Chapter 29: Enchantment and Open Schemes

Yu Youwei was wracked with pain and desperation; blood seeped from her ears, eyes, and nose, and her skin flushed a vivid red, as though she might bleed with the slightest touch. The peril was now at its peak. The little white bear shouted anxiously, “Quick, control your spiritual power! Otherwise, you’ll end up dead for sure!”

A mouthful of blood spattered out, landing squarely on the Azure Frost Sword. The blade let out a resonant hum, its light flaring as it drew the rampaging power back through her meridians, forcibly guiding it down into her core.

With her condition finally stabilized, the searing pain of torn channels surged over her in waves. Yu Youwei inhaled sharply and sighed, “I need to find a wood-element cultivation method as soon as possible. It doesn’t have to be advanced—so long as it’s good for healing.”

The little bear shot her a look of utter contempt. “Have some ambition, will you? Any cultivation method you practice ought to be at least immortal-grade. If you get the chance for a divine-grade one, switch to that! Otherwise, when do you think you’ll ever become a god?”

“You foolish bear, spouting nonsense again.” Yu Youwei was about to continue mocking the little brat when she suddenly realized everything before her was dazzlingly bright. Warm sunlight caressed her face, a warmth she’d never felt before. Not far away, the cold pond shimmered with misty veils; the air was fragrant with grass, trees, and some elusive, exotic scent, while birds sang sweetly in the nearby woods. If not for the persistent pain, she would have thought she’d just awoken from a nightmare.

“Youwei, thank heavens you’re alive!”

Ning Mofei rushed over and hugged her tightly, sobbing in relief.

“I wasn’t about to die, but if you squeeze any harder I just might,” Yu Youwei replied with a wry smile, her head weakly lolling on his not-so-broad chest. She sniffled and said softly, “It hurts so much.”

“Where does it hurt? I’ll blow on it for you,” Ning Mofei offered earnestly, his phoenix eyes filled with worry.

“Silly boy, there are sugar beans on the table. Give your wife a green one, and she won’t hurt anymore,” called out the old patriarch of the Ning family, making Yu Youwei realize she was still at the foot of the steps of Yongqing Hall, and she blushed fiercely.

Carrying Yu Youwei into the house, Ning Mofei sat her beside the table, picked up a small jade bottle with a green ribbon, and poured out a vibrant green pill for her to take.

The Ning family’s mastery of alchemy was renowned; nothing in Yongqing Hall was carelessly made. The pill melted coolly on her tongue, the chill spreading rapidly through her body, and the agony of torn meridians swiftly faded.

Ning Mofei watched her closely until she finally exhaled a long breath of relief. Only then did he ask, “Are you feeling better? You suddenly vanished just now—you scared me half to death!”

Just now? She could have sworn she’d been trapped in the formation for at least three hours! She eyed Ning Mofei suspiciously, then turned to see the old patriarch standing near the side door with a sly smile, like an old fox. Unease crept through her as she struggled to stand and bow. When the old patriarch told Ning Mofei to take her to rest, Yu Youwei was startled to feel a wave of heat rising within her.

The old man sighed theatrically, “Ah, getting old makes one so muddled. I put the wrong pills in the bottle. These also heal meridians, and the effect is even better, but… they’re laced with aphrodisiac poison.”

“Grandfather, what are you trying to say?” Ning Mofei grumbled, furrowing his brow.

The old patriarch, doting as ever on his foolish grandson, chuckled. “Ask your wife. She knows. Even as an eighth-grade alchemist, I can’t neutralize this particular poison. There’s only one ‘proper’ way to resolve it, and using spiritual power to force it out will only make it act faster.”

This was no hidden scheme—it was an open one. The old man had realized she hadn’t consummated her marriage with Ning Mofei and deliberately gave her a healing pill laced with aphrodisiac, forcing her hand. Hmph! Did that lecherous old fox really think he could get the better of the Poison Lady so easily?

Letting Ning Mofei carry her into the east room, Yu Youwei saw a white jade screen at the entrance, behind which stood a jade bed of similar make. The four corners of the bed were adorned with dragon and phoenix pillars, with fine mist-colored gauze curtains hanging down.

The old man was truly extravagant, Yu Youwei thought to herself.

Ning Mofei gently laid her on the bed. “I’m afraid of the cold. I always slept here before—the bed is warm.”

The bed was carved from a single block of warm jade, smooth and gentle to the touch. Yu Youwei marveled at the Ning family's wealth. Lying there, gazing at his handsome face from up close, the heat in her body only intensified. “Mofei, fetch me some water,” she gasped, her voice husky and low.

He touched her forehead, hesitating, then bit his lip and asked in a small voice, “Will you die from illness?”

Startled, Yu Youwei asked softly, “Are you afraid I’ll die?”

He nodded, voice thick with emotion. “Yu’er died of illness. Green Plum died of illness. There were others, too, whose names I can’t remember. They all died of illness. I snuck a look at Yu’er once—her whole body was covered in blood. She looked terrifying.”

Her mad second brother had said that every year, someone in Ning Mofei’s courtyard was beaten to death, but Yu Youwei hadn’t taken it to heart. Now, hearing this from Ning Mofei, she realized all those so-called sicknesses were surely her mother-in-law Yu’s doing. A sense of dread toward her mother-in-law crept in.

Taking Ning Mofei’s long, cold hand, she placed it against her fevered cheek and smiled gently. “If you don’t want me to die, you must take good care of me.”

“I’ll get you some water.” Ning Mofei quickly withdrew his hand and dashed out, as if fetching her water would be enough to save her life. At the door, a maid happened to be coming in with a tea tray; he snatched it, brought it to the bedside, and fed her water himself. “Would you like some fruit? There’s plenty in the rear garden—I’ll pick some for you.”

Yu Youwei felt as if every drop of blood in her body was aflame, her dark eyes gleaming with a strange light. A seductive moan escaped her tightly pressed lips. Thankfully, Ning Mofei was clueless, assuming she was simply hungry and scurried away to fetch her food. Seizing the moment, she pulled the phoenix hairpin from her hair, twisted it, and let two drops of emerald liquid fall into her mouth.

Expert in poisons, she’d always taken precautions. The old patriarch, thinking her an ordinary woman, had shamelessly put aphrodisiac in the healing pill, little knowing she was prepared for any contingency. Poisons meant for women were nearly always aphrodisiacs, so she’d hidden antidote to such things—Seven-Leaf Seven-Flower Jade Dew—in her phoenix hairpin, which worked perfectly without needing to channel her spiritual power.

“A gift for a gift—let’s see how you like it, old man. Daring to poison the Poison Lady? Prepare yourself for my counterattack.” Even if she hadn’t suffered this time, Yu Youwei was not the type to let a grudge go unavenged. She was no longer the weak woman of her past life, bullied by Li Yi’s wife Pei, forced to submit in silence.

“That old man could crush you with a finger,” the little white bear remarked mercilessly. It gnawed on a mud-spattered ginseng root, sprawled on the pillow by the inner side of the bed.

“When did you come in? How did I not notice?” Since leaving that bizarre Dark Yin Spirit-Eroding Formation, Yu Youwei hadn’t seen it follow her. If it stayed quiet, she would never know it was there.

[End of chapter.]