Prince Nan looked at her and saw that her eyes were lowered. She looked earnest and sincere and it did not seem like she was putting on an act.
Huangfu Xuan's eyes widened in disbelief.
This rude girl wasn't here to see him? He couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy at the thought of that.
"Humph! Hua Qiyue, you must have heard that Prince Nan and I are good friends and that we often meet at his residence to play chess and drink! Was this why you deliberately adopted that—"
"Your Excellency, I sincerely hope that you would grant my request!" Hua Qiyue repeated, interrupting Huanfu Xuan.
Prince Nan's eyes narrowed slightly. He had heard about Hua Qiyue and was surprised to see that she seemed so different from the quiet, insecure woman that the rumors made out her to be.
Yun Shimo remained unmoved and said coldly, "Sorry, I'm not going to treat him."
Hua Qiyue held up the silk box that contained the Long Red and said, "Your Excellency, I'm willing to part with this divine herb in exchange for my son's health."
When she opened the silk box, Prince Nan's expression immediately changed.
It was the Long Red!
This was a priceless and miraculous herb.
Hua Qiyue never spared Huangfu Xuan a glance. He was extremely astonished and looked first at Yun Shimo, then at Hua Qiyue, as though he had mistaken them for someone else.
Yun Shimo took the silk box and carefully examined the Long Red.
The herb within the box resembled ginseng but glowed with a holy and pure red light. Its intoxicating fragrance invigorated the spirit, causing a person to feel as though all the impurities in their bodies had been purged.
Huangfu Xuan stuck out his head to take a closer look and immediately exclaimed, "What…what is this? It is so beautiful and fragrant!"
The two pharmacy apprentices standing nearby could not hide their astonishment.
This was a divine herb, which meant it would be unlikely for even a highly skilled Qi Artist or a master of a profound sect to be in possession of it.
Even the most famous Saint of Medicine in the Changjing Kingdom didn't have a Long Red.
Yun Shimo's gaze remained calm. Although there was a hint of surprise, there was no trace of greed in his eyes. "Miss Hua, I will not see any patients today. My apologies; you may come back tomorrow."
Hua Qiyue's heart sank at his words. This Long Red was clearly of the highest grade, why was he still not satisfied?
Tianci held her hand nervously, and she gently patted his head.
"Your Excellency, why do you not wish to treat him?" Hua Qiyue wanted an explanation. "If you feel that this Long Red is not enough, I would be able to give you a few more. If you are after money, I have no problem with that as well. As long as you are willing to treat him, I will meet all your requests!"
Hua Qiyue was willing to do anything in order to persuade Prince Nan to treat her son.
Yun Shimo's gaze remained extremely calm as he said firmly, "I will not treat him today!"
Hua Qiyue refused to give up and asked, "Your Excellency, would you be able to tell me why you refuse to treat him?"
Yun Shimo did not even bother to reply this time. He put his teacup aside and rose to his feet to head into the inner hall.
Huangfu Xuan laughed heartily. "Hua Qiyue, how dare a lowly wretch like you even think of employing such tricks to seduce a handsome man. You should just give up!"
Hua Qiyue did not have the time to care about that egomaniac. Prince Nan was known to be temperamental, so what if he still refused to treat Tianci tomorrow? She would have to make sure she achieved her goal today.
"Your Excellency, if you refuse to grant my request, I... I will destroy all the Long Reds I have!" Hua Qiyue shouted harshly.
Prince Nan stopped in his tracks. Hua Qiyue had done her research before visiting and knew that Prince Nan treasured herbs as much as his life, just like the Saint of Medicine, and could not bear to see useful herbs being wasted.
Clearly, strange people required the use of strange tactics.
Yun Shimo turned around. If his gaze was cold before, it was frigid now.
"How dare you use those herbs to threaten me!" Yun Shimo said angrily.
"If you refuse to treat him… I will destroy this Long Red right now!" Hua Qiyue said harshly as she held up the Long Red that gave off such an intoxicating glow.
Yun Shimo's expression finally cracked as he asked, "How many more… do you have at home?"
"Six!"
This time, Yun Shimo didn't hide his surprise.
Six divine herbs in the possession of one person was unthinkable!
"Hua Qiyue! I will remember this! You are the first person I'll make an exception for – and after this matter is over, I'll make sure you pay for it," Yun Shimo said.
Hua Qiyue heaved a small sigh of relief and quickly led Tianci to him.
Huangfu Xuan suddenly pointed at her and exclaimed, "You wretched woman! I forbid you to take another step forward!"
Hua Qiyue scowled and said, "Your Highness, please rest assured. I haven't got an iota of interest in you. Please keep your distance, as well."
Huangfu Xuan was so angry that he could have thrown up blood.
The moment she drew near to Yun Shimo, she could detect a faint, but highly fragrant, herbal scent.
Prince Nan stretched out his hand. His long, slender and fair fingers did not seem to be of this world. Who was this man, really?
Tianci gripped her hand in terror and his eyes were filled with reluctance, and Hua Qiyue tenderly caressed his head.
Tianci pursed his lips, but, as Hua Qiyue continued to look at him encouragingly, he slowly stretched out his hand. Yun Shimo held his hand and his expression turned grave after he felt his pulse.
"This is a slow-acting poison that affects the blood. It first robs one of speech, then attacks the rest of the organs. If untreated, in two years, the infected person becomes little more than a pool of blood. This poison is known as Corrosive Water, and it is not something a commoner would have access to."
Huangfu Xuan's eyes widened. "Corrosive Water? Only the Poison Master at the Imperial Court would have that on hand!"
Yun Shimo nodded. "Indeed, this poison could only be from Shui Qianruo."
Hua Qiyue's face darkened, and Huangfu Xuan was taken aback. Such an expression would have never crossed the face of the Hua Qiyue he knew.
"Let me first try to expel the poison from his body. If that doesn't work, I'll have to do it gradually. Come with me." Yun Shimo said expressionlessly.
While not friendly, he didn't seem to have any malicious intent, and Hua Qiyue was willing to trust him with her son's life.
Tianci turned to look at Hua Qiyue and when he saw her determined and encouraging gaze, he followed Yun Shimo into the inner hall.
Hua Qiyue was extremely anxious and could not stop pacing in the main hall. She never once looked at Huangfu Xuan, who assumed that Hua Qiyue was acting and glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She was much more beautiful than he remembered, bright and pure with a hint of sorrow.
This only made him more irritated as she acted like he didn't exist!
"Humph, the way you're acting like a Holy Mother is detestable!" he said coldly.
Hua Qiyue did not wish to entertain him. She listened closely to the sounds from the inner hall but she could not hear anything but Huangfu Xuan's irritating voice.
"Hua Qiyue, I'm disgusted by your presence. Please head to the outer hall," Huangfu Xuan ordered her haughtily.
"Your Highness, I'm equally annoyed by your presence. Would you please shut up?" Hua Qiyue retorted rudely.
Huangfu Xuan's eyes widened. He pointed at Hua Qiyue and stuttered, "You… you…"
He trailed off, unable to form a coherent thought.
Hua Qiyue scoffed. "I know everything thinks I'm a half-wit. However, just as Grand Master Xuanji predicted, my senses have returned after I adopted Tianci. Rest assured, I have no delusional expectations of our relationship, nor do I have any interest in you."
Hua Qiyue took two steps toward the inner hall, then stopped.
She could not interrupt Yun Shimo while he was treating her son and expelling his poison.
She was just about to step back when a sudden scream rang out from the inner hall. It was Tianci!
Hua Qiyue rushed into the inner hall. The two pharmacy apprentices were startled by her sudden reaction, not having expected her to rush inside.
"Miss Hua, please stop! You mustn't interfere with—" But it was too late; she was already inside.
Huangfu Xuan was full of pent-up rage, and when he saw that there was a sudden turn of events, he quickly rushed inside as well.
After she entered the inner hall, she saw that there was a soft carpet laid out on the floor and Yun Shimo had pressed his hand against Tianci's head. They were shrouded by red Spiritual Qi which exuded scorching heat!
Tianci's face was scrunched up in pain, and his forehead was drenched in sweat. He struggled with all his might and kept screaming when he found that he was unable to break free from the Qi which trapped him firmly within.
Hua Qiyue was so worried for her son, she rushed toward him, disregarding the shouts of the apprentices.
The pharmacy apprentices continued to shout behind her, but Hua Qiyue had already come into contact with the Qi circle, which latched onto her body like a solid wall!
Tianci looked at Hua Qiyue, his eyes brimming with tears.
Yun Shimo's eyes were closed as he concentrated on treating Tianci. The two pharmacy apprentices were about to rush forward to pull her away when the red Qi circle suddenly disappeared with an audible poof, transforming into a Qi current which charged into her body!
Hua Qiyue toppled forward and Yun Shimo suddenly opened his eyes to see Hua Qiyue falling toward him with a loud exclamation.
There was a muffled thump as Hua Qiyue fell on top of Yun Shimo.