Mo Bai moved to force his way through, but was driven back by a single palm strike from Hu Shuang.
He was only a physician; his martial skill was no better than average, and he was no match for Hu Shuang whatsoever.
With Hu Shuang blocking the way, he had absolutely no means of reaching Feng Jiu’er.
He could only watch, helpless, as that dark and glistening venom beetle bored into Feng Jiu’er’s body inch by inch.
Even without seeing its movements inside her, it was as though he could see it tunneling into the very core of her heart.
“My Lady — the Prince will be furious when he learns of this!” Unable to break free of Hu Shuang’s grip, Mo Bai could only stare at the Lady of Butterfly Valley and shout.
But the Lady of Butterfly Valley merely watched Feng Jiu’er’s body begin to tremble faintly, and the smile at the corner of her lips continued to deepen.
“It is too late to stop it now. The venom beetle has gone in — look, it is already boring its way into Feng Jiu’er’s body.”
A glint of excitement rose in her eyes, and gradually, that excitement grew more and more intense.
At last, after a violent convulsion wracked through Feng Jiu’er’s body, she went completely still.
And the venom beetle bored its way back out of Jiu’er’s body and returned to the Lady of Butterfly Valley’s hand.
The venom beetle, which had been dark, slender, and lean before, was now swollen and round — its belly visibly gorged with fresh blood.
Mo Bai stared at Feng Jiu’er, whose complexion had instantly turned ashen — pale as death — and felt as though every last ounce of his own strength had drained away in a single moment.
The Prince would hate him. He would absolutely hate him.
“Mr. Mo Bai — you see how the venom beetle is now. If you do not go and save A’Jiu this very moment, in an hour or two this venom beetle will die, and Feng Jiu’er’s life will have been wasted for nothing.”
Mo Bai’s legs gave out beneath him, and he sank to the ground.
“Mr. Mo Bai, there is no need to be this way. What is done is done — and all you are doing is saving your Prince, is that not so?”
The Lady of Butterfly Valley walked up to him, and the venom beetle was brought into his line of sight.
“Mr. Mo Bai, you know this well enough — A’Jiu trusts only you. If I were the one to use this to cure his Gu Poison, he would certainly be suspicious. But if it is you, he will not know what you hold in your hand, he will not suspect a thing — and he will not refuse.”
Mo Bai said nothing. He only stared at the venom beetle that had drunk its fill of Feng Jiu’er’s heart-blood, his entire being absent and hollow, as though his very soul had left him.
The Prince would hate him. Right now he understood nothing — only this: when the Prince learned the truth, he would hate him without question.
He could not bear the weight of the Prince’s hatred. To him, that would be more terrible than death itself.
And yet that venom beetle continued to drift in and out of his line of sight, and the Lady of Butterfly Valley’s voice fell upon his ears as though from close beside him.
“Mr. Mo Bai, do say something. Do you truly intend to stand by and watch Feng Jiu’er die for nothing — and watch your Prince never recover?”
“Such a fine opportunity is before you now. If you do not seize it, once the venom beetle dies too, A’Jiu will truly have no chance of living.”
“Feng Jiu’er is already dead. Even if you feel guilt, even if you cannot bring yourself to it — at the very least, wait until A’Jiu is saved before you grieve.”
The venom beetle was placed in a crystal dish and put into Mo Bai’s hands.
“Do not tell A’Jiu what this is. Simply tell him you have found a way to purge the Gu Poison. A’Jiu will not suspect you — because he trusts you.”
But it was precisely that phrase — “he trusts you” — that made Mo Bai feel, if anything, even more utterly drained of life.
It was because the Prince trusted him that he could not, all the more, deceive him.
And yet — if he did not deceive him, and the Prince’s poison flared up, they would truly be at a loss for what to do.
“Mr. Mo Bai, do not hesitate any longer. Your hesitation will be the death of A’Jiu.”
…Mo Bai left with the venom beetle — and as he went, he was still hollow-eyed, his soul seeming lost to him.
“My Lady, in this state — can he be trusted?” Hu Shuang was somewhat worried. A hollow-eyed physician was a dangerous thing.
“What is there to fear? Would he truly stand aside and let something happen to A’Jiu without lifting a hand?”
Those who had been cultivated at A’Jiu’s side, who had followed him for so many years — unless they had genuinely turned traitor, every last one of them was unfailingly loyal.
Yu Jingfeng, Mo Bai, the Feilong Shi’er Qi.
The Lady of Butterfly Valley was not worried in the slightest. She had every confidence that Mo Bai would handle things properly.
It was only because she feared that if she accompanied him, A’Jiu would grow suspicious, that she did not go in person. As long as she stayed away, A’Jiu would have no cause for doubt — Mo Bai would certainly be able to cure A’Jiu.
“Go and station people outside Butterfly Valley. Emperor Ji’s people must be kept out at all costs.”
“My Lady need not worry — they went in the opposite direction and cannot possibly return in time.” Hu Shuang dipped her head in acknowledgment.
“I have already made arrangements. Even if they do manage to return, they will not be able to break through.”
“No — I am not at ease. I will guard the valley entrance myself.” Even though they had gone in the opposite direction and the likelihood of their returning was genuinely small — what if Emperor Ji truly did come back?
If she was there herself, she could at least hold him at bay.
She would permit not the slightest opening. This time, everything had to go without a single hitch.
“Then…” Hu Shuang glanced back at Feng Jiu’er, still lying motionless on the white jade bed, her complexion growing more and more deathly pale by the moment.
In truth, there was a thread of reluctance in her heart as well. And most importantly — when the Prince woke and learned everything, he would hate them for it!
She… did not want the Prince to hate her. Just as Mo Bai had thought, to be hated by the Prince would be more painful than death itself.
“My Lady — how shall we deal with her?”
“Throw her to the foot of the cliffs behind the rear mountain. Let it seem as though she disappeared of her own accord — and never mention her again in A’Jiu’s presence.”
“Understood, My Lady.”
Feng Jiu’er did not know where she was. She only knew that her heart hurt terribly — a kind of pain she had never felt before.
It was a pain that was utterly real, undeniably genuine — as though something was boring its way forcefully into her heart.
Later, she seemed to hear someone speaking: only with her heart’s blood could the Ninth Imperial Uncle be saved…
So that was what it was. It was for the sake of saving the Ninth Imperial Uncle.
And so, the last thread of true energy she had gathered — the energy she had been building up to fight back with all her might against the venom beetle — she let it scatter on her own.
If it was for the sake of saving the Ninth Imperial Uncle, then if they wanted her life, let them take it.
She would not die. She absolutely would not die. She, Feng Jiu’er, was not so easily killed!
She felt herself being carried somewhere, drifting in and out, her body suspended in the air.
She did not know how much time passed. At last, she was set down — in a place where the wind was very strong.
Someone crouched beside her. They were very close, and their presence carried no hostility — there was even, faintly, a thread of tenderness and sorrow.
“Though you are in this state now — in truth, I truly envy you.”
That voice was Hu Shuang’s.
Hu Shuang sat beside her, gazing at her bloodless face, and let out a quiet sigh. “At the very least — he is alive because of you. When he finds out in the future, he will carry you in his heart for the rest of his life. He will never forget you, not for as long as he lives.”
She reached into her own clothing and drew out a small vial, tipped a single pill from it, and slipped it quietly into Feng Jiu’er’s mouth…