Chapter 258

Ye Chutang picked up the frost-covered wooden box beside her and opened it.

She took out the ice leech, now twice as plump as it had been before, and placed it on Qi Yanzhou’s burning-hot hand.

Frost spread across his dark-red hand at a speed visible to the naked eye, draining it of all color.

The ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‍frost slowly crept up his arm.

Seeing that Aman was still hesitating, Ye Chutang said sharply, “In a physician’s eyes, there is only a patient, never a man or a woman. If you don’t want to watch him die, get over here now!”

They had removed his upper garment only so they could observe the changes in Qi Yanzhou’s body more clearly and protect his heart meridians when he could no longer endure the treatment.

Intimidated by Ye Chutang’s imposing manner, Aman hurried to the bedside and watched for changes in Qi Yanzhou’s condition so she could seize the right moment to dispel the gu poison.

At first, her gaze kept darting away shyly.

But under Ye Chutang’s influence, she gradually became serious and focused. Her eyes held nothing but the patient whose gu poison needed to be removed.

From time to time, Ye Chutang dripped a specially prepared medicinal liquid onto the ice leech, controlling the speed at which it absorbed the fire poison.

Otherwise, Qi Yanzhou’s already exhausted body would not have been able to withstand it.

When his entire arm had been covered in frost, she immediately placed the cold cicada on the back of his hand.

As the frost began to melt, Ye Chutang said to Aman, “Release the gu. Dispel the poison.”

“All right.”

Aman answered and began producing a series of sharp, incomprehensible sounds with her mouth.

Before long, a black insect no bigger than a mung bean flew out of the longevity lock.

Its transparent wings beat rapidly, giving off a buzzing sound.

Under Aman’s control, the Gu King flew down onto Qi Yanzhou’s chest and burrowed into his skin.

A pain that seemed to pierce his heart and gnaw at his bones seized him, and Qi Yanzhou let out a tortured scream.

Seeing how unbearable his suffering was, Ye Chutang hurriedly took his pulse.

His pulse was in complete disarray—weak one moment, forceful the next, then disappearing altogether. There were even signs of heart failure.

“Azhou, relax.”

His body was instinctively rejecting the three creatures that were working to remove the poison.

As a result, the detoxification process slowed, the agony intensified, and the burden on his body grew heavier.

Ye Chutang’s gentle words of comfort reached Qi Yanzhou’s ears.

He wanted to obey her and do as she said, but his body was beyond his control.

The pain continued to mount until he felt he would rather die than go on.

A thought surfaced in his mind: Why not simply die? If he died, he would no longer have to suffer like this.

When Ye Chutang sensed his pulse weakening, her heart immediately leaped into her throat.

“Qi Yanzhou, you are not allowed to give up!”

With that, she placed Qi Yanzhou’s burning-hot hand against her own stomach.

She was nearly four months pregnant now, and the curve of her belly was clearly visible to the touch.

Ever since their exile, she had worn loose clothing, so no one had noticed.

Feeling the coolness and gentle curve beneath his palm, Qi Yanzhou’s heart trembled.

He couldn’t die!

He had to see their child come into the world and grow old together with Atang!

His will to live overcame the agony of the detoxification.

At last, he regained control of his body and tried his best to relax.

As his body relaxed, the despairing pain gradually receded.

Feeling Qi Yanzhou’s pulse grow stronger beneath her fingers, Ye Chutang finally let out a long breath of relief.

Aman noticed that Qi Yanzhou’s complexion had improved slightly and asked anxiously, “Brother Qi can make it through this, right?”

“Of course he can. He’s Qi Yanzhou, after all!”

After saying this, Ye Chutang released Qi Yanzhou’s wrist and focused all her attention on the ice leech and the cold cicada.

Aman coordinated with the process of removing the fire poison, carefully controlling the Gu King as it dispelled the gu poison.

She kept the fire poison and gu poison in a delicate balance.

If that balance were broken, Qi Yanzhou would certainly die in his current condition.

Half an hour later, both Ye Chutang and Aman were drenched in sweat, their faces deathly pale.

Most of the fire poison and gu poison had been removed. Only the poison around his heart remained, and that was the part that required the greatest caution.

Qi Yanzhou’s body had already reached its limit, and he had fainted.

He was no longer burning with fever, and his hair had returned to its original ink-black color.

Xi Ze supported Qi Yanzhou, his heart lodged in his throat.

“Madam, what can I do for Master?”

Ye Chutang pried open Qi Yanzhou’s mouth and fed him a Rejuvenation Pill to replenish his vitality.

She then placed a slice of century-old ginseng in his mouth.

Finally, she used silver needles to protect his heart meridians.

When she had finished, she wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at Xi Ze, who was filled with worry.

“In a moment, use your internal energy to protect his heart meridians.”

A double safeguard would be more reliable.

Xi Ze nodded. “Yes, Madam.”

Aman looked at Ye Chutang, who seemed so exhausted she had scarcely any strength left, and tears began to fall.

“It’s all my fault. If I had come to dispel Brother Qi’s poison this morning, it wouldn’t have spread to his heart meridians.”

Ye Chutang placed a hand on Aman’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

She reassured her softly, “It’s not your fault. Don’t dwell on it. The most important thing now is to remove Azhou’s poison.”

Aman raised a hand to wipe away her tears and nodded firmly.

“I won’t let anything happen to Brother Qi!”

With that, the three of them worked together seamlessly and, after several close calls, removed the poison that had reached Qi Yanzhou’s heart and lungs.

Aman recalled the Gu King and collapsed onto the floor, completely drained, gasping for breath.

She had been so afraid that something would go wrong while removing the gu poison that she had held her breath for nearly the time it took an incense stick to burn. She had almost suffocated herself.

Ye Chutang had held her breath throughout the entire process as well.

However, her martial arts were strong, and holding her breath for a short period was as easy for her as eating or drinking.

She took Qi Yanzhou’s pulse and, after confirming that the poison had been removed and that he only needed proper rest and recuperation, finally relaxed.

Xi Ze looked at Qi Yanzhou’s colorless face and felt how cold his body was. His worry deepened.

“Madam, Master is all right now, isn’t he?”

Hearing this, Aman immediately turned to Ye Chutang.

Ye Chutang removed the silver needles protecting Qi Yanzhou’s heart meridians and put away the ice leech and the cold cicada.

“He’s fine now, but his body has been severely depleted. He needs time to recover.”

The tension left Xi Ze, and he helped Qi Yanzhou put his upper garment back on.

“Madam, should we stay in Jizhou City for a while longer and wait until Master has recovered before setting out again?”

“Yes. Let’s stay for ten days and see how he is after that. We should go out now.”

Ye Chutang stood up, but her body swayed weakly from exhaustion.

She caught herself on the bedframe just in time and avoided falling.

Seeing this, Aman asked awkwardly, though with concern in her voice, “Are you all right?”

Removing the fire poison had been far more difficult than removing the gu poison.

Aman was so exhausted she had nearly fainted.

That meant Ye Chutang must be even more exhausted than she was.

After resting for a while, Ye Chutang felt somewhat better.

She shook her head. “I’ll be fine after eating, drinking plenty of water, and getting some more rest.”

The three of them left the room and went downstairs.

Nearly an hour had passed since they began treating Qi Yanzhou.

Dinner was already prepared.

The table was laden with a sumptuous spread.

Everyone was deeply concerned about how the detoxification had gone, but they tacitly chose not to ask about it right away.

Instead, they pulled the three exhausted people over to the table and seated them.

“You’ve all worked hard. Hurry and eat something.”

The three of them were indeed tired and hungry, so they did not stand on ceremony. They picked up their chopsticks and began eating heartily.

Seeing how enthusiastically they ate, everyone knew that Qi Yanzhou’s poison had been removed.

The worry that had weighed on them for days finally eased.

Old Master Qi cheerfully urged everyone, “Sit down and eat. The food will get cold.”

The dining room immediately grew lively.

After Old Madam Qi saw that Ye Chutang had eaten her fill, she asked, “Tang’er, should we save some food for Zhou’er?”

Seeing that Old Madam Qi had barely eaten because she was so worried about Qi Yanzhou, Ye Chutang smiled.

“Mother, Azhou has only just finished having the poison removed. His body is weak, so he can’t eat anything yet. You should eat more on his behalf.”

The moment the words “the poison is gone” were spoken, Old Madam Qi could no longer hold back her tears.

“As long as the poison is gone, that’s all that matters. It’s gone, it’s really gone.”

She had hoped her son would survive, but she had never dared imagine that he truly would.

Now that her wish had come true, she was so overwhelmed that she hardly knew what to say.

“Tang’er, thank you!”

After saying this, Old Madam Qi looked gratefully at Aman.

“Miss Aman, thank you as well.”

For the first time ever, she poured herself a cup of wine and drained it in one gulp.

The rest of the Qi family followed suit, raising their cups to Ye Chutang and Aman.

Ye Chutang returned the gesture with tea.

“We’re family. There’s no need to be so formal. Azhou needs time to recover, so we’ll have to stay in Jizhou City for a while longer.”

Old Master Qi said, “Very well. The weather has been hot lately, and it wouldn’t be suitable to travel anyway.”

By the time dinner was over, it was already dark.

Rubbing her overstuffed stomach, Ye Chutang said, “I’m going out for a walk to help my food digest.”

Aman hurried after her. “I’m coming too.”

Worried that the two of them might come to blows, Xi Ze wanted to follow them and smooth things over if necessary.

“I…”

Before he could finish, he was rejected.

Ye Chutang and Aman said in unison, “Don’t follow us.”

With that, the two of them left the inn.

Old Madam Qi immediately noticed that something was off and asked Xi Ze, “Is there something going on between Tang’er and Miss Aman?”

She knew that the shaman healer from Southern Xinjiang had once been interested in her son.

The fact that the shaman healer had traveled such a long way to cure her son’s parasitic poison clearly meant she had not let go of him.

Given her daughter-in-law’s intelligence and perceptiveness, she had surely noticed it long ago!

And now the two of them had gone out together. They wouldn’t actually start fighting, would they?

Xi Ze didn’t know how to explain, so he scratched his head and said, “Don’t worry, Old Madam. Madam won’t be the one who suffers.”

Old Madam Qi: “…”

“Miss Aman will be fine too.”

“…As long as neither of them gets hurt. May I go see Azhou?”

“Yes. The master needs plenty of rest, so don’t stay in his room too long, Old Madam.”

Old Madam Qi nodded and started upstairs.

After walking a few steps, she stopped and asked Xi Ze, “Should we arrange for someone to keep watch over Zhou’er tonight?”

“That’s up to Madam.”

“Very well. I’ll ask Tang’er when she returns.”

After Old Madam Qi went upstairs, Xi Ze looked at Nan Xiao.

“Your qinggong is excellent, and you’re good at hiding. Why don’t you follow them and keep an eye on things?”

Neither of those two women was the type to let herself be bullied. If they really started fighting, the whole world would probably be turned upside down.

Nan Xiao patted Xi Ze on the shoulder.

“No need. Madam is clever and knows her limits. She can handle Miss Aman.”

“That’s true. Madam really is impressive. She managed to bring Miss Aman here with just one appearance.”

If they had waited until the master’s internal fire poison flared up, the process of detoxifying him would have been even more dangerous.

***

After leaving the inn, Ye Chutang and Aman strolled along the streets.

Although the streets tonight were not as lively as they had been during the Qiqiao Festival, they were still crowded.

The pleasant sound of silver bells was drowned out by the vendors’ cries.

It was Aman’s first time leaving Southern Xinjiang and her first time wandering through such a bustling marketplace, so she was curious about everything.

Her unusual attire attracted countless gazes.

Whispers and comments followed one after another.

“Those clothes are so strange. Where is that little girl from?”

“She looks like she’s from Southern Xinjiang. The customs there are pretty open—she’s even showing her arms and legs.”

As the man spoke, his lecherous eyes lingered on Aman’s slender waist.

When Ye Chutang noticed, she took some poison from her spatial store and concealed it between her fingers.

As she passed the man, she flicked the powder into his eyes.

The man only felt as though dust had blown into them. He rubbed them uncomfortably.

When he opened his eyes, everything before him was hazy.

He rubbed them again, but this time all he could see was a vague blur of light. Nothing was clear.

“Ah! My eyes! Somebody help me!”

By the time the man’s panicked cries rang out, Ye Chutang and Aman were already far away.

Aman held a newly purchased sachet beneath her nose and sniffed it.

The strong scent of osmanthus made her cough.

She rubbed her nose, hung the sachet from her waist, then leaned toward Ye Chutang.

“You were the one who blinded that man, weren’t you?”

Ye Chutang did not deny it.

“His eyes were only used for wickedness. He has no need for them.”

Men who made lewd remarks whenever they saw a pretty woman were, nine times out of ten, no good.

Of course, there was always that one chance in ten that they were simply speaking without thinking.

But the man she had blinded was not one of those exceptions.

She had seen him being thrown out of a gambling house after trying to offer his wife as payment for his gambling debt.

Aman had no idea what sort of person the man was.

All she knew was that Ye Chutang had acted because he had harassed her.

She gave a cold snort. “Don’t think that just because you’re being nice to me, I’ll stop competing with you for Brother Qi.”

Ye Chutang teased her with a smile. “Would you rather I treated you badly?”

“Do whatever you want. I’m not giving up on Brother Qi!”

“Then good luck. I hope you succeed.”

Every time Aman tried to provoke Ye Chutang, it felt as though her punches were landing on cotton. It left her feeling utterly powerless.

Remembering why they had come out, Aman said, “Brother Qi just finished detoxifying his body, and he’s very weak. Someone needs to keep watch over him. I want to stay by his side so that I’ll be the first person he sees when he opens his eyes.”

She had angered Brother Qi and caused him to suffer so much. She had to apologize to him at the earliest opportunity.

“You said you’d help me create an opportunity. You’re not allowed to refuse!”

Ye Chutang was exhausted in both body and mind and needed a good rest. She had never intended to keep watch over Qi Yanzhou herself.

“Your Brother Qi probably won’t wake up tonight. Are you sure you want to stay with him?”

Aman nodded firmly. “Yes!”

Even if Brother Qi didn’t wake up tonight, he would certainly wake up tomorrow morning.

“Fine. You can keep watch tonight.”

The reason Ye Chutang dared to leave Qi Yanzhou in Aman’s care was not because she trusted Aman’s character. It was because people loyal to Qi Yanzhou would definitely be watching her from the shadows.

Seeing that Ye Chutang had agreed, Aman’s lips curved upward.

“That’s more like it.”

In high spirits, she bought something at nearly every stall they passed.

There were little trinkets as well as snacks and treats.

After Ye Chutang felt that her stomach was no longer so full, she said to Aman, who was still thoroughly enjoying herself, “Your Brother Qi is waiting at the inn for you to take care of him. Let’s go back.”

Aman hadn’t finished exploring and didn’t want to return so soon.

She held up her thumb and forefinger, leaving only a tiny gap between them. “Just a little longer.”

“I’m tired. Do as you please.”

Ye Chutang covered her mouth as she yawned, then turned and headed back.

Aman followed, puffing up angrily.

When they returned to the inn, Old Madam Qi asked about the night watch.

Ye Chutang looked at Aman. “Aman will keep watch over Azhou tonight. You can rest easy, Mother.”

“…”

Old Madam Qi was anything but reassured.

“Tang’er, Miss Aman traveled such a long way to cure Zhou’er. She must be exhausted physically and mentally. It wouldn’t be appropriate to have her keep watch over him, would it?”

They were an unmarried man and woman. Even if they were completely innocent, people would still spread rumors.

Aman quickly said, “Old Madam, I’m not tired. I’m willing to keep watch over Brother Qi.”

“You’re our guest. It wouldn’t be appropriate to make you keep watch. I’ll do it instead.”

“The person keeping watch needs to know medicine. I’m more qualified.”

As the two women argued, Xi Ze interjected, “Old Madam, please go and rest. I’ll stay with Miss Aman and watch over the master.”