After rebirth, she became the favorite of the powerful minister.

Feng Qingtan's wrist, which was being held, trembled violently. He had no way to explain, nor could he explain. He only felt his heart pounding and his ears buzzing. He couldn't think of any way to explain.

So he fell silent.

Yuan Ge glanced at Feng Qingtan, his fingers shifting from gripping to resting, but Feng Qingtan abruptly withdrew her hand, adjusting her cuffs while chuckling awkwardly, "It's nothing... What, you've learned some trivial things and you don't believe in your teacher's medical skills anymore? It's just that I'm a little weak, I can prescribe some medicine to regulate myself, don't bother taking my pulse, look at Granny Dou, you've scared her... Granny Dou, don't bother, come, sit down and eat."

Grandma Dou entered the pavilion, clutching the hem of her dress. She silently put down the dishes in her hand, but didn't sit down. She just stood there looking at Yuan Ge, hesitating for a long time before finally saying nothing and letting out a soft, silent sigh.

"I should have asked clearly when I first woke up, but my mind was in a mess, and you brushed me off with a few words. Now that I think about it, there's still no reply from Shengjing, and all you have is that one luxuriant plant. I'm so deeply poisoned, what will I do if those few small fruits aren't enough? Teacher... luxuriant plants cause hallucinations, and while the fruit is the antidote,... if I remember correctly, the fruit... isn't that the real poison? Are you still going to lie to me now?!"

Xu Chengjin trembled, suddenly remembering the vanished luxuriant plant. He took a few steps forward and, without saying a word, took the old man's pulse. Within a few breaths, his face turned pale, and he staggered back two steps. "You...you must have a way, right?"

Several pairs of eyes fell on Feng Qingtan.

Hope, trepidation, and complex emotions weighed on him like a tangible weight, making it hard for him to breathe. Everyone was waiting for an answer, but in the almost oppressive atmosphere, there was only the other person's slowly lowered head and silent stillness.

“How could this be…” Xu Chengjin shook his head repeatedly, completely at a loss. He looked at Yuan Ge, wanting a negative answer from him, even just a smiling expression would be fine.

But no.

He had never seen Yuan Ge like this before. He was expressionless, bloodless, and completely devoid of his soul. He looked so frail that a gust of wind could blow him away. His heart pounded with fear as he watched the two people who had been speaking in riddles from the very beginning. He grew increasingly impatient, stamping his feet and repeatedly asking, "What's going on? Can you speak in a way I can understand?"

No one answered.

A wind suddenly picked up, swirling close to the ground and howling softly in the pavilion, chilling one's neck.

Even colder was the little girl's quiet voice, "Using blood as a guide is true, but it's not just about drawing blood into the medicine; it's about integrating the Polygonatum odoratum fruit into one's own blood, using the blood to nourish and treat... So, Teacher is now poisoned by the Polygonatum odoratum fruit." A few small fruits might not be enough to save Yuan Ge, who is already critically poisoned, but if the Polygonatum odoratum fruit is integrated into one's own blood, this problem will naturally be solved.

It could even... save everyone.

"Then what about the antidote? The poison of the Sophora flavescens can be cured with the Sophora flavescens fruit, but what about the poison of the Sophora flavescens fruit? Is there something that can also be used to cure it, like the root of the Sophora flavescens?" Xu Chengjin looked at Yuan Ge pleadingly, then at Feng Qingtan, "Isn't that right? Teacher, you know, right? You must know something that can cure the poison of the Sophora flavescens fruit, right? Tell me, no matter where you are, I will find it for you!"

Feng Qingtan looked at Xu Chengjin with a calm expression; the twenty-year-old looked like he was about to cry.

He raised his hand and patted Xu Chengjin's head. "The wine is good, and the rabbit is roasted very well." After saying that, he turned around and walked out with his hands behind his back, his head down, his back hunched over even more.

"You—" Xu Chengjin raised his hand, then slowly lowered it. After a long while, he turned to Yuan Ge and asked, his voice trembling with fear, "Is there really... no other way?"

Is there really no other way? Perhaps there is… The teacher once said that everything in the world has its counterpart, and there is a natural order and cause and effect within it. For example, while the Polygonum multiflorum fruit is highly poisonous, it is also an antidote. But the world is vast, with countless medical books and rare medical texts. Where is the antidote for the Polygonum multiflorum fruit…? Now that the poison has seeped into her blood and lungs, how long can the teacher wait? Yuan Ge truly didn't know. So she lowered her eyes, and after a long while, said, “There will be one…”

……

Feng Qingtan did not go back to rest. He first went to the herb garden, took out a sandalwood box from a hidden compartment in his study, and then, under the cover of night, walked step by step toward Song Wenyuan.

Night had fallen, and only one lamp was lit in the courtyard. The man who had amazed everyone at first sight was leaning back in a recliner with his eyes closed, as if he were asleep.

The moonlight shone on his face, making his already handsome and sculpted features appear even more cold and lonely. Feng Qingtan smiled, his hands behind his back, and stepped inside. "Are you really going to hold a grudge against her?"

The man in the recliner opened his eyes and looked up. His gaze was cold and calm, showing no sign of sleepiness. After a slight pause, he rose to greet her with utmost respect, though his mood was clearly low. He asked, "It's late. Why did you come in person? How... is she?"

Feng Qingtan stepped forward with her hands behind her back, sat in the chair the other person had offered, placed the sandalwood box she was carrying on the small table, and then lifted her eyelids to look over. "Since you want to know how she is, why don't you go and see her yourself? Are you really going to hold a grudge against a patient?"

The tone was somewhat dangerous.

From Song Wenyuan's angle, he could see the other man's tense face. He lowered his brows and chuckled softly, "How could I... how could I bear to? I was just forcing myself not to see her, thinking that she might come and coax me. But that heartless woman has time to eat wild game, but no time to coax me... really, she didn't take this rash action seriously at all. Now that you have time to come, I suppose she's recovered quite well?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Qingtan involuntarily raised her eyebrows, lowered her head and chuckled. She choked on her laughter, and a blanket was draped over her shoulder. Song Wenyuan said gently, "You don't look too well; you must be exhausted lately. It's late, let me take you home to rest. Why don't we talk about it tomorrow?" Perfect timing... I'll go see her.

Feng Qingtan waved her hand, "It's alright."

"It's nothing." Feng Qingtan pulled the thin blanket up a little, then patted the box on the small table and looked up at the other person. "I was just thinking that I would ask you to keep this for me, and then you can pass it on to Xiao Ge'er when you leave Zhixuan Mountain."

"What's this?"

“It’s a treasure that that brat has been asking me for for ages, but I haven’t been able to give it to her,” Feng Qingtan said with a smile. “But she’s still my student, and I have to grant her what she’s been longing for. However, I don’t want her to get too cocky and think she can take advantage of this old man, so I’m asking you to pass it on. Is that alright?”

As the old man spoke, he seemed to find it amusing to think of her frantic, unrequited love. His chuckle was perfectly normal. Song Wenyuan thought that the girl could be quite infuriating at times and definitely needed to be taught a lesson, so he readily agreed, "Alright. I understand."