“There’s been an incident in Ying Gong City,” Chen Dachang shook his head. “We may need to wait a bit longer.”

The two crane spirits were unhappy, but New Xia usually fed them well, and the Queen commanded deep respect. At this moment, they dared not simply leave.

Yu Haizhen’s eyes flickered slightly as she watched Chen Dachang walk to her side and look down at her.

“What?” she said coldly, her voice not without mockery. “Aren’t you supposed to be saving me?”

Chen Dachang, who regularly studied medicine under Feng Miaojun and understood pharmacology, saw that Yu Haizhen’s exposed hands, neck, and face were covered with black energy. He pressed her hand twice and noticed that the indentations took a long time to recover.

“Such powerful poison,” he observed. There was severe swelling, yet life force remained within. If she hadn’t been struck so close to the heart, the poison shouldn’t have progressed this far. But this toxin was peculiar, outside his realm of knowledge. “Have you diagnosed yourself?”

Yu Haizhen couldn’t help but sneer: “Weren’t you the one who could save my life? How is it you can’t even identify what poison I’ve been afflicted with?”

Chen Dachang gave her a look, perplexed: “Are you risking your life just to be spiteful?”

Yu Haizhen’s expression darkened further. Spiteful? She was merely mocking this person’s toad yawning—such grandiose claims.

“Or perhaps you don’t know yourself?” The more Chen Dachang thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. If one couldn’t identify the poison’s properties, one couldn’t administer the appropriate remedy. That would make sense.

Was this reverse psychology? Yu Haizhen twisted her lips: “Even if I knew, it wouldn’t help. This is corpse poison.”

Chen Dachang raised his eyebrows, surprise flashing in his eyes. “You’ve already taken medicine, haven’t you?” So it was this obscure poison—no wonder Yu Haizhen had no antidote. But she must have tried various methods, otherwise she couldn’t have lasted until now.

Corpse poison would erode living organisms, causing black spots, swelling, and other post-mortem characteristics. Then the body would begin to dry up and stiffen, eventually turning into a zombie, a monster wandering the human realm.

Chen Dachang also realized that Yu Haizhen had been using her cultivation to fight against the corpse’s poison, preventing the toxin from flowing into her heart. That’s why she couldn’t spare any strength to fight enemies. Fortunately so, otherwise he could never have subdued a kingdom’s State Preceptor, even in her severely injured state.

He pondered for a few moments, then took out two medicinal pills and held them to Yu Haizhen’s lips. She turned her head away, refusing to take them.

Who knew what quack doctor had concocted these pills? How could she take them so casually?

Chen Dachang noticed the flash of disdain in her eyes: “If I wanted to kill you, why would I waste medicinal pills?” Seeing her lips still tightly closed, he simply grabbed her jaw, his fingertips prying open her teeth. He stuffed the pills in and then gently stroked her throat.

He was somewhat displeased, after all, these pills were made by Her Majesty the Queen herself.

High-quality medicinal pills dissolve as soon as they enter the throat, considering that patients might be too weak to swallow medication. Yu Haizhen had no time to spit them out before the medicine flowed down her throat, transforming into a warm current.

She was about to glare at him angrily when a feeling of comfort rose in her abdomen.

Strange, it did seem to have some effect. She closed her eyes and silently circulated her energy.

Chen Dachang waited. After only half a cup of tea’s time following her taking the medicine, the black energy on her face receded slightly, and even the swelling diminished somewhat. Only then did he say softly: “Corpse poison erodes the source of one’s vital essence. These two pills can strengthen life force, and their ingredients are worth their weight in gold.”

After a long while, Yu Haizhen finally opened her eyes to look at him: “The medicine is good, but it cannot cure corpse poison.”

“I said I would keep you from dying,” Chen Dachang spread his hands. “I delivered on my promise, but I never claimed I could cure you completely.” His medical knowledge, while decent, was not as profound as Feng Miaojun’s, nor likely as comprehensive as Yu Haizhen’s before him, so he made no grandiose claims.

He had indeed said that. Yu Haizhen felt a lump in her throat and after a while slowly said: “Thank you.”

She had been so cold before, and now she was suddenly thanking him. Chen Dachang’s face showed slight surprise.

But Yu Haizhen was not an unreasonable person. With poison reaching her heart vessels, even with Hu Tian protecting her, the corpse poison had spread throughout her body, potentially ending her life at any moment. Although Chen Dachang had brought her here by force, he had stabilized her condition with medicine, preventing her injuries from worsening further. From any perspective, this was extending her life.

She was not someone who didn’t know gratitude.

“For at least five to seven days, my condition won’t deteriorate further,” Yu Haizhen looked at him, the previous anger on her face now gone. “Hu Tian said you and your companion came specifically to find me. Now, you can explain your intentions.”

During the two days after falling from the cliff, she naturally questioned Hu Tian about his failings. The little monkey had recounted the whole story, of course with embellishments, so Yu Haizhen knew these two had come for her. Although she had fallen into the abyss too early to hear Feng Miaojun’s true identity, it didn’t prevent her from being fully alert around the person before her.

But from another perspective, having ulterior motives meant they would keep her alive, allowing her to assess the situation. Having spent so many years in the treacherous world of fame and fortune, Yu Haizhen naturally understood the meaning of “value.”

Chen Dachang scratched his head, somewhat troubled.

The secrets Feng Miaojun carried were known to no one else, and she certainly wouldn’t tell Chen Dachang. As her loyal servant carrying out her orders, why would he need to ask “why?”

So he didn’t know the answer either and could only respond vaguely: “When the time comes, you will naturally know.”

This person truly lacked sincerity! Yu Haizhen’s face cooled: “I fear you’ll end up with nothing.”

Chen Dachang thought she was worried about her life—after all, who wouldn’t be upset with only seven days to live? So he comforted her: “Don’t worry, that definitely won’t happen.” As long as he found the Queen within this timeframe, his mission would be completed.

Was she an egg? Yu Haizhen’s face darkened. This person was truly disrespectful.

The cave suddenly grew quiet. The two looked at each other, both feeling there was nothing more to say. The water in the pot had not yet boiled, and occasionally the crackling of firewood would break the monotony.

With her severe injuries and two days of hardship, interspersed with only brief rest, Yu Haizhen was completely exhausted. The fire had warmed the cave to feel like spring, and having taken the medicine, she leaned against the rock wall, her eyelids growing heavy, and unconsciously fell into slumber.

This sleep seemed very long and sweet. In her dream, she was still the fifteen-year-old unmarried girl from years ago, relieved of the many heavy burdens of national rise and fall.

No matter how beautiful a place is, people grow tired of it after staying too long, let alone this small patch of pastoral scenery inside the tiny bottle.

Who knows how long Yun Ya had been gone? Feng Miaojun’s body was recovering rapidly. But she had tried twice and couldn’t get out, clearly Yun Ya had commanded this magical tool not to allow her free passage in and out of the bottle.

When he reappeared, Feng Miaojun was eating noodles. Upon seeing him, she put down her bowl and demanded: “So you finally remember to come back?”

She had long been bored to death, though this accusatory opening didn’t seem quite right.