Xi Yan felt a sting in her nose. Since she had first met Hu Xiaotian, he had never treated her so well. This shameless wretch is deliberately saying things like that to move me. Does he think he can sweet-talk me into obeying him? Does he really take me for a little girl who knows nothing of the world? Only with difficulty did Xi Yan calm the emotions surging inside her. She sighed softly and said, "I'm exhausted. I don't want to talk to you. Go out."
Once again, Hu Xiaotian felt as though he had pressed his warm face against a cold backside. He shook his head with a rueful smile. Then he remembered something and took a small bottle from his robes. Inside were the Origin-Returning Pills Qin Yutong had given him. "You're injured," he said. "Why not take an Origin-Returning Pill first? It will help your wounds."
Xi Yan said coldly, "I won't take anything that enchantress gave you."
Only then did Hu Xiaotian remember all the bad blood between her and Qin Yutong. He wondered how Xi Yan knew these Origin-Returning Pills had come from Qin Yutong. They were probably a secret preparation of the Heavenly Mystery Hall, which had led her to that conclusion. Had he known, he would never have mentioned the pills' name.
Hu Xiaotian shook his head helplessly and set the small bottle of Origin-Returning Pills on the bedside table. "Get some rest," he said quietly. "I'll go out and deal with the scene."
Xi Yan reminded him, "You'd best leave the bodies alone, lest your cleverness backfire. Just say poisonous insect backlash killed them. The dead can't contradict you, anyway."
Hu Xiaotian did not recognize any of the bodies outside. His real concern was Yang Xuan. He had severed both her