The case of the flower thief[1] in Xuzhou had been making waves, and they had already heard about it while in the capital. The thief was a master of qinggong martial arts, sneaking into the bedrooms of innocent women in the dead of night and leaving without a trace after committing his crimes. He was meticulous to the point that no clues were left behind. Many of the women who were violated ended up hanging themselves in despair. The magistrate of Xuzhou, who had a good relationship with the Chen family of Gusu, knew of Chen Shaoqing and Shen Molan’s exceptional martial skills and sent a letter requesting their assistance in investigating the case.
Chen Shaoqing, always passionate about seeking justice and righting wrongs, immediately accepted the commission without hesitation. However, his health had been poor for the past few days, and even though his body was in the capital, his heart was already in Xuzhou, eager to mete out justice. Now that he was feeling slightly better, he couldn’t wait to leave the capital.
Because of Shaoqing’s eagerness, the two planned to travel quickly to Xuzhou. Xuzhou was in the southeast, and even at their fastest pace, it would take at least seven days to reach it. Shen Molan was somewhat worried about Shaoqing’s health and wasn’t sure if he could endure the journey, though Shaoqing had appeared more energetic in the last couple of days.
Shen Molan’s concerns soon became reality. Shaoqing frequently felt fatigued and sore, but he gritted his teeth and kept silent. On the third day of the journey, he fell from his horse. Fortunately, Shen Molan was right by his side and used his qinggong to catch him in time. Both horses were startled and bolted a short distance ahead before realizing their riders had stayed behind and slowly trotted back.
“… Shaoqing, something’s wrong with you,” Shen Molan finally voiced the worry he’d had for days.
It wasn’t just from exhaustion.
Shaoqing, pale and out of breath, took several moments to regain consciousness. In a weak voice, he said, “Shen-dage, I…” The days of travel had drained all of his energy. He struggled to lift his hand and showed Shen Molan the back of it.
On the back of Shaoqing’s hand was a faint blue mark resembling a talisman, about the size of half a fingernail. Because Shaoqing’s skin was fair, the mark was quite obvious.
Shen Molan’s pupils widened. He lifted Shaoqing’s other hand and found the same mark.
“You’ve been poisoned,” Shen Molan said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Shaoqing had noticed the mark a few days earlier but had wanted so badly to go to Xuzhou that he decided to hide it from Shen-dage. Now that he could no longer keep it a secret, he spat bitterly, “It’s her…”
She was the one who did this to him.
Who was it?
Shen Molan frowned, but Shaoqing was in no state to speak further. The priority now was to get him proper rest and find a doctor to figure out a cure for the poison.
Shen Molan quickly lifted him back onto the horse, sitting behind him to support his weakened body. He led Shaoqing’s horse while his own followed behind, heading toward the nearest town.
For Shaoqing, the long-anticipated trip to Xuzhou was no longer an option.
Like last time, a doctor was summoned, but once again, the doctor insisted that Shaoqing was simply exhausted. Shen Molan grew slightly angry and showed the doctor the blue marks on Shaoqing’s hands, explaining that they were signs of poisoning. The doctor, however, remained perplexed and could only prescribe some calming medicines.
Shen Molan sent a letter to the magistrate of Xuzhou, explaining that Shaoqing was unwell and would be unable to go for the time being. With no success from the doctors, Shen Molan had no choice but to wait for Shaoqing to wake up and ask him directly about the poisoning.
This time, Shaoqing slept for three whole days. When he finally awoke, it was the middle of the night. Despite being just past 20, the young man looked like a flickering candle in the wind, even with strands of gray now mingling with his black hair.
“Shen-dage…” Shaoqing called out anxiously, realizing he was in an unfamiliar inn the moment he regained consciousness.
Shen Molan had been taking care of him for the past few days and was half-asleep when he heard Shaoqing’s voice. He immediately woke up and went to his bedside. “Are you feeling any better?”
Shaoqing’s eyes widened. “Where are we? Xuzhou…”
Shen Molan pressed his lips together, unable to look Shaoqing in the eye. “I’ve sent a letter to the magistrate of Xuzhou. We can’t go for now. You’ve been poisoned, and we won’t make it.” He knew that the proud young man would not take this well.
As expected, Shaoqing froze for a moment before angrily pounding the bed. Normally, with his martial skills, such a strike would have shattered the fragile bed. But now, weakened by the poison, he couldn’t muster the strength of a child, and the bed remained intact.
Shaoqing sat there, dazed, with reddened eyes, as if the reality of his situation had hit him hard. He coughed up blood again, and Shen Molan could only stand by in silence, waiting for him to calm down.
“… It’s her.” After venting his frustration, Shaoqing finally bit out the words through gritted teeth.
Shen Molan immediately asked, “Who is she?”
Shaoqing raised his eyes, his voice cold. “That hideous old hag from the Miaojiang. When I rejected her, I injured her. The moment I touched her, I felt a pain in my arm—she must have placed a gu[2] on me… or something else. It happened so fast that I didn’t see it clearly, and afterward, there were no signs of poisoning, so I thought I had imagined it… But now…” Follow the newest chapters on novelping dot com.
Shen Molan hadn’t expected the situation to be this serious when Shaoqing had first mentioned it. After a moment of contemplation, he said, “If it’s a gu… that makes sense. No wonder neither the doctor in the capital nor the one here could diagnose it… Do you remember her name?”
Shaoqing clenched his fists, about to speak, but another violent coughing fit overcame him. Once it subsided, he whispered, “I only remember… they called her Yun Niang…”
Shen Molan said, “We need to find her… I’m sorry, Shaoqing, but we’ll have to go to Miaojiang.” As he spoke, he dismissed the idea of going alone. He feared that Shaoqing’s anxiety over being left behind would worsen the poison. Moreover, the journey to Miaojiang would take at least 10 days, and he wasn’t sure how much longer Shaoqing could last in his current state.
Shaoqing gritted his teeth for a long moment before finally nodding in frustration.
He didn’t want to die.
Dammit.
This time, Shen Molan hired a carriage and set off for the southwest at dawn, taking the unconscious Shaoqing with him.
With Shaoqing guiding the way and Shen Molan’s urgency to save him, the two traveled day and night, eating simple rations and sleeping under the stars. In less than ten days, they reached the southern lands. However, when they finally arrived at the house where Yun Niang had stayed, they found it abandoned. The house still bore traces of a previous struggle, with bloodstains left behind.
Shaoqing muttered, “Did I hit her too hard that time? Could she have died?” His voice was finally tinged with despair.
Though he hadn’t been feeling well for days, the hope of survival had kept him going, eager to find Yun Niang and obtain the antidote. However, currently seeing the empty house that had been clearly abandoned for months, Shaoqing finally lost hope.
[1] It refers to a criminal who primarily engages in sexual assault or the abduction of women.
[2] A sort of poison that uses venomous creatures.