Shen Tingyi stared fixedly at the person before her, utterly silent.
"Not talking? Then I'll ask a different question," the Poison King of Pang Mountain yanked her closer. "Who are the powers behind your parents?"
Shen Tingyi was terrified but forced herself to remain defiant. "The powers behind us are beyond your reach. You'd best send me back quickly, or my father will never let you go!"
Big Brother had told her Father was the God of War of Chennan Kingdom, feared throughout the land.
He and Mother would surely come to rescue her soon!
The Poison King of Pang Mountain remained silent, but his mind began to race.
From the moment he'd captured this little girl to his decision to leave Tongmu County, less than an hour had passed, and yet, overtly and covertly, many people had been searching for him.
Now, with all his skill, he couldn't even leave Tongmu County.
What was the background of this family?
The Poison King of Pang Mountain realized that by abducting this little girl, he had likely stumbled into trouble.
However, since the deed was done, he had no intention of sending her back.
With this thought, he put down the roasted meat he was holding and suddenly gripped Shen Tingyi's chin.
Before she could resist, she felt something forced into her mouth, which was then swallowed down her throat.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Shen Tingyi coughed violently, feeling unwell. She tried to spit out what she had swallowed, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't.
Shen Tingyi looked at the man before her in terror. "What... what did you make me eat?"
The Poison King of Pang Mountain picked up his roasted meat and sat to the side, a friendly and kind smile returning to his face. "This medicine was originally prepared for your mother. Since she didn't come, you shall bear it!"
He took a leisurely bite of the meat and added with a chuckle, "Don't worry, I value my life dearly. I won't kill you before we leave Tongmu County, but you will feel great pain."
"As long as you tell me what powers you have behind you, I will give you the antidote and save you from suffering."
Shen Tingyi was, after all, just a child. Even with all her strength, she was now pale with fear.
But she hugged her knees and curled up, showing no intention of speaking.
Seeing this, the Poison King of Pang Mountain wasted no more words and continued to eat his roasted meat leisurely.
She was just a little girl of a few years. Even a minor scrape would make her cry for her parents. He didn't believe she could endure it!
Shen Tingyi lay curled up in the corner, a searing pain gripping her stomach. Large beads of sweat broke out on her forehead.
This pain continued for a full two days.
During these two days, Shen Tingyi was unsure if her consciousness was clear or hazy. Several times, she thought she saw her mother's face.
Her mother gently stroked her head, her voice filled with immeasurable affection, "A'yi, don't be afraid, Mother is here to save you..."
"No!"
A startled cry suddenly broke the silence of the cave. Li Yue Shu sat up abruptly.
She clutched her chest, gasping for breath, still reeling from the nightmare.
She seemed to have had a terrible dream, but now she couldn't recall what it was about, only a pervasive sense of unease.
She couldn't help but glance at the person lying unconscious on a pile of dry grass not far away, her brow furrowing.
After so many days, why hadn't he woken up yet?
He had clearly passed the critical stage. Even if his body hadn't fully recovered, his consciousness should have returned. Why was he still in a deep sleep?
Perhaps it was due to the intensity of her thoughts, but the person who had shown no sign of movement for days suddenly had his eyelashes flutter.
Although the movement was very slight, Li Yue Shu happened to see it.
She quickly leaned closer. "Shen Wei, wake up! If you don't wake up soon, I'll just dig a hole and bury you!"
Whether it was her words that had an effect, Shen Wei finally opened his tightly shut eyes.
His deep eyes held a hazy, drowsy quality, adding a touch of ethereal charm to his god-like face.
Li Yue Shu was stunned by the sight.
"A'shu..."
His hoarse voice jolted Li Yue Shu back to reality. She quickly went to pour a cup of water.
After drinking the cup of water, Shen Wei finally felt as though he could breathe again.
He looked at the cup, which had appeared out of nowhere, then looked up at Li Yue Shu. His very first words were, "Were you really planning to just dig a hole and bury me?"
He said nothing about the space he had vaguely glimpsed.
Because of his suspicion, he had already received a letter of divorce. Therefore, as long as Li Yue Shu didn't bring it up, he wouldn't ask.
Li Yue Shu's mouth twitched. "Did you expect me to erect a tombstone for you? With our limited resources, it was already difficult enough to dig a hole large enough to bury you."
Shen Wei: "..."
That wasn't what he meant.
As he was about to say something, Li Yue Shu let out a cold snort. "Besides, someone casually stripped another person's clothes. Digging a hole for you is already going above and beyond. Don't ask for too much."
Seeing that she seemed angry, Shen Wei was momentarily confused.
After a moment of stunned silence, he belatedly guessed what was on her mind.
He moved slightly and couldn't help but smile. "When I changed your clothes, I had my eyes covered. The innermost layer... I didn't touch it."
Li Yue Shu turned back and saw Shen Wei's ears blushing a rosy pink.
She was momentarily stunned, and her own ears began to burn unconsciously.
After a long while, Li Yue Shu suddenly stood up, changing the subject. "Since you're awake, get up and move around. If you can walk, we should leave here as soon as possible."
Shen Wei looked at her. Seeing that she had no intention of helping him up, he pouted and pushed himself up.
Standing up after lying down for days naturally made his legs feel weak and unsteady, but Shen Wei's willpower was strong, and he managed to stand without support.
Li Yue Shu had been standing by, watching. Seeing that he was fine, she subtly retracted her slightly forward-leaning posture.
"It seems you're indeed fine," Li Yue Shu said matter-of-factly as she put the cup back into her spatial dimension. "Get used to it for a bit. We'll leave after lunch."
Watching her actions, Shen Wei's pupils contracted, though his expression remained largely unchanged.
Li Yue Shu seemed completely oblivious.
Since Shen Wei had changed her clothes, he must have known she had nothing on.
But Shen Wei was neither blind nor foolish; he would naturally have seen the medicine and bandages on his own wounds.
She wasn't worried that Shen Wei would reveal her ability to conjure things out of thin air or treat her like a monster. She believed he wouldn't.
This was probably a gut feeling, with no concrete evidence.
At worst, even if Shen Wei wanted to betray her, she held his leverage.
He was now a person who needed to repair the narrative and, to survive, his only reliance was on her.
This was also why she had decided not to hide her ability to conjure things.
At this stage, the Regent of Chennan Kingdom was a powerful backer, a great asset in dealing with Qin Yexiu and Li Xiangru.
Even though their marital relationship was over, they could try being partners!
Shen Wei was indeed not foolish; he was quite intelligent. Seeing her attitude, he guessed that her confidence stemmed from her certainty that he wouldn't speak.
However, he couldn't figure out if her certainty came from trust in him, or from something else.
Shen Wei's mind raced, but his expression remained calm.
He was just about to move around and stretch his limbs after lying down for days when his gaze suddenly fell upon the rack he had built earlier.