The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

"Father, my eldest brother is on his way back. The most important thing now is to catch the person who poisoned us. As long as she is not caught, she will always be a hidden danger."

Shen Tianjiao did not expect to capture Hongying's master and ask her to detoxify Zhenbei Hou. She was different from Hongying.

Hongying is actually not a bad person. When she was in Yuxiu Palace, she would often use her salary to help the poor palace maids and eunuchs.

There were many stray cats in the palace, and Hongying often saved her own food to feed the cats. Although she was often scolded for this, she still did her own thing.

Hongying’s only mistake was that she followed the wrong master, so people like Hongying at least still have a chance to fight for it.

But her master is different. She was born an evil person. Not only did she do evil herself, she also taught others to do evil. This kind of person is completely evil at heart, and there is no value or need to fight for her.

Shen Tianjiao now wants to capture Hongying's master as soon as possible to prevent her from causing trouble again. She cannot be a help to the Shen family, but she must not become a disaster to the Shen family either.

Marquis Zhenbei nodded. Thinking that there was such a dangerous person hiding beside him, he couldn't feel at ease for a moment.

As the head of the Zhenbei Marquisate and the Shen family, he must ensure that the Zhenbei Marquisate and the Shen family are not harmed in any way.

As a father, he must protect his children and never allow anyone to hurt them.

"Jiaojiao, do you have an idea now?" Seeing Shen Tianjiao's calm demeanor, the Marquis of Zhenbei knew that this girl must have an idea in her mind.

"It's hard to say now. I'll talk to Dad in detail after I come back from meeting someone."

It is not an easy task to catch Hongying's master. That woman is not only an expert in using poison, but also an expert in disguise. Otherwise, how could she have stayed with the Marquis of Zhenbei for so long without being discovered?

"Okay, Dad is waiting here, you go." Shen Tianjiao has always been steady in doing things, and the Marquis of Zhenbei has nothing to worry about.

The person Shen Tianjiao wanted to see was naturally Hongying. After all, she was the one who knew her master best.

This was the first time Shen Tianjiao saw Hongying since the poisoning incident.

The person who was once as beautiful as jade has not only lost her former grace, but has also become so thin that she looks completely unrecognizable. It seems that Hongying has indeed suffered a lot during the time she has been away.

"I, the guilty girl, pay my respects to the Empress." Hongying knelt down and kowtowed to Shen Tianjiao.

Shen Tianjiao glanced at Hongying who was lying on the ground, sighed, and said, "Alright, get up."

After getting Shen Tianjiao's approval, Hongying stood up and stood aside.

"I asked you to come here because I have something to ask you."

Shen Tianjiao's expression and gaze carried the aura and oppression unique to a superior. Even though Hongying lowered her head, she could still feel it.

"Your Majesty, please feel free to ask anything you want to know. I will tell you everything I know."

Hongying is already in the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, and she really has nothing to hide now. The person she wants to protect is no longer worthy of her protection.

"What I want to know is about your master. Are you sure you can tell me everything you know?"

Shen Tianjiao looked at Hongying and knew that the reason why she was tortured like this and refused to tell everything she knew was because of her master.

Hongying was startled and hesitated for a moment. She smiled bitterly and said, "The relationship between her and me as master and disciple in this life has come to an end. I have also repaid her kindness in raising me."

"Your Majesty, please ask whatever you want to know. I will never hide anything I know."

Hongying was already thinking that she would die anyway. Even if her master knew that she was still alive, he would definitely kill her and would not let her survive.

Shen Tianjiao stared at Hongying. She decided to trust her for once. "Where is your master from? What's her name? I want to know everything about her."

"She is from Nanzhao, Miaojiang. She has been learning witchcraft from her master since she was young. As for her real name, I don't know. I have only heard people call her Jade Lady since I was a child."

"Before I met Yun Li, I had been living with her in a deep mountain in Miaojiang, learning Gu magic from her. Besides Ye, she had three other disciples."

"It's just that my senior brother died many years ago because he was too eager for quick success and became obsessed with practicing martial arts."

"My second senior sister, because she fell in love with the mortal world, is now the princess of Nanchu."

"I'm the third child, and I have a younger apprentice sister. She's the one who looks most like my master, is the most talented, and is the one my master likes the most."

"Master brought us to the capital city and later sent me to the palace, but he always took Junior Sister with him outside."

About half a year ago, Master sent me a letter saying that she was entrusted by an old friend to go to the Northern Frontier to deal with the Marquis of Zhenbei, and she took my junior sister with her.

"Entrusted by an old friend? Then do you know who this old friend is?" Shen Tianjiao immediately grasped the key point.

Hongying shook her head and said, "I don't know. Our trip to the capital may have been related to this old friend of hers."

"She was very secretive about that old friend and never mentioned him to anyone, including us. But every year during the Qiqiao Festival, she would go and meet him."

"But I have seen that person before. One year she was seriously injured, and that person came to bring her medicine. I saw him when I brought in tea."

"That person wore a silver-grey wolf mask. He was tall but thin, and he had a limp due to a disease in his left leg."

"A silver-grey wolf mask, very tall but thin, and a cripple with a disease in his left leg."

Shen Tianjiao seemed to be very familiar with these features, but when they were put together, she couldn't remember who this person was.

"Hongying, how are your painting skills?" If she couldn't remember, then forget it. Shen Tianjiao felt that if Hongying could draw the person's appearance, maybe she would be able to remember who this person was.

“Not very good, but okay.”

"Okay, that's fine. Draw that person's appearance later. Oh, and also your master, and your junior sister."

If you want to do it, you have to catch them all in one fell swoop. This time, Shen Tianjiao plans to wipe them out in one fell swoop.

"Yes." This was not a difficult task for Hongying. With her painting skills, she had no problem drawing a few people she was familiar with.

"Hongying, you should also know that your master is now a dangerous person, so if you find her whereabouts, or have any clues, you must tell us. Now, only by catching her can we all be safe."

This Lady Yu is not a simple person, and you need to be extra careful when dealing with her.

"Hongying understands." Now everyone is in the same boat, and there is no way out except to advance and retreat together.

After solving one problem, Shen Tianjiao still has another one to solve.

"I've learned from Qiu Tong the risks of detoxification. I'd like to ask how confident you are."

Shen Tianjiao stared at Hongying, her inner nervousness clearly revealed.

"I'm pretty confident. It's just that it's very painful when the insects first enter my body. But as they get used to it, the pain will get less and less."

Hongying saw Shen Tianjiao's nervousness and worry, and deliberately made things sound lighter, but what she said was also true. The person most likely to be in danger was not the Marquis of Zhenbei, but her.

Once the poisonous insect is drawn out of her body and enters the body of the Marquis of Zhenbei, the slightest mistake will affect her, and in serious cases, it may even take her life.

Hongying's words comforted Shen Tianjiao. As long as there was no danger to his life and it was just some pain, she believed that her father could still get through it.

“When the body is in pain, can I use medicine to relieve it?”

"No." Hongying shook her head and said, "The Gu in my body is both a poisonous and a medicinal Gu. It has the ability to detoxify itself. If other drugs interfere, it will not only affect the detoxification effect, but also be dangerous."

Shen Tianjiao originally thought that her father was indeed old, and if medication could be used to reduce the pain during detoxification, her father would suffer less.

But Hongying's words made her completely give up this plan. It was much better to suffer pain than to be in danger.

"After this Gu has detoxified, can it continue to detoxify again?" After worrying about her father, Shen Tianjiao also had to worry about her elder brother.

"Normally, after using it to detoxify once, I need to let it return to my body and recuperate for a period of time before I can perform the detoxification a second time."

The poisonous insect was originally nourished by Hongying's flesh and blood. Although it is poisonous in itself, it is in an extremely fragile state after absorbing the poison in the body.

He needs to return to Hongying's body and be nourished and cared for by her flesh and blood for a period of time before he can recover his energy and continue to detoxify.

"Then how long will it take for it to recover?" Shen Tianjiao couldn't help but become nervous again. It couldn't take too long, as her elder brother was also waiting to save him.

"It depends on the situation. I've never used my poison to detoxify anyone else, but I've seen other people detoxify, and it probably takes about one to two months."

Hongying had been carrying this poisonous insect in her body since she was little, and Lady Yu had never let her use it to detoxify anyone. She knew the method of detoxification, but she had never actually used it.

"It will take so long?" Shen Tianjiao's heart sank. She didn't know how long her elder brother had been poisoned and whether he could still be cured in time.

"Empress, is there anyone else who has been poisoned by Yuyi?" Hongying is also a smart person. As soon as she saw Shen Tianjiao's expression, she knew what she was worried about.

"Well, besides my father, my eldest brother may have also been poisoned by Yuyi." Shen Tianjiao felt extremely uncomfortable at this time. One is his father and the other is his brother. Neither of them can be in danger.

Hongying nodded in understanding and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry. The insect has returned to my body to recuperate. As long as you feed it with more precious medicinal herbs, it will recover faster."

In just this short period of time, Shen Tianjiao's mood had been up and down, but now she has finally stabilized.

"What about you? Using the witchcraft to detoxify my father, will it harm your body?"

Shen Tianjiao is a soft-hearted person. Although she is wary of Hongying, now Hongying has risked her life to help her save her father and elder brother. She cannot forget this kindness.

Hongying smiled and said, "It's nothing. This insect has been living in my body and has been with me forever. Although it is a bit of a hindrance, it will be fine as long as I take good care of it."

Hongying didn't want Shen Tianjiao to worry about her. She already felt guilty towards Shen Tianjiao for poisoning her. Now that she could help Shen Tianjiao, it could be considered as paying back her debt.

"I, Shen Tianjiao, owe you a favor. I've remembered it all. I'll definitely do what I promised you. And if you need anything in the future, just tell me. I, Shen Tianjiao, will definitely do it for you."

No matter what Hongying had done in the past, today she was willing to save her father and brother, and the grudge between them was wiped out.

Shen Tianjiao is willing to treat Hongying as her benefactor and satisfy all her needs.

"Then Hongying would like to thank Her Majesty the Queen for her grace." Hongying bowed to Shen Tianjiao neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"I'll go discuss this with my father. If you need anything for the detoxification, just tell Qiu Tong."

The heavy stone in her heart fell to the ground. Shen Tianjiao couldn't wait any longer and wanted the Marquis of Zhenbei to start the detoxification work immediately.

After seeing Shen Tianjiao off, Qiu Tong looked at Hongying with a complicated expression. Based on her intuition, she always felt that things would not be as simple as Hongying said.

Hongying felt uneasy when Qiutong stared at her. "Just ask whatever you want to ask. I'm afraid of you staring at me like that."

"Oh, are you scared?" Qiu Tong glanced at Hongying and poured her a cup of tea.

"You'd better tell me everything honestly. That way, if you encounter any danger while detoxifying the Marquis, I can save you."

"Otherwise, if something unexpected happens, I don't know how to save you."

Hongying drank a sip of hot tea and said with a smile: "You still want to save me. I thought you hated me so much that you wanted me to die right away."

"Let's put things in perspective. I'm not that vicious. You were the one who poisoned my master first. Isn't it right that I hate you?"

"But now that you are willing to risk your life to save my Lord and the Young Master, I am naturally grateful to you, so I will not let you die no matter what."

Qiu Tong is a person who speaks directly, has a clear distinction between likes and dislikes, and is not hypocritical or affectation at all.

"Thank you." Hongying held the cup in her hand, her eyes red. Her master had never given her such care since she was a child.

"What are you thanking me for? Isn't this my duty?" Hongying thanked Qiutong, but it made Qiutong feel embarrassed.

"You must live well. Your parents and family are still waiting for you. No matter what, you must at least meet them once. Don't leave any regrets. Otherwise, even if you are reborn in the next life, it will not be complete."