At Zhou Qingyang's words, Wei Xun's expression changed abruptly. He sprang to his feet and repeated in a strangled voice:
"What?!"
"Phoenix Embryo, Living Pearl... whatever you call it, this is the medicine that will save your life." She set the brocade box on the table and pushed the medicine toward him with one finger.
His face full of suspicion, Wei Xun looked down at the honey pill in the box. It looked no different from an ordinary elixir: a dark lump with nothing remarkable about it. Doubts crowded into his mind.
"How did you get this? I've never heard that you enjoyed robbing tombs, Senior Martial Uncle."
"Because it never came from a tomb in the first place. That old bastard deceived you. He merely needed someone to help him vent his resentment by mutilating corpses. As for why I have it, five years ago, when I went to Guanzhong to gather herbs, Chen Shigu gave me the ingredients for the Phoenix Embryo and asked me to prepare it. He meant to tell you the truth before he died and have you come to Xiangzhou to fetch it. But you six paragons of filial devotion couldn't even wait to hear your master's last words before burying him."
Wei Xun had already guessed that Chen Shigu had concealed the truth, but doubts remained. He pressed her: "How did you learn about Master's final moments, Senior Martial Uncle?"
Zhou Qingyang complained, "I kept wondering why you hadn't come looking for me when your death was so near. Then, two months ago, that tall girl with the scar on her face came by under the pretext of 'visiting Senior Martial Uncle' and briefly explained what had happened. Such a sweet-tongued brat. Who would have thought she'd make off with so much of