A chilling killing intent washed over her, and as Feng Yinwan looked up, she met Ye Tinglan's piercingly cold gaze. She trembled slightly, momentarily stunned.
"Hiss."
The pain in her wrist was too intense. Feng Yinwan frowned, her eyebrows knitting together, and spoke.
"Ye Tinglan, it's me."
The force immediately paused, and then a shadow fell from above her head. Ye Tinglan's body swayed, and he tumbled from the horse.
Feng Yinwan instinctively reached out to catch him.
Her skin met an endless coldness; it felt like she was carrying a block of ice.
"Your Highness!"
Qi Xuan, watching from the side, was anxious but dared not intervene casually.
Feng Yinwan pursed her lips, nodded, and said, "Come and help."
To make good time, they were all riding fast horses. With their carriage destroyed, they now had to lay Ye Tinglan on the ground.
Qi Xuan looked at his prince's almost pale face, his expression filled with worry.
"Consort, what poison has His Highness been afflicted with? Is it serious now?"
Feng Yinwan pursed her lips and shook her head. She reached out and lifted Ye Tinglan's sleeve.
Beneath the fabric, the previously pale green veins had now turned an eerie dark purple, making them particularly noticeable against his fair skin.
Instantly, Feng Yinwan's brows furrowed deeply.
These symptoms clearly indicated a cold poison. However, she had already dispelled the cold poison for Ye Tinglan twice before; it shouldn't have recurred. How could this have happened...
The coldness from her fingertips was unlike anything before. Feng Yinwan's eyes narrowed, and a silver needle on her fingertip swiftly pierced an acupuncture point.
Not daring to disturb her healing, Qi Xuan and the other guards remained silently by.
The cold poison was spreading too quickly. Despite Feng Yinwan's best efforts to insert needles, it was futile. Gritting her teeth, she secretly touched her bracelet.
For some reason, ever since she returned from Qingpu Temple, the bracelet had become exceptionally quiet. Apart from when absolutely necessary, it remained dormant, as if... it had entered a hibernation period.
Now, she had no choice but to try to awaken it with her will.
"Stop sleeping, you need to save a life!"
After a few moments, the bracelet remained silent, showing no response.
Just as Feng Yinwan was about to give up, Ye Tinglan's hand dropped unconsciously. With an accidental touch, the bracelet actually emitted a faint glow.
Before she could ponder further, a pill was transmitted into her hand. Without time to be astonished, she immediately administered the pill to Ye Tinglan.
The pill took effect as soon as it entered his mouth. Seeing that the cold energy was no longer spreading towards his heart, Feng Yinwan's heart leaped with joy. She quickly administered a few more needles.
After all these actions, her temples were already damp with sweat.
Her physique had strengthened considerably after her internal energy had been consolidated. Even so, restraining the poison was still a strenuous task, indicating how potent it was.
Qi Xuan, seeing her slightly pale face, looked worried.
"Consort, are you alright?"
Feng Yinwan stood up. Before she could even utter "I'm fine," she felt the world spin, and she uncontrollably fell backward.
Before her consciousness faded, she only heard Qi Xuan's panicked cry.
When she woke up again, they had already returned to Prince Mo's mansion.
Feng Yinwan stared at the moon-white curtains before her, momentarily lost in thought. Before she could make a move, Yuping, who had been waiting, rushed forward with a cry.
"Miss is awake!"
Her exclamation drew Qi Xuan, who was waiting outside the screen, to step in immediately.
"Consort."
Feng Yinwan waved her hand and asked, her voice filled with concern, "Where is Ye Tinglan?"
She herself was slightly taken aback by her own question. Without dwelling on it, Qi Xuan replied.
"His Highness is inside."
Feng Yinwan followed his gaze and realized she was in Ye Tinglan's bedroom. She pursed her lips and immediately got up from the small couch.
"I'll go in and see."
The previous needling for Ye Tinglan had already depleted a considerable amount of her energy. Qi Xuan, seeing her still unsteady steps, felt a pang of sympathy.
"Consort..."
Yuping directly interrupted him.
"Miss, your own face is still a little pale. Shall I go and invite the manor's physician to examine you first!"
After the curfew, everyone in the manor had already gone to sleep. Qi Xuan had not publicized Ye Tinglan's poisoning, so besides them, and Yuping waiting in the main courtyard, no one else was aware of the situation.
Feng Yinwan shook her head. "No need. I am not seriously ill."
She said and entered the inner chamber. Yuping looked at her with concern before turning to boil some hot tea.
The night was silent and still.
A dark shadow streaked across the night sky, entering the Second Prince's manor with great speed.
The gentle breeze rustled the moonlit leaves, and bamboo shadows swayed. Behind a rockery, a tall figure stood, clearly having waited for a long time.
"How is it?"
As the newcomer approached, a questioning voice rang out.
Feng Wuxi stopped his steps, and the face hidden behind his mask subtly revealed itself.
"I have personally taken action. His Highness can rest assured."
Ye Tingyan scoffed coldly, his face, hidden in the darkness, faintly overlaying with mockery. "Last time, Pavilion Master Feng also spoke to me in the same manner."
He was naturally referring to the incident at Qingpu Temple, where Feng Wuxi had exchanged a palm strike with Ye Tinglan and was not his match.
Feng Wuxi did not seem annoyed.
"Previously, I was forced to retreat by the backlash of the Cold Light Art and could not defeat Prince Mo. This time, with the assistance of the century-old purple ginseng, it should be no problem."
Ye Tingyan raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying.
"Your Highness, rest assured. Ye Tinglan has already been afflicted by my Cold Light Art. What the cold poison could not achieve, the Cold Light Art may well accomplish."
Being a similarly deep-seated and chilling poison, the power of the Cold Light Art was a hundred times that of the cold poison. No matter how strong Ye Tinglan was, he would find it difficult to resist.
Upon hearing this, Ye Tingyan's expression immediately relaxed.
"Very good."
"I have fulfilled the promise I made to Your Highness. From now on, Wuxi Pavilion and Your Highness shall have no further dealings."
With that, Feng Wuxi's figure vanished from the courtyard. In the shadows, Ye Tingyan narrowed his long, thin eyes, his expression inscrutable.
...
Jingzhao Prefecture Prison.
After nightfall, the prison was particularly cold. Feng Yiyi curled up on a straw mat, hugging her arms. Beneath her thin tunic, her body was already shivering uncontrollably.
With a creak, the cell door was slowly pushed open, and footsteps approached in an orderly fashion, particularly clear in the stillness.
Thinking it was a jailer coming to check on her, Feng Yiyi did not look up until a chilling aura silently approached, and the lock on the cell door suddenly snapped.
Those brocade boots stopped right before her cell door!
"Who...!"
Feng Yiyi, like a startled bird, looked up only to find that all the inmates in the surrounding cells had collapsed.
The cell door was pushed open by a hand with well-defined joints. Upon seeing the face of the approaching person, Feng Yiyi's pupils contracted, and her body instantly stiffened.
"Second... Second Prince?"
Having schemed so hard to become a prince's consort, she naturally recognized Ye Tingyan.
Moreover, she had once disdained Ye Tingyan's background, considering him merely an ambitious illegitimate son of humble origins.
However, Ye Tingyan had no connection to her. Why was he here now?
In contrast, Ye Tingyan's demeanor was considerably more composed.
His lips pursed, and just as he was about to speak, a rare, unusual fragrance entered his nostrils. His body stiffened, and thoughts beneath his eyelids flashed rapidly.
"What is that scent on you?"