Report to the Empress and the Eldest Princess: They're using the system to poach your men.

The book, wrapped up tightly, resembled a pickled white radish.

It emitted a strange odor.

[Master, I remember when you arranged Cen Yan's pillow, there wasn't anything next to it, was there?]

Following Xiaotong's directions, Shen Sangwan looked up.

Next to the jade pillow was a piece of silk about the size of a palm, which was weighed down by the jade pillow. The color was also very similar, and it was not easy to notice unless you looked closely.

"Dissolve it in water and administer it to the patient."

There were only four characters written on it, which left Shen Sangwan somewhat puzzled.

"Xiao Tong, do you want me to turn this silk into water?"

There's nothing else around here, so maybe that's it!

Xiaotong was also somewhat uncertain.

Shen Sangwan picked it up and brought it to her nose to smell it; it was the source of the strange fragrance.

Seeing that time was running out, she decided to give it a try and asked Shuyi, who had just returned from Yunguang Palace, to prepare a bowl of hot water.

When the silk was thrown directly into the water, the clear water instantly turned blackish-purple, and the silk disappeared.

"Is this stuff...safe to drink?"

Looking at the dark purple, unidentified liquid, she was filled with doubt.

【Master, with Xiao Yan Yan's life hanging in the balance, you might as well try anything, no matter how desperate the situation.】

After hearing Xiaotong's words, Shen Sangwan picked up the scissors from the dressing case and cut open the gauze on Shuyan's face, revealing her mouth and nose.

Her body was so stiff that it was impossible to pry open her mouth. Shen Sangwan struggled to pry it open even a little bit and managed to pour the liquid from the bowl into her mouth, but she couldn't get her to swallow it no matter what she did.

Normally, if she squeezed the other person's throat and applied a little force, she could force the other person's nerves to react. But now she was holding a corpse that had been dead for several days.

[Master, didn't Qingque say before that it would be fine to just feed it to her? Shouldn't it be okay if Cen Yan just holds it in her mouth?]

Furthermore, as far as I know, dead people cannot swallow anything; at most, it will just get stuck in their throat.

"Is there any tool that can be used to send this dark purple liquid inside?"

【Master, this isn't quite right!】

[Furthermore, the nasogastric tube method doesn't seem suitable for this location.]

Shen Sangwan felt a chill run down her spine as she watched the liquid gradually spill from the other person's lips.

"Hey, so I guess it'll be okay if I administer it mouth-to-mouth?"

[Master, wake up! Even mouth-to-mouth resuscitation won't work on someone who's unconscious, let alone someone like Cen Yan. It's even more pointless.]

Xiao Tong almost couldn't help but slap her master; this was truly a case of grasping at straws in desperation.

"So I'm just supposed to stand by and watch?"

Holding the jade bowl, she looked anxious and at a loss.

【Master, how about we try taking it sublingually first? If that doesn't work, we'll think of something else.】

Just letting things drag on like this is a waste of time.

Shen Sangwan didn't care about anything else. She pried open Shuyan's mouth, poured a lot of water in, and then closed her mouth with great difficulty, pressing it tightly with her hand.

Strangely enough, after Shen Sangwan's hand became sore, she released her grip, and the thing in Cen Yan's mouth disappeared into thin air.

To confirm, Shen Sangwan even took a closer look, almost as if she wanted to pry open the other person's mouth and crawl inside to find out.

"Hey, the stuff from the Northern Witchcraft Sect is really fantastical, all sorts of weird and unorthodox things."

Seeing that the method was effective, Shen Sangwan quickly poured the rest into Cen Yan's mouth, and then pressed her hand against the other's lips.

After all the liquids were fed, Cen Yan remained obediently lying in bed, showing no change from before.

"Xiaotong, why isn't she responding? Did we make a mistake?"

【Master, it's still a quarter of an hour before midnight. It might not take effect until midnight. Let's wait a little longer.】

But if Xiao Yan Yan still hasn't woken up by midnight, does that mean—?

【My lord, Cen Yan is a lucky person, and Heaven will surely protect her. I believe she will be alright; otherwise, who will be by your side to bring you misfortune in the future?】

Xiao Tong comforted Shen Sangwan in a half-joking tone, but Shen Sangwan showed no sign of a smile.

She simply sat quietly by the bedside, her eyes fixed on Cen Yan.

I'm afraid of missing even the slightest movement from the other person.

Just as she was getting drowsy, Shen Sangwan clearly felt something touch her hand, which was resting on the edge of the bed.

Startled awake, "Little Yan Yan?"

"Huh!"

Cen Yan closed her eyes and opened her mouth wide, but couldn't make a sound.

"Little Yan Yan, you're awake?"

"Huh——"

His eyes were still closed, and his two hands mechanically pointed to his mouth, silently conveying something.

"Xiaotong, what does she mean by this?"

[Master, she's a best friend, not my best friend. How would I know what she's trying to say?]

Xiao Tong rolled her eyes, feeling sorry for Cen Yan, wondering how she could have such an unreliable best friend.

"Little Yan Yan, what are you trying to say? Are you thirsty and want some water?"

Faced with Cen Yan's repetitive actions, Shen Sangwan felt somewhat helpless. When she asked Cen Yan what was wrong, all she got in return was the same repetitive movements.

Seeing that Cen Yan had been pointing at her mouth ever since she woke up, Shen Sang went over to examine her.

It felt like there was something like silk stuck in my throat.

"Holy crap, no way!"

Shen Sangwan quickly went to the dressing case to find a pair of wooden clips, and carefully pulled out Cen Yan after holding her down.

"That Ling Yuan is really shameless. Luckily, I didn't force this thing into Xiao Yan Yan's belly. This thing is trying to pull a magic trick on me."

Shen Sangwan was still somewhat shaken by the sudden reappearance of the silk that had vanished.

She could easily imagine that if she had insisted on pouring that bowl of dark purple liquid into Cen Yan's stomach, she would probably be seeing the King of Hell right now.

"Little Yan Yan?"

"vomit--"

The physiological reaction was so strong that Cen Yan couldn't help but vomit.

But I haven't fed her anything for the past few days, and her stomach is completely empty. Now she can only dry heave.

Perhaps due to overexertion, her complexion, which had regained some color, turned deathly pale again after continuous gagging.

[Xiao Tong, Xiao Yan Yan...is she alright?]

Shen Sangwan could only pat Cen Yan's back repeatedly to help her catch her breath.

"Could you get me something to eat? I'm so hungry I feel nauseous."

Exhausted from vomiting, she collapsed into Shen Sangwan's arms, her voice weak like a sick cat, so feeble that it seemed she might die at any moment.

"Shuyi, Shuyi, quickly go to the small kitchen and bring me a bowl of minced meat porridge and some bone broth."

Upon seeing Cen Yan alive and well again, Shen Sangwan was as happy as a child who had received candy, and shouted loudly towards the palace gate.

"Yes, slave, go right away."

"Don't hold me so tight, I can't breathe."

Overjoyed, Shen Sangwan lost her composure and hugged Cen Yan tightly. Hearing the humble plea from the person in her arms, she was so frightened that she quickly let go, almost pushing Cen Yan to the ground.