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墨書 Inktalez
The next few days passed unusually peacefully. With Ru Er by her side, Mo Xier hardly had to worry about the mundane matters of daily life; she could focus solely on caring for the patients.
Since that night when she saw a certain expression on Ru Er's face, she had not seen it again. Her originally restless heart gradually calmed down. That evening, in the dim candlelight, she thought perhaps she had just misinterpreted what she saw.
Thinking this way, she grew increasingly fond of Ru Er, allowing her to handle any important matters that might have delayed her.
One afternoon, she was leaning over her desk, deep in thought with a brush in hand. The current prescription was indeed effective against the Plague, but it lacked potency; the time required for recovery was still too long and unsatisfactory.
As she pondered, Ru Er rushed in, looking flustered.
"What happened? Why are you so anxious?" Confused, she looked up and met Ru Er's frantic gaze. For some reason, her heart skipped a beat.
"Miss... it's bad! It's really bad!" Ru Er stood frozen in place, looking at her in shock, clearly frightened.
Seeing Ru Er like this, she immediately stood up and placed a hand on her arm, comforting her: "Don't panic. Just take your time and tell me what happened. There's no use in rushing."
After taking a few deep breaths, Ru Er slowly calmed down and said: "The refugees outside the city heard that Night General wants to find a way to drive them away. They are causing a disturbance right now!"
"Is that true? Where are they now?" The urgency in her heart could not be expressed in words.
"It seems they are at the city gate. I've heard it's quite chaotic there. Miss, do you want to go?" Ru Er's eyes flickered. Normally, Mo Xier would have noticed something off about her gaze, but today she was too preoccupied with the urgent matter to pay attention to the changes in those around her.
"Of course I want to go! With such a big incident happening, how could I possibly sit here without doing anything? Even if I can't help, it would be good to go see for myself." After saying this, she headed toward the door but was grabbed by Ru Er from behind.
"Miss, you... you really shouldn't go. It's quite dangerous there. I don't think Night General would want you to put yourself at risk," Ru Er urged with evident concern on her face.
She gently removed the hand gripping her arm and said, "Ru Er, it's best if you stay here and wait for me to come back."
As she turned to leave the room, just as her foot crossed the threshold, darkness suddenly enveloped her. A heavy blow struck the back of her neck, and she lost consciousness.
When she awoke again, she found herself in an unfamiliar room, her hands and feet bound to the bed, unable to move. With just one glance, she understood her situation—she had been kidnapped! And it was broad daylight in a medical clinic!
"Miss, you’re awake," a deep male voice came from nearby. She turned slightly to see a man dressed in plain white clothing, sitting at a table with a fan in his hand, gently waving it to create a light breeze.
His black hair was meticulously styled, and a luxurious jade hairpin adorned his head.
The man's complexion was fair; from a distance, he resembled a shining piece of white jade. If such a face belonged to a woman, countless men would surely be heartbroken over her beauty!
From his attire and accessories, it was clear that this man was either noble or wealthy—not someone simple. Yet, Mo Xier searched her mind but could not recall any memory of him.
"Do not be afraid, Miss. I mean you no harm, although your beauty is indeed exceptional."
She withdrew her gaze and remained silent. She understood that if he wished to inform her of her situation, he would do so without her needing to ask.
Sure enough, after a moment of silence, the man chuckled lightly and walked over to the window. His clear eyes fixed on her as he said, "It was indeed abrupt of me to bring you here to Gaochang."
"This is Gaochang?!" She had considered countless possibilities but never imagined she would find herself in Gaochang! "Who are you?" She turned her gaze towards him with suspicion.
"I am Mu Li, a prince of Gaochang Kingdom. I would never have acted this way towards you if it were not necessary." His smile was warm and gentle as jade, seemingly devoid of any threat; yet even so, it did not ease the woman's guarded heart.
"So this is how Gaochang Kingdom treats its guests; I see now," she replied with a hint of sarcasm, turning her head away.
Mu Li's smile grew wider as he summoned a maid who had been waiting outside, instructing, "Help this young lady untie her bindings, lest she think we do not know how to treat our guests. She is our Honored Guest from the Gaochang Kingdom!"
As her wrists were freed, the fair skin bore red marks from the rough ropes, accompanied by a slight sting of pain.
"Is there anywhere else you feel uncomfortable, my lady? I will do my utmost to accommodate you!"
Raising her gaze slightly, she replied directly, "What do you want from me? Let's not beat around the bush; there's no need for all this nonsense."
Mo Xier understood that the prince of Gaochang Kingdom binding her was certainly not a simple matter.
Mu Li's attractive brows arched slightly, and his impression of her rose a level; he had initially thought this woman was merely beautiful but was pleasantly surprised by her intelligence.
"Since you have said so, I will be straightforward. The reason I invited you here is because of the Plague in Gaochang."
Mo Xier revealed a knowing smile; his answer aligned perfectly with her thoughts. The Plague in Gaochang was rampant, and without effective measures to control it, the kingdom might face destruction.
"Invited?" The woman chuckled lightly, her tone dripping with disdain. "Now I understand; what Gaochang Kingdom calls an invitation is nothing more than kidnapping!"
"My lady is joking. We are simply using the most straightforward method to achieve our goal," he said matter-of-factly, his demeanor contrasting sharply with his gentle appearance.
The woman lowered her eyes slightly to conceal her emotions and softly asked, "Then... what if I refuse?"
Her voice mirrored the man's gentle tone but carried a hint of stubbornness and defiance, prompting him to regard her with an increasingly profound gaze.
"If you refuse, I naturally have ways to make you comply. For instance, for every day you refuse, I will kill ten villagers from Yonghe City and bring back their heads!"
The smile on the man's face eventually disappeared, replaced by a fierce expression. The previous warmth was merely a disguise; this was his true self!
Looking up in surprise, she felt a chill as he spoke of human lives with such contempt and disregard.
"Do you really think no one is in Yonghe City? The Night General of the Heavenly Universe Kingdom is stationed there!"
As if he had heard a joke, the man turned his gaze to meet hers and said lightly, "If Yonghe City is as impenetrable as you claim, how did you end up here?"
Her silence was a testament to his words; she truly had no way to explain how he had managed to bring her out of the city!
After a few seconds of staring at each other, he suddenly broke into a smile, like the sun in the midst of winter, tilting his head and asking, "Have you made up your mind?"
After pondering for a moment, she found her resolution and replied, "I agree to your terms, but you must promise me that once you obtain the recipe, you will let me leave here!"
"It must be useful," the man responded.
Mo Xier immediately nodded. "My recipe will certainly be effective. A gentleman's word is hard to retract. Once the recipe proves effective, the prince can release me as promised."
He nodded noncommittally and then instructed the maid to take good care of her before Mu Li turned to leave.
Sitting by the bed, Mo Xier began to seriously observe her surroundings. The room was exquisitely decorated, filled with many antiques and rare items she had never seen before.
Her gaze shifted from inside to outside; it was a sizable courtyard planted with numerous peonies, blooming vibrantly. The stark red color seemed somewhat at odds with the owner of this courtyard.
From the window, she could see four guards standing at the entrance, vigilantly watching their surroundings. Their alert demeanor clearly indicated they were not ordinary people.
Returning to the room, four maidservants moved gracefully and powerfully, clearly trained in martial arts. With a light sigh, it was evident that Mu Li intended to keep a close watch on her, leaving no chance for escape.
After a moment, a slightly darker-skinned maidservant entered with writing materials. "Miss, the master has instructed you to write down the prescription immediately."
Mo Xier did not hesitate; she took the brush and ink and began to write without any reluctance.
This left the maidservants present somewhat stunned. This girl hardly seemed like someone who had been kidnapped. She showed no signs of unwillingness, which made anyone watching feel it was impossible—there must be something amiss!
However, Mo Xier truly did not think much of it. To her, all lives held equal value and should not be deemed inferior due to nationality.
Still, she remained cautious. While writing the prescription, she did not include all the herbs; instead, she altered one or two ingredients. The general direction of the prescription remained unchanged, but its efficacy was significantly reduced and would take much longer to show results.
Although the man had promised her, she still did not dare to trust Mu Li.
After finishing the prescription, she elegantly handed it to the maidservant. The maidservant beside her was still in a daze until Mo Xier raised her hand again, prompting her to react and catch the prescription.
"Tell your prince that this prescription will definitely take effect within three days. Also, have everyone else leave; I prefer peace and quiet." Her tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.
The maidservants exchanged glances, unsure of what to do. However, the maidservant who had brought in the writing materials reacted quickly and said, "Understood!"
After speaking, she waved for the others to follow her out of the room, and the previously noisy space fell silent immediately.
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