The Splendid Brocade of the Painting Physician – Chapter 149

Chapter 149: Rescue

While Fenghuang was dealing with these people, Xiao Jinyu had already applied medicine to Gao Changgong’s wounds and bandaged them.

At this moment, Lu Yu ran out, his expression anxious as he looked around for Gao Changgong. Seeing the tense atmosphere on the deck, he instantly understood what was happening. He immediately drew his sword, pointed it at the enemies, walked to Gao Changgong’s side, and whispered something in his ear.

Gao Changgong then proceeded towards the cabin with Xiao Jinyu.

Lu Yu followed.

Li Mi, also curious, added, “Yes, Nie Yinniang, who instructed you to assassinate the Prince of Lanling of our Great Qi?”

As he spoke, he also drew his sword, pointing it at the assassins.

He then said to Fenghuang, “Young man, we’ll handle this. You take this Nie woman to the cabin and have a look!”

Fenghuang thanked him and escorted Nie Yinniang to the “Earth” cabin, the resting area for Gao Changgong’s guards.

When Xiao Jinyu and the Prince of Lanling arrived, they were surprised to find the dozens of people, originally disguised as merchants, lying unconscious.

“They’ve been drugged with a type of incense that induces illusions and dreams!” Xiao Jinyu explained after examining them.

As she spoke, an expression of surprise appeared on Nie Yinniang’s face.

“Young Lady, no, Princess Consort, can they wake up again?”

When he came in to call them earlier, Lu Yu saw them sleeping like dead pigs, unresponsive to any attempts to wake them. He thought they had perished until he checked their breathing and pulse, confirming they were still alive. However, no matter what he tried—shouting, kicking, or even hitting them—they wouldn’t wake up!

“Hahaha, if they don’t wake up within an hour, they’ll die in their dreams!” Nie Yinniang laughed. “This drug is called ‘Intoxicated Life, Dreamy Death’!”

“What a fitting name! So…” Xiao Jinyu’s eyes narrowed. “You were the one who gave Princess Yunyin the poison, weren’t you?”

“You could say that. I was merely following orders!”

Xiao Jinyu called out to Fenghuang, who understood her intention and tossed a white porcelain bottle into her hand.

She then handed it to Lu Yu, saying, “Give it to them!”

Lu Yu expressed his gratitude and quickly administered the pills from the bottle to each of the unconscious guards.

However, the number of pills was limited, enough for only half of the guards.

What about the rest?

Just as Lu Yu was worrying, he saw a dagger in Xiao Jinyu’s hand. She had made a cut on her wrist, drawing a line of blood.

“What are you doing?” Gao Changgong exclaimed urgently, his eyes filled with distress.

“Bring a cup, or my blood will be wasted!”

Lu Yu quickly fetched a glass cup and collected the blood flowing from Xiao Jinyu’s wrist.

His heart was filled with both fear and shock.

“Princess Consort, this is…”

“My blood also has detoxifying properties!” Xiao Jinyu explained.

Tears welled up in Lu Yu’s eyes. Fenghuang, standing beside him, felt even worse. He desperately wanted to stop her, but with Nie Yinniang still held hostage, he couldn’t move.

“You have the antidote, don’t you?” Fenghuang asked, pressing the dagger against Nie Yinniang’s neck, drawing a line of blood.

“Yes, but your dear Qing Gege would rather cut her wrist and use her blood to detoxify them than trust my antidote!”

“However, I am curious, does her blood truly have the power to cure all poisons?”

“Enough!” Seeing Xiao Jinyu’s pale face, Gao Changgong quickly took her hand, applied the ointment she had used on him earlier, and wrapped it with white silk.

He then turned his icy gaze towards Nie Yinniang. His stare sent chills down her spine, making her feel as if she had fallen into an icy abyss. He abruptly grabbed Lu Yu’s sword and thrust it towards her chest.

“Changgong, don’t kill her yet!”

The sword pierced her flesh, stopping just an inch away from her heart. It was at this point that Gao Changgong halted his force.

“What Fenghuang said just now is also what I want to say. If you are willing to switch sides and serve me, I can offer you far more than 100,000 copper coins…”

Nie Yinniang had already coughed up a mouthful of blood, clutching her chest wound. She looked at Xiao Jinyu, then at the guards who had been drugged by her “Intoxicated Life, Dreamy Death” incense.

She saw that the guards who had consumed Xiao Jinyu’s blood were indeed waking up one by one.

These guards were said to be a mix of Han Chinese warriors and elite Xianbei soldiers, each capable of fighting a hundred men. She hadn’t killed them earlier because she wanted to control them with drugs and use them for her own purposes. But now, they were all regaining consciousness.

✿✿✿

This young lady’s blood truly countered her poison.

Nie Yinniang, the assassin with a keen sense of danger, quickly turned and fled towards the cabin door.

Fenghuang was about to chase after her, but Xiao Jinyu stopped him.

“Let them go! These people are seeking a livelihood, not loyalty to any particular master. A wise bird chooses the right tree to nest in. They will make the right choice!”

“Besides, we still need them to navigate the ship through this Luliang Rapids!”

If she wasn’t mistaken, they chose this location to strike, or perhaps their employer instructed them to do so, hoping to create the illusion of the ship encountering rapids and a storm, causing everyone on board to drown.

However, this plan was too clumsy. If things went wrong, the entire ship could perish.

Clearly, these assassins weren’t willing to die for their mission! Nie Yinniang probably wasn’t very familiar with this route.

After Xiao Jinyu explained, Gao Changgong and Lu Yu seemed to realize that Nie Yinniang was the ship’s owner, and none of them had experience sailing.

This assassin was too cunning, having already set a trap for them when they boarded the ship.

How did she see through their identities?

As they pondered, their gazes fell upon her wrist, wrapped in white silk.

The young lady was already delicate, and after losing so much blood, she possessed a heartbreaking, fragile beauty.

“You don’t have to look at me like that. I’m fine!” Xiao Jinyu said with a smile.

“Princess Consort used so much of her blood as a medicine to save us, the guards who should have been protecting the Prince and Princess Consort. How can you say you’re fine?” Lu Yu said, his voice almost a sob. “The Prince must be heartbroken!”

Gao Changgong’s face was indeed filled with distress and anger.

At this moment, the guards, who had understood what had happened, all knelt down.

“Thank you, Princess Consort, for saving our lives with your blood!!”

“Please take care of yourself, Princess Consort!”

Xiao Jinyu gestured for them to rise. As they stood up, their gazes towards her were filled with admiration.

Initially, they were reluctant when the Prince asked them to assist this young lady in meddling with the affairs of the Southern Chen. Seeing her stunning beauty, they worried she might bring disaster upon the Prince. After all, most nobles and officials in Northern Qi didn’t dare keep overly beautiful concubines at home, fearing they might suffer the same fate as Yuan Ang.

As they were talking in the cabin, the sound of roaring waves and raging rapids could be heard outside.

“Let’s go out and have a look!”

Xiao Jinyu spoke, and they all left the cabin one by one.

As they exited, Xiao Jinyu noticed Fenghuang’s eyes were even redder. He quickly wiped away his tears, seemingly afraid she might notice.

“Fenghuang! Thank you for what you did earlier!”

Hearing her thanks, Fenghuang felt even more distressed.

“Has Qing Gege grown distant from me now that she has the Prince of Lanling?”

“No!” Xiao Jinyu immediately replied.

“Does Qing Gege like him very much?”

Xiao Jinyu was slightly taken aback, then nodded.

“I don’t know why I feel so sad. But when I grow up, I think I’ll understand. If by then, Qing Gege still likes him, and he’s still good to you, then Fenghuang will leave!”

After saying this, the boy dashed out of the cabin. By then, the confrontation outside had ended. Nie Yinniang, severely injured, had simply treated her wounds and ordered the boatmen to lower the sails, maneuvering the ship to avoid the rapids and turbulent waves.