The air in the Xuanyi Pavilion was charged with a hidden menace.
Facing several black-clad figures with swords drawn, Qing Zhu's gaze was sharp and cold, devoid of retreat or fear.
Suddenly, one of the black-clad men stepped forward. Qing Zhu moved instantly, her hand darting towards his neck.
The man made no move to dodge. Instead, he spoke first, "We will go with you."
It wasn't that he trusted Qing Zhu, but he had no choice!
His master's life was hanging by a thread, endangered by the poison. Any delay could mean his master's death.
While he wasn't entirely sure if the leader could perform miracles, he had no other option now.
The leader, who had not shown themselves, was truly formidable, having instantly struck at their weakest point.
This forced them to bow their heads and obey!
Qing Zhu withdrew the fingers that had almost touched the black-clad man's neck and turned towards the door.
The black-clad men followed in silence, their guards up.
Ji Zi Zhao, seated in the carriage, watched the black-clad men emerge from the Xuanyi Pavilion before lowering the curtain she had been lifting.
The other black-clad men vanished into the night the moment they left the medical hall. Only the one who had spoken to Qing Zhu boarded the carriage with her, taking the reins himself to drive.
Having traveled extensively with Old General Ji, Qing Zhu understood the unspoken rules of the martial world.
As the carriage began to move, she tied a silk scarf around her eyes. Her slender back remained pressed against the carriage door, silently protecting Ji Zi Zhao.
Inside the carriage, Ji Zi Zhao slowly closed her eyes, neither asking nor commenting.
Those who dared to commit violence in the capital were no simple folk.
This was a time of unrest, and she had no desire to be entangled with such dangerous individuals.
Inside the Xuanyi Pavilion, all the doctors and staff were huddled by the window.
Only when the carriage had driven far away did they let out a heavy sigh of relief.
"Manager, do you think the leader will definitely be able to cure the person?" Though these doctors in the Xuanyi Pavilion had never met their leader, who among them had not received their leader's kindness?
Whatever their difficulties or hidden ailments, the leader would always offer assistance from the shadows.
To them, the so-called leader was already more than family, more than a benefactor.
Chen Gang looked at the group of doctors huddled by the window, wishing he could kick them out of the imperial city. "A bunch of grown men, all they know is to hide behind…"
Before he could finish, Chen Gang knew he had misspoke. Seeing all the doctors turn to look at him, he paused and then said, "Don't worry, our leader could cure anyone even with their eyes closed."
Even as he said it, Chen Gang continued to gaze anxiously out the window.
The carriage sped down the deserted road. It was clear the black-clad man was deliberately taking a roundabout route.
This further convinced Ji Zi Zhao of the man's unusual status.
Otherwise, at such a critical juncture, why would the black-clad man deliberately try to disorient her and Qing Zhu by taking a detour?
After roughly another quarter of an hour, the carriage finally stopped.
The black-clad man jumped off and handed a silk scarf through the carriage window.
Ji Zi Zhao calmly took it and covered her eyes.
With Qing Zhu's support, Ji Zi Zhao followed the black-clad man's footsteps, winding through countless turns until she heard him say, "We're here, but only the doctor may enter."
Just as Qing Zhu was about to speak, Ji Zi Zhao said, "Qing Zhu, you stay here."
"But Young… Young Master…"
"This is an order."
Not wanting any further complications, a swift resolution was the only way to ensure a clean exit.
The black-clad man was surprised that this young man possessed such calm courage. A flicker of admiration flashed in his eyes.
"You may remove the scarf once you enter," the black-clad man said, leading Ji Zi Zhao into the room before them.
As Ji Zi Zhao crossed the threshold, the door behind her slammed shut with a resounding clang.
A faint scent of blood assailed her.
Even mixed with the incense burning in the censer, it was distinct to Ji Zi Zhao.
Ji Zi Zhao removed the scarf and was met with oppressive darkness.
The room was utterly sealed, with no ventilation and not a single window. It was clearly a secret chamber.
"Come here," a deliberately lowered voice suddenly came from not too far away.
Ji Zi Zhao instinctively extended her hands and slowly walked towards the source of the bloody smell.
She didn't know how long she walked before her feet suddenly bumped against the edge of a stone bed. Off-guard, Ji Zi Zhao instinctively stumbled forward.
A hand suddenly gripped her arm.
The long, slender fingers were steady and strong. With just the power of his wrist, he pulled her forward-leaning body back to its original position.
Ji Zi Zhao looked up, and in the darkness, she could vaguely make out a man draped in a long robe, sitting on the stone bed.
His legs were slightly bent, and his other arm rested casually on his knee. As if sensing her gaze, he raised a hand to support his chin. "Perhaps… you can observe for another half hour or so."
Ji Zi Zhao frowned and, in return, grasped the man's wrist.
Her nimble fingers accurately found the throbbing pulse on his wrist.
The pulse was deep and floating, barely palpable, indicating stagnation of qi and blood, and an internal blockage of evil energies.
This pulse…
Ji Zi Zhao took another step forward, grabbed the man's shoulder, and with her other hand, began to feel his chest.
Her slightly cool palm moved down from the vicinity of his heart, finally stopping abruptly near his navel.
Feeling a small, hard lump beneath her palm, Ji Zi Zhao's dark eyes deepened.
The man was right; he didn't have much time left.
"It's not poison that's killing you, but a Gu."
The Butterfly Gu, also known as "Breaking Cocoon into Butterfly."
The Gu raiser would, on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, capture giant bees that had rotted from poisonous fungi after being rained on in the forest. Simultaneously, they would feed a venomous snake, a king centipede, and a toad, and then place them in a pot to fight and devour each other until only one remained alive. Then, the last survivor would be suffocated, dried, and ground into powder, forming insect eggs resembling butterflies.
This poison, when introduced into the human body, would lie dormant in the blood for ten years.
After ten years, the Butterfly Gu would break out of its cocoon, instantly causing tens of thousands of bloody holes to erupt from the host's body.
Its cruelty and bloodiness had led to its prohibition many years ago.
All of Ji Zi Zhao's knowledge came from ancient medical texts and unofficial histories.
"It is indeed the Butterfly Gu. Can you save me?" the man's muffled, low voice asked, resonant and long, like the chime of a temple bell, without a trace of tension or fear.
"Yes," Ji Zi Zhao replied without hesitation.
With that, she untied her sash and wrapped it tightly around the man's waist. Then, she took a handkerchief from her怀, rolled it into a strip, and offered it to the man's lips.
"Bite down."
The man felt the handkerchief, emanating a faint fragrance, at his lips. His calm, cool eyes froze for a moment.
Having suffered from the Gu for many years, and having sought countless physicians, what kind of expressions had he not seen?
Shock, fear, panic, disarray…
But the person standing before him now was so composed and unfazed.
The fragrance of the handkerchief again slowly drifted into his nostrils.
Suddenly, a figure of maturity and composure, unfazed by any situation, appeared in the man's mind.
His thin lips curved upward silently.
He seemed to know who the person in front of him was.