The sharp pain in Zhao Shuning's chest kept her wide - awake.
When had she been poisoned by the Gu?
The Master had said that the Golden Silkworm Gu was just a primer, a preparation for the subsequent medicine curse.
Among the people she had met, who was the most likely to have poisoned her?
Was it the old Master Rong she had encountered in the Ruoqiang Marquis Mansion? It was said that he was skilled in witchcraft and Gu poison.
Back then, her father, Luo Hao, had also been poisoned by Gu, and it was she who had helped him to get rid of it.
Old Master Rong shouldn't have had the ability to make her fall into his trap without her noticing.
So who else could it be? And what about the subsequent medicine curse?
"On the Nine - State Continent, there are no more than three people who know the medicine curse."
Yan Ruyu returned. Seeing Zhao Shuning's pained face, he knew she must not have been able to sleep well. But upon hearing his voice, Zhao Shuning quickly put on a smile.
"Master, you're back?"
"Yeah."
Yan Ruyu ground the spiritual herbs in his hand into juice and made Zhao Shuning drink it.
"If you have any questions, you can ask me. Don't keep them all to yourself."
After taking the medicine juice, Zhao Shuning felt most of the pain dissipate, and only then did she gain the strength.
"Thank you, Master."
"You're welcome. I'll tell you, on the Nine - State Continent, the ones who could have cast the medicine curse on you are probably Ye Feng and Qin Sheng."
"Ye Feng is impossible. He's my kin. He wouldn't do such a thing to me. I don't even know this Qin Sheng you mentioned, and I've never offended him. Who's the other one?"
Yan Ruyu said, "Me."
"You?"
Yan Ruyu nodded.
That was even more impossible.
"Master, could it be Qin Sheng? When I was in Cangwu Country, I once had contact with Qin Anxin, but I never harmed her. Even if her relatives wanted revenge, they shouldn't have come after me."
Yan Ruyu asked, "Before this, did you have contact with anyone else who was good at Gu poison?"
Zhao Shuning told Yan Ruyu about Old Master Rong.
Yan Ruyu frowned deeply.
"It shouldn't be him. If he wanted to attack you, you would surely have been on guard."
"I also think it shouldn't be him."
Zhao Shuning couldn't figure out for a moment who was so vicious. Besides, if someone had poisoned her with the Golden Silkworm Gu without the subsequent medicine curse, she could have forced out the Gu. The other party should have known her strength and wouldn't have done such a thankless thing.
Since there was no clue, she could only put this matter aside for the time being.
Zhao Shuning looked at Yan Ruyu's cold and handsome face.
She couldn't help but ask, "Master, will I die?"
Hearing this, Yan Ruyu, who was boiling the medicine, couldn't help but pause. He had his back to Zhao Shuning, so she couldn't see his expression at the moment. But he only remained silent for a while.
Then he said, "I won't let you die."
Zhao Shuning added, "I don't want to die either."
"Master, I told you today that I'm not Luo Qiu. Do you believe me?"
"I believe you."
"Why do you believe me now?"
Yan Ruyu didn't answer.
But Zhao Shuning said, "Is it because you feel pity for me now that you've taken my side?"
"If you're not Luo Qiu, why do you call me Master?"
Zhao Shuning wanted to explain but swallowed the words back.
In Ruoqiang, when she was young, the senior she had met had said that if she revealed the secrets of heaven and told others her true situation, she would bring a disaster of destruction to her closest relatives because of her mistake.
Yes, she shouldn't have said it.
"Can't I just change my name?"
Yan Ruyu didn't take it seriously and just regarded it as Zhao Shuning's playfulness.
Then she said, "Just take it as a joke."
"I know."
Do you really know?
Actually, Master, you don't know much. You don't know much about me either.
"You often joke. I'll just listen to these words casually."
"Master—"
Zhao Shuning lay in bed, propping her chin and looking at Yan Ruyu's back.
"Master, you must listen carefully to what I'm going to say next. I'm not joking. I'm very serious."
"Yeah."
"Master, I really like you."
Yan Ruyu turned around, facing Zhao Shuning.
Rarely, this time, his eyes were also very serious.
"Then can you answer a question for me?"
"What question?"
"How many people have you said this to?"
How many people? She had indeed said this to quite a few people, like Shuang'er, Se Se, and many beautiful ladies she had met before.
But how could it be the same?
"Don't say it. I know."
Zhao Shuning quickly said, "As for men, I've only said it to you, Master."
Yan Ruyu turned around and continued boiling the medicine. But a faint smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.
For some reason, upon hearing this, the feeling of elation in his heart was so obvious.
"Master, I've been feeling that I can't control my temper lately. Is it also affected by the Golden Silkworm Gu?"
"Yeah. It has affected your qi and blood, so it will naturally affect your temper. So, you may be moody."
Zhao Shuning sighed.
"Actually, I've already noticed."
"When?"
"Since I left Cangwu Country. By the way, Master, could it be that guy Gu Hanxun who poisoned me with the Gu? This guy has no sense of chivalry. I've treated him quite well, but he still used me. If it was him who poisoned me, I wouldn't be surprised at all."
But Yan Ruyu shook his head.
"It shouldn't be him."
"Why?"
"The timing doesn't match."
Zhao Shuning said, "Then I'm at a loss again."
"What about your feelings for Gu Hanxun?"
"Master, I have nothing to do with that kid. How old is he, and how old am I?"
Yan Ruyu stopped his actions.
Gu Hanxun was not yet thirty, only five or six years older than her.
Could she not even tolerate such an age difference?
Then what about himself?
"Do you mind the age difference so much?"
"Not really."
Yan Ruyu was taken aback and then continued boiling the medicine.
"Master, don't you know a kind of spiritual art that can make others forget everything? You say, if one day I push you too hard and insist that you marry me, will you use this spiritual art on me to get rid of me?"
Yan Ruyu put down the fan in his hand.
"How do you know I know this spiritual art?"
Zhao Shuning stuck out her tongue and didn't answer.
Of course she knew. It was she who had brought Xia Wanning and the children from the East in front of the Master and asked him to erase their memories.
"Just answer me. Will you use this move on me?"
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know? Master, you have to promise me that you'll never bother me in the future and won't use this spiritual art on me."
Yan Ruyu poured the boiled medicine from the pot into a bowl.
He left a faint sentence.
"I'm quite annoyed with you right now."
But there was not a hint of annoyance towards Zhao Shuning in this sentence. Instead, there was a bit of indulgence.