When Shen Qingyao woke up from the chaotic dream, she found herself alone in the room. There were figures moving outside, and Shen Qingyao paused, listening intently. It seemed like Lu Zhao was talking to Shen Yushu outside.
Listening to Lu Zhao’s voice, Shen Qingyao’s breath lightened. Thinking about what she had seen in the dream, she felt a bit down.
[Host…]
The system called out to her, and Shen Qingyao blinked her eyes, weakly responding, “What is it?”
[Wuwuwu Host! You finally woke up!! I called you so many times and you didn’t respond to me!!!]
The system’s incessant chatter made Shen Qingyao’s head ache. She recalled hearing its voice just before she fell into the dream, and she felt somewhat guilty, so she refrained from arguing with it as usual. Shen Qingyao struggled to move her body, feeling uncertain, and after a while, she sighed and interrupted the system’s half-true, half-false crying, asking, “How long have I been unconscious?”
[Two days! Host! You’ve been out for two days!!!] The system was somewhat excited, raising its voice. [You don’t know! In these two days, Lu Zhao’s blackening value has been skyrocketing!! If you don’t wake up soon, he might just turn completely evil!!!]
Ah, so it wasn’t genuine concern for her; it was just worried about her influence on Lu Zhao’s turning evil. Shen Qingyao calmly lowered her eyes, listening to its complaints about the pressure Lu Zhao had been causing it and others in these days. She wasn’t happy or sad, but remained calm as if listening to someone else’s story.
Suddenly, a low growl from Shen Yushu came from outside. It seemed they hadn’t finished their conversation yet. Shen Yushu loudly called Lu Zhao’s name, then seemed to remember she was still inside and abruptly lowered his voice. Shen Qingyao’s heart stirred, sensing they might come in soon, so she quietly closed her eyes again.
Sure enough, the door was pushed open shortly after. The incessant chatter in her mind from the system suddenly ceased, and soon after, there were slow, steady footsteps approaching. Shen Qingyao felt her hand gently lifted, and familiar large hands lightly held hers.
“Yaoyao…” Lu Zhao’s voice was low, husky, and tender, filled with concern and weariness, easily piercing through Shen Qingyao’s defenses. Her breath caught, her eyelids trembled, but she still hadn’t figured out how to face Lu Zhao. She forced herself to pretend to be still unconscious.
Lu Zhao hesitated in his movements. Shen Qingyao felt nervous; could he have noticed? But Lu Zhao didn’t move or expose her. He stood at the bedside for a long time, suddenly releasing her hand, then called for Cui Qiao to come in.
“The King of Nanzhao is summoning me. I’ll be going to the royal court with Shen Yushu later. You… stay outside the door and take care of her.” Lu Zhao’s voice hardly fluctuated. Shen Qingyao kept her eyes closed, unable to see that Lu Zhao’s eyes had been fixed on her as he said this. Was it meant for Cui Qiao to hear or for her?
Cui Qiao was puzzled. Why should she care for someone only from outside the door? But since Lu Zhao had said so, she dared not argue and quietly agreed.
Lu Zhao sighed silently and left first. Cui Qiao worriedly glanced at the motionless Shen Qingyao for a while before leaving as well.
Once both were gone, Shen Qingyao breathed a sigh of relief and slowly opened her eyes.
[Host, why are you avoiding them?] The system didn’t quite understand the purpose of her actions. Wouldn’t they meet sooner or later? Could she hide forever?
Shen Qingyao knew very well that she couldn’t hide forever. But right now, her heart was in turmoil. She knew deep down that none of this was Lu Zhao’s fault, yet she couldn’t bring herself to face him. She needed time to sort things out.
“Just let me catch my breath for a moment. I’m not sure how to continue right now.” Initially, she had been acting for survival, for the mission, accompanying Lu Zhao in the play. But as she continued to act, the lines between the play and her true feelings blurred long ago. Just like now, it seemed she didn’t care as much about the mission anymore.
On the other end, Shen Yushu was inexplicably called out by Lu Zhao. Because Shen Qingyao still hadn’t woken up, he was feeling irritable. With a dark expression, he followed Lu Zhao and couldn’t help but ask, “Instead of staying with Yaoyao, why did you drag me out? When did the King of Nanzhao summon us? Didn’t I just tell you that the King of Nanzhao is interested in cooperate secretly with Great Liang? Were you too impatient to listen?”
Lu Zhao’s gaze turned cold. Without mentioning that Shen Qingyao seemed to have already awakened, he asked coldly, “What about that sachet? What did you find out?”
At this, Shen Yushu’s expression also turned cold. With a snort of resentment, he replied, “I was just about to find you. Ah Lin took some spices and secretly returned to the royal court to consult Nanzhao’s shaman. Only now did the message come back! Those spices are used to lure gu worms!”
“Gu worms?” Lu Zhao’s expression changed. Gu poison was once rampant in Nanzhao. It was only gradually silenced after several instances where the royal family of Nanzhao used gu worms to harm others and vie for power. However, this did not mean that the practice had disappeared completely…
Lu Zhao clenched his fists. “Could it be that Yaoyao was…”
Shen Yushu also realized this and widened his eyes in disbelief.
Veins bulged on Lu Zhao’s hand. He didn’t speak, but his attitude was as good as confirmation. Gu worms came in many forms; some caused unbearable suffering, while others manipulated the mind… All of Shen Qingyao’s recent anomalies suddenly made sense.
“Go and fetch those two Nanzhao princesses and that guard.” Since arriving in Nanzhao, Shen Qingyao had almost always been with Lu Zhao. The only people she had contact with alone were just those few. Lu Zhao’s voice chilled. After saying this, he turned abruptly and went back to find Shen Qingyao.
However, when he rushed back and pushed open the door, the first thing he saw was Cui Qiao lying on the side. Then, after a few steps, he met eyes with Princess Anyu, who had just burst in. Lu Zhao’s heart sank. Looking at the bed where Shen Qingyao should have been lying, she was nowhere to be seen.
He swiftly grabbed Princess An’yu’s throat, his face a storm of rage and ice. “Where is Yaoyao?”
“I… How would I know! You… Let go… Let go of me! I am a princess of Nanzhao!” An’yu struggled to breathe under his grip, desperately trying to pry his hand away. She was shocked as well. She had clearly timed her visit for when Lu Zhao was absent. Yet, there was no one in the room. Before she could leave, Lu Zhao had returned!
At this moment, An’yu also wanted to ask: where had Shen Qingyao gone?
A quarter of an hour earlier, just after Lu Zhao and Shen Yushu had left the inn, an old man with white hair, leaning on a long staff, dressed in grey hemp clothes, carrying a medicine chest, tottered to the inn’s entrance. He clutched a note, pausing at the door. “Inn where the people from Great Liang stay… is this the place?”
The old man chuckled and was about to enter when the guards stopped him.
“Who are you? This is the inn for Great Liang envoys. Unauthorized people are not allowed to enter!”
The old man, stopped, did not get angry. He patted his worn medicine chest and said slowly, “I’m a doctor… I’m a doctor! Isn’t there a patient inside needing my treatment?”
The guard hesitated. Everyone knew that the Young Madam was seriously ill, and they had all seen Lu Zhao’s gloomy mood these days. It was normal to call for a doctor, but… The guard frowned and sternly said, “Great Liang has its own doctors! I’ve seen every one of them. Why haven’t I seen you before?”
“There are so many people in the world. Can you really have seen every one? Just because you haven’t seen me, how do you know I’m not a doctor?” The old man smiled, somewhat roguishly. The guard, increasingly convinced he was a fraud, raised his hand to expel him. The old man sighed softly, seemingly talking to himself, “Young man, three fires easily burn, a restless heart is not good…”
As he spoke, he tapped his cane on the ground, and a hint of fragrance brushed past the noses of the two guards. Moments later, they staggered and collapsed softly to the side.
The old man prodded the fallen men with his cane, shook his head, then turned to a vacant corner, gesturing with his eyes and saying, “Handle it…” He then slowly made his way into the inn.
As the door swung open, Shen Qingyao nearly mistook it for Lu Zhao’s return. She wondered, how could he be back so soon? Is he playing a trick on me? Shen Qingyao hurriedly scrambled, but before she could resume pretending to be asleep, she turned her head and saw that it was an unfamiliar old man who had entered.
She froze, furrowing her brows. “Who are you?”
The old man smiled but remained silent, leisurely walking in, scanning Shen Qingyao from head to toe. Uncomfortable under his gaze, she gripped the blanket, feeling somewhat scared, and cautiously asked again, “Who… who are you, old sir? Could you have been lost?”
This statement was mercilessly mocked by the system. [Host! This is the inn for envoys Great Liang! In your era, it would be an embassy! How could he possibly get lost here!!!]
Shen Qingyao clicked her tongue. Of course she knew! How else could it be explained? Though one was old and the other ill, who knew what secrets each held?
“Girl, it seems you’ve recovered quite well?”
“Hmm?” The old man’s tone was familiar, deepening Shen Qingyao’s confusion. Did she know this person, or was he someone the original owner knew?
“Hmm… it seems not that well, you haven’t remembered yet?” The old man stroked his beard, his gaze probing.
Remember… what? Shen Qingyao’s heart skipped a beat, a flash of light darting through her mind. She instinctively felt the statement was important but couldn’t grasp onto the thought in time, only growing more puzzled as she stared at the old man. She didn’t call for anyone to come in. Somehow, she felt that this person might not be a bad person.
“Come, hold out your hand.” The old man no longer played dumb with her. Slowly placing his long cane against the table, he walked to the bedside and looked at Shen Qingyao, who had tucked her hand in cautiously, and couldn’t help but sigh, “You invited me to diagnose, yet won’t let me take your pulse. How can I diagnose like this?”
“Diagnose?” Shen Qingyao was stunned. Was this the doctor Lu Zhao had invited? Or was it her Eldest Brother and Second Sister who invited the doctor?
After a moment of hesitation, Shen Qingyao still reached out her hand.
The old man’s skinny hand came up, and Shen Qingyao trembled but did not move.
“Mmm…” The old man examined her, his brow furrowed. Shen Qingyao’s heart sank as she watched. Was she beyond saving now? Why such an expression?
“I… can I still be cured?” she asked tentatively.
“Years of heart disease, overwhelming depression, and also…” The old man paused, suddenly sighed, “Little girl, your body is truly filled with all sorts of toxins.”
“…,” Shen Qingyao pursed her lips, feeling that this might be a quack doctor.
“But that won’t stump this old man!” The old man released her hand, laughed heartily, and his confident and defiant demeanor showed in his white eyebrows. Shen Qingyao was stunned, feeling this scene was somewhat familiar. Before she could ask how he planned to treat her, she saw the old man pinching something and holding it under her nose, emitting a foul odor. Shen Qingyao wrinkled her brows, wanting to dodge, but her vision darkened. Just a moment ago, she had woken up, but now she was unconscious again.
[…Host!] The system was exasperated. How could its danger detecting radar be so lacking!!!
A tall figure flipped through the window, looking at the girl lying askew on the bed and the old man sitting calmly beside her. After a moment of silence, he felt as if he had suddenly experienced being a thief? Moments later, he softly said, “Old Kong, why has it taken so long?”
If Shen Qinglin were here, she would definitely recognize that the old man was none other than the elusive miracle doctor Kong Lin.
“Old acquaintances met, so we reminisced for a few moments.” Kong Lin stood up, taking his long cane back into his hand. “Let’s go, she can’t be treated here. We have to take her back. Be careful, this girl is quite precious…”
“Oh…” The man paused, bent down, and lifted the girl onto his shoulder…
Happy she is finally going to remember! This drama was too much.
Thanks for the chapter!!!!