Chapter 182: The Reversal of the Medical Path

Quan Quan Aoyu strode into the hall, covered in dust, with soot still clinging to his clothes.

His figure remained upright, yet the exhaustion and grief on his face were especially glaring.

Seeing the Emperor and Empress, his eyes instantly reddened, and his lips trembled slightly.

A cry of "Mother Empress," filled with endless longing and grievance, was followed by the sound of "thud" as he knelt.

The Empress's eyes instantly filled with tears; she stepped forward a few paces, her hands trembling as she helped Quan Quan Aoyu up, her voice choked:

"My child, five years have passed... let Mother Empress have a good look."

Her gaze greedily roamed over Quan Quan Aoyu's face, as if trying to make up for the five years of lost time.

After finding nothing at the Jun Manor, Quan Quan Aoyu returned directly to the palace.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin had rescued his mother, yet he had not yet seen the face he had longed for for five years.

But while his mother had returned, she was nowhere to be found; he forced back his grief and stood up.

Yet he still kept his head bowed, his shoulders trembling slightly, his voice hoarse:

"Your son has been unfilial, causing Father Emperor and Mother Empress worry. It is just... Jun Jun Zijin is missing... it is because your son failed to protect her, knowing full well she was in danger..."

Upon mentioning Seeing Jun Jun Zijin, a flash of pain and self-reproach passed through his eyes; his fingers unconsciously clenched the hem of his robe, veins bulging on the back of his hand.

The Emperor stepped forward, patted Quan Quan Aoyu's shoulder, and said in a deep voice:

"This is not your fault; we will surely be able to find that capable girl."

The Emperor's palm was broad and powerful, yet the strength it conveyed at that moment could hardly dispel the gloom in Quan Quan Aoyu's heart.

The Empress raised her hand to gently brush away a stray lock of hair from Quan Quan Aoyu's cheek, speaking tenderly and heartbrokenly:

"It is good that you are back, good that you are back. No matter what you encounter, Mother Empress will be by your side. That child, Jun Jun Zijin, will surely be found."

However, the worry in her eyes intertwined with the grief on Quan Quan Aoyu's face, staining the joy of their reunion with a layer of bitterness.

Although the palace was shrouded in sorrow, the victory banquet celebrating the great defeat of the Northern Kingdom could not be skipped; under no circumstances could the hearts of the hundred thousand soldiers be chilled.

The palace walls towered high; within the palace, preparations for the victory banquet for the hundred thousand soldiers who defeated the Northern Kingdom were proceeding in an orderly manner.

Outside the palace, in the search for Seeing Jun Jun Zijin, the Emperor's Dragon and Tiger Guards had combed through Jingcheng and the surrounding fifty li.

Today, inside the grand hall with its carved beams and painted pillars, the lights were brilliant, and the sound of strings and flutes never ceased.

Upon the main hall, tables were laden with delicacies; jade plates held fresh fruits offered as tribute from various regions, and golden goblets were filled to the brim with rich wine.

The victory banquet began; dancers entered in a file and danced gracefully in the center of the hall. Their long sleeves fluttered, their figures elegant, yet neither Quan Quan Aoyu nor Quan Quan Tianchen, who had rushed back from the military camp, had any heart to appreciate it.

Ministers dressed in magnificent robes took their seats one by one, wearing smiles that were either sincere or feigned.

Yet beneath this lively appearance, everyone had their own thoughts.

Quan Quan Aoyu, the commander-in-chief of this army, had no choice but to sit in his seat.

Yet at this moment, deep exhaustion and grief permeated his eyes.

He had originally thought that with the Flying Eagle and Flying Swallow present, along with the Emperor's Dragon and Tiger Guards, even if Seeing Jun Jun Zijin had been kidnapped, there should have been some clue within a day at most.

But now two days have passed, and she is completely silent; this matter is highly suspicious!

Quan Quan Aoyu lifted his wine cup but only took a light sip, his gaze constantly drifting outside the hall, as if expecting Seeing Jun Jun Zijin to suddenly appear.

Prince Chen was also distracted, idly poking at the food in his plate with his chopsticks, his heart aching in waves.

Prince Yi's eyes kept glancing this way, a hint of barely noticeable smugness on his lips.

"Fourth Brother, please go to the Jun Manor today and search the burned house thoroughly again; I truly cannot spare the time today."

Quan Quan Aoyu's voice was hoarse and low, carrying a note of pleading.

Prince Chen nodded firmly.

"Rest assured, Fourth Brother; I will do my utmost. Even if I have to turn Jingcheng inside out, I will find Jun Jun Zijin."

At this very moment, Seeing Jun Jun Zijin, who had been unconscious in the Phoenix Ring's space, finally slowly regained consciousness; her vision gradually returned, and memories followed.

She forced herself to sit up, her body swaying, and she nearly fell again.

Unlike Seeing Jun Jun Zhidie, who had Jun Jun Zhihao to detoxify her, she had endured purely through her own willpower; even though she had awakened, her body was extremely weak.

Those drugs, if she had inhaled just a little more, would likely have caused her to sleep forever and never wake again.

That potent aphrodisiac alone was enough to make her blood vessels burst and kill her.

Let alone it seemed there was another kind... she suddenly gasped in shock, finally remembering what that drug was: it was the Ten-Thousand-Year Demon Thorn!

Damn it, the other poison she had ingested was exactly the same as the one the Old Lady had been poisoned with!

Such a vicious poison; one alone would have been enough to give her a hard time, yet two were administered to her simultaneously; just how deep was the hatred?

Who exactly was trying to harm her? It seemed the person who harmed her, or the one who provided the Ten-Thousand-Year Demon Thorn, was inextricably linked to the Old Lady's poisoning.

Because someone had slowly poisoned the Old Lady with the Ten-Thousand-Year Demon Thorn, she nearly lost her life; even with her medical skills, she could not completely detoxify the Old Lady, who now could only sit in a wheelchair.

But the antidote for that poison required Phoenix Blood; at this moment, apart from her weakness, she showed no signs at all of having been poisoned by the Ten-Thousand-Year Demon Thorn; what on earth was going on?

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin gritted her teeth and steadied herself by holding onto a nearby table.

This time, glancing around, she nearly screamed upon seeing just one look; wasn't this her laboratory from her past life?

She looked around; various familiar instruments and equipment were arranged in their original positions, as if time had never passed.

Even the notebook filled with research data from her past life lay open on the table, the handwriting exactly the same as in her past life, as if she had only stepped away for a moment.

And the few buckets of purified water in the corner still sat quietly in their original places; everything was exactly as she remembered.

Suddenly, her gaze was drawn to a door on the other side of the laboratory.

She gritted her teeth and walked toward that door, stumbling with every step.

Every step was incredibly difficult, as if treading on cotton, weak and powerless, yet her curiosity and doubts drove her forward.

When she finally passed through that door, what appeared right beside it was none other than her operating room from her past life!

The familiar shadowless lamp, the operating table, the neatly arranged surgical instruments, the cleaning disinfectant on the sink... all came into view one by one. The air still smelled of disinfectant.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin's hands trembled slightly; she slowly entered the operating room, her fingertips gently brushing the edge of the operating table.

To verify the mad guess in her heart, her gaze fell upon the staircase at the end of the passage.

She took a deep breath, almost crawling to the side of the stairs, reaching out to grasp the handrail, and climbing up bit by bit.

With every step climbed, the soreness in her body intensified, yet she did not stop. After resting many times along the way, she finally reached the top, drenched in sweat.