Adoption brings disaster

The poison was indeed highly toxic. In just a moment, Liu Shui's face turned as withered and gray as the leaves in late autumn, visibly yellow and withered to the naked eye.

His breath was like a deflated ball, and after a few deep breaths he fell silent.

If it weren't for the fact that his chest was still rising and falling slightly, Liu Shui would have looked like a dead man.

This is not the first time I have seen a life lost, and I have even taken several lives myself.

But seeing Liushui's dying appearance, I still panicked.

Why did I panic? It might be because Liu Shui had a high status, or it might be because I had a special liking for Liu Shui, but the most likely reason was that I treated Liu Shui as my student, the precious and powerful student when I was still a corporate slave.

I stood there in a daze. Something from the previous world was attacking me desperately, making my breathing rapid, my eyes blurred, my legs weak, but I wanted to escape.

There was a student who had an argument with his parents at home. As the conversation went on, the child became so upset that he jumped off the building and committed suicide.

Logically, this matter had nothing to do with me, but I didn't expect the parents to blame me for it. In the end, the child jumped off the building and it became my responsibility.

The parents' cries, the school's accountability, and the public's criticism were like a mudslide that drowned me and pinned me down. I couldn't move, let alone breathe, and I wished I could just die.

These are all past events. Thinking about them now still makes me extremely scared and I can't get rid of them no matter what I do.

Just when my breathing was about to stop and I was about to suffocate to death, a man quickly knelt in front of me.

My mind is a mess now. He looks familiar, but I can't remember who he is. My ears are buzzing. He is saying something, but I can't hear it clearly. I am filled with despair and wish I could just die.

Seeing that I was stunned, the man said with difficulty: "Your Highness, please give me the life-extending pill to save His Highness Liushui."

I heard these words clearly, but my mind was stuck. I had no idea what to do, and my eyes were as blank and lost as a newborn baby. But I finally remembered who was in front of me. It was the leader of the secret guards I had restrained.

Seeing that I was still motionless, the leader of the secret guards knew that I was possessed. He had no choice but to hurriedly bow and say, "I'm sorry for being rude."

After saying that, he took out a bottle from my arms, and with his wonderful lightness skills, he gave Liushui, Xiaogao and Ada the life-extending elixir in an instant.

The elixirs in the world of high martial arts are magical. Xiao Gao and A Da were able to stand up and walk just moments after taking the elixirs. However, they were seriously injured and were still a little unsteady when they walked.

Liu Shui's complexion had returned to normal, and his chest was heaving with breath, which was very strong. He had just been poisoned and had not yet woken up.

The stability of Liushui is like a god who uses his immense power to lift the mud covering my head, allowing me to breathe naturally.

Unfortunately, this god seemed to be afraid that the mud would dirty his shoes, so he just pushed the mud away and did not intend to save me. My body was still pressed down by the mud and I could not move.

I shook my neck with difficulty, trying to seek help. The leader of the secret guards stood in the distance, saluted me deeply, and then slipped away in my expectant eyes.

When I saw him leave, I didn't feel angry or desperate, but instead felt an indescribable sadness.

A moment later, a strange fragrance came from the woods, and an instant later, tiny sounds came from the shadows around.

Although my body was still unable to move due to tension, I felt much more at ease in my heart because I knew that the group of secret guards who were under my control had returned to the dark to protect us.

Ah Da dragged his severely injured body to me, knelt down in front of me, and said in a sad tone, "Your Highness."

A strange fragrance entered my nose, and my internal organs became aware. The huge feeling of oppression disappeared without a trace. Ah Da's shouting gave me strength in my hands and feet. The feeling of regaining freedom was really wonderful.

"Ah?" I answered a little dazedly.

Ah Da didn't care about my health, but said: "This servant has a request, I hope Your Highness will approve it."

I looked at Ah Da begging with an expression of certain death. My brain had not yet fully recovered and I was a little at a loss. I could only look at him panically and let him continue.

Ah Da's eyes were filled with sorrow and majesty, as if he was ready to die in remonstration. He said, "Your Highness, although the leader of the secret guards was disrespectful to Your Highness, I would like to ask for forgiveness for his overstepping his bounds in consideration of his loyalty."

"The crime of usurpation?" I didn't understand what this meant and said it subconsciously.

After a moment's thought, I understood what Ah Da meant. I smiled and said nonchalantly, "Everything happens for a reason. How can you be considered overstepping your bounds? Hurry up and call him out. Not only will I not punish him, I will also reward him handsomely. If it weren't for him, I'm afraid there would be a disaster today."

"Your Highness, he is gone." Ada said in a heavy voice with tears in his eyes.

"Gone?" I couldn't believe that a person who was alive just now disappeared right in front of me in just a moment.

Seeing that I didn't understand, Ah Da explained, "He was disrespectful to Your Highness, and committing suicide to apologize is already a great favor. I hope Your Highness will see that there was a reason for this and not blame his family."

The life-extending pill was in my arms. The place where the leader of the secret guards had touched just now felt like it was burning on fire, causing unbearable pain.

The fire grew bigger and bigger, and in an instant it burned violently, but it was not my body that was burning, but my heart.

The fire was burning and my heart was aching.

I suppressed the discomfort in my heart and said with a wry smile, "I already said I would reward him. Since he's gone, let's reward his family. Ah Da, I'll leave this matter to you. You can take whatever you want from the escort agency and the palace and give it to his family."

The generous reward was like a huge piece of ice, bringing some comfort to the burning heart.

The few bodyguards who stayed in the village also heard the noise and came here quickly. They were following Xiao Gao's arrangements and carrying out the aftermath work in an orderly manner, especially the capture of the eldest sister.

I have now become the usual His Highness Qianqiu. Watching the escorts leave in an orderly manner and the number of secret guards in the woods decreasing, I was thinking in my mind what I should do.

"Xiao Gao, have someone send the bodies of these people to the capital as quickly as possible, and have Qingyu find a trustworthy coroner to perform an autopsy and conduct a thorough examination." I said, pointing at the bodies of Duan Daxia and others on the ground.

I ignored Xiao Gao's hasty arrangements and continued, "Send the body of the leader of the secret guards to Xuzhou and bury him in the Wei Mausoleum of the Zhenbei King's ancestral tomb."

I took out the jade token of the Zhenbei Palace, handed it to Ah Da, and said, "Just go ahead and handle this matter. As for what the two princes or others have to say, no matter what, I will naturally give them an explanation."

After hearing this, Ah Da was shocked at first, then he kowtowed excitedly, and even the faint kowtow sounds could be heard in the shadows.

I patted Ada's head and motioned him to stand up and talk.

Ah Da stood up, and the light and shadow in the shadows flickered, obviously the secret guard also stood up.

I continued, "There's one thing I don't understand. When the leader of the secret guards committed suicide, I smelled a strange fragrance. What was that?"

Ah Da stood respectfully aside and explained, "Your Highness, you may not know this, but the secret guards have special poisonous insects planted in their bodies since childhood. They feed on their own blood and essence. If they are killed, their blood will have a lingering and far-reaching stench, making it easier for people to track them."

Ah Da said this with some sadness, and he choked up for a moment. After a moment, he continued, "If you use the secret method to activate it, at the cost of your life, it will emit a strange fragrance. This fragrance can kill evil, dispel miasma, and awaken the mind. It often works wonders when encountering thieves."

So that's how it is. I nodded and looked at Liu Shui who was lying on the hastily prepared stretcher.

Liushui looked like he was fast asleep, but he showed no signs of waking up. I asked worriedly, "How long will it take for Liushui to wake up?"

When Ah Da heard me ask, he just said, "I don't know anything about medicine," and then he lowered his head and said nothing.

Xiao Gao, who was listening from a distance, said, "I do understand some medical knowledge, but I'm not proficient in it. According to what I said, His Highness Liushui must have been poisoned. However, I'm not very knowledgeable and don't know what the poison is."

Xiao Gao's voice was not loud, and it was not known whether it was because he was weak or for some other reason.

"Highly poisonous." I rubbed the corner of my clothes subconsciously and said, "If it is highly poisonous, why does Liu Shui just look like he is sleeping soundly and not in any serious trouble?"

"It's just a life-extending pill to keep His Highness Liushui alive. Once the effect wears off, he'll be dead in an instant." A bodyguard next to Xiao Gao gloated, "Liushui and that Crown Prince are birds of a feather. He deserves to die. It's just a waste of a life-extending pill."

Before he finished speaking, Xiao Gao and A Da's expressions changed.

"Shut up," Xiao Gao yelled. "If you dare to talk nonsense in front of the boss again, I'll have the shopkeeper send you to the West Sea. Don't even think about coming back."

Ada didn't say anything, but he clenched his fists. When he saw that I didn't say anything, he loosened them.

These soldiers were very clear about what they loved and hated. The Crown Prince and Prince Yong were fighting each other, and the civil officials and military officials were fighting each other, but the unlucky ones were these soldiers in the northern border.

It was normal for them to feel resentment towards the Crown Prince's civil servant. Besides, he was just talking and didn't do anything, so he couldn't be punished for his words.

"Come here." I waved him over and asked, "Are you telling the truth?"

"Of course it's true," the man said with some pride. "When I was in the army, I worked as an assistant to the best military doctors. Although I can't cure illnesses and save lives, I still understand basic medical principles."

These words made me panic again after finally calming down.

But I knew I couldn't panic, so I bit the skin in my mouth, endured the pain, and calmed myself down. I said, "If I must save His Highness Liushui's life, is there any way?"

The man was naturally unwilling to go to great lengths to save Liushui, but he dared not disobey my order. He just lowered his head, gritted his teeth, and then stared at me with red eyes and said, "This poison can only be cured by a great doctor. Go 30 miles along this road, then 10 miles to the left to cross the river. I heard there is a miracle doctor there who wants to save Liushui..."

"Ahem." Xiao Gao coughed and looked at the escort threateningly.

The man glanced at Xiao Gao, his whole body trembling. He endured the pain and continued, "If you want to save His Highness Liu Shui, I'm afraid this is the only way."

After saying this, he walked away angrily without even bowing.

I watched him leave, feeling a pity for him. After a moment's thought, I said, "The struggles in the court, the camaraderie between the soldiers, the grievances you've suffered—I've been in the palace for so long that I don't understand. But Liu Shui is just a poor man caught in this mess. We can't hold him responsible for all this. Just think of it as pity for him."

Before I could finish my words, the man stopped, his shoulders twitching slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "This poison is extremely strong. I'm afraid that even the life-extending pills won't keep him alive for much longer. Your Highness should take him away quickly."

My heart tightened, and I quickly carried Liu Shui on my back and used my fastest lightness skills to fly in the direction the escort said. As for A Da and Xiao Gao, they were both seriously injured, so I asked them to recover and come back to find me.

"Why are you following my boss around instead of staying with His Royal Highness Prince Yong?" Xiao Gao asked casually.

Ada didn't say anything, but just looked nervously in the direction I left.

"If you weren't a eunuch, I would have thought you had improper thoughts about my boss." Xiao Gao joked, then suddenly remembered something and asked hurriedly, "Could that story be true?"

Ah Da looked at Xiao Gao in confusion, not knowing what he was talking about. Xiao Gao made a mouth shape, and Ah Da saw it and quickly covered Xiao Gao's mouth, shouting, "This matter is a secret, and very few people in the capital know about it. How did you know?"

"How I know is not important. His Highness is so noble, and you are the only one staying by his side?" Xiao Gao questioned, but then he understood something and said uncertainly, "His Highness Prince Yong, Prince Zhenbei, and Zhaixing Tower?"

Ah Da didn't say anything, just looked at Xiao Gao. Xiao Gao immediately understood what Ah Da meant and whispered in surprise, "You guys are really messing around. His Highness is so important, and you have only a few half-baked secret guards. How can you protect His Highness?"

After Xiao Gao finished speaking, he rolled his eyes at A Da, and even Prince Yong felt a little disgusted. However, now was not the time to think about these things. Protecting His Highness was more important, so he didn't say much and forced himself to catch up.

Ada grabbed Xiaogao and motioned him to look at the escort who had spoken without thinking just now, and smiled meaningfully.

Xiao Gao was stunned for a moment, then realized that the escort was probably not an ordinary person. After a little thought, he knew who he was.

Xiao Gao mouthed the word "Hu Da" and got the answer, then he stopped talking and lay down peacefully, waiting to recover before catching up.

Predict what will happen in the future, and listen to the next decomposition.