Su Muqing looked at Huo Qiyuan, whose eyes were turning red as his emotions became increasingly agitated. She couldn't help but reach out and gently cover his eyes.
He put on a brave face during the day, but at night he suffered from prolonged, self-tormenting depression and self-doubt. He was showing symptoms of schizophrenia.
With such severe emotional swings, Su Muqing worried that if this continued, he might not develop mental illness but would likely fall into severe depression.
Su Muqing covered his eyes with one hand and gently stroked his back. "Brother Huo, if you feel too distressed, try to cry it out. It will make you feel better. Never bottle everything up inside; your body can't handle it."
Perhaps it was the long-term suppression, or perhaps her words had an effect. Huo Qiyuan finally couldn't hold back. His shoulders shook violently, and he began to sob silently. Soon, Su Muqing felt her palm getting wet.
Su Muqing continued to shield his eyes, quietly accompanying him and patting his back to calm him. "Cry as much as you need to! I've already observed that it's just the two of us here, so don't worry about anyone seeing."
Huo Qiyuan, who was sobbing, heard her words of comfort, which sounded like she was talking to a child. He immediately wondered if he should continue crying.
Seeing the frequency of his shoulder tremors decrease, it seemed he had cried enough. Su Muqing then withdrew her hand.
As if to ensure no one would see Huo Qiyuan cry, Su Muqing turned her head, got him a very cute and fragrant tissue, and then pretended to look around, waiting for his emotions to stabilize.
"Thank you." Huo Qiyuan, having cried, still felt a little embarrassed. After composing himself, he thanked Su Muqing. His voice was still thick with a strong nasal tone.
Only then did Su Muqing turn her head, looking at the handsome young man whose eyes and nose were still red. She couldn't help but feel sad and sympathetic for him.
To avoid making Huo Qiyuan feel pitied, Su Muqing kept her sympathy to herself and changed the subject. "Your mother's surname is Leng, and your father's is Huo. Then why are you named Lu Yuzhi?"
Hearing Su Muqing's question, Huo Qiyuan fell into a memory. Thinking of the elder who had been so kind and attentive to him since childhood, a happy smile finally appeared on his face. "My maternal grandmother's surname was Lu. She was the head of the Lu family in the South Gate of Guangping Prefecture. She married and had children very late in life to support the South Gate. I was her only daughter. So she strongly opposed my maternal grandfather's intention to train my mother as the head of the family."
"At that time, my maternal grandfather even issued a bounty order for me to force my mother back. It was ultimately my maternal grandmother who helped resolve those crises. She said she was also a woman and knew how difficult it was for women, and even more so to be a woman in charge. She couldn't bear to see my mother toil her life away and end up lonely and dependent until her death. When she was on her deathbed, my grandmother passed on all her possessions to me, including the South Gate's head-of-family token. So she gave me a name that belonged to the Lu family – Lu Yuzhi."
He would never forget what his grandmother said as she held his hand on her deathbed, "If I had married and had children earlier, perhaps my dear grandson would have come into this world sooner? Then grandmother could have spent a few more years with you. Grandmother only bestows all her good wishes upon you. May you be healthy and live a life free from worries."
Su Muqing: "Your grandmother was really good to you."
Huo Qiyuan nodded and then smiled. "Yes! She was very good to me."
Su Muqing: "So, the Huo family army was hidden in the South Gate of Guangping Prefecture?"
Huo Qiyuan: "Yes. My parents' marriage was opposed by those noble families. The late emperor was also in a difficult position. Later, they proposed that one had to choose between the martial world and the imperial court. So, when I inherited the affairs of the South Gate, I didn't inform outsiders. After the Prince's Mansion incident, Uncle Xu dispersed his subordinates and old comrades to preserve our strength for future endeavors."
"Who is there?" the two were chatting when suddenly a faint voice was heard.
"Muqing, Brother Lu! Dinner is ready, where are you?"
Su Muqing instinctively flicked her finger, sending out a surge of internal energy. Hearing that it was Su Cuiping calling them for dinner, she quickly raised her hand and dispersed the internal energy.
Su Cuiping and Lin Rongrong had come to call them back for dinner. However, as they reached the screen wall, they saw a dark figure running from the side.
"Ah!" Lin Rongrong saw the dark figure reach out and quickly pulled Su Cuiping away. The dark figure struck her on the shoulder with a palm, sending her flying. Then, taking advantage of the confusion, it disappeared into the night.
Huo Qiyuan and Su Muqing rushed over. Midway, they heard a woman's scream. After the scream, Su Muqing saw a dark mass flying in the air from afar. She quickly used her wind-controlling skill to catch the dark mass and gently placed it on the ground.
"Xiaorong, Xiaorong..." Su Cuiping, crying, ran towards where Lin Rongrong had been thrown.
By the time they ran over, Lin Rongrong's face had turned green and her lips were purple. It was clear she had been poisoned. Su Muqing quickly used her detector and saw that her shoulder blade was shattered, her carotid artery was bleeding, and her heart meridian was severely damaged.
"She's poisoned, quickly carry her back to Wuyou Courtyard!" Su Muqing first gave Lin Rongrong a healing pill and a Qi-replenishing pill.
Huo Qiyuan quickly picked her up, and the three of them hurried towards Wuyou Courtyard. Su Muqing held Lin Rongrong's hand, and as she walked, she transmitted healing energy into her body.
"What's wrong with Xiaorong?" Leng Ren and the others were startled when they saw Lin Rongrong being carried back.
Gongsun Zan approached and saw that she had fainted. Her face was green, and there was black blood at the corner of her mouth. He quickly took her arm, felt her pulse, and said, "She's been poisoned by the Scarlet Viper."
"Scarlet Viper?" Upon hearing the name of the poison, Su Muqing closed her eyes and consulted the Myriad Poisons Scripture in her mind.
The Scarlet Viper poison was extracted from a type of venomous insect. It was potent and primarily affected the lungs and heart. Those severely poisoned would quickly succumb to cardiopulmonary failure.
She also checked the ingredients for the antidote. Fortunately, everything needed could be purchased from the space mall.
Su Muqing also used some recommended herbs from the detoxification formula, combined with the antidote. Salvia, Ginkgo, Astragalus, Schisandra, and Polygonum multiflorum – these were all beneficial for heart and lung function.
After quickly refining the antidote, she placed the pill into Lin Rongrong's mouth, and with the healing technique, ensured the antidote could quickly and effectively reach the damaged heart meridian.
Su Cuiping stood to the side, covering her mouth, crying uncontrollably. She was supposed to be the one injured. She had been standing outside, and it was Rongrong who had pulled her away and taken the blow for her.