Qi Buyan, seeing that He Sui’an was awake, took the water Zhong Liang handed him and fed her a sip.
The fever had made her lips dry and cracked.
The water moistened her skin.
He Sui’an had been restless in Qi Buyan’s arms, moving as if she were running, occasionally kicking unconsciously. This was her body’s reaction to dreaming of falling from a great height.
Just before He Sui’an was about to kick violently again, Qi Buyan woke her up. He should have let the sick He Sui’an sleep and rest, but at that moment, he just wanted to wake her up.
For some inexplicable reason, he wanted to wake her up.
This puzzled the doctor, who couldn’t help but show a curious look, not understanding why.
Taking her pulse didn’t require waking the patient.
Later, seeing Qi Buyan ask Zhong Liang to fetch a cup of water, the doctor’s confusion eased. Perhaps Qi Buyan wanted to wake her to give her water, worried she might choke if given water while asleep.
The clinic was filled with a strong medicinal scent that He Sui’an noticed as soon as she woke up.
Not far from where they were, a wall covered with hundreds of wooden drawers was visible. The assistant, holding a prescription, skillfully located the drawers containing the required herbs and prepared packet after packet of medicine.
The doctor treating He Sui’an was over fifty years old and very experienced. It didn’t take long for him to determine that she had a common fever.
After checking her pulse, the doctor swiftly wrote the prescription and asked the assistant to prepare two packets of medicine.
Next, he administered acupuncture.
Combining acupuncture with medicine would help her recover faster. The doctor took out a needle kit, and when he spread it open, the fine silver needles glinted.
He drew out a needle and inserted it into He Sui’an’s acupoint. There was a slight pain.
She remained still, not wanting the needle to be misplaced.
Qi Buyan tilted his head slightly, watching the doctor quietly as he administered the needles to He Sui’an. His fingers tapped rhythmically against his side, not disturbing the silver ornaments on him, showing no visible emotional fluctuations.
The acupuncture session didn’t last long. After a while, the doctor removed the needles. The removal seemed slightly more painful than the insertion, and He Sui’an’s eyelids fluttered.
She felt a bit more strength returning to her.
She moved away from Qi Buyan.
Embracing him in front of others still made He Sui’an feel a bit embarrassed.
Recalling the dream she just had, her emotions became complicated. The dream was surreal, with different versions of herself appearing.
He Sui’an glanced at her red, high-waisted ruqun and its skirt ribbon. Perhaps influenced by the dream, she felt that the version of herself wearing a white short-sleeve shirt and blue school skirt seemed more familiar.
A slender, well-defined hand reached out.
It overlapped with the image from her dream.
But now, she was no longer in a foggy dream but in reality.
He Sui’an looked up, meeting Qi Buyan’s eyes. He reached out to smooth her wildly disheveled hair back, revealing her face hidden beneath it, wanting to see her clearly.
His fingers brushed through her hair, and he smiled, asking, “Did you have a nightmare?”
“Did I say anything?” He Sui’an countered.
Qi Buyan withdrew his hand. “No, but you were very restless.”
The doctor, who had stepped out from behind the screen, agreed with Qi Buyan. He Sui’an had indeed been very restless. It was the first time he had seen someone with a fever kicking and reaching out continuously.
Since He Sui’an wasn’t lying flat on the bed but was being held by Qi Buyan while the doctor took her pulse, she had kicked out during her fevered thrashing. The doctor was the first to suffer, narrowly avoiding being kicked.
His old bones couldn’t withstand such a kick.
He Sui’an was unaware of this.
Surprised, she asked, “I was very restless? What do you mean?”
Qi Buyan placed his palm on her cheek, feeling her still-burning temperature. He didn’t move his hand away. “Kicking, grabbing… like you were trying to reach for someone.”
Hearing the latter part, He Sui’an nodded. “I dreamed of someone who looked a lot like me. I tried to grab her but couldn’t.”
“Why couldn’t you?” The boy’s dark eyelashes fluttered as he asked nonchalantly.
He Sui’an felt a bit frustrated.
Her intuition told her she should have caught the figure.
She rubbed her eyes, looking tired. “I heard you calling me, and then that person disappeared. When I opened my eyes, I saw you.”
Qi Buyan acknowledged with a hum and gave He Sui’an two more sips of water.
The assistant had finished preparing the medicine.
The doctor called out to them.
Zhong Liang intended to pay for the medicine, but in the rush, he hadn’t brought any money. Qi Buyan went to pay but also had no money. He took a silver ornament from his hair and handed it to the doctor.
Silver ornaments were indeed made of silver. The doctor, confirming it was genuine, accepted it as payment. The value of the small silver ornament far exceeded the cost of the two packets of medicine, and anyone else would have agreed to the exchange as well.
The doctor gave the medicine to Qi Buyan.
At that moment, the long street outside the clinic became noisy, and those waiting inside the clinic curiously craned their necks to see what was happening.
He Sui’an got off the bed, walked out from behind the screen, and looked outside.
She saw Xie Wenqiao, as well as Zhenren Sanshan and other Taoists from Xuanmiao Temple, with many constables following behind. It didn’t look like they were being protected; it seemed more like they were being escorted.
Zhenren Sanshan’s sleeves were empty, his hands gone. Despite being escorted by the constables, he remained impeccably dressed, his demeanor serene and bright, like a Taoist priest ready to ascend to enlightenment at any moment.
Xie Wenqiao, in his official robes, walked at the front.
The citizens of Qingzhou whispered among themselves.
“I heard Zhenren Sanshan killed many people. Those who climbed Yunshan at night were all killed on his orders, and it has now been discovered,” an old woman with a vegetable basket said to her companion.
A young man, who had once been treated by Zhenren Sanshan, shook his head. “How could that be?”
He speculated, “Zhenren Sanshan is a great benevolent figure. He must have been framed. I suspect that official named Shen is always causing trouble for Zhenren Sanshan and Xuanmiao Temple. Maybe he’s the one framing them.”
The onlookers chimed in, “It’s possible.”
“I think it is.”
The butcher, who had a relative working for the government, said, “The evidence is conclusive. Stop spreading rumors. Lord Shen is not framing Sanshan Zhenren. Hah, he doesn’t deserve that title.”
The young man asked, “What do you mean by that?”
The butcher stroked his stubble, “You all know about Hongye Village, right?”
“Who doesn’t know about Hongye Village? It’s famously known as the ‘ugly village.’ Why bring it up now? Aren’t you afraid of bad luck?” The young man didn’t see any connection between the two.
The butcher wore an expression of “you don’t know anything,” and said, “Listen to me.”
“He used the entire village to test his medicines. Their current state is all his ‘achievement.’ Last night, two villagers from Hongye Village escaped from the mountains and reported to the authorities.”
The young man looked shocked.
He was eighty percent convinced, “Is it true?”
“It’s true.” The butcher clicked his tongue, “If he can treat the villagers of Hongye Village like that, it shows he’s ruthless. Who can guarantee he won’t use us Qingzhou citizens for his experiments in the future?”
An elderly woman frowned, feeling a lingering fear, “Yes, this person is terrifying.”
Someone couldn’t help but sigh over the plight of Hongye Village, “The ‘ugly village’—no, Hongye Village’s villagers are really pitiful.”
“To think I used to respect him so much.”
The young man said angrily.
A man selling candied hawthorn interjected, “Actually, I always thought he was hypocritical. Now it seems it wasn’t just my imagination. He really is that kind of person.”
Sanshan Zhenren, walking down the street, heard everything they said. His expression remained unchanged, but his eyes inadvertently glanced at the entrance of the medical clinic, stopping on a youth adorned with silver accessories.
Sanshan Zhenren called out to Xie Wenqiao.
“Master Xie.”
He hoped Xie Wenqiao could find a quiet place for him to talk with Qi Buyan.
Xie Wenqiao looked at Qi Buyan in the distance, pondered briefly, then agreed. He sent a few people to accompany Sanshan Zhenren to a teahouse on the left side of the long street and sent someone to fetch Qi Buyan.
In front of the clinic, He Sui’an watched as the yamen officers approached. They explained their purpose.
Qi Buyan agreed.
Then, he instructed Zhong Liang to drive the ox cart carrying He Sui’an, who was holding the medicine, to wait at the Qingzhou city gate.
He Sui’an didn’t ask any questions.
She followed Zhong Liang, and after being given an injection by the doctor, He Sui’an felt much better and could walk slowly on her own.
Although Zhong Liang was also curious about what happened to Sanshan Zhenren, he prioritized the sick He Sui’an. He followed Qi Buyan’s advice, took her onto the ox cart, and headed towards the city gate.
Qi Buyan went with the yamen officers to the teahouse.
The teahouse had five floors, and Sanshan Zhenren chose the fifth floor, which was quiet with few people.
Xie Wenqiao and the yamen officers guarded the door of the private room, preventing any chance of Sanshan Zhenren escaping. Although he believed Sanshan Zhenren wouldn’t run, as an official, he had to be cautious.
They spoke quietly, and Xie Wenqiao, who was guarding the door, couldn’t hear what they were saying, nor did he intend to eavesdrop.
After a quarter of an hour.
Footsteps came from inside the private room.
The door was open, and Xie Wenqiao looked inside. Sanshan Zhenren was gazing out the window, while Qi Buyan walked out of the room and headed downstairs.
The sound of silver ornaments gradually faded away.
The young figure disappeared around the corner of the stairs.
Xie Wenqiao looked at the stair corner, inexplicably recalling a note he received yesterday. It was unsigned and instructed him to collect the medicine Sanshan Zhenren had given to the villagers of Hongye Village for testing.
Based solely on the testimonies of the two villagers who escaped from the mountain, it couldn’t be proven that Sanshan Zhenren tested medicine on them, but the medicine held by those living in Hongye Village could serve as evidence.
It could prove he used humans for medicine testing.
Because only Sanshan Zhenren of Xuanmiao Temple would give medicine to the villagers of Hongye Village, medicine so meticulously refined that it couldn’t be bought even with silver.
In all of Qingzhou, almost everyone knew this.
The government had already found someone to test the ingredients of those medicines.
Xie Wenqiao gathered his thoughts, entered the private room with the yamen officers, and intended to take Sanshan Zhenren back to the government. When the time came, he would be tried and sentenced accordingly, and he believed the emperor wouldn’t cover for him upon seeing the evidence.
Sanshan Zhenren stood up, smiled slightly, and said, “Lord Xie.”
His face remained kind and gentle.
“Come with us to the government office…” Xie Wenqiao hadn’t finished his sentence when he saw Sanshan Zhenren’s robe flutter. With a constant smile, Sanshan Zhenren leaped out of the window without hesitation.
A loud crash came from below, accompanied by the continuous screams of the Qingzhou citizens.
Xie Wenqiao immediately leaned out the window to look down.
It seemed all of Sanshan Zhenren’s bones were shattered.
In the moment of his fall, those nearby could hear the sound of his bones dislocating. His body lay on the street in a grotesque position, blood quickly spreading, staining the bluestone slabs red.
Qi Buyan, who had just walked to the bottom of the teahouse, crossed over the corpse without changing his expression.
He went to the city gate to find He Sui’an.
Outside the city, He Sui’an saw people flocking towards the city, saying that something big had happened. Since Qi Buyan hadn’t returned yet, she suspected it had something to do with him, so she wanted to get off the ox cart and go back to the city to check.
Before He Sui’an could get down, a figure in indigo appeared within her line of sight.
Qi Buyan was back.
The young man smiled with his eyes: “Were you looking for me?”
She glanced towards the city a few times but couldn’t see anything from afar: “Yes, what happened? Why are they all heading into the city?”
Qi Buyan naturally extended his hand to her.
He Sui’an held his hand.
He got onto the cart and sat beside her: “It’s nothing major, let’s go back.”
The soles of his boots still bore the blood of Sanshan Zhenren, stepped on as he crossed the body. There was so much blood flowing from the corpse, and the sound of all the bones shattering was quite pleasing.
