"Cough, cough, cough."
As soon as Song Chaoyu approached the room, she heard someone coughing from inside.
But listening to the sound... it sounded like a woman.
Could the head of the Cong family be a woman?
As she thought this, the door in front was already opened.
No matter how good the rooms at the post station were, they were still simple.
But it was evident that the head of the Cong family, who resided in this room, was a very particular person.
Upon entering the room, a scent of incense immediately wafted towards her.
Even so, amidst the strong fragrance, Song Chaoyu could still detect the smell of medicine.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
It wasn't cold outside, but after the door was opened, the head of the Cong family continued to cough incessantly.
The attendant quickly closed the door and respectfully welcomed Song Chaoyu and Dong Shuang into the room.
Song Chaoyu soon saw that lying on the bed was a strange woman.
She was wearing the attire of a woman from the Southern Kingdom, but she appeared to be quite tall. She lay on her side on the couch, occupying the entire bed.
Furthermore, her makeup was very heavy, as if all the rouge and powder had been piled onto her face, making it look somewhat stiff.
Hearing the commotion outside, the woman finally raised her head, glanced at Song Chaoyu and Dong Shuang, and then extended her hand, signaling Dong Shuang to take her pulse.
As Dong Shuang took her pulse, she observed the woman's complexion and frowned, "May I ask if Miss Cong could remove her makeup so I can see your complexion?"
"Hehe—"
Unexpectedly, the person chuckled softly, "I am not a young lady. I am a man, can't you tell?"
A man?!
No wonder! Song Chaoyu had found him so strange!
But for a man to dress like this and wear such heavy makeup was truly... a bit difficult to accept.
Song Chaoyu lowered her head, deciding to respect everyone's choices.
It had nothing to do with her anyway.
Dong Shuang was taken aback. Having seen all sorts of strange people in Xingyi over the years, she merely muttered, "No wonder your pulse felt so peculiar."
The head of the Cong family followed Dong Shuang's suggestion and had his makeup removed.
Indeed, what was revealed was a man's face.
However, his voice remained feminine, and Song Chaoyu suddenly realized that this head of the Cong family might have practiced some secret art to reach this state.
The attendant serving the head of the Cong family seemed accustomed to such situations.
He simply introduced to Dong Shuang, "We have been here for about seven days. We were supposed to move on two days ago, but the master suddenly took ill. He coughs during the day and vomits incessantly at night. We've had doctors come, but none could figure it out. We have more important matters to attend to, so we trouble this young lady to take a look."
Song Chaoyu noticed that after taking his pulse, Dong Shuang's brow furrowed deeply, indicating that the matter was not simple.
After a moment, Dong Shuang put away her medical kit, stood up, and shook her head at them, "I'm sorry, I cannot cure your illness."
"What?!"
The attendant's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Dong Shuang, "But... but didn't you heal your own person? How is it that you can't heal our master? Please rest assured, no matter how much money it costs, we can afford it! Please treat the master!"
Although Dong Shuang's medical skills were not as extraordinary as Qiu Qing's, they were certainly not this poor.
Song Chaoyu realized that there was likely another hidden reason for this.
Seeing how anxious the attendant was, she stepped forward, shielding Dong Shuang, and smiled at the man, "I'm sorry! The person we brought with us was just suffering from acclimatization, not a difficult illness to treat. As you can see, even the many skilled doctors you've invited before couldn't do anything. I'm afraid our humble medical girl can only apologize to you all!"
"Never mind!"
The head of the Cong family coughed again and waved them away, "Don't trouble them further. If it can't be done, we'll set off tonight. Regardless of my condition, perhaps once we reach Qin Zhou City, Ning will be able to find more methods."
"Alas—"
The attendant sighed and waved his hands at Song Chaoyu and her companions, "Alright, alright, thank you all anyway. You may leave then!"
Dong Shuang seemed relieved and pulled Song Chaoyu towards the exit.
"Wait!"
The head of the Cong family suddenly called out to Song Chaoyu and the other woman, "Please wait a moment. Listening to your accent, you seem to be from the capital of the Great Yue Dynasty?"
He then pointed at Song Chaoyu, "If I'm not mistaken, you are of royal blood, aren't you?"
These words startled Song Chaoyu—
This person's eyesight was indeed extraordinary!
But if she insisted she wasn't, it might seem suspicious.
So Song Chaoyu turned and smiled, "You are mistaken. I am not of royal blood, but my father is indeed an official. Your eyesight is truly remarkable!"
"Heh—"
The person chuckled softly, as if recalling something, "People from the Great Yue Dynasty! I do know one, the former Prince Chang, who came to our Southern Kingdom as a hostage. I find your master to bear some resemblance to him."
Could she be recognized so soon?
Despite her inner surprise, Song Chaoyu maintained a calm expression, "Isn't that so? Because of that wheelchair, so many people say our master resembles Prince Chang! Alas... if he were truly a prince, we wouldn't have to travel so far to earn a living."
The head of the Cong family stared at Song Chaoyu for a long while, but could not discern any other clues from her eyes.
Ultimately, he merely nodded and smiled, "Madam speaks the truth. In this world, two people are always difficult to be! It's best to live a stable life. How would you know that Prince Chang also has his own helplessness?"
This person spoke with considerable skill, and Song Chaoyu knew not to underestimate him.
She did not linger there and left the room with Dong Shuang.
After returning to their own room, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
Mu Changxi was already waiting for them, "Is there something wrong with that person?"
His intuition was indeed sharp!
Song Chaoyu nodded, "He dressed and acted like a woman, but he is actually a man. He called himself the head of the Cong family and mentioned your name. I think this person is unusual. But it's unlikely he sought us out intentionally. His illness is also strange!"
Song Chaoyu looked at Dong Shuang, "You looked unwell after taking his pulse. Is there something wrong?"