I'm competing with the male lead for a woman (GL) - Chapter 12

Xiao Jin looked at the blackening wound on Chu Shao’s arm, silent for a long time.

Could it be… these assassins were targeting Chu Shao?

When the man in black injured her just now, he held back his moves, not poisoning the sword. When attacking Chu Shao, he applied poison.

Xiao Jin recalled the crown prince walking to the palace wall, turning his head, looking across the snowy landscape.

Because she was far away, she didn’t see the crown prince’s expression clearly, but she knew the male lead stood by the dead tree, paused for a long time, and then disappeared into the distance.

In that case, the male lead should be very suspicious.

Xiao Jin understood the reasoning, but looking at the smile on Chu Shao’s lips, she was still greatly shocked.

How could someone be poisoned and not react at all?

Chu Shao’s observation skills were very sharp, so she quickly noticed that Xiao Jin’s gaze seemed to be on her arm.

She didn’t think there was anything strange about her arm, but since Xiao Jin was looking, there must be a reason.

So Chu Shao raised her hand to take a look.

But when she saw the blackness at the edge of the wound, she was also stunned.

Xiao Jin looked serious, staring at Chu Shao.

Who knew that after Chu Shao came back to her senses, she smiled slightly, “So it was poisoned with gelsemium, no wonder I felt a slight itch in my abdomen just now.”

“…”

Xiao Jin was silent for a moment, and asked softly, “This poison is gelsemium?”

“It should be.”

Chu Shao’s smile remained unchanged, and she even raised her arm with interest, observing the black bl00d oozing from the edge of the wound. “After all, only when you are poisoned with gelsemium will your abdomen itch, then your intestines will rot, and the poisoned person will die in extreme pain.”

Xiao Jin looked at the smile on Chu Shao’s face, often feeling that she was too normal and out of place with the female lead.

…This is gelsemium, can you give some reaction? Does gelsemium have no dignity?

The so-called gelsemium is one of the nine most poisonous plants in web novels, and its lethality is no less than that of antiaris toxicaria and aconitum.

It is rumored that this poison is extremely potent. If you don’t take the antidote within the time it takes to drink three cups of tea, your intestines will turn black and stick together, and you will die in excruciating pain.

Even if there weren’t a thousand cannon fodder characters who died from gelsemium, there would be eight hundred.

But Chu Shao is the female lead, how could she get a lunch box(killed off) at the beginning?

Xiao Jin had a feeling that something went wrong, but in a short time, she could only attribute the magical plot to the chain reaction caused by the bride snatching.

And, the female lead was probably possessed.

Chu Shao stood beside Xiao Jin, watching her fingers gradually become pale and transparent.

Because of the severe pain in her abdomen, her whole body became cold.

It had been a long time since she had felt such pain, and Chu Shao even missed it a little, but unfortunately, such pain would not last long.

After the time it took to drink three cups of tea, everything would become boring again.

“Tear—”

A sound of tearing cloth interrupted Chu Shao’s thoughts.

Chu Shao raised her head following the sound, and saw Xiao Jin holding a piece of cloth in her hand, handing it to her.

It looked like it was torn from her robe, not torn very well, wide in the front and narrow in the back, lacking aesthetic appeal.

Xiao Jin explained, “There are no more handkerchiefs, wrap it with cloth first, maybe it can slow down the spread of the poison.”

Of course, this was just her wishful thinking.

In fact, if Xiao Jin had handed her a white silk rope, Chu Shao would have found it more reasonable.

After all, logically speaking, she was poisoned and was about to suffer and die, hanging herself was better than dying in pain.

But looking at the piece of satin, Chu Shao found it very interesting, so she took the cloth and barely wrapped it around her arm.

Thin sweat had appeared on her forehead, but the smile on Chu Shao’s lips still contained calmness. “Your Highness, then what?”

Xiao Jin was basically sure that Chu Shao was not afraid of death, but she still wanted to complete the mission and go home, and could not let Chu Shao die like this.

So she turned to the coachman and said, “Go to Cangjin Alley as fast as possible.”

••••

As evening approached, the wind and snow in the capital became heavier.

Mixed with drizzling rain, it froze pedestrians’ lips and teeth, and they tightened their cloaks.

A few months ago, someone settled down at the end of Cangjin Alley, renting a pharmacy. The shop was not big, and the pharmacy owner only treated illnesses like colds, occasionally picking some herbs for patients.

Over time, people who came to see the doctor learned that there was a doctor in Cangjin Alley, named Su Tan, who treated illnesses very well and whose medicine was cheap.

Today, the wind and snow were very heavy. After sweeping the snow, Su Tan closed the shop early.

Sitting in the shop, Su Tan brewed a pot of tea with live charcoal, and while waiting for the tea to boil, she added a spoonful of feed to the white parrot in the cage.

The tea was fragrant, and she held the tea made of honeysuckle, suddenly feeling that the severe winter in Northern Qi didn’t seem so cold.

Honeysuckle in Yao Country bloomed the most luxuriantly.

But since the fall of her country, Su Tan had not drunk honeysuckle tea for a long time.

Today, the cold wind was biting, she missed her hometown very much, and missed the taste of honeysuckle, so she found some honeysuckle to brew tea.

The fragrance of honeysuckle was still there, but Su Tan’s mood had changed, and she could only taste a slightly bitter aftertaste.

The bitterness in her mouth had not dissipated, Su Tan sighed softly and put down the porcelain cup.

After a moment, looking at the porcelain cup, she frowned.

Tender buds floated on the tea, which was not unusual. But at this moment, if Su Tan was not mistaken, the water surface seemed to be… shaking?

Su Tan frowned, feeling alert.

At this moment, the sound of wheels rolling came from outside the house.

The coachman whipped the horse, and the iron hooves sank into the snow, splashing broken jade.

Su Tan had a feeling that something was wrong. Although Cangjin Alley was located in the capital of Qi, it was remote, and few people would set foot there at night.

The weather was cold today, who would be willing to drive to visit, the visitor was probably not a good person.

Thinking like this, Su Tan got up and looked out the window. As soon as she saw the bright armor of the guards, there was a knock on the door.

The parrot in the cage let out a sharp cry.

Su Tan did not ask, but quietly took out a bamboo tube from her sleeve.

The bamboo tube contained three poisoned silver needles. If the other party wanted to force their way in, Su Tan was confident that she could at least take down two or three people.

Holding the bamboo tube in her hand, Su Tan said, “It’s late, I don’t see patients, please come back another day.”

A faint voice came from outside the door, “Doctor Su, lives are at stake, please treat them.”

Hearing this, Su Tan was shocked.

She was not familiar with the voice of the person outside the door, but the other party knew her name.

Besides, the people in the alley called her “Physician Su,” who would respectfully call her “Doctor Su”?

Su Tan clenched the bamboo tube, just about to pretend to deal with a few words, and then find a way to escape, when the person outside the house said again, “Also, I forgot to tell Doctor Su, my surname is Xiao, my given name is Jin.”

“So, the silver needles in your hand can be put away.”

••••

Xiao Jin held up the porcelain cup, took a sip of hot tea, and immediately felt the cold air around her swept away.

Drinking tea, watching Su Tan busy looking for medicinal herbs to detoxify Chu Shao, she couldn’t help but nod in admiration.

Worthy of being the male lead’s right-hand man throughout his entire period, she was simply a walking human antidote machine.

Such a good girl, why did she get on the male lead’s pirate ship?

While Xiao Jin was sighing, Su Tan had prepared charcoal ash and alkali water, and the guards were also decocting the antidote according to her instructions.

They fanned the fire with cattail leaf fans, wondering how the prince found this place.

In fact, Su Tan still couldn’t figure out why Lord Yan of Qi knew her, and knew that she had a bamboo tube containing silver needles in her hand.

Xiao Jin watched Su Tan occasionally glance at her, her eyes full of doubt.

She still sat calmly in the wheelchair, sipping the tea in her cup, thinking that it was right that you didn’t understand.

After all, in the original story, Su Tan was famous for being tough, so she had to guard against her.

In a certain plot, after the male lead learned Su Tan’s true identity, he concealed his identity as the crown prince of Qi and made a special visit, but as soon as he stepped through the door, he almost got a needle.

If the male lead hadn’t been highly skilled in martial arts, the original story might have changed its genre to no CP.

So for Su Tan, Xiao Jin was half admiring and half wary.

However, Su Tan didn’t admire Xiao Jin, and couldn’t see through her. The reason she let Xiao Jin in just now was because the other party revealed her identity, and she couldn’t leave the Lord Yan of Qi out in the cold.

Su Tan had no good feelings for Xiao Jin, but when she saw Chu Shao’s face, she was stunned.

Because Chu Shao had a silver-blue flower ornament on her forehead, and Su Tan was familiar with the shape of this ornament.

She recalled the prophecy that the national master had planned many years ago, and her face changed slightly.

Could it be that this person is…

“Doctor Su, you’re distracted.”

Chu Shao’s eyes were gentle, and she said softly to Su Tan with a smile.

But when Su Tan raised her head and met Chu Shao’s eyes, she felt that they were bottomless, like ink, staining anything they touched.

After Chu Shao lowered her eyelashes, the so-called ink disappeared, turning into a clear pool of water, bright and reflective.

It almost made Su Tan think she had seen it wrong.

Of course, it was almost.

Su Tan looked at Chu Shao’s eyebrows and eyes, and felt that this person was very similar to the lady in the Yao palace.

When she was a child, she was fortunate enough to see that lady.

At that time, the national master had not yet disrupted the government, Yao  Country was prosperous and strong, and the Jiangyun Palace was full of singing and dancing, with guests toasting and exchanging cups, a lively scene.

The guests were sitting at the table, about to toast to Emperor Yao, when a dancer stepped into the hall.

Her water sleeves were as red as peonies, her dance was charming, and her figure was graceful, making the nobles unable to take their eyes off her, raising their wine cups and praising her repeatedly.

Although the peonies were moving, when the last dancer stepped into the hall, all the other beauties were overshadowed.

The woman was dressed in blue, her silver sleeves were like silk, and a feather hung from her earlobes, more aloof and cold than the fairies in the palace.

After the dance, the whole audience held their breath, silent.

Su Tan recalled the rumors she had heard these days, and was a little incredulous.

Since it was Lord Yan who came, was the poisoned person the Princess Consort of Lord Yan? But the princess just married Lord Yan, how could someone want to harm her?

Su Tan couldn’t figure it out.

When she came back to her senses, she found that Chu Shao had already removed the silver needles from the acupoints and drank the antidote.

When Chu Shao took the antidote, there should have been only half an incense stick left before the poison took effect.

Su Tan looked at Chu Shao with a complicated expression, knowing that she had just endured the torment and must have been extremely painful.

The Yao Country princess, who should have been showered with thousands of favors, was now not only a prisoner, but also forced to marry the disabled Lord Yan.

Even though she was so uncomfortable, she still had to show a docile smile in front of Lord Yan.

Su Tan clenched her fists, feeling both sad and angry.

Xiao Jin finished a cup of tea, looked at Su Tan’s unpredictable face, and gave up the idea of refilling her cup.

She thought that the original owner had just destroyed Su Tan’s country, so it was normal for her not to have a good face.

But Chu Shao’s eyelashes seemed to be trembling.

Xiao Jin keenly noticed this detail, looked up at Chu Shao’s face, and saw her smiling, saying softly to Su Tan, “Thank you, Doctor Su, I feel much better.”

Then she immediately understood that because of the pain stimulation, Chu Shao, this madwoman, started to feel happy again.

This attribute… strange, too strange.

Unfortunately, Su Tan didn’t notice anything unusual, looked at Chu Shao with pity, and said softly, “Your Highness, you’re too polite. Let me treat your wound.”

Chu Shao sat on the couch and nodded.

Xiao Jin watched Su Tan pick up the white cloth and the mashed herbs, carefully applying the medicine to Chu Shao, and couldn’t help but feel admiration.

What a white-clothed angel who saves the dying and heals the wounded, dedicated to her work.

But gradually, Xiao Jin suddenly realized that she also had wounds, but Su Tan didn’t even look at her.

And Su Tan’s eyes when looking at Chu Shao were too gentle and kind.

Wait, Su Tan seems to be the female supporting character.

So what is she being so gentle about?

Xiao Jin was dumbfounded. If the female supporting character and the female lead really hit it off, then the male lead, this bastard, would be useless.

No, Chu Shao is now her nominal princess consort, and she brought Chu Shao here, so wouldn’t that be…

Am I greening(cheating) myself?