Jiang Ning looked at Liu Ming'an, who was gazing worriedly at the strange man, and lowered her eyes slightly before speaking: "You should go to the medical clinic over there and buy two packets of medicine for external wounds. If they don't have any, then forget it."
Liu Ming'an didn't question her and responded with a "Alright," before putting down the candlestick and leaving.
Only Jiang Ning and the bewildered man remained in the room.
Jiang Ning stopped her needlework and stared unblinkingly into his eyes.
This person knew her, or more accurately, he knew the original owner of this body.
She had no memories, so the best approach now was to remain unchanged in the face of change.
The man was also quietly gazing at Jiang Ning, his eyes showing a rapidly changing array of emotions, revealing his complex state of mind.
"Heh!" After a moment, it was the man who finally lost his patience. He tugged at the corner of his mouth and chuckled softly: "Third Miss Nangong, what a pleasure!"
Jiang Ning slowly curled her lips into a smile. She wouldn't need to go to the Capital City to find that human trafficker Wei Fangxiong anymore. What an unexpected gain!
"Is that the man you eloped with just now?" Seeing that Jiang Ning didn't respond, and knowing that he was currently at death's door with his life in their hands, the man tried to flatter them: "Handsome appearance, graceful demeanor, gentle and refined, with an extraordinary aura. Third Miss has good taste!"
"But Third Miss, why didn't you elope further away?" The man asked puzzledly, "Jinzhi City is too close to the Capital City, it's easy to run into acquaintances—"
A sharp dagger was suddenly pressed against his throat, and the man immediately fell silent, his gaze fixed on the expressionless Jiang Ning.
"Enough nonsense. From now on, I ask, you answer. If you dare to lie, I'll kill you," Jiang Ning threatened coldly, moving the knife two inches closer, ready to slit his throat with the slightest movement.
A look of surprise flashed in the man's eyes as he scrutinized the sharp-featured girl before him, who seemed completely different from the timid person he remembered. Then he heard her ask, "Who am I?"
The man was stunned, not expecting this question. He stared into Jiang Ning's eyes and saw no trace of jest.
"Nangong Ling, the third daughter of the Prime Minister's Mansion," he answered, his mind racing to guess the possible situations.
"Nangong Ling..." Jiang Ning murmured the name, feeling it was oddly familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.
In the next moment, Jiang Ning suddenly remembered: in the Universal Buddha Temple of Qushui City, the name on the longevity tablet worshipped by Aunt Lan, who sold osmanthus cakes, was exactly this name!
What was the relationship between that Aunt Lan, whose eyes always carried a trace of sorrow, and the original owner of this body?
If she had requested a longevity tablet and lit a longevity lamp for Nangong Ling, why didn't she recognize her?
Seeing Jiang Ning's gaze wander, as if pondering something, the man's eyes flickered, and he said tentatively, "Third Miss, it seems you don't remember me."
Jiang Ning didn't care about his probing. She wanted to get the answers she needed from this person who knew the original owner. It was impossible not to be discovered as unusual.
Jiang Ning looked at him frankly and asked, "Who are you?"
"What's wrong with you? Have you forgotten everything?" The man seemed to understand something.
As soon as the words left his mouth, the man felt a sharp pain on his neck. Although it was insignificant compared to the three stab wounds on his abdomen, the implication was vastly different.
"I'm the one asking questions now," he heard this strange Nangong Ling say.
"Yuwen Yan."
Hearing this name, Jiang Ning raised an eyebrow: "If I'm not mistaken, there's only one family with the surname Yuwen in this world, right?"
The royal family.
"That's right, I'm the sixth prince of Great Liang, Prince Xiang Yuwen Yan," Yuwen Yan said, looking into Jiang Ning's eyes.
"So you're actually a prince," Jiang Ning was somewhat surprised, but then she thought, the original owner was the daughter of the Prime Minister, a high-ranking official's daughter and a well-bred lady. She probably rarely left her home, so it would be unlikely for her to meet ordinary men.
As a prince, this Yuwen Yan might have seen her at some banquet in the Imperial Palace.
"Third Miss, have you lost your memory?" Although Yuwen Yan asked this, he was already quite certain.
Jiang Ning nonchalantly grunted in affirmation and put away her dagger.
During their brief conversation, the wound on Yuwen Yan's stomach had bled again, forming a pool of blood. His face was as pale as paper, and his voice was becoming weaker. Jiang Ning knew that if she didn't help stop the bleeding soon, this man might not survive.
Since this person could be useful, she couldn't let him die.
Jiang Ning picked up the gauze again, dipped it in strong alcohol, and cleaned Yuwen Yan's abdominal wounds. The alcohol stung the wounds, causing his whole body to tremble uncontrollably.
"Bear with it, I'm saving you," Jiang Ning said.
Yuwen Yan was very sensible and immediately endured the pain while expressing his gratitude: "Thank you, Third Miss."
Jiang Ning picked up the needle again, held it over the flame to sterilize it, and then said, "Don't call me Third Miss in front of that person. My name is Jiang Ning now, remember that clearly."
"Yes, Miss Jiang Ning," Yuwen Yan complied readily.
The next moment, the sharp needle pierced through skin and flesh. The pain suddenly intensified, and Yuwen Yan gritted his teeth hard, his hands tightly gripping the bed sheet beneath him, almost tearing it.
Jiang Ning hadn't expected that she would be performing this kind of surgical suturing in ancient times. There was no disinfectant alcohol, no operating room, no specialized surgical needles and thread, and no anesthesia. Judging by how Yuwen Yan was shaking, she could tell how painful it was.
But given the limited conditions, this would have to do.
After all, it wasn't Liu Ming'an suffering, so she didn't feel any sympathy.
However, Jiang Ning did admire this Yuwen Yan. She could imagine how painful it must be to have flesh sewn together and thread pulled through, yet this pampered prince didn't make a single sound.
It took Jiang Ning nearly a quarter of an hour to sew up all three stab wounds.
Yuwen Yan was drenched in cold sweat, looking as if he had been pulled out of water. He felt like he had endured an endless torture. When he heard Jiang Ning say "It's done," he finally relaxed his jaw, tasting blood in his mouth.
"The wounds will heal in about half a month. After that, you can remove the threads from the flesh. During these days, avoid strenuous activities, don't eat spicy food, and be careful not to get the wounds wet when bathing," Jiang Ning instructed seriously, showing a rare hint of a physician's compassion.
"Thank you... Miss Jiang Ning," Yuwen Yan's voice was barely a whisper due to the ordeal. If Jiang Ning hadn't been close by, she wouldn't have known what he was saying.
Seeing that Yuwen Yan was about to pass out from his severe injuries, Jiang Ning got up and poured a glass of water. She added a few drops of spirit spring water to it, then pried open his mouth and made him drink it.
She still had questions to ask him, so he couldn't faint now.
The blood lotus space defied common sense, and the efficacy of the spirit spring water had long surpassed Jiang Ning's understanding.
Sure enough, after drinking this glass of water, Yuwen Yan, who had been barely clinging to life, visibly regained some strength. Even his complexion wasn't as pale anymore.
"Tell me everything you know about me. All of it," Jiang Ning commanded, looking down at Yuwen Yan lying on the bed.
Yuwen Yan looked at Jiang Ning, tugged at the corner of his mouth, and said with a bitter smile, "Miss Jiang Ning, I'm almost dead. Can't you ask tomorrow? I can't run away anyway, so why are you in such a hurry?"
"Hah!" Jiang Ning let out a light scoff, her dagger back at Yuwen Yan's throat: "Don't try to play the sympathy card with me. Right now you're just close to death. If you don't talk, I'll make sure you die completely!"
Yuwen Yan closed his eyes helplessly, unable to understand why this amnesiac Third Miss had changed so much, becoming so unfeeling.
"I'll talk, I'll talk..."
Life was more important!