Chapter 114: He Will Live
Li Xuanyue looked at the evidence and letters Li Lan had handed her. She truly didn’t know how she eventually managed to leave the Shanren Palace. She only knew that by the time she returned to the Phoenix Harmony Palace, the sky was already beginning to lighten.
All night, Li Xuanyue had been stunned by the words Li Lan spoke to her. His tone and expression constantly replayed in her mind. She knew that Li Lan probably hadn’t lied to her.
“Gongzhu, don’t let your thoughts wander.”
Seeing that she hadn’t spoken a word since her return, Yinxin knew she had taken Li Lanâs words to heart. She hurried to pick up a white cloak and draped it over her shoulders to prevent her from catching a cold.
“Even if the Junhou is not your biological father, he treats you as his own. This point alone makes him different from how he treats others.”
The “others” Yinxin referred to were naturally Li Qinghe and Li Lan. Even if Hua Shan and Li Xuanyue had no blood relation, he had always treated Li Xuanyue better than Li Lan and Li Qinghe for these past few hundred years. Based on this alone, Li Xuanyue shouldn’t question Hua Shanâs fatherly love for her.
Li Xuanyue naturally understood what Yinxin meant. However, her heart was still filled with constant doubt.
“Why do you think Fujun would do this?” she asked, still perplexed. “Since he isn’t this Bengongâs biological father, why did he let the Phoenix Sovereign give birth to me?”
“What exactly is his goal?”
She didn’t believe Hua Shan had done all of this for the sake of the Phoenix Clan.
“Yinxin, send people down to investigate according to these clues Li Lan provided.”
In the end, Li Xuanyueâs heart had been swayed by what Li Lan told her in the Shanren Palace tonight. She didn’t want to live in a lie forever. She wanted to know the truth of it all.
“Additionally, find an opportunity to secretly tell Li Lan to prepare himself first. When a suitable moment arises, this Bengong will make arrangements for him.”
Before she could personally verify everything, Li Xuanyue couldn’t muddle-headedly help him send Hua Sang out of the Phoenix Clan based on just a few words. She had to investigate the full truth and confirm that there were no discrepancies in what he had said.
It was a day later when Li Lan received the news from Li Xuanyueâs side. He wasn’t surprised at all. Li Xuanyue was different now; she thought more and acted much more cautiously than before. Li Lan knew that one day, she would believe what he said. What he hadn’t expected was that she would send people to investigate so quickly.
“Your Highness, is there too much risk in doing this?”
Looking at his thoughtful expression, Li Lanâs confidant, Xinghe, couldn’t help but speak up in concern. “Currently, almost the entire Phoenix Clan is under the control of the Junhou’s people.”
“If the fact that we are hiding someone is discovered at this juncture, I’m afraid…”
Li Lanâs handsome eyes glanced at Xinghe. “This Prince has a plan.”
“How is Uncle Hua Sangâs condition now?”
Although he had brought the man out safely, Hua Sangâs body was far too weak. The time he spent awake was incredibly scarce. Last night, he had been in a coma for the entire night. If Li Lan hadn’t been using medicine to sustain him in advance, he would probably still be unconscious.
“He is no longer in any great danger,” Xinghe said, bowing his head respectfully. “The medicine we stole from the Junhou’s place is just right to help him gradually recover.”
“However…”
Seeing Xingheâs expression, Li Lan knew what he was about to say next.
“His heart is currently as dead as ashes.”
Xinghe finally spoke his mind before Li Lan. “Whether he can truly survive depends on himself.”
If a person loses the will to live, even the best medicine won’t sustain them for long. The only way was to untie the knot in his heart and give him the courage to continue living. Otherwise, even the finest medicine cannot cure a person whose heart has died.
“He will live.”
Li Lan, drawing courage from somewhere unknown, made the promise before Xinghe.
Everything was ready; all they needed was the “East Wind.” Hua Sang had always longed for Hua Shan. Now that he had told the truth to Li Xuanyue, it wouldn’t be long before Hua Shanâs position as Junhou was no longer secure. When that time came, where else could Hua Shan go but to Hua Sangâs side? After all, this was what he owed the man.
Xinghe looked at his calculated expression and wanted to say something, but in the end, the words at the tip of his tongue were swallowed back down.
Recently, the undercurrents in the Phoenix Clan were shifting, and it wasn’t as if no one noticed. Anyone could sense that the atmosphere in the clan was off. Yet, no one dared to speak up. A continuous light rain had been falling since last night, staining the air with the scent of fresh earth.
The task Li Xuanyue had given Yinxin soon yielded results. However, what she hadn’t expected was that at this critical moment, news would arrive that Lang Hua had been poisoned.
“Gongzhu, hurry to the Wolf Fang Palace!”
Yinxin rushed in, urging her. “I heard that Lang Shijun has been hit with a lethal poison and is currently vomiting black blood.”
The letter Li Xuanyue was about to read was set aside on the desk due to the news Yinxin brought.
“Where is Divine Doctor Liu?”
Liu Wuya was now Li Xuanyueâs go-to physician. Whenever anyone around her had so much as a cold, she sent him over. With Lang Hua being poisoned so severely, there was no way Li Xuanyue would just stand by. Her first thought was to have Liu Wuya go and treat him.
Yinxin panted heavily. “Divine Doctor Liu has already gone there. Gongzhu, do you want to go see?”
Li Xuanyue looked down at the letter on the desk, her eyes flickering with complexity.
“Letâs go.”
She spoke in a deep voice and stood up. The investigative letter was left on the desk, unread.
At that time, in the Wolf Fang Palace, thanks to Liu Wuyaâs arrival, Lang Huaâs condition of vomiting blood had finally stabilized. However, after such a harrowing ordeal, his face was completely devoid of color. Feng Yi, seeing that Lang Huaâs condition had finally settled, couldn’t help but ask Liu Wuya.
“Divine Doctor, what exactly happened to my Master?” he asked in confusion. “For no reason, how could he be poisoned?”
Since entering the Phoenix Clan, Feng Yi had been exceptionally careful with Lang Huaâs food and drink. He would always test for poison first and only personally serve it to Lang Huaâs table once he was sure it was safe. This morning at breakfast, Feng Yi had used a silver needle to test the meal as usual, and after confirming it was fine, he served it.
Who could have known that after only a few bites, Lang Huaâs lips turned pitch black, and he immediately began vomiting black blood? It gave Feng Yi, who was serving him, a huge shock. It was the first time he had encountered such a major crisis; how could he not be anxious?
Translator’s Note: “Black blood” (éťčĄ) is the classic sign of severe poison in these novels. And the “East Wind” (ä¸éŁ) is a reference to the Three Kingdomsâit means the final, crucial element needed for a plan to succeed.
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