Chapter 104
"Where did you get this water from?" Xie Chengnan asked in shock.
Lin Yi pursed her lips, "I hid it before, but I haven't drunk it."
This sounded too fake, and she didn't expect Xie Chengnan to believe it. As long as he didn't ask any more questions and was willing to drink it, that would be fine.
Xie Chengnan, however, did not do as she wished, "Why won't you drink?"
"..."
"Because you can't bear to part with it?"
"I'm not reluctant to part with it, I've already had my drink."
Upon hearing this, Xie Chengnan shook the water bag, producing a deep, heavy thud, rather than the weak, clear sound of a half-empty bottle rattling – it was clearly full of water.
A fleeting moment of embarrassment at being exposed passed through Lin Yi, but he continued calmly, "It was what I drank earlier."
Xie Chengnan nodded, and made a move to open the pouch. Under Lin Yi's expectant gaze, which finally put his mind at ease, he tilted his head back and took a swig.
The clear water slid down his throat, like nectar seeping into his tongue, bringing a long-lost coolness, but before it could reach his limbs and bones, it disappeared without a trace. His body clamored for more, but Xie Chengnan only took one sip before setting the water pouch aside and beckoning Lin Yi over.
Although Lin Yi was puzzled, he still walked to his side and was pulled close by the back of his neck.
Xie Chengnan's calluses on his fingers were even rougher than before, and he scraped her lower lip mercilessly.
It made the already dry and chapped lips even drier and itchier.
His own lips, however, were glistening with moisture from just having drunk water, making one's heart flutter.
"When did you drink it?" His voice was flat, but Lin Yi felt that he was about to get angry.
Looking away guiltily, Lin Yi continued to make up a lie without much confidence: "Just before you came back."
Xie Chengnan withdrew his hand from her lips, while his other hand, gripping her neck, tightened its hold. "Is that so..."
Lin Yi hissed in pain, then his lips were sealed, followed by Xie Chengnan's bite.
It really was a bite; not too painful, but definitely not comfortable. Lin Yi turned his head away slightly, only to have his neck grabbed and turned back.
Even if you give me your water... even if you give me your life... I won't be moved, and I won't feel happy.
"No one...nothing and no one can make you give up your will to live, not even me...do you understand?"
Xie Chengnan's approach was fierce; he had never been so fierce before.
The desert was too dry, and with her nose blocked, Lin Yi had been breathing through her mouth for days. With her lips and teeth blocked, her brain was somewhat oxygen-deprived. At first, she tried to avoid it, but realizing she couldn't escape, she could only passively endure it.
The slight dampness on his lips quickly evaporated and disappeared, leaving his breath even drier and hotter than before, almost burning Lin Yi when their lips touched.
She heard Xie Chengnan asking her a question, and she heard every word he said, but her head was spinning, and she couldn't understand what he meant at all. She could only nod haphazardly in response to his questioning.
Voices could be heard outside the tent, as if someone was looking for someone.
Lin Yi was startled and her hands, which had been wrapped around his neck, tightened instantly.
Xie Chengnan did not let go of her immediately, but took another bite until Lin Yi tasted the blood, at which point he pulled back slightly.
Xie Chengnan lowered his eyes to look at her face, which was so close to his own, and asked, "...Did you remember?"
Lin Yi was a little confused, but when he heard the urging voices outside, he quickly nodded: "I'll remember."
Xie Chengnan then released her.
His warmth suddenly vanished from her side, but the heat on Lin Yi's face lingered for a long time.
She finally understood why the heroines in those romance stories always seemed unable to handle the hero's kisses.
That's amazing!
Fortunately, the person who came quickly distracted her, and she wasn't embarrassed for long.
Because soldiers discovered a water source nearby, Gu Shuan had doubts and asked Lin Yi, a military doctor, to go and take a look.
The liquid is clear and transparent, and at first glance it appears colorless and odorless, looking exactly like plain water.
But after hearing Gu Shuan's description, neither she nor Xie Chengnan would naively believe that this was a blessing from heaven.
"Don't drink it yet, leave it to me. I'll deliver the results within one to two hours at most."
She looked serious.
Gu Shuan saw this and wanted to say something, but ultimately gave up: "Okay."
After everyone else had left, Lin Yi took out the thinnest silver needle and inserted it into the bowl.
"As expected..." The silver needle was silvery-white and seemed to be free of poison, but the range of silver needles for testing poison is extremely limited. The fact that the silver needle did not change color also ruled out the possibility of sulfides in the water.
If only we had test strips...
Lin scooped up a handful of water, held it to his nose, and sniffed it carefully, catching a faint smell of rusty money.
Her almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly. Was it copper salt?
Lin Yixin had just made a guess when a line of text flashed before his eyes, seemingly in response from the system: [The sweat on bronze utensils is poisonous, causing malignant sores and internal carbuncles.]
This is recorded in the section on metals and minerals in the Compendium of Materia Medica.
If it really is copper poisoning, then it shouldn't be that someone deliberately poisoned it... Could there be a copper mine under that lake? Or is it a mineral lake in itself, with copper ore seeping in and naturally containing copper in the water!
Lin Yi rolled up his sleeve and wiped the water on the inside of his wrist.
She is allergic to metal jewelry other than gold and silver. Someone gave her a bracelet mixed with brass and lied to her that it was pure gold. Lin Yi developed a rash after wearing it for a short time.
Half a quarter of an hour later, sure enough, his wrist began to swell and turn red. Lin Yi wasn't worried about his allergic reaction at all; on the contrary, he was very happy. Knowing what was in the water meant he could treat the problem effectively!
Alum, charcoal, loess... if loess is unavailable, yellow sand will do, and felt is also an option...
Lin Yi first took a few pieces of red-hot charcoal from the charcoal basin, crushed them, and put them into the water. Then he gently stirred it to allow the charcoal to fully absorb the copper ions in the water.
She didn't learn this knowledge from books, but from her chemistry teacher. The teacher even joked that if the ancients had known this method, they could have prevented water sources from being poisoned, protected themselves from the risk of cholera due to a lack of clean water when surviving in the wild, and greatly increased life expectancy.
At the time, everyone just laughed it off and moved on.
If someone had told Lin Yi that she would one day actually need to use this knowledge in her life, she definitely wouldn't have believed it. Now, she's just incredibly grateful that she didn't lose focus during that class.
Xie Chengnan watched from the side. The more he looked, the more he realized that his wife really could do everything.
Because of the water shortage, the march was temporarily suspended. The army's main objective was to find water. Now that water had been found, Xie Chengnan, having nothing to do, sat on the couch and watched Lin Yi filter from a distance.
After watching for a while, I felt that it was too far away to watch her properly, so I moved the cushion next to her and focused on watching her movements while silently counting her good points in my mind.
He can cure diseases and save lives, he can cure poisonous insects, and he can analyze whether there is a problem with the water...
Xie Chengnan's gaze moved from his fingers to her face. Hmm, she's pretty too.
She has a pretty good temper.
Then... his gaze fell on the lips he had just kissed not long ago.
It feels very soft to kiss.
Is it pretty?
Lin Yi was focused on the changes in water quality and didn't even look up.
Xie Chengnan showed no embarrassment at being caught peeking, and even leaned closer, saying, "It's beautiful."
Lin Yi's hand trembled slightly as he stirred the mixture.
"Don't get so close." She'll get distracted.
"Oh," Xie Chengnan obediently moved a little distance away, "Is this alright?"
"……Can."
Then Xie Chengnan obediently maintained that distance and did not get any closer, but his eyes remained fixed on Lin Yi and did not look away even for a moment.
The resources available in the desert are limited, and the filtration effect may be greatly reduced. To be on the safe side, it is necessary to filter it again. Lin Yi thought for a moment about what else could be used as a substitute.
The prolonged period of intense concentration was mentally taxing. Lin Yi pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a strange sense of urgency, as if he were rushing to finish a research project during his graduate studies.
Xie Chengnan had been watching her closely. When he saw her stop, he asked, "Are you tired? Are you almost done?"
"Almost there."
Realizing that this person had spent an unusually long time beside him today, Lin Yi asked him, "Are you very free?"
These words had a hint of dismissing him, and Xie Chengnan wrinkled his nose: "I'm not free, I'm busy taking care of my wife."
Before Lin Yi could scold him for being unserious and irresponsible, he quickly changed the subject: "However, if there is anything that my wife needs me to do for her, then I can take a break."
Xie Chengnan went outside and dug up a handful of sand and pebbles, and also took a bundle of hay from the cooking camp.
These were all Lin Yi's requests, and although he didn't understand them, he still did as he was told.
Lin Yi fiddled with the newly acquired materials for a long time before finally feeling that everything was fine.
"Although it looks troublesome, all the water that goes into our mouths still has to go through this process. But I've made a water filter, so I don't need to replace it for a while. Just pour the water in and let it drain by itself..."
She had unexpectedly experienced the life of a water filter manufacturer, and she was truly exhausted and thirsty. Looking at the half-bowl of filtered water, she was about to put it in her mouth.
"Wait a minute," Xie Chengnan called out to her.
"Um?"
"Let me try it for you first." After saying that, he picked up the bowl of water and drank it all in one gulp.
Lin Yi knew there was nothing wrong with the water, so he didn't stop him. After watching him finish drinking, he asked, "How was it?"
Xie Chengnan frowned.
Lin Yi's heart skipped a beat. This shouldn't be! The system didn't give any notification, which meant there wasn't any Gu poison listed in the Gu Secret Record. She had filtered very carefully; there shouldn't be any problems.
"It's not as sweet as the one I drank earlier."
"..." The item redeemed in the mall was bottled water, and the signboard slogan was "a little sweet."
But Lin Yi knew that wasn't what he meant at all.
She raised her hand as if to give him a good whack on the head, but then stopped herself. Her scolding made it seem like she was overthinking things, which only played right into his hands.
She turned her head away and ignored him. Xie Chengnan shoved the water pouch into her hand: "Really? Try it?"
Although orders were issued that no one was allowed to drink water before the water source situation was ascertained, some people still couldn't resist their thirst. This is understandable; they were already extremely thirsty, and now that the water was so close, who could resist drinking it?
Lin Yi had finally finished her work when she heard that some soldiers had drunk unfiltered water and were experiencing stomach aches. She had to go and treat them, rushing between medical tents like an ambulance until late at night before she could finally rest. The moment her head touched the straw pillow, she fell into a deep sleep.
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