Zhangsun had no mind to watch this miraculous scene. Anyway, this entire forest belonged to the imperial family—she could watch it whenever she wanted. There was no rush. Ever since Zizi had told her that someone said they could cure Zizi’s illness, Zhangsun had cast aside everything and hurriedly rushed to the Maze Forest with Duan Hong. At this time, Li Er had already gone to the back mountain accompanied by Li Gang. After she sent someone to deliver a message to the Emperor, she immediately wanted to see that beautiful woman who walked like flying that Zizi had mentioned.
At first, she hadn’t been this tense. She was only worried about not being able to meet a true expert. But later, when she heard Zizi say that woman had gone to the academy’s Maze Forest, only then did she become nervous. Zhangsun knew all too well what kind of existence the academy’s Maze Forest was. All the poisonous insects under heaven had made their homes here. She heard there were even several prehistoric strange species. Now whoever entered the maze died. The path to becoming an academy master by passing through the maze had been completely blocked by the poisonous insects.
Now that woman actually wanted to break into the Maze Forest—wasn’t this seeking death? When she had chatted idly with Yun Ye, she heard him say that the poisonous insects in the Maze Forest had now, under Huo Zhu’s training, learned to coordinate and could even use some simple formations. What did this mean? It meant that place had completely become forbidden ground for humans.
There were few women who liked those ugly poisonous creatures, so Zhangsun’s interest in the dense forest wasn’t very great. The only thing that connected her with the Maze Forest was the honey it produced. She heard that the large wasps there had already learned to raise honeybees to collect nectar for them. These strange matters were really not worth mentioning compared to other strange matters at the academy.
Today was different. As a mother, as long as her child could be saved, even if the place were a thousand times more terrifying, Zhangsun wouldn’t blink an eye.
Zizi’s mood was completely different from her mother’s, because she firmly believed that sister would definitely be able to save her. Such a beautiful person wouldn’t deceive her.
So she fixed her gaze on that scorpion crawling ahead with its tail hook raised. The more she looked, the more she liked it. She had just seen Sister Xiao Wu holding the scorpion’s tail hook with her hand. It seemed this thing had a very good temperament. Her curiosity greatly aroused, she grabbed the scorpion’s tail and lifted it up. This action nearly scared Zhangsun to death. Duan Hong’s face lost all color even more. Only Xiao Wu wasn’t very nervous. She had already been stung by this fellow no fewer than three times. This time she had made this fellow obediently listen to her. Now that Zizi was grabbing it, there wasn’t any great harm.
“Mother Empress, look, what a beautiful scorpion. Your child also wants one.”
Zhangsun forcibly suppressed her dizziness and said to Zizi in a trembling voice: “Throw it away, be careful, throw it away.”
Just as Duan Hong was preparing to draw the soft sword from her waist, planning to chop this scorpion into several pieces in the shortest time, Xiao Wu took the scorpion from Zizi’s hands and said to the Empress: “Your Majesty, don’t be alarmed. This Scorpion King, for some unknown reason, lost its toxicity while being raised. Now it can only serve as a guide and cannot defend against enemies.”
Hearing Xiao Wu’s words, Zhangsun’s constricted pupils finally returned to normal. She curiously glanced at the Scorpion King, then ordered Duan Hong to push open the courtyard gate. Upon entering the courtyard, Zhangsun was once again stunned. She saw a black-clothed woman sitting cross-legged on the ground in the courtyard. Seeing Xiao Wu enter, she extended both hands with drool flowing, as if wanting Xiao Wu to hold her.
“Zizi, is the expert you mentioned her?” Zhangsun was extremely disappointed. She had originally prepared countless arguments to persuade the expert to treat Zizi, but now she couldn’t say a single word, because sitting on the ground was just a big idiot.
“Sister, what’s wrong with you!” Zizi anxiously walked forward, hugging the black-clothed woman and asking repeatedly.
The black-clothed woman didn’t answer. She giggled and reached out to grab the shiny ornament on Zizi’s head. After grabbing it, without even looking she stuffed it into her mouth. As soon as Zizi snatched it back, the black-clothed woman burst into loud wailing.
“Mother Empress, when I saw this sister, she wasn’t like this. At that time she was very clever, not foolish like now. She walked like flying, extremely beautiful.”
Zizi had never told lies since childhood—Zhangsun was clear about this. Since the person had been fine just a moment ago, how could she have become like this in such a short time? Looking again at the broken steel sword on the ground, the bloody crossbow bolt, and the countless chopping marks on the window frame, she immediately understood that the black-clothed woman had become like this after a great battle with Xiao Wu.
“Lady Di Wu, what happened? If this expert is under your restriction, release her. This Palace needs her to treat Zizi’s illness. No matter what enmity you have, you must set it aside.”
Zhangsun’s words were spoken with chilling intent, not allowing Xiao Wu the slightest disobedience.
Xiao Wu smiled bitterly and said: “In reply to Your Majesty, from beginning to end it was this expert who came looking for trouble with this concubine. She wanted this concubine’s daughter, and naturally this concubine wouldn’t give her. I hid everywhere, but even when I hid in the Maze Forest, she refused to let me go.”
“If you look at the window frame, you’ll know. At that time, this concubine was hiding in the house trembling with fear while she frantically chopped at the window frame like a madwoman. The steel sword broke, and as a result, she was bitten by the Scorpion King. In her fear, she loudly shouted something like ‘primordial infant child, my heart’s lamp,’ and after that became like this. This concubine was at a complete loss when Your Majesty arrived.”
Zhangsun stared coldly at Xiao Wu for a long time. Not seeing anything wrong on Xiao Wu’s face, she then turned her head to ask Duan Hong: “You’re an expert in martial arts. Have you ever heard of this martial technique?”
Duan Hong shook her head and said: “This servant doesn’t know. The martial techniques under heaven are numerous and complicated. Our imperial family’s technique is called Chicken Crow and Dog Thief. Primordial Infant Child? This servant truly isn’t clear about this technique. However, since it mentions primordial infant, it must be one of Daoism’s closely guarded secrets. Your Majesty need only summon Daoist experts to inquire and you’ll know. If that doesn’t work, finding Master Sun Simiao will definitely solve this mystery.”
“Bring her. We’re going to find Daoist Sun.” Zhangsun gave the order to Duan Hong, then looked at Xiao Wu again and said slowly: “I know that you and your master actually have some secrets. Bin Meiren, Fox Charmer—these strange sayings, when your master returns, he will definitely have to give this Palace an explanation. This Palace has been tearing at your master’s face for more than ten years and still hasn’t torn off a human skin mask, so he passed. As for you, from the very beginning when your master was unwilling to marry you into the imperial palace, this Palace wanted to know what reason made him so worried about you. I’ve asked countless times, but your master just won’t say. I can see he’s protecting you. He loves you very much—his love for you even exceeds his respect for this Palace.”
“He can be said to have been personally raised by this Palace. For him to develop such feelings for you is too strange. I used to think he had romantic feelings for you, but when he betrothed you to Di Renjie, I understood it wasn’t that. So I’m very curious, extremely curious. When your master returns, the truth will eventually be revealed to the world.”
Xiao Wu raised her head with reddened eyes and looked at Zhangsun stubbornly, saying: “This young woman also wants to know what virtue or ability I have to make him so concerned about me. This young woman only has reverence for Master. In my heart, his position is even slightly more important than my father’s. When I most needed protection, it was Master who shielded me from all wind and rain. In kindness, I’m not as good as Shishi. In benevolence, I’m not as good as Ren Jie. All I can offer is cunning and strange ways. I’m not worth Master expending such effort on me. When Your Majesty questions him, please allow this young woman to listen at the side.”
Zhangsun chuckled and nodded in agreement, then was about to leave. Zizi happily held the Scorpion King’s tail sting and led the way ahead. She very much enjoyed watching the poisonous creatures throughout the forest fleeing before her.
Seeing Zizi happy, Zhangsun was also pleased. This child hadn’t been this happy in a long time. It seemed she had great confidence that this woman could cure her illness. Indeed, Zizi’s condition was congenital—heaven’s punishment for the imperial family. Naturally, Daoist Sun was powerless to reverse it. But this woman’s condition was acquired. This shouldn’t stump Master Sun, right?
Watching the Empress leave the forest, the sorrowful expression on Xiao Wu’s face immediately disappeared. With one foot on the step, she stroked her smooth chin and pondered to herself: “Indeed so. Master’s behavior is truly somewhat strange. Among the three master-sister-brothers, Master truly put the deepest effort into me. Even Xiao Jie, the founding senior disciple, can’t compare in this regard. But he’s also the strictest with me. Why?”
She looked back again at the courtyard gate. Confirming that Zhangsun had gone far, only then did she mutter to herself: “Master has so many secrets in his heart. So what if you’re the Empress? He still won’t tell you. I wonder if getting Master drunk would let me hear some secrets?”
Sun Simiao frowned as he looked at the giant infant-woman before him and said to the expectant Zhangsun: “She doesn’t have any serious problems. She took an arrow to the waist and ribs—it penetrated two fen into the flesh, not heavy. A sharp weapon pierced a small hole in her shoulder—also not serious. The wound at her waist and ribs contains this old man’s specially made anesthetic. She should be unconscious at this time, but looking at her appearance, she’s very lucid. No toxins were found in the small wound on her shoulder—it’s not the main cause of her current condition.”
“When people sleep, they naturally curl into the position they had in the womb, because that posture is the most comfortable. Now this woman has reverted to an infant state. This can only explain that she’s in a state of extreme terror. Hmph! Yun Ye and his disciples are all experts at attacking the heart. This small hole on the woman’s shoulder must be the masterwork of that Scorpion King in Zizi’s hands. Who would think that such a terrifying poisonous creature was actually a worthless thing without half a bit of toxicity? She must have been extremely terrified in her heart, then taking advantage of when her mind was in complete chaos, they ambushed her with a strong crossbow smeared with anesthetic, achieving the purpose of putting someone to death. A worthless thing like the Scorpion King can only possess infinite might in the hands of Yun Ye’s master and disciples. A perfectly good worldly expert was scared until her spirit and flesh separated. This really doesn’t make any sense.”
Zhangsun didn’t want to know the course of events. Right now, the only thing she wanted to know was whether this woman could regain consciousness.
“Daoist Sun, do you know when this expert can awaken?”
“It’s very simple. When the outside world transmits a sense of safety that she genuinely feels, she will naturally awaken.”
“How to transmit it? Transmit what?”
“A mother’s murmuring, a father’s laughter, gurgling flowing water, gentle breeze, a warm room…”