The Empress is Dead

Since Gu Kei is only listening, she didn't expect a scream would end the two people's conversation. She reflexively circled around the fake mountain look towards the two people, partially hidden of course. But not our of worry and soft heartedness. Instead it was because her royal Gu felt a fluctuation of a Gu poison nearby. And it is only right to ȧssume that it originated from where the scream came from. And unsurprisingly, she saw the man collapsed on the ground convulsing. His elegant eyebrows scrunched up in pain, face pale in agony. Beads of sweat forming on his forehead and neck visible in the nȧkėd eye.

The woman beside him attempted to catch the man but failed miserably due to a large difference in build and height. As if realizing that screaming was a bad idea, she covered her mouth with both hands until she calmed down. She then carefully lay the man down, stood up and paced around in panic seemingly trying to find someone in the vicinity to help but found no one. With a final glance she then said in a shaky low voice. "C-Chen-ge wait a bit. I will call for help. Please hang in there." She met with no reply though. Still she went ahead and ran as fast as she could towards where she told her servants to wait for her. But because she was wearing an elaborate pink flowy palace dress with a lot of layers, obviously not fit to move around, it took her a lot of time to call someone.

Gu Kei then used this chance to get close and examine the man's condition. She is not proficient in medicine, but since the problem is caused by a Gu poison, she is more that capable to check on him. But instead of pulse, Gu Kei pressed on the man's temples and probe his body with the internal energy chanelled by her royal Gu. The mole under her right eye glowed purple and slowly formed an image of a wasp.

After thouroughly checking, Gu Kei's face showed a solemn mood. She concluded that the man is in the verge of dying. The Gu poison inside him, specifically inside hid head, was left alone for too long without the sustenance of the mother Gu. This is usually done to extend the perpetrator's control over the poisoned target. This is also to extend his life. However, the Gu poison can still stive by feeding on the host internal energy or life force until the host dies. The Gu poison dying along of course. This man however, was abandoned. Maybe deemed already useless. And at this moment, the Gu poison is draining his last remaining bit of life.

Gu Kei is in a dilema. She could save the man easily by taking the Gu poison out of his system. However, it would give away her existence to Xing Baihe whom she believes to have poison the man. And that is not a good move. On the other hand it doesn't sit well with her if she ditch the man to die. Asking for Lin Xulian's opinion is also out of the question since she can't enter the emperor's palace. She also have no idea where she is located in that massive place. By the time she could return, the man would be long dead.

Then an idea dawn at her. She remembered that when Lin Xulian arrived at Qiangdu, her Gu poison is still inside her body. It was only put to dormant state by Xing Guang. This would result in minimal backlash towards Xing Baihe. Almost unnoticeable. This will also give the man some time to regain his strength and not die immediately in case Xing Baihe decides to wake the Gu poison up. She'll just find him after everything is over to fully cure him.

With that solution in mind, Gu Kei then proceed to treat the man. Concentrating, she probe and find the Gu poison, but not to attack it. After all, the Gu poisons are part of the Gu clan's identity. They are like their creation, their children. Of course she would not harm it to make it submit. She used coaxing instead. She fed it with the internal energy from the royal Gu, which was what the poisonous creaturte prefer more, and lul it to slumber. The treatment lasted long since the Gu poison is almost fully embedded on the man's body. It took Gu Kei a lot of time to coax it since she and the royal Gu are strangers to the creature. Despite not having a mind on it's own, it sense of survival still exist.

=============

After Yu yanyan grabbed his arm, Xu Yichen felt the familiar headache he kept having for months now. This time however, the pain is multiple time worse that the last. His vision blurrerd, turned then completely darkened. But he knows he is still conscious by the intense pain he is currently feeling. Xu Yichen didn't know how long he had been lying in pain. To him it seemed like forever. He could no longer handle the pain and even thought of succumbing, wishing for death so the pain would stop.

That until he felt a stream of warmth flowing from his temples, slowly enveloping his entire head then continued flowing throughout his body. The unbearable pain also slowly subsided bringing him relief and comfort. After some time he finally realized that someone is giving him treatment from the sensation of skin touching his temples. Obviously someone's hands. His head is also propped on the other person's ŀȧp.

With the pain significantly lessened, Xu Yichen finally regained some strength. Although only enough to be able to open his eyes. However he found it difficult to focus his vision. The only thing he could make out is the silhouette of a woman. Unfortunately he couldn't see her face clearly. He could only tell that her eyes are close and half the upper right corner of her face has a peculiar marking. It looked like an insect but as to what he couldn't tell. But he remembered it in his heart hoping that he would meet her again and thank her properly. Because he knows he can't do it at the moment with the increasing drowsiness that the comfort is bringing him. In the end, he couldn't fight it anymore and fell in a deep peaceful sleep.

==============

When Yu Yanyan finally returned to where she left Xu Yichen with some servants and an imperial physician in tow, she is greeted with a sight of a woman craddling Xu Yichen's head in her ŀȧp. Totally disregarding the urgent matter of his health, she bellowed, "Who are you?! A servant taking advantage of a noble, have you no shame?! Someone! Take this impudent wench and flog her to death!"

With the sudden arrival of Yu Yanyan and her entourage, Gu Kei instinctively turn her head away to hide her face as fast as she could. Fortunately she is already done treating the man and is preparing to leave. So disregarding the tought of giving him a mild concussion, she stood up leaving the man falling with a thud and ran. To the others surprise and alarm she disappeared from their sight in mere seconds. Leaving Yu Yanyan pale in shock and fear. The guards following them still gave chase as per their duty despite knowing its futile. The other person is oviously more skilled that all of them combined.

It took them some time before remembering that Xu Yichen still needs medical attention. But Yu Yanyan still took Gu Kei's appearance to heart and told her servant to report the matter about an intruder. Blaming her of Xu Yichen's condition in passing. The servant can only lament about how a jealous woman can be so unreasonable.. Her mistress clearly said earlier that Adviser Xu suddendly collapsed in the garden There was no mention of an attack whatsoever.