I Have an Adverse Reaction to You

Perhaps he was afraid that all the medicine he had to take from now on would be bugs, so Qin Muye didn't move too close.

Only after Bai Yuji was sure he wasn't going to squeeze her thigh did she relax a little.

She was a little curious that Qin Muye could sing mountain songs, but then she thought about how he had grown up in Annan. His upbringing wasn't all that different from hers, so it wasn't surprising that he could sing.

Just then.

A knock sounded at the door.

Qin Yanying had brought the medicine back.

Bai Yuji accepted it and thanked her, then politely asked Qin Yanying to leave, saying that the secret technique passed down by her master wasn't suitable for others to see.

Then she began preparing the medicine.

As she worked, she couldn't help exclaiming again and again, "These medicinal ingredients are such good quality!"

Qin Muye leaned back reflexively. "Obviously! Great Gan is vast and rich in resources, and these came from the imperial palace. How could the quality be bad?"

Bai Yuji's expression suddenly stiffened. Clutching a sprig of herb, she said stiffly, "These several ingredients originally belonged exclusively to the royal family of Nanzhao."

Qin Muye: "..."

Great Gan had destroyed your country and then plundered them, huh?

The atmosphere grew awkward.

Bai Yuji said no more and lowered her head to prepare the medicine. A full half hour passed before she finished. By then, her mood had improved somewhat.

She then took out a withered leaf, blue-green and brown, from who knew where. She wrapped the prepared powder tightly in it, then handed it to Qin Muye. "This medicinal wrapper is called a Phoenix Branch Leaf. After you take it, your body may have some adverse reactions. Be prepared."

Qin Muye asked curiously, "What kind of reactions?"

"It varies from person to person!"

Bai Yuji seemed to sink into memory. "The first time I took it, I stole it from my elder brother's alchemy room. After I swallowed it, I felt a little suffocated, as if someone were squeezing my neck."

Qin Muye's expression turned wary. "And then?"

Bai Yuji said gravely, "Then I turned around and saw my elder brother squeezing my neck. He even asked me why I'd stolen his Phoenix Branch Leaf."

Qin Muye choked. "What about the adverse reaction?"

"I didn't have one."

"Then just now..."

"I told you, it varies from person to person."

"..."

This woman could tell deadpan jokes, too.

Qin Muye was speechless. "Then why did you look so solemn?"

A hint of resentment crept into Bai Yuji's voice. "My elder brother died right before my eyes, with your father's own sword through his heart!"

Qin Muye: "..."

He'd thought it was a deadpan joke.

Instead, it was a war memoir.

He rubbed his head, feeling that he might have underestimated how difficult it would be to win Bai Yuji over.

With their national enmity and personal vendetta piled on top of each other, she hadn't released bugs to bite his balls every night. That was already incredibly merciful.

She really...

I'm in tears!

Qin Muye shook his head and swallowed the pill.

The next moment.

The suffocating feeling hit. He felt as if someone were squeezing his neck.

He was a little annoyed. "Don't squeeze my neck!"

Bai Yuji furrowed her delicate brows. "I'm not squeezing your neck!"

"Then what's this..."

"An adverse reaction."

"..."

It took Qin Muye a good while to recover. His breathing finally returned to normal, and he lay on the bed, gasping for air.

Once the side effects had passed, Bai Yuji prepared to get up and leave.

Qin Muye called after her. "The mastermind might come after me again. Are you sure you won't help me? That old woman just now seemed pretty strong. How about having her kill the mastermind?"

Bai Yuji's gaze sharpened. "You're safe for now. Don't try to drive a wedge between us again. It'll do nothing except irritate me and make me want to torment you. Also, I'm short on money. Get some ready for me as soon as possible."

"Short on money? Are you planning to buy me a birthday present? You can't borrow someone else's money to play the generous giver!"

"I need money to support my people! Sell off what you have as soon as possible, then give me ten thousand taels!"

"Hey, what the hell? You're so—"

"I'm a kidnapper!"

"Then what about my birthday present?"

"I'll find a way to prepare one for you."

Bai Yuji turned and left.

Qin Muye called after her, "Put some thought into it! If you don't, I won't accept it!"

Bai Yuji: "..."

After she left.

Qin Muye was alone in the room.

He absorbed the medicine's power and fell into thought.

In theory, giving her the money would be helping the enemy. But when he thought about it, the Qin Family's stronghold was in the Southwest. A mere ten thousand taels couldn't shake it.

In the Capital City, the only people they could target were him and Qin Yanying.

Qin Yanying's Fate Panel was currently in a stacked state, which meant Bai Yuji hadn't decided to act yet. And for now, he and Bai Yuji were on the same side.

So after she got the money, the most likely outcome was that she'd be able to hold the mastermind who wanted him dead in check.

He could give her the money!

But he had to find a way to identify the mastermind. Until that person was dead, he wouldn't be able to sleep.

Qin Muye didn't have many ideas. He could only rely on his cheat. The Fate Panel didn't provide much information, but it wasn't too little, either. He just needed to create an opportunity to meet every powerful figure in the Capital City. There was a good chance he'd be able to narrow down the culprit.

In a few days, the Crown Prince and the Imperial Princess would attend his birthday celebration. Two candidates would be served up on a silver platter.

He'd have to observe them carefully.

Time flew like a white colt flashing past a crack in the wall.

The days slipped by, and Qin Muye's birthday soon arrived.

The Capital City had been lively these past few days. The fallout from the Heir to the Marquis of Southern Suppression's kidnapping hadn't died down yet, and wave after wave of accusations had descended on the Prime Minister's Mansion, nearly inciting unrest among the common people.

Fortunately, the next day, servants from the Southern Pacification Mansion went to the Prime Minister's Mansion with an invitation. They also invited Shen Jin to attend.

When they delivered the invitation, they made a point of emphasizing that Shen Jin was Qin Muye's close friend.

They said it loudly enough for passersby to hear, clearing the Prime Minister's Mansion of nearly all suspicion at once.

It seemed other families had received invitations as well, though they hadn't made a ripple.

Then, somehow, word got out that the Crown Prince and the Imperial Princess would also come to celebrate the birthday.

That was no small matter. It immediately soothed those who felt the Qin Family had been wronged, as well as those worried that something might happen to them.

On the day of the birthday celebration, the Southern Pacification Mansion was decked out in festive decorations.

Although Qin Yanying was the only elder in the Capital City, they had also invited several elders on good terms with the Qin Family to pose as hosts and keep things in order.

Most of the guests were younger people. After presenting their gifts, they lined up to offer their auspicious wishes.

Even the talented Demon Race youngsters from the Great Sage Temple had learned enough of the human race's well-wishes to muddle through them.

The atmosphere was quite harmonious.

Still, once they gathered together, they couldn't help whispering among themselves.

"I told you we shouldn't push him too hard, didn't I? Now I've had to cough up everything I've got. It hurts!"

"Who could've known someone would dare go after him? Just this once, let's pretend we tossed our money to the dogs!"

"Have you noticed that this good-for-nothing seems thinner?"

"Yeah, and his complexion's improved a lot. He doesn't look like he's on death's door anymore."

"He's still a sickly weakling. He probably found some new medicine to keep himself alive."

"I heard he somehow got his hands on a top-grade tiger's whip."

"Hiss..."

A burly youth reflexively squeezed his legs together and glared at everyone. "What's wrong with you humans? Why are you always obsessing over our whips?"

Shen Jin sneered. "You weren't saying that yesterday when a young woman ate your tiger's whip raw!"

The burly youth's cheeks reddened. "If you put it that way, I can't even argue!"

Shen Jin turned to look at Bai Yuji, who stood beside Qin Muye. "By the way, who's that woman who's been standing next to him? Is there someone like her in the Capital City? Where did that kid find such a peerless beauty?"

He stared at her, momentarily distracted. There was none of a young girl's awkwardness about her, yet her skin was like that of a sixteen-year-old. Her beauty was breathtaking—and even more remarkable was her figure.

The others had been watching her, too, but no one had said anything. Now that Shen Jin had let the cat out of the bag, they couldn't help quietly passing judgment on her.

"She doesn't look like she comes from a powerful family, but her cultivation seems pretty high. She must be the disciple of some reclusive master."

"She's a real beauty. What kind of luck did Qin Muye stumble into?"

"Probably someone who can't stand being lonely and came to the Capital City to cozy up to the powerful."

"How did she end up cozying up to the useless Qin Muye? What a waste of her beauty..."

"I think she looks kind of dowdy. She's just some country bumpkin."

Whoosh, whoosh!

Everyone turned to look at the person who had spoken.

Wang Xuan: "..."

She looked at Bai Yuji's pretty face, feeling the pressure mount. The jade pendant she'd given was worth no more than a hundred taels. Without offering something else, it would be hard to get away with it.

She'd thought all she needed to do was let Qin Muye smear a little saliva on her face.

But now, just getting saliva on her face probably wouldn't be enough.