The phoenix perches on the paulownia, pure and noble.
The oldest form of praise surpasses countless romantic words.
The monarch, still clad in his Sacrificial Robe, gazed up at her earnestly and asked, "Will you marry me?"
A sudden gust of wind carried them across the river of time. Above them, the stars trembled and fell, striking a grand, resonant chime.
She had promised herself she wouldn’t cry again.
Yu Wanyin raised a hand to cover her eyes. "I was your consort from the very beginning. And now I’m your empress..."
"That’s not enough," Xiahou Dan said with a smile as he slid a ring onto her finger. "I want you to be my bride."
The Nameless Wanderer lingered in the capital for several days, waiting until Bei Zhou’s funeral rites concluded and he was laid to rest.
Taking advantage of the current court officials’ reluctance to voice dissent, Xiahou Dan made the decision outright—Bei Zhou would be buried with the honors of a prince.
Thus, Bei Zhou entered the imperial mausoleum in grand style, though the lavish tomb was merely a cenotaph. His remains were quietly interred beside Empress Cizhen.
With this, the upheaval in the capital came to an end.
Lin Xuanying reorganized the surrendered armies and, bearing his newly conferred title of general, returned to the southern border to settle the aftermath. Both he and Xiahou Dan knew the throne would soon change hands again, and to prevent chaos, preparations had to begin early.
Having no pressing matters, the Nameless Wanderer decided to accompany his disciple on the journey, offering guidance in cultivation along the way.
The emperor and empress escorted them beyond the city gates.
At the farewell pavilion, Lin Xuanying shared a drink with Xiahou Dan. Deep down, he knew this was likely their final parting, yet he couldn’t bring himself to say anything sentimental. After a long pause, he managed only, "Go in peace. I won’t take her away."
Xiahou Dan: "...Thanks for that."
Meanwhile, Yu Wanyin led the Nameless Wanderer aside for a private conversation.
Yu Wanyin: "His Majesty has proclaimed to the world that, out of fraternal mercy, Xiahou Bo will not be executed but imprisoned for life. We will avoid harsh punishments, letting him linger for a few more years."
The Nameless Wanderer bowed deeply. "This humble one thanks Your Majesty on behalf of all living souls."
The wind rustled through the tall grass as he stood there, robes fluttering, embodying the detachment of one who had fulfilled his duty.
Yu Wanyin watched him with an inscrutable gaze, her voice soft as she asked, "Everything you’ve done, Master, was not for any one person, but for the sake of this world, was it?"
The Nameless Wanderer stroked his beard. "Heaven and earth follow their own ineffable laws. We mortals, fortunate enough to glimpse even a fraction, act only as instruments of divine will—thus, we dare not hold back our efforts."
"I see," Yu Wanyin said. "The fact that you’ve yet to point out a path of survival for His Majesty must mean this heaven no longer cares for him."
The Nameless Wanderer’s eyelids twitched. "Your Majesty must choose her words carefully."
Yu Wanyin smiled. "I’m merely stating the truth. Luring someone in for ten years, draining them dry, then discarding them once they’ve served their purpose—"
A low rumble of thunder echoed across the sky.
Undeterred, Yu Wanyin tilted her head upward, her red lips curling into a mocking smile. "So this is the so-called Way of Heaven? How ruthlessly indifferent."
The Nameless Wanderer was stunned.
Having spent most of his life as an otherworldly sage, he had never encountered such audacity. Was she courting death?
Yet Yu Wanyin composed herself and asked solemnly, "Master, could you divine a fate for His Majesty?"
"...It is my wish to do so, but the signs yield no answers... Your Majesty," the Nameless Wanderer hesitated, then spoke more plainly, "The throne requires only one imperial star. Surely you understand?"
"Of course I do. I came, so the other was no longer needed." Yu Wanyin remarked coolly, "What a brilliantly calculated move."The muffled thunder rumbled like war drums, rolling ominously in their direction. In the distance, the horses of the right army grew restless. Animals, with their untamed instincts, were quicker to sense the swelling fury of unseen forces.
Yu Wanyin stood composed, her breath nearly still—
Then, she raised a gun.
The Nameless Traveler remained unfazed.
Until she turned the barrel and pressed it against her own temple.
Nameless Traveler: "?"
Yu Wanyin: "If His Majesty dies, I will follow him. You can go find another savior."
The Nameless Traveler was stunned for a few seconds before regaining his composure, replying cryptically, "Your Highness wouldn’t dare pull the trigger."
Without hesitation, Yu Wanyin pulled the trigger.
The Nameless Traveler’s expression twisted in shock—
Yu Wanyin tossed aside the unloaded gun and smiled. "Turns out even you can misjudge sometimes."
Before the Nameless Traveler could react, she raised a second gun. "Why don’t you divine whether this one’s loaded? And while you’re at it, divine whether I’ll pull the trigger."
Nameless Traveler: "…"
He took a deep breath. "Your Highness shouldn’t act this way. The situation has only just stabilized—this was the result of His Majesty’s tireless efforts. If you abandon your duties now, all will be lost…"
Yu Wanyin: "I shouldn’t, but I want to."
The Nameless Traveler finally lost his patience. "This is defying the heavens!"
"You’re wrong. This isn’t defying the heavens. This is bending the heavens to my will." Yu Wanyin’s robes and hair billowed in the gale as she enunciated each word. "We corporate drones can tolerate any client—except those who don’t pay. If you want me to sit on this throne, you’ll give me what I demand."
The sheer audacity of her words surpassed the Nameless Traveler’s comprehension. For a moment, he was at a loss for a response. It was as if her challenge wasn’t directed at him but hurled skyward, bargaining with the heavens themselves. He was merely the messenger caught in between.
The thunder roared incessantly, like countless drums beating. The wild grass swayed like waves in the wind.
Yu Wanyin clearly had no intention of waiting for his reply. She bowed slightly and said calmly, "Please divine for me. Whether this divination yields an answer or not, I’ll consider it your response."
After a long deliberation, the Nameless Traveler relented.
Steadying himself, he didn’t reach for any ritual tools but instead looked up at the silver streaks of lightning tearing through the sky, fingers moving in silent calculation.
The lightning danced closer, flashing above them, casting the world into flickering light and shadow. The Nameless Traveler stood motionless, murmuring under his breath. Yu Wanyin observed him for a while and guessed he was divining through numerology.
She neither interrupted nor hurried him, standing quietly to the side, her gun still raised.
After what felt like an eternity, the Nameless Traveler lowered his hands, swaying as if drained.
Yu Wanyin: "Master?"
"Thunder over Water—the hexagram of Release."
Yu Wanyin blinked, uncomprehending.
Nameless Traveler: "When torn between advance and retreat, choose to advance."
No sooner had he spoken than a bolt of lightning struck the ground five feet away, turning the earth to scorched soil.
The Nameless Traveler dropped to his knees.
"What must I choose between?" Yu Wanyin pressed urgently.
Another thunderclap. The Nameless Traveler leapt to his feet and turned to leave, waving a hand. "No more can be said! When the turning point comes, Your Highness will know!"
Yu Wanyin wanted to pursue him, but the Nameless Traveler moved like a specter, vanishing several yards away in the blink of an eye—and in the next, his figure was nearly out of sight.He didn’t know whether he was fleeing from divine punishment or Yu Wanyin, but he didn’t even wait for Lin Xuanying, galloping away on his own.
The hard-earned piece of advice remained vague.
Yu Wanyin sighed and had to ponder it herself.
On the way back to the palace, she was lost in thought, trying to figure out in which matter she had been "indecisive," and didn’t even notice Xiahou Dan’s unusual silence.
As soon as they stepped out of the carriage, Xiahou Dan said, “I have a meeting to attend.”
He didn’t return until nightfall. Yu Wanyin, as usual, waited to dine with him, but only received a message telling her to eat first.
She knew his headaches had worsened. In recent days, his disappearances had become more frequent, and he had grown so thin that officials in their memorials would add reminders for His Majesty to take care of his health. Even when he was with her, he often forced a smile.
Yu Wanyin grew restless. She barely touched her dinner and lay on the bed, waiting for Xiahou Dan while turning over clues in her mind, not even realizing when she had fallen asleep.
When she was awakened again, it was already midnight, and the space beside her pillow remained empty.
The Shadow Guard who woke her trembled as he spoke, “Your Majesty, the Emperor, he…”
Yu Wanyin jolted awake, hastily throwing on her outer robe. “Lead the way.”
Xiahou Dan was in an unused side palace.
From the outside, the side palace looked unremarkable, but stepping inside revealed tight security. The sight of the guards made Yu Wanyin’s heart clench.
The room was in disarray. Shattered vessels and overturned screens lay scattered across the floor, untouched. The Emperor was tied to the bed, barely breathing, already unconscious.
His body and forehead were covered in bloody wounds, and even the nails on his hands were cracked and torn—a horrifying sight. Xiao Tiancai was bandaging him and, upon seeing Yu Wanyin’s expression, immediately knelt.
Yu Wanyin took several deep breaths before she could speak. “Why didn’t you use acupuncture to put him to sleep?”
Xiao Tiancai replied, “This episode was worse than before. Acupuncture no longer works. I prescribed a sedative and increased the dosage several times, forcing it down his throat. It only just took effect…”
He spoke carefully, “Your Majesty, the toxins in His Majesty’s body have accumulated beyond cure. This time…”
This time, he truly wouldn’t make it.
The candlelight stretched Yu Wanyin’s shadow, as if pulling her down into an abyss.
She heard her own voice ask calmly, “How much time is left?”
“...The poison is in his brain. He may become completely paralyzed within the next two days. Then, he will lose his senses—perhaps even go blind and deaf. At most, he will linger for another ten days to half a month…” Xiao Tiancai clenched his jaw, his expression filled with guilt and frustration. “I am incompetent, unworthy of the trust placed in me by His Majesty and Your Majesty. I beg for punishment.”
Yu Wanyin took the medicine from his hands and sat by the bed, lifting Xiahou Dan’s hand. As she sprinkled powder over the torn flesh around his nails, even she couldn’t suppress a tremble. But Xiahou Dan remained unconscious, unresponsive.
After carefully bandaging the wounds, she said softly, “Continue increasing the dosage. Keep him asleep as much as possible.”
Xiao Tiancai thought she had accepted the reality and only wanted to ease Xiahou Dan’s suffering before his passing. He bowed solemnly. “Yes.”
Yu Wanyin stayed by his side in the side palace until dawn before leaving.
She assigned more Shadow Guards to the side palace, forbidding all entry or exit. To the outside world, it was announced that the Emperor was slightly unwell and would not hold court today.
State affairs had just begun to stabilize. Though the morning court was canceled, many matters still required decisions.Yu Wanyin returned to her chambers to freshen up and change clothes before meeting someone.
The deaf-mute girl helped her remove her outer robe but suddenly froze, grabbing her arm to inspect it closely.
"What's wrong?—Oh," Yu Wanyin finally noticed the bloodstains on her sleeve. Seeing the girl still searching for wounds, she reassured her, "It's not my injury. His Majesty... His Majesty accidentally fell and scraped himself." Within seconds, she decided this would be the official explanation.
The deaf-mute girl studied Yu Wanyin's expression but said nothing further. Only when Yu Wanyin was about to leave after changing did she pull her back, bringing over a bowl of warm sweet congee and some side dishes.
Yu Wanyin suddenly realized she hadn't eaten for a long time. She ruffled the girl's hair, downed the congee in one go, and felt slightly calmer. Gazing at the gloomy sky, she muttered to herself, "One last day for you. Don't push your luck—tomorrow I'm going on strike."
The deaf-mute girl: "?"
Yu Wanyin reviewed a stack of urgent memorials and summoned someone to inquire about Tuer's whereabouts, but there was still no news. The so-called turning point seemed like nothing more than a lie concocted by the nameless visitor to escape.
Dismissing the others, Yu Wanyin suddenly collapsed onto the desk in the Imperial Study, motionless.
After a moment, faint footsteps sounded behind her.
Yu Wanyin jerked her head up alertly: "Who's there?"
"Your Highness." A Shadow Guard seemed to materialize out of nowhere, bowing to her.
"Twelve?" Yu Wanyin recognized his face. "Isn't today your day off?"
Twelve: "His Majesty had already given orders—if he fell ill, the Shadow Guard around you must be reinforced immediately. As it was a secret command, this subordinate hid in the shadows today for your protection. Please forgive the intrusion."
"Then why show yourself now?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, that deaf-mute girl disappeared from the palace for a quarter-hour just now."
Yu Wanyin's heart skipped a beat.
Twelve: "She's always slippery and seemed to know where the other Shadow Guards were positioned. She slipped away through blind spots where they couldn't see her. Only this subordinate, being newly added today, caught a glimpse of her darting toward the small medicine room."
The so-called small medicine room was a recently converted space dedicated solely to Xiahou Dan. As his condition worsened, he required large doses of sedatives and painkillers. Anyone who examined the herb dregs could deduce his critical state. Thus, the room's location was highly confidential, unknown to ordinary palace staff.
Yu Wanyin's suspicions grew: "Is His Majesty safe?"
Twelve: "Rest assured, Your Highness. The side chamber is currently impenetrable—no one could infiltrate it."
Yu Wanyin steadied herself, focusing her thoughts.
At this stage, any anomaly was preferable to none. Now that clues had emerged, she only needed to follow the trail to uncover the truth.
With time pressing, she instructed Twelve: "Have the side chamber discard all medicine delivered from the small pharmacy today and prepare fresh batches. Continue monitoring the deaf-mute girl, but don't alert her—stay hidden unless I order otherwise."
For the rest of the day, however, the deaf-mute girl behaved normally again.
That night, Xiahou Dan briefly awoke in the side chamber. From the moment he opened his eyes, he began slamming his head against the bedpost.
His restraints had loosened, and his sudden movement caught the attending servants off guard. They only managed to restrain him after he had struck himself twice with full force.Yu Wanyin tried to feed him the medicine, but Xiahou Dan kept struggling, his eyes unfocused, letting out beast-like growls. Yu Wanyin called his name several times, but he seemed not to hear her. In the end, the Shadow Guard had to forcibly pry open his jaws and pour the medicine down his throat.
After he fell unconscious again, even the battle-hardened Shadow Guard had reddened eyes, stealing worried glances at Yu Wanyin.
Yu Wanyin stood frozen for a moment. "He doesn't recognize me anymore."
The Shadow Guard murmured some words of comfort.
Yu Wanyin only felt absurdity. "The last thing he said to me was... he was going to a meeting."
Numbly, she turned and walked away.
Yu Wanyin returned to her chambers and greeted the deaf-mute girl with her usual demeanor. "I'm rather tired today. I'll retire early."
She lay motionless on the bed, hoping the deaf-mute girl would let her guard down and sneak out to act—whatever that action might be, things couldn't get any worse.
But after waiting for two hours, there was still no movement.
Yu Wanyin gradually grew colder, curling into a ball under the covers.
A turning point needed to come soon. Any later, and it would be meaningless.
The thick, warm covers couldn't retain heat, slowly turning into an icy cavern. Yu Wanyin's teeth chattered, furious at herself for falling ill at such a critical moment. She thought of calling for the imperial physician but feared alerting the deaf-mute girl...
Suddenly, her breath hitched.
Amidst the chaos in her mind, a vague memory surfaced. Had she drunk a bowl of sweet porridge this morning?
A dim light filtered through the bed curtains as someone lit a candle. A slender figure approached and lifted the curtain.
The deaf-mute girl stood by the bed, looking at her with concern.
Yu Wanyin struggled to suppress the chattering of her teeth and slowly withdrew her hand from under the covers, aiming the gun at her.
The deaf-mute girl ignored it and asked, "Your Highness, unwell?"
Only then did Yu Wanyin realize the deaf-mute girl wasn't mute at all.
At the same moment, she understood why the girl had pretended to be mute—those few words were fragmented, carrying a distinct foreign accent.
The girl didn’t wait for Yu Wanyin’s reaction and smiled. "You, poisoned. After shaking starts, one incense stick, you die. Don’t worry, I have antidote."
Yu Wanyin opened her mouth to speak, but the girl raised a finger. "Quiet. Your people, don’t come."
Yu Wanyin paused, then lowered the gun, her voice barely a whisper. "What do you want?"
The girl nodded in satisfaction. "You kill Emperor. He dies, you live."
Yu Wanyin’s thoughts raced, piecing together scattered clues.
The girl’s accent, the lethal hostility when they first met, the sudden change in attitude after discovering her identity along the way...
Yu Wanyin said, "You’re from the Qiang Kingdom."
This wasn’t a question, so the girl didn’t answer.
Yu Wanyin swayed as she sat up, tightening the covers around her, trying to ignore the bone-deep chill. Her voice remained steady. "You followed me into the palace to assassinate. You’ve mapped the Shadow Guard’s positions and the small medicine room. From my behavior this morning, you deduced the medicine was for His Majesty and decided to strike while he’s weak."
The medicine being brewed in the small room wasn’t the right treatment, so the girl couldn’t determine what exactly was wrong with Xiahou Dan. She wouldn’t know that even without any interference, he was already dying."In the end, you went to the small pharmacy to poison, but were discovered. You waited until nightfall, still hearing no funeral bells, knowing the mission had failed, and had to try again through my hands..."
At this point, Yu Wanyin paused, puzzled: "Strange. If you had already poisoned me through the sweet congee earlier, why go to the trouble of visiting the small pharmacy, needlessly exposing yourself ahead of time?"
The deaf-mute girl shrugged, merely urging her: "One incense stick's time."
Yu Wanyin ignored her, continuing softly, "Also, you knew exactly who I was, and who Xiahou Dan was. Why didn’t you act sooner during our exile, instead helping us repeatedly?"
The deaf-mute girl’s expression darkened. Her usually lively, darting eyes now fixed on Yu Wanyin with a fierce intensity.
"—Ah, I understand." Yu Wanyin answered her own question. "At that time, Prince Duan was in power. Killing us would have been pointless. You wanted to watch us and Prince Duan destroy each other, but our victory came faster than you expected. Seeing Prince Duan’s defeat imminent, you decided to play the oriole waiting for the cicada, didn’t you?" She smiled faintly. "If that’s the case, then for someone so young, your foresight is impressive. I imagine you weren’t just an ordinary commoner in the Qiang Kingdom either."
The deaf-mute girl couldn’t help but sneer. "Every Qiang person knows. The Xia and Yan nations were supposed to fight. If you don’t, we perish."
The Qiang Kingdom was weak, surviving precariously between the great powers of Xia and Yan. Without a strong army and unwilling to bow as a vassal for protection, their survival depended on unsavory tactics—poisons, theft, seduction, sowing discord.
Like the former Yan, the Qiang also favored sending assassins into Xia. Killing a few key figures and stirring internal chaos would earn them the title of warrior, with rewards for their families.
After Tuer allied with Xia and invaded Qiang, the refugees who fled into Xia harbored similar goals. Struggling to survive, they sought every opportunity to create disasters, weaken Xia, and end their homeland’s suffering.
The deaf-mute girl declared, "My parents, warriors for the queen. I, too, will be a warrior."
Her tone carried a naive fervor, chilling yet pitiable.
Yu Wanyin asked softly, "Be a warrior... and then what?"
The girl’s eyes momentarily glazed over before she laughed.
Suddenly, Yu Wanyin recalled the poison hidden beneath the Empress Dowager’s manicured nails. Xiao Tiancai had said only the Qiang could concoct such a toxin. The Empress Dowager had used it to eliminate generations of enemies, and even in death, she sought to thwart Xiahou Dan one last time—but how had she first obtained the poison and its catalyst? Which Qiang warrior’s glorious feat had managed to destabilize Xia for three entire generations?
History remembers only second-rate assassins. The true masters vanish into time’s river, as if they never existed.
"One more thing I don’t understand," Yu Wanyin said. "You even changed your undergarments upon entering the palace. Where did you get more poison now?"
The deaf-mute girl glanced outside. "The heavens, help me."
The phrasing struck Yu Wanyin, a fleeting insight dawning.
She followed the girl’s gaze out the window and raised a brow. "Those plants?"For her coronation ceremony as empress, many exotic flowers and plants were transported from across the country. Yu Wanyin pressed further, "Among those plants, did you coincidentally find all the medicinal herbs you needed? Not a single one missing?"
The deaf-mute girl blinked, then suddenly realized something and snarled, "If you don't leave now, you'll die!"
Yu Wanyin's face showed regret.
She knew Twelve was eavesdropping nearby, so she deliberately engaged the deaf-mute girl in conversation, hoping to extract useful information. Unfortunately, the girl wasn’t foolish—once she saw through Yu Wanyin’s intentions, she refused to say another word and simply pulled her off the bed.
Yu Wanyin’s composure was forced. In truth, her insides felt frozen, her body stiff and weak. Dragged to the floor by the deaf-mute girl, she barely managed to steady herself by clutching the bedpost. “I can’t do it… The Emperor is heavily guarded. The moment I draw a weapon, I’ll be riddled with arrows…”
“Go.” The deaf-mute girl pushed her toward the door.
Yu Wanyin staggered but kept trying to reason. “...All food and drink are tested for poison, and countless eyes are watching. Even I wouldn’t have a chance to administer anything. Don’t rush—this requires careful planning…”
The time of one incense stick’s burning was indeed short. Yu Wanyin could feel her strength draining away along with her body heat.
If she captured the deaf-mute girl now, would there still be time to torture her for the antidote? Or could she save Xiahou Dan?
But this woman was unyielding, her hatred for Great Xia bone-deep. She would never submit to threats or bribes. Even the antidote she’d promised likely didn’t exist.
This trap had been set to kill two birds with one stone—eliminating both the Emperor and Empress.
Yet this scheme was doomed to fail, because the heavens would never allow a double kill. Between her and Xiahou Dan, one would always survive…
In that instant, Yu Wanyin froze.
—One would survive?
The deaf-mute girl spoke: “He trusts you.”
Pushing Yu Wanyin to the door, she retrieved a small porcelain vial from her sleeve and smirked. “He’s bleeding.”
Like lightning splitting the dark sky, in that profound and inexplicable moment, Yu Wanyin saw through the cunning web of cause and effect.
Five stars aligned—misfortune at its extreme gives rise to fortune.
Her mind reeled as she watched the deaf-mute girl hand her the vial. “Sprinkle it on the wound.”
Summoning a lifetime’s worth of acting skills, Yu Wanyin feigned terror and despair, trembling as she hid the vial and stepped out of the bedchamber.
The moment she was out of the deaf-mute girl’s sight, Twelve and several Shadow Guards emerged, supporting her anxiously. “Your Majesty.”
Yu Wanyin quickened her pace toward the side chamber. “Restrain the deaf-mute girl—alive. Tell Xiao Tiancai to prepare his medicine chest.”
Side chamber.
Xiao Tiancai poured a bit of the powder from the vial, sniffing and examining it repeatedly. In his urgency, he even tasted a grain. “Similar. Very similar.”
He then took a test rat from his chest, made a cut with a dagger, and sprinkled the powder on the wound. The rat immediately bled profusely, the flow unceasing. Even when he applied a styptic, the bleeding showed no signs of stopping.
Wiping cold sweat, Xiao Tiancai announced, “This closely resembles the poison used by the Yan assassin’s sword last time—it causes endless bleeding until death. I can identify some of the ingredients, matching the remnants of the ancient formula.”
Tuer had said that poison was left behind by the Qiang Kingdom’s queen.
It was precisely because Xiahou Dan hadn’t died after being poisoned last time—and had even experienced temporary relief from his headaches—that they’d considered fighting poison with poison. But the Qiang queen had left only a small amount, which Tuer had already used up. Unable to recreate the formula, they’d had to search high and low for it.
Who could have guessed they’d obtain it effortlessly today?Yu Wanyin sat by Xiahou Dan's bedside, on the verge of collapse, while several helpless imperial physicians knelt nearby. Ignoring them, she turned to Xiao Tiancai and asked, "Can we use it?"
This unverified bottle—could it really save the Emperor? What if the slightest miscalculation led to a fatal mistake, causing him to perish instantly?
Xiao Tiancai was drenched in cold sweat, too afraid to nod. He turned to the elderly physician kneeling beside him. "Master, what do you think?"
The old physician trembled. "This... requires some time to verify..."
But time was not on their side.
Yu Wanyin trembled, her vision darkening at the edges. Beside her, Xiahou Dan lay pale and gasping for breath.
Xiao Tiancai withdrew his gaze in despair. If the Empress collapsed, there would be no one left in the palace bold enough to decide on administering the medicine to the Emperor—no one willing to shoulder the accusation of regicide.
Gritting his teeth, he was about to speak—
"Give it to me," Yu Wanyin said.
Xiao Tiancai froze, while the old physician immediately began to dissuade her. "Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
Yu Wanyin simply held out her hand to Xiao Tiancai. "When torn between action and hesitation, choose action first."
Xiao Tiancai handed her the porcelain vial.
Yu Wanyin could no longer afford hesitation. Driven by instinct, she tried to undo Xiahou Dan's bandages, but her strength failed her—she fumbled for a long time without success.
Having already taken the first step, Xiao Tiancai cast aside his reservations and stepped forward to help remove the bandages, revealing the crisscrossing wounds on Xiahou Dan's body.
Yu Wanyin took a deep breath and raised the vial with great effort.
Suddenly, Xiahou Dan's eyelashes fluttered on the bed.
In the deathly silence of the room, he slowly opened his eyes, his unfocused gaze drifting vaguely toward the bedside.
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