Chapter 1341 - 1017: The Expulsion Order

"The person we are seeking has the surname Zuo, called Zuo Heng."

Just as the words fell, the single candle in the room suddenly flickered with a faint "pop" sound. In this quiet room, the sound seemed deafeningly loud, causing the flickering candlelight to momentarily dim.

The man lowered his eyelids, seemingly unmoved.

It was only after the candlelight returned to normal that he slowly stood up, as if he hadn’t heard Lu Xiao’s words. He walked to the shrine on the other side of the room and directly took some incense ash from the censer, putting it in his palm. Returning to the bedside, he used his nail to pick it up and then sprinkled it on Shang Ruyi’s wound.

Lei Yu was anxious and rushed forward to stop him: "Wait a moment, can this really work?"

The man glanced up at her, his eyes cold, as if saying — Are you teaching me what to do?

Lei Yu realized her abruptness but still insisted on blocking him, softly saying, "She was bitten by a poisonous snake, shouldn’t we give her some antidote?"

The man said, "I noticed the wound; someone must have sucked out the venomous blood, right?"

Wo Xue immediately stepped forward: "Yes."

"And you’re the one who tied up the wrist?"

"Yes."

"You’ve done well. When an ordinary person is bitten by a poisonous snake, the venom should first be sucked out, and tying the wrist prevents the spread of the snake venom. She isn’t in any serious danger now; we just need to treat the wound a bit."

After saying this, he brushed aside Lei Yu’s hand, sprinkled incense ash on the two bite marks at Shang Ruyi’s tiger’s mouth, and gently rubbed them. Although Lei Yu found his previous words somewhat off, hearing that Shang Ruyi wasn’t in serious danger relieved her. But seeing Shang Ruyi still unconscious, she began to worry again, asking, "Is this enough? Do we need to do anything else?"

The man didn’t respond to her, dusted off the remaining bit of incense ash from his palm, then looked up at Lu Xiao: "You just said the old acquaintance you came to find is —"

Lu Xiao had been quietly watching him this whole time, now smiling: "Zuo Heng."

The name was mentioned once more, causing even Lei Yu to pause her breath. They clearly saw this man’s brows knit together, saying, "The Zuo Heng you speak of, wouldn’t that be the descendant of Marquis Xiao Shan?"

Lu Xiao said, "Indeed."

The man’s frown deepened: "Are you trying to fool me?"

Lu Xiao laughed: "Why say so?"

The man said, "Six years ago, during the Zuo Family rebellion, Zuo Heng had already been defeated and killed."

"..."

"Are you here searching for his spirit?"

Lu Xiao, upon hearing this, wasn’t embarrassed by the exposure, but instead laughed more sweetly and softly while glancing around. The little house’s experiences of wind and rain could be seen in its damaged areas, then said, "How long have you been living here? How do you even know about the Zuo Family’s defeat?"

The man scoffed: "Even though I’ve lived in seclusion for many years, such a major event cannot possibly escape my ears."

Lu Xiao smiled: "Quite right."

"..."

"And do you know how Zuo Heng died?"

The man’s thick eyebrows furrowed again, yet he said, "I heard he fought bravely till the end, besieged by the rebel suppression troops and died."

"Correct," Lu Xiao nodded: "Moreover, his head was chopped off and sealed in a golden box by the court, sent across regions to warn those with misgivings."

The man said, "Since you already know, why are you seeking ’old acquaintances’?"

When he spoke these words, his gaze became sharper as if to see through one’s mind and heart. Yet faced with such a look, Lu Xiao remained calm, even displaying a hint of leisurely charm, smiling: "Oh, I just said it wrong earlier."

"What?"

"I am quite forgetful; I can never remember people’s names. The person we are searching for isn’t named Zuo Heng —"

Standing beside, Lei Yu heard her sudden baseless and nonsensical words and couldn’t help but frown. The man intended to ask more, but before he could speak, Lu Xiao suddenly said, "Ah yes, we’ve talked so long without asking for your surname."

The man hesitated for a moment, then said, "I have practiced cultivation for many years and no longer require a name. But if you must ask — my surname is Jia."

"Ah, it’s Young Master Jia,"

Lu Xiao gracefully stepped forward and bowed to him, saying, "The person we search for has the surname Zuo but isn’t named Zuo Heng; it’s Zuo Tian."

"..."

Young Master Jia was silent for a moment, then said, "Zuo Tian? Who is he?"

Lei Yu stepped forward: "He is also a descendant of Marquis Xiao Shan, a cousin of Zuo Heng. When Zuo Heng was defeated, the other officers either died in battle or fled. It’s said only this Zuo Tian remained always by his side until the final moment."

"Until the final moment? Did he also die in battle like Zuo Heng?"

"This, we don’t know."

Lu Xiao smiled and said: "We only know he was the last one standing by Zuo Heng’s side, then Zuo Heng was killed, beheaded, but this person vanished, whether dead or —"

Young Master Jia was silent again for a while, then said, "Are you seeking this old acquaintance, thinking he might still be alive?"

"..."

"Alive, and on Skytop Mountain?"

"..."

"Then what is your purpose in finding him?"

If asked in a rapid-fire manner, though his voice remained calm and low, neither urgent nor hurried, Lei Yu seemed to sense something from his calm words and took a good look at him; only Wo Xue paid no heed to their conversation, merely stood quietly by the bedside watching over Shang Ruyi.

Just as Lu Xiao was about to speak, a banging sound suddenly came from the broken wooden door outside.

Someone was knocking at the door.

The sudden sound seemed to break some sort of mood, and Young Master Jia glanced at Lu Xiao, slowly rose to his feet, went out to open the door ajar, only to find Ashina Zhuxie’s impatient countenance. He frowned and said: "Is she healed? Why has there been no movement the whole time?"

Young Master Jia said: "She’s alright; you can carry her out, then you should leave."

The implication was to dismiss the guests.

Upon hearing this, Ashina Zhuxie frowned immediately, but before he could speak, Lu Xiao also walked out gracefully, saying with a smile: "In times like this, asking us to lead a poisoned and unconscious person down the mountain is as good as sentencing her to death. Since the young master has already treated her, he wouldn’t want his aid rendered in vain, would he?"

Young Master Jia frowned, staring at her.

Wo Xue heard this and hurried over, saying: "Please do not drive our lady away; she needs rest and recuperation."

Ashina Zhuxie said coldly: "Whether they stay or leave is unrelated to me, but I must remain."

"..."

"Otherwise, this house cannot remain."