After a long while, Imperial Physician Liu said, "Prince, I have a suspicion in mind, but I need Your Highness to cooperate now so I can verify whether my guess is correct."
Helian Chi nodded.
"Prince, please have all the maids serving in the Prince's residence come here."
Helian Chi was taken aback. There weren't many maids in his residence, and the few he had were only for cooking and chores in the back kitchen. On ordinary days, they couldn't even enter the courtyard where he lived.
Though puzzled, he still ordered An Ye to summon all the maids.
When the maids entered, he glanced up as soon as they stepped through the door. That nauseating feeling surged within him again. As they approached, knelt, and paid their respects, he felt an overwhelming urge to vomit, accompanied by an intense, prickling itch all over his body…
Imperial Physician Liu stood to the side, observing his reaction. "Could Your Highness come down and approach them more closely?"
Helian Chi forced himself to endure the discomfort, rose from his seat, and walked down from the table. As he drew closer to the maids, a burning sensation spread across his face, and he couldn't help but want to scratch it.
"Prince, don't… You must resist! Do not touch it with your hands! Now, Your Highness, try to touch these maids."
Helian Chi shot a glance at Imperial Physician Liu, his eyes dark and his expression displeased as he stared at the maids before him. He couldn't help but inwardly criticize the physician—was this really a treatment? If not for the fact that Imperial Physician Liu was someone he trusted, someone who had spent years researching the poison in his body, he would have wanted to strike him dead on the spot…
In the end, he still extended his hand to touch the maid in front of him. After all, he also wanted to understand what was happening to him…
Before his hand could even make contact, a wave of nausea overwhelmed him, and he vomited directly. Then, with a single palm strike, he sent all the maids flying out of the room.
Finally, he felt as though he could breathe again. The suffocating sensation vanished, the air in the room seemed fresher, and the itching discomfort on his body gradually subsided.
He fixed a cold, penetrating gaze on Imperial Physician Liu.
"Prince, I have concluded that these physical abnormalities occur only after you come into contact with women. When you avoid contact, there are no such symptoms. However, this shouldn't be the case. Based on my understanding of Your Highness's health, you have never exhibited such reactions before.
Has anything happened to Your Highness recently? There are two possibilities: one is a psychological issue that manifests physically, and the other is the accidental ingestion or contact with something that could cause such abnormalities.
Ruling out the second possibility—I carefully examined these maids when they entered, and none of them were carrying or wearing anything that could cause discomfort—it is likely the first: a psychological cause. Some event or person has left Your Highness with a negative psychological shadow or trauma, which has manifested physically, causing you to reject contact with women…
If it is a psychological issue, it will be up to Your Highness to resolve it yourself. Perhaps one day, when you come to terms with it, the symptoms will naturally disappear.
As for the rash on Your Highness's face, I will prepare a prescription immediately. Once you take the medicine, it should fade by tomorrow…"
Helian Chi nodded, signaling for Imperial Physician Liu to withdraw. Leaning back in his chair, his eyes gradually turned cold, and a faint, mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips. After hearing Imperial Physician Liu's explanation, he understood perfectly.
It was that woman from that night! Not only did she force herself upon him, but she also left him with psychological trauma, making him unable to tolerate contact with women from now on! Very well, very well!
"An Ye, An Bai."
"Your subordinates are here!"
"Send people to search across the four kingdoms! Spare no expense to find that woman! If you fail, the two of you can go farm in the northwest!"
"Yes! I obey!"
…
Back at the Prime Minister's Residence, Yun Li handed the four maidservants over to Ying Tao and returned to her bedroom. Closing the door, she slipped into her space.
Her space was undeniably vast, resembling a manor farm with mountains, water, and houses. Every time she entered these past few days, she felt an inexplicable joy and couldn't help but plan in her heart how she would properly manage the space in the future.
She would plant flowers to decorate the space—seeing them would lift her spirits—and grow some of her favorite melons, fruits, and vegetables. In ancient times, these were scarce, with limited varieties of vegetables and fruits. Fortunately, her Space Supermarket was stocked with all kinds of agricultural seeds.
Her mind preoccupied with the fashion design sketches, she wondered if there was internet access in the space. She turned on her computer but found no signal; her phone had no signal either. Unwilling to give up, she opened a search software and tried anyway—to her surprise, it actually worked!
This thrilled her beyond measure. She opened a chat window to see if she could send messages, but it didn't work…
Ah, it seemed she could only use it offline. Well, at least she could watch TV shows or play games to pass the time. She had just been fantasizing about connecting with the modern world—a bit of a pipe dream, huh…
On the computer, she selected some design patterns, choosing styles similar to the attire of women in Yueqi Kingdom. The clothing here somewhat resembled that of women from the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Song Dynasty in history!
She opted for modernized versions of ancient costumes, closer to Tang Dynasty attire, with skirts that didn't drag on the ground. Tang Dynasty clothing was known for its vibrant colors and diverse materials, and she believed its styles were the most beautiful among all historical dynasties. Most modernized ancient costumes were also adaptations of Tang Dynasty designs.
If the finished products could achieve seventy to eighty percent similarity to the images, they would surely cause a sensation in the capital…
After finishing the designs, she went to the Spiritual Spring Water river. Knowing that the Spiritual Spring Water had health-boosting effects, she decided to take a bath to help her body recover to its previous state as quickly as possible.
If the river were stagnant, she would have been reluctant to "waste" the Spiritual Spring Water. But since it flowed continuously, the water wouldn't become dirty, so she didn't feel guilty using it on herself. Having traveled to this strange place, it was only natural to treat herself well.
Taking off her clothes, she plunged into the river. The cool Spiritual Spring Water against her skin felt incredibly refreshing—a sensation she hadn't experienced in a long time. Unable to resist, she began swimming in the river, moving as gracefully as a nimble fish.
As she swam downstream along the Spiritual Spring River, she noticed that what she saw from the surface differed from what lay beneath. From above, the river appeared to end in a blanket of white mist, so she hadn't dared to explore its limits.
But underwater, the river seemed endlessly long, with no end in sight… The distance she had swum must have already taken her beyond the white mist. Although the riverbed held nothing—clear to the bottom without even a strand of waterweed…
A sense of nervous tension still gripped her heart. Two voices clamored within her: one urging her to keep swimming forward, the other warning her not to go. Exploring the unknown might lead to unforeseen dangers…
After much internal struggle, curiosity ultimately drove her onward. Having already died once, what was there to fear?
At worst, I'll just die again—maybe I'll even return to the modern era…
With that thought, she resolutely continued swimming forward. As she swam, she noticed a small wooden door at the bottom of the water. Trembling, she reached out and pushed it open.
The door was tiny, about the size of a window, and she couldn't fit through it. From the outside, the inside appeared pitch black, with nothing visible. Using her mind, she retrieved a waterproof flashlight from the supermarket and shone it inside.
The space inside wasn't large, but in the corner beside the door, there was a small, pale, fluffy object.