Chapter 20-Part 1

Teng Yuyi’s eyes fluttered slightly, and she gradually felt the tightness in her chest ease.

After struggling for a moment, she slowly opened her eyes.

Qi Zhi exclaimed happily, “Lady Teng, are you feeling better?”

His injured right finger was wrapped in cloth, likely treated by the physician Lin Chengyou had found.

“What happened to me?” Teng Yuyi propped herself up with her arms.

“You were poisoned by a demon toxin, but don’t worry. Senior Brother gave you a Qingxin Pill, so you’re fine now.”

Teng Yuyi was stunned.

“I was really poisoned by a demon?”

“Lady Teng, do you not remember? When you saved me on the second floor, that demon tried to cast a spell on you from behind. You might have been infected by the toxin then.”

Teng Yuyi rubbed her throbbing temples, vaguely recalling the flower-hairpin man blowing cold air on her neck. The breath had been bone-chilling, making her shiver all over. At the time, she hadn’t thought much of it. It turns out she had been poisoned then.

Suddenly recalling the last scene before she passed out, she sat up and looked around.

“Where am I? Where’s Huo Qiu?”

“This is Madam E’s room. Huo Qiu is outside, keeping watch. Senior Brother just finished searching the area, and the demon has already fled. Juan Erli took the Qingxin Pill and has already woken up. Senior Brother is currently questioning her.”

Teng Yuyi instinctively reached for the belt at her waist.

Qi Zhi coughed and said, “Lady Teng, are you looking for your hidden weapons? Senior Brother took them all.”

Teng Yuyi was startled, and Jue Sheng quickly explained, “Please don’t misunderstand, Lady Teng. Senior Brother didn’t search you himself. He had Madam E and the others do it. Before you passed out, you stabbed him with a hairpin. When he realized he had been poisoned, he ordered your body to be searched.”

Feigning surprise, Teng Yuyi said, “I—I did such a thing? This demon toxin is truly formidable, capable of clouding the mind. Please don’t misunderstand,Daozhangs. I must have been too deeply poisoned to think clearly. I had no intention of harming anyone. How is your senior brother now?”

“Aside from not being able to speak and feeling dizzy and nauseous, he’s otherwise fine.”

Is that all?

Teng Yuyi felt somewhat disappointed.

The poison was one she had specifically asked Steward Cheng for, designed not only to numb the tongue but also to induce a coma lasting three days and nights.

Yet it had only made Lin Chengyou lose the ability to speak?

Qi Zhi anxiously said, “Lady Teng, where have you hidden the antidote? Please bring it out and give it to Senior Brother.”

Teng Yuyi stood up. “First, we need to find my hairpin. The antidote is hidden in it.”

“What? Senior Brother couldn’t find the antidote, so he confiscated all your belongings.”

Teng Yuyi’s anger flared, but she sighed instead.

“What now? The antidote is in the other end of that hairpin.”

Qi Zhi jumped up.

“I’ll go tell Senior Brother right away.”

After a short while, Qi Zhi returned, holding a pile of items—it was all of Teng Yuyi’s belongings.

“Lady Teng, is this the hairpin?”

Teng Yuyi examined the items, confirming that everything was there.

“Where is Shizi?”

“He’s in the next room.”

“I’ll go administer the antidote to him.”

She struggled to rise from the bed, took a few faltering steps, and suddenly held her head.

“My head… it’s so dizzy…”

Jue Sheng and Qi Zhi anxiously asked, “Is there residual poison in your body? Lady Teng, why don’t you rest here? We’ll administer the antidote to Senior Brother ourselves.”

Teng Yuyi shook her head.

“This mechanism is unique to my family. Outsiders can’t know its secrets.”

Jue Sheng and Qi Zhi had no choice but to wait patiently.

“Then Lady Teng, please rest a little longer.”

After resting for a while, Teng Yuyi, judging it was time, slowly moved towards the door.

“I still feel weak, but I’m fine. Detoxifying Shizi takes priority.”

Jue Sheng hurriedly followed her, while Qi Zhi nodded repeatedly.

“I knew Lady Teng had a kind heart.”

Huo Qiu had been guarding the door all along.

When Teng Yuyi looked up and saw him, her brows furrowed.

Huo Qiu’s face bore bruises.

For someone to have inflicted such injuries on Huo Qiu, their skill must have been exceptional.

Huo Qiu asked, “Young miss, are you alright now?”

Teng Yuyi examined his wounds.

“Who did this to you?”

Huo Qiu replied sheepishly, “The heir apparent of Prince Cheng. While you were unconscious, Shizi ordered your body to be searched. I refused, so we exchanged a few blows. Shizi’s techniques were tricky, and I… I was careless and got hurt.”

Suppressing her anger, Teng Yuyi coldly said, “Very well.”

She walked to the adjacent room, which was filled with people.

Lin Chengyou was covered in demon blood and, likely unable to find a clean Taoist robe, had changed into a round-collared robe of pine-green.

His disguise had also been removed, revealing his true appearance.

He sat behind the long table, clearly in a foul mood.

Usually smiling, his face was now grim.

Juan Erli sat opposite him, looking terrified, clinging to Madam E, trembling as she spoke.

Beside Madam E sat the owner, He Mingsheng, as well as several beautiful women, likely the prominent courtesans of Caifeng Tower, all dressed as finely as Madam E.

When Madam E turned and saw Teng Yuyi, she exclaimed, “Ah, Young Master Wang, you’ve woken up.”

Jue Sheng and Qi Zhi pushed through the crowd and excitedly approached the long table.

“Daozhang, Lady Teng is here to detoxify you.”

Lin Chengyou stared at Teng Yuyi expressionlessly.

If not for his inability to speak, he surely would have had plenty to say to her.

Teng Yuyi rubbed her forehead, feigning a splitting headache, and walked slowly to the table, apologizing, “Daozhang, this demon toxin is truly overbearing. I don’t even remember using a hidden weapon to stab you. It’s my fault you were poisoned; I feel terribly guilty.”

Lin Chengyou shot Teng Yuyi a mocking look, then raised his hand, making it clear—hurry up and detoxify him; no need for more talk.

Teng Yuyi bowed slightly.

“Just a moment. I’ll detoxify you right away.”

As she spoke, she pulled out the hairpin, carefully unlocking its mechanism, and aimed it at Lin Chengyou’s uninjured left arm, about to plunge it in without hesitation.

Lin Chengyou’s expression shifted.

He grabbed her wrist, his gaze fixed on her.

His pitch-black eyes revealed no emotion, but his current look was even more daunting than his previous blank expression.

Teng Yuyi patiently explained, “The white powder is poison, and the red powder is the antidote. Both are hidden in the tip of the hairpin, separated by a small disc. You have to trigger the mechanism to switch them. Also, the antidote can’t be taken orally—it must be injected under the skin for it to take effect.”

Lin Chengyou let out a silent laugh.

Though he couldn’t speak, his lips formed the words as he brushed her hand aside: “Had enough? If you keep playing, I’ll play along properly.”

Teng Yuyi sighed.

“Daozhang, are you misunderstanding? This is a defensive weapon from my household. To guard against evildoers, it may come across as a bit ruthless. But the truth is, this poison won’t take anyone’s life. If you insist on not using this method to detoxify, just wait three days. After that, the poison will dissipate on its own, and you’ll be able to speak again.”

She was telling the truth.

Lin Chengyou stared at Teng Yuyi unblinking.

Fine, was that a threat?

So what if he couldn’t speak for three days—if worse came to worst, he wouldn’t detoxify at all.

“Leave.”

He pointed to the door and mouthed the words.

Teng Yuyi understood his lip movements and said helplessly, “It seems the Daozhang is unwilling to be detoxified. In that case, there’s nothing more I can do. I’ll take my leave.”

Jue Sheng and Qi Zhi were scratching their heads in frustration.

Three days without speaking—it was agonizing just to think about it.

Especially since the origin of the demon in the underground cellar was still unknown, and their senior brother urgently needed to visit various Taoist temples to inquire.

How could he manage that, relying solely on gestures and lip movements?

But with Senior Brother’s temper, there was no way he would allow Lady Teng to stab him with a hairpin again.