Chapter 41: What Else Can You Do Besides Hindsight?

Ji Ci chirped at the little puppy.

"Ah Qing, can you understand me?"
"I'm A-Ci, the invincible Ji Ci!"

The little puppy struggled even more violently. If it could speak, it would have been weeping; this was its third reincarnation, and every time, it had been a dog! And every time, it had been eaten by someone! It thought it was going to kick the bucket again, never expecting to meet a kind soul this time.

"So it’s not Ah Qing. I was overthinking it." Ji Ci curled up on the table, looking sleepy.

The little puppy whimpered and barked at the little fox. "I am Ah Qing! Boss, I am Ah Qing!" But foxes and dogs are different, and the little fox could not understand dog language.

"Be good. I’ll bring you to see the little fox again tomorrow." Zhao Qiaofeng held Ah Qing, wrapping it in her cloak. "Cousin, where is my sister-in-law? I haven't seen her since that day. Why haven't you gone to look for her?"

Taking advantage of Dongfang Jibai’s distraction, Zhao Qiaofeng rushed into his room, looking around. Alas, she was mistaken; her sister-in-law was not there.

"She went home," Dongfang Jibai said, rubbing his nose as he pushed Zhao Qiaofeng toward the door.

"Home? Why didn't you go with her? With the Northern Di people lurking, you must protect her well," Zhao Qiaofeng urged, looking back with concern.

"I know."

Dongfang Jibai responded faintly. After the door closed, he pressed a hand to his chest, his brow furrowed. He had been suffering from unexplained palpitations lately; he would ask the little fox to take a look once she woke up. He had only taken one step when a sharp, stabbing pain struck his heart, as if he had been hit by a heavy hammer. He let out a muffled grunt and collapsed to the floor with a dull thud.

"Thump!"

The sound startled Ji Ci awake. Opening her eyes, she saw Dongfang Jibai lying unconscious on the floor. She immediately jumped off the bed, pressed her furry head against his chest, and poured her supernatural energy into his body. Yet, Dongfang Jibai remained unresponsive, a trickle of black blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

"Dongfang Jibai, what’s wrong with you?" Ji Ci paced around him in a panic, gently patting his face with her paw, but there was no reaction.

"System, what’s happening?" she called out anxiously in her mind.

[Host, no abnormalities detected.]

The system's response only made her more uneasy. Ji Ci dashed to the door, scratching desperately at the panels to summon Zhao Qiaofeng back.

***

*Squeak, squeak.*

In the silent night, the fox’s cries were exceptionally clear. Ah Qing, in Zhao Qiaofeng’s arms, suddenly pricked up its ears and broke free. The round little body tumbled to the ground, spun in a few circles, and then scrambled up, stumbling toward the source of the sound.

"Ah Qing, stop! We'll go see the little fox tomorrow morning."

Ah Qing’s four legs moved rapidly. It reached the door and slammed its small body against it. When a breathless Zhao Qiaofeng arrived, she saw that the puppy’s paws were bleeding from the effort. She stepped forward and scooped up the little puppy. "Ah Qing?"

*Woof, woof, woof!*

Ah Qing barked anxiously. Zhao Qiaofeng’s heart tightened; she pushed open the door and saw Dongfang Jibai on the floor, the blood at the corner of his mouth a shocking sight. She didn't hesitate, setting the puppy aside and rushing to Dongfang Jibai’s side.

"Cousin, what happened?" she called out, trembling, but received no reply.

Ji Ci gestured from the side. "Go get Wang Feng." She mimicked Wang Feng’s habitual movements.

Zhao Qiaofeng shook her head. "Wang Feng isn't in the manor. He said he had urgent business and would be gone for two days."

Just then, Chu Si arrived upon hearing the commotion and, without a word, hoisted Dongfang Jibai onto his back and rushed out. Following behind Chu Si were a woman, a dog, and a fox—a strange combination indeed.

A doctor was startled awake by the urgent knocking at the clinic in the dead of night. He opened the door, looking impatient, until Chu Si shoved ten taels of silver into his hands. "Save him!"

The doctor took the money and led them inside. On the sickbed, Dongfang Jibai was deathly pale, his hands and feet cold, his breathing faint. Ji Ci paced back and forth, frantic. The system was busy looking up data, and her energy was useless here; she could only pray the doctor would find the problem.

After taking his pulse, the doctor shook his head. "This gentleman’s pulse is steady. There is nothing seriously wrong."

"You’re lying! My cousin is vomiting blood; he must be poisoned!" Zhao Qiaofeng retorted, her eyes rimmed with red, her fingernails digging into her palms to keep from crying. She was no delicate flower; she had to be strong. She was going to be a swordswoman!

Ji Ci agreed; something was definitely wrong with Dongfang Jibai, or he wouldn't have collapsed. Chu Si knew that arguing was futile; he carried Dongfang Jibai back to the manor and sent men out to urgently find Wang Feng.

***

Deep in the mountains, Wang Feng stood on the highest peak, his eyes fixed on the Ziwei Star in the night sky. Last night, the Ziwei Star had been dim, while the Tianfu Star shone brightly, seemingly poised to eclipse it. But tonight, the Ziwei Star’s brilliance was overwhelming, while the once-dazzling Tianfu Star had grown dull and lusterless.

"It’s as if someone has borrowed the fortune of the Tianfu Star," Wang Feng narrowed his eyes. "To think there is such a capable person at court."

Wang Feng chuckled; his talents were not limited to medicine. He was the closed-door disciple of the Medicine King Valley, and he was also proficient in the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams. He plucked six leaves for divination and cast them, his expression changing instantly.

"Dongfang Jibai!"

Wang Feng immediately put on his discarded shoes and rushed down the mountain, stumbling and scrambling in a sorry state.

At the manor gate, Zhao Qiaofeng paced, holding the small white dog. The puppy curled up against her chest. If this was what being a dog was like, it didn't seem so bad. Zhao Qiaofeng waited until the small hours of the morning before Wang Feng returned, his clothes in tatters.

"Wang Feng." Zhao Qiaofeng put the puppy down and threw herself into Wang Feng’s arms. She could no longer hold it in and wept.

"Don't cry, I already know," Wang Feng said, gently patting her back to soothe her.

"Cousin..." Zhao Qiaofeng dug her nails into her arms, forcing herself to stop crying.

Wang Feng felt his heart ache. He rubbed her arm gently. "It’s alright, I’m here."

They rushed to Dongfang Jibai’s room. His condition had worsened; his face was gray, as if his life force had been drained away. Wang Feng glanced at the little fox in the corner, noting her unusual silence and the worry in her eyes. It seemed that even a celestial immortal could do nothing this time.

He stepped forward, grabbed a dagger, pricked Dongfang Jibai’s finger, and used the blood to draw a complex rune on his forehead.

The system suddenly chimed.

[Spell detected.]

Ji Ci’s ears twitched, and she lunged toward Wang Feng.

[Host, Dongfang Jibai’s fortune has been forcibly seized by the Emperor!]

"Useless system! You only find out now?" Ji Ci cursed in her heart. "Wang Feng has already taken action, and all you can do is talk after the fact? If you had checked any later, he would have kicked the bucket! You’re good for nothing! You’re only good at enslaving me. If it were up to me, I’d just run away and save myself from the male lead dying on your watch. If you don't turn me into a human form right now, I’ll just go down with the male lead!"