Xiao Man cried out in pain and was about to resist when she saw Nangong Yu calm down and withdraw.
He collapsed on her, panting heavily, his body trembling from the pain.
"Mother, it hurts so much, Yu'er is in so much pain," Nangong Yu whispered in Xiao Man's ear, his warm tears dripping onto her skin, as if burning her.
Xiao Man, who had reached out to knock Nangong Yu unconscious, finally placed her hand gently on his back, patting him softly.
The trembling body in her arms gradually steadied, and his heavy breathing also slowed, as if Xiao Man's comfort had worked, making him forget the pain.
When Nangong Yu woke up again, the firewood was almost out, and it was pitch black outside. Xiao Man had already fallen asleep.
Nangong Yu was startled. He got up gently, took off his outer robe, and covered Xiao Man with it. He added more firewood to the fire. The firelight illuminated Xiao Man's face, and the wounds on her lips were very obvious.
Nangong Yu's face flushed slightly, and he was simultaneously relieved that he had only bitten Xiao Man's lip. If he had gone too far, Xiao Man would have fought him to the death.
Nangong Yu reached out and gently brushed Xiao Man's lips. Then, as if he had thought of something, he took out a box of ointment from his怀 and applied it to Xiao Man.
In fact, Xiao Man had woken up when Nangong Yu covered her with his clothes. She just hadn't figured out how to face Nangong Yu, so she pretended to be asleep. She never expected Nangong Yu to apply medicine to her!
Xiao Man slowly opened her eyes, and Nangong Yu quickly withdrew his hand.
"You're awake."
Xiao Man sat up and handed her clothes to Nangong Yu. "Are you alright now, Your Highness?"
Nangong Yu didn't take them. "It's still early, get some more sleep. I'm fine now. I've gotten used to it after all these years."
"Your Highness has been poisoned for many years?"
"Yes. You must know that my mother was the saintess of a small Western Kingdom. To preserve her purity, she was given a蛊 poison from childhood. When my mother gave birth to me, the poison was transferred to me." Nangong Yu's voice was low and magnetic. When he mentioned Consort Xue, there was a faint warmth in his eyes.
"Then does Your Highness know that your poison has reached your six vital organs and your life is short?" Although Xiao Man didn't want to say such cruel words, it was the truth. She had to let Nangong Yu know that his body was already in a very bad state.
"I know. I should have died long ago. If it weren't for the help of a master, I wouldn't have lived this long. Although I survived, I have to endure the heart-wrenching pain once a month." Nangong Yu's voice carried no discernible emotion, but he could never forget the feeling of pain that penetrated to the bone.
Xiao Man fell silent. She didn't want Nangong Yu to die.
If Nangong Yu died, Yusheng would never find another person who could rival Yun Qi.
"I don't want anything to happen to you."
Nangong Yu looked up at Xiao Man abruptly, his eyes filled with light, like precious stones, shining brilliantly. "What... did you say?"
"I said, I don't want anything to happen to you. I want you to live well."
Nangong Yu smiled again. His charm in that smile made everything in the world lose its color.
Xiao Man stared blankly. After a moment, she came back to her senses and cursed herself for being useless. She knew that Nangong Yu's smile was extremely captivating, yet she still dared to stare at him intently.
"With your words, I won't be willing to die." Nangong Yu's mood improved greatly. Xiao Man saying she didn't want anything to happen to him and wanted him to live well, did this mean that Xiao Man had feelings for him?
"Is there a cure?"
"So far, no cure has been found," Nangong Yu replied truthfully.
Xiao Man could alleviate his pain when the poison flared up. As long as he was by Xiao Man's side during the flare-ups, he would feel much better. However, this time, due to his injury, his resistance was much lower. In his pain, he had lost his reason and bitten Xiao Man's lip.
"I will find a cure," Xiao Man said softly. "I won't let you die. You must live well, destroy Yun Qi, and unite the world."
Upon hearing Xiao Man's words, Nangong Yu's smile became even gentler. His gaze fell on Xiao Man's face, and Xiao Man involuntarily looked away. She was afraid she would become infatuated again.
By the time dawn broke, Nangong Yu's face was a little pale, but he was full of spirit, and his eyes shone brightly, indicating his excellent mood.
Po Jun was nowhere to be found. However, in this Ten Thousand Ghosts Forest, Po Jun didn't understand formations, and escaping wouldn't be easy.
The two of them joined forces and quickly found a way out. Xiao Man looked back in the direction of the Ten Thousand Ghosts Forest. She would return, if only for the precious medicinal herbs within. Murong Sheng Rui had given her a marrow cleansing, and she naturally had to give Murong Sheng Rui a good gift in return!
After escaping the Ten Thousand Ghosts Forest, they encountered Si Ye, who had brought reinforcements to search for them. After meeting up, they headed straight for the imperial capital. Fortunately, it wasn't far from the imperial capital. With a fast horse, they would be back in the imperial capital tomorrow.
Nangong Yu glanced at Xiao Man, who was sleeping, and silently processed the information given by Si Ye. Someone had paid a large sum of money to have Jiu Yu Tower assassinate Xiao Man, and very few people knew that Xiao Man had secretly left the General's Mansion.
Nangong Yu's expression turned cold. It seemed that there were undercurrents in the General's Mansion. Xiao Man's departure from the capital this time to save Dugu Ming Yu had given the people in the General's Mansion an opportunity. The current situation in the General's Mansion was quite precarious.
Nangong Yu looked at Xiao Man with some concern. As the Prince of Qin, he could not openly participate in the internal affairs of the General's Mansion. The only thing he could do was to help secretly. However, given Xiao Man's personality, would she accept his help?
When Xiao Man woke up again, the carriage had stopped, and it was dark. "You're awake."
Xiao Man stretched. "I'm awake. Where are we?"
"Outside the Protector General's Mansion."
Xiao Man was surprised. She quietly lifted the carriage curtain and indeed, the carriage was stopped outside the General's Mansion.
"That was fast. I thought we wouldn't get back until tomorrow, but I didn't expect us to return so soon." Xiao Man stood up. "Since we're here, I'll go back to the mansion."
As Xiao Man walked out, Nangong Yu reached out and stopped her, placing a token in her hand. "Something has changed in the General's Mansion. Be careful. If anything happens, send someone to the Prince of Qin's mansion to find me. I will do my best to help you."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Xiao Man smiled and took the token, but she didn't take his words to heart. If she couldn't even handle matters within her own mansion, how could she be qualified to trade with Nangong Yu? She regarded Nangong Yu's concern as a test.
Nangong Yu, understanding that Xiao Man didn't take his words seriously at all, watched her climb over the wall into the mansion before ordering his return to the Prince of Qin's mansion.
Since she was back, some things indeed had to be done. It was time to completely eradicate Jiu Yu Tower!