jdhmnovel Chapter 18 Departure from Nguyen Phong Thanh
Chapter 18 Departure from Nguyen Phong Thanh
Now let's return to Long Chuqing's side.
Zi Guang returned from outside: "Miss, I haven't seen Lord Qingying Qing.
She handed the paper back to Long Chuqing.
She took the order and looked at Ziguang, saying, "Aren't they all here? Where is the Prince? We can give it to him."
"I asked, and the steward said they went out last night and are not in the mansion now."
Since they weren't there, she figured she'd just have to bring it another day. "Okay, I understand. Thank you for making the trip."
Zi Guang shook her head. "It's no trouble at all. It's late, Miss. Let me prepare some hot water for your bath."
"Okay, I'll sit for a while longer. Call me when you're ready."
After washing up, Zi Guang helped Long Chuqing up to the second floor.
At the time, all she wanted was to live in the attic, imagining that she could sometimes sit by the window and leisurely enjoy the scenery.
At the time, I never thought that her leg was injured and that it would be inconvenient for her to go up and down the stairs. What a blunder! Now that it's fixed, I have no choice but to bite the bullet and stay here.
It's just that it's difficult for Ziguang. Damn Qingying, why didn't she remind him back then!
She wasn't being pretentious; she could have gotten up and down by herself, but Ziguang insisted on helping her.
She wondered if Ziguang was secretly laughing at her. She was clearly lame, yet insisted on living upstairs. She could only give an awkward smile.
The next day, as soon as Long Chuqing got up and dressed, Zi Guang brought him hot water and toiletries.
After washing up, she sat in front of the bronze mirror, intending to just tie her hair up casually. Ziguang took the comb from her hand and said, "This servant will comb your hair, Miss."
"Okay, then please comb all of it up for me."
"Then I'll style your hair into a high bun!"
"Anything is fine, as long as it's simple," Long Chuqing replied casually.
This dynasty didn't have many rules or strict regulations for women. Girls could style their hair in whatever way they liked, some half-combed and some fully combed.
After combing her hair, Zi Guang looked at Long Chuqing and smiled, "Miss is so beautiful. Even without makeup, she is so beautiful that it's hard to look away."
Long Chuqing turned around and pinched Zi Guang's cheek: "You have such a sweet tongue."
As soon as I came downstairs, Granny Lin brought me breakfast: millet porridge, steamed buns, and pancakes.
Seeing this, Long Chuqing said to Granny Lin, "Next time, bring your portion of food and we'll eat together. This is Qiushui Pavilion, there aren't so many rules here. I'm not the master of this mansion, I just have some difficulty walking and need to trouble you for a while. Don't be too polite with me otherwise."
Lin Mama said, "Lord Qingying instructed that you should be treated like a mistress, and we servants dare not neglect you."
“He doesn’t come often, so you can all relax.” Long Chuqing said to them gently and earnestly.
Ziguang and Granny Lin exchanged a glance but said nothing.
After having breakfast, Long Chuqing began preparing to brew and make medicine.
The small kitchen has two stoves, which can be used to brew two different kinds of medicine at the same time.
In the pharmacy, she prepared the medicinal herbs according to the prescription in her memory, and called over Granny Lin and Ziguang, asking them to soak them before decocting.
Ziguang and Granny Lin carried the two large baskets of medicinal herbs she had prepared to the small kitchen, poured them into a bucket, and, as Long Chuqing had instructed, added water to cover the herbs.
After soaking the medicinal herbs, she prepared other prescriptions, one for making powder and the other for making pills, both of which required grinding.
Since she had difficulty walking, she could sit and grind the medicine powder. Ziguang and Granny Lin also came to help after preparing the water.
The two of them moved the herbs and tools into the yard and placed them in a shady spot, out of the sun. The three of them then sat in the yard and got busy.
As Zi Guang ground the herbs, she couldn't help but ask curiously, "Miss, what are these herbs for?"
Long Chuqing glanced at Ziguang, her hands still moving, and explained to her, "The herbs we're grinding now are for making pills, which have analgesic effects. The ones you and Granny Lin soaked earlier are for making ointment."
Zi Guang asked in surprise, "Since you can make medicine, do you also know medicine?"
Long Chuqing nodded.
"Wow, you're amazing! When you're done with your work, could you take my pulse and see if there's anything wrong with my body?"
Granny Lin, who was standing nearby, said, "What kind of problem could a little girl like you have? If anyone has a problem, it's this old woman like me."
Long Chuqing smiled and said, "If you are not feeling unwell, you don't need to see me, but I can take a look at you in a little while."
Five or six days passed, during which Xiao Han and Qing Tong Qingying were not seen, and even Doctor Yuan was nowhere to be found.
Six days ago
That evening, in the study of Qinli Courtyard, Qingying rushed in to report: "Your Highness, we have found the whereabouts of the Miao holy maiden Danzhu. She has appeared in Ruanfeng City."
The study was brightly lit, and Xiao Han sat at his desk reading. In the candlelight, the contours of his face were smooth and three-dimensional, with an attractive profile, and the candlelight reflected in his eyes.
Upon hearing the report, he closed the book in his hand, looked up and ordered, "Pack your things immediately and head to Ruan Feng City. Have our men continue to keep watch, but be careful not to act rashly."
Subsequently, several fast horses left the Qin Prince's residence.
Doctor Yuan naturally did not go with them. After learning that Xiao Han would be leaving for a few days, he returned to his pharmacy and went to study the prescription that Long Chuqing had given him.
They set off at night, riding at breakneck speed, with only brief rests along the way, and finally arrived in Nguyen Phong Thanh on the afternoon of the third day.
Inside a guesthouse, Xiao Han, travel-worn, sat at the table, listening to his subordinates' report.
Qingyang reported: "Danzhu stayed in the inn for the past two days without going out or making any moves. Yesterday at noon, Danzhu's maid went to the Mo family. In the evening, they went to the Ghost Market. After they entered a casino, we lost them and haven't seen them come out since."
"The people who were guarding outside the inn this morning said they went back. There should be another exit from the casino, they left from another place. Our people received information that they are going to the ghost market tonight."
After hearing the report, Xiao Han instructed, "Keep an eye on things, but don't get too close to avoid being discovered. You may leave now."
Qingyang withdrew in response.
After the messenger left, Qing Tong looked at Xiao Han, whose face was full of fatigue, and said with concern, "It's still early, Your Highness, you may take a bath and rest first."
Xiao Han looked at the bronze-clad figure before him, and the several guards who, like him, looked travel-worn. "Well, you can all go and rest too!"
"Yes," the crowd responded and withdrew.
After traveling for almost two days and two nights, everyone looked exhausted. Xiao Han was also looking weary. He took a bath, tidied himself up, and then rested.
Since we still have to work tonight, there's no point in thinking about it now; it's better to get some rest first.
At 9 PM, Xiao Han and his group disguised themselves and left the inn. Their bodyguard Qing Yang reported that Dan Zhu and her maid had already set off for the Ghost Market.
When they arrived at the entrance to the Ghost Market, Danzhu had already gone inside, as had the secret guards responsible for tracking them.
The entrance to the ghost market is in a dilapidated general store, in an abandoned well in the backyard, with a hidden door at the bottom of the well.
The group went down into the abandoned well one after another. Qingyang knocked on the stone door, first knocking four times and then tapping it three times.
A deep, aged voice came from inside, "Do you need a light since it's dark?"
Qingyang replied: "Don't light the lamp"
A deep, aged voice came again, "Why light the lamp?"
Qingyang replied again: "A blind man doesn't light a lamp."
These codes were purchased by the secret guards; officials were generally not allowed to enter the Ghost Market.
The hidden door slowly opened, revealing an old man with gray hair and a fierce expression. As a fellow martial artist, one could sense the strong internal energy emanating from him. After all, this was the Ghost Market, and anyone guarding the gate here was no ordinary person.
The old man slowly spoke: "Which sect are you from, and what brings you here?"
Qingyang said obsequiously, "I'm just a peddler passing through, thinking I'd like to find some good stuff."
He then tossed a gold ingot to the old man, saying, "Please be lenient, sir."
The old man took the gold, bit it, glanced at the crowd, and said, "Go inside, and don't cause trouble."
“No, that won’t happen,” the group then walked inside.
The Ghost Market is located on the outskirts of Nguyen Phung Thanh. During the day, it looks like an inconspicuous old street. It used to be a slum, but later many outsiders came and settled in this area.
All sorts of people came, good and bad. As more people came, including some wealthy ones, the slum gradually improved its environment and living conditions, grew in size, and was managed, eventually forming the ghost market we know today.
The ghost market at night was dimly lit, and before midnight it was already bustling with people, a chaotic mix of all sorts.