Shen Wan immediately released her grip.
Several distinct finger marks now clearly stood out on the man's wrist, which was as smooth and delicate as cold jade.
"It's… it's nothing," she stammered, her eyes flustered and uneasy. "I'm not feeling well and need to find a shady spot to rest for a while."
Noticing the strangeness in her eyes, Xie Mubai didn't press further.
Ever since Sun Shi interrupted the ugly woman's acupuncture, he had keenly sensed something amiss.
She had been taking deep breaths, as if trying hard to calm herself.
"Then hurry up," Scarface reminded her. "It'll be troublesome if you can't keep up with the group."
He spoke vaguely, afraid the ugly woman might seize the chance to escape.
However, out of respect for Big Beard, he couldn't be too blunt.
Shen Wan nodded.
Once they had moved farther away, she went up the mountain.
Taking advantage of the solitude, Shen Wan quickly entered her Space.
She went straight into the laboratory and immediately drew blood for testing.
Soon, the results came out.
Seeing the test results, Shen Wan's face abruptly changed.
Just as she had suspected, she wasn't ill—she had been poisoned with a chronic potent poison!
This poison was extremely sinister. Initially, the victim wouldn't experience much discomfort, but over time, it severely affected the nervous system, causing irritability and even violent tendencies.
Clearly, the original host had been poisoned for a long time.
The toxins had not only damaged her nerves but also accumulated a large amount of pigment deposits under her skin.
Yet Shen Wan couldn't understand who would have poisoned the original host when she was still so young, years ago.
In her memories, the original host was once a bright and unparalleled girl in her childhood. She was exceptionally intelligent, skilled in horseback riding and archery, and even the dog emperor had considered betrothing her to the weak-willed crown prince.
At that time, everyone in the capital praised the second young lady of Xiangyang Hou Manor, while even the talented and beautiful female lead, Shen Yan, was merely an unnoticed nobody.
Later, the original host's wet nurse suddenly passed away.
With no one to care for her, the female lead, Shen Yan, offered to give her own personal maid to the original host.
From then on, her skin grew darker, and her temper worsened, often resorting to physical violence against others.
Gradually, the once brave and resourceful girl was twisted into a cruel and violent ugly woman!
Thinking of this, Shen Wan felt a chill run through her body.
She had thought she knew everything in the book inside out, yet she had overlooked so many hidden details.
Well, Shen Yan—she would remember that name!
Realizing it was getting late, Shen Wan took a box of medicine from the shelf, swallowed a pill, and hurried out.
Having wasted too much time, she quickened her pace and rushed forward.
Not long after, she saw the exile convoy stopped on the road.
Big Beard was sitting on a roadside rock, while an elderly Lang Zhong was taking his pulse.
Admittedly, the Yamen runner was quite fast—he had already brought someone back.
"Did that ugly woman mess up the treatment?" Seeing the old Lang Zhong frown, Sun Shi felt ecstatic and couldn't wait to ask.
Scarface suddenly recalled the ugly woman's frenzied state and also grew uneasy.
In that mental state, could she have treated him properly?
The old Lang Zhong shook his head and complained, "Official, you clearly have a miracle doctor here. Why make this old man waste a trip?"
Upon hearing this, Sun Shi's face darkened so much it seemed water could be wrung from it. Even Xie Mubai's eyes flickered with a complex expression.
It wasn't surprising that the ugly woman knew medicine—after all, she had stayed in the military camp and indeed had opportunities to interact with medical officers.
But he didn't believe a teenage girl could reach the level of a miraculous doctor.
Was the old Lang Zhong being ignorant due to lack of experience, or did the ugly woman truly possess extraordinary skills?
Lost in wild thoughts, Xie Mubai saw Shen Wan hurrying over.
Her face was calm, the fierceness in her eyes long gone, as if the ferocious woman from earlier wasn't her at all.
After a moment's thought, Xie Mubai had Scarface call her over.
"What is it?" Shen Wan placed the gathered herbs on the cart and asked.
Xie Mubai frowned slightly. "I've been lying down for too long, and my back is sore from the hard surface. Help me sit up for a while."
Without overthinking it, Shen Wan stepped forward to support him.
It seemed she needed to find a way to get a quilt.
Although there were many in her Space, they were too new and nice, unsuitable for their status as exiled convicts.
"Don't move!" Xie Mubai suddenly reached out, his eyes gleaming strangely. "Your face is a bit dirty."
As his cold fingertips touched her warm cheek, the tips of his ears flushed with a suspicious redness.
Even so, Xie Mubai braced himself and gently stroked her face a few times.
It was real—no mask.
The young woman before him was indeed Shen Wan, without a doubt!
"Why are you gathering so many herbs?" He casually withdrew his hand, deliberately changing the subject.
Shen Wan smiled and explained, "You don't know this, but I really can't stand the heat."
"When it gets hot, I become restless and irritable, and even I can't control my temper."
"So, I gathered some herbs to reduce internal heat."
"By the way, is your wrist alright? I used too much force earlier."
Xie Mubai shook his head, somewhat self-mockingly. "Even if it weren't, it wouldn't matter."
"Since my legs are already crippled, losing an arm wouldn't make much difference."
Shen Wan's face flushed.
She was about to apologize when Big Beard's urging voice reached her ears: "It's getting late, we should hurry and go."
Hearing this, Shen Wan quickly bent down to push the cart.
"Let me do it," Big Beard said promptly upon seeing this.
Shen Wan smiled. "Officer, you're too kind. I'll manage it myself."
"Little sister, you're being too formal! Why call me 'Officer'?" Big Beard laughed. "My surname is Hu, and my name is Hu Dahai. If you don't mind, you can call me Brother Hu from now on."
Hu Dahai?
Hearing this name, Shen Wan was stunned for a long moment.
If she remembered correctly, when the Third Prince rebelled in the future, one of his fiercely brave and capable generals was named Hu Dahai.
She never would have imagined he was the scruffy-bearded man before her!
"What, you look down on me as a rough man and don't want to?" Seeing her silence, Hu Dahai looked displeased.
Shen Wan quickly shook her head and smiled. "Brother Hu, you're joking. How could I not want to?"
"It's just that my husband and I are exiled convicts now. Addressing you so familiarly might cause you trouble."
Big Beard dismissed this. "What trouble could it cause?"
"Since you've acknowledged me as your brother, don't worry about pushing the cart anymore."
"If you refuse again, it clearly means you look down on me as your brother!"
Since things had come to this, Shen Wan could no longer refuse: "Then I'll trouble you."
Since the Third Prince's future right-hand man was eager to befriend her, she had no choice but to poach from the male lead's side.
"No trouble at all!" Big Beard pushed the cart and said with a smile, "I know you need to gather herbs. Go ahead and do what you need to."
Shen Wan didn't stand on ceremony either and continued walking along the roadside, stopping now and then to pick a few medicinal plants.
In truth, these herbs were completely useless for treating the poison in her body. But under the pretense of herb gathering, she could secretly take some out from her Space to exchange for money.
Without money, she couldn't legitimately take out other things to use either.
"Your wife is truly devoted to you," Big Beard said, looking at her retreating figure before turning to Xie Mufbai with a smile. "Marrying such a good wife makes this lifetime worthwhile."
How could that be?
She had clearly mentioned divorce before.
Her efforts to please him were obviously just to secure a fallback option!
Xie Mufbai smiled dismissively.