Poison Genius Consort

“Stop the carriage,” Manager Jin emphasized.
Beneath his bangs, his dark eyes shone with an icy warning.
Uncle Cheng was puzzled.
Ever since the last incident with the cloth strips, Mu Linger had said something to Manager Jin to leave him in a bad mood.
Not that he was very cheery to begin with.

It can’t be that he’s taken a fancy to her?

But Uncle Cheng quickly rejected the notion.
Leaving aside the fact that Mu Linger had driven Manager Jin to ruin, there was also the state of her womb…how could Manager Jin ever like that girl? Perhaps he was simply aiming to treat her and the baby well so it’d be easier to talk terms with Gu Qishao later.

As soon as Uncle Cheng stopped the carriage, Ning Jing felt much more comfortable.
She had to stay in bed, so she didn’t leave the carriage much.
As a result, she frequently felt nauseous and needed breaks to rest.
These stops were getting more frequent as of late.
Every time she reached her limits, Mu Linger would find all sorts of excuses to stop the ride so she could have time to recover.

“I want to throw up…” as soon as Mu Linger finished, she began to vomit out of the window.
Meanwhile, Ning Jing grinned from her corner in the carriage.
She hadn’t even realized it, but she’d been laughing and joking with Mu Linger for a while now during their trip.
She wasn’t even this close with her own sister Ning An, whom she had known since childhood.

Uncle Cheng remained sitting, while Manager Jin didn’t bat an eyelid.
Mu Linger gagged for a while before she collapsed, exhausted, by the window frame.
When the silence stretched on, Uncle Cheng prepared to move on when Mu Linger stopped him.

“Let’s rest here for the night, I really can’t take it anymore!”

Uncle Cheng didn’t even get to respond before Manager Jin urged, “Keep moving!”

They were escaping and hurrying elsewhere, not touring the scenery.
Mu Linger quickly prepared to take more medicine.
Amongst the ingredients she’d requested, there were a few that would induce light poisoning, which would lead to vomiting.
Otherwise, how was she supposed to trick their kidnappers?

“Don’t eat any more! I’m really alright,” Ning Jing stopped her.

“I’m fine too, but your complexion doesn’t look so well today.
Don’t force it,” Mu Linger said.

“I’m really alright,” Ning Jing was stern.
“I wouldn’t risk my baby’s life just to argue with you.”

“Linger, Manager Jin’s treating you…rather oddly,” Ning Jing had been observing the situation for a while.
Although Manager Jin had denied his identity, she was absolutely certain of it.
She just couldn’t guess who the older man might be!

“How so?” Mu Linger asked.

“He’s…giving you everything you want, and treating you very well,” Ning Jing lowered her voice.
“Could he have taken a fancy to you?”

Mu Linger almost burst into laughter.
She muffled her mouth and chuckled.
“Ning Jing, Tang Li’s the one who treats you well! Manager Jin’s just worried that something will happen to my womb, because then he’ll lose out on his money! If he really liked me, he would have stopped the carriage just then.”

So speaking, Mu Linger sighed.
“Anyone who loves you with limits has another motive in mind; they aren’t being sincere!”

Despite being buffeted back by Mu Linger’s words, Ning Jing found herself convinced.
She lightly stroked her belly and thought of Tang Li and his good points.
Did he have limits with his care too?

She suddenly missed him so much…

Their carriage rattled on in the quiet forests, heading ever steadily north.
Dawn rose gray from the east as day fell upon them.

How many people in Great Central County and Hundred Poisons Sect was waiting for this day? Once again, Long Feiye and Gu Beiyue had spent an entire night watching over Han Yunxi.
There was only half a day left until the appointed face-off, so…what to do?

Time seemed frozen in the still room until a series of frantic knocking sounded against the door.

“Your Highness! Your Highness, bad news!”

“Your Highness, Bai Yanqing’s appeared!”

Xu Donglin would never disturb his master unless it was an emergency, but neither Long Feiye nor Gu Beiyue budged.
One looked tenderly after Han Yunxi as always, while the other sat in the outer room, deathly still.
It wasn’t until Xu Donglin got to the point that both men startled to their senses.

“Bai Yanqing’s accepted the challenge,” Xu Donglin continued, “And he’s even holding a banquet at the foot of Hundred Poisons Sect! He’s inviting guests to join in and stand as witnesses to today’s battle!”

“Your Highness, all of those people from Grand Central County Seat are coming to Hundred Poisons Sect!”

It wasn’t until Gu Beiyue walked out of the rooms that Xu Donglin breathed in relief.
If the two of them weren’t going to show themselves any sooner, he might have thought they’d lost consciousness just like the princess.

“What are Bai Yanqing’s motives?” Gu Beiyue asked simply.

The man clearly knew that he was no match for Long Feiye and Han Yunxi’s combined powers, or else he wouldn’t have ran away last time.
Without a hostage to his name, it was uncertain if he’d ever show up.
Who knew he not only came, but summoned all the onlookers in a grand show?

What did he want to do?

“Could it be that his poison storage space is stronger than the princess’s now?” Xu Donglin asked with worry.

Gu Beiyue was wondering the same thing.
He only knew the poison storage space had three distinct levels, but nothing beyond that.
If Bai Yanqing really did reach level three, how much stronger would he be compared to the princess? He glanced back and saw that Long Feiye still hadn’t emerged.
With a sigh, he fell silent again.
Unless the princess woke, nothing in the world was capable of stirring Long Feiye.

Xu Donglin fell silent as well.
He joined Gu Beiyue by the door and watched as time trickled by.
As noon approached, things had already grown bustling by the Hundred Poisons Sect’s gates…