Chapter 4: By Chance

He grabbed exactly the arm that was already injured.

A tremendous tearing sensation followed, causing Wen Qiao to frown in pain. She turned, meeting those hateful eyes, and asked, "What have I done?"

"If you hadn't been fawning over the Empress Dowager and the Emperor just now, why would Qi'qi have been neglected? Do you have no intention of repenting?" Wen Zehan narrowed his eyes coldly, the more he thought about it, the more he felt Wen Qiao had done this on purpose.

Today was very important to Wen Qi. She had prepared for a long time, all to please the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, only to have it snatched away by Wen Qiao.

"If she lacks the ability, who can she blame?" Wen Qiao frowned, feeling the pressure on her arm increase. It hurt even more. She could feel the wound had burst open, blood staining the gauze. If she didn't tend to it quickly, it would soon seep onto her clothes, making it impossible to explain.

"Wen Qiao, I see you truly are ungrateful..."

Before he could finish, Wen Qiao cut him off. "Third Brother, this is the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet. The Emperor and the Empress Dowager just granted me permission to study in the palace. If you lay a hand on me here, I'm afraid that wouldn't be very wise, would it?"

"You—"

They were very close to the banquet hall. Given how Wen Qiao had just pleased Xiao Zheng and the Empress Dowager, if Wen Zehan continued to treat her this way and she reported him, his fate would not be pleasant.

Wen Zehan loosened his grip, but his eyes remained full of warning. "Wen Qiao, you had best behave yourself. Remember where you are right now." Back at the Marquis's estate, he would still be her third brother.

"Third Brother should also remember, I will be entering the palace daily to study alongside the princes." Wen Qiao curled her lips slightly and gave him a smile. She could report him whenever and wherever she liked.

Wen Zehan’s anger stirred, but he forced it down. "Do you think they can protect you forever?" It was nothing more than a moment of triumph.

Wen Qiao lowered her eyes, her tone turning submissive. "Third Brother, I haven't done anything. Besides, being close to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager also strengthens the relationship with the Marquis's estate."

"Is that so?" Wen Zehan could not bring himself to believe a word that came out of her mouth.

When she looked up again, Wen Qiao’s expression became pitiful. "Third Brother, I am your sister too; how can you not trust me?"

This was a tactic Wen Qi often used. Seeing it now, she only felt the disgust in Wen Zehan's eyes. But she could see it clearly, and it served as a reminder of everything from her past life.

Wen Zehan shoved her arm away violently and said with disgust, "Wen Qiao, you had best keep yourself in check." With that, he turned and left.

Wen Qiao watched his back with cold eyes, a sneer tugging at the corner of her mouth. Keep herself in check? Like she did in her past life, only to end up trampled and ravaged by them?

She turned away, holding her aching arm, and found a rockery nearby. She looked around; most people were inside the banquet hall surrounding Xiao Zheng and the Empress Dowager, so no one was around.

Wen Qiao loosened her sash and took off her outer garment. By the moonlight, she saw the patch of red on her arm and frowned. She unwound the gauze; seeing the blood continually seeping out, she drew a sharp breath and applied the medicine she had prepared beforehand. She knew she wouldn't leave the palace unscathed, so she had come prepared.

After re-dressing the wound, she didn't want to return just yet. Taking a walk to get some air sounded nice.

She hadn't gone many steps when someone collided with her. The person was unsteady, seemingly unaware of her presence. Wen Qiao wanted to dodge, but seeing the situation, she reached out to catch them. Because of the person's weight, she was knocked against the rockery behind her, and she felt her wound burst open again.

"Who are you?" The man, realizing someone had caught him, grabbed her arm. In the darkness, his eyes were as sharp and dangerous as a hawk's, poised and ready to strike, as if he could kill her at any moment.

Wen Qiao met his pale, sickly face and brushed her fingers against his pulse. "You've been poisoned?" It was a deep, potent poison. She only touched it briefly, so she couldn't tell the full extent.

But the next moment, a large hand clamped around her throat, the fingertips tightening. "Who exactly are you?" His voice was low and terrifying; in the shadows, his killing intent enveloped her completely.

The suffocating pressure made it difficult for her to speak. She pulled a silver needle from her waist and, with all her might, jabbed it into a specific acupuncture point on the man.

The man’s body went limp, and he released her, leaning back against the rockery.

"Who are you?" he pressed, his voice strained, yet he felt his body losing all strength.

Wen Qiao rubbed her throat, taking several deep breaths. Even poisoned, he possessed such incredible strength. She caught her breath, curious about him. "And who are you? This is the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet."

Because of the darkness, she couldn't see his face clearly, but his tone indicated he was certainly not a palace eunuch or guard.

"You don't know who I am?" he asked abruptly.

"I do not." Could it be that this man was planning to attack the Emperor and the Empress Dowager? She had never heard of such an event in her past life.

Xiao Jinhang's lips moved, but the poison inside him surged at that moment. He clutched his chest, unable to suppress the blood rising in his throat. A spurt of bright, shocking red blood escaped his lips, and his body swayed, collapsing to the other side.

"You—"

Wen Qiao immediately caught him. Seeing his eyes were closed, she placed her hand on Xiao Jinhang's pulse. It was chaotic; a force seemed to be rampaging through his body. For years, he had clearly been struggling to suppress it, but it had backfired, making the force even more ferocious.

Was it poison? Wen Qiao frowned slightly. She removed the silver needle from him and guided him to a nearby pavilion. She then took out several more needles and pierced several points on his body. Shortly after, she removed them. The needles were stained a dark, glossy black.

"It is indeed poison." Wen Qiao took out a few more needles and sighed helplessly. "I only have these few; they can draw out a little of the poison and make you more comfortable."

Running into him just now, his poison must have flared up. But who in the palace could have poisoned him?

As the moonlight shifted, Wen Qiao could finally see his face. His eyes were closed, his features cold and refined. She had laid him casually on the pavilion bench, but the bench was too short for his long legs, and a large portion of them hung over the edge. He was quite a handsome man.

After using the needles to draw out some of the poison, Wen Qiao stood up, looking at his unconscious form. "Leaving you here should be fine, right?" She didn't know where to send him. When he woke up, he should know how to return.

Wen Qiao had to get back to the banquet quickly; if she stayed away too long, she would be questioned. She turned and hurried back toward the banquet hall.

After she left, Xiao Jinhang on the bench slowly opened his eyes. The force that had been rampaging through his body during the flare-up had vanished, and he felt remarkably refreshed. Previously, his flare-ups had lasted at least three hours.

Was it because of that woman? The night had been too dark, and he had been in too much pain to see her face clearly. But perhaps... she could help him cure this poison.

Xiao Jinhang’s gaze fell into the distance, his eyes narrowing slightly. "No matter who you are, I will find you."