Fu Qiulu's eyes instantly lit up: "What kind of patterns are on this? Why have I never seen them before?"
Zhu Ci smiled but said nothing; even if he did tell you, you wouldn't know what it was.
It comes from over four hundred years in the future, from that nation that breathed new life into this land.
It is the symbol of the nation and the people.
It is.. the National Emblem.
Zhu Ci gently stroked the carved National Emblem, which bore the brightest star in the world.
He left a hole at the very top of the National Emblem, then threaded a red string through it and hung it around his neck.
Actually, the National Emblem should have been dyed, but since there were no dyes at hand, he would just have to make do for now.
After hanging this National Emblem around his neck, Zhu Ci suddenly felt a bit more confident.
Thinking back to when he was an undercover agent, many people in the gang would choose to put a hundred-yuan bill under their pillow whenever they encountered something strange or bizarre; if they were being a bit more outrageous, they would place a National Emblem, if they were even more timid, they would place quotes or portrait badges.
It was quite funny; those wicked people were precisely the most superstitious ones.
Perhaps it was because he was influenced, or perhaps Zhu Ci was feeling a bit homesick, but he also couldn't resist carving a National Emblem like this.
When night fell, that strange sound of something crawling on the ground appeared once again. Lying in his quilt, Zhu Ci touched the National Emblem on his chest and closed his eyes peacefully.
Let it be; he didn't want to care anymore.
It was truly too cold; going out again in this weather would be not only futile but also freezing. In any case, this unknown creature didn't seem to have any intention of harming anyone, so it was best for everyone to just live in peace.
Because things had been happening one after another, Fu Chunsheng and Xi Ya simply moved in to sleep on the floor at his place, which also happened to save a bit of coal.
Only this time, he wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but he even heard something strike the window.
Fu Qiulu was already shivering, wrapped in a quilt, at this moment, she couldn't help but say in a small, tearful voice, "Young Master, can I.. can I sleep with you? I'm so scared."
Although Fu Qiulu was not far from them, if one were to be precise, she, as a girl, was actually the closest to the main gate.
After all, Zhu Ci had let her sleep in the guardroom, which could be considered a semi-private room, it even had a bed with thick bedding.
Fu Chunsheng and Xi Ya, two boys with thick skin, could only sleep on the floor in the inner chamber.
What was originally meant as special treatment now seemed more like pushing a girl out to act as a scapegoat.
Zhu Ci had not had a full night's sleep for several nights in a row, leaving him feeling irritable. He got up directly to put on his clothes, tying his sleeves twice to allow for better movement, then headed out carrying his Yanling Blade.
Today, he was going to see exactly what kind of thing was acting so mysterious every single day; even if it truly were a ghost, he would simply slash it to death!
Fu Chunsheng immediately took the oil lamp and followed behind him, Fu Qiulu walked in the middle, Xi Ya was at the very end.
Zhu Ci marched angrily through the corridor toward the backyard, but stopped mid-way.
Behind him, Fu Qiulu let out a soft gasp, "What.. what is that?"
Amidst the white brought only by the snow, an unknown creature lay crouching on the stone steps.
Zhu Ci slowly drew his Yanling Blade and approached that mass of unknown creature with light footsteps.
At this moment, Zhu Ci was actually not that afraid anymore; all fear stems from the unknown.
Now that a physical entity has appeared, there is a way to deal with whatever it may be.
Moreover, he was inside a book, he didn't remember this book having any metaphysical elements.
As Zhu Ci walked over slowly holding the Yanling Blade, he felt a faint scent of blood in the icy, cold air.
He immediately became a few degrees more cautious, tilting his body slightly, his hand gripping the blade tightened with even more force.
In fact, it wasn't just him; everyone else could smell the scent of blood as well.
Fu Qiulu said in a low voice, "Is.. is that a person? I think I saw a head."
“And hands, the hands are very obvious too.”
In fact, even without them saying anything, Zhu Ci had already discerned the human silhouette and noticed that the person was dressed in black, which made him relatively concealed in the night, but quite obvious against the snow.
However, even after spotting him, he was in no hurry to inform the other three, instead, he even heightened his vigilance.
These days, sometimes people can be more terrifying than ghosts.
When he was about half a meter away from that person, Zhu Ci stopped in his tracks, raised a hand to signal the three people behind him to stop, said, "You three stay here to provide cover; I'm going to take a look."
He had only taken two steps forward when he felt his sleeve being tugged, so he had no choice but to stop and turn around to look.
Fu Chunsheng took a deep breath and said, "How could we let Young Master do something like this? I.. I'll go instead."
Zhu Ci let out a scoff. "Your legs are shaking from fear, what are you going to do there? If something actually happens, wouldn't you just be delivering yourself to them on a silver platter?"
Fu Chunsheng's face flushed red, he said with some shame, "It is because I am useless, I.."
Before he could finish, Xi Ya, who was standing nearby, impatiently pulled him to the back and patted his chest, signaling for him to go ahead.
Zhu Ci shook his head. Although Xi Ya was tall, he didn't have much meat on his body and looked like a weakling as well.
He was about to say something when he heard Fu Qiulu say, "He seems to be dying."
Zhu Ci turned his head and found that Fu Qiulu had already knelt by that person's side, cautiously testing his breath.
Zhu Ci..
Is he not even going to pretend anymore?
Fu Chunsheng rushed over immediately to pull his sister up and said, "What are you doing going over there? Aren't you afraid he's a villain?"
Fu Qiulu rolled her eyes. "He's lying there motionless on the ground. In this weather, if something truly hadn't happened, why would anyone be lying on the ground?"
Alright, you make a very good point.
Zhu Ci walked over carrying his Yanling Blade and used the back of the blade to check lightly.
Although this person was unconscious, there might still be other traps on his body, so it was better to be cautious.
After checking, he crouched down and placed his fingers against the other man's neck.
The man's neck was ice-cold to the touch, as if he were about to merge with the snow, his pulse was extremely weak. Just as Fu Qiulu had said, he was dying.
Zhu Ci hesitated for a moment, but then said, "Let's carry him inside first."
Even if he didn't know whether this person's identity was good or bad, he couldn't just stand there and watch someone die before his eyes.
Save him first and worry about the rest later. If, after saving him, it turns out he is a wicked criminal, then I'll hand him over to the authorities; if that's still inconvenient, I'll just kill him again. It's no big deal.
After being carried to the guest room, Zhu Ci checked him and found that the man had many wounds on his body, the deepest of which was on his waist, deep enough to see the bone.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: For a moment, I couldn't tell if dead people were scarier or ghosts were scarier. Kitty extends its claws to check the pulse. jpg
Next update at 6:00 PM~
Chapter 31
Fu Qiulu stood at a distance with her back to them and said, "I'll go fetch the brazier."
Zhu Ci, however, said, "No rush. If we warm him by a fire now, he'll truly be a dead man. Boil some water—not boiling, just about the same temperature as your body—and put it in a water bag. Then mix some sugar water. Xi Ya, go help Qiulu. Chunsheng, you go get the medicine chest."
Fortunately, he had prepared in advance and brought many medicines; inside were various processed herbs, as well as prepared ointments, medicinal powders, medicinal oils. There were even some commonly used pre-packaged medicinal herbs, all brought just in case.
However, they were all young and had never had the chance to use them, so they never expected they would come in handy at a time like this.
They had brought several medicine chests, each with its medicinal herbs organized into different categories. Chunsheng was quite familiar with them and hurriedly brought over the one specifically designated for external injuries.
The hot water wasn't ready yet, so Zhu Ci could only help this person treat his wounds first.
Only when examining the wounds carefully did Zhu Ci realize that these were not new injuries; they must have been sustained some time ago, at least three days. Some wounds were already slowly healing, while others were quite deep, because this person had not rested, the wounds had reopened.
It must be said that the cold weather had its advantages; if the temperature hadn't been low enough to make this person's wounds clot, he would likely have died from excessive blood loss long ago.
But it was precisely because of this that no bloodstains were left on the ground in the backyard.
After Zhu Ci finished treating the minor wounds, he hesitated while looking at the several larger gashes, ultimately deciding to stick to conservative treatment. He applied medicinal powder directly; whether the man could survive it would depend entirely on his luck.
He had originally intended to use sutures, but the conditions were not suitable right now; there were no disinfection measures in place, alcohol had not yet been invented. Even if he knew how to make it, it would take time, using high-purity liquor was also quite dangerous. Just like now, it all depended on whether this fellow's luck was good enough to survive.
Zhu Ci thought it over and decided it was better not to act recklessly.
Anyway, the weather is cold now, so there aren't many snakes, rats, insects, or ants. As long as the risk of infection is kept to a minimum, the indoor temperature is maintained, cleanliness is kept up, it should be enough.
After Zhu Ci finished treating the wound, he left Fu Chunsheng behind and said, "Help keep an eye on him. If he wakes up and acts inappropriately, remember to call for help."
Fu Chunsheng immediately patted his chest and said, "Rest assured, Young Master. Although I don't know any martial arts, I do have some strength. He is already injured like this; I am not afraid."
Zhu Ci nodded, thinking to himself, *He can't fight? Like I'd believe that!*
“Alright, everyone go back and rest. You've been tossing and turning all night.” Zhu Ci couldn't help but yawn.
What a mess. Once this person wakes up and his background is cleared up, if he is a law-abiding citizen, he's going to be made to work like a beast!
When Zhu Ci went to sleep, the Marquis of Huating's manor in Songjiang Prefecture was still brightly lit.
Marquis, we just received word that Xia Lei has already approached the target.
The messenger knelt on one knee, his head bowed low, not daring to look up even once.
Fu sat in the large armchair, wearing a silver mask without any patterns on his face. After finishing a stroke on the Nine-Nine Winter Map, he asked, "Why the long delay?"
“Reporting to the Marquis, Xia Lei encountered sea bandits and was injured, which caused the delay of a few days.”
Fu looked up, his pale blue eyes turning toward his subordinate. "Nonsense. If you were injured, you should have returned immediately. Why insist on acting tough?"
The injuries that could delay Xia Lei for so many days were certainly not light; he might even lose his life.
Those sea bandits are truly too rampant.
The person reporting said nothing, but the old servant attending nearby said softly, "Marquis of Huating, that boy Xia Lei has always been stubborn; he likely wants to use this injury to get closer to His Highness."
Fu remained silent for a long while before saying, "Arrange for some people to go there and investigate. The Suzhou Prefect is truly useless; he turns a deaf ear even when the sea bandits are so rampant."
The old servant carefully put away the Nine-Nine Winter Map and said, "The people selected by the current imperial court are all like this. Please calm your anger, Marquis, take care of your health."
The subordinate received his orders and withdrew. Once he had left.
Fu looked out the window and said, "A storm is brewing; I wonder when our little Crown Prince will finally make his move."
The old servant hesitated for a moment before asking, "Marquis, you have sent out so many people, do you really intend to.."