Chapter 114: Are You Qingzhou’s Incompetent Father?

Chapter 114: Are You Qingzhou’s Incompetent Father?

Just as Ruan Qingzhou delivered the final punch that sent his opponent off the stage, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his leg, causing him to kneel on one knee. Then, he saw Xu Zining, dressed in a water-blue long skirt with her hair tied in a high ponytail, landing gracefully in front of him.

"Senior Brother, be careful, there are concealed weapons," Xu Zining, who had been hiding in the crowd watching the excitement, coincidentally saw several poisonous needles flying out.

Xu Zining’s appearance sparked a commotion, and the soldiers guarding the emperor surrounded the stage. However, she seemed oblivious, her gaze defensively fixed on the crowd to the south.

Ji Lingchuan hastily explained Xu Zining’s identity to the emperor, while He An immediately went onto the stage to assess the situation. Seeing Ruan Qingzhou, who had been full of fighting spirit moments ago, now sweating profusely, He An knew something was wrong.

"Brother-in-law, there are concealed weapons," lifting his trouser leg, they saw the skin around the silver needle had darkened.

Seeing this, Xu Zining appeared deeply concerned and took a pill from a porcelain bottle in her bosom to feed him: "He’s poisoned; he needs to be treated as soon as possible."

Upon learning of the assassin, the emperor was incensed. The martial arts examination was a heavily guarded area—who would dare to be so audacious? "Guards, seal off the entire martial arts field. We must find the assassin."

"No need. I know who threw the concealed weapon," seeing Ruan Qingzhou being taken away, Xu Zining, though anxious, could not let the culprit escape.

The emperor’s eyes flickered: "Who is it? Quickly apprehend them for me."

Xu Zining’s gaze swept over the crowd, which included common folk and the kin of officials who were allowed to watch the battle, as well as some noblewomen who wanted to marry into the military.

But behind these people, a man with a gaunt figure but agile movements, who looked quite old, bent even more to avoid drawing attention.

As the soft whip was raised, Xu Zining shouted: "Get out of the way."

The noblewomen had never seen such a scene before and scattered in every direction. Xu Zining leaped into the air, and following a series of sharp cracks, painful howls were heard—the cries hoarse and unpleasant. Everyone looked toward the source.

They saw a man writhing in agony on the ground, with whip marks on his face and body. Xu Zining, furious, squatted down and searched for a while but found nothing, so she simply stepped on the man’s throat: "Surrender the antidote."

Realizing escape was impossible, the man moved his jaw, but Xu Zining quickly kicked him, causing a red pill and several teeth to be spat out: "Want to die? Not so easy."

Without getting the antidote, Ji Lingchuan escorted the man away.

The official responsible for recording the results quietly followed: "General Ji, what about the competition results?"

"Isn’t it over? Proceed as usual," Ruan Qingzhou was ambushed precisely because of a momentary negligence upon victory. If this woman hadn’t appeared suddenly, the blame for Ruan Qingzhou’s ambush would have fallen on his opponent.

**

The appearance of an assassin at the martial arts examination infuriated the emperor, who commanded the Supreme Court to capture the true perpetrator within ten days, with He An overseeing the entire process.

Jiang Jie, the newly engaged Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, upon receiving the order, immediately went to the Ruan family to assess the situation.

At this moment, the Ruan family was thrown into disarray. The old lady fainted upon hearing that her grandson had been ambushed, and although Zhou Yunzhi managed to hold herself together, she had secretly cried many times.

Ruan Qingzhou had won a top-three position in the martial arts examination, and the emperor arranged for imperial physicians to treat him. Although it was known he was poisoned, the specific toxin could not be identified right away, making it impossible to prescribe the right antidote.

Ruan Chengfu sat on a chair, his face ashen. Upon receiving the news, he immediately summoned all the famous doctors in the capital, but the results were unsatisfactory.

The head of the imperial hospital shook his head in dismay: "The poison Young Master Ruan has ingested is highly toxic, yet it seems to have been suppressed, slowing its spread, but..."

Zhou Yunzhi tearfully pleaded: "Physician Liu, known for his miraculous hands, my son’s life rests in your hands."

Physician Liu sighed upon hearing this; he was indeed skilled in medicine but not in toxicology. Seeing the physician’s expression, the hearts of everyone in the room sank.

Only Ruan Qinghuan, who had not shed a tear, finally succumbed to her weakness and swayed. Fortunately, He An was by her side and held her. He An comforted her: "Don’t worry. I will spare no effort to save Qingzhou."

Ruan Qinghuan had never felt so helpless before, nodding while holding back her grief.

Seeing this, Xu Zining, guarding the door, looked even colder. She ignored the maid’s obstruction and barged in: "I must dispatch a message by carrier pigeon."

**

Ruan Qinghuan entered the study to find Xu Zining had already finished writing the letter. She hadn't cried before, but now her eyes were red and swollen.

When she saw Ruan Qinghuan, she wiped her tears and said, "Maybe my father can save him."

As the pigeon flew out of sight, Ruan Qinghuan hugged her and said, "Thanks for today."

He An had told her that if Xu Zining hadn't used her whip to block it, the poisoned needle would have hit Qingzhou right in the chest. If that had happened, not even a god could have saved him.

For the next few days, Qingzhou Ruan survived on herbal brews and Xu Zining's pills.

A day and night flew by, and Xu Zining stayed by his side the whole time. When Zhou Yunzhi arrived, she sniffled, deeply moved, and said, "Child, go rest in your room. Don't exhaust yourself."

Xu Zining couldn't sleep. She shook her head and said, "If I just hang on a bit longer, my father will come."

"Miss Xu, we owe you everything this time. Without you, Qingzhou would have..."

"Auntie, don't say that. Qingzhou Ruan means everything to me."

Zhou Yunzhi was speechless. She didn't know how to respond.

Zhou Yunzhi, living in the capital, knew little about her son's master, only that her father had found him a highly skilled mentor.

The Zhou family was wealthy and from Jiangnan, and her father had done many good deeds over the years. With three sons and one daughter, Zhou Yunzhi, the youngest, was especially doted on.

Later, against everyone's advice, she married Ruan Chengfu and stayed in the distant capital, rarely seeing her father.

As Qingzhou grew older, her father suggested he go to Jiangnan to train. At the time, her relationship with Ruan Chengfu was strained, and the constant family disputes left her overwhelmed.

After thinking it over, she finally sent Qingzhou to Jiangnan. Only later did she learn her father had found him a master, saying he was destined for greatness.

At the time, Zhou Yunzhi thought her father was just comforting her, but when her son returned with such impressive skills, she believed it.

The days dragged on, but finally, on the third day, someone arrived. Hearing it was an old man with white eyebrows and a beard, Xu Zining rushed out to greet him.

The rest of the Ruan family quickly followed.

In the courtyard, the old man stopped at the sight of the group. Ruan Chengfu hurried over and asked, "Are you Qingzhou's master?"

"You must be Qingzhou's disappointing father, then?"

At these words, everyone's faces showed embarrassment.

The man added coldly, "Hmph, fat-faced and sharp-eyed, with no trace of honesty in your appearance."

Ruan Chengfu forced a smile, not daring to argue, as his son's life depended on this man.

The old man clearly didn't care about offending anyone. He glared coldly at his daughter and said indifferently, "Wait until we return to the mountains. I'll deal with you then."

Xu Zining, too anxious to worry about punishment, grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the backyard. "Father, this isn't the time for that. Please come with me and see Senior brother."