Chapter 25: Xue Chen, Thank You!

The summer days were sweltering. The nights were particularly stuffy, and Ning Shengsheng had recently taken to sleeping while hugging the cool Huan Li egg.

Tonight, however, she had a dream. She dreamed that a furnace fell from the sky, and she was so scared that she quickly let go.

She opened her eyes, rubbed them, and sat up, still half-asleep.

“So hot…” she mumbled, subconsciously fumbling for the Huan Li egg. In the dim light, her hands reached the end of the bed.

“Hiss, what’s so hot!”

Ning Shengsheng opened her weary eyes and saw that the blue spirit beast egg had turned a dark red.

“?”

She tentatively poked it with her finger. It was indeed very hot.

How could this be?

A thin layer of dark green substance extended from the dark red halo, and it emitted a foul smell. She had never raised a spirit beast egg before, but she knew that this was definitely not normal.

“Songgao!”

Ning Shengsheng quickly threw on some clothes. When Songgao came in, she ordered, “Bring me a pair of heat-resistant gloves.”

“Yes, this servant will go at once.”

Songgao had always been efficient. By the time Ning Shengsheng had put on her shoes, the gloves had been delivered.

She put on the gloves and held the Huan Li egg. “Prepare the carriage. We’re going to Hostage Prince Xue’s residence right now.”

“Yes!”

Songgao turned and hurried out, waking up Zaoni, who was dozing at the door. “Quick, bring a lantern and light the way for Her Highness.”

Zaoni didn’t dare to be negligent. She pinched herself, and her mind immediately cleared. She glanced at the discolored spirit beast egg and thought to herself, This is bad. Even she, who knew nothing about these things, knew that something was terribly wrong. Her Highness had been treating it like a treasure recently. If something happened to it, everyone in Zhaoxia Palace would be finished.

She prayed that Hostage Prince Xue could save them once again.

They rushed to the pear courtyard.

Xue Chen was still in meditation. He had entered the Earth Aperture realm a little later than the others, so he had to cultivate even harder. He was in a state of self-forgetfulness during his cultivation.

Suddenly, a loud “bang—”

The door was kicked open.

Xue Chen’s brow twitched twice. “…”

He opened his eyes and saw it was Ning Shengsheng. The corner of his forehead couldn’t help but twitch.

“What now?”

“Xue Chen, quick, help me see what’s wrong with Mianmian!” The girl’s nose was red, as if she were about to cry. As she spoke, she held a red-and-green spirit beast egg, which was emitting a strange smell, in front of his eyes.

“It’s been poisoned.”

He composed himself and directed Ning Shengsheng to place the Huan Li egg on the table.

Ning Shengsheng watched as Xue Chen took out a dagger and scraped the green substance from the surface of the eggshell. He then took out a silver needle.

“It’s like Corpse Marrow poison.”

After a preliminary diagnosis, he placed two cat hairs on the dark green powder. The cat hairs instantly evaporated.

Seeing Xue Chen’s brows furrow tighter and tighter, she asked nervously, “Can it be cured? Tell me what you need. I have all the precious medicinal herbs. If I don’t have them, I’ll have Older Brother open his storeroom right now.”

“It’s Corpse Marrow poison, a potent toxin that is harmless to humans but can corrode a seventh-rank demonic beast.”

“How can it be cured?”

“Three fire-attribute medicinal herbs, three water-attribute medicinal herbs, and the spiritual energy of the Frigid Spirit Pool to nurture it.”

“There’s a high chance of saving it. The rest depends on the little one’s will to live.”

Xue Chen didn’t waste any time and wrote down the names of the medicinal herbs with a brush.

She turned and handed it to Songgao. “Quick, go and find these. If they’re not in my storeroom, go to Older Brother.”

“Rest assured, Princess. Zaoni, you take good care of Her Highness.”

Songgao hurried away.

Xue Chen used the spiritual energy in his palm to soothe the Huan Li egg. Ning Shengsheng saw the sweat on his forehead and knew that he was also tired. She rummaged through her storage pouch and threw out five spirit-gathering formations, tossing them on the table.

“Put Mianmian in the middle of the formation.”

Xue Chen was stunned for a moment. He knew she was the richest woman in Great Ning, but what was he thinking just now? He pressed his lips together and placed the Huan Li egg in the spirit-gathering formation. The formation amplified the absorption of the heaven and earth’s spiritual energy, which continuously flowed into the eggshell, hopefully giving the Huan Li a little more time.

The two of them sat facing each other in silence. Ning Shengsheng was the first to break the silence. “Who do you think wants to harm my Mianmian?”

“Who are your enemies in the palace?” he asked in a deep voice.

“Ahem, that—” she guiltily scratched her chin. “I seem to have quite a few enemies.”

The original owner had offended so many people. It could be the Jiang family, or Ning Jin, or even the noble sons the original owner had flirted with.

“You’re quite honest.”

Xue Chen didn’t know what to say. After a moment of silence, he asked again, “Do you have any suspects?”

“Ning Jin, I suppose. After all, although many people hate me, she’s the only one who would dare to do something.”

She shrugged and spread her hands. “After all, my dear brother is the emperor.”

The corner of Xue Chen’s mouth twitched. He was used to her way of speaking and directly stated the solution.

“I have a bottle of medicinal powder refined from bodhi fruit here. When this powder is sprinkled on a place that has been touched by Corpse Marrow powder, it will emit a large amount of white smoke. If you suspect someone, just splash it on them.”

“Good idea!” She took it with a smile, but then had another thought. “Bodhi powder sounds very precious. What do you want in exchange? I can trade spiritual medicine with you.”

“I don’t need spiritual medicine.”

His lips moved, then closed again. “If you promise me one thing, how about that?”

“Alright!”

She agreed without a second thought.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll harm you?”

The young man’s pale, handsome face had improved a lot after Ning Shengsheng’s secret feedings. His skin was as white as jade, making the red mole between his eyebrows even more vivid.

She was momentarily dazed. His direct gaze was fixed on her, and he subconsciously shifted his gaze in displeasure. Then he realized it was a little deliberate. He turned his head back and looked straight at her.

Smack!

He slapped the table.

“Oh, oh, what did you just say? I forgot.” She blinked innocently.

Her full lips were pressed into a straight line, making her look a little silly.

A row of black lines appeared behind Xue Chen’s head. He made a “please” gesture and forced her back to the door. “Just remember that you promised me one thing. It’s late, Your Highness, please go back.”

“Oh!”

Just as he was closing the door, she spoke again.

“Xue Chen, thank you.”

His hand, which was closing the door, paused. Through the crack, he saw that her usually bright and lively eyes had become calm and gentle, and her voice, no longer as cheerful as usual, was tinged with a softness, as if stained with the color of the night, carrying a hint of charm.

“You’re welcome.”

He slammed the door shut with both hands, as if the loud noise could cover up something—for example, the heartbeat he had just missed, or the panic that had instantly flooded his usually silent eyes.

At this moment, Ning Shengsheng, whose nose had almost been hit by the door, was stunned.

“Zaoni, why did he react so strongly? Quick, check my nose. Is it okay?”

“Your Highness, your nose is fine. Perhaps we disturbed him so late, and Hostage Prince Xue was just tired.”

“That’s good!”

She patted her nose with lingering fear and walked out. Zaoni walked in front, carrying a lantern to light the way.

The system sighed. Why was its host’s EQ sometimes online and sometimes not? How worrying!