Although Wanqing was a bit slow in her movements, the man still noticed the hairpin pressed against his throat. His icy, dark eyes gleamed as his large hand tightened its grip.
“You can kill me, but no one will treat your injuries or the poison in your body. Even if you kill me, you won’t have many days left once you step out of this alley.”
The chilling aura and killing intent around him made Wanqing notice the faint glimmer seeping through the fingers he had pressed against his shoulder—dark blood. His hand, trembling slightly as it gripped her neck, revealed that he was not only injured but also poisoned. She pressed the hairpin forward a little more, lifting her chin arrogantly as she warned him.
“You know medicine?”
At her words, the man loosened his grip slightly and looked at her, asking.
“Not just medicine—I can also detoxify. But for someone who threatens me by choking my neck, whether I help depends entirely on my mood.”
Though his voice was cold, his words betrayed his desperation. This realization eased the tension in Wanqing’s heart. She wasn’t afraid of him, but his overwhelming presence forced her to remain cautious.
Keeping the hairpin pressed against him, she raised her delicate brows and smirked mockingly.
“My mood?”
The man understood her veiled sarcasm. His grip tightened as he asked coldly.
“Go ahead and squeeze harder. Let’s see who’s faster.”
At his ruthlessness and the increasing pressure on her neck, Wanqing pressed the hairpin deeper.
“If you detoxify me, I’ll let you go. We’ll pretend today never happened.”
Feeling the hairpin pierce his skin and seeing her fearless expression, the man frowned slightly and loosened his grip, bargaining.
“I can detoxify you, but I won’t forget your disrespect today. If you don’t want to die, keep choking me—I have all the time in the world.”
Having barely survived once, Wanqing had no intention of dying here. Unyielding, she lowered the hairpin and grabbed his wrist.
“You—”
Her action caught him off guard. Seeing this young girl so boldly release her weapon, his cold expression softened slightly, and he let go.
After briefly assessing his condition, Wanqing looked at him with an air of condescension.
“The weapon that wounded you was poisoned. The toxin has already spread deep into your muscles. If left untreated, even a deity couldn’t save you. Lucky for you, you met me—otherwise, you’d be reporting to the King of Hell soon. Do you have a dagger?”
For some reason, he found himself believing her. After a slight hesitation, he took out a dagger and handed it to her.
“Since you’re being cooperative, I’ll do you a favor. If you had silver needles, you wouldn’t suffer. Stand upside down for a while, and you’ll see the effects.”
Seeing him relax, Wanqing spoke arrogantly. Without hesitation, she struck several acupoints on his body, then made small cuts on his index fingers before stepping back.
“You—”
After her treatment, he indeed felt the poison spreading toward his hands. Watching her cover her mouth in amusement, as if enjoying the show, he gritted his teeth—this girl was definitely doing this on purpose to retaliate for his earlier disrespect.
But considering his poisoning, even if her detox method seemed like torture, he clenched his jaw and forced himself into a handstand.
“Impressive. Even injured and poisoned, barely able to stand, you can still pull off such a difficult move. If you use your middle fingers, the effect will be even better.”
Seeing him seething with anger yet forced to obey, Wanqing clapped mockingly, not even bothering to look at his unsteady form.
“You—”
This time, he clearly saw her gloating expression. His arms trembled violently, especially the injured one, as he glared at her with a flushed face.
He had forced her by choking her neck instead of asking properly. She didn’t want to provoke anyone, nor did she want to die, but Mu Wanqing was no pushover. So she answered without guilt, “Yes, I did it on purpose.”
“But this method really does speed up the detox. If you’d rather I redirect the poison back through your meridians, feel free to come down and kill me now. Oh, and don’t get angry—it’ll accelerate the poison’s spread. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Seeing his fury intensify, as if he might lunge at her, Wanqing shrugged dismissively and stopped him with her words.
Watching him wobble in his handstand, too afraid to come down, Wanqing finally felt exhausted. Ignoring his furious glare, she calmly listed a few medicinal herbs.
“No need to glare or thank me. As a kind, gentle, and adorable young maiden, I’ll waive the consultation fee for now. But you owe me your life. I haven’t decided what I want yet, but when I do, you’ll repay me. In half an hour, most of the poison will be expelled. Then, brew these herbs and drink them. In three days, the toxins will be completely gone.”
“You witch…” Her shamelessly tormenting behavior, all while calling herself kind, made him choke on his rage. But since he was still detoxing, he could only glare at her, wishing his eyes could bore holes into her.
“Witch? I like that title. Keep standing there—I won’t keep you company.”
Pleased with his assessment of her, Wanqing decided that from now on, she wouldn’t hold back against anyone who crossed her. With a lazy stretch, she turned and walked away.
“Brat, I’d better not see you again. Or I’ll make you regret it.”
Watching her leave, he wanted nothing more than to snap her neck. But remembering the poison, he could only grit his teeth and mutter at her retreating figure.
After walking for nearly an hour, Wanqing finally reached the back gate of the General’s Manor, her legs weak and sore.
She knocked, then hid when she heard a servant approaching. As the man opened the door and looked around in confusion, she struck him from behind with her hairpin. Once he collapsed, she dragged him inside, shut the door, and exhaled in relief before heading toward her courtyard.
“Home at last. These clothes are dry but still uncomfortable. Not to mention ugly and reeking. I should change before looking for Xianglan.”
As she neared her courtyard, she spotted a figure pacing near the entrance, as if waiting for someone.
Under the dim light, she recognized her maid, Chunhong. Remembering the day’s events—how she had gone out to buy her a birthday gift, only to run into Xianglan—her heart grew heavy.
Now she understood how much the original owner had trusted this maid. Having been betrayed by someone she loved in her past life, Wanqing took a deep breath and approached calmly.
“Young Miss, you’re back! Xianglan said she saw you leave in a carriage with someone, but I refused to believe it. Yet here you are! But… why are you dressed like this? Are you hurt?”
Chunhong rushed forward in relief, only to freeze when she noticed the man’s clothes and the traces of blood. Panic set in as she asked urgently.
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