"What's going on?"
Pulling herself together, Ye Xi forced a smile. She grabbed Yi Yaofeng's hand with one hand and pulled the approaching Lian Yi closer with the other.
"Do you need anything?"
[No.]
Lian Yi gestured.
[Yaofeng just took me to see Uncle Yi. The colors on his body show that he won't pass away anytime soon.]
Ye Xi's heart started pounding wildly, and the seeds of hope suddenly began to grow like crazy.
She tightly grasped Lian Yi's much plumper arm and confirmed,
"What do you mean? Is A Yuan getting better?"
Qiao Yan and the others immediately surrounded them and stared at Lian Yi eagerly.
Shaking her head, Lian Yi gestured again.
[I don't know if Uncle Yi is getting better. I can only see the colors on his body.]
[For those who are about to die, the colors on their bodies will gradually fade away. Until the day they die, all the colors will suddenly disappear.]
[The colors on Uncle Yi's body have become much paler, but they haven't disappeared.]
The hope in Ye Xi's heart faded away bit by bit.
This kind - hearted girl, Lian Yi, must have thought Ye Xi was sad because she thought Yi Yuan was seriously ill and on the verge of death. So she rushed over to tell her this "good news".
But Yi Yuan's poison would reach its critical stage in ten days.
"Then..."
Ye Xi asked carefully.
"When will the light start to fade for those who are about to die?"
Blinking her eyes, Lian Yi tilted her little head and thought for a while before gesturing.
[It's about seven days. There was an old maid in the Luo Mansion. One day I noticed that the light on her body suddenly started to fade. I thought it was strange, so I secretly observed her for a long time.]
[On the seventh day, I suddenly found that there was no light on her body. That evening, the old maid passed away.]
"Seven days. It takes seven days..."
Ye Xi murmured and gently stroked Lian Yi's bun.
"Okay. Good Lian Yi, can you come here again the day after tomorrow to check for Sister Xi?"
Nodding vigorously, Lian Yi patted her chest and silently agreed with a [Yes].
Just then, Hun Yuan came back over the wall. Before he even entered the door, he started shouting,
"Little junior sister, is the emperor gone? What did he say..."
As soon as he stepped into the room and saw a bunch of people inside, he swallowed the rest of his words.
The others immediately stood up, thinking that Hun Yuan had just returned from his cultivation. They all stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
Ye Xi glared at Hun Yuan and subconsciously looked at Liu Mengxian.
Yun Qi and Qiao Yan knew her identity, but Liu Mengxian didn't. At that time, she thought it was better to cause less trouble, so she hid her identity. Now, Hun Yuan had exposed it right in front of everyone.
Liu Mengxian was very smart.
Seeing Hun Yuan standing stiffly at the door, shouting junior sister, she immediately remembered what Ye Xi had told her before.
Seeing Yun Qi and Qiao Yan looking calm while Ye Xi looked guilty, how could she not understand?
Liu Mengxian snorted softly and gave Ye Xi an aggrieved look.
"Master Hun Yuan comes at a good time. Lian Yi has just finished telling your good junior sister about the situation of Prince Yu'an."
Ye Xi felt embarrassed and tugged at Liu Mengxian's sleeve pleadingly.
Liu Mengxian naturally wouldn't really blame her. Everyone had their own little secrets, especially at a time like this when Ye Xi was sad and anxious.
Liu Mengxian gently pinched Ye Xi's arm helplessly and said coquettishly,
"Humph - I'll let you off this time. If there's a next time, I won't forgive you."
Seeing Ye Xi and Liu Mengxian's actions, Hun Yuan knew that the exposure of Ye Xi's identity wasn't a big deal. He felt a little more relaxed and then turned to ask Lian Yi,
"Who is this little girl? How does she know about Yi Yuan's situation?"
Hun Yuan always looked like an other - worldly and serious person in public. Ye Xi felt a bit awkward. She welcomed him in and sat down before saying,
"This is the child of Miss Su Xin from the Su family of the Imperial Physician. Her full name is Su Lian Yi. I wanted to tell you about her before, but unfortunately, something happened to A Yuan at that time, and then I forgot."
Ye Xi told Hun Yuan in detail about Lian Yi's ability to see the strange colors on people. Hun Yuan's eyes sparkled with excitement.
He grabbed Lian Yi and wouldn't let go. He looked at her from all sides and kept saying good things.
"Senior brother,"
Ye Xi slapped Hun Yuan's hand away and pulled Lian Yi into her arms, complaining,
"Speak nicely if you have something to say. Why are you so excited? You've scared Lian Yi."
Steadying his excitement, Hun Yuan coughed lightly and said seriously,
"I was out of line. It's just that this little girl is a once - in - a - million cultivation genius. It's really rare."
"I've been searching for many years but haven't found anyone who suits my heart to inherit my mantle. I didn't expect to meet such a person by chance today. That's why I was so happy that I forgot my manners."
Then he looked at Lian Yi with a big smile, looking just like a child - snatcher outside.
"What do you say, little girl? Worship me as your master and practice with me."
"God gave you such a pair of powerful eyes but took away your voice. Misfortune often comes from the mouth. If you don't speak, you'll have less trouble."
"This is heaven protecting you. When you achieve great success in your cultivation, who knows, you might even be able to speak one day."
Everyone's eyes lit up.
Especially Lian Yi.
She didn't quite understand what Hun Yuan said before, but the last sentence really hit her heart.
She really wanted to speak.
She wanted to call her mother sweetly like an ordinary child, imitate the sounds of cats and dogs. When she laughed, she wanted to let out a series of "ha - ha" and "he - he". When she was angry, she wanted to shout out loudly. When she was sad, she wanted to hug her mother and tell her all her grievances word by word.
Nodding eagerly, Lian Yi made more solemn gestures.
[I'll practice. I want to speak.]
"Lian Yi!"
Qiao Yan happily hugged her.
"You're amazing! You can actually become a disciple of Master Hun Yuan! Maybe you'll be able to speak in the future."
"This is what so many people dream of! No, I have to send someone to beat gongs and drums in front of the Luo Mansion and tell this for three days and three nights to piss them off!"
"A Yan,"
Ye Xi quickly grabbed the two of them and said calmly,
"Don't be in a hurry. Lian Yi is still young. She can't make such a big decision by herself. First, send someone to the Su Mansion to inform them and see what Miss Su thinks. Senior brother has just returned from his cultivation. He should go back to the palace quickly."
"After everything is completely settled, it's not too late for us to publicize it grandly. However..."
Ye Xi glanced at Lian Yi, whose eyes were shining brightly, and said,
"As for whether she can speak after her cultivation, it's still unknown. It's better to keep this a secret for now, so as not to be laughed at by villains if something goes wrong in the future."
"Yes, yes..."
Qiao Yan also calmed down, but the joy on her face still couldn't be hidden.
"Then I'll take Lian Yi back to the Su Mansion first, ask about the situation, and then give the master a reply."
After saying that, she took Lian Yi and rushed away.
After seeing Yi Yuan, learning about the situation, and comforting Ye Xi a few words, Yun Qi and Liu Mengxian also said goodbye and left.
Hun Yuan was scolded by Ye Xi again but didn't dare to talk back. After saying goodbye to Jiang Ning, he returned to the palace by himself.