The physician handed Su Ling a pair of gloves, warning her, “The patient is in the outbreak phase. Wear the gloves properly, and don’t let yourself get infected.”
“I… I understand.”
Su Ling was a little nervous—this was her first time doing this kind of work.
“Place the medicine tools on the pine table, grind the herbs and beans into powder, and apply the medicine to the patient’s hands every five minutes.”
Like this.
“Remember to spread the ointment evenly. If the patient shows any signs of improvement or other symptoms, report to me immediately.”
“Understood.”
Su Ling took the gloves and quickly put them on, then walked to the sickbed, using a wooden spatula to press the medicine while sizing up the frail woman before her.
The woman in front of her was trembling all over, occasionally groaning, and looked to be in great pain.
“Hey, you’re new here?”
As Su Ling was applying the medicine, the woman slowly opened her eyes and asked Su Ling.
“No, I’m just here to help temporarily in the Medical Room.”
“A maid, that’s nice… I’m just a laborer from the outskirts. In this Wang Xian, the only ones who care if we live or die are people like you.” Her gaze dulled, her mind seeming a bit clouded.
“I’ll do my best to help you.”
Su Ling wasn’t sure how to respond to this poor woman.
“Your kind words are enough.”
The woman smiled weakly and raised her stick-thin left arm.
Su Ling noticed the skin of her forearm was covered in strange black lines, almost like crawling worms.
“Fool’s Disease… it’s truly inescapable. They say after years of poor harvests, the poor outside the city began eating large amounts of Grain Lantern Moth, and got infected by the disease inside them. I was infected when I went out one day, purely by accident.”
“Grain Lantern Moth?”
She had never heard of such an insect before—maybe it was one of those bizarre creatures authors loved to invent.
“Yes, Grain Lantern Moth. Some people knew about it… but everyone was too hungry, so they ate it anyway, and caught Fool’s Disease.” The woman let out a bitter sigh.
“Is it… very serious?” Su Ling asked.
“Look at me, I can still talk to you now… But after a while, I’ll probably end up like him.”
The woman pointed her skinny finger toward a bed, where a man lay curled up, his thin body covered in black lines.
“I’m a severe case. It starts with itchy skin, then your head fills with fog… after that, you can’t speak, and eventually the disease takes your life. That’s what Grain Lantern Moth does. Everyone’s looking for a cure, but no one’s found one yet.”
A look of despair appeared in her muddled eyes. The woman seemed to have already seen the end of her life, but she still forced a smile and nodded to Su Ling.
“I miss when the Old King was still in An Tangersmi… It wasn’t like now, with war breaking out everywhere, the War Tax rising, and now this Heavenly Fire.”
Su Ling fell silent, unsure of what to say—polite consolation? Or superficial sympathy?
None of it meant anything. Nothing she said could change this woman’s fate. She was merely the last passerby in the woman’s life.
“Girl, you’re from Tangshu, aren’t you?” The woman saw through Su Ling’s accent, intentionally lightening her tone.
“No need to worry about me so much. Why not sing a song for me instead?”
“Song of the Cheek Moon,” a folk song from the distant lands—your people all know it, right?” The woman smiled faintly.
“My husband sang it for me at our wedding, and then was conscripted to the frontlines at the Valivadan border… It’s been twelve years since he came home.”
“Now, I want to hear that melody once more.”
Su Ling’s eyes stung a little, but she managed to restrain her feelings, refusing to let them show.
The melody and lyrics of that song were still stored somewhere deep in her memory, a part of her very being.
Su Ling nodded gently and began to sing.
The melody flowed like water, the lyrics were rich with feeling, and as the gentle female voice rose, the entire Medical Room fell silent, all eyes turning toward her.
Gradually, someone began to keep time with her.
Slowly, others hummed along in soft voices.
The low ceiling of the Medical Room and the motionless windows framed slivers of grey light streaming through heavy stone walls, illuminating the swirling dust that floated and danced, merging with the song.
When the song ended, everyone applauded Su Ling, making her feel a little embarrassed.
“It’s been so long since I’ve heard that song.”
“Thank you.”
“We wander far from home, little girl. Is your hometown in the county?”
“My hometown is…”
Su Ling was just about to answer the woman when suddenly, a faint sense of discomfort brushed her mind. That familiar gaze from earlier fell upon her again, making her uneasy.
You again! Let’s see if I don’t catch you this time.
She finished applying the ointment for the woman, lowered her head in a feigned gesture, then suddenly spun around at lightning speed to look in the direction of that gaze.
Outside the narrow wooden door, between two pillars, a slender shadow flitted past and vanished in an instant.
There really was someone there!
Su Ling didn’t get a clear look at the person’s face, but found the figure strangely familiar.
She quickly calmed herself, continued working with her hands, and quietly observed her surroundings. She decided that if the chance came, she would sneak out and expose the identity of this mysterious stalker.
“Please rest a while. I’ll go get you some warm water.”
After finishing another round of ointment, Su Ling found an excuse to leave the female patient’s side and quietly walked toward the door.
Outside the Medical Room, the light was even brighter. Su Ling moved carefully through the corridor, ears straining for any small sound.
Just as she was about to catch the trail of her stalker, her arm was gently grasped by a hand.
The stalker didn’t hide anymore—instead, she revealed herself.
Su Ling turned toward the sound and saw, right before her, the person she had been with day and night.
Long black hair fell to her arms, and blood-red eyes shone like the setting sun.
Sista grasped Su Ling’s black sleeve with one hand, staring at her without blinking, expression deadly serious.
“Your Highness? W-Why are you here?” Su Ling almost shouted in surprise.
If she guessed correctly, the one who had been following her all day was none other than the Blood Noble Princess before her. Not only during work—just now, the entire process of her singing had been witnessed by Sista.
She hadn’t done anything wrong, so why was she being stalked like this by another girl?
“Do I have any business with you?” Su Ling forced herself to speak calmly, but a sense of foreboding rose in her heart.
However, Sista had no intention of answering her question. As usual, she issued a command with a cold, clear voice.
“Today, take me to your room.”
Su Ling’s mind went completely blank.