Chapter 50 Nianchen: "This Gu has no cure."
Pei Xiaoyun felt a chill in her heart, and a scarlet fire ignited in her eyes.
Shen Chun! How dare you kidnap his people!
He deeply regretted not shooting an arrow through Shen Chun's head back then.
At the same time, his temples throbbed, and his heart felt heavy. He shouldn't have agreed to let Mingying go alone.
Did Shen Chun kidnap her out of revenge, or did she think he had the blueprints and wanted to use Mingying to threaten him?
"Reorganize the troops," he said coldly.
"My lord, Chen Chun's troops have retreated to Haikou."
The navy, which was mainly composed of men skilled in water combat, was undoubtedly the most advantageous force in the navy.
Sending troops rashly would likely result in a difficult battle.
Pei Xiaoyun's temple throbbed, and he repeated, "Gather the troops and go quickly."
He could have waited for the blueprints to increase his chances of success before taking action, but Chen Chun was tired of living and tried to cross his bottom line first.
The thought of Mingying made him realize he couldn't wait any longer.
In Haikou, near Qingshui Bay, strong winds whipped up terrifying hurricane waves.
Chen Chun stood on the boat, hands behind his back, his face grave.
Looking at the approaching warships in the distance, stretching for thousands of miles, a dark and imposing mass, his eyelids twitched uncontrollably.
He grabbed his subordinate by the collar and roared, "I'm asking you, did you get the blueprints from Shen Mingshu?"
He never expected that instead of receiving the blueprints, he would attract Pei Xiaoyun's attention.
It must be Shen Mingshu who saved the person and then tried to frame Shen Chun.
The subordinate's voice was muffled in the strong wind: "Reporting to the lord, he said that in three days, after they have safely left Hangzhou, he will tell them where the blueprints are hidden. He said that if Pei Xiaoyun catches up with them, he will destroy the blueprints."
"You bastard!" Shen Chun kicked his subordinate in the chest.
Now, he was in a bind, having attracted Pei Xiaoyun's troops, and had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.
The subordinate got up and said, "Sir, why don't we be honest with Pei Xiaoyun's men and tell them that we didn't capture his woman, and make him withdraw his troops!"
Shen Chun's eyes were sunken as he pondered for a long time. "He won't retreat easily. There's no need to say anything. If he wants to fight, then fight him."
Both he and Pei Xiaoyun understood that this battle was inevitable sooner or later.
Besides, what if Shen Mingshu really does have the blueprints?
He's only a step away from Clearwater Bay; once he gets the blueprints, he'll surely be able to take over the entire Jiangnan region.
With war raging in Hangzhou and Haikou, Pei Xiaoyun had already ordered the people not to go out to avoid being affected by the fighting.
To avoid causing unrest, the city gates of Hangzhou were also closed that day.
As evening fell, twilight descended.
A speeding carriage was a step too slow and was intercepted as the city gates closed.
Shen Mingshu had no choice but to take Mingying back to the oil shop to hide.
The hidden shop was dimly lit, with a small table, two small stools, and a ceramic stove warming medicinal wine.
The brother and sister came out of East Street and, before they could even exchange a few pleasantries, headed straight for the city gate to leave the city. Only now were they able to catch their breath.
Mingying used a damp towel to take out the medicinal wine from the stove and bandage Shen Mingshu's hand wound.
"Brother, bear with it, it might hurt a little."
Since her last separation from her brother, it felt like three autumns had passed. Seeing her family openly and honestly again filled her with indescribable excitement, and her hands moved as lightly as feathers.
"Go inside and put on some clothes." Shen Mingshu touched her cold fingertips. "I can do it myself, it won't hurt."
He felt a lump of coarse sand stuck in his throat, making it difficult to speak. Looking into her eyes, his nose tingled with a soreness.
"How have you been these days? Has he been bullying you?"
I met her once in the attic that day, and then went to the northwest to fight the enemy, without even saying goodbye to her.
He was a terrible older brother who failed in his duty, unable to protect her and now unable to settle scores with those who bullied him.
Mingying shook her head, her eyes reddening.
Shen Mingshu felt extremely uncomfortable.
He noticed that she had become quieter than when they last met, and there was always a hazy mist in her eyes, making her no longer pure and lovely.
He clenched his fist and made a silent vow.
This time, he was determined to take her away and escape from that terrible madwoman, Pei Xiaoyun.
"Aying, don't worry, your brother will take you away from Hangzhou."
More than anyone else, he hoped that Pei Xiaoyun and Shen Chun would fight to the death and both suffer heavy losses.
Because people stayed indoors, rice and grain shops were closed everywhere, and oil shops were just empty shells, serving only two simple bowls of plain noodles for dinner.
A few bright green scallions and a poached egg float on the snow-white noodles.
Shen Mingshu picked up an egg from his bowl and gave it to Mingying. "Eat up. Hangzhou has been quite turbulent these past few days, but people need to survive, and the city gates won't stay closed forever. I'm sure we'll be able to leave in a few more days."
After saying that, she added, "I remember you loved the eggs in Yangchun noodles the most. Every time your mother made Yangchun noodles, she would fry two eggs for you, and you would eat them all up."
The family lived in an alley in Yangzhou City. How long ago was that?
As he spoke, his eyes welled up with tears.
Mingying's fingers tightened as she gripped the chopsticks, a slight throbbing pain shooting through her head, and layers of blurry images appeared before her eyes.
My brother's words were like ethereal, illusory clouds.
She couldn't break free from the shackles in front of her, nor could she retrieve what was sealed away.
But her heart was conscious, and with each throbbing pain, tears fell into the bowl.
Seeing her like this, Shen Mingshu thought that mentioning her parents had reminded her of what happened back then, so he immediately changed the subject: "Aying, did you see the sachet I gave you? Lin Xian is still alive, did you know? My people said they saw him, and they should be able to find him soon."
Mingying nearly spilled her bowl. Her chest was cramping with pain, and every breath felt like being pricked by needles. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and asked, "Brother, who exactly is Lin Xian? Is she a very important person? Why... why don't I remember anything you said?"
Shen Mingshu suddenly slammed his chopsticks down, staring at her in shock. Her eyes were filled with gloom, like two dried-up wells, empty and dark.
“Aying, what’s wrong? Don’t you remember your parents? Don’t you remember Lin Xian? You were married to him, he was your husband.”
With a loud crash, the bowl and the noodle soup spilled onto the floor...
Mingying was struggling against a large hand that was binding her, trying to lift the murky clouds in the sky, but to no avail.
"I was married to him? Was he my husband?"
But Pei Xiaoyun told her that he would marry her, and that he was the only one in the world who loved her.
"Aying, what's wrong with you!" Shen Mingshu felt a chill run down his spine as he recalled that her expression was also off.
How could she suddenly lose her memory?
How could she forget so many important people?
"Did Pei Xiaoyun do something to you?!" His eyes were bloodshot, and he slammed his fist on the table.
It must be him. What despicable and vile means did he use to turn Ah Ying into this?
Mingying was going crazy. One clear face after another flashed through her mind, but no matter how they changed, they all looked like Pei Xiaoyun.
She didn't know when it started, but his face had been deeply etched into her mind.
"I don't know, I don't know what's wrong with me..."
The longer the time elapsed after the seed of that thought is sown, the deeper its influence on a person becomes.
In the end, the person afflicted by the curse will gradually forget everyone around them, remembering only the one who cast the curse.
That night, Shen Mingshu invited several doctors from across the street to examine her, and all of them unanimously said that she was perfectly healthy and had no illness.
"Please, everyone, take a good look at my sister again." Shen Mingshu was extremely anxious, pestering the doctors, "If there are no symptoms, how could she suddenly lose her memory of someone?"
An elderly doctor examined Mingying's features more closely and sighed, "Young master, your sister is not ill. Judging from her appearance, it seems as if she has been poisoned by a curse."
Mingying's pupils dilated in shock.
Poisoned?
Pei Xiaoyun has been fighting against Shen Chun for a day and a night.
Late at night, he sat on the boat, amidst the roaring waves, and suddenly seemed to be deep in thought.
He was somewhat overwhelmed by Mingying's disappearance.
Shen Chun captured her people, but neither made any threats nor took any action. Was she just courting death, hoping to force him to send troops sooner?
His knuckles, which were tapping the table, suddenly stopped, and he called Xing Wei in.
"Master, what are your orders?"
"Did you see clearly? It was Shen Chun's men who hijacked the carriage?" Pei Xiaoyun asked her.
Xing Wei was still recovering from his injuries and his face was pale. When he heard him ask about this, his breathing became slightly heavy, and he said, "I didn't see the person clearly either, but I did see the arrow that the person left behind. The words of the Governor's Mansion were indeed engraved on the arrow shaft."
Pei Xiaoyun thought of the arrow, and suddenly smiled coldly, his eyes flashing with icy light: "Just a smokescreen."
The person who hijacked the carriage added unnecessary details; his true intention was not what he intended.
Who exactly is it?
Whom is Shen Chun keeping secret for?
Suddenly, he thought of someone: the only person with this ability was Shen Mingshu.
This man couldn't stay in the Northwest; he came back and ruined his plans.
He crushed the cup in his hand, hoping that Mingying and her brother were plotting against him again, rather than that she had actually been kidnapped by some villain.
"Go dig three feet into the ground and find it for me."
In addition, he sent someone to call out to Shen Chun, saying that as long as he revealed Ming Ying's whereabouts, he would temporarily withdraw his troops, giving him a chance to prolong his life.
But Chen Chun, mindful of the three-day deadline, refused to back down and led his troops in a stubborn resistance.
—
A battle was raging at sea, while wounded soldiers recuperated in the city. The city's traditional Chinese medicine clinics were overflowing with patients, and long queues had formed.
He Lianqing couldn't stay idle at home, so he came to the street to provide free medical treatment for the wounded. Listening to the sounds of fighting and battle not far away, he sighed, wondering how long this war would last.
Shen Mingshu would always disguise himself and go out to gather information during the day, so Mingying would follow his instructions, lock the doors and windows, and stay home alone.
She still couldn't remember who Lin Xian, the person her brother had mentioned, was or what she looked like.
She could only write down the person's name and what had happened between them that her brother had told her, and read it over and over on paper, hoping to remember something, but to no avail; it was all a blank.
"Knock knock knock—"
There was a knock on the door, three long knocks followed by one short knock; this was the secret signal her brother and she had agreed upon.
She got up and opened the door, and saw Shen Mingshu bringing in a familiar person.
"Dr. He." Upon seeing He Lianqing this time, her mind went blank. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "How come it's you?"
Memories of He Lianqing slowly surfaced in my mind.
She realized that he had helped her time and time again, and was her most precious friend.
He Lianqing met Shen Mingshu while treating the wounded.
Even though Shen Mingshu was wearing a bamboo hat, only revealing his eyes, he recognized him. As soon as he saw him, he knew that Mingying must be with her brother and was safe at the moment.
Both were intelligent people, so they avoided the crowd before approaching each other to speak.
Shen Mingshu not only inquired about the battle situation in the city, but also sought medical advice everywhere. Knowing that He Lianqing was a highly skilled doctor, he guessed that he might be able to cure Mingying's Gu poison, so he brought him home.
“It’s Nianchen San. Pei Xiaoyun used this kind of Gu on her back in Xuzhou.” He Lianqing said with difficulty, looking at Mingying and her brother.
Ever since he heard about this kind of Gu from Xingwei, he has searched through medical books, hoping to find a way to cure it.
He Lianqing continued, "This Gu is called Nianchen, or Wangchen. It refers to the person who cast the Gu, and the person who forgets it is all the people and things that caused them pain in the past. As time goes by, the Gu poison deepens in the body, and the person affected by the Gu will gradually forget everyone except the person who cast the Gu, and will be devoted to the person who cast the Gu."
Shen Mingshu felt a surge of hatred in his chest and punched the wall. He wanted nothing more than to skin Pei Xiaoyun alive.
He said he would take good care of Ah Ying, and this is how he hurt her?!
"That beast!"
Upon hearing that she had been infected with such a curse, Mingying felt a chill run through her body and bit her lip tightly.
No wonder she became irresistible to Pei Xiaoyun's words; no wonder she forgot many people and couldn't remember them no matter what.
No wonder, when my hatred for him arises, it's as if it's instantly extinguished by something.
She clenched her fists tightly, beginning to hate herself for this.
"Is there a way to break this curse?" She slowly shifted her gaze, examining it closely, her eyes as if covered by a thick mirror.
“This Gu poison…” He Lianqing lowered his head, his voice heavy as the rain drowned out his words, “is incurable.”
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