Biqing Alley, the purple-clad assassin tried to capture me alive..."
"What!?"
Shen Zhou was shocked and instinctively reached out to check if Ye Xi was injured.
But as soon as he moved, Ye Xi avoided him in disgust and continued:
"There are no outsiders here, so why does Young Master Shen need to act?"
"Your men couldn't beat us, so they resorted to using drugs. They seriously injured A Yuan but still failed. What? Did they not dare to come back and report to you because they failed their mission?"