“Sir, how is my young lady?”
When Xu Ping’an stepped out of the room, Zhao Pingzhi came forward, his face filled with unconcealable anxiety, looking a bit flustered.
One can imagine, although he was a general, accustomed to fighting on the battlefield, he might not be nervous then, but at a time like this, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t nervous.
“She’s fine now. However, you’ll need to investigate the subsequent matters yourselves; I can only provide some clues.”
“Good, good, as long as she’s alright. There’s no need for you to worry about what comes next. Although my Prince Zhennan’s manor doesn’t seek trouble, we’re certainly not afraid of it! Someone dared to poison my young lady… this scoundrel must die!”
Zhao Pingzhi’s face darkened. After much hesitation, just as he was about to speak, he heard a woman’s voice from behind him.
“Husband~ Is there anyone else at home?”
Zhao Pingzhi was about to turn around when suddenly a hand brushed past his eye.
The next moment, he felt his vision go black, and when he opened his eyes again, he couldn’t see anything.
“Sir!!!”
“Go outside and wash your face with water. Don’t fall into the well.”
“Huh?!”
Zhao Pingzhi immediately froze in place.
At this moment, Xu Ping’an had already approached his little wife.
He raised his hand and pulled up the collar of her very revealing dress, covering her exposed skin.
“You, you, didn’t I tell you we’d have guests today and to be careful? Why are you out in this outfit again?”
Xu Ping’an looked at his drowsy little wife with doting eyes.
“Husband~”
The hazy Pei Qingxuan was clearly not fully awake yet. She opened her eyes, looked up at Xu Ping’an, and then buried her head in his embrace.
“Mm~ I’m hungry~”
“Alright, alright, I’ll help you wash up first, then make you something to eat, okay?”
“Mm!”
The young girl clung to him, unwilling to leave, and Xu Ping’an could only smile indulgently.
“It’s fine, you don’t have to wash up. You’ll be fine in a few minutes.”
“Huh?!”
He… had been ambushed!
He subconsciously touched his eyes, finding no issues with his eyelids, able to blink, and feeling no pain.
He couldn’t help but take a sharp breath.
“Hiss~ Sir Xu’s methods… are unpredictable.”
As a martial artist, although he had no defenses, he was so easily touched in such a crucial area as his eyes without even realizing it.
And in that instant of contact, he completely lost his vision.
It was hard to imagine, if Xu Ping’an wanted to ambush someone, that person probably wouldn’t even know how they died.
Thinking of this, a chill ran up Zhao Pingzhi’s spine.
Such methods… no wonder he dared to live alone outside the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range.
He shook his head.
Well, since he couldn’t see anything anyway, what if he accidentally fell into the well if he went out?
Zhao Pingzhi felt along the wall and found the chair he had been sitting on earlier when boiling water.
It was better to sit honestly for a while. It would be a huge joke if a dignified general drowned in a well.
Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Xu Ping’an was holding a wooden comb, slowly combing Pei Qingxuan’s long hair.
Pei Qingxuan sat in front of the dressing mirror, her two fair, flawless jade feet swaying back and forth, her pretty face full of smiles.
She realized that what she looked forward to most each day was not the tenderness of those few hours at night, but rather the brief tranquility of her husband standing behind her, meticulously combing her hair, every morning.
He looped her waist-length hair and coiled it at the back of his wife’s head, securing it with a silver hairpin.
Only then did Xu Ping’an nod.
“There, done.”
Pei Qingxuan looked at herself in the mirror, smiling and nodding.
“Thank you, darling~”
Xu Ping’an patted the young girl’s head.
“Silly girl, we’re husband and wife, no need for thanks. Alright, go wash your face first, then wait a bit. I’m going to cook.”
“Mm!”
Pei Qingxuan quickly hooked her embroidered shoes, which she had kicked under the chair, with her small foot.
She hastily put on her shoes and got up, following Xu Ping’an.
“Husband, have the guests arrived?”
“Yes, three of them.”
“Then… can I go see them?”
“Go ahead. The two guests are in the west room. Oh, by the way, don’t be rude.”
“Mm!”
Pushing the door open, Xu Ping’an glanced at the living room and saw Zhao Pingzhi still sitting obediently by the stove.
He couldn’t help but smile, walked over, and wiped under the other’s eye.
In an instant, Zhao Pingzhi was stunned.
When he turned his head and saw Xu Ping’an, he was startled.
“Sir Xu! When did you get here?!”
Seeing Zhao Pingzhi’s bewildered expression, Xu Ping’an felt quite speechless.
“This is my home.”
“Ah, yes.”
Then he had an expression that seemed to say, ‘And then?’, which left Xu Ping’an unsure what to say.
This was clearly his home, so what did he mean, “When did you get here?”
Never mind, why bother arguing with him about such things?
“Let’s get to the main point. The poison your young lady has isn’t ordinary. It should be a poison called the Five Poisons Pill. This kind of poison isn’t something an ordinary person can refine. My suggestion is… to have the forces behind your master investigate.”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Pingzhi’s face instantly became grave.
“Sir, are you saying… this poison is from an immortal?”
“Mm. Additionally, this poison was likely administered yesterday, specifically around noon. You can go back and see who had contact with your young lady’s food or tea around that time.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Zhao Pingzhi bowed gratefully.
He went out to his carriage, pulled out a carrier pigeon from its rack, and then took out a brush to write.
Just as he was about to release the pigeon, he ran back.
“Sir, sir, I have one more thing to ask.”
Xu Ping’an was rolling up his sleeves, intending to cook, when he saw Zhao Pingzhi looking at him eagerly.
“Why are you so anxious? This isn’t a battlefield; there’s no rush. What is it? Speak.”
He replied casually and turned to take preserved meat from the cupboard and place it on the cutting board.
Zhao Pingzhi was momentarily stunned by his words.
He thought about it and realized it was true.
This wasn’t a battlefield; there was no hurry.
“Uh, I wanted to ask, how long will the full course of treatment take for my young lady to recover?”
“At least half a year, at most a year.”
“Ah? That long?”
Hearing this, Xu Ping’an, holding a kitchen knife, couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
“Nonsense. What kind of illness does your young lady have? Can it be compared to what ordinary people suffer from? This is already considered fast. If you think it’s slow, then have your master take your young lady back and find whoever they want to.”
After speaking, he no longer looked at Zhao Pingzhi and chopped down on the beef.
“No, no, no, sir, please don’t take my words to heart. I’m a martial artist; I speak my mind and am not good with words. A year it is, I’ll send a reply to my master right away.”
Xu Ping’an said nothing, waved his hand, and continued cooking.
Seeing this, Zhao Pingzhi breathed a sigh of relief and quickly went to release the pigeon.
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