Transmigrated into a female county magistrate during a famine, leading her country to prosperity

Chapter 1249 Poison Attacks the Heart

At the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), the moonlight was cool and clear.

Inside the buildings in the backyard of the Liuyang government office, the lights were on.

The people inside, some sitting and some standing, had their anxious expressions clearly visible under the lamplight.

Yu Shizhang frowned and paced back and forth by the couch. Shen Xingjian stood by the window, glancing back at Xu Yunyan on the couch from time to time. Yu Nanshu and Cui Jinyin sat at the table, saying nothing.

"How is Xiao Xu doing right now?" This was the umpteenth time Yu Shizhang had asked Li Shiyuan tonight.

Li Shiyuan slowly placed his fingertips on Xu Yunyan's wrist, then withdrew his hand after a moment and shook his head: "It's still the same. Although the poison has been suppressed, it is still stirring in his body, looking for an opportunity to erode his heart meridian."

Yu Shizhang stopped, closed his eyes, and said something no one wanted to talk about: "...There are only ten hours left in the three-day period, right?"

Lee Shi-won nodded with difficulty: "...Yes."

Xu Yunyan only has ten hours left to live.

This is a fact that no one can accept.

How could someone who was full of vigor just a few days ago suddenly be lying on a sickbed, his life hanging by a thread?

"I'll send a few more groups of men to Yuanzhou!" Yu Shizhang suddenly turned around and walked towards the door. "There are only a few roads. As long as there are enough people, how can we not pick up Shen Zheng? I don't believe those people in Yuanzhou would dare to stop her and prevent her from coming back!"

"Cough-cough-"

Just as Yu Shizhang stepped out of the room, Xu Yunyan suddenly coughed violently, and his previously weak breathing became rapid.

Everyone in the room felt their hearts tighten and looked towards the bed.

"Not good!" Li Shiyuan's expression changed drastically, and he immediately reached out to press Xu Yunyan's pulse. "His mind is unstable, the poison is attacking his heart! Xingjian, quickly hold him down!"

Shen Xingjian immediately lunged at the bed, almost pressing his entire body against Xu Yunyan.

"Gently!" Li Shiyuan took out the silver needles with one hand and pushed Shen Xingjian with the other: "You want to turn ten hours into ten breaths?!"

Shen Xingjian was flustered, but finally managed to stop Xu Yunyan just as Li Shiyuan took out the silver needle.

"Quickly, tie it up!"

Li Shiyuan didn't dare to delay for a moment, and with the silver needle between his fingertips, he inserted it into Xu Yunyan's acupoints.

One needle.

Two stitches.

Three needles...

As several silver needles were inserted, Xu Yunyan gradually stopped convulsing, and her breathing gradually returned to normal.

Yu Shizhang exhaled the breath he had been holding for a while and asked in a low voice, "What happened? Everything was fine before, how could the poison suddenly attack your heart?!"

Looking at Xu Yunyan's slightly furrowed brows, Li Shiyuan had a guess in his mind, but dared not speak up again.

"What exactly happened? Tell me!"

As soon as Yu Shizhang returned to the bedside, he saw Li Shiyuan pick up a pen and paper and quickly write four characters on the paper.

"Don't mention Shen Zheng."

After seeing clearly, Yu Shizhang was stunned, then looked at Xu Yunyan, whose eyes were closed: "You mean... he can hear us?"

Li Shiyuan nodded slightly and said in a low voice, "He may not even know that he can hear, but he can hear and even react to these words. Anyway... let's not talk about it anymore."

“This…” Yu Shizhang found it hard to believe.

However, it cannot be denied that Xu Yunyan's coughing and convulsions just now did occur after he said he was going to pick up Shen Zheng.

He looked at Xu Yunyan's pale face, his throat tightening: "Then... let's not talk about it. I'm going out for a bit, you guys keep an eye on him."

Li Shiyuan twirled the silver needles and nodded slightly. Shen Xingjian retreated back to the window and watched Li Shiyuan's movements without saying a word.

The room fell silent again, with only the crackling of the lamplight and the sputtering and extinguishing of sparks, much like the fading hope in everyone's hearts.

Time slipped away in the oppressive wait.

At dawn, a thin mist began to rise, and a cool breeze seeped into the house through the window lattices.

At Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the sun rises, its light faint.

At noon, the sun was high in the sky, and the sunlight was white.

At dusk, the setting sun, like blood, stained the earth red and also reflected in everyone's eyes.

At the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), the last rays of sunlight were swallowed by the darkness.

It's dark again.

On this day, Yu Shizhang sent out wave after wave of people, but none of them brought back any good news.

The candles in the hut burned for a day and a night, their dim light reflecting the deathly silence of the room, unable to dispel the disappointment or suppress the despair.

Yu Shizhang, Shen Xingjian, Yu Nanshu, and Cui Jinyin walked out of the house one after another, silently gazing at the pale moon in the sky.

"Boom-thump-thump-"

The drumbeats continued, one after another. They dared not listen, nor count, as if only in this way could the night, like Xu Yunyan's life, be stretched out, stretched out even further.

"Boom boom boom——"

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from the end of the corridor.

The four men's eyes lit up suddenly, and they turned around at the same time.

Yu Nanshu even called out, "Sister Shen..."

After she could see the person clearly, only one word remained stuck in her throat.

It's not Sister Shen.

Sister Shen hasn't come back yet...

The visitor was Yi Mingli.

He was drenched in sweat, his face as pale as the moonlight: "My lord, the two teams sent to meet Lord Shen this morning have returned. They said... they crossed the boundary marker at noon and searched along the Yuanzhou border, but... but they still couldn't find Lord Shen..."

The news struck like a thunderbolt, exploding above everyone's heads.

Yu Shizhang's heart sank suddenly.

Nearly five hours have passed since noon.

If Shen Zheng hadn't yet set foot in Liuyang Prefecture at that time... what has she encountered since last night?

A chill ran from the soles of his feet to his heart, startling Yu Shizhang so much that he dared not think any further.

Shen Xingjian clenched his fists, his fingertips turning white. Without saying a word, he suddenly turned and rushed into the corridor: "I'm going to Yuanzhou! I'm going to find her!"

"I'm going too!" Yu Nanshu ran after her, muttering to herself, "Brother Xu is still waiting for Sister Shen, Sister Shen can't get hurt..."

"I want to go too!" Cui Jinyin wiped her eyes with her sleeve and quickly caught up with the two.

Rationally, Yu Shizhang wanted to call them back, but his body acted before reason could, making the decision for him: "Prepare the horses! This uncle also..."

"I'm back—!"

Just then, a joyful shout broke through the oppressive night, striking straight into everyone's hearts: "He's back! Lord Shen is back! He's at the government office immediately!"

After the shouts subsided, the corridor fell silent once more.

Yu Nanshu suddenly stopped in her tracks.

came back?

Sister Shen is back?

Sister Shen is back safe and sound?

As if in disbelief, she slowly turned her head to look at Cui Jinyin.

Just moments before, Cui Jinyin had been feigning strength, but suddenly she collapsed to the ground, bursting into tears without warning: "You scared me to death! You really scared me to death..."

it is true!

Overwhelmed with joy, Yu Nanshu stopped looking at Cui Jinyin, lifted her skirt, and strode towards the front yard.

"I'm going to pick up Sister Shen!"

Yu Shizhang clutched his chest and glared at Yi Mingli: "I'll settle accounts with you once Xu Yunyan wakes up!"

Even with his old bones, he can't withstand being scared like that a few more times!