Xiao Man flipped to the last few pages, only to find they detailed the Qin family's Myriad Poison Golden Body. Xiao Man knew it made one immune to poisons, but she was unaware of its secrets until she began reading it word by word.
As she read a certain sentence, her body swayed violently. Her already pale face turned even paler, her lips trembling. Even her long eyelashes couldn't hide the shock in her eyes.
The book slipped from Xiao Man's grasp. She walked out in a daze, a dazed expression on her face. When disciples greeted her, she seemed not to see them, her mind consumed by a single thought: *I killed him.*
Jun Fei'er, not seeing Xiao Man return for a long time, came to look for her. Seeing her walking alone on the small path, she couldn't help but approach: "Xiao Qin, why are you reading so late? You must take care of yourself. You've only just regained your life."
Xiao Man looked at Jun Fei'er blankly, her mouth opening as if to speak, but no words came out. After a long struggle, she coughed up a mouthful of blood, terrifying Jun Fei'er, who quickly helped her up.
"What's wrong? Who bullied you? Tell me, and I'll beat them to death!" Jun Fei'er was both angry and anxious. While giving Xiao Man medicine and taking her pulse, she discovered Xiao Man had suffered a qi deviation due to anger. She asked in confusion, "Who upset you today?"
Xiao Man shook her head and stumbled forward. Jun Fei'er, worried, helped her back. Upon returning, Xiao Man didn't eat and immediately fell asleep. That night, she developed a high fever, much to Jun Fei'er's distress.
Zhai Ge was curious about Kong Qing's new method for refining the Qi Convergence Pill. The success rate for Qi Convergence Pills was very low; even for him, only about half a furnace would be usable. Yet, Kong Qing's new method had produced a full furnace of good pills.
As Zhai Ge praised Kong Qing's intelligence for devising such a refining method, Kong Qing scratched his head bashfully, "This method wasn't my idea; it was Junior Brother Xiao's..."
Just then, a commotion arose outside. The head disciple, Bai Jiang, hurried in and grabbed Kong Qing, "Quick, hide! Senior Aunt Jun is coming, and she looks like she's going to kill someone."
Kong Qing looked innocent. "Who angered Senior Aunt Jun to this extent that she wants to kill someone?"
"Did you see Xiao Qin yesterday?"
Kong Qing honestly nodded. "I saw Junior Brother Xiao in the Scripture Pavilion and spoke with him a few words. It's thanks to Junior Brother Xiao's guidance that I was able to successfully refine the Qi Convergence Pill."
"Anything else you discussed?"
"No..." As soon as he finished speaking, Jun Fei'er stormed in.
"Kong Qing!"
"Disciple greets Senior Aunt." The disciples bowed in unison.
Seeing Jun Fei'er's displeased expression, Zhai Ge pulled Kong Qing behind him. After so many years, he understood his junior sister's temperament well.
"Junior Sister, what brings you to Senior Brother's courtyard?"
"I'm not here to see Senior Brother today." Jun Fei'er's beautiful eyes blazed with anger, as if she could set the house ablaze. "Kong Qing, what did you say to Xiao Qin yesterday?"
Kong Qing scratched his head. "Reporting to Senior Aunt, Disciple merely discussed the refining method of the Qi Convergence Pill with Junior Brother Xiao."
"Just that?"
"Just that."
"Liar!" Jun Fei'er immediately berated. "If it were just that, why would my disciple have suffered a qi deviation and vomited blood before collapsing!"
"What? The eldest has vomited blood and fainted?" Poison Lady's ears perked up. She immediately moved to go out, "Let me go see."
"Let's all go and see." Zhai Ge stopped Jun Fei'er. "Kong Qing is a loyal and honest child. Besides, everyone in the sect knows Xiao Qin is still recovering from serious injuries. How could he possibly anger her? Is there perhaps some misunderstanding?"
"What misunderstanding could there be? My precious disciple only spoke to him yesterday!" Jun Fei'er was exasperated. She had finally managed to save him with good medicine, and he was getting better day by day, but now he was vomiting blood and had a persistent fever. Jun Fei'er was frantic.
"Junior Sister, please don't be anxious. Let's go see Xiao Qin and find out what happened." Zhai Ge comforted her. "Could it be that his injuries are not healing, and he's anxious about his cultivation?"
"He's not an impatient person, it must be..."
"Junior Sister, you know Kong Qing's character. He's not someone who lacks discretion." The people of the Hundred Medicines Hall had a common trait: they were fiercely protective of their own. Jun Fei'er was anxious for her disciple, and Zhai Ge was also protective. If outsiders bullied the disciples of the Hundred Medicines Hall, he would protect them; if fellow disciples bullied his disciples, he would also protect them.
"Senior Aunt, I am also worried about Junior Brother Xiao's safety. Let's go see Junior Brother Xiao first."
Jun Fei'er snorted in annoyance, flicked her hand, and turned to leave. Zhai Ge immediately followed, and Kong Qing, also worried about Xiao Man's condition, quickened his pace to catch up. He was quite perplexed, replaying the conversation he had with Xiao Man in his mind, yet he couldn't find anything problematic.
Zhai Ge looked at Xiao Man lying on the bed, lifeless. He felt a pang of guilt, fearing that Kong Qing had indeed caused her condition. He quickly stepped forward to take Xiao Man's pulse. As he felt it, his heart sank. He secretly glanced at Jun Fei'er's expression, then at his own inept disciple, feeling a surge of anger within him, but he maintained a calm demeanor.
"This child's body is so weak. Junior Sister, I once obtained a third-grade Purple Spirit Pill. It would be perfect for Xiao Qin." Zhai Ge took out the Purple Spirit Pill he had painstakingly acquired and handed it to Jun Fei'er.
Jun Fei'er accepted it. "Thank you, Senior Brother, for caring for Xiao Qin."
"It's only natural, I am his Martial Uncle, after all." If he hadn't feared Xiao Man's death, Jun Fei'er would have made his disciple pay with his life. Zhai Ge was truly reluctant to part with such a precious elixir. A Purple Spirit Pill was equivalent to a life; he had kept it for critical moments. Now, this kid had gotten it for free.
Jun Fei'er gave the pill to Xiao Man. Her expression eased somewhat, and she then turned to Kong Qing, her tone softening. "Kong Qing, what exactly did you say to Xiao Qin in the Scripture Pavilion?"
"Reporting to Senior Aunt, Disciple was looking at pill recipes in the Scripture Pavilion. I've been trying to refine the Qi Convergence Pill these past few days, but I haven't succeeded once. So, I went to the Scripture Pavilion to look through the Thousand Gold Formulas. I happened to meet Junior Brother Xiao, who was also reading. I greeted him and spoke about the Qi Convergence Pill."
"And then?"
"Then Junior Brother Xiao told me that two of the herbs in it have clashing properties and cannot be added together. He suggested that if I refined them separately and then changed the order of addition, it might work. I was eager to try the new refining method, so I thanked him and left."
"When you left, what time was it?"
"The second quarter of the hour of Wei." Kong Qing thought carefully. "I went there after lunch and didn't stay long. When I came out, the sundial was pointing to the second quarter of the hour of Wei."