Hun Ling had always assumed that after learning the mission was halved, Jia would throw a tantrum. Black Gale had mentioned that Jia's goal was to surpass him, and every mission was an opportunity for advancement. To his surprise, Jia wasn't angry at all. Instead, he seemed to be cooperating.
Hun Ling expressed his surprise but, for good measure, asked, "This mission is for both of us, split equally. Are you sure you have no objections?"
"If I had objections, I wouldn't have let you take the lead," Jia replied.
"This mission was assigned by Black Gale. You..."
"Black Gale, yes. Just hurry up and get started. I'll stand guard for you," Jia said, turning to leave.
Seeing this, Hun Ling quickly called out, "Wait."
Jia stopped reluctantly and turned to look at Hun Ling, who had suddenly called him back. He looked confused. "What is it? Is it," he saw the expression on Hun Ling's face, suggesting he had something to say, and guessed, "Do you need my help with something? Or are you unsure how to proceed?"
Hun Ling shook his head.
"What do you mean by shaking your head?" Jia was truly baffled by Hun Ling.
Then, looking at Jia's bewildered expression and then at Yang Pan'er, who was deeply panicked, Hun Ling said in a low voice, "I can't act right now."
"You can't act?" Jia frowned, glancing at the axe in Hun Ling's hand. "You brought this thing precisely to act. How can you... are you scared? Or are you afraid to strike?"
"No..."
"Feng Qishi was also poisoned," Lou Yi said, his patience wearing thin with Hun Ling's hesitant attitude.
Hun Ling looked at Lou Yi, who had broken the deadlock, and then at Yang Pan'er, who was lost in thought. He remained silent because he knew Feng Qishi was a thorn in Ouyang Ye's side. If Yang Pan'er had acted as Hun Ling intended, she would have offended Ouyang Ye. It was clear that Yang Pan'er was still somewhat afraid of Ouyang Ye, and that was why Hun Ling had wanted her to help him in a different way. He hadn't expected Lou Yi to disrupt everything.
Hun Ling hadn't decided how to broach the subject, and now, with Lou Yi's words, he was even more at a loss.
At the same time, Yang Pan'er lowered her head.
Jia hadn't expected Feng Qishi to be implicated. He suddenly became curious about when this had happened.
"Didn't Feng Qishi..." Jia started, recalling events before he was controlled. "Didn't he heal Mu Anxiao? He looked fine when he left. How could he be poisoned?" He couldn't figure it out.
Lou Yi took a sharp breath at Jia's words, unsure of what to say.
Hun Ling looked at Jia's bewildered face and then at Yang Pan'er, who dared not act rashly. He said in a low voice, "Didn't I say it was Ouyang Ye's scheme? In other words," he paused, following his own line of thought, and continued, "he deliberately made her harm Mu Anxiao, just so Feng Qishi would heal him. This..."
"Wait," Jia interrupted, his mind even more muddled by Hun Ling's explanation.
Hun Ling frowned. "What's wrong now?"
"Feng Qishi wasn't present at the time. If that's the case," Jia said earnestly, "this is a conspiracy. Everyone in this mansion might be Ouyang Ye's subordinate."
Hun Ling hadn't considered this at all. Hearing Jia say it now, he was suddenly... speechless.
Lou Yi lost the urge to speak and exchanged glances with them.
Then, Yang Pan'er couldn't stand it any longer. "Master merely wanted to use your health to threaten Mu Anxiao. Master couldn't be bothered to bribe these mortals," she said, glancing at Jia's serious expression. She smiled. "You're a small child, but you think a lot."
"You planned this on the spot, didn't you?" Hun Ling said lightly. He couldn't believe Ouyang Ye had such foresight. Now, he could only admit that Ouyang Ye's ability to adapt to circumstances was indeed superior to others.
Yang Pan'er stared at Hun Ling's strange face and said in a low voice, "It seems you are indeed smarter than them." She was still intimidated by Hun Ling's appearance.
Hun Ling didn't care about Yang Pan'er's 'fear' of him. He grinned and said, "Your flattery skills are truly impressive."
"You..."
"Don't 'you' me. It's already happened. No matter how much you say or analyze, it's meaningless. Since you've already neutralized the poison for them, you must be able to neutralize it for Feng Qishi, right?" Hun Ling said calmly.
Yang Pan'er hadn't expected Hun Ling to bring this up. Looking at him, she couldn't help but show a troubled expression. Her eyes darted away.
Hun Ling frowned. "What... is it difficult for you?"
"Master never intended to poison Feng Qishi," Yang Pan'er said in a low voice.
Hun Ling's frown deepened upon hearing this.
The moment Yang Pan'er spoke, Jia, like Hun Ling, frowned deeply.
Then, Lou Yi said in a low voice, "Your guesses are all wrong." He then looked at them again.
The next second, after Lou Yi's statement, Hun Ling put aside all unnecessary thoughts and fixed his gaze on Yang Pan'er's face. "So, Ouyang Ye is currently only dealing with Mu Anxiao." He said this, feeling nervous for Mu Anxiao.
Yang Pan'er nodded.
Hun Ling thought for a moment and was about to analyze Ouyang Ye's intentions when Jia spoke. "Ouyang Ye is exploiting Mu Anxiao's desire to live. However... he didn't expect Mu Anxiao to really risk his life at that time. So, I think," he looked at Hun Ling, "he must have been at a loss at that moment."
"He was supposed to be saved by me," Yang Pan'er said lightly.
"Yes..."
"Since..." Hun Ling interrupted Jia and looked at Yang Pan'er. "Since you can treat Mu Anxiao, you can surely treat Feng... Shen Moyun, right?" He knew Yang Pan'er had been lurking in this general's mansion for a long time, so he thought if he called Feng Qishi by the name 'Shen Moyun,' Yang Pan'er would agree.
However, Yang Pan'er had said so much just to divert their attention. She thought the topic had been successfully steered away, but she didn't expect Hun Ling to forcefully pull it back. Thus, the moment Hun Ling uttered those words, she became troubled. xxs1
At that moment, they all turned their attention to Yang Pan'er.
Then, Yang Pan'er, looking guilty, glanced at each of them and said in a low voice, "I can't." She shook her head slightly.
"You could treat Mu Anxiao, but you... can't save him?" Hun Ling was angry.
Yang Pan'er lowered her eyes. "I can't save him, and," she said, her gaze exceptionally cautious, "you also know that Master hates Feng Qishi. It's obvious Master must have inflicted other harm on him. Even if I went, it would likely be useless."