When Yu Hanjiang returned, he saw Xiao Lou pacing back and forth in the yard with a look of anxiety on his face.
Waking up in the middle of the night, Xiao Lou found that Yu Hanjiang was not beside him. Worried, he went out to look for him, only to find that Captain Yu was nowhere to be found. He was extremely anxious but did not want to make a fuss. His face turned pale and his eyes were full of tension.
Yu Hanjiang immediately went over, took off his cloak and draped it over Xiao Lou's shoulders, and said in a low voice, "Why are you up? It's autumn in Jiangzhou now, and it's so cold at night. Why didn't you wear more clothes when you went out?"
Upon seeing him, Xiao Lou breathed a sigh of relief, her expression softening considerably. She smiled and said, "I was woken up by a nightmare in the middle of the night and came out to look for you, but I couldn't find you. I thought something had happened to you..."
Yu Hanjiang gently put his arm around Xiao Lou's shoulder and carefully tied the sash of his cloak before saying softly, "Don't worry, I'm fine. I was also woken up by a nightmare and went to talk to Ninth Brother."
The advantage of the Absolute Domain card is that it is not limited to a secret room. As long as Yu Hanjiang enters, Lu Jiuchuan can sense him, and the two brothers can meet across the secret room at any time.
Yu Hanjiang and Lu Jiuchuan grew up together and had a deep bond. When Yu Hanjiang encountered trouble as a child, he was too embarrassed to talk to his elders, but he was willing to confide in Lu Jiuchuan. Lu Jiuchuan would often tease him and give him advice. Therefore, when he realized that he liked Xiao Lou, his first thought was to consult Lu Jiuchuan to see if he could get some advice.
Cherish the present.
Having survived the annihilation of Plum Blossom J and struggled to emerge from the Nightmare Secret Room, Lu Jiuchuan's words were a revelation to Yu Hanjiang.
No one can guarantee what will happen next, and no one can predict the dangers of the future. All he can do is "cherish the people in front of him." As long as he can be with Xiao Lou, he should cherish each day and not worry too much.
Thinking of this, Yu Hanjiang's gaze softened as he looked at Xiao Lou: "Are you cold?"
Xiao Lou smiled and shook his head: "It's alright. By the way, did Ninth Brother say anything?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "He said that their secret room incident was a palace drama involving a crown prince's usurpation of the throne, and the plot was very complicated. But it's not very useful for reference, and it's from a completely different world than ours."
Xiao Lou said, "It seems we can only rely on ourselves."
Seeing Yu Hanjiang's calm expression, and recalling the scene of their wedding night reappearing in her dream, Xiao Lou's heart pounded like a drum, but she pretended to be calm on the surface and smiled as she said, "I have something I want to tell you, but no one can hear it."
Yu Hanjiang nodded knowingly.
The next moment, Xiao Lou summoned Qin Guan and connected with him via Telepathic Connection.
Qin Guan's ancient costume makes him look perfectly at home in the ancient world. Moreover, " Telepathic Connection " is a spiritual connection that allows one to transmit their voice without speaking, similar to "telepathic communication" in martial arts novels, and it can still be used in this world.
The two sat under the tree, pretending to admire the moon, and their mental worlds reconnected.
Xiao Lou's voice echoed in Yu Hanjiang's mind: "I just dreamt of many past events and figured out the whole setting. In this world, I am actually a man dressed as a woman."
Yu Hanjiang looked at him tenderly and said, "I dreamt about it too. This setting explains a lot of doubts, like how we've been married for four years and still don't have children. Also, Guardian wouldn't let you change back into men's clothing to conceal your true identity. Your father..."
"Back when you worked in the Ministry of Justice, you offended too many criminals. Dressing as a man would arouse suspicion."
Xiao Lou nodded in agreement and said, "I also dreamed of Liu Qiao. She was my mother's apprentice. She used to be her medicine boy and is now the owner of Herbal Hut outside Jiangzhou City. Old Mo only looked for clinics inside the city, but it turns out Liu Qiao was outside the city. The Fourth Miss often goes outside the city to study medicine, so Liu Qiao should have a lot of clues about the Fourth Miss."
Xiao Lou paused, then said, "Also, I dreamt about the serial murder case my father solved in the Ministry of Justice ten years ago. Eight people died in Kyoto within a month. At first, Coroner's autopsies all concluded that they were hanged, and the Ministry of Justice closed the case as a suicide. Later, my father detected a colorless and odorless powder in everyone's food and discovered that it was a highly poisonous substance. Only then was it classified as murder. With my father's help, a lot of evidence left by the murderer was found, and the Ministry of Justice followed the clues and caught the culprit. Unfortunately, when they closed in, the mastermind escaped."
These were memories unique to Xiao Lou; Yu Hanjiang, of course, hadn't dreamt of them. Hearing Xiao Lou's words, he frowned slightly: "Your memory is so detailed. Could the case in Jiangzhou be related to the murder in Kyoto back then?"
Xiao Lou said, "I think so too, otherwise, there's no need to replay this memory so clearly."
Yu Hanjiang asked thoughtfully, "Did you dream of any other memories?"
Xiao Lou's ears suddenly turned red, and he lowered his head and said, "There are some, cough, fragments of our past interactions." He quickly changed the subject, "Regarding my father, I only dreamed about the sensational Kyoto murder case from back then, nothing else."
Yu Hanjiang lowered his voice and said, "Did you dream about our wedding night, our wedding night?"
Xiao Lou: "......"
When will Captain Yu change his habit of playing straight shots? How can you ask someone like that so directly?!
Xiao Lou blushed and tried to find an excuse: "The wedding night and all that... those are memories that were forcibly implanted, they never actually happened."
Yu Hanjiang asked seriously, "If I treated you like that in my dream, wouldn't you feel disgusted?"
Another direct question came through, and Xiao Lou awkwardly looked away: "No, not really. My dream was very blurry, and I couldn't see what happened. Well, just treat it as a dream, don't overthink it."
Yu Hanjiang touched his nose, feeling embarrassed to continue the discussion.
Both of them had pounding hearts and remained silent, unsure of what to say.
Just then, a dark shadow flew across a distant rooftop. The gentleness on Yu Hanjiang's face vanished instantly. He stood up abruptly, frowned, looked at the rooftop, his gaze sharp as a sword, and shouted sternly, "Who goes there?!"
A dark figure flew from the rooftop to Yu Hanjiang like the wind. With a "whoosh," the sharp sword in its hand instantly shot out, its tip flashing with a blinding cold light, aiming straight for Yu Hanjiang's face!
Yu Hanjiang pushed Xiao Lou behind him and quickly took a few steps back!
Fortunately, he had practiced martial arts in real life and had rich combat experience. He reacted extremely quickly when attacked, and his body seemed to have developed a conditioned reflex. He grabbed a tree branch and started fighting with his opponent!
This assassin was highly skilled in martial arts, and the longsword in his hand was extremely sharp; he sliced the tree branch into several pieces.
However, Yu Hanjiang dodged with great agility, holding his own against Yu Hanjiang.
In the blink of an eye, the two had already fought dozens of rounds. Xiao Lou watched this scene with his palms covered in cold sweat.
Several times, the sharp tip of the sword grazed Yu Hanjiang's neck, only centimeters away from the blood vessels in his neck, but Yu Hanjiang narrowly dodged each time.
Xiao Lou's attack and control cards were all disabled, leaving him helpless and extremely anxious.
The assassin discovered that Yu Hanjiang was a tough nut to crack, and after fighting for a long time without gaining any advantage, he came up with a plan. He pretended to stab Yu Hanjiang, but suddenly turned his sword and thrust it straight at Xiao Lou's throat!
Xiao Lou was also caught off guard when the assassin suddenly changed direction and attacked him.
Yu Hanjiang's pupils contracted, and without hesitation, he reached out and pulled Xiao Lou into his arms. He suddenly turned his body and used his back to block the opponent's attack. The sharp sword slashed through Yu Hanjiang's clothes with a "shh" sound, leaving a clear bloodstain on his back!
Hearing the sound of a sword tearing through cloth, Xiao Lou hurriedly asked, "Are you injured?"
Despite the sharp pain shooting through his back, Yu Hanjiang steadied himself and whispered, "I'm fine..."
The assassin sneered, "Lord Yu and his wife are indeed deeply in love. It's a pity you've been poisoned by my Soul-Severing Powder; you won't live a day."
He left those words behind and leaped onto the roof.
Just as he was about to escape, several people suddenly flew in from outside. A group of masked men in black quickly drew their swords and surrounded the assassin. The assassin was no match for their numbers and was soon caught in a net.
The man in black, holding the assassin, leaped off the roof and knelt before Yu Hanjiang, saying, "Your subordinate is late and has frightened you, sir!"
A group of people had their faces covered with black veils. Yu Hanjiang frowned: "Who are you?"
The leading man lowered his voice and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "My lord, I am Long Sen, and I am the Shadow Guard assigned by His Majesty to protect you in Jiangzhou."
The man removed his veil, revealing a familiar face—it was Long Sen. He also held a token with a feather pattern on it. Yu Hanjiang breathed a sigh of relief, took out the token, and checked it with him, pretending they didn't know each other.
Yu Hanjiang's gaze swept over the captured assassin, and he asked coldly, "Who sent you?"
The assassin sneered, "It doesn't matter who sent me. What matters is that your death is imminent. You only have yourself to blame for coming to Jiangzhou!"
As soon as he finished speaking,
He suddenly bit into the poison in his teeth—and committed suicide by poisoning himself.
Yu Hanjiang pulled open his clothes and saw that he did not see the Hunter Alliance mark; it was not Hunter.
This must be a character from the drama "The Lover " in Heart Room, specifically sent to assassinate the newly appointed Perfect of Jiangzhou. Yu Hanjiang took a deep breath and looked at the men in black around him, saying, "You can all leave now. Dragon Shadow Guard, come with me."
He led Xiao Lou and Long Sen into the house and closed the door behind him.
Seeing that no one was outside, Long Sen said, "I'm sorry, Lord Yu, we should have come earlier, but we were ambushed by assassins on the way. These assassins are elusive and highly skilled in martial arts, making them very difficult to deal with."
Yu Hanjiang asked in confusion, "Aren't you a guard at the Prince's residence?"
Long Sen said, "I also have another identity as the commander of the Shadow Guard in Jiangzhou. I am in the Prince's mansion to monitor the Prince's movements. Two days ago, I received a secret letter from His Majesty, saying that Lord Yu will soon be coming to Jiangzhou with his wife to take up his post. There is a high possibility that someone will send assassins to kill you. His Majesty has ordered me to mobilize the Shadow Guard to do everything in my power to protect you and your wife."
Yu Hanjiang nodded in understanding: "I see. His Majesty also mentioned this to me."
Long Sen is ostensibly a guard of the Prince's residence, but in reality, he is someone sent by His Majesty to monitor the Prince. Since he is the commander, things will be much easier if danger arises, at least the group of men Long Sen leads can be of assistance.
Long Sen looked at the person Yu Hanjiang was protecting in his arms. He saw that the woman had long hair that reached her waist and wore a blue cloak. He couldn't see her face clearly in the darkness, but now that he looked closely, Long Sen was instantly stunned: "This is... Madam?"
Upon seeing that familiar face, Long Sen slipped and nearly fell.
—Isn't that Professor Xiao?!
Xiao Lou also noticed that Captain Yu's protective posture was too intimate, so he immediately broke free from Yu Han's embrace and looked at him worriedly, saying, "Are you alright? Let me see your back."
Yu Hanjiang frowned: "It's nothing, just a superficial wound."
Xiao Lou ignored his explanation, simply pressed him down on the stool, and turned around to stand behind him.
The man's white clothes on his back were stained crimson with blood!
Xiao Lou's fingers trembled slightly as she lifted his clothes...
A 40cm long wound ran diagonally across Yu Hanjiang's back. The flesh was torn open, and blood was still gushing out. Clearly, the assassin's sword was too sharp, cutting into the muscle layer and almost breaking his ribs!
Such a deep wound, and you still say it's nothing?!
Xiao Lou was heartbroken and his eyes were about to burst. He gritted his teeth, wishing he could chop that assassin into pieces!
Seeing Xiao Lou's unpleasant expression, Long Sen was startled and said with shame, "It's all my fault for not getting here sooner..."
Xiao Lou clenched his fist tightly and said in a low voice, "It's not your fault. This is part of the plot we have to go through. The assassin's sword is poisoned." Seeing that Yu Hanjiang's wound was gradually turning black, he immediately took a deep breath to calm himself down, took a clean white cloth, and took out a few bottles of medicine powder from his medicine box. He sprinkled it on Yu Hanjiang's wound to temporarily stop the bleeding.
With such a deep wound, and without anesthesia in ancient times, Captain Yu must have been in a lot of pain.
But Yu Hanjiang sat there without moving.
Xiao Lou admired the man's perseverance, but also felt a pang of heartache for him. He tried to be as gentle as possible, carefully applying the medicine powder around the wound, and then wiping away the blood with a sterilized white cloth.
Yu Hanjiang remained calm, clenching his fists as he endured the excruciating pain in his back.
He's been injured countless times, some even more seriously than this.
Since this is a plot that must be experienced in the escape room, either Xiao Lou will get hurt, or he will get hurt.
He would rather be himself.
Just now, when I blocked that sword for Xiao Lou, it was an instinctive reaction without hesitation.
How could he bear to let the person he loves get hurt?
The gruesome wound on his back looked terrifying, but Captain Yu remained calm. Xiao Lou's hands trembled slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and swiftly treated Yu Hanjiang's wound, bandaging it with a white cloth.
Long Sen was pacing anxiously like a cat on a hot tin roof. He couldn't help but say, "The sword is poisoned, and the wound has turned black! The Prince's birthday banquet is still two days away, and that assassin seemed to say that Captain Yu wouldn't live more than a day. Shouldn't we find a way to detoxify him?"
Xiao Lou calmly said, "Find Liu Qiao."
Long Sen was taken aback: " Liu Qiao?"
Xiao Lou explained, "I just got the clue myself. Liu Qiao is in Herbal Hut outside Jiangzhou City. Before my mother passed away, she passed on a book on toxicology to her. She should be very good at detoxification."
Xiao Lou walked to the front and looked at Yu Hanjiang.
Yu Hanjiang was affected by the toxins and was somewhat delirious, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
The assassins attacked them overnight to prevent them from attending the prince's birthday banquet. The situation in Jiangzhou is complicated, and it's clear that some people don't want Yu Hanjiang to serve as Prefect of Jiangzhou, nor do they want him to be involved in the upcoming case.
Xiao Lou gently held Yu Hanjiang's hand and said softly, "I have some pain relievers here. I'll give you two pills. Hang in there, Long Sen and I will take you to Herbal Hut right away."
Yu Hanjiang grasped Xiao Lou's hand in return and said in a low voice, "Alright, I'll follow Madam's arrangements."
Xiao Lou remained calm and immediately realized that the plot was forcing them to leave the city to find Liu Qiao. Yu Hanjiang looked at Xiao Lou and earnestly warned, "Be careful. There might be a group of people lying in ambush over at Herbal Hut, waiting to deal with you."
Xiao Lou said seriously, "I know."
Even knowing the dangers lurking outside the city, he had to go. According to the plot, the goal...
Only Liu Qiao could cure the poison. Besides, Yu Hanjiang was suffering from a deadly poison and was in so much pain; how could he let Captain Yu suffer like that? If Yu Hanjiang hadn't blocked it, he would have been the one injured.
Thank you for saving me; there's no need to say more.
He will always remember Captain Yu's kindness to him.
Xiao Lou took a deep breath, looked at Long Sen, and calmly said, "Let's go. Prepare two fast horses and leave the city tonight!"