The sky over the rivers and lakes is very clear

Chapter 280

Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating his face, and a fine layer of sweat glistened on his smooth forehead.

Mr. Chen lit a wisp of medicinal floss and handed it to Madam Wan. While twisting the needle, she used the floss to fumigate the needle's tip, forcing the medicinal power through the hollow silver needle and into the snow-white eye muscles—this was the seventh day of her treatment for Maple Snow. On the first day, the silver needle turned black immediately after being inserted into the acupoints. After seven days of detoxification, the silver needle had darkened, but the grayish-white tinge remained, indicating that the residual poison could not be extracted.

Chen Muwan felt a pang of heartache and gently wiped the sweat from Feng Xue's forehead with a handkerchief. The muscles around the eyes are extremely delicate and sensitive; one could tell how painful this method of extracting poison with silver needles was just by looking at the beads of sweat on his forehead.

In the past few days, under his mother's skillful hands, Young Master Xiye has almost fully recovered, and Young Master Yan's injuries to his bones and tendons have also greatly improved. Given time, they will be able to fully recover, and even their martial arts skills will not be greatly affected.

Only with Young Master Feng, his mother seemed to have absolutely no confidence in his eyesight...

"Father, Mother, has Young Master Feng's eyes improved?" Chen Muwan couldn't help but ask.

Mr. Chen remained silent. Mrs. Wan, while removing the snow-white silver needles from Feng's face, sighed, "The poison in Young Master Feng's eyes is extremely potent, and it has been there for a long time, penetrating deep into the body. Currently, we can only use hollow silver needles to probe the acupoints around his eyes, slowly drawing out the poison and introducing medication through the needle. Only after the poison is completely removed can we decide on the next treatment method. As for whether his sight can be restored, that remains to be seen..."

Chen Muwan looked somber. Feng Xuese, however, remained composed and said calmly, "Madam, you need not worry about me. My eyes—" He stopped abruptly after saying only a few words, turning his head slightly to listen to the footsteps approaching from afar.

There were about three people approaching, and their footsteps were different. Two of them had heavy steps, but they were heavy but not clumsy, as if they were people with excellent lightness skills carrying heavy objects. The third person was jumping and skipping, and his steps were messy and chaotic. His feet seemed to be rooted to the ground, and his movements were light, restless, and his skills were almost non-existent.

However, the sound of those messy footsteps was the one he knew best, so familiar that he blurted out without even thinking, "Huihui!" A surge of joy welled up in his heart; the child had finally returned!

Sure enough, Zhu Huihui's voice came from outside the quiet room: "Granny Ding, is the hero here?"

Granny Ding, the housekeeper of Hidden Spirit Island, had been standing outside, waiting for the young master to deliver a message. At this moment, she said respectfully, "Miss, Mr. Chen, Madam Wan, and Miss Mu are currently treating the young master's injuries. I'm afraid it's not appropriate to disturb them!"

Feng Xuese smiled slightly: "Grandma Ding, let Huihui in!"

Before Granny Ding could answer, Zhu Huihui shouted, "Yes! Great hero!"

He pushed the door open and his first words upon entering were: "Madam, help!"

Behind her followed closely the two hall masters of Maple Snow City, who were carrying a stretcher.

The person on the stretcher had turned purplish-black, their skin so swollen it was almost reflective. Despite it being the height of summer, a layer of pale frost covered their skin, making them appear at first glance like a frosted eggplant. It was impossible to tell whether they were alive or dead, or even whether they were male or female.

Madam Wan's expression suddenly changed. Without even asking a question, she flicked her delicate hand and five silver needles were already between her fingers, which she gently inserted into the man's fingertips.

The man's fingers were swollen like radishes. As soon as the five needles were inserted, five streams of purplish-black blood gushed out. Even though the two stretcher-bearers were quick to dodge, a few drops of blood were sprayed onto their hands and faces.

Madam Wan's fingernails gleamed like lightning as she pierced the acupoints one after another, her accuracy flawless even through clothing. With each movement, blood gushed from several points all over the man's body, and he deflated like a punctured balloon, turning from a plump eggplant into a raisin in no time, as if all his vital essence had been expelled.

A strange smell permeated the room, a mixture of the stench of blood and the sweet, rotten odor, like dozens of kinds of vegetables and fruits piled together and rotting, giving one an indescribable sense of disgust.

Zhu Huihui ignored all of this. Her first action was to cover her nose with her sleeve, and her second action was to rush to Feng Xuese and ask, "Great hero, are your eyes alright?"

At this moment, no one paid any attention to her except Feng Xuese.

He gently took her hand: "What's wrong with Huihui?" This had almost become a habit of his. In the dark world before him, whenever he encountered something uncertain, only by holding those soft little hands would his heart be strangely calmed down.

"Great hero, everyone from the Blood Pavilion has been killed. We only managed to rescue Song Xiaobei, but she's been poisoned. Madam is saving her!" Zhu Huihui said succinctly.

Although Feng Xuese was confused by what he heard, he was quite shocked. He had no connection with the "colluding" couple, yet everyone from the Bloodstained Pavilion had been killed? What was going on?

Just as she was about to ask for clarification, she heard Chen Muwan say, "Mother, what kind of poison is this? It's incredibly potent!"

Madam Wan's face was as cold as ice as she said, "How could Yu Xiaoyao's poison not be potent?"

Mr. Chen's expression was cold and stern, his gaze sweeping over Zhu Huihui's face like lightning.

Zhu Huihui knew that her teacher was doubting her again. She wanted to explain, but she only moved her lips and finally didn't say anything.

Although she didn't know Yu Xiaoyao, ever since she heard Liu Yue tell the story of the baby girl's arm pattern on the boat, and thought of her own mother's mysterious and strange behavior, she had begun to doubt her own background. She wanted to defend herself, but she felt she lacked the confidence to do so. Therefore, for the first time in her life, she decided to swallow her anger after being wronged.

Upon hearing the name "Yu Xiaoyao," Chen Muwan's face turned ashen, and her body trembled slightly: "Mother, that woman... is she still alive?"

Madam Wan glanced at her daughter's frightened expression and forced a smile: "Although the poison belongs to Yu Xiaoyao, the one who used it may not be her. Child, let's save the person first, and discuss this matter later!"

She instructed, "Mu'er, go and tell the servants to boil a pot of hot vinegar! Please have the two hall masters carry the patient to the bed, being careful not to get blood on them. Remember to scald them with hot water and change their clothes when you get back, and it's best not to drink alcohol for seven days. Miss Zhu, please tell me in detail how the patient was poisoned?" She gave three instructions in one breath.

At that moment, Chen Muwan walked to the door, called over Granny Ding who was standing outside, and instructed her to prepare hot vinegar. The two hall masters of Fengxue City carefully lifted Song Xiaobei onto the bed, then quickly returned to their room to prepare for a bath and change. Zhu Huihui kept her mouth tightly shut, her little face expressionless—even though the two hall masters of Fengxue City were present, why did they insist she speak? Of course, it was because they thought she was someone close to Yu Xiaoyao, therefore she was the one who poisoned her!

Maple Snow said gently, "Grey, tell me, what happened?"

Zhu Huihui was quite petty, harboring resentment because of the fact that the madam had wronged her, and she interpreted everything people said as suspicion. But when Feng Xuese said the same thing, she didn't complain at all, pouting and saying, "That day, after I left Hidden Spirit Island, I met Brother Liuyue on the lake. He had received news that the Fusang turtles were heading towards Snow Peak Mountain, so we traveled together..."

She was impetuous by nature and used to exaggerate and occasionally boast. But ever since Feng Xuese went blind, she had to tell him what she saw. In order not to influence his judgment, she only told him what she saw, without adding comments or opinions, and presented the information clearly and in detail so that Feng Xuese could understand it clearly.

"Another family annihilation case," Feng Xuese said grimly. "Such a familiar method! Are they those 'old friends' again?"

Zhu Huihui understood his meaning and said, "Brother Liuyue also believes that it was those Japanese turtles who did it!"

"Are they Japanese?" Madam Wan murmured to herself, her brows furrowed with worry. "How... could they be Japanese? This poison is clearly the Purple Essence Ice Sun, created and formulated by Yu Xiaoyao herself. I've seen it many times more than ten years ago, I have no reason to mistake it!"

Mr. Chen suddenly stood up and said, "During the battle of Giant Whale Island in the East China Sea, all the survivors saw her fall into the sea severely injured, but no one saw her body because the sea was full of sharks, so everyone naturally assumed that she had been swallowed by a group of sharks..."

Madam Wan's body trembled: "You mean... Yu Xiaoyao didn't actually die? She... fell into the hands of the Japanese?"

The couple looked at each other for a moment, each seeing what the other was thinking in the other's eyes, and then they both shook their heads at the same time.

Chen Muwan was horrified: "Father, Mother, you're saying that Yu Xiaoyao isn't dead? She surrendered to Fusang?"

Mr. Chen's face darkened slightly: "Mu'er, you must remember what your father and mother said! That little devil Yu is willful, reckless, and vicious; she kills innocent people indiscriminately and does all sorts of bad things, but she will never betray us and defect to the enemy!"

The couple were open-minded and, despite their deep-seated hatred for Yu Xiaoyao, they greatly admired her talent, wisdom, and courage in fighting the Japanese pirates at the cost of her life, if they set aside their personal grievances.

Feng Xuese had heard a little about the grudges between Chen and Wan and Yu Xiaoyao back then, and was quite impressed by Mr. Chen's magnanimity after hearing his words.

Just as Madam Wan was about to speak, her face suddenly turned pale. She clenched her fist tightly, but her fingers were so weak that she couldn't close them at all. It was as if all the strength in her body had been drained away, and she couldn't even hold a small silver needle.

The silver needle fell to the ground with a "ding" sound. Madam Wan swayed precariously, and Mr. Chen quickly reached out to support her. The couple slowly sat down on the ground together.