Forced to be a concubine? I turned around and married the scumbag's father.

Mu Junyan broke the pill in half, placed half of it near her mouth, and whispered, "You eat half."

"Let them each eat half of the other one. Keep half for emergencies."

Akabane nodded and gratefully helped the remaining two soldiers break open the pills and swallow them.

Gu Hua gripped Mu Junyan's sleeve tightly: "Do we need to ask Brother Ji if the blood of someone who has taken the antidote can save lives?"

Mu Junyan stared at her: "You want to use your blood to save someone?"

"Yes." Gu Hua's gaze was firm.

She not only had to save people, but also Mu Junyan.

After today, things will be different from the previous life.

He's not dead, he's not going to die!

"I don't need you." Mu Junyan tried to pull her away, but she broke free.

Gu Hua suddenly stepped back: "I'll infect you. Don't come any closer. I can walk by myself."

Mu Junyan pulled the person over and hugged him tightly.

Gu Hua froze, her nose filled with Mu Juncheng's scent, and she couldn't help but cry out, "I've already contracted the disease. Aren't you always calm and meticulous? Aren't you afraid that you won't be able to command the battle if you get sick?"

Mu Junyan felt the woman in his arms trembling. He stroked her head tenderly and whispered, "Don't be afraid. Don't worry."

He knew the danger, and that the poison was highly contagious.

But he couldn't help it; he couldn't control himself.

Gu Hua felt heartbroken and tried to push him away, but he only held her tighter.

"Alright, if it were contagious, it would have spread already. Don't move around, you still have an injury on your neck."

Helpless, Gu Hua could only reach out and hug him back, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Does your neck hurt?" Mu Junyan looked down at her.

"It doesn't hurt," Gu Hua choked out.

Mu Junyan was worried, so he straightened her up and looked down at her.

The handkerchief was stained red with blood, which pained him greatly. He tried his best to suppress his murderous intent and gently stroked her head to comfort her.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't protect you."

Gu Hua didn't dare to shake her head, and could only blink: "I'm doing this willingly. But it seems like I'm causing you trouble."

She willingly returned to find Ji Xuanyu, willingly acted as bait to restrain Yifeng Hall, and willingly ingested the poison in order to seek an antidote.

"No, you and Chiyu did a great job." Mu Junyan cupped her face in his hands.

Gu Hua was somewhat puzzled: "Do you know all this?"

Perhaps I am also part of his scheme?

Gu Hua felt somewhat uneasy.

Mu Junyan did not answer her, but took her hand and carefully led her down the city wall.

Gu Hua was horrified to see corpses strewn all over the ground and blood covering the streets.

"Ziyuan, please let me see him, okay?" Gu Hua grabbed Mu Junyan's sleeve.

"Now?" Mu Junyan looked at her.

Fearing he might misunderstand, Gu Hua quickly explained, "There are only two antidotes. I wanted to ask him if the blood of those of us who have taken the medicine could neutralize the poison. This poison is highly contagious, and we can't wait any longer."

Mu Junyan: "Do you not trust me, or do you trust him too much?"

Gu Hua became anxious: "Of course I believe you. You are my husband. But this poison was made by Yifeng Hall, they must know the antidote. Haven't some people in the Mu family army already been infected? And in Juzhou City, they poisoned the porridge."

Mu Junyan said in a low voice, "He won't tell you unless you go with him."

Gu Hua paused for a moment, then said, "I won't go with him. But isn't he the only one who knows the truth?"

"The poison in Juzhou City has been brought under control, and we also have sorcerers on our side, so the poison in Juzhou is not widespread. The poison in the army has not spread extensively either, because we noticed that Yuan Zhongyong was not right, and we guessed that he was poisoned. We also guessed that he was poisoned by the people of Yifeng Hall. The reason we injured him and made him unable to join the army was because of this."

Gu Hua stared at him intently: "So... you've included me in your calculations too? Am I your bait?"

Mu Junyan's eyes darkened: "It's not what you think. I guessed that Ji Xuanyu would likely intercept you after you left the city, and I made arrangements to capture him and find the headquarters of Yifeng Hall. But unexpectedly, you didn't leave the city and discovered Ji Xuanyu's whereabouts in advance. I didn't expect you to risk your life to stop him."

Gu Hua was horrified and felt a chill run down her spine.

Could it be that he had already anticipated that Ji Xuanyu would intercept her again, and thus allowed her to leave the city and head back?

If she hadn't captured Ji Xuanyu and been taken away by him, she would likely have remained with him indefinitely to help the Mu family army track down their hideout.

When Mu Junyan saw her expression change slightly, he felt a pang of panic for the first time.

“I didn’t use you as bait. Akabane will be following you with his men.”

Gu Hua took a deep breath: "It's alright. I was willing to be the bait anyway. So, let me see him. I'll tell him I didn't take the medicine because the soldiers need it more. I believe he'll tell me how to detoxify."

Mu Junyan frowned.

"Please trust me this once? I'm useless and can't help you much, this is the only thing I can do."

Mu Junyan led her into a house, where Ji Xuanyu sat weakly on the floor.

His eyes lit up when he saw Gu Hua come in.

Did you take the antidote?

Gu Hua shook her head slightly and said in a hoarse voice, "Someone in the army fell ill. There were only two pills left, so we gave them to them. Brother Ji, can the person who took the antidote really use their blood to detoxify others?"

Ji Xuanyu didn't answer Gu Hua's question, but suddenly flew into a rage: "Mu Junyan, are you even a man? Do you want to watch Hua'er suffer a fate worse than death?"

Mu Junyan embraced Gu Hua: "Didn't you bring the Gu poison into Juzhou? Didn't you force her to become infected with the Gu poison?"

Yes, it was him who poisoned Gu Hua!

Ji Xuanyu gritted his teeth, unwilling to answer him, his eyes fixed on Gu Hua: "I have the antidote, Hua'er, come here, I'll give you the antidote."

Gu Hua was taken aback.

"You still have an antidote?"

"I only have one, and I'm only giving it to you."

Gu Hua frowned.

“I want to save the people of Juzhou. I want to save everyone who is infected. One pill is not enough. Brother Ji, answer my question.”

Ji Xuanyu looked at the two embracing and tried hard to control himself: "Hua'er, you deliberately infected yourself for him, and you even used yourself as bait to lure me, didn't you?"

Gu Hua said calmly, "Originally, I thought that if I got sick, you would definitely take out the antidote or tell me how to detoxify me. However, I now know that I was wrong, because you will not give up your stubbornness and prejudice because of me."

“Brother Ji, there are many injustices in the world. You have deep hatred, I have it, and many others do too. If one person’s hatred has to carry many people to their deaths, I think that’s unfair.”

"So, you're saying you're willing to die for him?" Ji Xuanyu's tone changed.

“He was willing to die for me too. When I was poisoned, he risked everything to save me. Now I understand, this is what it means to be inseparable in life and death.”

Gu Hua's words pierced his heart like a sharp sword.

"So, you care more about him?" Ji Xuanyu gritted his teeth.

"Yes." Gu Hua nodded without hesitation.

"But, Brother Ji, you were the only light in my childhood." Gu Hua's tears fell.

Even if the whole world curses you, you will still be good in my heart. Even if your sins are unforgivable, I will still collect your body, and I will offer incense for you every year on the anniversary of your death...

Gu Hua started crying as she spoke.

Despite the words being full of warmth, Ji Xuanyu felt as if his heart had been ripped open and crushed.

Mu Junyan hugged her tighter, wiped away her tears, and whispered, "I'm sorry, I failed to protect you."

Gu Hua looked up at him with teary eyes.

The intimate scene, witnessed by Ji Xuanyu, felt as if he were being torn to pieces.