Princess, Spare My Life - Chapter 11
Chapter 11: Wanted Posters
The numbness had begun to settle within her left arm and even now, she did not know what she was poisoned by. In the modern era, Yuan Shang was considered a professional doctor. She studied both Chinese and Western medicine, especially poisons, detoxification, and acupuncture. She used her experience and knowledge to deal with her predicament. Although not much time had passed since she crossed over to this world, she still had her sense of crisis that she was gifted with as a professional killer. Furthermore, together with her special training, she was equipped with some drugs to enhance her body’s resistance, especially some that strengthened her antibodies. However, the medication didn’t have enough time to disseminate throughout her body and could barely reduce the poison’s break out. Diving in the water was a strenuous exercise, which undoubtedly sped up the onset of the poison’s attack.
Yuan Shang picked out several packets from the oil bag. She took out some powdered drugs from each of the packets and placed them on the large stone. Then, she made a small incision on the ring finger of her left hand and dripped blood on each of the small piles of powdered drugs. As blood fell onto the powder, they started to change in color. Some of them solidified into a black hue and some gradually became cyan while others turned yellow… Yuan Shang carefully observed the discoloration of all the powders. In her mind, she began to analyze the composition of the drug. Afterward, she put all the powder and silver away, wrapping the ingredients and bag with a cloth and onto her right calf. After placing the knife onto her left thigh, she set off.
Although Yuan Shang was not an expert in martial arts, an expert martial arts would not necessarily be her opponent. Furthermore, she was more than enough to deal with civilians. Twilight Lake was outside the Imperial City, and the fields of tens of thousands of acres were governed by high officials. Countless tenant farmers lived within his land. Yuan Shang came across the courtyard of a governor’s residence and stole his clothes. Of course, one couldn’t expect a hired killer to have the moral consciousness of leaving silver coins in compensation.
When she left, Yuan Shang suddenly felt that she was being watched. She contained her murderous intent and turned around. However, she only saw a two or three-year-old, skinny girl nibbling her finger while watching her. She quickly retracted her gaze, but she seemed afraid of strangers as she hid in a far corner. The little girl’s clothes were ragged as there were both old and new scars on the hands, feet, and neck.
There were two types of people who couldn’t be noticed by a vigilant hired killer despite being close. One was a peerless master who was good at stealth, and the other was a pure and innocent baby. When Yuan Shang saw her, it was as if she was looking at her former self. Back then, she used to have such a look as she watched Big Sister Ling Yu, who extended a hand to her.
Then, as if something possessed her, Yuan Shang picked the girl up. The little girl did not resist at all and quietly leaned on her shoulder as the dirt on her body stained Yuan Shang’s clothes.
Yuan Shang held the little girl. Without resting, she hurried on and after two hours, arrived at a small town.
At this moment, it was almost evening.
Although there was a small town here, it was still relatively prosperous because it was close to the capital. Yuan Shang entered the town and saw a pharmacy not too far away. Just as he was about to enter, he noticed a group of imposing soldiers arriving at the scene.
“Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Catch the criminal!” The soldiers dispersed and rushed directly into the shops and inns, catching people whose appearance matched with the portraits they held. Two soldiers rushed into the pharmacy next to Yuan Shang and said, “I have heard about it! Someone had indeed come to seek medical treatment. But if that person had received an injury from a sword, I would have immediately reported it to the government. Who would dare to hide it? I would be treated as an accomplice! Am I not wrong?”
The middle-aged doctor in the pharmacy was gripped by his collar and was speechless. The disciples next to the old doctor quickly said, “Yes! Yes! Yes! Officer, we don’t dare to cover for the criminal!”
On the side of the road, Yuan Shang’s head was down as she held the little girl.
After a short while, the soldiers posted two portraits on the street walls. Yuan Shang took a closer look and noticed that one of the portraits was similar to herself. The other was a woman in her twenties. While her appearance was slightly average, she was delicate and pretty like the daughter of a humble family. Judging by the contours of her face, her features coincided with the female assassin who was shot by Yuan Shang’s needles back then.
Yuan Shang was slightly relieved. The matter of her disappearance had not been announced yet. However, the former portrait probably came from the princess’s hands as it was too similar to Yuan Shang’s appearance. Because of this, she had to be more cautious later. In the near future, she would not be able to enter these pharmacies safely, but the poison in her body was getting worse. How could she have enough medicine to detoxify her poison completely with the materials she currently had on her?
The sky was getting darker, and pharmacies were closing in advance. Whoever went to see a doctor would be in danger of being arrested. Under these circumstances, the common folk was afraid of the government officials, so they would rather not go to see the doctors. Since no sick person would be willing to go, the pharmacies might as well close up.
Yuan Shang glanced at the middle-aged doctor and his two apprentices who came of the pharmacy and tailed them.
Three men walked all the way to the west of the town. Passing field and a small hill, she noticed an old house on the edge of the small forest. There were many medicinal roots and herbs growing in an open space outside the courtyard.
When they arrived at the courtyard, the two apprentices cupped their hands and saluted the middle-aged man as they bid farewell and then returned to the town. The middle-aged doctor pushed the courtyard’s door open and walked towards the door of the inner court but did not go in. Instead, he faced the door, cupped his hands, and greeted, “Master, your disciple is back!”
A slightly aged grunt arose from behind the door as the voice said, “How come you are back so early today?”
The middle-aged doctor stood by the door and said, “The officers and their men were arresting people today, alarming the civilians on the street. This disciple understood that no one would dare to see a doctor in these circumstances.”
“Come in and carefully explain everything to me!” Although this voice was old, it was full of energy and vigor.
The middle-aged doctor entered the inner court.
Yuan Shang put the little girl in the arms down and hid her in a bush. She made a gesture towards her. After the little girl had followed her for half a day, she already understood what this gesture meant, so she nodded innocently in response.
Yuan Shang strenuously moved about as she had no choice but to scale over the wall. While she was not willing to risk her life, she had to do this to survive. Moreover, in her opinion, this situation was nothing. During the years she was a child, when did she not encounter any danger?
Before leaving, she sprinkled some colorless powder around the little girl and climbed into the doctor’s residence.
The house was relatively old but very clean and its entrance was a flat open area. The ground was the same as the areas outside the house, covered with a variety of herbs. There were many wooden frames and rafts around the courtyard as the insides were also filled with medicinal herbs. The entire yard was filled with a thick scent of medicine. Two boys were in the yard, one was cleaning while the other was boiling water in the kitchen.
Yuan Shang carefully surveyed her surroundings but did not find the most important medicine that she needed.
She was already wearing coarse and messy clothing; her face was dusty due to the hardships of her travels, so she was not conspicuous at all. Against the boys in the corner who were focused on their work, she was able to stealthily enter the house.
Entering the inner court, she saw an old man in the courtyard sitting down within a medicinal herb garden. He was fiddling with some medicine while the middle-aged doctor was next to him, describing what happened in town.
From the corner of her eye, Yuan Shang saw that some valuable herbs in the medicine, which could be classified into different categories. However, none were the ingredients for the medicine she needed.
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Wow just like that she took a little apprentice ? I wasn’t seeing that move coming how interesting, it kinda came out of nowhere but it’s understandable with the type of person she is.
So is the other girl the one that was throwing knifes or the one that shot an arrow at her?