By all rights, most poisons don’t take long to activate. Usually, once you’re poisoned, the effects appear shortly after. Of course, there are exceptions.
“That damned Iron Mask, despicable, shameless scoundrel! Don’t let me see you again, or I’ll make you pay for this!”
After cursing, Lin Huanhuan didn’t dare waste any more time. She quickly took out a vial of Detoxifying Elixir, supported Dong Yun’er’s head, and dripped a few drops into her mouth. Estimating about three or four drops, she finally stopped.
Although antidotes can counteract poisons, they can’t be used recklessly. Three or four drops at a time was the standard dose. Without knowing what kind of poison it was, relying on experience was the safest bet.
Next, she examined Dong Yun’er’s wound again and found that sure enough, some blackness was spreading outward.
“It must be some vicious poison. Nothing happens at first—it lies dormant in the body, then after some time, it suddenly explodes like a bomb.”
She felt a bit relieved. “Luckily, I had antidotes and healing medicine with me. Otherwise, if I had to go out looking for herbs, who knows how long that would take? If the poison invades the bone marrow, then it’ll be truly troublesome.”
“What should I do next?” Lin Huanhuan hesitated for only a few seconds before making a decision. “I’ll take the dagger out first. There’s still poison on it. It’s definitely not good to leave it in there.”
“Yun’er’s wound has already recovered a bit. Though it’s not mostly healed, she should be able to endure a little pain.”
Sighing, she admitted to herself that she had no better option. She wasn’t a healer, after all, and she certainly couldn’t conjure one out of thin air in this remote wilderness.
She gently propped Dong Yun’er upright, moving with great care. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to look directly at the wound, then gathered her strength and jolted the dagger free from Dong Yun’er’s body.
The moment the dagger flew out, Dong Yun’er coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood. Her little face twisted in pain, brows deeply furrowed. Lin Huanhuan quickly imitated how Dong Yun’er used to comfort her, gently rubbing Dong Yun’er’s chest while whispering soothing words.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. The pain will be gone soon.”
Visibly, the pain on Dong Yun’er’s face eased quite a bit. Lin Huanhuan tore a few strips from her own clothing, washed them clean at the waterfall, crushed a Healing Pill and sprinkled it evenly on Dong Yun’er’s wound, then carefully bandaged her up with the cloth strips.
The bandaging was hardly neat—actually, it looked a bit ugly—but Lin Huanhuan couldn’t care about appearances for now.
When she saw Dong Yun’er’s pale face regain a trace of color, she finally relaxed a little. She sat down on the ground again, her face etched with exhaustion.
Looking at Dong Yun’er, still in need of care and uncertain when she would wake, some thoughts suddenly surfaced in Lin Huanhuan’s mind.
“Why am I always the one taking care of this woman? Who knows how long this will go on? Maybe I should just abandon her. After all, she’s just a maid, it’s not like I didn’t try my best—”
“Damn!”
Lin Huanhuan grabbed her own thigh and pinched it hard several times. Only after the sharp pain did those thoughts finally vanish.
“Damn Heart Demon, sneaking in when I’m vulnerable. How do I get rid of it?”
Lin Huanhuan felt utterly helpless. Outside the cave, the sound of drizzle suddenly came. She realized that at some point, it had started to rain. The temperature was slowly dropping.
All she could do was wrap Dong Yun’er tightly in a bearskin, hoping to keep her warm.
Then, she made another decision: As soon as the rain stopped, she would rush back to the Sect. After all, the Sect was only about a thousand li away—if she was careful while carrying someone, it’d take at most half a day. Once they were back at the Sect, the conditions for treatment would be much better, and everything would be easier.
But it was different here—the environment was poor, and they could be attacked by demon beasts at any moment. There was even a chance the Cultists would return. That would be truly troublesome.
An hour later, the rain finally stopped.
Lin Huanhuan carefully picked up Dong Yun’er, left the cave, then jumped onto her folding fan artifact and sped off toward Lingyun Sect.
Before long, that same group of cultists suddenly appeared ahead.
Lin Huanhuan couldn’t help but curse to herself, “Damn it, are these cultists really that dedicated?”
Fortunately, she didn’t see Iron Mask, which was the only comfort. She figured he was probably suffering from serious poisoning and had gone to heal himself.
If a fight broke out in the air and Dong Yun’er fell, that would be disastrous. So she descended to the ground, shielded Dong Yun’er behind her, and issued her challenge.
The cultists also knew they couldn’t beat her in the sky, so they all jumped down and tangled with her on the ground.
These cultists really were hopeless. Even though Lin Huanhuan had to protect Dong Yun’er and had suffered several wounds herself, she still managed to kill a few of them, then quickly took Dong Yun’er and left.
Along the way, they were ambushed several more times, with the attacks growing fiercer and fiercer, as if there was a supervisor driving them from behind—anyone who hesitated would be executed on the spot.
Lin Huanhuan had no choice but to abandon her plan to leave for now. She took Dong Yun’er and slipped into the mountains again, finding a good spot beside a dirt slope to rest and recover.
The cultists’ combat skills were truly abysmal. Searching in these mountains was difficult for them, giving her precious time.
Now, covered in blood and filth, Lin Huanhuan was utterly exhausted and bewildered. “Just what kind of reward did the Cult promise these people? How could it be worth risking their lives like this? Are they all crazy?”
“The casualty rate must be over 30% by now, yet they’re still charging forward.”
“But reinforcements should be arriving soon. Just a little longer, and it should be fine—it must be soon.”
*****
“What? The Eldest Miss is in seclusion?”
Ye Jinxi was stunned. After failing to get the support she needed at the Hall of Punishment, she had quickly inquired about the Lin Family’s most recent station at Lingyun Sect. After spending some time to get here, she was told that the Lin Family’s Eldest Miss, Lin Shuangye, was already in seclusion.
Ye Jinxi grew anxious. “But I really have something urgent!”
The Lin Family’s receptionist shook his head, regretfully explaining, “I’m very sorry, but the Eldest Miss must be at a critical point in her seclusion. No matter what, she can’t be disturbed. This is a matter of principle.”
Thinking he may have been too rigid, he paused, then added, “If it’s truly urgent, you can also seek help from the Sect. The Sect will handle such matters.”
“But I just came from there…”
Ye Jinxi walked out, almost in a daze. “If it’s like this, what about Lin Huanhuan?”
“Lin Huanhuan? Is that our Lin Family’s Miss Lin Huanhuan?”
The Lin Family receptionist quickly called her back. Ye Jinxi nodded woodenly.
“You just mentioned something happened to Miss Huanhuan? Is she in danger?”
Ye Jinxi was a little confused—hadn’t they just said they couldn’t help? But she still explained everything that had happened.
“Why didn’t you say so earlier?!”
The Lin Family receptionist slapped his thigh and said, “Wait right here, I’ll go notify the Eldest Miss immediately. I’ll be back soon!”
“Didn’t you say she was in seclusion?”
“She can come out of seclusion. How could this be the same?”