Chapter 84 Skin Thirst Syndrome? : Have you ever had it? (Change the form of address)
In the eleventh year of Jianxing of the Dayong era, the Yeman invaded the border, and the commander of the thirteen battalions of the Northern Yan was ordered to meet them in battle.
In the spring of the twelfth year of Jianxing, the war was somewhat settled. The thirty-six tribes of Yeman were running out of manpower and their decline was evident. The Yeman king was willing to negotiate peace.
In April of the same year, Emperor Jianxing sent a military supervisor to the Northern Yan camp to assist the commanders of the thirteen Northern Yan camps in discussing a truce alliance with the thirty-six tribes of the Yeman.
The fourth prince, Prince Xin, was greatly favored by the emperor, who proposed that he should be made crown prince. The appointment was made soon, and the emperor also sent his retainers to accompany him and supervise the army.
In late April in the north, a caravan of horses walked across the black mud covered with a thin layer of snow. The bells hanging around the horses' necks jingled. After the caravan passed the winding official road and turned into a side road, it disappeared, leaving behind only a mess of hoofprints.
Once you enter the mountain path, the temperature drops even further.
It's much colder here than in the imperial city of Yongdu. In Yongdu, when people still wear light clothing and go out for spring outings, here you don't even dare to stick your hands out of your fox fur coat, for fear that they'll freeze stiff and fall off with a tap.
It's especially cold in Wuzhou today.
"Stop! Stop! Everyone stop!"
The caravan was abruptly stopped, causing a commotion as people and horses stumbled. A nimble eunuch jumped down from the carriage to replace the incense burner inside.
A gray cloth carriage also stopped by the roadside. As the girl in red lifted the curtain and jumped out, heart-wrenching coughs drifted out through the gap.
Along with it came a strong medicinal smell.
The carriage entourage and guards instinctively moved away from the area, their expressions inscrutable.
In front of the unassuming gray cloth carriage, there was another carriage, three times wider than the gray cloth carriage, divided into inner and outer layers, with eight attendants serving it.
The carriage was decorated entirely with luxurious fabrics, and its upturned eaves were adorned with jade tassels, making it magnificent and splendid.
Four horses wearing jade-inlaid bridles stood in a row, trampling the gray cloth carriage, which was pulled by only one horse, into the ground.
According to their positions, the military supervisor should be first, and the Prince Xin's retainer second. They shouldn't be avoided like this.
But the guest fell ill a few days after boarding the train. He stayed ill the whole way, never showing his face. He had the name but never actually met anyone, so who would bother with him?
"Godfather, the hot water bottle is ready for you. Be careful not to burn your hands."
"The head of Yihaotang boasted that there was no poison in the world that she couldn't cure, but now she can't even cure her own tuberculosis and is coughing all day long." The thin eunuch in the crimson robe sat at the head of the table and reached out to take the hot water bottle wrapped in silk.
A young-looking eunuch in blue served tea and said obsequiously, "It's just empty talk. How can it compare to what you do, which is all down-to-earth and practical? Even His Majesty, who can't do without you, has to send you here personally to oversee the battle."
The supervising eunuch was satisfied and sipped his hot tea.
Gradually, the noise inside the gray carriage subsided, and no one paid any attention, assuming that the prince's guest had coughed and fallen asleep again.
If the little girl in red were still inside, she would have been screaming and shouting. It's much quieter now.
From the moment they set off, this guest of the Prince's mansion never stopped talking. It wasn't that she was talkative; she simply couldn't speak. It was that she coughed all day long.
If one day you don't see her little maid carrying out bloody water, everyone would probably think the sun has risen in the west.
Before the incense burner returned, the supervising eunuch withdrew his outstretched leg and waved away the little eunuch who had been massaging his leg; he was cold.
Just as the smoke was getting irritating, the annoying coughing sound started again. It turned out that the person who had coughed unconscious had woken up again.
"Cough cough cough—"
The slender figure huddled in the fox fur coat stirred, her parched throat burning. She tried to find some water to moisten her throat, but all she could do was cough.
The urge came quickly and intensely, causing her to cough until her eyes ached and tears streamed down her face; she almost coughed up her lungs.
The person who was struggling pressed down on the edge of the bed, grabbed something to cover her mouth without thinking, coughed, and the next moment, the fabric in her palm became warm and turned blackish-red.
She looked down at the white cloth in her hand, her dark gray eyes completely still, as if veiled by a thin mist. She couldn't see what was stained with blood on her hand, but she did see the teapot on the tea table beside her.
There is water.
She casually tossed aside the white cloth in her hand and almost pounced on the tea table. Her thin, pale fingers touched the purple clay teapot, and the heavy feel of it comforted her—there really was water inside.
She was so thirsty that she would drink it all, even if it contained arsenic mixed with hot water.
Those who thought this way did just that, disregarding the fact that their fox fur coat had fallen off, their thin backs taut, as they rolled up their wide sleeves to pour water.
After taking a sip of strong tea, which was so strong it was bitter, it was indeed very effective at refreshing the mind. The tea was icy cold, as if she had swallowed a block of ice that had just been taken out of an ice cellar.
As she swallowed repeatedly, a chill ran from her throat to her internal organs, making her shiver. Her chaotic thoughts suddenly regained some clarity.
After a while, the swaying man managed to take another sip, extinguishing the fire in his internal organs and gradually calming the restless blood in his body.
It's not that the tea is too cold, it's that my lungs and heart are too hot.
“No normal person would have such a burning heart; it must be poisoning.” A hoarse voice rang out from inside the carriage.
"Yes, it was poisoning. The original owner didn't survive the poisoning and died." A mournful voice sounded beside her, and Xi Congshuang, who was no longer deaf in her right ear, turned her head to look.
Red Apple continued softly, "Hehe, you're finally awake."
Xi Congshuang: "..."
The two men looked at each other, wondering if it was just their imagination, but the red apple didn't seem as bright as before.
Yes, in the past.
After asking that question, Xi Congshuang remembered everything; she remembered everything.
This involves the issue of breaking contracts. Although she occasionally has a human-like mental state, she is very particular about keeping her promises and will do what she has agreed to.
But now.
Xi Congshuang: "I thought you would convince me with a better reason instead of returning the way you came... Your protection is a bit weak."
This statement sounds like a shift of responsibility, but to be honest, Red Apple has no way to refute it.
The red apple conjured up a display screen for itself, showing a crying emoji TT.
Xi Congshuang asked helplessly, "Is there any way to take it back?"
Whether she has memories or not doesn't affect her judgment. It's not that she doesn't care; rather, she can distinguish her choices regardless of whether she remembers or not.
If possible, the red apple shouldn't react this way.
Red Apple's crying emoji is enlarged and bolded: "Our main god is very easygoing, and the same goes for the rules. Once you remember something, you have to give it back. You can't keep taking it back."
"Because she said, 'If you can remember it the first time, you can remember it the second time. Explaining it is too troublesome, so forget it.'"
Xi Congshuang: "It really is all about fate."
She couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't ask again if she thought of it a second time; given her way of thinking, it would be difficult.
Even the most insensitive person will find it hard to resist asking questions about things concerning themselves.
Doing tasks regardless of cost, and giving up if it doesn't work, is the only way to achieve this.
Why let it encounter such a rebellious person on its first host?
never mind.
After repeating the main god's catchphrase once more, Red Apple wiped away her tears and whispered, "I've saved up less energy, so I'm not as quick when grabbing missions. Therefore, this mission will be a bit more difficult, and we won't eliminate the Honkai value."
Xi Congshuang's heart began to burn again, her throat itched, and her bad premonition grew stronger.
She coughed and asked, "Tell me, what is it?"
Since things have come to this, we should make plans and complete the task as soon as possible.
Red Apple said, "I don't know yet. I snatched a blind box, and I can only open it when the female lead arrives."
Blind boxes.
"..."
After these words, a brief silence fell inside the carriage. Through the carriage wall, one could hear the coachman feeding the horses and the shrill voice of a man ordering his men around.
What is most frightening is not the concrete existence, but the unknown. The unknown enriches the imagination and can terrify people even before it arrives, filling their minds with only the worst possible outcome.
Xi Congshuang retrieved the teapot, drank most of the strong tea, forcibly suppressed the drowsiness that made her want to faint, and barely managed to get her reason back on track.
She caught her breath, grabbed the fox fur coat from her leg and wrapped it around herself, then opened a crack in the carriage window to look outside.
The howling wind outside immediately slipped into the carriage through the gaps, and Xi Congshuang felt a tickle in her throat, her burning internal organs stirring again. She immediately lowered the support pole.
In just a few glances, she had already seen the situation outside.
The carriage she was riding in was in the middle of nowhere. It was still early, and it had just snowed, leaving a layer of snow on the bare branches.
There's no need to worry about safety; there are many people around, surrounding the carriage in front of her.
Looking at it this way, the carriage he was riding in was also within the protection zone, so his status couldn't be too low.
Those resting nearby were all wearing armor and carrying weapons. Some were cavalrymen feeding their horses, while others were attendants chatting and laughing in twos and threes. They were all fair-skinned, beardless, and had high-pitched voices.
If someone were fleeing for their life, they wouldn't be in such a relaxed and carefree state, and there's no need to worry about their safety for the time being.
Back in the carriage, Xi Congshuang looked around. It wasn't very big, only big enough for two people to lie down. But the furnishings were quite nice, with fine fox fur and a purple clay teapot. Even in the middle of nowhere, one could enjoy delicate snacks.
She shifted her legs, revealing the complete tiger skin mat beneath her.
Xi Congshuang silently moved back. It was too cruel; it completely extinguished any possibility of her still existing in modern society.
Pulling open the low table compartment revealed a set of jade chess pieces, black and white, placed in two jade bowls. Below the bowls was the chessboard, and further inside were other pastimes.
Xi Congshuang also found several books under her pillow. Judging from the rough edges of the pages, they must have been read many times.
The pages with the most rough edges are those about herbs, the most annotated are those about highly toxic herbs, and the cleanest pages are those about life-saving medicines.
Xi Congshuang raised an eyebrow, thinking to herself that she might have been dressed up as a poison master.
No, it's also possible that they're looking for an antidote to the poison in their body.
Compared to the luxurious carriages in front, the carriage she was in looked simple, but it was actually small and exquisite.
Who would use a simple and unassuming appearance to conceal a precious inner quality? It's most likely someone who can't openly use their talents and abilities, because doing so would be overstepping their bounds.
In ancient times, there was a clear class distinction: scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. Those with a lot of money but low social status were only merchants.
"..."
Xi Congshuang suddenly had a premonition that she was someone's sucker. A sickly merchant with poor health, in ancient times, wouldn't that be a money bag with low attack and low defense, leaking money with the slightest touch?
Her silence was brief, less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Her pale face pondered for a moment before she finally turned her gaze to the red apple.
Red Apple asked, "Are you feeling better now?"
Xi Congshuang: "I'm feeling better. Please send me my identity information first."
Being in an unfamiliar place, all she can do now is try to understand the situation. Holding onto her weak heart and waiting for a solution won't work; she'll only be terrified by her imagination.
I don't know if it was because my head was already hurting, but this time I didn't feel too uncomfortable receiving my identity. I just suddenly felt nauseous and wanted to open my mouth and vomit my heart. After drinking the rest of the strong tea, I felt much better.
As for the snacks in front of her, she didn't touch them. She knew without even trying that she would spit them out after just one bite.
My thoughts weren't too far off from Xi Congshuang's.
This is an alternate history, the country is called Yong, and the current emperor's reign title is Jianxing. Xi Congshuang, who was stuffed into the caravan heading to the battlefield, is a commoner with no official rank.
She had two identities in society. One was a retainer of Prince Xin, the emperor's most favored fourth son, who was ordered to assist the supervising eunuch. In reality, she was the supervising eunuch's brains.
His second identity is even less known, and the prefix is a bit long: he is the master of the renowned Poison Doctor, a highly sought-after figure in the martial arts world, the abandoned disciple of the Valley Master of Medicine Valley, and the Hall Master of Yihao Hall, whose name is only heard but whose person is never seen.
Logically, someone of that status should continue to be wealthy, powerful, and famous in Yihaotang, and might even be sought after by the imperial court. They shouldn't be trying to curry favor with the royal power and being trampled on for no reason.
But she insisted on siding with the imperial court, even becoming a retainer of Prince Xin. Now, she has to drag her sickly body to the battlefield of Northern Yan, almost killing herself in the process.
No, she's already driven herself to her death.
Xi Congshuang remained silent, looking down at her pale, bloodless palm. Anyone who saw her would think that she was about to die.
Because of her inappropriate ambitions, the original owner resolutely decided to come to the imperial court. She cured the Princess Xin's strange illness and made a name for herself. She pretended to reveal that she was actually the poison doctor and that her so-called subordinates were just rumors spread on purpose.
Subsequent developments unfolded as she had planned, but she was not in a hurry. While declining offers, she became a highly respected retainer within the Prince Xin's residence.
The good times didn't last long. After witnessing how powerful the original owner of the body was, Prince Xin became afraid.
He was afraid of the original owner's methods, and he was also afraid that the rich, intelligent, and useful retainers would become wild and run away, so he forced her to take poison and swear allegiance. She was not bad either, and she also poisoned Prince Xin.
They poisoned each other with incurable drugs, and then prayed at night that the other would die a quick but not too fast death, and that they would all have a bright future.
Prince Xin, far away in the capital, is unaware that he too has been poisoned and will die sooner or later. He is still dreaming of being named crown prince and ascending the throne smoothly.
Xi Congshuang pondered and said, "The poison I was poisoned with is the most rare poison in the world - Zhuohua. It flares up once a month when the moon is full, damaging the three jiaos. I once tried to use a golden needle to draw out the poison, but it only made the injury worse. I can only take medicine to relieve the symptoms, and there is no cure."
Red Apple knew that Xi Congshuang had something to say to her, so it slowly landed on the table. It didn't feel right to make a patient look up and follow its gaze.
Xi Congshuang sat cross-legged on the couch, wearing a fox fur coat to keep warm. She lowered her neck to relieve some of the throbbing pain in her head, but only slightly.
Now the memories have returned, but the contract with the system remains. Only the memory contract is invalid; the agreement to double the severity of the illness is still in effect.
Xi Congshuang: "But my poison has always been like this, it hasn't gotten any worse, so what's wrong with me?"
Red Apple: "Because you are &￥#..."
Unable to hear the system's clear electronic voice clearly for the first time, Xi Congshuang's mind went blank, and a question mark popped into her head: "What?"
If the red apple could breathe, it would take a few deep breaths to buy time: "...because you have skin hunger."
Xi Congshuang: "".
The red apple, having given up all hope, thought that the energy transformed from memories was an unexpected gain, not something it was entitled to.
It expressed its opinion: "It's actually a good thing that the odds of not getting the more poisonous one were against the odds. Life is so important. With life, we can continue to search for the antidote and have the chance to live longer. Even if it means a third marriage, I will... grit my teeth and support it."
"..."
It really took a lot of gritted teeth.
People's bottom line tends to lower with each passing moment in the face of reality, but I never expected that the system would do the same.
Seeing Xi Congshuang's reaction, Red Apple continued to explain: "I really didn't mean to draw this identity, but it was too difficult. I specifically negotiated conditions to transfer 'Hall Master Xi's' skills and poison to you."
Xi Congshuang: "Let me have some peace and quiet."
Red Apple continued, her head bowed: "With the double dose of symptoms, you'll crave a warm embrace even more, enjoy intimate contact, and have a strong interest in anything involving skin-to-skin contact..."
Xi Congshuang interrupted, "Stop talking, I know."
Red Apple: "...You know?"
Where did you learn these little-known facts?
If the tidbits of knowledge you learn from literature are all used for driving... judging from the amount of mosaics it scanned, this isn't very healthy.
It is a green system, designed by the main god from the very beginning to stay away from all unhealthy thoughts, and the rule is named - "Children should not watch".
But then Xi Congshuang said, "It had all been cured, but I never expected it to recur after time travel."
Red Apple: "???" Wait a minute? What does that mean?
You've had that? Really?
Have you ever had skin hunger?
The ethereal, otherworldly filter has cracked once again.
Red Apple knows Xi Congshuang better than anyone. She may look like a high-class beauty, but nothing she does is related to that. However, her first impression is deeply ingrained in people's minds, and they have always held onto the image of her as an aloof and unapproachable person. Even now, they still subconsciously think that way.
Before Red Apple could continue her shocking speech, the thick curtain of the carriage was lifted, letting in the cold wind. A figure in red slipped in, tied the curtain tightly shut, and prevented anyone from moving.
After thinking about it, she left a gap for ventilation.
Xi Congshuang observed her discreetly.
Judging from her figure, she was a young girl with her black hair parted in two buns and tied with red ribbons, making her look lively and eye-catching.
Despite her slender figure, she was quite strong. She carried a large incense burner in one hand and a lot more in the other: a hot water bottle filled with hot water, a three- or four-layered food box, a red whip made of an indistinct leather, and a packet of medicinal herbs.
She's like a walking saleswoman.
She finished what she was doing, nodded in satisfaction, and turned to come in. But as soon as she turned her head, she saw Xi Congshuang, who had just woken up, sitting on the couch looking at her.
"you……"
The girl in red opened her wide eyes, which were faintly red. Then, she pouted and rushed over with a cry: "Master, you're finally awake! You've been unconscious for the past few days, and Hongdou was terrified."
Xi Congshuang looked at the black head that rushed towards her. Even though the girl was excited, she kept her distance, only touching the edge of the step at most, without going over it even a little bit. She had very precise control.
She asked, "Red Bean, how long have I been sick?"
Lu Hongdou wiped away her tears and looked up. She was only fifteen years old, and her voice was clear and crisp. "The hall master encountered a heavy rain on the second night after he set off from Yongdu. He fell ill after that night and has been in a semi-conscious state for more than a month."
Xi Congshuang then asked, "So where are we?"
Lu Hongdou, unsuspecting, continued, "I heard from the old eunuch's men that this is the Green Duck Road, in the territory of Fuzhou. We will reach Wuzhou in three days, and then the Northern Yan camp in half a day."
After saying that, Lu Hongdou asked worriedly, "Master, are we really going to do as Prince Xin said, go find the commander-in-chief of Northern Yan, and then frame her?"
Hearing this, Xi Congshuang's eyebrows twitched. How could this little girl be so clever one moment and so stupid the next?
Faced with Lu Hongdou's curious gaze, Xi Congshuang could only say, "I haven't decided yet."
She didn't even know whether the Northern Yan commander was round or flat, so how could she have planned to frame him?
Lu Hongdou was adopted by Xi Congshuang when she was a child. She picked her up when she went out to collect herbs and wanted her to be her successor. The abandoned disciple of the Medicine Valley would occasionally miss life in the Medicine Valley.
Who would have thought that she was bad at medicine and poisons, and her eyes would get dizzy just looking at words, but she learned martial arts quickly, so Xi Congshuang found her a martial arts teacher.
She became a master at the age of fourteen, wielding a red butterfly whip that could whip a burly man like a spinning top. This time, she was following the instructions of the second master to take good care of him.
But the head of the hall fell ill as soon as he got on the train. She was so anxious that she almost disobeyed orders and wrote a letter to the second head of the hall for help.
Fortunately, the sect leader woke up. The flustered little girl hurriedly asked, "Let's not talk about this anymore. Is the sect leader hungry? Would you like some porridge?"
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