With a clang, the iron door of the prison cell was shut.
Lu Qingwan’s face turned pale, and she said, “Bring wine, and realgar, or failing that, find a pile of dry grass and set it on fire!”
But this was the Ministry of Justice’s prison; where would they find wine? Just at the critical moment, a jailer nearby brought over a wine jar.
Feng Xiwu, however, handed Lu Qingwan a pill, saying, “Will this do?”
“Your Highness!”
Li Yang cried out in alarm. That was the hard-won Purple Heart Hundred Poisons Pill, saved for emergencies.
Feng Xiwu took a look, then tossed the wine jar and the pill into the cell. Li Yang, having learned his lesson, handed Lu Qingwan a fire starter without a word.
Instantly, a pungent smell filled the cell. Lu Qingwan pushed Feng Xiwu towards the exit, “Everyone, stay away from this cell.
The smoke produced by burning those poisonous spiders is also highly toxic.”
The officials of the Ministry of Justice were already terrified by the spiders scattered on the ground, and their fear intensified upon hearing this.
If Feng Xiwu hadn't held a special status, they would have fled before him.
The Minister of Justice, however, showed some courage and was still there, cursing angrily, “To dare to kill people in my Ministry of Justice’s prison, utterly lawless!”
After speaking, he suddenly remembered something and bowed ninety degrees to Lu Qingwan, “If it weren't for the Princess today, this humble official’s life would have been forfeit. I have no way to repay this life-saving grace, I implore the Princess to accept this bow!”
He was not only thanking Lu Qingwan for saving him but also for saving Feng Xiwu.
If Feng Xiwu had truly been poisoned by those spiders, his entire family wouldn't have been enough to compensate.
Lu Qingwan shook her head, her face still pale, “Lord Qi, you humble me too much. If I hadn't insisted on seeing Madam Zhang today, neither you nor His Highness would have suffered this ordeal.”
As she finished speaking, Lu Qingwan suddenly rushed to the side and dry-heaved.
Leaning weakly against the wall, she swayed precariously, completely devoid of the imposing demeanor she’d shown earlier when kicking Feng Xiwu and carrying two grown men.
Just as she was retching uncomfortably, the creaking sound of a four-wheeled vehicle was heard. A warm hand patted her back, soothing her breathing, and a gentle voice, devoid of any blame, said,
“Don't be afraid. All those poisonous spiders have been burned to death in the cell. You won't see them again.”
Lu Qingwan’s body stiffened. He had noticed?
It was laughable, really. She was a doctor, an expert in poison and its antidotes, yet she was afraid of spiders, one of the Five Poisons.
She was so terrified that the members of the special abilities unit were even more sensitive to spiders than she was.
When on missions with them, they never let spiders appear in front of her.
The organization’s leader wanted her to undergo desensitization therapy and had specifically hired a psychologist to treat her. She had fainted on the spot from fear.
Those team members had nearly driven the psychologist and the leader to their deaths.
She still didn't understand how she had managed to lead Feng Xiwu and Li Yang out of that swarm of spiders using her instincts.
At this moment, her legs felt weak, her scalp tingled, and she couldn't stand.
Despite her best efforts to conceal it, Feng Xiwu had noticed.
She didn’t know what Feng Xiwu would say, whether he’d call her melodramatic or overreacting…
She had imagined countless scenarios, but unexpectedly, Feng Xiwu reached out and pulled her onto his lap.
Ignoring everyone’s strange glances, Feng Xiwu held Lu Qingwan tightly and stated calmly, “The Princess is frightened. I will take her back to the manor.
The case of Madam Zhang has been taken over by the Divine Strategy Battalion. Until someone from the Divine Strategy Battalion arrives, do not disturb that cell.
If anyone asks you to release her, tell them to come find me.”
Everyone bowed their heads. “We respectfully see off the Regent and the Princess!”
That night, as Lu Qingwan had expected, she was plagued by nightmares.
In her dream, she was still a four or five-year-old girl, sleeping on a kang in a rural house.
A thumb-sized black spider, dragging its eggs, crawled onto her arm. Terrified, she cried out, waking her mother, who was sleeping beside her.
“Mama, there’s a spider!”
She cried and sought comfort from her aunt, but her aunt impatiently swatted the spider to the ground and stomped on it twice.
Then, with annoyance, she chided, “It’s just a bug, what’s all the fuss about? Why are you screaming? City kids are so melodramatic!”
After that, her aunt’s child found out about her fear of spiders.
In the days that followed, her clothes, backpack, pencil case, and lunchbox all became hiding places for the child to torment her with spiders.
But she never complained to the adults again.
Feng Xiwu was awakened by the sound of sobbing. Groggily, he saw Lu Qingwan curled up beside him, trembling.
Tears streamed down her face, yet she made no sound.
At that moment, Feng Xiwu’s heart ached terribly.
He held Lu Qingwan and called out, “A'wan, wake up. It’s just a dream!
Don’t be afraid. It’s just a dream. There are no spiders. Wake up quickly. There’s nothing…”
Lu Qingwan, however, was trapped in her nightmare, completely unaware. Feng Xiwu, helpless, gritted his teeth and pinched her hard.
Lu Qingwan jolted awake, her mouth opening and closing, but no sound came out.
Feng Xiwu saw clearly that her lips were forming the word, “Spider!”
He didn’t know why Lu Qingwan feared spiders so much that she had nightmares even after seeing one during the day.
He simply held her closer, “There are no spiders anymore. Don’t be afraid!”
Lu Qingwan did not resist being held by Feng Xiwu. Her eyes were vacant, devoid of any spark. Her hands, however, unconsciously clutched Feng Xiwu’s arm, her nails digging into his flesh without her realizing it.
Feng Xiwu allowed her to hold on, making no sound, and patted her back gently like one would soothe a child.
Exhausted, Lu Qingwan fell asleep again, lulled by his ministrations.
But as soon as she closed her eyes, she was plunged back into the nightmare. This continued repeatedly, tormenting her all night. As dawn approached, she simply stopped sleeping and sat blankly at her desk after getting dressed.
Feng Xiwu, worried about her, followed her.
“If you can’t sleep, would you like to see your father? Tang Xiao sent word that he has woken up. He just woke up half an hour ago.”
Knowing he was concerned about her, Lu Qingwan nodded in agreement. “Okay, let’s go see him.”
Thus, just as dawn was breaking, Lu Qingwan and Feng Xiwu arrived at Bai Xing Lin.
Meng Tang had likely rushed to check on Lu Zhenting as soon as he woke up. He opened the door looking utterly sleep-deprived.
Yawning, he began to explain the situation, “Master, the patient woke up about an hour ago. He drank some water and spoke a few words to that military officer before falling asleep again.
I checked his vital signs; they are stable.
To be safe, would you please examine him again?”
Lu Qingwan nodded and went to perform a routine check on Lu Zhenting. Unexpectedly, at that very moment, Lu Zhenting’s eyes opened.
Lu Qingwan was startled and didn’t realize she had made a sound.
Feng Xiwu’s four-wheeled vehicle immediately followed, “What’s wrong?”
His voice was filled with concern, as if Lu Qingwan were a delicate dodder flower that could be blown over by a gust of wind.