He Lan Tianxia

Under Murong Junlan's careful care, some of the toxins in Lingyi's body were gradually eliminated. The old pine tree spirit told Lingyi about the perilous day, which had terrified Lingyi. He immediately told everyone that if he ever suffered a qi deviation, they shouldn't hesitate to kill him; he would even thank them.

Jiang He hugged Ling Yi and patted him reassuringly, saying, "What are you saying? We'll always be good brothers."

Jiang He raised his glass: "Bottoms up."

A warm feeling welled up in Lingyi's heart. It was a blessing to have met such a brother.

Luo Xie raised a wine glass to him: "I'd also like to toast you all. During the days I was unconscious, I thank you for staying by my side."

"What 'never leaving or forsaking'? That sounds like something a woman would say." Murong Junlan, who had been silent until now, spoke up: "Who said they'd never leave or forsaken you?"

"Oh dear, Prince Murong, I almost forgot, my wife has never abandoned me." Luo Xie never hesitated to tease me.

A storm flashed in Murong Junlan's eyes, but Luo Xie didn't let that storm blow over, and instead swiftly handed over a bundle of straw from behind:

"I just picked this; it's called 'Devil's Grass.' It's said to have antidotes. Let's see if it will work on the Queen Mother."

Murong Junlan stared intently at the bundle of grass, motionless. Luo Xie, thinking Murong Junlan suspected the grass was poisonous, picked one up, put it in his mouth, and chewed it vigorously, making a smacking sound as if he were enjoying it. "It's not poisonous, don't worry. We Xiongnu people often use it as an antidote."

Murong Junlan stared at the grass for a while, then suddenly grabbed it from Luo Xie's hand and went inside to take care of his Yan'er. Everyone put down their chopsticks and went about their own business. Actually, they had only made a special trip to drink because they saw Murong Junlan looking gloomy every day, since the prince had become quite haggard.

Murong Junlan mashed the herbs Luo Xie had given him, boiled them in a pot, and personally fed them to Yan'er, then kept a close eye on her. An hour passed, then two, but there seemed to be no effect. Murong Junlan then took out the pills from the large bird egg, mixed them with warm water, and gave them to Yan'er, but that also seemed to have no effect. Murong Junlan tried to heal himself with his internal energy, but just like last time, he was met with an unknown force from Yan'er. Murong Junlan finally remembered that the most likely cause was the Crimson Spirit Pearl in Yan'er's stomach. How could he, an outsider, possibly do anything to this pearl that had recognized its master?

On a midday when everyone was at a loss, a sudden gale arose outside, followed by a torrential downpour. No one dared to let their guard down, including the dwarves; everyone was on high alert. Murong Junlan wanted to stay and care for Yan'er, but was also worried about the enemy attacking from outside. Jiang He volunteered to fight:

"Your Highness, I'll go out and take a look first."

"Wait a minute." Murong Junlan was worried that Jiang He's strength was insufficient. "Why don't you stay here to take care of the princess? I'll go check on her."

Lingyi darted in front of Murong Junlan: "Your Highness, I'll go. I won't linger in battle; if I can't win, I'll run away."

Murong Junlan shook his head: "No, you haven't recovered yet."

Luo Xie stood up: "Your Highness, I'll go. I won't feel at ease leaving my wife without your care."

Murong Junlan gently patted Yan'er's shoulder: "My beloved consort, let me go and see what's going on." After saying that, he took a long stride and walked out of the tree hole. He sensed that the others were getting restless, and he didn't forget to throw a sentence behind him: "If the princess is missing a single hair, I will hold you responsible."

Jiang He and the others stared at each other, unsure whether to move for a long while. The two grown men and the snake had no choice but to find some stools to sit on and protect the princess. But before they could even warm their seats, "thump!" a little old man and a few dwarfs who had secretly followed Murong Junlan out rolled in.

The old pine tree spirit scrambled to his feet, but before he could stand properly, Luo Xie grabbed him and anxiously asked, "How is Your Highness? Is he in danger?"

The little pine tree spirit, its neck being pulled, turned bright red, and it stammered, "Your Highness, he...he..."

Luo Xie impatiently threw the old pine tree spirit down, and the old pine tree spirit's back almost broke from the impact.

"Speak quickly!" Luo Xie said irritably.

The old pine tree spirit rubbed his aching back and said, "The prince threw me back here."

Upon hearing this, Luo Xie angrily grabbed the old pine tree spirit again and threw it out. The old pine tree spirit was unconvinced and rolled over again, shouting at Luo Xie, "If you don't believe me, ask the dwarves. They were also thrown back by the prince."

Luo Xie flew into a rage and kicked the old pine tree spirit away again. Just then, a white-haired woman's shrill scream came from outside, followed by a deafening boom. The strange tree visibly shook, and a streak of silver light flashed towards Yan'er on the bed…