Jun Beiyue took the antidote and opened it to find a single pill inside.
He arched an eyebrow at the Duku Elder, his tone unusually courteous. “Forgive this junior’s ignorance, but how might one verify the authenticity of this antidote?”
The Duku Elder gave a dismissive snort. “Have the Princess Consort take it. A blood test in a moment will tell you everything.”
Jun Beiyue didn’t hesitate for a moment—but Ziqing grew uneasy. From the look of things, the relationship between the Duku Elder and Jun Beiyue seemed anything but cordial.
Every word they’d exchanged just now had clearly carried hidden meaning. Was the antidote even genuine?
“Don’t worry, I’m right here,” Jun Beiyue said in a low voice, handing the antidote to Ziqing. He wasn’t the least bit afraid the Duku Elder might try to deceive them—they were, after all, right in the heart of Duku itself. If he simply tore off the Duku Elder’s black robe and exposed his true face to everyone, without Jun Beiyue even needing to lift a finger, this wretched Baili Weisheng would likely be dead within moments, torn apart by a thousand poisons.
That said, this was the first time in his life Jun Beiyue had genuinely, wholeheartedly admired someone—this man had dared to kill the real Duku Elder and impersonate the master of Duku for all this time. That truly took nerve.
With Jun Beiyue’s assurance, Ziqing felt reassured. She asked for a cup of water and quickly swallowed the pill.
Seeing this, the Duku Elder couldn’t help but let out a small, quiet breath. Regardless of the circumstances under which the girl had taken the antidote, if it truly cured the enchanting fragrance, then at least she was out of danger now.
Heaven only knew what might happen if the enchanting fragrance continued lying dormant in her body, never erupting, only building up further and further!
At last, the weight that had pressed on his heart all this time finally lifted, and he felt strangely, wonderfully lighter.
He walked over to Ziqing, his clear eyes glinting with a mischievous smile, though in the dim light, Ziqing couldn’t quite make it out.
“Give me your hand,” he said, his voice still oddly eerie.
Ziqing eyed him suspiciously, but held out her hand.
The Duku Elder took a single drop of blood from her fingertip and let it fall into a clean cup of clear water, for Jun Beiyue to see.
“Look. You should know what this means.”
Physician Gu had secretly tested her blood before, but the blood drawn then had always come out murky. Jun Beiyue understood clearly what he was seeing now—the drop of blood falling into the clean water was vivid, unmistakably clear. The enchanting fragrance was cured.
He was overjoyed at once, pulling Ziqing close, gazing at her silently for a long moment, unable to find words. Although he hadn’t brought this matter up with her every single day—to anyone watching, he might have even seemed to have forgotten about it entirely—
But heaven only knew how much it had weighed on him. If the enchanting fragrance ever erupted while it lay dormant in her body, and she couldn’t bear it, he’d be powerless to help. And if it never erupted, just continuing to accumulate within her, sooner or later, disaster would strike.
He had worried about it almost every single day. When she was by his side, he feared the poison might flare up and leave him helpless to stop it. When she wasn’t with him, he feared it might erupt and leave her vulnerable to harm.
He’d even, at times when their affection ran deepest and he longed to grow closer to her, held himself back out of fear it might trigger the fragrance’s onset.
He had searched relentlessly, until at last he found Shiliang—and the very reason he’d once felt such guilt toward Shiliang was precisely because of her physical constitution, because of her connection to Ziqing.
The punishment Ziqing had dealt Shiliang was Ziqing’s own affair—he had never been a particularly kind man himself, and of course he’d known all along that Shiliang had been abducted here by Baili Weisheng. Otherwise, why would he have called off Yingzi’s search for her?
Bringing Shiliang to Duku to have her blood tested had, in truth, been laying bait for Baili Weisheng all along!
And sure enough, Baili Weisheng had taken it!
Because of the enchanting fragrance, he and Ziqing had gone from strangers on entirely separate paths to what they were today—inseparable, bound together through life and death, lovers who’d share their fate to the end.
The enchanting fragrance meant more to them than either of them could easily put into words.
Had it not been for the enchanting fragrance, would he, the illustrious Prince Yao of Da Zhou, ever have so much as looked twice at a mere concubine-born daughter of the Prime Minister’s household? Had it not been for the enchanting fragrance, would she, a twenty-first century mercenary transmigrated into the body of a lowly concubine’s daughter, ever have resigned herself to letting fate toy with her, ever have endured all that suffering within Prince Yao’s household?
Everything—everything had happened because of the enchanting fragrance.
And now, at last, it could finally be cured!
Ziqing gazed at Jun Beiyue, joy overflowing in her heart. So it really was the antidote after all—this gift would surely be the most unforgettable one she’d ever receive in her entire life.
“This… this magnificent gift from Prince Yao… this humble consort accepts it, and treasures it greatly… I’ll remember it for the rest of my life!” Ziqing said earnestly, her small face unable to hold back a smile blooming like a flower.
What he loved most was seeing her smile like this, so pure and unguarded—he would gladly trade the whole world for it, let alone something as small as an antidote.
The two of them, husband and wife, gazed at each other silently, smiling in shared understanding. There were no moving words exchanged, not even an embrace—and yet, in that quiet, smiling silence, anyone watching could feel the happiness radiating between them, as though, in that single moment, flowers bloomed across the land and all was at peace with the world.
Baili Weisheng watched quietly, and despite himself, a knowing smile touched the corner of his lips. In that moment, he had to admit, he’d forgotten entirely about the one task he was meant to accomplish in this life—bringing her home.
The antidote had been given, and the favor granted. Baili Weisheng thought that surely Jun Beiyue would return the courtesy now and let him off the hook—he had no objection to the two of them lingering here, lost in each other, for as long as they liked; he’d be more than happy to lend them the chamber.
It was time for him to slip away too. Watching Ziqing’s happy expression, an unfamiliar pang of bittersweet self-mockery flickered through Baili Weisheng’s eyes, unnoticed even by himself, as he silently moved to slip out through the side door.
But just then, even as Jun Beiyue was still gazing at Han Ziqing’s warm smile, he spoke up. “Esteemed Elder of Duku, do stay a moment. Elder Sha Qiuzi also asked this junior to consult you on a few matters.”
Baili Weisheng stopped dead in his tracks, gritting his teeth so hard he nearly snapped at Jun Beiyue on the spot, “Could you possibly show a little decency, kid!”
But he didn’t dare say it aloud—the man held his secret in the palm of his hand.
He dragged his voluminous black robe back around, a smile plastered on that clearly didn’t reach his eyes. “How many matters would that be, exactly?”
Jun Beiyue’s smile was equally hollow as he turned to look at him. “The lone island’s orphans—those immune to all poisons, with the toxic scar on their faces—is there any way to change that?”
The moment he said it, Baili Weisheng’s heart skipped violently, and Ziqing, too, suddenly turned serious, looking over.
“The toxic scar exists because of the concentrated poison contained within it, and that very poison is the source of their immunity to all toxins. If the poison within the scar could be extracted, would the scar shrink, would the person no longer possess the immunity?” Jun Beiyue asked earnestly.
Ziqing looked at him without meaning to. So this man had been searching for a solution all along—he had never once stopped working toward finding the lone island.
If, as he suspected, the scar truly could be cured, wouldn’t that mean the immunity to all poisons could be destroyed too—meaning no one could ever again use her to cultivate human gu?
This, surely, was the true root-and-branch solution.
The lone island—her home—how could they possibly stop searching, stop caring about it?
Yet Baili Weisheng didn’t answer, only narrowing his eyes slightly…