Half an hour later, Yang Kai flipped back down from the roof beam, landing soundlessly beside Miao Hong's bed.
A faint trace of blood still lingered in the air, though the blood Miao Hong had coughed up had already been cleaned away by the guards.
"This brother has seen an embarrassing sight." Miao Hong suddenly opened his eyes.
Yang Kai startled. Just a moment ago he had assumed the man had passed out. Now it seemed he had only been feign unconsciousness. What was more, his tone at this moment was remarkably calm, leading Yang Kai to wonder whether Miao Hong had long known about his wife's affair with another man.
And that City Lord's wife was certainly ruthless enough. Miao Hong was already in this wretched state, yet she had deliberately come to provoke him further. Had it been an ordinary person, the rage alone would have been enough to kill him. The fact that Miao Hong had survived spoke volumes about his capacity for endurance.
Yang Kai couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Despite all his years of wandering, he had truly never encountered a situation like this. Still, it confirmed what he had suspected—his trip to Tianwu City had indeed entangled him in no small amount of trouble.
"Truly miraculous efficacy, those pills of yours!" Miao Hong praised. He could distinctly feel his vitality slowly recovering. Where before he had taken the medicine as a last resort, he now held a measure of trust toward Yang Kai. "Since things have come to this, you must have figured it out by now—the subordinate of yours who came to deliver the medicine was not captured on my orders. It was someone else entirely. Those people... want me dead!"
Yang Kai frowned. "If that's the case, why didn't they just act against you directly?" Given Miao Hong's current condition, he could hardly have offered any resistance.
Miao Hong snorted coldly. "If they struck me down themselves, they would inevitably leave behind traces. I have a friend who will be arriving in Tianwu City any day now. Should he detect any irregularities, those people would have no way out."
Yang Kai suddenly understood. So that was why the City Lord's wife had come in person—her vicious words meant to aggravate Miao Hong's condition and hasten his death. The friend Miao Hong spoke of was almost certainly Gao Xinpeng. With a Grand Alchemist's keen eye and experience, if Miao Hong had truly been murdered, Gao Xinpeng would certainly be able to tell. But if the man had simply died of natural causes, there would be nothing to discover.
"Fortunately, Heaven does not close every door. It led me to you, brother. The pill you gave me just now—do you happen to have more?"
"I do have more pills," Yang Kai nodded. "But there is a complication."
"What complication?"
Yang Kai smacked his lips. "When I refined this pill, I didn't know about the City Lord's situation, so I didn't think it through carefully. The Vitality Pill can indeed stimulate the body's blood and qi, but it requires supplementary tonics to replenish what is consumed. Without them, it will only drain your remaining potential. Even if you survive this crisis, the consequences down the road would be dire."
Miao Hong realized. "So that's how it is!" He knew Yang Kai wasn't lying. Having taken the pill himself, he could feel its effects firsthand.
After a moment's thought, he looked at Yang Kai earnestly. "Brother, please see this through. For the next few days, I'll need you to bring me some restorative food and tonics. With your skills, as long as you're careful, coming and going from here shouldn't be a problem. If I manage to keep my life, there will be a generous reward in the future."
Yang Kai let out a helpless sigh. "I suppose that's the only option."
He had only come to the City Lord's Manor to gather some information. He never expected things to turn out like this. There was truly nothing to be done about it.
"City Lord, my subordinate is still being held in the City Lord's Manor. I don't even know if he's dead or alive!" Yang Kai paused and added.
Miao Hong considered for a moment. "I'll give you a token. Find a man named Huang Da—he's an executor of my City Lord's Manor. With his help, your subordinate's life won't be in any danger."
Though Miao Hong had essentially been placed under house arrest by his wife, he still had some loyal men at his disposal. This executor named Huang Da was evidently one of them.
As he spoke, he pulled out a jade pendant the size of a palm from beneath his pillow.
Yang Kai accepted it. It felt cool and smooth to the touch. "If Huang Da asks about your condition..."
A flicker passed through Miao Hong's eyes. "Tell him the truth!"
"Understood!"
Miao Hong then pointed out the location of Huang Da's quarters. Only then did Yang Kai take his leave.
The City Lord's Manor was quite expansive, but Yang Kai had already wandered through part of it earlier and had some familiarity with the layout. With Miao Hong's directions, he quickly found Huang Da's residence.
Their meeting naturally involved a brief misunderstanding, but after Yang Kai produced the jade token, Huang Da grew visibly excited and immediately inquired about Miao Hong's condition.
Yang Kai explained the situation to him, leaving Huang Da both shocked and relieved. When the conversation turned to Shi Minghui, only then did Huang Da realize that Shi Minghui was Yang Kai's subordinate.
"Rest assured, that Shi Minghui is currently just being held in the dungeons—no real danger to his life. Besides, the City Lord's Manor is in a turbulent period right now, and those with ulterior motives won't want to stir up unnecessary trouble. Until the dust has settled on the bigger picture, Shi Minghui's life won't be at risk. Should anything unexpected arise, I'll do what I can to look out for him," Huang Da promised.