The Female Lead Wants Me to Take My Medicine [Quick Transmigration] 91

Chapter 91: I’ll Trade You a Lantern

That night, the Lingzhi Pharmacy in Fuzhou was robbed. The intruders were too loud, and when they fled, they even injured the night watchman.

The night watchman, who was walking on the road, was not only startled, but was also pushed. The back of his head hit the alley wall, and he let out a cry, shouting, “There’s a thief robbing things!” which immediately woke up many people.

The people of Fuzhou, because they had experienced war, did not have the habit of sweeping the snow in front of their own doors. As long as they could move, they would pick up the weapons at hand, such as hoes, firewood knives, and water and fire sticks. As soon as they opened the door, they would ask, “Where is the thief!?”

The noise spread to the general’s residence. Xi Congshuang, who was reading a medical book under the lamplight to find an antidote, also heard the sound.

“Who’s making a noise?”

Without her saying it, Hongdou, who was dozing off with her chin in her hands at the table, opened her eyes with a whoosh and flew out of the door like a little butterfly.

Xi Congshuang was a little concerned about the sudden accident. After a moment of thought, she put down the ancient book in her hand, put on the outer robe that was draped over the back of the chair, and walked out slowly.

She did not rashly leave the nameless courtyard and stood at the door waiting for Hongdou to come back.

Just now, Hongdou had gone out in a hurry and had not closed the courtyard gate. Standing at the main hall’s gate, her line of sight passed over the courtyard and could see the dark night outside the courtyard gate.

After waiting for a long time, Xi Congshuang did not wait for Hongdou to come back, but for an unexpected person.

The person who came was in a red robe, her clothes and accessories were neat, and a few strands of messy hair hung by the side of her face. She did not look like she was dressed up to go out, but rather like she had just come back from outside.

And it was a fast horse all the way. Her tightly tied hair had even fallen.

Xi Congshuang had not expected to see her at this hour and was speechless for a moment.

It was the person who had come who spoke first. “I knew you weren’t asleep. What are you doing standing at the door in the middle of the night?”

Xi Congshuang’s hand, which was holding the door frame, tightened slightly. She said, “Waiting for someone.”

As the other party crossed the high threshold and walked into the courtyard, she said, “It’s a bit noisy outside. Hongdou went out.”

Hearing that she was alone, Xun Suihuang strode closer and said as she walked, “I know you don’t know. If you knew, you wouldn’t have sent the little girl by your side to the front courtyard to inquire.”

Then she stood still at the bottom of the steps and looked up at Xi Congshuang. “Why don’t you ask what happened outside?”

Xi Congshuang also walked out of the brightly lit house and was bathed in the cool moonlight together. She walked closer. “I don’t dare to ask. I’m afraid you’ll suspect me.”

Her tone was very light.

From the moment Xun Suihuang had appeared, she had known that she would be discovered by Xi Congshuang. “So you’re admitting that the owner of the Lingzhi Pharmacy is your person? I might as well tell you directly. The Lingzhi Pharmacy was smashed, burned, and robbed. Now it’s just an empty shell.”

Xi Congshuang did not seem to have much of a reaction. “It sounds like the people near the Lingzhi Pharmacy are all safe and sound.”

She really didn’t have a straight answer. Xun Suihuang also refused to tell Xi Congshuang the truth. “It’s late. Sect Master Xi should rest early. I’ll leave first.”

It was as if she had made a special trip just to annoy Xi Congshuang and to spread some idle gossip that had nowhere to go.

Then she couldn’t move. Her hanging sleeve was tugged. Xun Suihuang turned her head and happened to see the moonlight filling the eyes of the person behind her, making her look exceptionally gentle.

Xi Congshuang said warmly, “It’s getting late. General, please take care. I won’t see you off. I wish you a good night and sweet dreams.”

Xun Suihuang: “…”

She had forgotten how she had answered the other party. She only remembered that she had straightened her back and had walked out of the courtyard in the posture of a general, looking very promising.

After walking out of the courtyard, she had not forgotten to close the door. She had walked for a long time in the night wind and had only come to her senses after being called by a subordinate.

“General has just returned. Is her mouth very tight? Is it very difficult to handle?”

Xun Suihuang’s face turned cold. She said to the deputy general, “It’s not her.”

Her subordinate was also in a hurry. She wiped her face and nodded. “If it’s not her, then the person tonight is indeed not from our dynasty.”

Xun Suihuang glanced at her. “Is Gu Daifang back?”

Her subordinate shook her head. “General Gu has chased out of the city. She won’t be back for a while.”

Xun Suihuang seemed to have something on her mind and hummed indifferently.

Her subordinate was a little puzzled. “It’s so far. She won’t be able to catch up. The Ye Man are cunning. I don’t know why they were willing to use their informant in the city tonight, but it was to find trouble with a doctor. But it’s also a good thing. It saves us the time and effort of looking for a needle in a haystack. They’ve all run away.”

Xun Suihuang said, “Doctor Liu is a divine doctor of Fuzhou after all. The Ye Man doctor can’t save the dying king, so they set their sights on her.”

Her subordinate was shocked, then clicked her tongue. “I actually forgot that he’s not dead yet. The general almost pierced him through, and he can still live until now. He’s really tough.”

Xun Suihuang: “Alright, you’ve been shocked enough. Hurry up and interrogate all the people around them, those who are close to them, and those who have long-term contact with them. The few who ran away are just the ones on the surface. They’re just taking advantage of your loophole.”

Her subordinate’s expression became solemn. “Yes, sir!”

***

Hongdou, who had heard a bunch of news, returned to the nameless courtyard and told Xi Congshuang everything.

“It’s a good thing Doctor Liu left quickly. Otherwise, she would have been scared to death tonight.” As a person from the Yihao Hall, Hongdou empathized with her. After hearing the description from the general’s residence’s troops who had come back from their trip, she was even more scared.

If it were her, she might not be afraid, but Doctor Liu was a genuine doctor with no martial arts to protect herself. If she had really been captured, she would have definitely met with a mishap.

Xi Congshuang closed the ancient book and put it away properly. “It’s a coincidence, but it’s faster than I thought. In less than five days, news will come from outside Jiashan Pass.”

No one knew Doctor Liu’s whereabouts better than Xi Congshuang. Liu Jinniang had closed her shop for business on the grounds of a cold at noon and had then changed her appearance and had left the city in the name of visiting relatives. She had never returned. These people did not know that Doctor Liu was not at home and would only come up empty.

Not only did they come up empty, they had also smashed more than half of the pharmacy in a fit of anger, which had alerted the night watchman, and in turn, had alerted the patrolling troops of the general’s residence, which had made this matter so big.

A hint of a smile appeared on Xi Congshuang’s lips. It was the complete opposite of the gentle and calm smile in front of Xun Suihuang. It was a genuine sneer: “Since things have come to this, I can only consider myself unlucky.”

Hongdou did not understand and just felt that the sect master seemed to be gloating.

Things were indeed as Xi Congshuang had expected. In less than five days, a major event had happened outside Jiashan Pass.

In the Ye Man King’s city, the Ye Man King, who could not find a doctor and could not get effective treatment, passed away. Before he died, he still could not let go of his ambition. His cloudy eyes were always looking in the direction of the Yong Dynasty, and he died unwillingly, not even leaving a single word about who the throne would be passed on to.

This was like some kind of signal. The several princes started to kill their brothers, crazily wanting to sit on the throne, which was inlaid with gems and covered with wolf skin.

The struggle between the several princes finally ended with the second prince killing all his brothers and ascending the throne with the help of the Ye Man’s grand preceptor.

The young king still coveted the rich and prosperous Yong Dynasty. Anyone who had seen the scenery of the Yong Dynasty would never be able to forget the feeling of inexhaustible resources.

But the cattle and sheep that had frozen to death in the snowstorm last year could not support the king’s ambition. With Xun Suihuang’s obstruction, a considerable number of brave warriors had starved to death on their way to the battlefield, and the young thirty-six tribes’ brave warriors needed time to grow. Under the suggestion of his ministers, he had decided to make peace with the Yong Dynasty.

The signal of peace was like a dandelion. It blew past Fuzhou with the south wind and blew into the prosperous and extravagant Yongdu.

The emperor was overjoyed and gladly accepted the request for peace. He also agreed to the new king’s visit to Yongdu next year—even if the other party had proposed not to go, Emperor Jianxing would have agreed as a gesture.

The new Ye Man King had sent an envoy to Fuzhou, and the peace treaty would be signed in Fuzhou city.

On the third day of the incident, Hongdou had heard the news of the old king’s death and the new king’s ascension to the throne.

On the fifth day, she had heard the people in the residence discussing the news that the Ye Man envoy was on his way.

The timing was just right. It was really amazing.

***

Because the news of the truce had come, and the envoy was really on his way, and was about to arrive.

Fuzhou city was as happy as if it were the New Year. There were lanterns and colored streamers everywhere, and the people spontaneously celebrated, planning to hold a lantern festival in a few days.

The heavens were also cooperative. For several days, it was a sunny and beautiful day.

It was also at this time that the supervising eunuch, who had been as if he did not exist, suddenly came back to life. He took out a bright yellow scroll from his luggage and said that he had come with an imperial edict to preside over the peace talks.

When the edict was being read, Gu Daifang was behind Xun Suihuang. She had endured and endured, and had only just managed not to put her fist on the eunuch’s face.

After finally enduring until the group of arrogant eunuchs had left, Gu Daifang and a group of subordinates stood up with their anger held in, and all looked at Xun Suihuang. “General, this is too much…”

Xun Suihuang interrupted, “Alright, are you all very free? Go and get busy. Arrange the patrols for these few days. The more it comes to a head, the more cautious you have to be. Go.”

“General…!”

Xun Suihuang was impatient. “Are you so old that you need to be breastfed? You’re still shouting. If you don’t leave, I’ll have Auntie Ruo chase you out with a broom.”

The crowd had no choice but to leave reluctantly.

Auntie Ruo, who was hidden behind the hall, slowly stepped forward. Her cloudy eyes, which had become so due to the passage of time, looked in the direction the crowd had left, as if she were seeing her younger self. “They don’t know. General, don’t be unhappy.”

If it were when she was young, she would have been even more resentful than Gu Daifang. But when she was young, the old general would never have encountered such a thing. Whether it was the holy ancestor emperor or the late emperor, they had all relied heavily on the old marshal.

Xun Suihuang grinned. “You’re too kind. I think Auntie Ruo is also a flower of our Fuzhou, on par with me.”

Auntie Ruo broke her composure when she saw her being glib and shook her head. “No wonder the old general was always worried about you. You’ve been like this since you were young, not taking these things to heart…”

When a person gets old, they like to recall the past and chatter. That was something Xun Suihuang avoided. She quickly slipped away with oil on her feet.

In the end, she only left a sentence, “You don’t have to prepare dinner tonight. I’m going out to see the lantern festival.”

When she went out, it was already late. She was not riding a horse today. She walked out of the long street, and her eyes lit up.

Not far away, the street was crowded with people, and the lights were bright.

In Xun Suihuang’s eyes, setting off a few fireworks was about the same as in Yongdu. She would never admit that she had a preference for Fuzhou and was praising it with her eyes closed.

She treated herself as if she were not a general and swam into the crowd like a fish. She had already passed the age of loving to play with lanterns. She only liked to watch others play and did not like to play herself.

Speaking of which, Auntie Ruo had a habit of recalling the past. Now she had also been infected. She remembered that after her mother had beaten her when she was young, she had taken away the imperial-bestowed glass bottle and had given her a glass lantern.

There were six sides in total, and each side was painted with a different picture, all of which were paintings of ladies with otherworldly beauty, with poems written on the side.

At that time, Xun Suihuang could only read words and was not yet at the age where she could fully understand the meaning of the poems, so she had only focused on looking at the paintings and had remembered the six ladies’ pictures very clearly.

Xun Suihuang had liked it very much and had placed it on her desk, unwilling to take it out to play. Later, the glass lantern had still been broken. In the same year, she had put on her armor and had gone to the battlefield.

She remembered that the shape of that glass lantern was a bit… Xun Suihuang, with the thought of looking for an old dream, looked at the dazzling stalls one by one and accidentally bumped into someone’s shoulder.

Xun Suihuang subconsciously turned her head. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking…”

When she turned her head, she met a painted mask. The background was black, and the eyebrows were deep red and angry. There were a few painted marks on the face, and the lips showed fangs.

The girl was thin, and her sleeves were wide. She was holding a large crab lantern in her hand. The workmanship of this one was more exquisite than all the ones she had seen along the way. It must have been bought at a high price.

What a good evil-warding demon mask. It had almost startled Xun Suihuang. Her gaze passed over the other party’s shoulder and saw that the mask stall behind her was not a real ghost. She let out a sigh of relief.

She said to this rich young lady, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking.”

The woman with the mask laughed and said, “It’s okay. I wasn’t looking much either.”

Xun Suihuang: “?”

This voice was a bit familiar. This height, this style of dress, it reminded her of a familiar person.

She subconsciously raised her hand, wanting to take off the mask. Her fingertip touched the mask, but was held by the woman with the mask’s other empty hand. The body temperature was a little cool.

An indescribable disappointment flashed through her heart. Xun Suihuang said apologetically, “I’m sorry. I was being presumptuous.”

Both of them were women, so there was no need to worry about any reputation.

Xun Suihuang had tied her hair in a bun today, and two strands of hair hung down like rabbit ears on both sides of her ears. Even though she was dressed neatly and had a wrist guard on her wrist, it was easy to see that she was a woman.

“What’s presumptuous?” The woman with the mask still did not let go of her hand. Instead, she pressed Xun Suihuang’s hand on the side of her face and then said to the dazed person, “There’s a string on the back of my head that’s holding the mask. You can help me untie it.”

The eyes under the mask were very bright, reflecting all the brilliance of the lantern festival. Xun Suihuang raised her other hand and went around to the back of her head, pulled down a string, and her hand loosened.

Xun Suihuang was held by the hand and took off the mask on the other person’s face. She really did see a familiar beauty mark.

They were standing in the middle of a long street. The crowd was coming and going, walking forward with smiles and laughter. All the liveliness became a backdrop in Xun Suihuang’s eyes. The only thing that was clear in her eyes was the woman in the moon-white robe.

Xun Suihuang’s first question was, “Why are you here?”

Seeing the mask in her hand, the second question came up. “Where are your gloves?!”

Xi Congshuang was very calm. “I just got them dirty. I took them off.”

Xun Suihuang felt that something was not right. “Wouldn’t it be easier to get your hands dirty if you took them off?”

Xi Congshuang said truthfully, “Yes, so I’m also regretting why I took them off now. But if I don’t take them off, I can’t stand the feeling of being dirty, and I can’t wash my hands at any time.”

As the two of them were talking, their overlapping hands still had not let go. On one side, she was wondering why Xi Congshuang’s hand was not surprisingly hot today, and on the other, she was trying to pull her hand back.

Of course, the result was not successful.

Xun Suihuang: “…Why don’t you tell me what strange illness you have? I’ll find an imperial physician to treat you.”

“I’ll feel uncomfortable all over if I don’t touch you. If you forcibly break free, I’ll dare to hold you all the way back to the general’s residence without letting go. At that time, I can’t help how the rumors will spread.”

Xi Congshuang said, “I’m a doctor myself. I can’t treat it for the time being. I can only satisfy my desire until my condition is relieved.”

“…” That’s right. She’s a doctor herself.

Thinking of that scene, Xun Suihuang’s scalp tingled. Sect Master Xi was in the martial arts world, so it didn’t matter if she had a few more romantic debts. But she would be impeached!

Although a few more impeachments wouldn’t hurt, Xun Suihuang had never liked anyone. To have her innocence directly ruined by Xi Congshuang, she still felt strange.

She frowned. “What nonsense are you talking about again?”

Xi Congshuang shook her head. “I’m not talking nonsense. It’s just that holding your hand is the result of my best effort. Do you know what else I want to do?”

In Xun Suihuang’s terrified and curious expression, Xi Congshuang slowly leaned close to her ear. “I want to hold you without any barriers, just like I’m holding your hand.”

The face in front of her slowly enlarged. As they got closer, Xun Suihuang saw the unnatural blush on Xi Congshuang’s face, which was hidden under the warm lights.

At that moment, the thought that flashed through her mind was: Even a banished immortal would blush.

It was a healthy red, not the sickly red of coughing up a basin of blood from poison. This was much better than before.

Then, she heard what Xi Congshuang had said in her ear.

“…”

Without any barriers? Holding?

Xun Suihuang, who had been through hundreds of battles and could sleep well even after piercing the Ye Man King, broke down. She was dazed on the spot and was pulled along by the force of her hand, forgetting to resist.

When her back was pressed against the front courtyard of some house, Xun Suihuang still wanted to struggle a little. She was pressed by the weight on top of her, and another person’s body heat came from her. She was like the Monkey King under the Five Finger Mountain, instantly unable to move.

“It’ll be over in a moment. I’ll be as quick as possible.”

Xun Suihuang barely regained some of her reason. “How did you get this bad habit of being possessed by a ghost?”

Xi Congshuang thought for a moment. “My parents died when I was young, and I didn’t get the love and care I needed in time.”

With her family’s situation, besides the parents who would only appear when they were looking at her grades and chasing away the nanny, there was no obvious difference from being an orphan.

“When I was building my sense of the world, I couldn’t get close to anyone, literally skin to skin.”

“A person who lacks love.”

Just hearing the first sentence, Xun Suihuang’s chest heaved violently for a moment. “How could your parents have died…”

Before she could finish, she heard more and more, and her voice trailed off.

In a small alley far from the crowd, a dog was kept in a courtyard separated by a wall. The dog was occasionally startled by the noise in the distance and would bark a few times.

Xun Suihuang said in a quiet moment, “Alright.”

She had softened her heart again.

In fact, Xi Congshuang was very curious. How could someone combine being soft-hearted and merciless in killing enemies so perfectly? She had an extremely strong tolerance for all living things, as if she were born to protect something.

Xi Congshuang did not want to waste the opportunity. She asked while she was soft-hearted, “I’ve known the general for so long. You still haven’t told me how to address you.”

Xun Suihuang felt uncomfortable and wanted to push her away again. Her peripheral vision was attracted by the green crab lantern in Xi Congshuang’s hand. “What do you mean, how to address me?”

“It’s not elegant to call you by your full name. You’re not willing to tell me your courtesy name? I told you on the first day.”

Xi Congshuang noticed her gaze, held up the moving green crab lantern in her hand, and tempted, “You tell me, and I’ll trade you with this lantern. I got it from a riddle stall. It’s the biggest lantern. No one can buy it even if they want to.”

“Who wants your lantern?” Xun Suihuang was speechless and helpless. “…Chengzhi. My courtesy name is Chengzhi.”

Author’s Note:

Hongdou, who found that her sect master was missing: [Question Mark][Question Mark][Cracked][Crying]