From the Valkyrie to the Endless

Most of Shen Qing's attention was focused on sorting out the complex martial arts scriptures and books in his memory. He had very little perception of the outside world, like a puppet, only knowing how to follow along blindly.

It was not until someone began to untie her prison uniform that she suddenly came to her senses and subconsciously took two steps back.

Looking around, all four walls were made of bluestone. In a wooden barrel not far away, hot water was steaming. The whole room was filled with mist, with a hint of intoxicating warmth.

Not far in front of her stood a woman about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, wearing a lotus green brocade dress, with her hair tied up in a bun, a pretty face, and a strong scholarly air about her.

"I can just do it myself."

After looking around, Shen Qing whispered something, walked quickly to the side, and quickly took off his prisoner uniform. At the same time, he carefully hid the half-stalk of heartbreak grass among the neatly folded clean clothes beside him.

This half plant of Heartbreak Grass is her only weapon of self-defense and must not be lost.

"I've been in the prison, there were so many lice there, you can't clean them all by yourself."

The woman didn't care. She leaned over to test the water temperature, added another bucket of hot water, and then pushed Shen Qing into the bathtub.

"My name is Yuzhen, it's a flower name. My previous name is no longer usable."

Yu Zhen combed Shen Qing's tangled hair while whispering to herself:

"I grew up listening to the stories of General Shen. If it weren't for some accidents, maybe you and I would have known each other a long time ago."

"Thanks to your eldest brother, my life here has been relatively smooth, and I have been able to gain a firm foothold over the years."

Shen Qing didn't say anything. He slowly relaxed his muscles and bones. The chill caused by the night wind gradually dissipated and his whole body felt comfortable.

Seeing that she didn't say anything, Yu Zhen didn't care and just chattered about the past.

Yuzhen's father was originally a third-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue, but was eventually beheaded for corruption and bribery. According to her, her father was just taking the blame for someone else's crime, which was a desperate measure to survive.

Once you enter officialdom and hold an important position, even if you don't want to be greedy, there will always be people who force money into your hands. This is the way the world is, and going with the flow is the norm.

Before her family was broken up, Yuzhen had known Shen Qing's elder brother Shenyangshan and had some friendship with him. After being sent to the Jiaofangsi, she was taken care of by Shenyangshan and was not abused too badly.

Being thrown into this place as a criminal is like entering purgatory, where the status is not even as high as that of ordinary official prostitutes. Facing the wives and daughters of their former colleagues, the beastly acts of those high-ranking officials become even more brutal.

After a while, after finally catching all the lice and making her long hair smooth, Yu Zhen let out a long sigh, dried her hands, and turned around to tidy up her clothes.

As soon as she lifted the second layer, she saw half of the slightly yellow heartbreak grass.

After a moment of hesitation, Yu Zhen turned around and looked at Shen Qing in the bathtub, put his clothes back, picked up the prison uniform beside him and walked out the door.

"Put on your clothes yourself. I'll wait for you outside."

…………

…………

After a while, Shen Qing tidied himself up and left the bathroom.

Yu Zhen looked worried. She led the way without saying a word, turning left and right, and finally brought Shen Qing to a side room behind the courtyard.

After lighting the lamp and making the bed, before leaving, Yu Zhen couldn't help but turned back and said something:

"Don't do stupid things. As long as you can survive, there will always be a turning point."

Shen Qing felt a little puzzled for a moment, but still nodded and replied: "Thank you, Sister Yuzhen, I cherish my life very much."

Seeing that her expression did not seem fake, Yu Zhen left doubtfully.

Not long after Yu Zhen left, the door was pushed open again.

Zhao Nuo, dressed in a green shirt and carrying a bag, walked into the room. Without waiting for Shen Qing to speak, he used his finger force to freeze her body in the air.

“I’m sorry.”

Zhao Nuo said casually, picked up Shen Qing with one hand a little roughly, dragged him onto the bed, and leaned over to open the bag in his hand, which was full of bottles and jars, as well as several rolls of white gauze.

"Don't worry, I'm very skilled and won't hurt you too much."

As he spoke, he had already taken out a dagger from his bosom. With the cold blade approaching Shen Qing, he severed the four tendons connecting his hands and feet in the blink of an eye.

The blood stained the bed sheets red. The intense pain made Shen Qing open his eyes wide involuntarily. Zhao Nuo did not stop his actions. He methodically wiped the dagger with white gauze, and then turned his hand and slapped Shen Qing's dantian.

An extremely domineering internal force invaded Shen Qing's body. The little internal force that was originally lingering in his dantian scattered everywhere, and the qi channels in his body were torn apart, becoming a tangled mass.

"No wonder there are so many princes and nobles who want to be your first benefactors, lining up from here to the palace."

Looking at Shen Qing's delicate face which was flushed, Zhao Nuo smiled faintly and reached out to wipe away the thin layer of sweat on her forehead.

After doing all this, Zhao Nuo took out the needle and thread, and very carefully connected Shen Qing's severed tendons, then applied medicine and bandaged the wound.

"We have a long way to go..."

After doing all this, he walked to the table, reached out and touched the teapot on the table, and couldn't help but sighed: "It's cold."

Before leaving, Zhao Nuo considerately covered Shen Qing with a quilt, turned off the oil lamp, and then slowly left.

Half an hour later, the acupoints were automatically unblocked. Shen Qing took a deep breath, and the muscles in her hands and legs twitched involuntarily due to the severe pain. Her mind raced, and she began to think about the future.

Now her tendons have been torn, her energy channels are disrupted, and she is almost disabled. Her situation is too dangerous. If she wants to survive these eleven years, she must come up with a good way to protect herself.

It was midnight. Shen Qing was too tired and had lost blood. He fell asleep in his deep thoughts without realizing it.

…………

…………

"Shen Qing..."

Hearing the call, Shen Qing slowly opened his eyes and subconsciously wanted to get up, but was held down by Yu Zhen.

"Don't move, be careful of the wound bursting..."

Yu Zhen looked gloomy, with a hint of guilt: "I'm sorry, I can't help you."

Zhao Nuo is the deputy envoy of the Jiaofangsi, although he is only of the sixth rank, but he has great power in this small piece of land of Jiaofangsi. The lives and property of these official prostitutes are only a matter of his word.

"Sister, your words are too serious."

Shen Qing smiled, glanced at the sky outside which was already noon, and suppressed the shock in his eyes.

The wounds on his wrists and ankles no longer hurt, he could move freely, and even his energy channels had been straightened out.

Just like the wound from cutting her wrist, it was a serious injury that could cause disability. However, she recovered in one night. She just felt a little cold, just like she felt when she got out of the prison yesterday...

This terrifying recovery ability made Shen Qing overjoyed. This way, she would have a greater chance of success in what she was about to do.

"Sister, I want to ask you a favor."

"I'll help you with everything I can. Drink the soup first." Yu Zhen helped Shen Qing sit up, turned around and brought a bowl of medicinal food from the table.

After drinking the medicinal food, Shen Qing calmed down and asked tentatively: "Can you help me get some red mercury?"

"What do you want that thing for?" Yu Zhen was a little confused. Except for those mysterious wandering Taoists who liked to use red mercury to make elixirs, ordinary people didn't really need that thing.

"I have my own uses. Please help me, sister." Shen Qing pleaded, "In addition to red mercury, I also need some rouge and powder."

"It's a small matter. I'll bring it to you in the evening. You should have a good rest." Yu Zhen nodded in response and helped Shen Qing lie down again.

At night, Shen Qing did not wait for Yu Zhen, but Zhao Nuo.

"Ms. Shen is really a beauty lover. At this stage, she still wants rouge and powder. I just don't know what this red mercury is for?"

After entering the house, Zhao Nuo casually put the bag he was carrying on the table and untied it, revealing a pile of small ceramic bottles.

"I heard from my father that red mercury can cure bedsores and scabies. Now I am a useless person, lying in bed all day, so I have some in case of emergency."

Shen Qing had anticipated this situation, and he gave an explanation calmly and with a normal look.

She herself had never intended to hide the truth from Zhao Nuo. Judging from the ambush she encountered on the road and Zhao Nuo's previous actions, there must be a lot of people watching her, either openly or secretly. No movement could be hidden from Zhao Nuo's eyes.

"Ms. Shen knows how to plan ahead."

After hearing this, although Zhao Nuo was still a little suspicious, he did not ask any more questions. Before leaving, he subconsciously touched the teapot on the table, and when he found it was cold, he frowned again.

Seeing this scene, Shen Qing's eyes darkened.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 5 The Balance

The next morning.

"I want to meet Zhao Nuo. Please tell him that I want to discuss a deal with him using the Taoist secret book 'Nine Secrets of the Great Circulation of Qi'."

After breakfast, Shen Qing called out to Yu Zhen who was about to leave:

"Before you go, please make me another pot of hot tea."

Hearing this, Yu Zhen's hands trembled a little, and he said in a trembling tone: "You have to consider the consequences of your actions. Zhao Nuo is very meticulous and far more thoughtful than ordinary people. Even if you manage to poison him to death, you will definitely not be able to leave the Jiaofangsi in your current condition..."

Shen Qing was stunned for a moment, and his heart sank slightly: "What do you mean, sister?"

"I have seen Gastroenterology in books. This highly poisonous plant is rare in the world. You suddenly want to meet Zhao Nuo, so you must have some plans."

Yu Zhen was getting anxious, and stopped trying to hide the truth. She said bluntly, "Don't be upset. If Zhao Nuo dies, even if they can't find out that it was you who did it, Zhao Sheng will never let you go and will definitely vent his anger on you. The Prime Minister's family has always been at odds with Marshal Shen. When that happens, you..."

Hearing this, Shen Qing turned over and got out of bed, and chose to show his hand directly: "As long as I can kill Zhao Nuo, I will have a way to leave here. Please help me, sister!"

Seeing that Shen Qing was able to move freely, Yu Zhen's expression paused for a moment. After coming to his senses, he looked at the earnestness on Shen Qing's face and couldn't help but feel torn again.

"Wait for me to pass on the message."

After pondering for a long time, she finally gritted her teeth, nodded, and turned to leave the side room.

Looking at Yu Zhen's departing back, Shen Qing frowned slightly. It was somewhat beyond her expectation that Yu Zhen had noticed the heartbreak grass. She was still a little careless when she entered the Music Bureau.

She didn't have much trust in Yu Zhen, but now, apart from trusting Yu Zhen, she had no other way to get out of this situation.

Once Zhao Nuo discovered that her body's recovery speed was different from that of ordinary people, disaster would befall her in an instant, and death would be the inevitable result.

Judging from the fact that Yuzhen helped conceal the existence of the heartbreak grass, it at least proves that she had no ill intentions.

But Shen Qing did not let her guard down. In her previous life, she had seen too many unpredictable human hearts in various books.

If Yu Zhen made a mistake, or confessed directly to Zhao Nuo, she could only try to use the turtle breathing method in her memory to fake her death and escape. This was a desperate measure with too much risk.

…………

…………

"It's a good thing you told me."