This ship was arranged by Lu Zhao after some careful thought. Although not particularly large, it was divided into several upper and lower levels with several cabins of various sizes. The one they lived in naturally was the most spacious and comfortable.
Before boarding, every detail in this cabin, from the furnishings to the beddings, was rearranged according to Shen Qingyao’s preferences. After all, they would be spending more than ten days on this ship, and Lu Zhao was afraid of making his little girl uncomfortable.
But when he tucked the little girl into the bed, she still moved uncomfortably.
Shen Qingyao sniffed. The bedding was all brand new, and the fabric was the softest, but whether it was her psychological effect or not, she always felt that since they were on the ship, the bedding was damp and smelled fishy.
After Lu Zhao put her down, he walked to the table to pour water for her. Shen Qingyao’s eyes followed his tall figure, feeling that when he moved away, the cold fragrance on him diminished. The nausea and dizziness that had just been suppressed surged up again, making Shen Qingyao feel so uncomfortable that she almost wanted to die.
She had never known that seasickness could be so unbearable. It was even harder to endure than the time in her previous life when her condition worsened and she gave up treatment.
Her eyes turned red, and she suddenly felt inexplicably aggrieved.
When Lu Zhao turned around, he immediately met the pitiful eyes of the little girl.
He found it both adorable and heart-wrenching. Yaoyao’s seasickness reaction was so severe that it triggered a recurrence of her heart condition, which he hadn’t anticipated. So he couldn’t help but blame himself, feeling that he had been negligent.
He walked over and placed the teacup by Shen Qingyao’s lips, saying softly, “Drink some water before sleeping.”
However, Shen Qingyao turned her head aside and avoided it. Since she would vomit it out eventually, there was no point in drinking it.
Lu Zhao frowned. Vomiting too much would easily lead to dehydration, and if she refused to drink, it would only make her feel worse. So he patiently lowered his head and coaxed, “Yaoyao, be good, just take a sip.”
Shen Qingyao hesitated, with a slightly struggling expression. Lu Zhao’s hand was near her cheek, and the faint cold fragrance emanating from his wrist made her feel slightly better. But she still hesitated. This slight scent couldn’t satisfy her anymore.
After a little struggle, Shen Qingyao arched under the covers, then turned over and sat up, leaving Lu Zhao looking puzzled as he straightened up. Just as he was about to ask what was wrong, the little girl extended her arms to him expectantly.
“Elder Brother Lu Zhao, can you hug me…?” Shen Qingyao’s voice was soft, lacking strength, but it was more charming than ever.
Before Lu Zhao could react, his hand instinctively reached out, one hand embracing her in front of his chest, while the other hand struggled to keep the water in the cup from spilling. It was quite difficult, but he didn’t mind.
However, as soon as she was in his arms, he felt that the little girl seemed even thinner. The little bit of flesh she had gained after their marriage seemed to have disappeared after suffering from this ordeal.
Though Lu Zhao’s eyes darkened slightly, he didn’t show his worry too obviously. He just pretended to be relaxed, patting the girl’s back and saying with a smile, “Why are you being so clingy again? Aren’t you embarrassed anymore?”
Embarrassed? Not at all.
Shen Qingyao nestled in his arms, familiar with his cold fragrance wrapping around her. Taking a comfortable breath, her head cleared up. She thought stubbornly: What’s there to be embarrassed about? Is it more important than life?
After she had calmed down a bit, she blinked, tightly holding Lu Zhao’s lean waist, and without any hesitation, said, “Husband, don’t you want to hug me?”
Lu Zhao sighed with a smile, realizing there was no way to deal with her: “Alright, alright, I’ll hug you.”
Then he turned the girl around so she faced outward, once again bringing the cup of water to her lips. The implication was clear: While husband holds you, you will drink, right?
Shen Qingyao chuckled secretly, behaving herself this time, obediently lowering her head and taking a few sips.
The system felt disdainful, finding the romantic gesture of using each other as antidotes between these young lovers disgusting. It made a disgusted sound but restrained itself from disturbing further.
When Shen Qingyao finally fell asleep and the sky darkened, after placing her down, Lu Zhao quietly left the cabin. Standing on the deck, he let the evening breeze of the river hit his face. There was no hint of a smile on his face, instead, it was filled with a chilling heaviness.
After a moment, a person jumped down from the height of the ship’s sail. It seemed to be a dark guard. He took down the carrier pigeon perched on his shoulder and swiftly took a letter from its leg, respectfully handing it to Lu Zhao.
“Master, a letter from the capital.”
Lu Zhao nodded expressionlessly and took it. After a quick glance, his expression remained unchanged. He folded the letter neatly. Just as the guard hesitated to withdraw, Lu Zhao spoke.
“Has Ying Yi’s team arrived?” Now, all the dark guards of the Duke’s mansion listened to Lu Zhao’s orders. Ying Yi was the leader of the Duke’s mansion’s dark guards, responsible for protecting the other team traveling through the official road.
“Yes, they didn’t encounter any trouble on the way and are already waiting outside Lingnan City.”
Lu Zhao nodded again, then asked, “What about Ying Er’s side?”
The guard on the ground tensed. Ying Er had left earlier than all of them and was now deep in the territory of the southern borders. His purpose was singular: to find the miracle doctor, Kong Lin.
“There’s… still no news from Ying Er.”
Lu Zhao’s gaze changed, an overwhelming pressure swept over, and the guard broke into a cold sweat.
“Urge them. We must find the whereabouts of the miracle doctor as soon as possible.” Thinking of Shen Qingyao’s discomfort when she fell ill, Lu Zhao clenched his fists, unwilling to wait any longer.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away in the capital, Xiao Jing had already found an excuse to return to the capital officially. In the Ninth Prince’s mansion, Xiao Jing played with a folding fan, listening to the reports from his subordinates, his expression changing constantly.
“You’re saying Lu Zhao’s team has split into two and headed south, but Lu Zhao himself and that girl from the Shen family are not in the advancing team?”
“Yes.”
“Then where have they gone?” Xiao Jing asked patiently.
“This… We haven’t found out yet.”
“Can’t find out?” Xiao Jing repeated, and the informant’s legs went weak, almost kneeling down.
“Truly useless,” Xiao Jing said lightly, not showing anger, but the people in front of him couldn’t bear it and fell to their knees.
Ignoring them as if they were air, Xiao Jing thought to himself that these so-called dark guards, raised halfway, were indeed far inferior to those cultivated by the Duke’s mansion over decades.
If… Xiao Jing’s eyes turned cold. If he could ascend to the throne and had the Royal Dark Guards in his hands, with imperial power, who could deceive him and make covert moves?
He stretched his neck, feeling the sensation. Just thinking about it already made him feel comfortable all over.
“They wouldn’t just obediently go to Lingnan. On this journey south, if there’s any place worth their special visit apart from Luo City, it’s only Ning City.”
Prompted from below, someone bowed quickly, hoping to seize an opportunity to contribute, and said urgently, “Then I’ll send someone to Luo City!” Then, the person who had just knelt down turned to leave.
Xiao Jing slammed the fan onto the table fiercely, growing more impatient. “Stop! Who told you they’re in Luo City?”
The person showed a puzzled expression at the right time, which gave Xiao Jing a headache. He muttered a curse softly, his face looking like he wanted to strike someone the next second, and ordered, “They must have gone to Ning City.”
Then, as if afraid that his brainless subordinate might turn and run, he added, “Even if you go now, you won’t catch up. They’re not dead, why would they wait there for you to kill them? Send a message to Qi Yunchuan, tell him if Lu Zhao arrives in Lingnan alive, then he should wait to be beheaded.”
Qi Yunchuan, the former Governor of Lingnan, was the official who was to be succeeded by Lu Zhao.
Although the people below were unclear about the reason, they dared not ask more questions. They nodded obediently and hurriedly left.
Only Xiao Jing remained in the room, frowning and staring intently at a porcelain bottle not far away.
What was Lu Zhao doing by going to Ning City? Xiao Jing was sure it wasn’t for the gold mine; they didn’t have the courage for that yet. So besides the gold mine, what else was worth Lu Zhao personally making a detour for? Xiao Jing narrowed his eyes, feeling that this was a crucial point in his future game with Xiao Mu…
On the ship heading south, when Lu Zhao finished his business and returned to the cabin where Shen Qingyao was resting, it was already midnight. The young girl was still in the same position as when he left, sleeping soundly.
However, she didn’t sleep peacefully. Her brows were furrowed, her lips pale, as if she had a bad dream, trembling slightly.
Lu Zhao approached her, sat by the bed, and held her small hand. Shen Qingyao reflexively tightened her grip on his hand in her sleep. It was then that Lu Zhao noticed, even though her hand had been under the covers, it was still cold.
Lu Zhao’s heart clenched. He felt even more strongly that they needed to find Kong Lin as soon as possible. Once he found Kong Lin, even if he had to resort to force, he would bring this elusive doctor before Yaoyao.
Shen Qingyao was indeed having a not-so-good dream.
Before the age of ten, Shen Qingyao’s resistance was even weaker than it is now. Falling ill every few days was as common as eating for her. At that time, Shen Qingyao was always restless, especially after meeting Lu Zhao in the capital; she loved going out even more.
Sometimes she would persuade Shen Yushu to take her out, sometimes she would sneak out by herself.
This dream was about one of those times she sneaked out.
Because she had done it so many times, her courage grew. This time, she didn’t even bring her closest companion, Cui Qiao.
A child dressed in luxurious clothes, without any attempt to conceal herself, attracted attention. When the little Qingyao wandered the streets alone, she was quickly noticed by some hoodlums lurking in the alleys. They followed her, then deceived the oblivious little girl into a dead end. It wasn’t until these people showed their menacing faces that little Qingyao realized something was wrong.
In the dream, little Qingyao was terrified. She wanted to run, but she couldn’t outrun these people who were familiar with the area and agile from years of roaming. She wanted to cry for help, but no one could hear her.
Gradually, she lost strength and found it hard to breathe. Her rapidly beating heart reminded her of her heart condition.
With a pale face, she reached for the medicine pouch at her waist, only to realize she had lost it in the chaos of escaping. Without Cui Qiao by her side, she had no spare pills left.
Feeling a sense of despair, she leaned against the rough earth wall of the alley, her consciousness growing dimmer. The villains were getting closer. Was she going to die? Little Qingyao wondered…
She slumped to the ground, exhausted, closed her eyes, and heard many footsteps approaching. But she waited for a long time, and the bad guys didn’t rush up as she imagined. After a few screams, there was silence. Shen Qingyao opened her hazy eyes.
A slender figure approached against the light.
He was dressed in moon-white clothes, not as tall as those villains, but he managed to defeat them all.
As he drew closer, there was a pleasant cold fragrance about him.
It was her Elder Brother Lu Zhao…
In her dream and in reality, Shen Qingyao immediately relaxed, allowing herself to fall into Lu Zhao’s arms, descending into deeper darkness…