"What are you doing? I saved you! If it weren't for me, you'd be dead by now..."
*Swish, swish, swish!* Before he could finish speaking, a volley of silver needles shot past his neck, embedding themselves deeply into the wall.
If they had been even half an inch off, his neck would have been pierced through.
"You really want to kill me!"
Cheng Yichen's lips twitched. That last move was ruthless.
Rong Zhi held a silver needle, her wrist flicking as another row of needles, imbued with a potent killing intent, flew out.
Why did they miss? Why was she completely devoid of strength?
*Swish, swish, swish!*
This time, they lodged themselves into the doorframe.
Missed again, try again!
Time and again, Cheng Yichen stared wide-eyed, scurrying desperately around the room. The silver needles seemed to have eyes, constantly pursuing him, always aimed at vital pressure points, yet always missing by an inch.
Before long, the walls of the house were covered in silver needles.
Cheng Yichen panted heavily, his white hair trembling.
"How many did you hide?"
Rong Zhi patted herself down, finally pulling out a whole handful of silver needles!
A handful!
As slender as threads, they glinted with a cold, sharp silver light.
"Holy crap!"
Cheng Yichen leaped up in fright, turning to bolt for the door.
Before he could escape, he felt a sharp pain. His face went pale, then flushed red.
"Aoooh..."
The sound echoed to the heavens.
Rong Zhi bit her lower lip, her eyes red, still rummaging through her clothes.
"That Plum Blossom Guard! You hurry and stop her!"
Was he blind? Just standing there watching at a time like this.
Xiao Jianli only then seemed to "react."
"Zhi'er, you just woke up. Intense activity is not advisable. Give me the hidden weapons!"
His voice was very gentle.
Since Zhi'er was angry with the Grand Tutor, she must have her reasons. It was better to let her vent her anger first.
Rong Zhi clutched her clothes, glaring fiercely at Xiao Jianli.
When had he arrived at the palace? Did he know about her resurrection?
Xiao Jianli felt a prickle under her intense gaze.
He softened his tone, "What do you want? I'll help you teach him a lesson. Hand over the items..."
Seizing an opportunity when the Grand Tutor wasn't paying attention, Xiao Jianli whispered in Rong Zhi's ear, "If you want him dead, we can secretly add some 'heartbreak powder.' It'll be untraceable."
Rong Zhi took a deep breath, then slowly relaxed her grip, allowing Xiao Jianli to retrieve all the hidden weapons she had stashed.
A cascade of clinking sounds followed. Soon, butterfly darts, flying needles, various sedatives, and red, yellow, green, and blue pills were laid out on the bed.
Cheng Yichen watched from outside, utterly dumbfounded.
How much had she hidden on her person?
And he had heard the Plum Blossom Guard whispering about poisoning him just now. He wasn't deaf just because he was old!
Xiao Jianli carefully collected everything and then went out to give Cheng Yichen a look.
Cheng Yichen's lips twitched, and he quietly retreated.
"Senior..."
Chu Qingze, who had been watching from outside, couldn't help but speak up.
"What is it?"
Cheng Yichen's tone was extremely bad.
"You still have two rows of flying needles on your back."
He looked like a porcupine.
Cheng Yichen: "..."
He silently pulled out the flying needles.
What a thankless task.
But... she should remember now.
She would remember sooner or later.
Rong Zhi found a mirror and looked at the scar on her neck. She finally had some clarity.
With Chu Qingze's technique, she should be able to speak within half a month.
His detoxification method was also good. Although there were still some residual toxins in her body, they wouldn't be life-threatening.
She was alive again.
But what was the point?
So many people had died.
Looking at the gloomy sky outside, Rong Zhi's eyes gradually firmed. Perhaps, her survival had a purpose.
Injured, she couldn't eat, and even drinking water was difficult.
She wrote a prescription for Xiao Jianli, asking him to get the herbs and boil them for her.
It was a nourishing tonic, which would help her wounds heal faster and conserve her strength.
She found writing materials and jotted down what she needed to convey.
"This is right, Zhi'er. You must live well. I can't lose you again."
Xiao Jianli held the bowl of medicine, his calloused hands still trembling slightly.
He was not eloquent, and no one knew how terrified he had been that day.
Rong Zhi took the medicine and drank it, then wrote a few words on paper.
"Call Cheng."
"I'll go get him."
"Why are you calling me..."
Cheng Yichen clung to the doorframe, looking inside with a wary expression, as if there were ghosts inside.
Rong Zhi stood up and dusted off her clothes, then brushed her sleeves twice, making her meaning clear: she had no weapons on her, so he could come in with confidence.
Seeing this, Cheng Yichen slowly shuffled closer but still didn't dare sit too near, pulling a chair five paces away from Rong Zhi.
Rong Zhi quickly wrote a few words on the paper.
Cheng Yichen took it and read: "Resurrection process."
His expression stiffened. "Didn't I already tell you everything?"
A hint of killing intent flickered in Rong Zhi's eyes. She slowly picked up a nearby teacup and, with a slight application of force, shattered it into powder.
"..."
She wrote two words again: "The truth."
It was evident that Cheng Yichen had not told the truth last time, or rather, not the whole truth.
"What did you see?"
Cheng Yichen's smile was starting to falter. His carefully crafted lie had been exposed so quickly.
"Qian Ji Pavilion, Jin Yunfei, resurrection, in progress."
Rong Zhi picked up the paper and pointed furiously at the words.
She had seen it. She had seen it all!
Upon seeing these words, the smile on Cheng Yichen's face completely vanished.
"You saw it?"
Rong Zhi nodded vigorously.
She picked up a brush and wrote, the tip of the pen even tearing the paper.
"Why did you do this?"
She was just a doctor. Even though she had founded the Medicine King Valley and gained some renown in the world, she never considered herself that important.
If she died, there were countless disciples who could inherit her medical skills.
Why go to such lengths, sacrificing so many lives to resurrect her?
Cheng Yichen's hand under his sleeve tightened slightly, his expression momentarily grave.
"I told you, it was the will of all the people in the world. Those girls truly didn't die willingly, but if the common people knew the benefits of your resurrection, they would have gladly accepted it."
So it was true. It was all true!
A surge of anger rose within Rong Zhi.
Who would willingly die for others, especially so many people!
"13 years ago, you passed away at the Medicine King Valley. To resurrect you, I set up a formation at Qian Ji Pavilion, but no matter what I did, it was unsuccessful. However, I never gave up. For 13 years, I tried every day, waiting for your appearance. Valley Master of Medicine King Valley, if you had appeared earlier, the other girls wouldn't have died. If you had gone to the palace 13 years ago and declared yourself the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley, all the people over the past 13 years wouldn't have had to die! Rong Zhi, I am not the one who killed them, it was you!"
Nonsense!
Rong Zhi kicked over the table. She wanted to speak, but it aggravated her wound, and a metallic sweetness filled her throat.
What kind of twisted logic was this?
When had she ever caused so many lives to be lost?
*Puff!*
Bright red blood spurted out.
Cheng Yichen quickly shut his mouth.
He had spoken the truth, but had he gone too far?
If the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley had reappeared 13 years ago, why would he have had to harm so many lives?
He hadn't wanted to either...
Rong Zhi covered her mouth, her face growing pale.
"Hey, calm down. I was just talking nonsense."
If something else happened, he would be truly helpless.
Rong Zhi picked up the paper from the floor and, with trembling hands, wrote a few words.
"Make them stop."
The lives lost in the past could not be recovered, but at least they could stop making mistakes.
"I can. I'll send a message for them to stop, as long as you acknowledge your identity."
Rong Zhi hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded.
No matter what, as long as no one else died, it was enough.
"I'll go notify them right away."
Cheng Yichen turned and ran out.
Rong Zhi picked up the teapot from the floor and poured the tea onto the ground.
The tea water sizzled on the ground, emitting white foam.
She had poisoned the tea.
She had originally intended to kill this culprit, but simply killing him wouldn't stop what was happening at Qian Ji Pavilion.
Since that was the case, she would keep him alive for now.
Not long after, Xiao Jianli entered. Seeing the mess on the floor, he opened his mouth, then swallowed the words that were about to come out.
"I'll clean it up!"
He cleaned up the tea stains on the ground. Smelling the tea water, he frowned and looked at Rong Zhi.
Rong Zhi pointed outside, then pointed to her hair.
Xiao Jianli then understood. She was referring to Cheng Yichen, and this poisoned tea was meant for him. As long as it wasn't for suicide, it was fine.
"Zhi'er, I have some news for you."
Rong Zhi looked at him.
"Xia Yunting has been imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice."
What?
Rong Zhi suddenly recalled the mysterious demeanor of the people from the General's mansion a few days ago, with many guards surrounding it tightly. She wondered what they were planning.
Could Xia Yunting's imprisonment be related to this?
She mouthed the question: "Why?"
Xiao Jianli turned and closed the door. He came to Rong Zhi, squatted down, and spoke in a voice audible only to them, "Xia Yunting set up the Seven Kill Blood Array to lure out the Grand Tutor. The chaos in the outskirts of the city was orchestrated by him."
Rong Zhi froze. She suddenly remembered the room filled with wounded people.
She mouthed the question again: "Explain in detail."
Xiao Jianli said, "After the incident with the corpse control technique last time, we discovered that sorcerers were involved. We feared there was someone else besides Xia Jin. Rather than letting them act in the shadows, it was better to lure them all out. Who knew Xia Yunting would use the Seven Kill Blood Array not only to draw out more sorcerers behind the scenes but also to bring the Grand Tutor out of seclusion."
If there was unrest in the imperial city, the Grand Tutor would appear.
Wasn't this exactly what Chen An had thought?
Except Chen An used underground corpses, while Xia Yunting used living people!
Thinking back to her dreams, Rong Zhi now had a strong aversion to such unscrupulous methods of achieving goals at the expense of innocent lives.
Originally, she had approached Xia Yunting with the intention of returning to the Medicine King Valley, because Xia Yunting's father, out of guilt for what had happened back then, had made Rong Zhi have a good impression of Xia Yunting at first.
But now, what was the point of returning to the Medicine King Valley? Carrying the burden of so many lives, how could she dare to return to the Medicine King Valley to enjoy peace?
Since she wasn't returning to the Medicine King Valley, what did it matter what happened to Xia Yunting?