clergé

Chapitre 41

Gu Xiju didn't rush to speak, but simply stared straight at her, his eyes clear as water.

"Give it to me now! I need the money urgently!" Pang Wan felt a chill run down her spine from his gaze, and her voice unconsciously rose three fen.

"Are you short of money?" Gu Xiju asked, her tone quite concerned. "Why are you suddenly short of money?"

"This is none of your business!" Pang Wan didn't want to waste her breath on him, and directly reached out to his chest. "Are you going to give it to me or not!" Her eyebrows twitched, and her expression was particularly fierce.

Gu Xiju looked at her fierce and aggressive manner, sighed, and smiled.

"Wanwan, since you don't want to be my maid, then I'll pay you to take care of Bai Xiaosheng, okay?" He looked at her, a soft light shining in his unfathomable eyes. "I'll give you lots and lots of money. Is ten thousand taels enough? Or do you want twenty thousand taels?"

The figure, dissolving into the vast mountain mist, seemed to float away in the hazy expanse of the sky, possessing an infinite pull.

Pang Wan felt a chill run down her spine. "Are you plotting something?" she glared at him.

—Twenty thousand taels of silver! That's the amount that two hundred ordinary families would need to save for ten years without eating or drinking! How did a meat pie suddenly fall from the sky?

"...I want to save Bai Xiaosheng's life."

The rising sun in the distance reddened the valley and warmed the clouds, but Gu Xiju's face remained almost transparently pale and cold.

"I want him to live." He looked at her, gentle yet firm. "That's all."

A part of Pang Wan's heart suddenly softened.

This man, the legendary youngest leader of the martial arts alliance, carries a heavy burden. Although he has long reserved the most precious place in his heart for Fairy Sangchan, that doesn't mean he will completely ignore others. At least, at least he genuinely cares about his companions, doesn't he?

Five thousand taels.

Then Pang Wan heard his own voice.

"I'll agree to stay if you give me five thousand taels."

It seems like an old friend has come.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye. Xu Rong sent a message by carrier pigeon, saying that Tang Feifeng was far away in Sichuan and it would take seven days and seven nights for her to reach the capital by fast horse.

Ding Huaili took the best horses and rushed to Yaowang Valley, but there has been no news of him since.

Pang Wan used every method she knew to control the poison in Bai Xiaosheng's body, but sadly found that it was almost useless—the poison in Bai Xiaosheng's body was very complex and came on fiercely. If it weren't for the powerful Overlord Pill and Gu Xiju's strong internal energy supporting him, he would probably have already passed away.

"I'm sorry." Pang Wan sighed again. She hadn't slept for two whole nights, and her dark circles were as prominent as a panda's.

Gu Xiju stared expressionlessly at the person on the bed who had entered a state of suspended animation, his eyes filled with a dull and lifeless gray. He too had been without sleep for two days and two nights, and sparse stubble had appeared on his chin. Although he was still handsome, he seemed to have aged several years overnight.

Pang Wan couldn't bear to see Gu Xiju like this—in her heart, he had always been a top figure who dominated the world and laughed at the world, how could he be so helpless one day?

"Alliance Leader, you should rest. I'll think of another way!" she whispered, reaching out to push that steel-like body.

Gu Xiju turned to look at her, his eyes like cold stars: "How about I transfer some more of my internal energy to him?"

"No matter how much internal energy you lose, it's useless!" Pang Wan was furious. "Right now, we can only leave him with a breath of life. No matter how much internal energy you lose, it will be neutralized by the poison. You're throwing good money after bad!"

Gu Xiju frowned deeply upon hearing this. Seeing his troubled expression, Pang Wan subconsciously reached out to push his brow, as if trying to smooth out the wrinkles.

The soft, smooth texture adhered to her cheek, and Gu Xiju couldn't help but be taken aback.

"Go to sleep! Be careful you don't get old and ugly, or Fairy Sangchan won't want you anymore!"

Pang Wan only nudged his forehead twice before reluctantly withdrawing her hand and yawning: "I... ah... I'll think of another way..." Tears welled up in her red-rimmed eyes.

Looking at her, who was clearly exhausted but still trying her best to be strong, a hint of tenderness welled up in Gu Xiju's eyes.

"Alright, take a rest." He nodded, his large hand silently moving to her back and gently touching a certain spot.

Pang Wan fell silently into his arms, looking like a drunken mud doll.

"You should get some sleep." He sighed tenderly, picked her up, and carefully carried her outside.

When the maids outside saw this scene, one was speechless and the other stared in disbelief.

Another maid, C, couldn't believe her eyes and unconsciously tore her handkerchief into noodles.

Pang Wan woke up at noon the next day. She had slept very soundly and hadn't had a single dream. She stretched lazily, then remembered Bai Xiaosheng, who was still in bed poisoned, and quickly scrambled out of the room.

"Miss Wanwan is awake?" A round-faced maidservant at the door looked delighted when she saw her.

Unexpectedly, her status had been upgraded after waking up. Pang Wan stuck out her tongue: "Is the strategist feeling better? Where is the alliance leader now?"

The round-faced maid said cheerfully, "Mr. Ding brought back a divine doctor last night. The strategist's condition has been brought under control by the divine doctor. The alliance leader is very happy and is currently keeping him company!"

Pang Wan immediately felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his chest.

"I'm going to see the strategist." She ran energetically toward Bai Xiaosheng's room.

Two more people were now in Bai Xiaosheng's room: Ding Huaili and a young man in blue. Ding Huaili had met Pang Wan before, and seeing her run in excitedly, he nodded to her: "Miss Wanwan."

The young man in blue was sitting by the bed administering acupuncture to Bai Xiaosheng. His position was directly opposite Pang Wan. When he heard Ding Huaili's greeting, he twitched his shoulder but made no further response.

"Is the strategist feeling better?" Pang Wan looked at Gu Xiju expectantly, hoping to hear good news from him.

"The poison has been stopped." Gu Xiju was stunned by her radiant smile, then raised the corners of his mouth. "The divine doctor said that thanks to your powerful Overlord Pill, the strategist has been given three days to live."

Pang Wan chuckled and scratched his head: "It was nothing, don't mention it."

The young man in blue twitched his shoulder slightly again, but the movement was so small that no one noticed.

"Sir, do you know what poison the strategist has been poisoned with? Are you confident that you can completely remove it?" Pang Wan was curious about the appearance of the divine physician from Medicine King Valley and subconsciously leaned forward to take a look.