It was already late into the night by the time she returned to the manor.
The lamps in Hengwu Courtyard were few and dim; Feng Jinqian had long since fallen asleep.
Seeing Ye, who was guarding outside, he immediately stepped forward, "Miss, did you gain anything from entering the palace tonight?"
Although he hadn't accompanied her, the extermination of the villains was a major sect matter, and he was naturally concerned.
As soon as he spoke, he was glared at by Xi Wen, his expression most peculiar.
Seeing Ye frowned. Before he could ask further, his mouth was covered.
Xi Wen, with wide eyes, scoffed at him in a low voice, "What are you asking blindly? Can't you even read the room!"
Didn't you see Miss's murderous glare! I wouldn't dare speak!
Seeing Ye then realized, and after a slight pause, he pulled Xi Wen's hand away.
"What happened?"
She had been fine when she left.
Xi Wen rolled his eyes speechlessly.
"What else could it be? Prince Mo doesn't trust us at all! We originally planned to capture the villain alive tonight, but he used an empty box to lure us. The item was fake, and the person got away."
He glanced at Feng Yinwan in front of him and sighed.
"It's no wonder Miss is angry. I've never felt so wronged in my life. It turns out they were just playing us for fools!"
"Ah! This infuriates me to death!"
Not daring to make a sound, he gritted his teeth in anger, only able to feign a few punches at the air.
Seeing Ye had also not anticipated this. Upon hearing this, his brow furrowed even tighter.
"Is Prince Mo's paranoia really that severe?"
While caution was necessary, seeing him these past few days in the manor, she thought...
"It shouldn't be."
He muttered quietly, but the figure ahead suddenly stopped.
The two stopped in their tracks and immediately fell silent.
"Miss?"
He tentatively called out, only to be met with Feng Yinwan raising her hand.
After a moment, she turned around.
"Do you know why the villains wanted to seize the Hundred Wood Lingxi?"
She had been angered in the palace earlier.
It was reasonable for Ye Tinglan to test them, but his actions had always been like this; the objective was paramount, and he never cared about others' feelings.
Whether in the past or now, this always made her extremely uncomfortable.
Now, setting aside her emotions and thinking calmly, the Hundred Wood Lingxi was indeed incredibly precious, but she had seen before that its medicinal properties were entirely unsuitable for use as a poison pill.
Since the villains practiced poison arts, why would they repeatedly try to snatch this item?
Xi Wen and Seeing Ye were slightly startled. Then, they hesitated and spoke.
"In the past few years, they have been secretly searching for spiritual herbs. This incident must be related to that."
"Spiritual herbs?"
Seeing Ye nodded, "Miss may not know, but although these people come from Xuanmen, many spiritual pills cannot be refined by themselves. Furthermore, practicing poison arts is prone to backlash. The Holy Lord speculates that they are looking for these to suppress the toxins within their bodies."
Feng Yinwan's temple twitched subtly upon hearing this.
"You mean, they also have toxins in their bodies?"
Seeing Ye nodded, "It's pill toxin, an ingrained poison. It inevitably enters the body to some extent during alchemy, permeating the marrow and bones. Over time, it forms a stubborn toxin."
Pill toxin, stubborn toxin.
Feng Yinwan's gaze sharpened, her eyelashes drooping silently for a moment.
"If it's a stubborn toxin, they won't rest until they get the Hundred Wood Lingxi. Order people to continue watching the city. Report immediately if there's any news."
"Yes."
...
As the moon set in the west and the night was about to recede, a figure descended into the courtyard.
The moment the door was pushed open, Ye Tinglan, whose eyes were slightly closed on the bed, opened them.
"How was it?"
Qi Xuan nodded, the mist clinging to him dissipating instantly.
"After that person left the palace, he wandered around the city for a while. Your subordinate followed him all the way, and he actually returned to the palace, heading towards the inner court."
He paused, then looked up again, "Your Highness, it seems our previous investigation was not wrong."
What that woman said tonight in the Imperial Household Department has been confirmed. Although the internal disputes within Xuanmen affected their judgment, fortunately, the direction was not off.
As they had predicted, this rampant force was indeed connected to people in the inner court!
The coldness in the room froze for a few moments. He spoke, his tone slightly heavy.
"You may withdraw."