Neun Lieder - Kapitel 163
As they spoke, the needle had already pierced several feet, staining the gray-brown fox fur with a few streaks of light red.
"emperor!"
"It's nothing, just a minor injury." His gaze was deep, but his smile remained undiminished. "Third Sister, I'd like to see today what kind of place I, Tuoba Chen, hold in your heart. Could it be that I'm not even as important as a brat you've only known for a few months?"
"She is my daughter!"
“You know she’s not the mistress.”
His face froze for a moment.
His fingernails dug into his palm: "I don't care, all I know is that she's flesh of this body, and I have a responsibility towards her..."
"Hehe, alright then. Little San, now, you can only choose between me and her. Tell me, who do you choose?" His nonchalant demeanor seemed to indicate that it was none of his business, and his relaxed tone made it seem as if he were discussing a topic unrelated to himself. But the more he acted this way, the more Rong Yue saw his cruelty.
An overwhelming sense of grievance welled up in her eyes, transforming into a long-lost, vast ocean of clouds. Bitterness condensed, dripping onto the tattered clothes: "Why are you forcing me? Why are you forcing me? I never intended to hurt you, I just wanted to save my daughter..."
"Alright, tell me your answer." He hardened his heart, ignoring her tear-streaked, heartbroken face, and turned away, forcing himself to be cruel. Don't blame him for being cruel, but he was truly unwilling to accept it. He was unwilling to accept that his heart belonged only to her, while she refused to acknowledge his place, that her heart could be torn into pieces, and that even a little brat could hold a significant place in her heart! He was unwilling, truly unwilling. He had given so much, and he was unwilling to receive only such a tiny, insignificant reward…
Her hand holding the needle trembled slightly, hesitant to insert or withdraw it, her trembling body revealing her near-collapse.
The air seemed to freeze, heavy and oppressive like the chilling atmosphere of an ancient tomb. Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the needle reflecting the silver light in the cold sunlight. That slightly trembling silver light seemed to pulse in their hearts, affecting their every breath…
"I'm sorry." Soft fingertips caressed the tiny wound, her voice hoarse and strained: "I'm sorry, my selfishness hurt you again. But I promise, there will never be a next time."
Grasping Rongyue's hand excitedly, Tuoba Chen couldn't contain his joy: "Little San, you..."
"Using hurt to achieve my goals will only hurt myself more in the end. Why bother? Ha, I still can't get rid of my old habit of being impulsive!"
Rongyue's bitter smile pained him: "Mistress, don't be like this..."
"That sacred herb is very important to you, isn't it?"
Looking at Rongyue, he nodded with a complex and heavy expression: "Hao'er was poisoned by a villain when he was young. Although most of it has been neutralized, the remaining poison remains in his body. If this poison is not eliminated, he may not live to adulthood. Because he is still young, the effects of the Sacred Immortal Herb are too strong, and I'm afraid he won't be able to withstand it. So I wanted to wait until he was older and then use the Sacred Immortal Herb to cleanse the remaining poison from his body... Xiao San, you know, he is my brother's only child, I cannot..."
Covering Tuoba Chen's lips, Rongyue smiled with relief: "It's alright. If it were me, I would have made the same choice. Besides, I still owe Yu Yan a lot."
Rongyue's laughter made him feel uneasy for no reason.
"Don't worry, mistress, I'll find a way to handle your daughter's matter..."
"Are there any herbs that look similar to the Holy Immortal Herb?"
"you mean……"
Just as you suspected, it's a case of passing off the real thing as the fake!
...
Holding the counterfeit herbs, Rongyue dismounted and walked heavily toward the agreed-upon dilapidated temple.
Recalling the terror Tuoba Chen felt before he fainted, Rongyue smiled bitterly. What kind of person was Tuoba Jie? Before the herbs even entered his mouth and took effect, would he give the antidote to Gouwa? If he discovered that she had given him counterfeit herbs, one could only imagine what he might do in his rage.
She owed Tuoba Chen too much, but his infatuation was too intense. She could easily imagine that the one who would stand in front of her when Tuoba Chen attacked her was none other than that infatuated man. If she didn't knock him unconscious, she would probably owe him again!
She would rather be the one to get hurt and suffer than let him be in danger.
If you hurt her, only her body will suffer; but if you hurt him, his heart will ache...
Ah, so she was selfish again!
"The Immortal Herb has arrived?" The childlike tone was gone, replaced by a gloomy and frightening chill.
She sneered, pulled out some herbs from her sleeve, and waved them lightly in front of him. She never imagined that the idiom "inviting a wolf into the house" would one day happen to her. She didn't know whether to laugh at her foolish pity back then, or lament her current misfortune.
Her phoenix eyes lit up, and she reached out to grab the herb, but in the next instant, she stuffed it back into her sleeve.
"Detoxification."
He narrowed his eyes dangerously: "You dare to negotiate with me?"
"Why wouldn't I dare? The herbs are in my hands now, what do I have to fear from you?"
With a cold, gloomy expression, Jian Rongyue looked him up and down, then clapped his hands and curled his lips into a wicked smile: "What a curious soul! It's a real pity that she's a girl."
"Women are just as capable as men, has Your Majesty never heard of this saying?" Her spine was straight, her imposing manner undiminished, and she glanced at him with aloofness and coldness.
"You may admire it, but I will not break the rules. Bring me the herbs, and once I recover, I will naturally detoxify your child."
"No way. What will happen to my Gouwa if you take the herbs and then deny it!"
"I, the Palace Mistress, always keep my word and never speak lightly! You'd better stop worrying about things that don't exist and bring the herbs over!"
"But I don't want to break my rules. Don't worry, I always keep my word. As long as you relieve Gouwa first, I won't play any tricks and will obediently hand over the herbs to you."
"You're really going to take me on?"
"You could say that."
He stared coldly at Rongyue for a long while, and seeing that she refused to compromise, a glint of light flashed in his eyes. Finally, he took out a porcelain bottle and poured out a red pill: "Your child needs the Bright Antidote to completely remove the poison. But there's only one left, and the rest are at the main headquarters. I'll compromise and give her this one first. Once I've recovered, you can come with me to the main headquarters to get the other one, how about that?"
Rongyue didn't believe his explanation. But everything should be done in moderation; curing half the poison was probably already a huge concession on his part.
Nodding in agreement, Rongyue watched as Gouwa's complexion gradually regained its rosy hue after swallowing the medicine, and he showed signs of waking up. She lowered her eyes to hide the turmoil in them, took out some herbs, and handed them to him.
Tuoba Jie, unsuspecting, sat cross-legged with the herbs in his hands. Soon, a ball of red energy gathered in his palm, wrapping the herbs in layers. The dark red energy swirled, and after a short while, a wisp of green smoke rose from the herbs, drifting gracefully into his nostrils...
Picking up Gouwa, Rongyue quietly moved towards the temple entrance.