Huo Qiyuan waited in the room next to the isolation ward for several more hours, handling some relatively important matters in Si'an Prefecture during this time to avoid any mishaps in the city during his absence.
It wasn't until sunset that the imperial physicians guarding the isolation ward re-examined the ten test subjects. Perhaps due to the passage of time, the medicine had been absorbed, and their conditions began to improve. Not only did their pulses gradually regain strength, but their complexions also became increasingly rosy.
Seeing their conditions change, Huo Qiyuan finally felt a bit more at ease. He knew that anything from Su Muqing was effective, let alone this spiritual spring water that could detoxify all poisons.
As night fell again, Si'an Prefecture was once again enveloped in tranquility. Huo Qiyuan and Lao Ying stood in the empty space of the courtyard previously occupied by Xu Zhipeng. After briefly briefing Leng Ren and the others, he leaped onto Lao Ying's back.
Huo Qiyuan patted Lao Ying's neck and said, "Let's go find Su Muqing." With a flap of its wide wings, Lao Ying flew into the sky under the watchful eyes of Leng Ren and the others. Man and eagle soared through the heavens, bathed in the vast starlight, heading rapidly towards Huaxia City.
"Let's go. We have dozens more people who need medicine soon, and we'll be busy again," Leng Ren said as they watched Huo Qixiao's figure gradually disappear. Only when he was no longer visible did they return to the isolated western district to continue their unfinished mission.
Lao Ying carried Huo Qiyuan for the entire night, resting only a few times en route. Although it was already March, traveling at night and being in the sky meant it was incredibly cold.
By early the next morning, when Lao Ying landed on the square outside the Huaxia Palace, Huo Qiyuan paused for a while before dismounting. Having endured the cold wind all night, he felt his face had gone numb and couldn't move much.
The guards at the palace gate, seeing the Regent King return on the divine eagle, quickly stepped forward to salute him. After jumping down, Huo Qiyuan shook his legs, did a few simple stretches, and told the soldiers to ignore him and return to their duties.
After setting Huo Qiyuan down, Lao Ying let out a few "gu gu gu" calls and, with a flap of its wings, flew towards the mountain range on the other side of the imperial city. It was likely that the drought in Si'an Prefecture had been severe, leaving the mountains bare. There were hardly any prey, and green leaves were hard to come by.
Therefore, the past month in Si'an Prefecture had made Lao Ying incredibly restless. Upon its return, it couldn't wait to go hunting, stretch its muscles, and extend its sharp claws, lest they degenerate from disuse over time!
Lao Ying flew away swiftly. By the time Huo Qiyuan heard its calls and looked back, only a dark spot remained in the sky. It seemed he couldn't expect it to carry him into the imperial palace. With no other option, he dragged his half-stiff body and walked alone towards the palace.
He figured Su Muqing should have finished her court session by now, likely resting in the imperial study and then reviewing memorials. Disregarding the lingering numbness from the cold, Huo Qiyuan began to speed up, traversing the palace walls with a combination of running and flying.
His speed was so great that only a flash of white could be seen wherever he passed. The commotion he caused alerted numerous guards and covertly stationed imperial guards.
Only upon reaching the exterior of the imperial study where Su Muqing worked did Huo Qiyuan land steadily. He tidied his disheveled robes and hair before turning to look at the large group of imperial guards and secret guards who had followed him.
"Greetings, Your Highness the Regent!"
"Greetings, Your Highness the Regent!"
Seeing that the Regent King had returned, the secret guards who arrived first knelt to pay their respects. The King's movements and techniques were too bizarre; they couldn't even touch his clothes to intercept him. Moreover, if the King hadn't deliberately made some noise, they might not have detected him at all.
The guards who arrived later were all panting heavily. As they knelt to salute, they couldn't help but inwardly grumble. This Regent King's speed was too fast! They were exhausted from running, feeling as if their internal organs were about to be expelled, and still couldn't catch up. It was truly a life-threatening feat!
Yet, here was the King, who, after stopping, still had time to tidy his appearance and even wait for them to catch up. It had to be said, his strength was terrifyingly abnormal! Envy, immense envy!
"Mm, everyone rise! Everyone who followed me this time took less time than before. It seems that during my month-long absence, you have also practiced diligently and not slacked off." Looking at the secret guards with their calm composure and the guards still gasping for breath, Huo Qiyuan felt very satisfied.
There was no need to elaborate on the guards. Although they took longer, they were all exhausted upon arrival. However, it was known that they normally used standard training methods, so their requirements were different from those of the secret guards.
The secret guards were different. Many of them were veterans chosen from the previous guard corps. Later, during the two years of developing the Huaxia Heavenly Kingdom, he selected a batch of promising young individuals with good foundations and personally trained them for a period.
The results today seemed quite good; at least, they caught up without making him wait too long. It should be noted that the current imperial palace was much larger than the previous City Lord's mansion.
The vast, desolate land outside was now covered with courtyards and palace walls of various characteristics. If one were to travel solely on foot, it would take at least several days to explore the entire imperial city.
The considerable commotion outside also caught Su Muqing's attention. She rose and walked to the window, looking at the tall figure standing under a large tree in the distance, clad in a dark robe with gold embroidery and a flowing silver mane of hair. A wide smile spread across her face.
"Continue to train hard. I will inform your commander of your efforts and have them rewarded. You may all withdraw now!"
Dismissing the guards and secret guards, Huo Qiyuan quickly turned, intending to find the beauty he had longed for for over a month. Unexpectedly, as he looked up, he saw the figure within the vermilion wooden window in the distance.
The figure was wearing a bright yellow cross-fronted ruqun adorned with red embroidery, and an epaulet-style outer robe. Her hair was styled in a simple single coil, topped with a phoenix crown of pure gold, with tassels hanging on either side and a few blood-red gemstones adorning her forehead.
Huo Qiyuan's eyesight was exceptionally good, allowing him to see the bright smile on the maiden's face. Her curved eyebrows held a starlight-like glimmer, and her shallow dimples were as intoxicating and sweet as honey.
Su Muqing, now the Empress, possessed not only the radiant beauty that could shame the moon and flowers with every gesture but also a certain dignified composure befitting a ruler, making her breathtakingly attractive, unforgettable, and inspiring a willing surrender at her feet.
Huo Qiyuan walked step by step towards that seemingly radiant figure. Upon entering the imperial study, he respectfully saluted Su Muqing with a raised hand.
"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress!"
Seeing his formal salutation, Su Muqing found it amusing, so she adopted a polite demeanor and said, "Regent King, you are excused. Please be seated. Come, serve the King some tea."
After exchanging "false" pleasantries, they couldn't help but burst into laughter. Seeing that all the attendants in the imperial study had left, Huo Qiyuan could no longer hold back.
He strode up to Su Muqing, reaching out to pinch her tender cheek. "What? Haven't seen each other for just over a month, and my Empress has become so formal with me?"
Su Muqing also missed him dearly. Pulling Huo Qiyuan's hand away, she leaned her face gently against his still cool outer robe. "Not at all. I saw that the Regent King was so formal with me, so I had to be polite with you as well!"
Huo Qiyuan raised his hand and stroked the top of her head, saying dotingly, "You're still mischievous even as Empress!"
"Big Brother Lu, why are you back at this time?" Although Huo Qiyuan had reverted to his original name, Su Muqing was still accustomed to calling him Big Brother Lu.
Huo Qiyuan took her hand and sat down on the long couch nearby. Then, he began to seriously recount the events in Si'an Prefecture. "After Si'an Prefecture was brought under control, the refugees, for some reason, suddenly contracted a very strange cold. Not only did it spread rapidly, but they usually died within a few days."
Hearing this, Su Muqing also became serious. "Could it be a plague?"
Huo Qiyuan shook his head and continued, "We thought so at first. However, the imperial physicians I brought and the doctors in the prefecture city prescribed medicine according to the treatments for colds, but it had no effect whatsoever. Eventually, they all became helpless."
"As more and more people died, and even soldiers in the army began to show frequent signs of infection, I suddenly remembered the spiritual spring water you gave me to regulate my body before I left. Yesterday, I had Leng Ren add the remaining amount to the medicinal water and give it to the most severely ill individuals to try."
"In the end, it was confirmed that the spiritual spring water was indeed effective. After drinking it, those who were ill all vomited out clumps of wriggling, blood-red, worm-like creatures, which were quite horrifying to behold. When I returned, dozens more people were taking the medicine, but the spiritual spring water was gone. There are still thousands of patients in Si'an Prefecture, so I had to come back to get more spiritual spring water and, incidentally, to see you."
After Huo Qiyuan finished speaking, Su Muqing frowned. No wonder Big Brother Lu described it as a strange illness. If it presented as symptoms of a cold, why would they vomit blood-red worms? Blood-red worms...
The mention of blood-red, worm-like creatures immediately reminded Su Muqing of the "beauty worms" cultivated by the Thousand Poisons Sect three years ago, which used humans as vessels to alter appearances and practice evil arts. Could it be that they weren't suffering from a cold or a plague, but had been poisoned?
With this thought, Su Muqing looked up and asked the person beside her, "From what you've said, they don't seem to have a plague, but rather, it's like they've been poisoned? Have you sent people to check the food storage and the drinking water sources? Also, have the local weather and surrounding environment shown anything unusual?"
"I must admit, at first, the military doctors and physicians said that the refugees' symptoms looked like a cold, so I didn't think of anything else. It wasn't until later, when they showed no improvement after prolonged treatment, that I considered they might have been poisoned rather than ill. That's when I took out the remaining spiritual spring water, hoping it could work." Huo Qiyuan now felt he had been too careless.
In fact, he had felt that this cold was somewhat strange from the beginning. Although he had begun to suspect something and had noticed some clues, he hadn't truly investigated and verified them, which led to their condition worsening.
"Did you find the source of the illness?"
"Not before I returned. All the food in the city was taken from the Qiankun Bag, so there shouldn't be a problem. Yesterday, I had people check all the wells and rivers in the prefecture city. However, we are all ordinary mortals. Besides using silver needles to test for poisoning, we have no other methods for further detection. That's why I came back to seek your help. If I can't even handle such a small matter, will you think I'm useless?" Huo Qiyuan's tone became quite dejected at the end, fearing that his image in Su Muqing's eyes would be greatly diminished.
However, this aggrieved and lost expression in Su Muqing's eyes looked like Huo Qiyuan was acting spoiled. His indescribably handsome face held an indescribable and cute expression, truly charmingly handsome!
Su Muqing reached out and gently stroked Huo Qiyuan's silver hair that had fallen onto his chest, saying with a serious expression, "So many physicians diagnosed it as a cold, how can you blame yourself? Besides, didn't you realize something was wrong later, and you even used spiritual spring water to treat them?"
"In fact, you are already very capable. At the very least, you didn't blindly believe it was just an ordinary cold. These people could survive because you discovered the situation in time, so please don't speak of yourself like that, and certainly don't belittle yourself!"
Looking at the earnest and radiant girl before him, her eyes sparkled as if filled with the entire starry sky. Being gazed upon with such adoration and admiration, Huo Qiyuan felt his inner gloom significantly lessen.
Muqing was such a kind-hearted person, like the warm sun in spring, always able to quickly restore confidence to someone who was extremely self-doubting, bringing boundless warmth without scorching.