Qi Huan suddenly awoke with a start, wiping the fine beads of sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. She slipped on her shoes, got out of bed, and poured herself a cup of cool tea, drinking several gulps in quick succession.
As the cold tea flowed down her throat and into her stomach, the anxiety in her heart gradually subsided.
Outside the window, the rain continued to patter softly, with occasional claps of thunder and flashes of lightning illuminating the window paper.
She furrowed her delicate brows slightly, no longer feeling sleepy.
Her mind was filled with images of Li Shuchen covered in blood, which she couldn't shake off.
The next day, the sky cleared as the rain stopped.
The air was filled with post-rain freshness and the scent of damp earth. She walked to the side room and knocked urgently on the door before her.
"Miss Qi."
A familiar voice sounded from behind her.
She turned to look and saw Yan Ge standing at the bottom of the steps behind her, carrying a food box.
She quickly turned and asked, "Where has Shu gone? Have you received any news?"
Yan Ge forced a smile and reassured her, "His Highness has just reached Meizhou."
Then, as if joking, she added, "His Highness has only been gone for a day, and Miss Qi already misses him so much?"
Qi Huan's cheeks flushed slightly, but she replied candidly, "...Yes."
I miss him very much.
I think of him when I eat, when I sleep, and even in my dreams, he's all I see.
After finishing breakfast, Qi Huan took out her diary and wrote: The 16th year of the Longshun Era, October 19th, the second day of separation from Shu, I miss him terribly.
I had a nightmare, but dreams are often the opposite of reality, so Shu must be safe and sound.
He's the man who can multiply points a hundredfold, so he's bound to live a long life.
After writing, Qi Huan sighed softly and rubbed her right eyelid, which was still twitching.
At this moment, Yan Qing came to report, "Sister Qi, someone is looking for you outside."
"Who is it?"
"The young master who lent us the umbrella yesterday," Yan Qing furrowed her brows, guessing, "He might be here to ask for the umbrella back."
"...But how does he know where we're staying?"
Qi Huan was also puzzled. She opened an oilpaper umbrella and slowly walked out. Upon reaching the main hall, she asked directly, "Young master, what brings you here?"
When he saw her, Li Yuanxiu was momentarily stunned.
He hadn't expected that the woman he had met twice before was the legendary Qi Huan.
The first time he saw her, she was haggling over a cleaver, her words flowing smoothly, leaving the shopkeeper dazed.
The second time, she was crouching in an empty alley, munching on a bun like a little greedy cat, her cheeks puffed out as she chewed contentedly, her eyes narrowed in satisfaction.
Today, he learned that she was actually a descendant of the Qi family who had donated the medical book, named Qi Huan.
Li Yuanxiu gathered his thoughts, smiled warmly, his captivating eyes full of gentleness, and slowly explained his purpose.
"Miss Qi, I've long admired your reputation. My name is Li Yuanxiu. I've come today with a request."
"To be frank, my father lost an arm a few days ago. Although the bleeding has stopped, he's in unbearable pain, and the wound keeps festering."
"I heard that Miss Qi comes from a family of great learning. I've come to ask if you have any prescriptions for pain relief and treating external wounds? I'm willing to pay handsomely for your help."
Upon hearing his name, Qi Huan suddenly remembered that she had heard the name Li Yuanxiu from Shu's lips before.
She looked at him with complex emotions in her eyes and probed, "Are you Prince Shun's son?"
Li Yuanxiu nodded truthfully.
Then he heard Qi Huan say coldly, "I'm sorry, I can't help you. Please leave, young master."
"Yan Qing, see the guest out."
Prince Shun was the man who wanted to kill Shu, which naturally made him her enemy.
If he asked her for medicine, she would only be able to give him poison.
But considering the consequences, she had to give up that idea. So, she simply rejected Li Yuanxiu without hesitation.
Li Yuanxiu didn't quite understand why her expression suddenly turned cold, but he was tactful enough not to press further.
Instead, he gestured for his servant to open the box.
The box was neatly filled with rows of gold ingots, dazzling to the eye.
Qi Huan swallowed hard and struggled to look away, "What is the meaning of this, young master? I already said I don't have any prescriptions and can't help your father..."
Li Yuanxiu laughed pleasantly, his voice calm, "Miss Qi, you've misunderstood. This isn't a fee for treatment, but a token of gratitude."
"As an imperial envoy, I'm here to thank you on behalf of the people of Yunzhou. Thank you for being willing to donate your family's medical book and save the people of Yunzhou from disaster."
Li Yuanxiu was well aware that the plague ravaging Yunzhou was not unrelated to his father, Prince Shun.
Having witnessed the horrific sight of bodies being burned in the quarantine area, he had even prepared himself to deliberately contract the plague.
He planned to force his father to send people to save him, thereby obtaining the prescription to secretly pass on to the imperial physicians.
Just before he was about to take this risky step, he suddenly received news that the imperial physicians had already developed an effective prescription, all thanks to a young lady named Qi Huan.
Li Yuanxiu's visit today was not only to ask for medicine but also to express his gratitude.
Sending other gifts to a young lady might lead to misunderstandings, so he chose the most practical gift - one hundred taels of gold.
After hearing his explanation, Qi Huan finally accepted his gift with a smile.
He had given too much, without asking for anything in return.
It was truly hard to refuse.
After Yan Qing helped her move the gold ingots back to her room, Qi Huan took out a handkerchief and polished each one until they shone.
During her afternoon nap, she dreamed of being surrounded by large, shimmering gold ingots, and couldn't help but smile.
Suddenly, the scene changed, and she was back in the blood-misted valley.
Li Shuchen, covered in blood, was lying on Yan Qinghe's back, his phoenix eyes lightly closed, showing no signs of life.
She abruptly sat up, gasping for air, her heart pounding wildly.
Qi Huan quickly put on her shoes and went to find Yan Ge, eagerly asking, "Is there any new news about Shu?"
Hearing this, Yan Ge forced a smile and said, "Miss Qi, didn't you just ask this morning?"
"Oh..."
Qi Huan then asked, "When will we set out?"
"I want to return to the capital as soon as possible."
"Miss Qi, look at the rain outside, it's pouring like a waterfall. How can we travel in such weather? Please be considerate of everyone and wait a little longer, alright?"
Following her gesture, Qi Huan gazed despondently at the curtain of rain outside, and finally nodded.
After she left, Yan Ge's eyes suddenly filled with tears.
With such heavy rain, His Highness and his party were missing, and she was very worried. But His Highness had instructed that Qi Huan's safety should be the top priority.
She couldn't tell Qi Huan the truth, fearing she might insist on finding His Highness. Traveling in such weather would be dangerous. Moreover, there might still be assassins tracking His Highness, and she couldn't risk putting Qi Huan in danger.
Qi Huan returned to her room, completely unaware of these events.
She called out to the system: "I keep dreaming that Shu is in danger..."
"Host, do you need sleeping pills?" the system responded.
"......."
Qi Huan was speechless. After a brief pause, she continued: "Do you have any news about Shu? I can pay you with points."
She had accumulated quite a few points recently after offering up the thermometer, bringing her total to over 80,000 points.
"Although your offer is tempting, I'm not human. I am a system," it replied.
"The system's rules prohibit spoiling any events in this small world."
