Chapter 5: 第082章 颜色诡异的鲜血

Although he wasn't sure if this girl usually used disguises or something else, it was best not to let others see her current appearance without her consent.

He hadn't seen her by intention, so he couldn't blame anyone else.

Thinking of this, Dugu Xun hurriedly searched the trunk for the tools he occasionally used for disguises or when swapping identities with Jiannan, and began applying them to Gu Xiaowu's face.

After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Dugu Xun had restored Gu Xiaowu to her original appearance.

By this time, the sounds of fighting outside the carriage had ceased.

He hurriedly packed away the messy tools, pulled up the curtain, and lightly leaped down from the carriage.

"How is it?" Seeing Dugu Xun exit the carriage, Dugu Chen, who was guarding nearby, hurried forward to meet him.

Gu Xizhi and Dugu Yi also followed closely behind Dugu Xun, waiting expectantly for his words.

"There is no immediate danger for now, but when she can wake up will depend on her own strength." A trace of worry still lingered in Dugu Xun's eyes.

He had merely stopped her bleeding; as for the poison in her body, he was currently helpless and could only pray that his blood could neutralize it.

If that failed, his only option would be to wait until they returned to Jiangning City to properly study the poison she had ingested.

But the prerequisite was that she had to survive until then.

"For now?" Gu Xizhi frowned. What did "no immediate danger for now" mean?

"I have only stopped her bleeding, but the poison in her body has not been neutralized. Furthermore, no one can guarantee whether she will develop a fever or if her wounds will fester next." If she were to experience fever or suppuration, even he would be powerless.

It would be fine if they had a complete set of medicinal herbs nearby, but unfortunately, the medicines they had brought were only for stopping bleeding and treating external wounds.

"Why?" Dugu Chen asked in a low voice.

Wasn't the Third Prince's blood capable of neutralizing a hundred poisons? Why was it this time...

Dugu Xun shook his head and said, "I have never seen the poison she has ingested, nor do I know the symptoms of its onset. Therefore, I cannot judge exactly what kind of poison it is."

Gu Xizhi lowered his head slightly, his brow furrowed tightly, and his hand unconsciously gripped the hilt of his sword.

"Third Prince, could you perhaps accompany me to rush Cheng'er back to Tianchen first?" Gu Xizhi suddenly asked.

He remembered Xi'er once mentioning in a letter that there was a girl with exceptional medical skills near Cheng'er; if anything ever happened to Cheng'er, he could look for that girl.

Presumably, Xi'er had known back then that Cheng'er had been poisoned, and since that girl had not accompanied Cheng'er to the Southern Barbarians this time, she must undoubtedly be in Jiangning City.

He did not understand medicine, let alone how to detoxify, so he could only ask the Third Prince to accompany him in taking Cheng'er back first.

Seeing Gu Xizhi say this, Dugu Xun knew that he likely already had a plan.

"Of course," Dugu Xun nodded.

He turned to look at Dugu Chen and said in a low voice, "Imperial Brother, I leave the Eleventh to you. Also, regarding Sang Xianxian, please ensure she is brought back to Jiangning City safely."

That woman actually dared to collude with Feng Xiyu in an attempt to frame Xiaowu; she was absolutely unforgivable.

Moreover, given the girl's temperament, she would surely settle the score with her once they returned to Tianchen. Therefore, before Xiaowu could settle the score, nothing must happen to her.

Dugu Chen nodded and said, "Leave them to me. I will certainly bring them all back to Jiangning City safely."

If possible, he also wanted to return to Jiangning City with them.

However, as the Crown Prince of Tianchen, how could he abandon this group of noble young ladies and lords?

The identity of the person who sent people to intercept and kill them was still unknown. If they had failed this time, what if they tried again? Leaving only the Eleventh behind would be absolutely insufficient to deal with it, so he could only reluctantly stay.

Gu Xizhi was the first to leap onto the carriage. He said to Dugu Xun, "I will drive. Third Prince, just stay in the carriage and take good care of Cheng'er."

Then he said to Dugu Chen, "Crown Prince Chen, the one who sent people to intercept you this time is the Southern Barbarian Emperor. Please be extremely careful before leaving the territory of the Southern Barbarians."

With that, he struck the horse's back with his whip, driving the carriage away rapidly until they disappeared from everyone's sight.

"Set off immediately after treating your respective wounds. Before leaving the territory of the Southern Barbarians, we must travel with all our might," Dugu Chen commanded loudly.

Since they now knew the Southern Barbarian Emperor was behind this, they had to leave the Southern Barbarians as quickly as possible; otherwise, there was no guarantee he wouldn't send more people to intercept them.

Dugu Xun took out a silver needle, pricked Gu Xiaowu's fingertip, and gently squeezed out a bit of blood.

Gu Xiaowu's blood was no longer black, but the color made Dugu Xun unable to help but frown.

Because, in the span of about fifteen minutes, Gu Xiaowu's blood had actually turned a pale pink!

This was a situation Dugu Chen had never encountered, but since he had not brought any medical books on this trip to the Southern Barbarians, he couldn't even look for clues in them if he wanted to.

Dugu Xun sat to the side, feeling powerless. At this moment, he suddenly felt that although he had mastered medical skills, he couldn't even save a single Gu Xiaowu.

Gu Xiaowu suddenly curled into a ball. Her body arched, her hands pressed unconsciously against her abdomen, and beads of sweat continuously fell from her forehead.

Dugu Xun could naturally see that she was currently enduring pain beyond his imagination, yet he was completely helpless.

Large beads of sweat quickly soaked the hair on Gu Xiaowu's forehead, but she kept gritting her teeth, not letting out even a single groan.

Even in her unconscious state, she stubbornly refused to cry out in pain, because she knew very well that even if she did, the pain in her body wouldn't lessen by a fraction; instead, it would only make her a laughingstock.

She, Gu Xiaowu, would never become a joke for others.

Dugu Xun tried his best to calm himself. He carefully supported Gu Xiaowu, letting her lean against his shoulder.

He placed his right hand on Gu Xiaowu's abdomen and whispered, "Excuse me."

Then, through his right hand, he slowly channeled his internal energy into Gu Xiaowu's abdomen.

He didn't know if this method would be effective, but he had to try, didn't he?

Gu Xiaowu's pain did not seem to lessen at all; instead, it showed a tendency to intensify.

By now, she was sweating profusely, and her small, cherry-like lips had been bitten until they bled.

Dugu Xun hurriedly laid her down and picked up a clean cloth to stuff into her mouth.

Glancing at the rows of silver needles laid out beside him, he gritted his teeth and pulled one out. However, just as he was about to prick one of Gu Xiaowu's acupoints, he hesitated.

He still didn't know what kind of poison she had ingested; if he applied this needle, no one could predict what would happen.

Just as Dugu Xun was still hesitating, Gu Xiaowu suddenly woke up.

She took the cloth out of her mouth and managed to sit up.

"A-Xun, where are those people? Are they dealt with?" Her voice trembled slightly; for every word she spoke, her pain increased.

"They've been dealt with. You're already in this state and still have the mind to worry about them? If you don't want to cause trouble, just lie down properly." He was clearly worried about her, but the words came out sounding harsh.

Gu Xiaowu really wanted to force a smile, but she currently lacked even the strength to smile.

Although she was somewhat displeased with the way A-Xun spoke to her, she also knew he was concerned, so she did not argue with him and obediently lay back down.

"A-Xun, can you go out for a moment?" Lying on the bedding, Gu Xiaowu's face was still terrifyingly pale.

She knew they were currently in a carriage, but she didn't know how much longer she would have to suffer. This was her first episode, but no matter how many times it happened, she didn't want to be seen in such a state of loss of composure, even if that person was Dugu Xun.

Dugu Xun was slightly stunned, then walked out without a word.

Only after Dugu Xun left did Gu Xiaowu relax; her originally calm face instantly became filled with extreme agony.

She did not want anyone to see her like this.

"Third Prince? Why did you come out?" Seeing Dugu Xun emerge, Gu Xizhi was very surprised.

Dugu Xun sat down beside Gu Xizhi, turning his head to look at the forest rapidly receding by the roadside. "Just call me by my name. She's awake; she said she wants to be alone for a while."

He had lied subconsciously, perhaps because he didn't want to worry this man who was already anxious enough.

Hearing Dugu Xun say that Gu Xiaowu had woken up, Gu Xizhi's heart, which had been suspended in mid-air, finally settled.

It was good that she was awake.

"Brother Dugu, great kindness cannot be expressed with thanks alone. If anything happens in the future, Gu shall be at your disposal." Gu Xizhi cupped his hands toward Dugu Xun. Xi'er's medical skills were excellent, and she had once said she would teach him, but at that time, he had used the excuse that one of them already knew medicine to refuse.

If he had listened to Xi'er and learned medicine back then, he wouldn't need to trouble others now.

Fortunately, fortunately, the Third Prince and Cheng'er were friends; otherwise, he feared he would be unable to bring Cheng'er back to Jiangning City safely.

Dugu Xun's mouth twitched. Call him Brother Dugu? Wouldn't that make them peers? If that were the case, wouldn't the Xiaowu girl have to call him uncle? Him, at eighteen, being called uncle by a thirteen-year-old girl? It sounded truly bizarre.

"You are too polite. Xiaowu and I are good friends, and my Eleventh brother and First Imperial Brother also have a good relationship with Xiaowu. It is only right to save her. Besides, I actually didn't do much. Xiaowu is... very strong." The image of that small face pretending to be calm suddenly surfaced in his mind, and his chest felt somewhat heavy, though he didn't know why.

She was clearly in unbearable pain, yet that girl was still pretending to be calm. At this moment, that girl was probably tossing and turning in pain inside the carriage, wasn't she?

But even knowing this, he had still followed her wishes and come out.

That girl was simply too stubborn. Even if he had forced himself to stay, he couldn't have done much; it was better to follow her wishes.

Very strong, is she? A trace of pain slowly drifted through his chest, and the guilt in Gu Xizhi's heart intensified.