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墨書 Inktalez
Mei Shuang temporarily set up a large pot and added a pot of water, placing a pile of ginger inside. Once it heated up, she instructed someone to bring an iron grate to place over the boiling water and put garlic cloves in a small bowl to steam them. When the timing was right, she lifted the lid of the pot and saw that there was only half a bowl of water left in the bowl, which had turned pale.
Mei Shuang took a closer look and had Yun Kong take it to his senior brother. "This is the best remedy for cough. Your senior brother has caught a cold and has a fever; after drinking this, his cough will gradually subside. Later, you can brew another bowl for him. Let him soak in the ginger water and sweat it out, and he will feel better..."
Throughout the process, Yun Kong observed Mei Shuang busily directing the shop assistants to do this and that.
Although the shop assistants were reluctant, Mei Shuang didn't care; she just kept giving orders, and they complied. However, after bringing her what she needed, they kept their distance, fearing they might catch something.
Mei Shuang found it both amusing and frustrating. "It's just a cold; look at how timid you all are!"
After all the hustle and bustle in front of the large pot, Mei Shuang was hot and sweaty, beads of sweat forming on her forehead and nose, her face flushed. For a moment, Yun Kong gazed at her deeply.
Once he brought the water for his senior brother to drink, Mei Shuang felt exhausted.
After a while, he exclaimed in surprise, "Senior brother's cough isn't as severe anymore..."
He then bowed deeply to Mei Shuang, expressing his heartfelt gratitude.
Finally relieved, Mei Shuang wiped the sweat from her forehead. She had approached healing with a "try anything" attitude and was pleasantly surprised that it worked. Feeling accomplished, she advised, "This is just a folk remedy; once this passes, you still need to get proper medicine. Rest well and eat something light..."
---
When Mei Shuang returned to her room, she felt both tired and drained. She had just sweated profusely and needed to change into dry clothes quickly.
Unfortunately, since the shop assistants had been avoiding her earlier, she wasn't like Nangong Nuo, who held some authority; aside from Nangong Nuo, no one recognized her. Therefore, she didn't have much power to direct others and had to do everything herself. She had been constantly moving around the iron pot, adding firewood and water, which inevitably got dust on her clothes.
At that moment, she found a few dry clothes and was about to change when the door opened.
Nangong Nuo entered with an unhappy expression.
Mei Shuang hurriedly used her clothes to cover her chest, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Ah, you... you're back?"
Nangong Nuo remained silent, his face dark as he walked straight up to Mei Shuang. Ignoring whether she was changing or not, he pulled her closer and a cold smile appeared on his lips. "Miss Mei Shuang, you’ve always been so self-assured. I’ve let you be, but even helping others has its limits, doesn’t it? Do you know anything about the person you brought in? You didn’t even ask before dragging them into the inn. I think Miss Mei Shuang has forgotten the pain after healing from her wounds. Your good intentions back then only allowed Kuranami Miyako to take advantage of you, turning you into someone else's captive..."
Mei Shuang was taken aback. She realized that while Nangong Nuo's words made sense, the truth was often hard to hear. Coupled with his displeased expression filled with reproach, she sensed the sarcasm in his tone and felt a wave of defiance rise within her.
She gently stepped aside, shaking off Nangong Nuo's hand and turning her back to him. "It's just a patient. It's snowing heavily outside; where do you expect them to go? If no one helps them, are we just supposed to watch them die?"
Seeing Mei Shuang's dismissive attitude, Nangong Nuo's expression darkened further.
He had just heard from the inn staff about this situation and had worried greatly for her. He feared she might catch a cold and was even more concerned about those elusive people from the Eastern Kingdom targeting her. Yet, unexpectedly, she turned her frustration towards him.
This woman!
She worried endlessly for others but never once considered his concerns for her well-being!
Fuming, Nangong Nuo turned and stormed out.
Hearing the door slam shut and the heavy footsteps retreating, Mei Shuang felt a sinking sensation in her heart; it seemed she had said something wrong.
However, at that moment, she was both tired and sleepy, too lazy to explain herself.
After changing her clothes, she surprisingly fell asleep fully dressed.
Just as she drifted into a light slumber, an extremely faint yet chilling voice suddenly pierced through her haze. "If you don’t want to die, don’t move."
Mei Shuang's drowsiness vanished in an instant. She shivered and obediently remained silent and still.
Under the faint moonlight outside the window, Mei Shuang could make out the situation before her. A figure clad in black from head to toe had a sharp knife pressed against her throat, the blade glinting coldly. The black-clad person was hidden in the shadows of the corner, making it impossible to see clearly; she could only vaguely discern that it was a man, and his voice sounded somewhat familiar.
This is bad!
Mei Shuang's first instinct was that this moment was likely connected to the monk she had saved during the day. What were the odds of such a coincidence? Moreover, Nangong Nuo's people were stationed all around outside, making it impossible for anyone to sneak in.
At that moment, she regretted not heeding Nangong Nuo's advice; now she had brought trouble upon herself. And now that Nangong Nuo had been driven away by him, it would probably be a while before he returned. She was hanging by a thread.
The black-clad man listened carefully to the sounds outside and then fixed his gaze on Mei Shuang, who lay frozen in place. His eyes shifted unpredictably as he slowly withdrew the blade while warning her in a low voice, "Don't scream, or I'll kill you!"
Mei Shuang hurriedly nodded.
After pondering for a moment, the black-clad man slowly removed the black cloth covering his face.
In the dim moonlight, Mei Shuang stared in surprise for quite a while before finally recognizing him and gasping, "Ishihara..."
Ishihara made a gesture for silence. Mei Shuang gently rose from the bed and lowered her voice in astonishment, "You... how did you get here?"
"Miyako has informed us as you predicted," Ishihara said as he sat down at the edge of the bed, still shrouded in darkness. His voice carried an unusual desolation. "There is already internal strife within the Eastern Kingdom palace..."
Mei Shuang's heart tightened. "What about her?"
"She is rushing back at full speed, day and night..."
"Is it too late?" Mei Shuang asked.
For some reason, despite being repeatedly kidnapped by that detestable Kuranami Miyako, hearing such sudden news still left her feeling uneasy. Perhaps it was due to being moved by those who were making extreme efforts to save their family's fate. However, just as Kuranami Miyako had said, she might have revealed this too late.
"There is still time," Ishihara shook his head, sensing Mei Shuang's worries and feeling a sudden stir of emotion within. After all, they were adrift in the world, with nowhere to call home, and no one had ever truly cared for their family.
Mei Shuang's foresight only reinforced their belief that this woman was no ordinary person. He had come today solely to confirm one thing.
"Miss Mei Shuang, I won't waste words on gratitude. I'm here to sincerely ask you, since you can predict the fate of our family for decades to come, could you tell me what curse Queen Himiko has placed upon us that is so powerful?"
In the faint moonlight, one could vaguely see Ishihara's brow furrowed tightly, his expression desolate.
Mei Shuang lowered her head in contemplation, remaining silent.
Under the anxious gaze of the other, she finally looked up and shook her head. "Forgive my frankness, but Queen Himiko is elusive and difficult to approach. Even many of those around her rarely see her true face, so it is nearly impossible to gather information about her. Moreover, she has never failed..."
Seeing the deep disappointment in Ishihara's eyes, Mei Shuang thought for a moment before saying, "What you can do now is to stabilize the internal strife and preserve the members of the Jiu Rang Family. Then, leave the palace as quickly as possible and go as far away as you can. This is the last resort to protect the Jiu Rang Family... although this choice will be very difficult for you..."
Ishihara's eyes widened in shock. "Are you suggesting we leave the Eastern Kingdom?"
Mei Shuang's expression grew serious.
Ishihara clearly hadn't anticipated such an outcome; his brow furrowed with agitation and indignation. "Leave the Eastern Kingdom? Where would we go? And if we leave the Eastern Kingdom, wouldn't that mean handing it over to Himiko?"
Suddenly, his gaze fell upon Mei Shuang's face, his eyes flickering.
Mei Shuang was no fool; she quickly sensed the wariness and suspicion in Ishihara's eyes.
She calmly replied, "Ishihara, rest assured, I am merely accepting the will of heaven and predicting an unchangeable fact. Even if I don't say it, you should know that the backbone of the Eastern Kingdom has already been largely destroyed. In the near future, only the old, young, and women will remain in the Eastern Kingdom. Even if there were miraculous remedies now, how could you contend with Queen Himiko of Yamatai?"
Ishihara remained silent.
Mei Shuang continued, "The best remedy is for you to leave and go to a place where Queen Himiko cannot find you. Perhaps then your curse will lessen..."
Having said this, Mei Shuang finally added, "I did not refuse at the beginning; these are things I have only recently understood. I hope it is not too late to tell you. Additionally, I want to inform you that I have no connection with your Queen Himiko. Telling you this now is already revealing too much, so do not ask why. Queen Himiko is determined to conquer the Eastern Kingdom, and I hope you can leave before she starts the war..."
Ishihara sighed, "Fate! I hope one day I can come back and thank Miss Mei for her guidance..."
Ishihara left without a trace, and when he was gone, Mei Shuang finally breathed a sigh of relief. She was truly worried that Ishihara would be as unpredictable as Kuranami Miyako and use her as a shield. It seemed that Ishihara was quite skilled; in such a tightly guarded environment, he could come and go freely.
It appeared that there were always stronger individuals out there, so she had to be cautious in the future.
Mei Shuang was lost in thought for a while before recalling Nangong Nuo's displeasure from earlier that night, suddenly feeling wide awake.
Deciding not to sleep, she put on her clothes and stepped outside her room to see if Nangong Nuo was asleep. If he wasn't, she planned to have a chat with him.
Nangong Nuo's room was brightly lit with candles, and there were faint voices coming from inside. However, they were too distant to hear clearly. It seemed that Nangong Nuo was also a man very dedicated to his work, still busy at this late hour.
She then remembered the monk she had saved earlier that night and wondered how he was doing.
So, she quietly went down the stairs from the other side and made her way to the backyard.
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