Chapter 90

Hu Xiaotian thought to himself, indeed there was no Grand Tutor Zhou here, Zhou Ruiyuan had already been dismissed by the Emperor and was now just a commoner with no official position. He quickly said, "Auntie... Is Mr. Zhou Ruiyuan living here?" Being polite would always make people feel good.

The middle-aged beauty redirected her gaze to Hu Xiaotian, her originally gentle eyes now filled with caution.

Hu Xiaotian said, "We were entrusted to specially deliver Miss QiQi to your residence." As he spoke, he couldn't help but look at QiQi, feeling frustrated that she was silent again even though they had reached their destination.

QiQi said, "Give me the jade pendant?"

Hu Xiaotian was slightly taken aback, then he remembered that before parting, An Dequan had given him a coiled dragon jade pendant. Could this jade pendant be a token of trust? Hu Xiaotian took out the jade pendant from his waist, opened his left hand, and showed it to the middle-aged beauty.

The middle-aged beauty glanced at the jade pendant and naturally noticed Hu Xiaotian's left hand, which was as red as a roasted pig's trotter. She frowned slightly, extended her delicate hand, and carefully picked up the jade pendant, examining it repeatedly. She nodded and said, "This jade pendant is indeed my brother's."

Hu Xiaotian now fully understood. The jade pendant belonged to Zhou Ruiyuan, and the woman in front of him was Zhou Ruiyuan's sister. The old eunuch An Dequan was truly devious, saying he was giving him the jade pendant, but it was actually a roundabout way of manipulating him. He had to be devious with such people, but unfortunately, his heart wasn't ruthless enough, and he ended up being outmaneuvered by the old and young duo, unfortunately falling victim to their seven-day soul-severing needle. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so passive, going through great lengths to escort her to Xiezhou City, almost losing his life in the process.

The middle-aged beauty approached QiQi, extended her hand, and held her small hand, saying, "You must have endured a lot of hardships on this journey. Come with me."

QiQi's eyes showed a hint of hesitation. She was naturally suspicious and, although the coiled dragon jade pendant had gained the middle-aged beauty's trust, she couldn't fully believe her just based on a few words.

The middle-aged beauty noticed her hesitation and whispered something in her ear. Hu Xiaotian and Murong Feiyun saw her lips move but couldn't hear what she said. Murong Feiyun was startled; with her hearing, it was impossible for her not to hear what was said at such a short distance, unless the other party used a secret sound transmission technique. From this, it could be inferred that the middle-aged beauty was a top-notch martial artist, perhaps even surpassing herself.

After the middle-aged beauty finished speaking, the doubt on QiQi's face instantly disappeared. She held her hand and followed her away, not even bothering to say goodbye to Hu Xiaotian and Murong Feiyun.

Hu Xiaotian, of course, couldn't let her leave like that without the antidote. So he followed them into the courtyard, where a strong floral fragrance greeted him. Before his eyes was a colorful world, with blooming purple lilacs, yellow forsythia in clusters, and sprawling branches of oleander, as well as the large leaves of the Chinese spider lily in the shaded corner. The small courtyard was exquisitely decorated.

Hu Xiaotian had no lingering feelings for the devious little girl, but he couldn't forget that the antidote was still in QiQi's hands. Just as he was about to speak, Murong Feiyun beat him to it, saying, "QiQi, you seem to have forgotten something."

QiQi finally stopped, and the middle-aged beauty turned around almost simultaneously, their eyes landing on Murong Feiyun's right hand, which was already raised and resting on the hilt of her sword.

The middle-aged beauty's gaze became somewhat puzzled. The relationship between Hu Xiaotian, Murong Feiyun, and QiQi was indeed complicated. If they were friends, their eyes would not be filled with caution and hostility when looking at QiQi. If they were not friends, they wouldn't have gone through so much trouble to bring her here. There must be some hidden agenda.

QiQi smiled sweetly, "I almost forgot!" She turned back to Hu Xiaotian, handed him the porcelain bottle, and playfully winked at him.

Hu Xiaotian recognized the jade bottle as the same one he had been given before, and he felt somewhat uneasy. Could this girl be planning to repay kindness with ingratitude again?

QiQi saw his hesitation from his expression and whispered, "It's still poison!" As she spoke, her eyes subconsciously glanced at Murong Feiyun, who saw the hidden killing intent in her beautiful eyes. Even though she was bold, she couldn't help but shiver. From Murong Feiyun's eyes, she could tell that if she dared to play any tricks, Murong Feiyun would show her no mercy. QiQi rolled her eyes at Hu Xiaotian and said, "Coward!"

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "Being cautious can help you live longer." He no longer hesitated, took out a dark red pill from the porcelain bottle, and without hesitation, put it in his mouth. The pill was incredibly foul-smelling, and Hu Xiaotian almost vomited, but he was afraid that if he vomited the antidote, he would lose his life. He quickly covered his mouth and forced himself to swallow the stinky pill.

QiQi said, "An hour after taking the medicine, the toxins in your body will be cleared. Now that it's over, can I leave?"

Hu Xiaotian didn't speak, but Murong Feiyun insisted, "No, we won't leave within an hour."

QiQi's bright eyes looked at Murong Feiyun, knowing that she didn't trust her. The middle-aged beauty also noticed the tension and gently said, "Why don't you both come inside and sit down?"

Hu Xiaotian was straightforward and waved his hand, "No need, we'll just sit in the courtyard for a while." Although he was a skilled physician, he didn't understand the pharmacology of the seven-day soul-severing needle and didn't dare to act rashly. He sat down at the stone table in the courtyard, closed his eyes, and waited for the medicine to take effect.

Murong Feiyun watched QiQi coldly, guarding against any attempt to escape. The mute standing in the distance saw Murong Feiyun gripping her sword and slowly walked over. Murong Feiyun had been particularly attentive to the mute since entering the courtyard. She saw that the mute's eyes were sharp and his breathing was as steady as a mountain, indicating he was a top-notch martial artist. Even the middle-aged beauty, though gentle and kind, had a soft and long-lasting aura, suggesting she had considerable internal martial arts skills. This Zhou family residence looked ordinary, but it was full of hidden talents, not to be underestimated.

This was why Murong Feiyun was especially cautious.

The middle-aged beauty stopped the mute with a look and smiled gently, "May I ask for the young lady's name?"

Murong Feiyun had no reason to hide, as QiQi already knew her name. She said calmly, "Murong Feiyun!" She didn't dare to relax, as the situation directly related to Hu Xiaotian's life.

The middle-aged beauty smiled, "Murong Feiyun! I've heard that there is a famous female detective in the capital with the same name."

QiQi added, "Auntie Zhou has a keen eye. My sister Murong is the famous female detective of the capital!" She had just met the middle-aged beauty, but now she called her auntie. After revealing Murong Feiyun's identity, she immediately betrayed Hu Xiaotian, "His name is Hu Xiaotian, the son of the Minister of Revenue, Hu Buwei."

Hu Xiaotian cursed inwardly, thinking this was purely to stir up trouble. She knew that his father had harshly impeached Zhou Ruiyuan and still deliberately exposed him. Wasn't this putting him in danger? He had repeatedly warned her not to reveal his identity when they came to Xiezhou, and she had promised. But as soon as they arrived, she changed her mind. Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn! Whether big or small, women can't be trusted to tell the truth.

Sure enough, when the middle-aged beauty heard Hu Xiaotian's name, her beautiful eyes showed surprise, and she exclaimed, "Hu Xiaotian? You are the son of the Minister of Revenue, Hu Buwei?"

Now that the situation had come to this, Hu Xiaotian had no choice but to admit it. His father had specifically instructed him to be low-key in Xichuan and try not to let others know his identity. But just as he had entered Xiezhou, his identity was completely exposed. He could only blame Liang Dazhuang, that bastard, whose loose lips had spread the information, allowing QiQi to gather such detailed information about him.