FID – Chapter 1079

Chapter 1079 – Burn Incense for You in Advance?

Liu Yusheng had no idea how Shan Lai had managed to plant another Gu inside Xue Zhong without anyone noticing.

But the fact that the Gu poison happened to activate at this moment, endangering Xue Qinglian, could only be Shan Lai’s doing.

“What she’s doing isn’t just about putting Qinglian in mortal danger. There are no pursuers, everything is calm—she’s waiting for us to reveal ourselves to her,” Liu Yusheng said coldly. “She must have a way to remove the Gu.”

“She needs leverage to make us appear willingly,” Feng Qingbai said lightly.

In this game, Shan Lai had already won.

There was no need to send pursuers; they would return on their own.

“Did Shan Lai really do this?” Qian Yi’s gaze wavered as she looked at the others.

If she hadn’t witnessed it firsthand, she could never believe that the calm, gentle-appearing woman could be so cunning, so ruthlessly strategic.

The least nervous of all was Xue Qinglian, as if being threatened with death wasn’t a big deal to him. “No need to look so glum. I’ve had my fate divined before. I’m definitely not short-lived. It’s just a bit of blood; maybe tomorrow I’ll be fine.”

Liu Yusheng gave him a sidelong glance. “You’re really bold.”

“That’s a strength.”

His shoulder was poked. Xue Qinglian turned to see who it was. The woman asked, “Did you really get the Life Link Gu?”

“I wish it were fake too.”

“Anyone with the Life Link Gu will definitely die if the host Gu dies. There’s no antidote,” the woman frowned, clearly troubled. “Who did you go to for your fate reading? You were deceived.”

“…” If you don’t speak, people won’t assume you’re mute.

Xue Qinglian, annoyed, pressed her head down and pushed her back.

Stop standing in front of me; it’s irritating just to look at you.

Who gave birth to such a thing, designed specifically to block his heart and lungs?

In a foul mood, everyone annoyed him, especially seeing a man sitting calmly roasting a rabbit next to him after such a huge crisis. “Hey, my life is in danger. Can’t you at least look a little mournful?”

The man didn’t lift his eyelids. “Want me to burn incense for you in advance?”

“Piss off!”

“Enough.” Liu Yusheng popped a pill into Xue Qinglian’s mouth to restore his qi and blood, then sat back next to Feng Qingbai. “Shan Lai leaving this move behind definitely means there’s more to come. We can’t get any information here in the deep forest; tomorrow, we’ll head to the town to check things out.”

“To the town? That’s walking straight into a trap!” Xue Qinglian was displeased. Even if he died, he wanted to die heroically and elegantly. 

If Shan Lai got her hands on him, could he even maintain his heroic image?

Feng Qingbai lifted his gaze, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips—pure disdain. “You, who weren’t afraid to go to the capital, are afraid of going to a town?”

“Afraid of what? Tomorrow I’ll lead the way!” Damn, he couldn’t stand Feng Qingbai provoking him; once provoked, he immediately became full of heroic valor, ready to face death.

Who’s afraid of whom?

Back then, even when Big Honglian had stabbed a knife near his own heart, he hadn’t been afraid—so how could he be worse now?

The four of them kept their worry well hidden, maintaining calm and composed expressions, while over at Nanling, everything had descended into chaos because Xue Zhong suddenly coughed up blood.

After receiving the message from the King’s Manor, Feng Mohan immediately personally brought the imperial physicians to the residence, his expression as dark and solemn as ink.

The imperial doctors were nervous and fearful during the examination, barely daring to breathe. The aura around the emperor was suffocating. Moreover, they could not determine the cause of Xue Zhong’s sudden hemorrhage.

“What’s the situation? Why did he suddenly start coughing blood?”

The group of physicians exchanged uneasy glances, not daring to answer.

“I’m asking you! Don’t tell me that not a single person in the entire Imperial Medical Academy can figure out what’s wrong with him!” Feng Mohan’s face darkened, one hand tightly gripping the armrest of his chair, his anger obvious.

“Your Majesty, please calm your anger,” finally one of the newly appointed imperial doctors stepped forward, hesitating as he spoke. “We are not skilled enough to identify the source, but we have made some observations. The symptoms this man exhibits are extremely similar to the illnesses Your Majesty once suffered. His five organs are accelerating in deterioration.”

“Five organs failing?” Feng Mohan looked at the crumpled figure on the bed and immediately turned away in disgust. “Find a way to slow the deterioration. Do not let him die.”

“We will do our utmost, Your Majesty.”

Nearly half of the Imperial Medical Academy was retained, crowded into a narrow room to guard and focus on studying the incapacitated patient.

Xue Zhong’s symptoms were exactly the same as what the emperor had once suffered. While the chief imperial doctor was speaking, he secretly hoped the emperor might give them some direction for research. Unfortunately, the emperor said nothing.

In fact, the Imperial Medical Academy had long been curious about how the emperor had miraculously recovered from near-fatal illness back then, but no one dared ask. The only certainty was that it must have been related to the Princess Consort. Only her medical skill could have achieved such a feat.

After returning to the palace from the King’s Manor, Feng Mohan went straight to the Yangxin Hall. It had become his favorite place to visit when he wasn’t dealing with official affairs.

In the past, just hearing the words Yangxin Hall made him feel disgusted, and he would avoid it if possible. Now, he kept wanting to run there.

Whenever he was in a bad mood, he would go and tease the Empress Dowager or play with Badou and Hongdou, and all his frustration and gloom would disappear.

“If it weren’t for the Life Link Gu in his body, I’d really want to kill him on the spot. But now? Now I have to think of ways to keep him alive.” Once he arrived at the palace, Feng Mohan dumped everything out without caring whether the Empress Dowager wanted to hear it or not. “It’s a pity that Imperial Aunt isn’t here. If she were, she could get rid of the Undying Gu in Xue Zhong.”

The moment the imperial physicians said Xue Zhong’s five organs were failing, he immediately guessed that Xue Zhong must also have been implanted with the Undying Gu.

“Of all times for it to flare up, it had to be now. Imperial Grandmother, tell me, could this really be a coincidence?”

The Empress Dowager was thoroughly exasperated. “Your imperial uncle and aunt are far away in Xiliang. We know nothing of what’s happening over there. What good is all this guessing? It doesn’t help anyone. Go back and deal with state affairs. I have never seen a single emperor as gossipy as you.”

“How is this called gossip? I’m discussing serious matters.” Feng Mohan was displeased. “If Xue Zhong dies, then Xue Qinglian dies. If Xue Qinglian dies… never mind how Imperial Uncle will react—Imperial Aunt and Great-Grandfather and Great-Grandmother will definitely be heartbroken. That absolutely cannot happen.”

The elderly, more than anyone, must avoid overwhelming grief. It was terrible for their health.

If there was anything he could do to help, he naturally wanted to give it his all. Besides, Xue Qinglian was also his uncle.

In this world, he used to have only his imperial uncle. Now he had so many trustworthy family members and friends around him, and he treasured them deeply.

Seeing the boy’s expression collapse, the Empress Dowager fell silent for a moment before speaking again, “The gu in your body back then was removed by your Imperial Aunt. Those imperial physicians do not possess that skill. For now, we can only hope that your Imperial Aunt can find a solution over there and keep Xue Qinglian alive. Keep the stability in Nanling on this side, so they don’t have to worry about matters here as well. That is the greatest support you can give them.”

“Imperial Grandmother is right. It’s just that I’m only one person, and still young, with limited ability. Can you help me a bit more?”

“…” Granny, throw him out!