Chapter 398: [Blood Shadow Golden Scorpion] (Part 1)

Wen Ya said: "Today many new palace maids and eunuchs have arrived in the palace; I don't know a single one of them."

Xiaotian doesn't know them either.

Why isn't Baobao here?

The Noble Consort Lin of Lingyu Palace took her back to rest; I heard it was with Empress Jian's approval.

Wen Ya nodded: "I'm a bit thirsty; go pour me a cup of tea."

Hu Xiaotian answered, turned around to help her pour tea; as he was putting tea leaves into the teapot, he suddenly recalled what Ji Feihua had instructed, instinctively touched the medicine bottle, hesitated a moment, but ultimately did not take out the pill.

Holding the teapot, he came to Wen Ya's side, first poured her a cup; Wen Ya pointed to a nearby chair and said: "Sit down, keep me company while I drink tea."

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought, Wen Ya letting him drink tea was a pretense; she was really worried he might tamper with the teapot. This woman is overly suspicious and extraordinarily wise. It's a pity that no matter how smart you are, Ji Feihua has already formed a murderous intent toward you; your fate seems impossible to change. Gazing at Wen Ya's beautiful visage, he suddenly recalled the times he had gathered with Qingyun and Le Yao, and his heart softened. Even if Wen Ya is not Le Yao, if he were to let him kill her with his own hands, he still could not bring himself to do it.

At that moment, a palace maid entered to inquire about Wen Ya's dinner; Wen Ya waved her hand and said: "I don't want to eat anything; you may all leave. Without my order, no one may enter."

After the palace maid left, Wen Ya had Hu Xiaotian close the palace gate; seeing him drink that cup of tea, she finally felt at ease taking a sip, then softly said: "Tell me everything that happened last night, in detail."

Hu Xiaotian had nothing to hide. He roughly recounted how Ji Feihua had saved her yesterday.

Wen Ya listened. Her expression was uncertain, half-believing, half-doubting; she rose and said: "Xiaotian, follow me; I'll show you something."

Hu Xiaotian followed her into the inner court; Wen Ya casually let the curtains fall. Hu Xiaotian's heart pounded, not knowing what Wen Ya intended—did she have some design on him? Or did she have some shameful secret to share with him?

Wen Ya pointed to the space beneath her couch and whispered: "Xiaotian, help me take out the box under the bed."

Following her instructions, Hu Xiaotian pulled out from under the bed a box two feet square; Wen Ya had brought much of her dowry when she entered the palace, and this box was likely one of them. The box was locked, the lock bearing strange symbols, apparently an ancient combination lock; under Wen Ya's guidance, Hu Xiaotian opened the copper lock. Lifting the lid, there was yet another box inside; Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but recall the scene when Lin Wan gave him that box today—could this one also contain something horrible?

The inner box was dark and unremarkable; Hu Xiaotian lifted it out. It had no lock, only a yellow talisman affixed to its surface.

Wen Ya said: "Open it!"

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but hesitate: "What's inside?"

Wen Ya coldly replied: "Just open it; it will do you no harm."

Hu Xiaotian steeled himself and opened the box; a foul stench rushed straight to his nostrils. Before he could see what lay inside, he felt stars burst before his eyes, his limbs went limp, and he slumped to the ground.

Only then did Hu Xiaotian realize he had been duped; he strained to move backward, trying to escape the poisonous gas, staggering a few steps. But he saw the black iron box teeming with red poisonous scorpions crawling out, in an instant they had covered his feet and legs. Hu Xiaotian's heart pounded with shock; he never imagined such an outcome, and he cried out: "Vile woman, you actually harmed me……"

The red poisonous scorpions in the iron box surged outward like a tide, yet when they reached Wen Ya's side they detoured, forming a circle around her. Wen Ya moved lightly, lotus-step, and the scorpions scattered; her peerless, charming beauty looked pitiful, yet it made the scorpions fear her—this woman perfectly embodied what a "serpent and scorpion beauty" is.

Wen Ya sneered: "Hu Xiaotian, I have repeatedly indulged you, yet you keep pressing me hard, even joining forces with that eunuch traitor Ji Feihua to harm me."

Hu Xiaotian watched as the red poisonous scorpions crept up to his waist, so frightened he dared not breathe, his voice trembling: "What do you mean…… I…… I…… I harbor no intention to harm you……"

Wen Ya stepped forward, squatted, reached her hand into Hu Xiaotian's waist, and pulled out the leather pouch; from it she took the porcelain bottle Ji Feihua had given Hu Xiaotian, unscrewed the wooden stopper, and poured out seven scarlet pills: "Scorching Yang Burning Yin Pill—did Ji Feihua tell you to poison my food and drink?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "I don't know what this is; I haven't poisoned your food or drink……" Although he knew those seven pills were toxic, he didn't know their name; he never expected Wen Ya to identify them by smell alone, showing that the Talented Person before him was far from ordinary, certainly not the Le Yao he knew.

Wen Ya sneered: "You have no chance!" She suddenly reached out, pinched Hu Xiaotian's jaw, and shoved all seven Scorching Yang Burning Yin Pills into his mouth. Hu Xiaotian struggled desperately, but his limbs were weak and numb; as soon as he lifted a finger, a scorpion sank its fangs into him. He tried to call for help, but Wen Ya blocked his mouth; he felt a scorching heat flow down his throat, his chest and abdomen blazing as if engulfed in flames, the excruciating pain turning his eyes blood-red.

Wen Ya slowly rose, stepped back a pace; the red poisonous scorpions had already spread to Hu Xiaotian's chest. She sighed lightly, her beautiful face showing no trace of pity: "I never wanted to kill you, after all you've saved me many times, yet you dare to conspire with outsiders and repeatedly ruin my plans."

Hu Xiaotian, hearing this, was shocked to the core, his eyes nearly bursting as he cried: "You are Le Yao…… how could you be so vicious……"

Wen Ya chuckled: "I have never been Le Yao; if you insist I am, then I am."

The red poisonous scorpions had already reached Hu Xiaotian's throat; he writhed on the ground, trying to crush them by rolling, to no avail. In the midst of his rolling, an object fell from his chest—it was the embroidered box Lin Wan had given him. At this moment his life hung by a thread; his mind held only Lin Wan's final instructions. He seized the box, twisted it left twice, then right once, and the embroidered box sprang open with a chime.

From within the embroidered box shot a pillar of light, its blinding glare making Hu Xiaotian unable to open his eyes.

The golden pillar of light then diffused, releasing hundreds or thousands of golden tiny flying insects that swarmed toward the red poisonous scorpions.

The scorpions, which had been crawling like a tide, seemed to have endured something horrifying; they fled from Hu Xiaotian's body, desperately returning to the iron box, yet specks of gold enveloped them in an instant. The golden flying insects left the scorpions powerless to resist; they could only await their doom.

Even Wen Ya's peerless beautiful face showed utter terror; the golden tiny insects poured into her nostrils, ears, and eyes. She didn't even have time to utter a scream before being engulfed by the golden flying insects.

Hu Xiaotian's situation was no better; he closed his eyes and plugged his ears, but his nostrils were exposed, and the golden tiny insects entered through them. His breath became scorching like fire; the insects, upon entering, could not endure the heat and turned to fly out, most of them rushing toward Wen Ya.

In moments, the red poisonous scorpions on the ground were devoured clean by the golden tiny insects; the insects' volume swelled greatly in a short time—from specks like dust, they grew as large as horseflies.

While the golden poisonous insects attacked Wen Ya, they also did not forget to slaughter each other; the scene was horrifying to the extreme.

Hu Xiaotian's body, under the combined effect of the Scorching Yang Burning Yin Pill and the scorpions, had gone numb; he felt little pain, only a sensation that his chest and abdomen were burning with fierce flames, as if they would ignite his body from within. He sat cross-legged, following the breath technique taught by Li Yuncong, and began to regulate his qi, trying to use his internal energy to dispel this inner evil fire.

The golden light enveloping Wen Ya grew brighter; her delicate form spun rapidly within it, and as she turned, waves of invisible cold radiated outward, the indoor temperature plunging swiftly, bitter cold radiating in all directions. Her hands gradually became crystal-clear transparent, waving and slicing in the void, producing myriad afterimages—the Ice Soul Asura Palm. The sudden drop in temperature slowed the golden flying insects' movements; their wings gradually frosted, until they could no longer sustain flight, and they fell one by one.

Wen Ya's garments, in the low temperature, became unusually brittle; as she moved, they turned to ice dust and scattered, revealing her exquisite, fully exposed figure. As the Ice Soul Asura Palm deepened, her skin and muscles took on a semi‑transparent quality, her eyes turned a deep azure, her inner energy surged from her dantian, forming an overpowering vortex that carried a cold current, sweeping through her meridians and forcing the golden flying insects that had entered her body to exit.

Hu Xiaotian stared at the scene before him, stunned beyond words; although Ji Feihua had previously warned him that Wen Ya was no ordinary person, he still had not imagined her martial prowess could reach such heights. Gazing at Wen Ya's exquisitely perfect form, it was nothing less than the supreme artwork of the world, and the burning sensation inside Hu Xiaotian intensified.

The room temperature swiftly fell below freezing, yet Hu Xiaotian's internal burning sensation showed no easing from the cold; he felt every inch of his body being roasted by fierce flames.

Golden specks of light flew from Wen Ya's ears and nose, then were immobilized and frozen by the pervasive yin cold emanating from her body; the flying insects dropped one by one, and the golden insects in the air grew ever fewer. The golden light within Wen Ya also waned, the poisonous insects being forced out one by one; one golden flying insect, after slaying many companions and growing to the size of a bee, could not withstand the chill in her meridians, wandered along them to her palm. Wen Ya withdrew the hairpin from her head, its sharp tip slicing her left wrist's pulse point, a shocking gape appearing, bright red blood trickling down her snow‑white jade‑like skin.

There is only one day left until the double monthly ticket; if you still have monthly tickets in hand, please cast them! (To be continued~^~)