When An Ning followed her master to the Lin residence once again, what greeted her eyes was a vast expanse of crimson blood.
On the bed lay a young man around seventeen or eighteen years old, with a tall and slender build. His handso features—arched brows and bright eyes—were quite striking. However, his pale lips and the faint shadow of illness on his face made it clear that his condition was far from good.
The sword and knife wounds on his back were plainly visible, revealing the ordeal he had endured. Even the two remaining attendants by his side bore traces of injuries on their faces.
The situation seed dire indeed!
As expected, An Ning thought to herself. Money emboldens people, and with the staggering profits from the salt trade, so had grown audacious indeed!
Without further inquiry, An Ning quickly reached out to take his pulse.
Noticing her slightly surprised expression, Lin Ruhai, standing nearby, hurriedly explained, "To prevent any mishaps, a few days ago, before Young Master Xu departed, I specifically gave him one of the Life-Restoring Pills you left behind."
The Life-Restoring Pill, as its na suggested, could revive one's vitality. Unless the person was already beyond saving, the pill could sustain their life force for several days.
In simpler terms, it kept the dying clinging to life by a thread.
An Ning had left only one such pill with Lin Ruhai, her most valued patron, due to the rarity and exorbitant cost of its ingredients—just in case of ergencies.
This man's identity was now clear: the "unfortunate scapegoat" and "easy target" who had died in Jiangnan in the original tiline, triggering a series of disastrous consequences afterward.
In her past life, the original host had been taken away by the Chen family, resold multiple tis, and spent most of her ti confined to the inner quarters, leaving her with only vague impressions of many events. But An Ning had already retrieved this man's identity from the system.
He was the second son of the Duke of Cheng'en's household, a direct cousin of the current Grand Emperor, and one of the Grand Emperor's most trusted confidants.
Glancing at the man's conspicuously plain attire, An Ning couldn't help but click her tongue.
Those who had targeted him in the past probably never realized just whom they had provoked before eting their demise!
And the Lin family was truly unlucky. With such an important figure dying in Yangzhou, even if Lin Ruhai had worked himself to death in office, any rits he might have earned would have been utterly negated by this incident, leaving nothing behind.
No wonder Lin Ruhai had toiled diligently and tread cautiously all these years, only for his sole surviving daughter to inherit not a shred of his legacy.
What a ss!
Confirming that the situation was as she had anticipated, An Ning remained expressionless. After carefully examining his pulse and waiting until Lin Ruhai beside her was nearly drenched in cold sweat, she finally signaled her master to retrieve a palm-sized porcelain bottle from the dical kit they had brought.
The words "Hemostatic Powder" were clearly labeled on the bottle's mouth. Lin Ruhai imdiately ordered his servants to carefully apply the dicinal powder to the man's wounds.
Before the two attendants could voice any objections, the bleeding from the wounds visibly stopped.
Once certain the man wouldn't die, An Ning left a few prescriptions for replenishing blood and nourishing vitality before she and her master took their leave. The two attendants seed about to say sothing, but Lin Ruhai spoke first:
"My apologies for troubling you both. It's getting late—you should rest early. I've already instructed the steward to prepare guest rooms..."
Since the host had spoken, the two attendants had no choice but to swallow their words, though their eyes remained fixed on their master.
Xu Zi'an only regained consciousness the next afternoon. Aware of the risks he had taken, he behaved exceptionally well during his recovery.
However, because of this incident, the situation in Jiangnan grew increasingly chaotic.
But this had little to do with An Ning for the ti being.
The following day, as she watched the two n chatting and laughing nearby, Lin Jing, who had been silently observing from a distance for a while, suddenly spoke up:
"Brother Xu, the sachet hanging from your waist is quite beautiful. Is that a peony embroidered on it?"
"'To the ladies and gentlen, who banter in jest, I present the peony as a gift'... It seems your family in the capital must miss you dearly!"
Stunned for a mont, Xu Zi'an realized what Lin Jing was implying and instinctively glanced at An Ning. His jade-like features tensed briefly before he chuckled and shook his head:
"You misunderstand, young Lin. This was rely made by a maid in my household. There's no special aning behind it."
"Oh, is that so?"
Sothing about his tone felt off. Xu Zi'an was about to say more when An Ning, having finished packing the dical kit with her master, prepared to leave.
Xu Zi'an: "..."
In the following days, seeing that Xu Zi'an was out of danger and his wounds showed no signs of infection, An Ning no longer accompanied her master on visits.
Instead, Xu Zi'an ca by a few tis himself, but An Ning mostly brushed him off, citing her busy studies.
Understanding her stance, Xu Zi'an fell silent for a mont. Considering their respective statuses, he chose not to press further.
Only when bidding farewell before his departure did An Ning give him two Life-Restoring Pills, ostensibly out of concern that he might encounter danger again.
Watching his sowhat dazed retreating figure, the system, rarely so active, perked up in her mind:
"Heh, Host, are you finally making your move?"
"That man's status is perfect—a duke's son, related to the imperial family, and not the eldest heir, so he won't bear the heaviest burdens."
"Not to ntion, he passed the provincial exams last year and is handso and refined—the dream of many young ladies in the capital!"
An Ning: "..."
Fiddling with the half-mixed incense paste in her hands, An Ning nearly facepald:
"Really, System, I'm begging you—please read fewer romance novels from now on..."
"Huh? You really weren't interested?"
Recalling her behavior over the past days, the belatedly enlightened system paused:
"Wait, if that's the case, why did you give him such valuable dicine?"
This pill wasn't just expensive—even with the Lin family's wealth, they had only managed to gather enough ingredients to produce fewer than ten pills over the years.
And yet, in one go, she had given him two!
Co on, given her personality—considering how shalessly she had squeezed resources and rare herbs out of the Lin family all these years—would she really make such a loss-making move if she wasn't interested?
"Why, then?"
The system couldn't figure it out.
Because they would soon co in handy!
Gently grinding the pale green paste in her hand, An Ning didn't answer. After a mont of contemplation, she finally asked:
"System, didn't you say before that in this world, imperial status or certain official titles can, to so extent, ward off evil spirits?"
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