Behind this man's left ear, there was likewise a small mole.
Xu Yuan was startled by what she saw before her; this was simply too much of a coincidence.
For some reason, when she looked at the man's face, she inexplicably found him somewhat familiar, yet she could not think of where she might have seen him.
The temperature of the man's body was plummeting by the degree. Xu Yuan had no choice but to temporarily suppress her inner shock and accelerate the effect of the acupuncture.
Although the people outside were standing far away, their gazes were fixed intently in her direction, all wanting to see if things would turn out as she had said—whether she could make the man regain consciousness.
Time ticked away. Xu Yuan felt her back become soaked with sweat. As the final silver needle was set in place, the man gradually regained sensation, and his body temperature began to return to normal.
After taking the man's pulse once more, Xu Yuan let out a long breath. Although the current conditions only allowed for temporary suppression, the man's life was at least saved.
Just as Xu Yuan was about to step down from the carriage, she felt her wrist grabbed. The man, who had been unconscious, slowly opened his eyes and looked at her with a hesitant gaze.
"It's... it's you?"
Xu Yuan froze, momentarily bewildered. But seeing Yun Xiao and the other two guards approaching their direction, she hurriedly broke free from the man's grip and quickly left the carriage.
"Madam, my master, he..." Yun Xiao walked up to Xu Yuan and spoke first.
"His life is no longer in danger. I can see that you are heading for the capital as well; once you arrive in the capital, find a physician with exceptional medical skills to examine him again to ensure nothing goes wrong," Xu Yuan reminded Yun Xiao.
Then, she glanced at the sky. "It is getting late; we should be heading back."
Cuiliu, holding the child, nodded. The other two guards, seeing that Xu Yuan was about to leave just like that, were just about to say something when they heard a commotion from inside the carriage.
"The master has woken up!"
Ye Siyan pinched the bridge of his nose. Only then did his physical strength gradually return. He remembered that his Frost Poison had flared up and he had lost consciousness.
Yet now... Ye Siyan checked the condition of his body, only to discover that the toxin which had plagued him for a long time had actually been suppressed.
Even that senior expert had only been able to alleviate it; what kind of person could directly suppress it?
And in his daze, he had seen a woman appear before him—everything felt so familiar.
"Yun Xiao, what just happened?"
Ye Siyan glanced at the three people present and asked.
Yun Xiao cupped his fists, his tone exceptionally respectful, and recounted what had taken place.
Upon hearing Yun Xiao's report, Ye Siyan narrowed his eyes and looked off in a certain direction, as if he could still faintly make out the figure of the woman leaving.
"Go and investigate this person's identity," Ye Siyan ordered.
For the other party to step in and suppress the poison, they must understand the characteristics of the Frost Poison. To think it was even a woman—truly interesting.
"Yes."
Meanwhile, Xu Yuan had already returned to her carriage. Although the matter with the bandits had been a small interlude, fortunately, the carriage was undamaged. Otherwise, going back and forth like that would have wasted a considerable amount of time.
"Madam, where are we heading now?" After entering the capital, Cuiliu slowed the pace of the carriage and looked inside.
Xu Yuan looked at the child still sleeping soundly in her arms. If she were to take the child directly back to the Duke's Estate at this moment, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.
Moreover, back in the bamboo grove, she had already nearly made Shen Yunan raise his guard. If he were to find out, it would likely startle the snake in the grass.
In her past life, the reason Shen Yunan had agreed to Lu Rou's proposal to swap the children, aside from Lu Rou's instigation, was another point entirely: he had known from the very beginning that this child was not his own flesh and blood.The reason he was able to endure it was entirely because she was the legitimate daughter of the Duke's Estate.
Xu Yuan clenched her fists. For the sake of caution, she could not return just yet.
Thinking of this, Xu Yuan took a deep breath and said to Cuiliu, "Let's return to the estate."
Cuiliu was somewhat surprised by Xu Yuan’s response, but ultimately said nothing more.
On the east side of the Marquis's Estate, there was a small path with a hidden door that led directly into the estate. Because the area was secluded and overgrown with weeds, only the elderly servants in the household knew of its existence.
In her past life, she had discovered it by accident. Using this path, Xu Yuan carried the child and, under Cuiliu's escort, made her way back to her courtyard.
They did not encounter anyone along the way. Usually, she disliked being disturbed by too many people; aside from Cuiliu, she kept no one else nearby.
Once inside the room, Xu Yuan carefully placed the child on the bed. Looking at the bruises appearing on his delicate skin, her heart was filled with both rage and heartbreak.Lu Rou was a mother herself; how could she be so heartless as to poison an infant only a few days old?
In her past life, Xu Yuan had always been baffled by this, until the cruel truth was laid bare before her just before she died.
It was simply because Lu Rou knew that the child she was raising was hers.
Lu Rou loved nothing more than to bring the child before her to flaunt him. When she was in a good mood, she would slap him; when she was in a bad mood, she would kick and punch him.
She would even make the child kneel and, right in front of her, repeat over and over that he was a piece of trash.
Back then, even without knowing that the boy was her own son, Xu Yuan had felt her heart ache at the sight.
But what had Lu Rou said at the time? She had called him an ungrateful brat and told her not to pay it any mind.
As Xu Yuan recalled every single one of these incidents, she wished she could drag Lu Rou down to hell with her.Xu Yuan’s eyes were filled with self-reproach. "My child, it was your mother’s incompetence in the previous life that failed to protect you. This time, not only will I cherish and protect you, but I will also make those who bullied us pay the price."
Lu Rou, Shen Yunan, and everyone else at the Marquis's Estate—none of them would escape.
Seeing Xu Yuan remain silent for a long time, Cuiliu looked toward the infant on the bed, her eyes filled with worry.
"Madam, when will the young master wake up?"
"In another hour."
Xu Yuan replied to Cuiliu. Fortunately, she had already examined the rest of his body; aside from some bruising on his legs, there were no other abnormalities. This was a stroke of luck amidst the misfortune.
Hearing Xu Yuan’s reply, Cuiliu felt much more at ease.
"Although today’s incident with the bandits was dangerous, I could tell that the guard named Yun Xiao, as well as the other two guards, all possessed martial arts skills."
Cuiliu recalled the scene, pointing out the strange circumstances at the time. "And their martial arts were even better than mine."
Logically, the person they addressed as their master must be someone even more formidable.
"Madam, I fear there is something suspicious about this." Cuiliu voiced the doubts she had been harboring.
Hearing this, Xu Yuan nodded slightly, praising Cuiliu’s observation.
"Well said. If they had intended to harm us, we would have found it very difficult to escape. But Cuiliu, don’t forget that, regardless of the circumstances, they did help us."
"As for the identity of the man in that carriage..."
Xu Yuan paused, her tone hesitating.
Especially since he had that same small mole in the exact same spot as the child.