On the way to the Poison Pavilion, You Yuji felt somewhat anxious. The Poison Pavilion’s reputation was truly dreadful. She had heard about this place even when she was in the Si Kingdom. A few years ago, when she was younger, the maids’ conversations about it had always left her wide-eyed with fear, as if the poisons there were omnipotent.
You Yuji pushed open the carriage window and looked out. Zhuo Wen, who was riding a horse, immediately rode forward, waiting for her inquiry.
“How much longer until we arrive?” You Yuji asked.
“Another hour,” Zhuo Wen replied.
You Yuji thought for a moment. She wanted to ask Zhuo Wen how he had found the Poison Pavilion, but she had already asked once before, so she refrained from being repetitive and closed the window.
She wanted to ask because she had doubts about Zhuo Wen’s explanation, though she did not suspect Zhuo Wen himself.
The Poison Pavilion did not have a fixed location. Unless it opened its doors for business, others could not find it. You Yuji had just wanted to buy a fake death drug from the Poison Pavilion, and it happened to be open for business at this time. Wasn’t that too much of a coincidence?
Was it really just a coincidence?
You Yuji frowned, pondering.
A slight noise pulled You Yuji back from her thoughts. She looked towards the gap behind the bench inside the carriage and saw a tuft of black fur.
Surprised, You Yuji exclaimed, “Baisui?”
Baisui flicked its tail in response, barely acknowledging her, and continued to curl up, stuffing itself into the corner.
“Oh, when did this cat jump onto the carriage?” Lady Jing said in surprise. “But we’ve been out for so long already. Should we send someone to take it back?”
“Forget it, we’ve come this far already.” You Yuji carefully took Baisui out and let it sleep on her lap. She lowered her head, gently stroking the back of Baisui’s head with her fingertips. Baisui closed its eyes comfortably, purring softly.
The carriage stopped in a quiet, old alley. Lady Jing opened the carriage door and jumped down first, then helped You Yuji alight.
You Yuji stood in front of the courtyard gate, observing.
This old alley looked abandoned for many years. The houses were dilapidated, and there was not a person in sight. Even the courtyard in front of them was the same.
Zhuo Wen walked forward and knocked on the door.
You Yuji watched closely.
Soon, the shabby wooden door opened a crack from the inside. The person who opened the door was a young girl with a cold expression. She glanced at Zhuo Wen first, then looked past him to scrutinize You Yuji.
“Lady Zhanxue,” Zhuo Wen greeted with a bow.
“The carriage and guards need to move on, at least one or two streets away,” Zhanxue said.
Zhuo Wen immediately responded, “The carriage will leave, but the guards cannot all leave. My mistress is a frail woman. Please, Lady Zhanxue, be accommodating.”
“At most, bring two more people,” Zhanxue said as she pushed open the courtyard door, then turned and walked inside without further comment.
Zhuo Wen immediately turned to look at You Yuji. She nodded, and he selected two capable guards to stay behind. The others drove the carriage to wait on the next two streets, and Lady Jing did not follow.
Zhuo Wen waited for You Yuji to enter first before following her in.
The ancient wooden door creaked shut with a “squeak,” making the abandoned courtyard appear deserted once more from the outside.
You Yuji listened to the creaking behind her as she quietly observed the courtyard. Though the courtyard was dilapidated, it was quite spacious inside. Weeds grew abundantly, giving the impression that it was not often inhabited.
However, as You Yuji entered the house, she was taken aback.
Contrary to the desolate exterior with its toppled furniture and overgrown weeds, the interior was a different world. The hall was simply furnished, but each item was clearly valuable. Even the casually placed cleaning cloth had exquisite embroidery, likely crafted by a top-tier embroiderer.
Indeed, how could the Poison Pavilion ever lack money?
“Please have a seat, Madam. I will inform our master,” Zhanxue said.
“Thank you,” You Yuji replied, sitting down in a redwood armchair, her eyes sweeping over the famous paintings and ancient artifacts on the walls.
“Madam,” Zhuo Wen said, gesturing behind You Yuji.
She turned to see the hood of her cloak moving. A small black head popped out, and You Yuji, both amused and exasperated, grabbed Baisui by the scruff and lifted it out of the hood.
“When did you sneak in there?” You Yuji frowned, tapping Baisui’s forehead lightly with a smile in her eyes. Baisui opened its mouth and gently nipped her finger.
You Yuji looked up, listening to the faint footsteps upstairs, a bit worried that Baisui had followed them. She thought for a moment and tucked Baisui into her sleeve. She warned, “Behave, don’t cause any trouble.”
Baisui didn’t understand and playfully rubbed its face against You Yuji’s wrist.
You Yuji waited downstairs for a long time before Zhanxue reappeared to invite her upstairs.
You Yuji thanked her again, pinched her sleeve, and climbed the wooden stairs step by step.
In the room on the second floor, Si Que, also known as Princess Que, drank a freshly prepared medicinal soup with a blank expression.
It wasn’t bitter but spicy.
After finishing the last sip, Si Que placed the glass cup down. He frowned and let out a low, hoarse cough.
The footsteps outside grew closer until they stopped at the door.
“Master, the guest has arrived,” Zhanxue reported from outside the door.
Si Que picked up a blood-red mask and put it on before speaking, “Come in.”
His voice, roughened by the medicine, sounded smoky and harsh, far from pleasant.
Hearing his eerie voice, You Yuji’s heart tightened. Just before the door opened, an image of the master obsessed with poison concoctions formed in her mind—
An old man with graying hair and a terrifying face, with bloodshot eyes, likely disheveled and wearing a loose robe stained with various medicinal residues. He would surely emit a foul odor of poisonous substances.
The door gradually opened.
The master of the Poison Pavilion appeared before You Yuji. He sat behind a pitch-black jade desk, directly facing the door.
The first thing You Yuji saw was his blood-red mask. The paint on the mask seemed to have been splashed on haphazardly, with uneven thickness and varying shades. It looked less like paint and more like dried dark red bloodstains.
He wasn’t wearing the loose gray robe You Yuji had imagined. Instead, he was dressed in tight-sleeved black clothes that clung to his slender body. One of his hands was casually placed on the black jade table in front of him, and his long fingers toyed with the glass cup on the table. The smooth, black surface of the table made his hand appear as white as snow.
His hair wasn’t disheveled as You Yuji had imagined either. It was tied up high.
Black hair.
He wasn’t an old man. You Yuji was a bit surprised.
Perhaps because the blood-red mask was so terrifying, You Yuji didn’t dare to look directly into his eyes. She composed herself and spoke softly, “I want a drug that induces a state of feigned death.”
His long fingers stopped twirling the glass cup and then, with a loud “clink,” he set the cup down. Placing his hand on the table, he stood up.
Despite not having a burly figure, as he slowly rose, You Yuji still felt an inexplicable sense of oppression.
He turned around, took two steps back, and stopped in front of a large bookshelf. He took out a book and began to peruse it.
You Yuji stared unblinkingly at his tall, slender back. The lower half of his body, which had been hidden behind the black jade table, was now visible. A dark red jade belt around his waist matched his mask.
What is he doing? Checking whether he can make the fake death drug, or has he forgotten how to make it?
You Yuji was deep in thought and didn’t notice that Baisui had jumped out of her sleeve and was curiously exploring the room.
“Baisui…” You Yuji called softly, trying to catch it.
Baisui nimbly leaped onto the jade table, stood up on its hind legs, and meowed a few times at Si Que’s back.
You Yuji hurried over and firmly held Baisui in her arms. She apologized, “The kitten is being naughty.”
Receiving no response, You Yuji took a few steps back while holding Baisui. She lowered her head, pinched Baisui’s ear, and whispered into its ear, “Stay away from him. He’s poisonous all over!”
“Meow…” If Baisui could speak, it would complain that You Yuji was hurting its ear.
“What?” Si Que turned around.
“Nothing.” You Yuji held Baisui tightly, “I heard earlier that you made the fake death drug. Do you still have any?”
“No.”
You Yuji’s eyes darkened instantly, and she quickly asked, “Then can I ask you to make some more?”
“Ten thousand taels of gold, one month,” Si Que replied concisely in a hoarse, grating voice.
Ten thousand taels of gold wasn’t just a small sum; it was an astronomical figure.
Si Que looked at You Yuji with interest, watching her frown in distress, wondering how she would bargain.
“Fine, I want four pills.”
Si Que glanced at You Yuji with some surprise.
—He had never known she was so wealthy before.
“But… could you extend the deadline a bit? I can pay twenty thousand taels of gold upfront, and I’ll be able to settle the remainder by the New Year.”
“No.”
Si Que sat back down.
You Yuji found herself in a difficult position.
A spider the size of a baby’s fist crawled up the table leg and onto the black jade table.
You Yuji let out a soft “ah” and involuntarily took a step back.
Si Que looked at her slightly pale face.
Afraid of spiders?
Si Que took the glass cup from the table and used it to trap the spider.
You Yuji breathed a quiet sigh of relief but couldn’t help but keep her eyes on the glass cup, fearing that the spider might overturn it and crawl out at any moment.
The next moment, she heard the Poison Pavilion’s master let out a sinister chuckle.
Not understanding his intention, she watched as his long fingers lightly shook the glass cup twice before lifting it.
To her surprise, the spider had turned into a pile of ashes.
This time, You Yuji completely relaxed. But soon, she was still tense, worried about other spiders possibly appearing in the room.
She didn’t want to stay here any longer.
“Fine. Two pills. I only need two pills.” She hurriedly changed her request. “Banknotes or gold bars? I’ll have my servant bring them over shortly.”
“No rush. It will take a month to make them. Pay when you come to pick up the medicine.”
You Yuji nodded quickly and was about to take her leave when Zhanxue hurriedly entered from outside, reporting coldly, “Master, we have discovered people from the court.”
Si Que looked at You Yuji.
Feeling the gaze like that of a venomous snake, You Yuji immediately explained, “I am sincerely here to buy medicine and would never reveal the whereabouts of the Poison Pavilion.”
This was a simple truth that didn’t need explaining, but You Yuji was worried the Poison Pavilion master might kill her in a fit of anger.
Another person from the Poison Pavilion came upstairs to report, “There are many people from the court, and they are about to surround this place.”
The court had been eyeing the Poison Pavilion for a long time, something Si Que was well aware of.
In the past few years, wherever the Poison Pavilion did business, local officials or regional powers always had ill intentions.
But Si Que didn’t care much about it.
Si Que stood up and walked downstairs. As he passed by You Yuji, he stopped and looked at her sideways, “If you don’t want to be caught by the soldiers and tortured, stay close.”
You Yuji held Baisui tightly in her arms, and with Zhuo Wen and two other guards, she hurriedly followed the people from the Poison Pavilion downstairs into a small, inconspicuous room on the first floor, and then into the basement.
The underground passage was very long.
You Yuji looked up at the Poison Pavilion master walking ahead. Listening to the clear sound of footsteps around her, she wondered how buying medicine had led her to flee with the people from the Poison Pavilion.
Baisui, being playful, tried to break free from You Yuji’s arms.
You Yuji held it tightly, gently scolding, “Be still. If I lose you, how am I going to explain to him? He will be sad.”
Si Que stopped and turned to look back at her.
