The male supporting character was actually myself.

"Poison?!" Luo Junfei's heart skipped a beat. "Does the young master have a way to detoxify? Since my father fell ill, we have consulted countless famous doctors, all of whom said it was a sudden onset of malaria. We have tried many herbs, and even the juice squeezed out of the herbs weighed several kilograms, but it had no effect."

In the original storyline, Luo Junfei and Shen Rumeng both died tragically later on, and Luo Pei never appeared directly, so he is probably already dead.

How could the former head of the most prestigious martial arts family suddenly be poisoned?

The original owner had seen this rare poison in ancient books and knew how to cure it. Could there be a connection between Luo Pei's poisoning and the massacre of the original owner in Hundred Flowers Valley?

"This poison is called Hundred Days Dry. When it takes effect, the symptoms are very similar to those of malaria, but the effect is milder. It only causes chills and fever, mild diarrhea, and weakness, but there is no serious damage."

After carefully taking the pulse and confirming the symptoms, Jiang Chen nodded and said, "This poison is divided into three stages. The first month is the most severe. Conventional medications seem to provide some relief but cannot cure the disease. In the second month, the condition gradually improves, the complexion becomes rosy, and the person has more energy. This condition is usually overlooked and people assume that the illness is starting to improve."

By the third month, the condition becomes critical; the person becomes increasingly energetic, even without sleep or hunger, but gradually becomes emaciated; by the time the hundredth day has passed, the person is emaciated and dies.

This poison comes from a foreign land. If an ordinary doctor were to encounter it, he would surely treat it as malaria, and the effects of the medicine would be inconsistent and would not lead to a complete cure.

"Uncle's poisoning... is very strange. Has anyone else in the manor shown the same symptoms?"

Luo Junfei felt a chill run down his spine; the diagnosis made by Doctor Shangguan perfectly matched his father's condition over the past month.

He thought about it carefully and shook his head. "I only know that my father is ill. My family is always on guard when it comes to food and drink. It is impossible for my father to be poisoned so easily. Moreover, the source of this poison is unusual. The poisoner must be someone close to him."

"I must now issue orders to seal off the entire manor as much as possible to avoid alerting the enemy. After the young master has finished treating my father's poison, we must thoroughly investigate this matter!"

"Brother Luo, please prepare a set of silver needles for me; also, please bring me pen, ink, paper, and inkstone so I can write a prescription; and please have my two maids summoned to a side room to await your instructions..."

After giving his professional instructions, Jiang Chen began to work on detoxifying the unconscious Luo Pei.

While she was busy in the inner room, Shen Rumeng, who was idly picking flowers in the courtyard not far away, frowned slightly upon hearing the servant's report. "What did you say? They've hired a new doctor again, and he's brought three maids with him? The guests with the gold waist tokens?"

After the servant confirmed her answer, she dropped the autumn flowers in her hand and turned to rush to the courtyard where her father-in-law was recuperating. "Ah, I'm afraid that treating my father-in-law's illness is just a pretense. My newlywed husband can't stand the loneliness and really wants to meet his lover in secret!"

"The golden waist token of the Luo Family Manor is so precious that neither my father nor I have ever received one. I want to see who this extraordinary person is who can possess such a gift, allowing them to meet the head of the family without prior notice."

Chapter Thirty-One: A Defiant Circumstance

"Oh dear, Miss, what nonsense are you spouting?" The servant, both anxious and angry, jogged after her and whispered, "Please don't say such things again!"

The old master fell ill as soon as you married into the family, and you, the new bride, claimed to be unwell and didn't go to pay your respects or inquire after his well-being.

"The son-in-law has only just invited a new doctor to take a look. What are you doing?"

Furious, Shen Rumeng wouldn't listen to anything and hurried towards Luo Pei's villa where he was recuperating.

The servants couldn't stop them no matter what they did, and their faces turned slightly red and they were sweating profusely with anxiety.

She thought to herself that her young lady was truly unworthy of the title of the daughter of the martial arts alliance leader. Despite being born into the martial arts world, she did not learn martial arts and had no unrestrained heroic spirit. Instead, she had been petty since childhood and had now become a jealous person!

She acted aloof and indifferent towards her handsome new son-in-law, putting on airs and waiting for him to fawn over her.

Now, upon hearing that a woman has come looking for him, he has become so anxious that he has abandoned all manners and behavior.

If you really care so much about your new husband, then you should talk to him properly and consummate the marriage as soon as possible. Ignoring him and meddling in other people's business will only make your new husband more annoyed.

Luo Junfei acted swiftly and decisively, issuing orders and summoning the two maids waiting in the front hall to the room next to where his father was being treated, to await the divine physician's dispatch.

"Host, if you move a little closer to the wall, I can go next door and protect my protagonist's halo. I can't let you down at this crucial moment!" The fluffy little ball of fur meowed at him from the wall, only its furry head sticking out.

Jiang Chen simply asked Luo Junfei to help move the sickbed aside so he could sit by the wall and start using silver needles to acupuncture points to detoxify.

The little white cat hopped over and jumped onto Huo Changyun's shoulder, carefully protecting its protagonist aura from erupting.

As Shen Rumeng hurried through the garden, her expression softened and she slowed down slightly. She frowned as she pondered that it was indeed inappropriate for her to rush over there.

"Miss, let's go back quickly..." The servant grabbed her breathlessly, wondering why his young mistress, who neither practiced martial arts nor exercised and always seemed sickly, became so energetic when talking about her new son-in-law and other women.

She didn't even break a sweat the whole way; it seems that jealousy really does unleash a woman's potential.

"No, I have to go and see before I can feel at ease." Shen Rumeng looked anxious, as if she was going through a fierce internal struggle.

In the side room of the ward, Lin Wanyue sat quietly in a chair, carefully looking at the calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall;

Huo Changyun was somewhat anxious. He got up and paced to the window to look outside.

The fluffy ball on his shoulder slipped off a meter away and fell to the ground. It jumped up and down and meowed anxiously, "You big dummy, come here right now! Without my soft and cute little kitten protecting you, your unlucky, broken aura will ruin my host's grand plan!"

However, no matter how much it jumped up and down and shouted, it was no use. Jiang Chen's detoxification work in the next room was at a critical moment and could not be disturbed or taken care of. The fluffy ball watched as the protagonist's halo shone brightly and even reached the critical point of exploding!

"Boom!"

The aura that couldn't be contained erupted on a small scale once, and then spread outwards in an instant.

The little white cat immediately burst into tears, "I'm so sorry, host, waaaaah~ I'm so useless..."

In the garden, Shen Rumeng raised her eyebrows slightly, shook off the servant's hand, and hurriedly walked towards the other courtyard. She snorted coldly, "My father-in-law has been ill for over a month. Since I married into the family, I haven't even paid my respects. That's really inappropriate. Today I feel much better, so naturally I must go and inquire about my father-in-law's condition."

If the newly hired doctor is still ineffective, I, as the daughter-in-law, should do my filial duty and help find some good doctors.

The reason was so good that the servants could no longer stop him and could only jog to keep up.

In the ward, Luo Pei, who was pale, quickly regained a slight flush under Jiang Chen's acupuncture needles. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and a few drops of transparent liquid slowly oozed from her pricked fingertips.

"Phew..." After concentrating for a long time, Jiang Chen finally let out a long sigh of relief and relaxed.

The original owner's ancestral silver needle technique was not easy to perform, and he was already drenched in sweat in just half an incense stick's time.

Fortunately, the effect was obvious. Luo Pei's spirits improved rapidly, and he slowly woke up. After seeing that it was Shangguan Jiangchen who was removing the needles, he coughed twice and said weakly, "Shangguan is here? I heard from Junfei that something happened to your Hundred Flowers Valley. What is the situation now?"

"Uncle, you're too kind." His hands slowed down a beat as the tragic scene of Hundred Flowers Valley flashed before his eyes. The original owner's resentment was about to flare up again. Jiang Chen took a few deep breaths to suppress it and shook his head with a bitter smile: "Hundred Flowers Valley was burned, killed, and looted into ruins. Even I was lucky to escape with my life."

This time, it was only through disguise that we arrived at the villa safely.

I'll discuss the details with Brother Luo later. My uncle has been poisoned by a strange foreign toxin and needs to rest and recuperate. Let's put these other matters aside for now and not worry about them.

Luo Pei frowned. "Poison? I'm poisoned, not sick? No wonder... I've practiced martial arts for many years and consider myself to have some skill. If it were just malaria, how could I be so weak that I can't even circulate my internal energy? There aren't many people who could poison me!"

"How is Father feeling now? I have already made arrangements to seal off the manor from now on, so that not even a bird can enter or leave. Once the strange poison is expelled from Father's body, I will definitely find out who poisoned him!"

"Well, I feel much better now."

Jiang Chen helped him up and instructed him, "This poison is long-lasting. Most people who are poisoned mistake it for malaria, but those who practice martial arts will find something strange—their internal energy is weak and powerless, and they can't even circulate their internal energy."

I just used silver needles to prick acupoints and force out some of the poison. Uncle can try to circulate his internal energy to restore some of his vitality.

"I will administer acupuncture to detoxify Uncle tomorrow, and the remaining medication will suffice. I guarantee Uncle will recover completely in about a month."

Luo Pei tried it and was indeed able to circulate his internal energy. Although it was still a bit sluggish, it was much better than before.

The father and son were moved to tears, but before they could say anything more, they heard a guard's urgent voice from the outer hall, "Young Madam, please wait a moment..."

Relying on the fact that the other party dared not stop her, Shen Rumeng pushed aside the guard with a knife and rushed into the hall, saying loudly, "I heard that my husband has hired a new doctor for my father-in-law. As a daughter-in-law, I should naturally care about the elder's condition and personally serve him medicine to fulfill my filial duty."

Why are you blocking my way?

The servant guarding the door of the ward stepped forward and said solemnly, "Young Madam, please wait. The doctor is treating the master inside, so it is not convenient for you to go in. I suppose you do not wish to delay the doctor's treatment, so please move to the side room to wait."

Young mistress?

Side chamber?

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow slightly. Was Shen Rumeng making her appearance to have a reunion with Huo Changyun, a former lover?

He had initially been thinking about how to salvage the situation after hearing the little dumpling scream about not being able to hold back the protagonist's halo, but the commotion at the door calmed him down. A meeting between the two was a necessary procedure, and since Lin Wanyue was also there, he figured he might as well let them meet directly!

Perhaps this time, the protagonist's halo kicking in might not be a bad thing for me.

"Ru Meng?" Luo Junfei was slightly taken aback when he heard the conversation. His newlywed wife had been cold and indifferent to his father's illness and had never shown any concern. Why was she suddenly coming over and forcing her way in?

Is it...

He glanced at Shangguan Jiangchen beside him and a thought struck him. Shangguan Jiangchen had shown his true face after entering the manor. Could it be that Shen Rumeng had discovered it?

But Alliance Leader Shen treated Huo Changyun and Hundred Flowers Valley fairly. As her daughter, she shouldn't be so agitated. So why is she acting so out of character today?

Chapter Thirty-Two: Reunion, Three "Women" Gather

Completely baffled, Luo Junfei forced a smile and explained, "My wife is concerned about Father's health, so I'll go check on him first..."

Jiang Chen grabbed him, a faint smile on her face, "Brother Luo, no rush. Let your wife wait in the side room for a moment."

There are two reasons why I have come to the manor to bother you: the first is that Miss Ling has come from the South China Sea, bringing with her master the final research results on the Battle of Blue Water Fortress.

The second issue is that Huo Changyun was falsely accused of being a demon who wiped out entire families.

I have carefully reviewed the detailed information submitted to the Martial Arts Alliance, which mentions the massacre of the Lieguang Hall family that occurred about a month and a half ago. The evidence for the numerous massacres is conclusive, and the witnesses are strikingly similar. Although this confirms the true culprit's brutal methods, it also provides some convenience for solving the case.

Now everyone agrees on this point—the numerous massacres of entire families were all committed by one person.

However, this person was not Huo Changyun, because he happened to be recuperating in my Hundred Flowers Valley when the incident occurred at Lieguang Hall. The one who injured Huo Changyun was Qiu Tong, the eldest disciple of Yuhua Sect. The two had a sudden inspiration to spar and discuss swordsmanship at Yuyang Pavilion, and Huo Changyun, being slightly inferior in skill, was accidentally injured.

Just then, one of my guards saw him and took him back to Hundred Flowers Valley.

Every year in late summer and early autumn, Shen Rumeng, the only daughter of Alliance Leader Shen, who suffers from a cough, would go to Hundred Flowers Valley for a period of recuperation. On the eve of Brother Luo and his wife's wedding, she had just returned to the Martial Arts Alliance from Hundred Flowers Valley after completing her recuperation.

In other words, the sister-in-law and Huo Changyun had a brief encounter in Hundred Flowers Valley, and the two met when the Lieguang Palace was destroyed.

My Hundred Flowers Valley has been reduced to ashes, and even I, the valley master, am now a target of hatred and accusations, labeled a remnant of a demon. The only one who can testify for Huo Changyun and clear his name is my sister-in-law!

Jiang Chen bowed respectfully and earnestly pleaded, "I humbly request Brother Luo's assistance in clearing Huo Changyun of the murder charge by asking your wife to testify. He is not a demon, so I am naturally innocent. After clearing our names, I beg the Martial Arts Alliance to uphold justice for us!"

Luo Pei looked intently at his son.

Luo Junfei's lips twitched. He was too ashamed to say that he hadn't even seen his new wife's smiling face in the past month. The two of them only had the title of husband and wife and did not have the reality of being husband and wife, let alone any deep affection or long conversations.

"Ru Meng didn't mention this to me." He forced a smile and replied, "Since Ru Meng saw Huo Changyun in Hundred Flowers Valley, she can naturally testify to clear his name. Alliance Leader Shen has also ordered that no one or any gang is allowed to hunt down Huo Changyun and Young Master Shangguan for the crime of being demons."

She happens to be in the side room next door; let's go together and ask her for details!

Although he said that, Luo Junfei was very puzzled.

Since Shen Rumeng had met Huo Changyun and knew that he was not a sect-destroying maniac, why did she remain silent when this matter was making a big fuss?

As the only daughter of the leader of the martial arts alliance and now the wife of the head of the number one family in the martial arts world, she should know that maintaining peace in the Central Plains martial arts world is the shared responsibility of both families. In addition, she recuperates and heals in Hundred Flowers Valley every year, and the kindness that Doctor Shangguan has shown her is immeasurable. Both morally and logically, Shen Rumeng should step forward to testify and clear her name.

It's really strange that she's remained silent about it!

"Squeak~" Shen Rumeng pushed open the door to the side room with an unhappy expression;

At the same time, Huo Changyun heard the voices outside and his heart skipped a beat. His pupils contracted and the image of that smiling face flashed through his mind again. He subconsciously moved away from the window and took a few steps back towards Lin Wanyue.

"You're finally back!" Upon seeing this, the fluffy little dumpling jumped onto his shoulder and stared at the doorway as if facing a formidable enemy.

In the blink of an eye, everything happened in an instant. Their eyes met and sparks almost flew. Huo Changyun felt his mind, which had been blank for a moment, suddenly become incredibly clear!

It's her—Shen Rumeng!