She was about to turn around and tell Feng to get him another bowl when she saw Feng disappear in a flash, and her hands suddenly became empty.
"Hey??" Kinnara looked up and searched for his soup, but Feng had appeared beside him at some point, shoved the empty porcelain bowl back into his hand, and walked away without saying a word.
"A broken string..."
"What?"
"My soup..."
Ning Xian turned around, glanced at the empty porcelain cup, and shrugged, saying, "Isn't this all gone? Want more? No."
"Hey..." It wasn't him who finished drinking it, is it? You can't just bully people like this.
Chapter 51
The medicine brought by Kinnara was not entirely ineffective. Since Feng's understanding and analysis of poisons were accurate, even though Garuda King could not come in person, the medicine he prepared was probably quite accurate. It's just that the formulations of poisons vary slightly from family to family, with some unique aspects that outsiders cannot fully understand.
Bai Mo initially knew nothing about poisons and didn't perceive anything unusual. He simply thought it was like being sick; although a doctor couldn't personally diagnose and treat the illness, as long as the right medicine was prescribed, there wouldn't be any major problems. However, after Kinnara explained how his uniquely prepared poison differed from ordinary poisons, how it couldn't be eradicated without a special antidote, and how the medicine he used might even interact negatively with certain components of the poison, Bai Mo broke out in a cold sweat. He thought to himself that they truly lived up to their reputation as members of the Demonic Sect—both audacious and reckless. Bai Yan wasn't even dead yet, and they were already trying anything as a last resort.
Fortunately, Bai Yan was lucky; after being given a bowl of medicine, he groggily woke up. Mu Yuan was smug, thinking that they hadn't guessed wrong after all. Although the eldest son of Chongtian Tower wanted to use Bai Yan and Bai Mo to lure them in, he didn't actually intend to kill them. How could such a treacherous person have a grudge against the Bai family?
Seeing Bai Yan open his eyes, Bai Mo finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Second brother, how are you feeling? Is there anything else that's bothering you?"
Although he was still groggy and couldn't figure out what was going on... could he say that he felt unwell all over?
He struggled to get up, but only fell back down. Kinnara watched without offering any help. Bai Mo tried to help him up, but was pushed away. Bai Yan stubbornly insisted on getting up by himself, falling back down every time he tried. Kinnara watched for a while, then nodded, seemingly understanding. "That's about it for now."
"Temporarily!? How long is 'temporarily'?" Bai Yan stared at him fiercely, while Kinnara shrugged. "I'm not a doctor."
Bai Mo helped Bai Yan sit up against the headboard. This time, he didn't refuse. He seemed to remember what had happened and understand the current situation.
"Second brother, don't worry. Young Master Mu Yuan said that as long as you can get the antidote, you will recover quickly."
Bai Yan didn't respond, but leaned softly against the headboard and groaned a couple of times. Maybe this was for the best. From now on, he could openly and honestly live a life of leisure and wait for death, while his older brother became outstanding, capable, and took on everything.
Kinnara had no interest in Bai Yan. Seeing that he was awake and alright, he put his arm around Bai Mo's shoulder and pulled him aside, asking mysteriously, "Hey Bai Dutang, how are things going between you and Duan Xian'er?"
Bai Mo smiled faintly, avoiding the main point and concealing the slight embarrassment in his expression, "There's no need to call me that, just call me Bai Mo."
"What kind of time is this to be concerned about how you address someone? Hey, you don't actually want to just stand by and watch Duanxian'er run off with that Feng, do you? This is something no man can tolerate! Especially not that Feng from the Paradise of Bliss!"
...So your question isn't about "running," but about the person you're running with?
"I'm telling you, that wooden kite isn't the problem, but Feng is definitely a big problem! No matter what, we can't let the people of Youming Heaven be seduced by that butcher from Blissful Heaven—Brother Bai, I support you. When pursuing a woman, you absolutely can't be shy, you can't be indecisive, and you can't be timid. Don't worry, with my help, we'll definitely snatch Duanxian'er back from that butcher's clutches!"
"..." Before Bai Mo could say a word, this "good brother" had already latched onto him and made up the plan. "King Kinnara, regarding this matter, I think..."
"Hey—you don't need to say anything, I understand." He released Bai Mo, pulled out a folding fan from somewhere, opened it with a swish, and smiled dashingly. The four large characters on it were—"The World of Romance."
“I know that Brother Bai is a young master from a respectable family, and he cares about his status, reputation, and rules. So I don’t expect you to have any experience in pursuing women. But with my confidante Kinnara by my side, this little thing is no problem.”
Bai Mo forced a nod and a smile, but he did not explicitly refuse.
He found an excuse to leave the house, relieved that this unexpected disaster had ended without serious harm. However, he knew very well that the matter was not over. He couldn't know how Ning Xian planned to deal with the antidote, and that was not something he could interfere with... He could only recall the scene when Ning Xian came to save him, her sharp and decisive actions, her unwavering resolve, and the way she stood side by side with Feng. Her figure, always protecting him, was so close, yet so far away. Sometimes he had a sense of absurdity, as if it were a storyteller's tale of a reclusive heroine and a wealthy young master, who met by chance and then naturally went their separate ways, never to be seen again. At that time, she was not his betrothed.
Why didn't he directly reject Kinnara's proposal? Was it because he was too assertive, or because he also wanted to leave something behind—not just a chance encounter, but to avoid going their separate ways?
"You seem to be doing quite well."
The familiar voice made him pause, and he came back to his senses, looking up at the willow-green figure standing in front of him—
"Yue Ji?"
"Hmm... I came to see you. I heard you had an accident. We've known each other for so long... but it seems like it doesn't matter whether I come or not."
Bai Mo slightly shifted his gaze, offering a faint, ambiguous smile. He no longer knew how to speak to her, whether he had something to say or not. The woman he knew and loved had suddenly become a stranger.
My own feelings were nothing but an absurd deception.
He steadied his breathing and turned his gaze back. On that calm, serene smiling face, there was no trace of the emotions suppressed deep within him—those things were useless to both him and her, and should be discarded.
I should abandon her, but I can't, I can't bring myself to do it, so I keep her buried deep in my heart, not even glancing at her again. In time, I'll probably forget that such a woman ever existed. But I don't know how long that will take.
On his serene face, his smile remained as gentle as ever, just the right amount, neither too much nor too little.
"Yue Ji, do you already have plans for the future?"
Yue Ji seemed completely unsurprised by Bai Mo's calm and polite demeanor, which showed no sign of being abandoned. She knew this man too well; even if his heart was broken into pieces, he would mend it and continue to act as if nothing had happened, maintaining his status as the young master Bai. If she didn't understand him so well, she wouldn't have been able to deceive him into having such devoted feelings for two years.
She had initially thought that with a little more effort, she could eventually break through his constraints and win him over… but the more she understood him, the more she realized that it was all just a dream. She could never enter the Bai family; even if she did, she was destined to be just a concubine. In this man's mind, hierarchy and social status were perfectly clear. Perhaps such a proper man wouldn't have multiple wives and concubines, but even if he did, it would still be within the bounds of propriety.
If he had only married a typical virtuous wife and loving mother, it wouldn't have mattered much; she wouldn't have been a match for him. But after meeting Ning Xian, she felt that Young Master Bai's place was no longer the best place for her to stay.
"It's alright. Young Master Mu Yuan agreed to take me away. I think this time, I can finally stop having to smile and pretend to be clever and obedient, and live the life I want."
"That's good..." He nodded. "I have other matters to attend to, please excuse me..." Just as he was about to leave, Kinnara, like a cat that had smelled blood, followed him out of the house and looked Yue Ji up and down with great interest. "And this young lady is...?"
Yue Ji smiled and said, "This humble woman is Yue Ji."
That smile startled Bai Mo, and for a moment it felt like the first time they had met. He quickly looked away, turned and walked away, no longer wanting to see anything about Yue Ji.
"Is the young master also a member of the Demonic Sect?"
"If that's what you say, then so be it. I wonder if Miss Yue Ji would be interested in having me take you flying through the sky to enjoy the beautiful scenery together..."
...