Young Master?
Yu Wenqian?!
At the ntion of this person, Shang Ruyi’s breath caught instantly.
She instinctively thought of the dream she had just had, and imdiately felt a chill rise from her heart. Nervously, she looked toward Nie Chong and asked, "Besides these three words, did you hear anything else?"
Nie Chong replied, "Please forgive , Young Madam, I only heard these three words."
"..."
Shang Ruyi sighed lightly in her heart.
But she also knew that Nie Chong could not be blad. The camp was so large, and the place where Song Yu and Ma Xu were stationed was far from where Yu Wenye’s troops were, with soldiers drilling on the parade ground in between. Even in ordinary circumstances, one would not be able to hear what the people on the opposite side were saying, let alone hear the drumming and gonging.
That he could hear these three words already did justice to his na, "Sharp-Hearing Ear."
Shang Ruyi said, "I appreciate your hard work."
"I dare not."
"By the way, you ntioned that there were soldiers drilling in the parade ground. Have they been doing this every day?"
"Yes."
"They——"
Nie Chong said, "It looks like they might be planning to move troops soon."
Shang Ruyi frowned.
Could the person who ca from Daxing City be sent by Yu Wenqian? He went to see Song Yu and Ma Xu as soon as he arrived, so they are indeed aligning themselves?
But, what ssage is this person supposed to convey for Yu Wenqian?
Is it to urge Song Yu to persist in moving troops?
However, this is a military matter, and Yu Wenqian seems to have no intention of interfering with the campaign against Fufeng. Why suddenly send soone over at this ti?
Shang Ruyi felt a wave of dizziness.
At this mont, she heard a thudding sound of footsteps behind her. Turning around, she saw Shantong’er running over, his face covered in sweat. As soon as he saw Shang Ruyi, he said, "Sister Ruyi."
Shang Ruyi asked, "Why are you sweating so much?"
Shantong’er wiped his forehead with his arm and said, "I was just practicing in the backyard. I can’t return to the camp for the last few days, but I can’t slack off, I still need to protect you and Yu Wen’s second brother."
Though her heart was clouded with a layer of shadows, Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but smile slightly at these words.
She took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat behind his ears and gently said, "Go eat your al with Brother Nie quickly, or you’ll miss out later."
Shantong’er chuckled shyly but then tilted his head, looking at her seriously.
"Sister Ruyi, you seem very tired."
"Do I?"
Shang Ruyi instinctively touched her face. She knew well that although she hadn’t fallen ill, the ordeal of the past few days must have left her looking a bit worse for wear.
Shang Ruyi smiled faintly, "Maybe I didn’t sleep well."
Shantong’er looked on with concern and said, "You need to take good care of yourself, everyone is already upset that second brother fell ill, if you fall ill too, none of us would know what to do."
He muttered, "And you stay by second brother’s side all the ti."
"..."
Nie Chong, who stood by, patted Shantonger’s shoulder.
Shang Ruyi’s face darkened slightly, but she quickly said with a smile, "I know how to take care of myself, you two go now."
Shantong’er didn’t say anything more and left with Nie Chong.
This courtyard originally had no one else to serve, and nobody nearby either, so when Shantong’er left, it beca so quiet that not even the sound of the wind could be heard. Watching their retreating figures, the smile on Shang Ruyi’s face slowly faded away, her heavy and confused thoughts growing even more tangled at this mont.
She didn’t know how much ti had passed before she finally turned and went back to the room.
As soon as she entered, she saw Wo Xue take out a paper tube made of cotton paper from the alley corner. It was prepared by the official office. Previously, He Wenzhu had brought fumigation materials himself, but there was only a little left. In the past few days, Yin Changyue’s people were searching the city, and although they couldn’t find dicine to treat the plague, they did prepare quite a lot of Jiangzhen Fragrance and Mugwort for fumigation, delivering them over directly.
Upon seeing her return, Wo Xue imdiately said, "Young Madam, I’ve started burning it."
Shang Ruyi nodded and quickly closed the door.
Wo Xue lit the paper tube, shaking it twice to put out the fla. Instantly, thick smoke began to billow from the tube. Wo Xue held the tube and moved it around the room from the bed, and before long, the entire room was filled with swirling smoke.
Shang Ruyi had already walked to the bedside and coughed lightly twice.
However, after fumigating for a while and then opening the door to ventilate, the room wouldn’t feel so stuffy.
Yet, for so reason, after those two coughs, she felt another wave of dizziness, quickly reaching out to grab a nearby screen, only to see He Wenzhu on the other side starting to cough too. Being close to the smoke, Wo Xue’s eyes turned red and teary, coughing incessantly.
She said, "Why does today’s smoke taste particularly strong?"
"...?"
Hearing this, Shang Ruyi and He Wenzhu instinctively raised their heads to look at each other, as if both sensed sothing.
He Wenzhu hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Miss Wo Xue, let this old man—"
But before he could finish his words, his legs suddenly went weak, and he almost fell!
Wo Xue quickly reached out to support him, "Old sir."
Shang Ruyi increasingly sensed sothing was wrong. Today’s smoke was not only choking but also made her feel dizzy, with an urge to vomit.
The smoke seed like—
At this mont, He Wenzhu was already half-collapsed on the ground. Even with Wo Xue supporting him, he couldn’t stand up, but as he was closer, he could sll it more clearly despite coughing, "There, there seems to be Hook Vine in it."
Hook Vine?!
Hearing these two words, Shang Ruyi’s brows furrowed instantly.
She vaguely rembered that although this herb had the effect of clearing heat and calming the liver, if processed Hook Vine was burned, it could cause unconsciousness!
Why was there Hook Vine in their incense?!
But there was no ti to worry about this now. Shang Ruyi imdiately said to Wo Xue, "Quick, extinguish it!"
"Ah? Okay!"
Upon hearing this, Wo Xue understood sothing was wrong. She endured her dizziness and hurriedly threw the paper tube on the ground, stomping on it forcefully, but the thick smoke continued to fill the room, making them feel even dizzier.
At this mont, Shang Ruyi suddenly heard a heavy gasping sound beside her.
Looking down, she saw Yu Wenye, who had been unconscious for days, lying on the bed. His face was flushed with a sickly red, his lips a deep purple, biting his teeth forcefully, with his brow knit into a pained frown, as if enduring sothing.
This smoke was harmful even to the healthy, let alone him!
Shang Ruyi was so anxious that her eyes reddened. Without hesitation, she quickly ripped off the dicated veil He Wenzhu had soaked in dicinal juice from her face and covered Yu Wenye with it.
Imdiately, his breathing beca a bit smoother.
But this was still not enough. Even though Wo Xue stomped out the paper tube, the dense smoke in the room hadn’t dissipated. Rather than dissipating, it seed to have grown even thicker, making it hard to breathe, compounded by the dizziness from burning the Hook Vine. At this point, the three people in the room had difficulty moving.
Shang Ruyi covered her mouth and nose with one arm and said to Wo Xue, "Go, open the door!"
"Oh, okay!"
Despite her dizziness, Wo Xue hurried to the door and was about to reach out to push it.
"Clang," a sound was heard.
Pushing it, the door was tightly shut!
Wo Xue was stunned for a mont and quickly pushed twice more. The door clanged and rattled but remained shut. Moreover, she felt an even more oppressive heat than the smoke inside seeping in from outside.
She shouted, "Young Madam, the door won’t open!"
"What?!"
Shang Ruyi was shocked. She had just left the door ajar when she ca in, so why wouldn’t it open now?
Was it locked or—?!
At this mont, danger and worry surged in her heart. Already suffocating from the smoke, she felt her vision darkening, but she gritted her teeth and stood up. Seeing Wo Xue push several tis without success, she ran to the window opposite the bed. While the windows had been kept shut, they weren’t locked. If the door was stuck, they could still get so air from the window.
But with a push, her heart sank.
The window was also tightly sealed!
Soone had added the consciousness-inducing Hook Vine to their incense, then sealed the doors and windows from outside while everyone else was eating, leaving only a few people in the room, trapping them inside.
But what to do?
Even if Hook Vine caused unconsciousness, it wouldn’t kill anyone.
Could it be—
Shang Ruyi looked up at the now obscured, smoke-filled surroundings. A spark of clarity suddenly flashed through her dizzy mind. Just then, Wo Xue faced the unyielding door, her face sinking. She took a step back, took a deep breath, then kicked powerfully.
"No!"
Shang Ruyi shouted and rushed toward her.
But it was already too late.
Wo Xue’s kick heavily struck the door with a loud bang, causing it to shudder violently, as if the wall might crack. She kicked a big hole in it, sending a huge piece of the door flying out.
Wo Xue’s face showed joy.
But the next mont, a burst of scarlet flas shot in from outside, heading straight for her face.
Wo Xue couldn’t dodge in ti and was about to be engulfed by the flas when Shang Ruyi suddenly rushed over, pulling her back.
With a whoosh, the flas swept past right above her head!
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