Chen Shaoqing’s illness struck him like a mountain falling. After fainting, he never regained consciousness. Shen Molan, not daring to stay long in the house of the gu lady, carried Shaoqing back to the carriage to rest.
The young man’s face, even in his sleep, was withered, as if he had aged 20 years overnight.
Shen Molan sighed softly. He suddenly had a strong premonition. If the gu lady was not dead, then she must have left on purpose. She must have known that Shaoqing, gravely ill, would come back to find her, and she wanted him to taste the bitterness of despair.
If that was the case, she would never return.
Unless…
The southern regions of Miaojiang were dominated by plateaus and mountains, and the scenery was filled with lush greenery. Shen Molan had thought the landscape of Miaojiang was beautiful when he first arrived, but after days of traveling and rough conditions, he was utterly exhausted and had no mood to appreciate the beauty. Each step forward was taken with sheer willpower, and for the sake of the still-unconscious Shaoqing lying in the carriage.
The house where Yun Niang had lived was not in an isolated area but close to the center of Miaojiang, with a small Miao village nearby. They had passed it on their way. From this, it was clear that Yun Niang had not been living in seclusion; living so close to the village meant she must have interacted with the villagers regularly.
With this thought in mind, Shen Molan decisively led the carriage toward the Miao village.
Maybe he could find some clues about Yun Niang from the Miao people.
One way or another, he couldn’t just stand by and watch Shaoqing die.
He felt that, after losing so many precious things, Shaoqing’s existence had become especially important to him.
The Miao village were entirely different from the bustling capital. Aside from the geographical terrain and the difference in clothing, the village was quiet and peaceful, clearly not accustomed to outsiders. As Shen Molan, tall and imposing, led a large horse carriage into the village, the villagers looked at him with surprise and suspicion.
Shen Molan was uncomfortable with the stares and pressed his lips together tightly.
He guided the carriage to the largest stilt house,[1] which served as the village inn. Even though it was the largest inn, it was still cold and quiet, with few people inside. Shen Molan entered and immediately approached the innkeeper, clasping his hands in greeting. “Excuse me for the intrusion. My surname is Shen, and I’m here to ask about someone.”
The innkeeper, noticing the man’s Han-style clothing, his extraordinary demeanor, and the sword at his waist, grew nervous. “Please speak, Sir.”
Shen Molan wasted no time with pleasantries and asked directly, “Do you know where Yun Niang is?”
The moment he mentioned Yun Niang’s name, it felt like the entire inn went silent.
Although the inn had been quiet before, a few Miao people had still been sitting around, chatting and drinking. But as soon as he asked his question, everything went still.
The innkeeper froze the moment he heard Yun Niang’s name.
Shen Molan immediately understood—the innkeeper knew something.
The innkeeper seemed to want to brush him off, but under Shen Molan’s piercing gaze, he finally relented. “I do…” His eyes, however, were darting around, hoping that someone else would step in to help him.
The innkeeper was clearly afraid of Yun Niang.
Shen Molan subtly blocked the innkeeper’s view with his body and lowered his voice so only the innkeeper could hear. “A friend of mine has been poisoned by her. She’s not around, and I just want to find Yun Niang or a way to save my friend.”
As he spoke, he discreetly slipped a few taels of silver into the innkeeper’s hand.
Living in Miaojiang was simple, and no one was accustomed to such generosity. The innkeeper was stunned and tried to return the silver, nonetheless, seeing that the black-clad man refused to accept it back, he sighed and said, “…Sir, follow me inside to talk.”
As Shen Molan followed the innkeeper into the back room, he cast a glance at the Miao people sitting in the main hall. Their faces were filled with anxiety and suspicion.
Even Shen Molan couldn’t help feeling uneasy.
…Just what kind of person was this gu lady?
Once inside, the innkeeper sighed several times, looking troubled, before saying, “Yun Niang hasn’t been seen for almost a year. She used to live on a hillside not far from here. Did you try searching there?”
Shen Molan had just returned from there and said, “I did. She hasn’t been back.” Not wanting to waste more time, he asked directly, “Do you know any more details about Yun Niang?”
He actually knew very little about her. Shaoqing had only told him her name, and after bringing him to Miaojiang, Shaoqing had once again fallen into a deep sleep.
The innkeeper frowned, seeing the sincerity in the young man’s face. Considering he had mentioned a friend poisoned by Yun Niang, the innkeeper spoke seriously. “The fact that you’re here asking about Yun Niang… suggests you don’t know much about Miaojiang.”
Shen Molan pursed his lips. “Please enlighten me, Innkeeper.”
“Yun Niang is a gu lady, which means a witch.[2] Miaojiang shamans and witches usually live in unknown, desolate caves, practicing their sinister Gu poison arts, completely unrelated to us ordinary Miao people. However, Yun Niang left that desolate cave and came to live among us Miao people, even marrying another Miao man… If she hadn’t poisoned her husband’s entire family, we never would have known that she was a gu lady.”
Shen Molan was shocked by this revelation.
“Afterward, she didn’t leave. Seeing that we were afraid of her, she moved away but stayed close by, occasionally coming down the mountain to trade… But we will never forget how her husband’s family died… Their skulls were shattered, and gu insects were crawling everywhere… That sinister woman is terrifying…” The innkeeper’s face paled as he recalled Yun Niang’s previous actions.
Shen Molan felt deeply unsettled by this story. Yun Niang… had been married? He then asked, “How old is Yun Niang?”
The innkeeper was momentarily taken aback, surprised that Shen Molan didn’t even know this. “Yun Niang should be over 50 by now…”
“…”
Seeing the uncertainty on the black-clad man’s face, the innkeeper said, “Everyone in the village fears her. You probably won’t get much information. You should prepare to say your final goodbyes to your friend.”
The people of Miaojiang were straightforward and didn’t understand the politeness of the Han people. They spoke their minds, unaware that their words were causing Shen Molan’s tightly clenched fists to nearly draw blood. Visit novelping dot com for the full chapter.
“…Thank you.”
Despite the innkeeper’s advice to give up, Shen Molan was still determined. He asked the innkeeper about the location of the rumored caves where the shamans lived. The innkeeper warned him, “You won’t find them… Do you remember the rumors about a gu that could be used to forge divine weapons?”
Shen Molan vaguely remembered Shaoqing mentioning it and nodded.
The innkeeper laughed bitterly. “Back then, a large group of martial artists flocked to Miaojiang to find the shamans and their caves, but none of them ever returned. Afterward, the rumor died down. No one, except the shamans themselves, knows where the caves are. I even suspect the shamans spread the rumor on purpose to lure people in. I can’t understand why people value divine weapons more than human lives.”
Seeing the innkeeper’s disdainful expression, Shen Molan kept quiet. After all, Shaoqing had been seeking such a thing when he fell into this calamity. He averted his gaze and sighed.
The innkeeper, seeing that Shen Molan was at a loss, didn’t know how to comfort him. In the end, he said, “Perhaps you could ask your friends in the martial world if they know anyone skilled in gu arts. Maybe they can help save your friend…” It was just a polite suggestion since no one would willingly deal with something as dangerous as a gu poison.
“None that I—” Shen Molan started to shake his head, but then suddenly stopped, a thought striking him.
He suddenly remembered someone.
He hadn’t seen this person many times, but their first meeting had left a deep impression on him, even though he had been young at the time.
That woman’s expression had always been cold, and despite her plain clothes, her beautiful yet otherworldly features couldn’t be hidden.
Feng Wuhen’s mother, Mu Yun, had once hidden her identity and married the master of Feng Manor. Shen Molan had only learned later, after entering the martial world, that she was known as the “Poison Lady.”
He then recalled Feng Wuhen mentioning not long ago that both of his parents had passed away.
Could it be…?
Regardless, this was the only hope to save Shaoqing, the only way to break through the current impasse.
Shen Molan made up his mind.
He didn’t realize, however, that this decision would ultimately lead to missing someone for the rest of his life.
Shen Molan rested for a night at the stilt inn. After replenishing his energy, he set off early the next morning to return to the capital. His destination this time: Feng Manor.
[1] Something that may look like this:
[2] 巫师 may also refer to shamans.