Everyone turned around in unison and saw Yi Yuan striding towards them in a hurry, looking travel - worn.
He hadn't even had the time to take off his inky black cloak, clearly showing that he had rushed here in a hurry.
"What do you mean by that, Your Highness?"
After all, this was their own territory. Being described like a den of wolves and tigers, Jin Aichuan was naturally displeased.
"Today is also a happy occasion for our family. Miss Xi came as a close friend of our Xian'er, and I've done my best to entertain her.
"The accident was something no one wanted. As the host, I'll surely take responsibility and give Miss Xi an explanation. I'll also protect her well to ensure that such a thing won't happen again."
"Yes,"
Lady Liu San beside her chimed in:
"Although our Liu family is far from its former glory, we can still keep an eye on a young girl. Your Highness can rest assured."
"Heh—"
Letting out a mocking laugh, Yi Yuan cast a cold glance at them:
"Protect her? Do you think you're not suspects?"
"What do you mean by this?"
With a sudden jolt in her heart, Yun Qianying asked uneasily.
Without even glancing in her direction, Yi Yuan didn't want to waste any more words with them. He took Yun Xi from Ling Yan's arms and turned to leave.
"Hey, wait... Explain yourself..."
Yun Qianying was relentless and wanted to chase after Yi Yuan to stop him, but Mian Xiao blocked her with a sword in disgust:
"Our young lady came to your mansion as a guest, but was seriously injured.
"Why did she suddenly get her clothes wet and need to change? How did that sneaky thief in the pond know she would pass by and ambush her in advance? Who sent that servant with the dagger? And why did Ling Yan, who was protecting our young lady, fall into the water?
"Everyone here knows Ling Yan's martial arts skills. Without her, it would be almost effortless to attack our young lady.
"All these things were carefully arranged and show familiarity with the place. Can you say that everyone here is innocent?"
Mian Xiao was extremely angry. She couldn't help but push the sharp sword forward, almost touching Yun Qianying's neck.
Frightened, Yun Qianying shuddered and quickly stepped back, hiding behind Liu Jingyue and Yun Qi.
Liu Jingyue suddenly became suspicious.
The root cause of all this was that Yun Xi's clothes got wet and she needed to change them.
And it was Yun Qianying who made Yun Xi's clothes wet.
Looking at Yun Qianying's arm with a complicated look in her eyes, Liu Jingyue, for the first time, didn't comfort her. Instead, she let go of her hand and said calmly:
"I'll go and check on Yingying."
With that, she chased after Yi Yuan and the others.
Yun Qianying was stunned. Just as anger welled up in her heart, Yun Qi also rushed out of the door.
Yun Qianying stamped her foot in anger and wanted to follow. But seeing Mian Xiao staring at her menacingly with her hand on the sword hilt, the warning couldn't be more obvious.
Without anyone to back her up, no matter how angry Yun Qianying was, she didn't dare to act rashly.
Seeing that everyone had fallen silent, Mian Xiao snorted, sheathed her sword, and began to arrange for the soldiers who had just arrived to guard Leifeng Mountain Manor.
Needless to say, there was chaos in the crowd.
In the Prince Yu'an's Mansion, Yi Yuan was extremely anxious and afraid. He was on the verge of collapse.
"How can there be no solution!?"
Yi Yuan's eyes were blood - red:
"Whether it's an illness or poisoning, there should be a diagnosis. How can you not figure out what's wrong?"
Doctor Ji looked miserable.
He had studied medicine since childhood and had been practicing for decades. This was the first time he had seen Yun Xi in such a state.
Logically speaking, after falling into the pool and having no external injuries, there were only two possibilities: drowning or catching a cold.
But Yun Xi showed no symptoms of drowning or a cold, and it wasn't poisoning either.
Her breathing was intermittent, and her pulse was barely detectable. It was as if she had one foot in the underworld and could pass away at any moment.
"Your Highness,"
Lin An couldn't help but speak up:
"You're also injured. Since there's no way to figure out Miss Xi's condition for the time being, let Doctor Ji take a look at you first."
Yi Yuan didn't say a word. His slightly pale lips were pressed into a straight line.
By now, he had taken off his inky black cloak, and there were dark and light marks on his dark blue clothes.
It was the dried blood.
Only then did Liu Jingyue and Yun Qi notice that Yi Yuan's complexion was not right.
"How did you get injured?"
Yun Qi looked up at Yi Yuan and said, holding back his grief:
"You didn't say a word. I know you're worried about Xiaoxi, but if something happens to you, Xiaoxi will surely be heart - broken when she wakes up."
As he spoke, he looked at Doctor Ji:
"Hurry up and check on your Highness's injuries..."
Suddenly raising his head, Yi Yuan's starry eyes flashed. He said on his own:
"Hun Yuan."
"What?"
Yun Qi was stunned. Just as he was thinking about what it meant, Yi Yuan quickly took out a token from his bosom and handed it to Lin An:
"Go to the palace quickly. Call Hun Yuan here and bring Lian Yi too."
"Yes."
Remembering another possibility, Lin An didn't dare to delay. He took the token and rushed out.
"What's going on? Why do you need to invite Master Hun Yuan?"
Both Yun Qi and Liu Jingyue were confused and couldn't help but ask.
"Can he save Xiaoxi?"
"I'm not sure yet."
Yi Yuan stared blankly at Yun Xi on the couch, whose face was completely bloodless. He walked slowly to a stool and sat down, letting Doctor Ji examine his injuries.
Not wanting to disappoint Yun Qi and Liu Jingyue, Yi Yuan didn't voice his speculation. He just said:
"You'll know when Hun Yuan comes."
Knowing Yi Yuan's feelings for Yun Xi, the two exchanged a look and didn't ask any more questions. They just waited patiently, filled with doubts.
Before long, Hun Yuan and Lian Yi rushed over.
As soon as they entered the door, Lian Yi gasped. She rushed over and grabbed Yun Xi's hand, shedding tears.
"Lian Yi,"
Hun Yuan's heart skipped a beat. He forced himself to stay calm and walked closer to ask:
"What's wrong? What did you see?"
[The color,]
Lian Yi gestured through her tears:
[The color is very faint. It's almost gone.]
Hun Yuan's legs went weak, and he almost fell.
Everyone present except Liu Jingyue knew what this meant.
The end was near, and her life was about to end.
Yi Yuan stood up abruptly. The wound that had just been bandaged started to bleed again.
"What does it mean?"
Although Liu Jingyue didn't understand, she could tell from the sudden change in everyone's expressions.
Her heart pounding wildly, Liu Jingyue still refused to give up. She asked hopefully:
"Is there something wrong with Yingying?"
There was a moment of silence. No one dared to answer her question.
Hun Yuan steadied himself and forced himself to walk to Yun Xi's side. He carefully felt her pulse.
After about half a cup of tea, Hun Yuan's face changed drastically. He shouted in disbelief:
"How could this happen!?"
Turning to look at Yi Yuan, Hun Yuan asked:
"Didn't she take the Gu - sealing pill on time? Why is there no sign that the Gu has been sealed at all, and it seems to be even worse?"
"Even worse?"
Yi Yuan walked closer to Hun Yuan, his long eyebrows furrowed tightly:
"What do you mean? Xiaoxi took the pills. Is her current condition because of the Gu in her body?"
Nodding, Hun Yuan said gravely:
"That's right.
"Back then, the person who cast the Gu used the junior sister as a container and nourished the living Gu with her flesh, blood, and heart veins. When you brought her to me, the Gu had already merged into her heart veins, so it couldn't be removed at all. It could only be suppressed.
"But for some reason, the Gu that should have been gradually suppressed again not only came back to life but has almost occupied her heart veins completely.
"And on the day when her heart veins are completely occupied, the junior sister herself will completely become a living Gu. Her body will disappear and her bones will melt, leaving only... a heart."