The "gentle and kind" second young master had never killed a single person, but now, he might have caused several deaths. What kind of outcome does he expect to see when he pushes open this door?
He slowly applied force, but felt that the door was as heavy as a thousand pounds.
"Ah, Young Master Du, you're back! The young master and young mistress have been waiting for you for a long time!" The gatekeeper hurriedly came forward to greet him. Ci Sheng was stunned, her mind went blank, and she subconsciously asked, "They... are back?"
"Yes, the other two young masters have also returned, only Young Master Du is missing. Young Madam, I have instructed you to stay here and wait for Young Master Du to return."
—They're back.
Du Cisheng felt a moment of powerlessness. He couldn't tell what he was feeling. Was he relieved that they were safe, or was he relieved that he hadn't killed anyone?
Unable to think of anything, he mechanically walked with slightly stiff legs toward the inner courtyard.
"Ci Sheng!" Ning Xian came out of the house to greet her, still looking slightly disheveled from her ordeal, as she hadn't had time to tidy herself up. She looked Ci Sheng closely, with a hint of worry, "Are you alright?"
Ci Sheng was stunned. Why did she ask that question? He was the one who left first; what could have happened to him? The ones who were in trouble… were she, and them, not…? “I’m sorry…”
Ning Xian looked slightly bewildered. "What's wrong? Suddenly..."
"I...didn't have time to send a message..."
Ning Xian smiled knowingly, "It's not your fault. I was reckless. I knew your lightness skill was average, but it was too much to ask you to rush to deliver the message. It's okay if you're late. We're back safely now."
Through the open door, he could see Mu Yuan, who was disheveled but not injured, Bai Mo, whose wounds had just been bandaged, and Feng, who was healing herself.
They could have returned safely.
“Ning Xian…”
"Cisheng, you must be tired. Go and rest." Ning Xian smiled and hurriedly pushed him away. Cisheng hesitated for a moment, unsure of what he should or could do. But he knew one thing: there was nothing for him to do here... He nodded slowly and walked toward his room.
Ning Xian watched him leave, the smile on her face slowly fading, and a hint of sadness seemed to rise to her face.
"What, you still plan to keep him by your side?" Mu Yuan appeared out of nowhere and stood behind her, watching as she did so.
"What are you saying?"
"You know the truth in your heart, why deceive yourself?"
Ning Xian sighed softly, "I can't blame him... I'm the one who owes him this."
Mu Yuan tapped her head with her fan and said in a strange voice, "You! You'll be killed sooner or later!"
Ning Xian curled the corners of her lips into a smile, but it was hard to call it a "smile." Before today, she had never imagined...
She grew up in a demonic cult, witnessing and participating in countless acts of violence. Some things became commonplace for her; she never truly considered the harm her actions caused others, or even if she did, she wouldn't have cared. Therefore, she completely forgot that Ci Sheng could hate her…
She preferred that Ci Sheng was simply too late.
After they returned, Ni Chang received news that Ci Sheng had indeed gone there, but it was too late. However, just in case, Ni Chang had already contacted the nearest sentry. In any case, the matter was not over yet, and Ghost Face and the Great Protector were still a danger; sending more people was always a good precaution.
She went back into the house, glanced at Feng's slightly pale face, but didn't want to disturb him while he was practicing his internal energy.
Bai Mo walked to her side. "I should thank you."
She shook her head. "This was originally our fault. For the Bai family, it was just an undeserved disaster."
Bai Mo turned to look at the door and let out a long breath—after this ordeal, he seemed to have seen many things more clearly. However, accustomed to keeping all his emotions inside, he remained outwardly calm and asked, "Is there any way to cure Second Brother's poison?"
Ning Xian nodded. "While the Blissful Heaven is more familiar with poisons, Feng is not an expert in this area. The medical hall in the Netherworld is overseen by King Garuda, but he has been ill for a long time and is unable to come... By the way, he is the adoptive father of the woman you met who was acting as Garuda's successor. Therefore, Feng has carefully examined the poison Bai Yan was afflicted with, described it in detail, and then had Ni Chang send a message back to ask King Garuda to prepare a medicine, along with his guidance. Although it will not be as effective as the antidote, it should be fine." He said this, but he also understood that this was merely a last resort.
In her opinion, they should bring in reinforcements to directly break through the Xuanlang Sect's headquarters and force the Grand Protector and Ghost Face to hand over the antidote.
That was clearly her style, but she inexplicably hesitated on this matter. She felt inexplicably uneasy about the Great Protector and Ghost Face, as if something was about to happen to them.
If possible, she doesn't want to have anything to do with them anymore.
All we can do now is wait, wait for the Netherworld to send someone over.
...
"Little lambs awaiting salvation, the great Kinnara has arrived—"
"Bang--!!"
Just as Kinnara climbed over the courtyard wall, he was knocked down by a stool. Feng's cold gaze swept over the area below the wall, then she dragged another stool from the side and sat down.
People who are injured or poisoned are often more depressed and irritable.
"Hey Lord Feng, aren't you going too far?" Kinnara got up from the ground, dusted off his clothes, and walked over to complain, "I came all this way to bring you the antidote and support. It's one thing if you don't come to welcome me, but is this how you treat me?"
When Ning Xian turned around from the kitchen, he saw Kinnara with his sleeves rolled up, ready to argue with Feng. He was slightly annoyed... Shouldn't they bring the internal conflict between Youmingtian and Jiletian here?
She stepped forward and placed the tray between the two, putting it on the table and shoving the porcelain bowl on it into Kinnara's hands. "You've worked hard. Have some soup. Here's the antidote."
"Duanxian'er, can't you at least be a little more polite to me? You come here and immediately ask for the antidote... I must say, the Bai family's hospitality is really peculiar. Elsewhere they serve tea, but here they serve soup—what kind of soup is this?"
"Cordyceps and toad soup".
"..." Kinnara's hand, which was about to lift the lid, froze, worried that if he did, he might find a stewed toad... (You really have a vivid imagination).
"Broken String... I know it's been a long and tiring journey for me... but you don't have to give me this stuff as soon as I arrive, do you?"
"Want some or not? If not, give it to me!" Who would cook this for you? There's soup as soon as you walk in. Do you think the timing is just perfect?
"No, no, it's very nourishing, why don't you drink it?"
Ning Xian scoffed at him—Be careful you don't make your nose bleed!