A Good Doctor in Wude Village 4 (24)
After politely saying their goodbyes to Doctor Hua, Su Qingtang and Yin Gu Huai left hand in hand, under the man’s hesitant gaze.
Where will you start? asked the coinwort spirit.
Su Qingtang wasn’t sure. She turned to Yin Gu Huai. “Brother Huai, where should we begin?”
“That man who said his child was dying,” Yin Gu Huai replied calmly, glancing at her. Although the man was just one of the villagers, it was obvious he was their leader—the one who could stir up the others.
You heard that, right? Take us there, Su Qingtang told the surrounding spirits, especially the coinwort spirit.
The coinwort spirit tugged the others and dove into the roadside weeds. A gust of wind bent the grass, forming a trail. This way.
Su Qingtang pointed. “There, that direction. Let’s go.”
Hearing her confidently claim she could see where the spirits were leading, Yin Gu Huai expected her to make excuses or blunder around. But she actually seemed to be following something real—well, as real as her imagination, perhaps. Still, it worked.
Following the spirits’ guidance, they soon arrived before a large house. “So this is it? Looks impressive—quite the mansion,” Su Qingtang remarked, glancing at the coinwort spirit.
Yes, this is where that man’s sick child lived. If you don’t believe me, go in with your lover—you’ll find evidence inside, the little spirit said, brushing imaginary dust from its clothes.
Yin Gu Huai noticed the thick layer of dust on the door and the dirt caked on the ground. “Let’s go in and take a look.”
When they pushed open the heavy door, a suffocating stench of decay wafted out. Yin Gu Huai stood in front, using a spell to dispel the foul air before turning back to the woman hiding behind him. “Come on. Be careful.”
“Oh, okay,” Su Qingtang said, waving her hand in front of her nose as she followed him in.
It was clearly once the home of a very wealthy family. The house sprawled wide, and the furnishings inside were the kind of luxury one would only see in noble estates.
Even the stone pillars at the entrance glittered faintly. Su Qingtang, a lover of collecting all sorts of shiny trinkets—especially gemstones with firelight reflections—couldn’t help gawking. The gems embedded in those pillars gleamed faintly even now.
The outside looks like a poor rural village, but inside? This is a palace!
She tried prying one of the gems loose but couldn’t, so she moved on to the main hall—only to be stunned all over again.
It was grander than her own family’s prime ministerial estate.
Gold ornaments, jade screens, and a porcelain vase carved with intricate floral designs—all priceless works.
Yin Gu Huai stood silently in front of a painting.
“Brother Huai, this place is just too…” Su Qingtang struggled to find words to describe her astonishment, but then she saw the signature at the bottom of the painting: Yin.
“This is my imperial grandfather’s original work,” Yin Gu Huai said softly. “It was auctioned at Tianxiang Pavilion years ago for an enormous sum. Later, a wealthy collector bought it.”
Su Qingtang drew in a deep breath, frowning. “Even the stone pillars outside are set with gems. Everything here screams wealth. This owner was definitely no pauper.”
“Exactly. So why beg Doctor Hua for treatment? This doesn’t match what I thought. I assumed the villagers were too poor to afford doctors—but this place? Even the guest hall is extravagant. Imagine the private quarters.”
Yin Gu Huai seemed to reach the same conclusion. “Let’s check the others.”
“Alright.” Su Qingtang followed close behind and muttered inwardly to the spirits, Come on, what are you waiting for? I already tried prying one loose—it doesn’t work.
Yin Gu Huai suddenly stopped. “Hold out your hand.”
“Huh?” She blinked but did as he said.
He grasped her hand with one of his, and with the other, traced a symbol across her wrist. A patch of iridescent, scale-like texture appeared there, shimmering under the light like a bracelet.
“What’s this?” Su Qingtang asked, turning her wrist curiously.
“The Patrol Division insignia,” Yin Gu Huai replied, his gaze sweeping over the row of long-abandoned homes. “Once this case is settled, you’ll officially be reinstated as Deputy Director.”
“For now, we need efficiency. Left or right?”
Su Qingtang stepped up beside him, surveying both rows of houses. “Right. I like the right side.”
“Alright. If anything happens, squeeze the scale.” With that, Yin Gu Huai darted toward the left.
Su Qingtang hurried toward the right. She opened one door after another. Though some houses looked plain from the outside, inside they were all richly furnished—each home filled with treasures worth a fortune.
Every house was the same.
How could people this rich refuse to pay for treatment?
Maybe that wasn’t the real reason. Perhaps money couldn’t solve their problem at all. Doctor Hua’s clinic, from what she’d seen, was modest but ordinary—not the kind of place to attract the wealthy unless there was something else at stake.
Could it be… something else they wanted?
“Brother Huai?” Su Qingtang called, hurrying down the road. She spotted him standing before another doorway. “What is it?”
She jogged up to him—and froze. Inside the courtyard lay countless bodies covered in white cloth. Above the gate hung a signboard: Charity Burial Hall.
There was a morgue here?
“Follow me,” Yin Gu Huai said quietly, handing her a strip of black cloth. “Cover your nose. We don’t know how long these corpses have been here. If someone’s been tampering with them, there could be corpse transformations. Give me your other hand.”
As he spoke, he took her hand again and drew a symbol on her palm. “This talisman carries my power. It’ll protect you.”
“Let’s go.”
The white banners fluttered, and the wind carried the stench of death through the courtyard, making the bells on the eaves ring faintly.
As they entered, a cold wind rose, tugging at their clothes. Yin Gu Huai raised a hand. “Rise.”
The shrouds lifted one by one, revealing the faces—or what was left of them.
Su Qingtang followed him step by step, her face pale. Most of the corpses were already dried out and shriveled, their features unrecognizable. But it was clear that among them were old and young alike—men, women, children—all without distinction.
The little spirits who had been following them were gone now.
“Brother Huai,” she whispered, “these… they must’ve been dead a long time, right?”
Yin Gu Huai walked to the farthest corner of the hall, where a single coffin rested. “This one might be fresh.”
Fresh? Su Qingtang grimaced. What a polite way to say that!
She leaned over, noticing the thin layer of dust atop the coffin lid. “Right, the houses we saw earlier were covered in thick dust, but this one—barely any. So it’s recent.”
“Step back,” Yin Gu Huai said, shielding her with one arm while lifting his other. With a flick, the coffin lid flew open. A wave of stale air escaped as he pulled her closer. Inside lay a young man with handsome features, about their age.
His clothes were fine—clearly of noble origin. His expression was calm, almost serene.
“He must have died peacefully,” Su Qingtang murmured, half to herself. But when she noticed Yin Gu Huai’s changing expression, she frowned. “Brother Huai… you know this corpse—I mean, this person?”
Yin Gu Huai gave a faint, humorless smile. “Yes, I suppose I do.”
“Who is he? One of the villagers?”
Yin Gu Huai looked into the distance. “Yan Chi. I don’t know where he’s from, but I know this—he was one of the candidates my royal sister considered for marriage. I saw him once in her garden.”
“…”
Su Qingtang stared blankly, then muttered, “So Princess Ling really does have… interesting taste in men.”
“…”
This time, Yin Gu Huai was the one who didn’t know how to respond.
After a moment, Su Qingtang’s brow furrowed. “Wait, that can’t be right. He’s dead. When did you meet your sister’s suitor? You saw him alive, right? So how—?”
She pointed at the body, then withdrew her hand nervously, unconsciously moving closer to Yin Gu Huai.
He didn’t pull away. Instead, he kept his gaze on the corpse. “I saw him alive. As for why he looks exactly like this dead man… I don’t know. But I think I understand now who urged my royal sister to handle the Wude Village matter personally.”
“What kind of person was this Yan Chi? To even qualify as your sister’s suitor—was it just looks, or something else? Maybe like the Light of the Phoenix Tree or whatever?” Su Qingtang remembered one of the previous candidates—if she wasn’t mistaken, that poor man was now rotting in a Patrol Division cell.
Yin Gu Huai recalled what he knew. Yan Chi had been diligent and quiet, always volunteering for menial chores in the princess’s garden—mostly, he suspected, to avoid spending time with her. The man worked hard precisely so he’d have an excuse to retreat early.
Meeting Su Qingtang’s curious eyes, Yin Gu Huai paused, then said honestly, “Sometimes a good face can open doors. You don’t need much else to stay ahead.”
Su Qingtang opened her mouth but couldn’t find a reply. Finally, she gave a dry laugh and said, “Well, I guess Sister Ling’s taste has always been… consistent.”