I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 335 From the tip of my hair to the soles of my feet, I was tense.

"The price of raising Gu poison." Feng Jing put his hands into his sleeves. "Make sure everyone stays away from her. She's covered in poison, even her breath is poisonous. Ordinary people can't withstand it."

If he hadn't been made immune to all poisons by being given various medicines by his master since childhood, he wouldn't have been able to withstand being in the same room with Jiang Yao in this state for a long time.

Lu Fei asked worriedly, "Wouldn't it be dangerous for the young master to question us personally?"

"It's just a little bit of corpse poison. What's there to be afraid of with me here?" Feng Jing said dismissively, glancing at Jiang Yao with her white hair. "She's been able to stay in Longkou Town for so long, living peacefully with the people and gaining their trust. She must be able to control the poison in her body. However, she's not in the right state right now. It's probably not her intention to hurt people. There's no need to worry too much. Just keep your distance."

Lu Fei immediately gave the order to relay Feng Jing's words, telling everyone not to approach Jiang Yao unless absolutely necessary.

Some people who loved excitement immediately gave up the idea and, except for those on guard duty, sat down to rest.

"Drink some water." Siyue held the water pouch to Jiang Yao's white lips and slowly fed her water.

She also uses poison, so she's not particularly afraid of the poison in Jiang Yao's body.

Of course, not being afraid doesn't mean you won't get poisoned.

Actually, it would have been even safer for Feng Jing, who was immune to all poisons, to do this. But he was, after all, a man, and there was a difference between men and women. Given the presence of the fourth month (a lunar month), he naturally wouldn't get involved. Otherwise, how would he explain it to Qin Shu?

Dr. Qin, who had been inexplicably lectured, sneezed three times in a row, looked up to touch his forehead, and then took his pulse for a while.

I don't have a cold.

Qin Shu had been sneezing far too frequently lately, so she pinched the bridge of her nose and decided to prescribe herself some typhoid medicine as a precaution.

Feng Jing, who had been thinking about his beloved countless times a day, was unaware that his nagging had caused her to take medicine for no reason. He was sitting next to Chu Liuzheng, listening to her report the news from the interrogation to Xiao Jingfan, while skewering pancakes on a tree branch to heat them up before eating.

Chenxing was distributing beef jerky to everyone. After walking around the room, the originally bulging cloth bag had deflated.

While eating snacks, Zhou Yuande massaged his waist and legs to loosen them up.

During these days of travel, his once plump belly has visibly shrunk, and with Feng Jing helping him take care of himself, he feels much lighter and even his clothes are looser.

This is truly cause for celebration.

"This is what I found out." Chu Liuzheng picked and chose, adding his own interpretations, and reported some key information to Xiao Jingfan.

She said, "Tongniang should have confessed most of it, but Pingyu is still hiding something. Young Master can have Steward Zhou interrogate him."

"Hmm." Xiao Jingfan opened the water pouch that Chen Xing had offered and handed it to her. "Well done. I'll reward you when we get home."

[Hehe, reward received!]

Chu Liuzheng took it with a smile, and drank it; it was actually sweet.

Chen Xing, sitting opposite, said, "Young Master specifically instructed me to add wildflower honey to the water to soothe my sister's throat."

[The tyrant certainly doesn't mistreat those who work diligently; we've struck gold!]

Chu Liuzheng sipped the sweet honey water and couldn't help but sigh.

[This tyrant's temper is so unpredictable, sometimes good, sometimes bad. It's a good thing he's an emperor, otherwise he would have been beaten countless times over.]

Xiao Jingfan: "..."

I'm not angry, I'm not angry, I'm not angry.

He tried to pretend he hadn't heard, briefly sorted out what Chu Liuzheng had said, and beckoned to Siyue to bring Jiang Yao over.

Feng Jing, holding onto a tree branch, nudged Chu Liuzheng with his elbow: "Take out the medicine, one pill each."

The pills that delay the onset of poison can also prevent its effects. Although he can detoxify, it's always good to take one first. Chu Liuzheng opened his purse and glanced at him, "Why aren't you taking any?"

"It's all with you." Feng Jing flipped the pancake over. "I'll give it to you when it's done."

"You said it yourself." Chu Liuzheng opened the porcelain bottle and gave one to each of Xiao Jingfan, Lü Fei, Zhou Yuande, and Chen Xing, who were sitting around the fire.

The pills were bitter and hard to swallow. Chu Liuzheng was about to go and make some honey water for the emperor, who was unhappy because he had been forced to take the bitter medicine, when he suddenly saw Chenxing pick up the water pouch she had just drunk from and hand it to him.

Xiao Jingfan didn't even look at it. He casually took it and drank a few mouthfuls. The bitter and numbing taste in his mouth gradually faded away.

He wiped the water droplets from his lips, and when he looked up, he saw Chu Liuzheng quickly avert his gaze as if on fire, his eyes darting around.

Xiao Jingfan: ?

[Why would Chen Xing make an emperor drink the water that a palace maid like me left over? Did she take the wrong one?]

Chu Liuzheng secretly glanced at the water pouch in his hand, his tension rising uncontrollably from the hair to the soles of his feet, his mind racing.

[Aaaaaah!!! The tyrant probably didn't notice that this water sac is the one I drank from, right? I don't want to lose my head!!!]

Xiao Jingfan's head was buzzing from her noise, and the slight unease he felt instantly vanished. All he wanted to do was tell this whistle-whistle-wisp to shut up immediately!

The best way to shut Chu Liuzheng up was for Xiao Jingfan to take two more sips of water from the water pouch, looking completely natural, as if he hadn't noticed anything at all.

The panicked screams in my ears stopped abruptly.

[Amitabha! Thank God, the tyrant didn't notice. Many thanks to all the gods and Buddhas for their protection!]

Feeling reassured that his life was spared, Chu Liuzheng silently recited Buddhist prayers several times in his heart.

Xiao Jingfan resisted the urge to pick his ears, stuffed the water pouch into his pocket, placed it beside his leg, looked at Jiang Yao sitting opposite him, and asked, "Why did you stay in Longkou Town?"

In case Jiang Yao suddenly hurts someone, her acupoints are still pressed, and she is still sitting in the sack with her white hair loose.

At this moment, her heterochromatic eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze fixed on Xiao Jingfan's exceptionally handsome face. After staring at him for a moment, her white lips parted slightly: "I have seen your portrait. You are the emperor."

Her tone was firm, which surprised everyone.

Xiao Jingfan hadn't expected Jiang Yao to see through his identity so easily, but he didn't deny it and asked, "Where is the portrait?"

“Burn it.” A strange light flickered in Jiang Yao’s eyes. “You’re more beautiful than in the portrait.”

If an ordinary woman said such a thing, people might assume that she admired the person in the portrait, but Jiang Yao's words made people feel that things were not so simple.

Xiao Jingfan's expression remained unchanged: "Who gave you the portrait?"

"Yin Lanci wants to kill you." Jiang Yao replied, seemingly unrelated, "I can cooperate with you."

Xiao Jingfan stared at her and repeated his question: "Who gave you the portrait?"

Jiang Yao frowned, her snow-white eyelashes drooped, and she pursed her lips, unwilling to answer the question.

But Xiao Jingfan wouldn't allow her not to answer.

"If you do not answer, I will order you to be thrown into the Shuntian Prefecture prison." His gaze remained unmoved, and his cold voice carried an invisible pressure. "Spreading rumors, digging up graves, and damaging corpses—you have committed multiple crimes and will spend the rest of your life in prison."

Jiang Yao was forced to speak: "I can help you."

“I have many helpers.” Xiao Jingfan said, glancing quickly at Chu Liuzheng beside him. He said coldly, “Answer truthfully and you can stay. If you lie, I don’t need you as an helper.”

Everyone looked at Jiang Yao, thinking, "You'd better answer quickly, His Majesty is really fierce."