Chapter 268

On the road, Tu Tu Xuehua spoke of her strained relationship with her mother, Sun Biyun.

"My father has always feared my mother; when she beat or scolded me, he never dared to intervene."

"In the entire Shanzhuang, only my sister Xuejuan and Old He cared for me enough to earn my complete trust—but I never expected…"

At this, a faint shadow of sorrow crossed Tu Tu Xuehua's face.

Jiang Sishui followed her lead and asked: "What didn't you expect?"

Tu Tu Xuehua sighed: "I never expected Old He to hold a grudge against the Yanxia Shanzhuang—and to poison Xuejuan with venomous spiders, destroying her beauty."

"Venomous spiders?"

"Yes, that species is called 'Heartless Mother'—its venom is incredibly potent. After Xuejuan was disfigured, the Yanxia Shanzhuang sought out every renowned physician, yet none could help."

"Venomous spiders… disfigurement…" Jiang Sishui mused.

Then Tu Tu Xuehua added: "Later, a monk from Tianzhu said that to neutralize the Heartless Mother's venom, one must use poison to counter poison."

"In the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest, there once lived a jade toad that fed exclusively on spiders. If we could obtain its blood, the Tianzhu monk could brew an antidote to restore Xuejuan's appearance."

"But the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest is vast—how could we possibly find a single toad?"

"Even sending a large force won't work, because the entire forest is saturated with poison—air, barriers, creatures, even the grass, trees, and soil are toxic. Even a Grand Master would not last long inside."

Jiang Sishui nodded: "So Xuejuan's spider venom remains untreated to this day?"

Tu Tu Xuehua frowned in distress: "Yes. Xuejuan once fell into utter despair because of it."

"And now?"

"Now? She stays locked away in the Yanxia Shanzhuang, refusing to see anyone. I've barely managed to calm her down."

Seeing Tu Tu Xuehua's worried expression, Jiang Sishui smiled: "Miss, don't be so anxious—I believe I can remove your sister's spider venom and restore her beauty."

Tu Tu Xuehua's eyes lit up with astonishment: "Is this truly true, Brother Jiang?"

In her excitement, she even changed how she addressed him.

Jiang Sishui gave her a reassuring glance: "Absolutely certain."

Tu Tu Xuehua beamed, clapping her hands and laughing: "If this is true, Xuejuan will be overjoyed—she'll go mad with happiness!"

Before this, Tu Tu Xuehua had no firm confidence that Jiang Sishui could remove Xuejuan's spider venom and restore her beauty.

She thought Jiang Sishui's "Purification Technique" or Hou Jian's witchcraft might cure her.

But this was merely her own hopeful guess, so she had always been uncertain.

Now, with Jiang Sishui's direct assurance, she finally felt at ease.

Thus, her joy and excitement were entirely genuine, not the slightest bit false.

Watching Tu Tu Xuehua's delight, Jiang Sishui couldn't help but marvel at his luck.

He had just been wondering how to quickly draw closer to Tu Tu Xuehua—and then this happened.

It was like the heavens handed him a pillow just as he fell asleep—wasn't this the treatment of a favored child of fate?

"What about Old He? What grudge does she hold against the Yanxia Shanzhuang?"

Though Jiang Sishui had his suspicions, he still asked to confirm.

At the mention of Old He, Tu Tu Xuehua's previously light mood sank again.

She spoke slowly: "Old He used to be called Liu Liu Piaopiao—it seems she held a grudge against my mother, but the exact nature of the feud is unclear. Xuejuan was likely just an innocent victim caught in the crossfire."

Liu Liu Piaopiao…

It was indeed her.

Jiang Sishui understood fully.

"Enough. If you can't figure it out, don't try. I'll first restore your sister's appearance."

"Mm-hmm!"

"How far is it to the Yanxia Shanzhuang?"

"Not far—we should arrive by the Shen hour today."

…

The two chatted and laughed all the way until they finally reached the Yanxia Shanzhuang.

Before even entering, Tu Tu Xuehua sensed something was wrong inside.

Too tense. Too oppressive.

Like a layer of dark clouds had covered it.

Something had happened!

A thought instantly flashed through Tu Tu Xuehua's mind.

She rushed forward and asked two guards: "What's going on? Has something major happened while I was away?"

The two guards exchanged glances and said: "Young Lady, it's Lady… the Lord's wife…"

"My mother? What's wrong with her?"

"Lady Sun has taken ill—somehow, she suddenly cannot stand up."

Cannot stand up?

Tu Tu Xuehua froze for a moment, then snapped back and sprinted toward the back courtyard.

Though Sun Biyun had treated her poorly, she was still her biological mother.

Sun Biyun could be unkind, but she could not be unfilial.

Thus, upon hearing of Sun Biyun's illness, her anxiety and concern were utterly real, not the slightest bit feigned.

Jiang Sishui followed closely behind.

The Shanzhuang guards, seeing he was with the Young Lady, naturally made no move to stop him.

…

Tu Tu Xuehua had just arrived outside the courtyard where Sun Biyun lived when she heard a familiar voice inside—

"Female layperson, you are not ill, but poisoned."

"This poison is called 'Thousand-Day Smile,' originating from Tianzhu; those poisoned must not become angry, or their entire body will slowly rot away until they become putrid flesh."

"Moreover, when the poison takes effect, the victim becomes utterly limp and unable to move."

"I am ashamed—this poison… I am powerless to help."

297 Sun Biyun, Miss Xuejuan

It is that Tianzhu Monk!

Tu Tu Xuehua recognized the voice, and knew it well.

When Miss Xuejuan's face was disfigured, Shanzhuang searched far and wide for renowned physicians; not a single one of those famed doctors could even identify the poison known as 'Heartless Mother,' let alone cure it.

Only this Tianzhu Monk devised a solution.

Though the Jade Toad was hard to find, this alone proved his Medical Arts were Gao Chao.

Now, such a divine physician had just declared himself powerless—then Sun Biyun's poison…

At this thought, Tu Tu Xuehua grew even more panicked and pushed open the door.

"Mother, you…"

There were four people in the room.

A middle-aged man with a kind face but furrowed brows.

A middle-aged woman with a pale face and wide, frightened eyes.

A slender, veiled young girl.

An elderly monk dressed in foreign style.

They were none other than Master Tu Jin, Lady Sun Biyun, Second Young Lady Tu Xuejuan, and the Tianzhu Monk.

The sound of the door opening drew their attention; seeing Tu Tu Xuehua enter, Sun Biyun's already irritated mood worsened, and she glared at Tu Tu Xuehua with fury.

And it was precisely those cold eyes that caused all of Tu Tu Xuehua's worried words to die in her throat.

"You still know to come back? What have you been doing these past days… ah!"

As she spoke, Sun Biyun suddenly cried out in pain, staring in terror at her leg oozing pus.

"Amitabha, the 'Thousand-Day Smile' has activated—female layperson, you must not become angry."

The Tianzhu Monk quickly warned.

Do not become angry?

Sun Biyun immediately realized this, took a deep breath, yet could not calm herself.

The searing pain in her legs only fed her anger.

Sun Biyun gritted her teeth and glared at Tu Tu Xuehua: "What are you still standing there for? Do you wish me to die faster?!"