Chapter 388

Returning to the Mingyue Palace, I saw Ji Feihua's subordinate He Mu standing in the courtyard, and a few little eunuchs who had come with him were busy tidying up; seeing Hu Xiaotian approach, He Mu smiled and said, "Lord Hu is back."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Has the Commander arrived?"

He Mu shook his head and said, "The Commander will only come tonight; he had me bring people first to tidy up the Mingyue Palace properly, and when he arrived he found that the Empress's side had already arranged personnel."

Hu Xiaotian looked up and saw two palace maids coming out of the kitchen, each holding a tray with soup. The Mingyue Palace had suffered deaths and injuries, manpower was severely lacking, so it was only natural for Empress Jian to send people over; Hu Xiaotian sighed.

He Mu laughed and said, "This duty isn't easy, is it?"

Hu Xiaotian sighed again and said, "Indeed, just now Murong the Leader summoned me for questioning, taking half a day, making me feel like a suspect."

He Mu whispered, "I heard the Talented Person's condition isn't good."

Hu Xiaotian said, "I need to go in and see." He Mu grabbed his arm and said, "Miss Qin said no one may enter without her permission."

Upon hearing that, Hu Xiaotian could only comply; he turned and went to Baobao's room. Although many new palace maids and eunuchs had arrived at the Mingyue Palace, Baobao still had no one attending her; seeing Hu Xiaotian enter, her beautiful eyes instantly filled with crystal tears—when one is ill or wounded, the heart becomes especially fragile; though Baobao usually appears strong and competitive, she is still a girl who deep down needs care.

Hu Xiaotian closed the door. Feeling the indoor light dim, he first lit a candle, then went to Baobao's bedside, took her hand, and softly asked, "Do you feel any better?"

Baobao nodded and said, "Miss Qin just brought me some medicinal soup, saying that if I drink it for three days straight I can cleanse the toxins from my body."

Upon hearing that her body was no longer seriously troubled, Hu Xiaotian relaxed and smiled, "Rest easy. Once you recover, I'll accompany you out of the palace to play."

"Really?" Baobao's eyes lit up, but then dimmed again as she shook her head, "I'm afraid I won't get the chance to go out..." She caught her breath and whispered, "Qin Yutong is truly formidable; she sensed that I still have chronic poison in my body."

Hu Xiaotian knew it must be the toxicity of the Myriad Insect Bone-Eroding Pill that Baobao had previously taken, which Qin Yutong had discovered; he said softly, "She is the favored disciple of the Xuantian Guan's master, her medical skill is superb, I just don't know if she has a way to neutralize it."

Baobao said, "Apart from my foster father, no one can dispel this poison."

Hu Xiaotian didn't think so; Senior Eunuch Chen Yuncong should have that ability. But getting him to produce the antidote is not easy. He had once wondered if Chen Yuncong was Hong Beimo, but upon careful consideration that seems impossible—Chen Yuncong remains in the shadows while Hong Beimo is in the open; they likely cooperate, a relationship even Baobao and Lin Wan, Hong Beimo's foster daughters, are unaware of.

Baobao saw Hu Xiaotian suddenly zone out, thought something had happened to him, gripped his hand tightly, and asked anxiously, "Did something happen to you?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled and shook his head, "Nothing."

Baobao said, "Xiaotian, you shouldn't linger long in this place of right and wrong; I worry that something else will happen later."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Do you still remember what happened back then?"

Baobao shook her head: "I don't remember; I can't even recall how I got injured."

"When Chen Chengqiang came over, was his emotional state normal?"

Baobao nodded and said, "He showed nothing unusual; he said he was just coming to check the situation, and the Talented Person even had me brew tea for him. He had already said his farewells, and when I saw him out, I suddenly heard the Talented Person let out a cry of alarm. Then he was struck heavily, and after that I remember nothing."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Have you told anyone else about this?"

Baobao said, "Since you forbid me to speak, I certainly won't mention it to anyone."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Just pretend nothing happened; no matter who asks, say you don't remember."

Baobao understood this matter was of great importance and nodded firmly.

At that moment a knock came from outside; Hu Xiaotian thought it was Qin Yutong, got up and opened the door, only to find Lin Wan standing there with a palace maid and a eunuch, coming to visit Wen Ya and, by the way, to check on Baobao, who used to be her attendant. Outsiders don't know the relationship between Lin Wan and Baobao, but Hu Xiaotian does.

Facing Hu Xiaotian, Lin Wan harbored both hatred and fear—she hated that Baobao had now been bewitched by him, and feared that Hu Xiaotian held the Resurrection Flute, which could at any moment awaken the potency of the Myriad Insect Bone-Eroding Pill within her body. Her phoenix eyes stared coldly at Hu Xiaotian, barely concealing her hatred.

Hu Xiaotian greeted with a smile, "Lady Lin has arrived!"

Lin Wan said coldly, "How is Baobao?"

Hu Xiaotian turned and glanced at the bed; Baobao's eyes were tightly shut, as if she had fallen asleep, but since she had just been talking with him, she couldn't have dozed off so quickly—she must be avoiding seeing Lin Wan. Hu Xiaotian kept his body blocking the door, indicating he had no intention of letting Lin Wan in, and said softly, "She just fell asleep; I think Lady Lin should come another day."

Lin Wan's anger flared instantly; she snorted coldly, "Move aside!" and strode straight into the room. Hu Xiaotian, restrained by his status, dared not stop her in front of so many people, so he could only let her enter.

Lin Wan approached the bedside, her eyes fixed on Baobao, who lay with disheveled hair, a pale and wan face, and tightly closed eyes, seeming still in a stupor. Hu Xiaotian followed closely; knowing Lin Wan's vicious and ruthless nature from personal experience, he felt uneasy. She sat beside the bed, extending her slender, jade-like hand to lovingly stroke Baobao's hair, while Hu Xiaotian felt a shudder of alarm—this woman was certainly a venomous beauty, and though he feared she might unleash her beastly nature and harm Baobao, here in the Mingyue Palace she probably lacked the audacity to do so.

A soft gleam appeared in Lin Wan's eyes as she whispered, "I have always regarded Baobao as my own sister; it is rare to find such a sister in the palace..." She sighed, her hand gliding along Baobao's hair to her pretty face, then moving to her neck, where the tip of her little finger lightly rested on the meridian at Baobao's neck. Baobao was only feigning sleep, perceiving every of Lin Wan's movements clearly, and her heart began to tense.

Hu Xiaotian was even more nervous, smiling, "Baobao is kind and pure; I also regard her as my own sister. If anyone dares to harm her in the slightest, I would sacrifice my life to make them pay."

Lin Wan could not fail to hear the threat in Hu Xiaotian's words; she smirked contemptuously, "Anyone can say such things, but before acting one must first weigh one's own worth."

Hu Xiaotian said, "In others' eyes I am merely a shard; though a shard may not be as fine as porcelain, its hardness is no less than porcelain's—if we truly clash, it's not yet clear who will suffer."

Lin Wan gave him a sideways glance, withdrew her hand from Baobao's neck, and said softly, "This Mingyue Palace is really stifling; everyone's words and deeds are strange, I don't want to stay another moment." She rose, thinking to herself that she was porcelain and Hu Xiaotian a shard—his words were not wrong; if they truly clashed, she would gain nothing.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Please take your leave, Lady Lin."

Lin Wan said, "I have told the Talented Person that tomorrow I will send someone to fetch Baobao back to Lingyu Palace, where I can nurse her properly; here everyone is panicked and no one attends to this girl." Having spoken, she turned and left.

After seeing Lin Wan to the door and returning, Hu Xiaotian found Baobao opening her beautiful eyes, somewhat nervously gripping his large hand, and whispering, "I won't go; I absolutely will not return."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Why bother with her? If you don't go, she can't have people forcibly drag you back." Although he said that, since Wen Ya had already nodded agreement, it was clear Baobao could no longer stay in the Mingyue Palace; thus he would need to speak with Lin Wan alone to change her mind.

As night fell, Ji Feihua indeed arrived at the Mingyue Palace; this time he came specially to treat Wen Ya, which even Hu Xiaotian found somewhat surprising—he had thought Ji Feihua hated Wen Ya enough to wish her dead, yet now that Wen Ya had been wounded by the Ice Soul Asura Palm, Ji Feihua did not hesitate to expend his own inner power using the Yang Fusion Infinite Skill to heal her; could it merely be to avoid suspicion, to clear his name before outsiders?

While Ji Feihua treated Wen Ya's wounds, he specifically ordered that only Hu Xiaotian and Qin Yutong be present.

This was also the first time Hu Xiaotian had seen Wen Ya after a day's separation.

Wen Ya sat in the bathtub, with hot water continuously added throughout the day to maintain her temperature. Qin Yutong added many herbs to the water and used silver needles to stimulate Wen Ya's acupoints, swiftly delivering the medicinal effects into her body.

Ji Feihua entered the inner hall, gazed at Wen Ya with her eyes tightly shut, and let out a soft sigh, unsure whether he pitied her plight or regretted that she had not died.

Qin Yutong approached Wen Ya to check her pulse, confident that her pulse remained steady, then said to Ji Feihua, "Commander, when do you intend to begin?"

Ji Feihua said, "Wait a bit longer!"

Since everyone else had withdrawn, the task of adding hot water to the tub fell to Hu Xiaotian; he carried a bucket of hot water over, but Ji Feihua reached out to stop him, saying, "No need!"

Hu Xiaotian set down that bucket of hot water.

Qin Yutong's delicate brows furrowed slightly, and a worried look appeared in her beautiful eyes.

Although Hu Xiaotian also worried about Wen Ya's safety, he believed Ji Feihua could not possibly have suddenly changed his mind and stopped midway; if Ji Feihua wanted Wen Ya dead, there would be no need for him to volunteer to treat her. Ji Feihua is a man of broad mind, undoubtedly a great villain and evil hero, and would not resort to such petty tricks. (To be continued~^~)