Miss Xiao Qi sat as still as a pine tree, not sparing Jiaoniang a glance. Jiaoniang, feeling guilty, lowered her head, pondering her decision.
Li Man'er then asked, "Are you afraid?"
Jiaoniang quickly replied, "It's not that I'm afraid. I just want to ask the Eldest Young Lady if taking this medicine will affect my ability to care for the Marquis. Will there be any inconvenience in my daily life?"
See how well this girl spoke, even caring about the Marquis while being asked to take poison.
Miss Xiao Qi seemed satisfied with her answer. "Eldest Young Lady, tell her. This is a straightforward girl. If it truly affects her care for the Marquis, she would likely rather dash her head against a wall than take the medicine."
"As long as you behave and collect the antidote on time, it will naturally not act up, nor will it affect your daily life."
Jiaoniang feigned relief. "If that's the case, then I am willing to take the medicine." She accepted the pill with both hands. Though she was terrified inside, her body trembling slightly, as soon as the pill was in her grasp, she popped it into her mouth and swallowed it directly.
Her demeanor was as if she were swallowing an elixir of immortality, not poison.
"Now, Eldest Young Lady, are you reassured?" Miss Xiao Qi asked. "The Marquis is here, and he is well. If we of the Xiao family wanted to harm him, why would we send a weak woman like Jiaoniang? We would have surely used other means long ago."
Li Man'er retorted, "What are you saying, Seventh Miss? If my father were truly well, he would have been detoxified long ago and would be leaping around. How could he still be unconscious? Look at how thin he is; how dare you say he is well?"
Miss Xiao Qi's face instantly froze. She never expected Li Man'er to be so blunt, to say things that could send someone into a rage and keep them down for a long time.
Liu Ya had been stifling laughter. The expression on Miss Xiao Qi's face was too amusing. She likely hadn't learned her lesson; she had already been dealt with by her young lady before, yet she dared to seek relevance in front of her young lady.
"Miss Xiao Qi, your business here is done. You can go back and rest! As for me, I wish to examine my father first. It would be inappropriate for you to stay."
Miss Xiao Qi's eyes darted. "Eldest Young Lady, why don't I send someone to invite Doctor Feng? You two can discuss it. He is the Marquis's physician and understands the Marquis's condition best."
"No need," Li Man'er's expression changed swiftly. "After treating him for so long without success, I suppose he's a quack."
"Who are you calling a quack!" Suddenly, a gaunt old man appeared at the doorway. He was of medium height, which, by modern standards, would barely make him five feet seven inches. He was truly thin, not the ethereal thinness of an immortal, but a sickly leanness.
When a person is thin, their eyes appear particularly large. This man's eyes were not only large but also sunken, making him look rather frightening.
It was broad daylight, but if one encountered him outside at night, the faint of heart could be scared to death.
Despite his thinness, the old man had a loud voice. His voice, full of vigor as he stood at the door scolding, showed no trace of sickness.
"Who are you calling a quack? Where did you come from, you little brat?"
Li Man'er had never lost an argument. "I'm talking about that one surnamed Feng. Who do you think you are?"
Before Miss Xiao Qi could introduce them, the old man strode into the room, hands on his hips, looking as though he were about to start a street brawl. "I am that one surnamed Feng. What right do you have to insult me?"
"When did I insult you? I merely called you a quack. How is that an insult!" Li Man'er said, "You old man, you're so unreasonable."
Doctor Feng almost spat blood with anger. "You call me a quack and say it's not an insult?"
Li Man'er said lightly, "I'm merely speaking the truth! My father has been poisoned for so long, have you managed to detoxify him?"
"No?" the old man Feng grudgingly replied.
If he had detoxified him, the man would have woken up. Since he hadn't, it meant the poison hadn't been removed.
"Alright, let me ask you again. My father is merely poisoned, yet you've almost killed him. Look how thin he is. He's a military general, trained in martial arts, and should be in the best of health. Now he's as thin as you, looking neither human nor ghost."
A fierce glint flashed in old Doctor Feng's eyes. "You say I look neither human nor ghost? Let me tell you, if it weren't for me, your father would have died long ago. I've exhausted all my skills to save his life; that's all. If you brought another doctor, you wouldn't even find his bones; they'd be rotted away."
"Nonsense!" Li Man'er shouted, "Do you dare to make a bet with me?"
"What bet?"
"Seven days!" Li Man'er declared. "From now on, I will detoxify my father. Within seven days, I will wake him up."
Seven days?
Doctor Feng's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Impossible, absolutely impossible."
Well, even internet meme phrases were coming out now.
"A bet, dare you?"
"What's the wager?" Doctor Feng rolled up his sleeves. "I, Feng Jue, the Ghost Doctor, fear nothing."
Feng Jue? Ghost Doctor?
What was that?
Never mind.
"If I win and can bring my father back to consciousness in seven days, you will kneel and beg me to be your master!"
Miss Xiao Qi gasped. To have the Ghost Doctor bow to her as a master, was she mad?
Feng Jue chuckled sinisterly, his face devoid of human semblance, looking more like a starved ghost.
He truly lived up to his moniker, the Ghost Doctor.
"Alright! And if you lose?"
"As you wish!"
Feng Jue was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. "You girl, you are indeed very confident. Fine, just don't renege on your promise later."
Li Man'er extended her fair hand. "Let us strike palms as a pledge, and Miss Xiao Qi, please be our witness."
"Indeed!" Feng Jue added. "Seventh Miss, please act as our witness!"
Miss Xiao Qi nodded. "Since you both trust me, this humble girl shall not refuse."
Li Man'er and Feng Jue struck palms three times, and the matter was settled.
Feng Jue left, as did Jiaoniang and Miss Xiao Qi. Only Li Man'er, Liu Ya, and oh yes, Li Shu, remained in the room.
"Miss, do you have confidence?" Liu Ya worried for her. "I saw Miss Xiao Qi looking so gleeful, as if that Feng Jue is very powerful. If you lose, they will surely act against you."
"What is there to fear? Don't worry," Li Man'er glanced at the spiritual mist spring in her space. She thought that if it weren't for fear of being too astonishing, she could make Li Shu wake up right now and be full of vigor.
"Nanny heard that you took on a disciple in the capital, the Imperial Physician Supervisor?"
Li Man'er brought this up with a sigh. "It was just a coincidence, much like this time. Alas, you don't know these old men, how they all consider themselves extraordinary, whether it's the Imperial Physician Supervisor or the Ghost Doctor, they all think they are invincible in the world. Yet, they don't know there's a saying in this world: there's always someone stronger."
Liu Ya didn't quite understand, but she inexplicably felt her young lady was very formidable.
Far away in the capital, in a three-courtyard mansion, someone holding a hand warmer and dozing suddenly sneezed.
Duan Xu rubbed his nose. Who was cursing me?