Half a month later, everyone returned to the valley.
During these past two weeks, the Gu curse had not acted up. Qingyao found it strange, wondering why this thing would act intermittently.
She couldn't figure it out. Fortunately, they were back in the valley. Everyone had been very tired.
Qingyao instructed everyone to rest well. This time, taking Lin Simiao and the others out, she discovered their adaptability was quite good. Qingyao praised them and affirmed that they could take on some missions to gain experience gradually.
"Lin Simiao, quickly select capable individuals and establish hidden outposts in the surrounding countries under the name of Fengchen Palace. This way, you can receive missions. Remember, no one needs to reveal their true identity."
"Yes, Palace Mistress."
Lin Simiao was very pleased. Having accompanied the Palace Mistress out of the valley this time, the outside world was indeed vibrant and colorful. Their lives were about to get back on track, and they were all very happy.
Everyone was delighted when they returned to the training hall of Fengchen Palace. Lin Simiao began to carry out Qingyao's orders, selecting a few alert and capable individuals to go out.
Qingyao bid farewell to Wuqing and returned to her room. Mochou went to check on the children's studies.
In the room, after more than a month away, Xiao Yu'er seemed to have grown a little more. Children were different from adults; even in a short period, they changed rapidly, like plants growing with the wind. Not seeing them for a few days made them look different, let alone more than a month.
As soon as this little girl saw Qingyao, she hugged her neck and spoke with concern.
"Mother, you've lost so much weight. What happened?"
"It's nothing. Wuqing was afflicted with the blood curse. I originally wanted to find the caster and lift the curse on him, but in the end, I was unsuccessful."
Qingyao spoke softly, her chest feeling heavy. She couldn't describe the pain, unsure if it was from pitying Wuqing or from anger towards that hateful person who would do such a thing to her child.
"Blood curse? Gu technique?"
Xiao Yu'er didn't quite understand these terms. Indeed, how could modern people understand such things? Qingyao only began to understand these matters after interacting more with Wuqing.
"It's a type of sorcery. The blood curse is a very potent form of sorcery. It acts up periodically; each time it acts up, it feels like dying once, then recovering, and then acting up again. It's worse than death."
Qingyao's voice was hoarse. The constant internal heat from the past few days had not only made her lose weight but also rendered her voice hoarse.
"Mother, don't worry, there will always be a way."
Xiao Yu'er's face immediately showed concern, partly for her mother and partly for Young Master Wuqing. He was so unfortunate. A misty haze appeared in Xiao Yu'er's large eyes.
"I'm fine."
Qingyao shook her head. Wuqing was the one who was not fine. She wanted to wait until Wuqing calmed down a bit to inquire about who his biological father really was and where he was now. Only then would she have a chance to confront him and demand the antidote.
As the two were talking, Xiao Tao, panting heavily, rushed in, repeatedly exclaiming.
"Little Miss, it's bad! Xiao Zun and Mao Xueqiu are fighting."
A dog and a fox had started fighting. Qingyao and Xiao Yu'er both got up and walked out, following Xiao Tao. As they walked down the long corridor, they heard whimpering sounds from a distance, as if someone was injured. Before Xiao Yu'er even entered the house, she let out a cold, sharp scolding.
"Xiao Zun, are you itching for a beating, aren't you?"
As her voice rang out, the wild mountain wolf that had been madly pinning down Mao Xueqiu immediately stood down obediently, as if it knew it had done something wrong, and stood still.
Qingyao and Xiao Yu'er walked in. They saw blood on Mao Xueqiu's head, a wound inflicted by the wild wolf's sharp claws.
When Mao Xueqiu saw Qingyao enter, its entire head shrunk into a ball, appearing somewhat ashamed, yet it let out a pained whimper. Qingyao walked over with concern, turned, and instructed Tao, "Go to my room and get the medicine chest."
"Yes, Miss," Xiao Tao flew off. Xiao Yu'er glared at the wild wolf standing by the side.
Usually, the two animals got along quite well. What was wrong today? The two soon saw the scene inside the room. A bone and other food were placed in the food box, now scattered all over the floor. It was clear that these two animals, who normally lived in harmony, had turned on each other mercilessly for a bone. Animals were indeed animals; they didn't know how to yield.
Qingyao snorted and reached out to tap Mao Xueqiu's head.
"Will you still be so greedy next time? You brought this suffering upon yourself. He is your sworn enemy, a wolf. You were too bold to fight a wolf without knowing your own limits."
As her words fell, she became somewhat lost in thought, involuntarily recalling how Wuqing had kept the matter of the caster from her. Could the caster be a wolf, and she a little fox? Was Wuqing afraid she would be harmed, so he preferred to say nothing?
"Mother, Mother?"
Xiao Yu'er called out a few times from the side, and Qingyao snapped back to attention, raising her eyebrows curiously. "What is it?"
"You mentioned before that Mao Xueqiu's blood can cure a hundred poisons. Why did I have to go to Spirit Mountain to get medicine when I was poisoned by the Heartbreak Powder? Couldn't a few drops of its blood suffice?"
Xiao Yu'er asked, puzzled and confused. Qingyao sighed.
"Originally, I thought Mao Xueqiu's blood could cure a hundred poisons, so I asked Wuqing to examine it. He discovered that although its blood could cure a hundred poisons, these poisons were primarily those from animals, such as snake venom, weasel venom, spider, centipede, and scorpion venom. In short, any animal-based poison could be cured by Mao Xueqiu's blood. Conversely, it was ineffective.
"As for you, you were poisoned by the Heartbreak Powder, which is derived from plant-based properties, extracted from poisonous herbs. Therefore, Mao Xueqiu cannot cure it. If it were truly effective, Wuqing would have thought of it. It wouldn't have been a big problem to grow this kind of herb in the back mountain, but it was destroyed by someone."
Qingyao finished speaking, her expression solemn. That person was constantly targeting her, and she feared he would make further moves. Why was he targeting her?
What had she done to provoke him?
Qingyao couldn't fathom it. At this moment, Xiao Tao entered with the medicine chest and said respectfully, "Miss, the medicine chest is here."
"Oh," Qingyao came back to her senses, reached out, and took it, lowering her head to treat Mao Xueqiu's wound. Xiao Yu'er watched Qingyao with concern. What was wrong with Mother? She seemed to be in a daze all the time. She must be very worried about Young Master Wuqing's blood curse but had no way to help. Xiao Yu'er also felt helpless, lowering her little head.
After Qingyao finished treating Mao Xueqiu's injuries, she turned and commanded, "Instruct the servants in the valley to ensure the food portions are equal from now on, otherwise, they will fight again."
At Qingyao's command, Xiao Tao nodded in agreement. Xiao Yu'er then put her hands on her hips and walked up to the wild wolf, sternly criticizing it.
"Xiao Zun, do you know you were wrong? If anything like this happens again, don't blame me for punishing you. This is the only time, understand?"
The wild mountain wolf was already very large, taller than the little girl. Yet, it felt fear towards this delicate little child and whimpered in response.
After Xiao Yu'er finished admonishing the wild wolf, she turned to look at Qingyao. Seeing her extremely tired expression, she quickly took her hand.
"Mother, you're tired. Go and sleep for a while, or you won't be able to bear it. We can talk about Master's matter after you wake up."
"Alright," Qingyao nodded. If she kept dwelling on this matter, she feared she would collapse from exhaustion. This way, she would not only be unable to help Wuqing but also cause him to worry. Now, she didn't want him to have even the slightest bit of worry.