Zhan Yueqing seemed to be hearing their conversation through a hazy, indistinct fog.
He felt an extreme disgust toward this inability to control his senses.
He bit down hard on his tongue, only then realizing that the so-called haziness had been an illusion.
Zhan Yueqing suddenly let out a breath of relief.
It was fake.
…Thank goodness it was only an illusion.
He raised his head, wearing that familiar smiling expression again, though only the cold sweat on the back of his neck knew how panicked he had just been.
Zhan Yueqing took the enrollment order and exited the inner hall.
Before long, a crowd of examinees swarmed toward him.
The enrollment order shimmered with golden light, bright enough to make Zhan Yueqing lose his focus for a moment. In his ears, the roar of a teacher from his eighteen-year-old self echoed once more.
“Why aren’t you going to study? Are you crazy? In this godforsaken place, that is your only chance!”
“In Traditional Chinese Medicine, this is called ‘bone atrophy,’ but in Western medicine, it’s called ALS…”
“He was just recognized back into the Tan family; his situation is dire…”
“Say it! Tell me you have a hidden motive, and I will believe you…”
“Tan Huairan, are you out of your mind? Do you know he killed Old Master Tan? You still dare to protect him? Aren’t you afraid Old Master Tan’s spirit will strike you down with lightning from the heavens?”
Zhan Yueqing’s vision went dark, and the voices in his ears shifted again.
“So you are the ‘Second Young Master of the Jun family’ who can identify medicinal herbs while blindfolded? Did they really teach you this at the temple?”
“How old are you now?”
“Has the Dean accepted you as his disciple yet?”
Every word sounded as if it were coming from the edge of the world. Zhan Yueqing saw double, unable to distinguish reality from fabrication.
“Second Young Master?” Zhou Jiu squeezed through the crowd. Noticing his pale complexion, he sensed something was wrong: “Are you feeling unwell somewhere? Should we return to the Grand Preceptor’s mansion?”
Zhan Yueqing snapped back to reality. He looked at him, stared for a moment, and then suddenly grew calm.
“Back to the Grand Preceptor’s mansion.”
Zhou Jiu was very obedient. This time, he changed the carriage and did not use a human stepping stool; Zhan Yueqing was quite satisfied.
Holding the enrollment order, he lowered his gaze to ponder what came next—
Successfully enroll, integrate into the Imperial Medical Academy, pass the “Apricot Forest” examination, become an “Apricot Forest” physician to save lives and earn a salary, increase his “trust value,” and force the system—that ticking time bomb—to detach from his body as quickly as possible.
And… this system might be a pirated version.
Zhan Yueqing’s heart stirred. Thinking of 997’s various abnormalities, he became increasingly certain.
Perhaps 997 didn’t have the original story at all, which was why it never told him the plot.
In that case, 997 was even more of a ticking time bomb.
He did not want to be fettered by the system’s occasional tasks, nor did he want to be under its constant surveillance.
Also, he needed to have a talk with Tan Huairan, to ask about the system, about this world…
The carriage was warmed by a charcoal brazier and felt very cozy. Zhan Yueqing, deep in thought, was squinting and drifting toward sleep, calculating everything—
Suddenly, the carriage braked sharply.
Zhan Yueqing’s train of thought was interrupted. Confused, he lifted the curtain, “Zhou Jiu, what happened?”
“A child just ran across the road,” Zhou Jiu explained. “The carriage driver had to stop.”
Zhan Yueqing nodded, “So that’s why…”
His voice trailed off. He suddenly noticed a low building standing by the side of the street, with people coming and going in an endless stream.
The sign above the door of the low building read: [Treasure Pavilion].
Zhan Yueqing’s mind immediately recalled what Shi Hua had said: “If the young master is interested, you may go to the Treasure Pavilion in the city.”
Such a coincidence? Could it be that the child was hired by someone specifically to block his carriage?
Was Shi Hua not just an ordinary courtesan? Did she have another identity? Zhan Yueqing frowned.
“The ‘Jiao Rao’ of Feiyan Pavilion…” He narrowed his eyes and suddenly looked at Zhou Jiu, smiling, “Is the stuff in the Treasure Pavilion expensive?”
Zhou Jiu was stunned for a moment but understood his meaning, “Do you wish to browse? There is one thousand taels of silver in the account; it should be enough.”
Zhan Yueqing paused, remembering the conversion table the system had sent him—
Four hundred and fifty thousand?!
His eyes widened instantly: “Where did I get a thousand taels of silver?”
Zhou Jiu looked confused, “Your monthly allowance, sir.”
The Empress’s monthly allowance was a thousand taels!
“???” Zhan Yueqing thought to himself that Tan Huairan was truly wealthy and overbearing; even the son of a Grand Preceptor was given a thousand taels of silver as a monthly allowance!
The Treasure Pavilion was located in a bustling area, and the building was filled with a strange, sweet fragrance.
The ancient-style building did not look large from the outside, but inside, it was incredibly deep, stretching for miles.
Upon entering, one could see many strange and bizarre display shelves, with masked people standing beside them.
“Is this a proper place to buy things?” Zhan Yueqing asked Zhou Jiu in a low voice.
How did it look like a black market to him? Would the things being sold here be illicit?
Tan Huairan valued Zhan Yueqing’s safety. Even though Zhan Yueqing was only going to the academy, he had sent over a dozen high-level bodyguards to follow him.
Among these people, Zhan Yueqing only recognized Zhou Jiu.
Zhou Jiu glanced at the crowd and lowered his voice: “It is, and yet it is not. The Treasure Pavilion in the capital is linked to the Feiyan Pavilion. Most things sold here belong to the Feiyan Pavilion. The Feiyan Pavilion is strange; no one can clearly explain whether they are legitimate or not.”
Zhan Yueqing paused, “What is the Feiyan Pavilion? I haven’t heard of it. Can you tell me about it?”
His tone was soft and gentle, as if intentionally tender.
Hearing this, Zhou Jiu’s heart ached. He couldn’t imagine what kind of miserable life Zhan Yueqing must have led under the Prince of An, to be so poorly informed.
It was all Tan Mingzhi’s fault!
Zhou Jiu felt anger in his heart, but on the surface, he spoke gently as he explained the origins of the Feiyan Pavilion, feeling deeply conflicted.
He even felt he could go to the theater to play two different roles and collect two separate payments.
After hearing the explanation, Zhan Yueqing frowned, “You are saying that immortal beings who can live forever reside within? That they are not only elusive but also richer than the nation? That they are simultaneously proficient in divination, geometry, and witchcraft?”
Zhou Jiu nodded.
Zhan Yueqing was skeptical and didn’t comment, instead focusing his attention on the shelves.
On the shelves, there was an assortment of beads, jade, and jewelry. Soon, Zhan Yueqing’s gaze was captured by a sandalwood string of prayer beads on one of the shelves.
Other beads were just thrown about randomly, but this specific string was placed in a separate glass case.
“Young master, you have a keen eye. This is a string from the Shan’en Temple, blessed by monks,” the seller said with a rough voice from behind a mask. “It only costs twelve taels of silver!”
Zhan Yueqing had no concept of the value of twelve taels, so he waved his hand, and Zhou Jiu paid the silver.
The sandalwood beads were grey-brown and long enough to wrap around his wrist three times. The main bead was a crystal-clear, red-flecked jade orb. Zhan Yueqing loved it and put it on as soon as he bought it.
Given that his identity as the Grand Preceptor’s son was that of someone raised in a temple, wearing prayer beads was perfectly reasonable.
The pavilion was crowded with customers. Zhan Yueqing’s gaze was soon drawn to a crystal-clear ancient zither.
The body of the zither was made of jade, with a palm-sized patch of crimson on the surface. The strings were transparent, and the entire zither seemed to emit a jade-white glow.
Zhan Yueqing felt a strange throb in his heart. He looked at the seller beside the cabinet, “What is this?”
Other cabinets were surrounded by many people, but no one had inquired about this zither. When the seller saw someone asking, he immediately approached with a look of surprise and whispered, “This is a ‘Medicine Zither’ produced by the Feiyan Pavilion.”
“Medicine Zither?” Zhan Yueqing frowned, tilting his head slightly, “What does that mean? A zither that can be used as medicine?”
The seller narrowed his eyes, secretly assessing Zhan Yueqing’s attire before fawning, “A zither that acts as medicine… the zither itself cannot be medicine, but the ‘Medicine Human’ from the Feiyan Pavilion can be.”
Zhan Yueqing paused, looking up in surprise.
A Medicine Human?
“This zither body is made from the blood of a ‘Medicine Human’… see those strings? Those are ‘bone filaments’ extracted from them.”
Zhan Yueqing felt a jolt of horror in his heart, finally understanding why he had had that inexplicable feeling earlier. He raised his eyes and asked, expressionless, “This thing sounds terrifying; does anyone actually buy it?”
“Oh, plenty!” The seller rubbed his hands, “One Medicine Human from the Feiyan Pavilion is worth ten thousand taels of gold, and their blood is even harder to come by…”
Zhan Yueqing interrupted him, “I am asking what use this zither has.”
His tone deepened. The seller felt an inexplicable fear, and blurted out instinctively, “That depends on what the Medicine Human who was turned into the zither was used for. Like this one, it is used to warm a person’s fingers; no matter how long you play, you won’t get hurt. It is a favorite among the sons and daughters of noble families… it only costs eight hundred taels of silver. Would you like to try it, young master? I see your hands are quite beautiful.”
“…Using a person to make a zither, just to warm fingers?” Zhan Yueqing could not comprehend it.
A scoff came from behind the seller’s mask, “The Medicine Humans of the Feiyan Pavilion are not considered human. Like the Medicine Human bought by the Prince of Rui some time ago, it was a ‘Seductive Bone’ that carried its own fragrance, capable of…”
“That is enough.” Zhan Yueqing had understood the implication. A look of disgust appeared on his face. As he turned to leave, he remembered something and beckoned to Zhou Jiu, “Come here!”
Zhou Jiu immediately brought his men forward, “What is it?”
Zhan Yueqing pointed at the zither, “Buy it.”
Zhou Jiu was stunned. He looked at it, recognized the zither’s origins, and his expression changed instantly. His gaze toward Zhan Yueqing became strange: “Young master… do you like this?”
“Don’t ask so many questions!” Zhan Yueqing lowered his eyes.
Zhou Jiu’s eyes flickered. He signaled for his men to bring out silver notes and had people move the zither away.
Zhan Yueqing had already moved to the next cabinet. Zhou Jiu watched his back, his brow furrowed deeply—
“Eh?” Zhan Yueqing noticed he hadn’t followed and asked, “Come here!”
Zhou Jiu paused and walked over, his tone cold and stiff: “Second Young Master…”
The pavilion was noisy, and Zhan Yueqing didn’t catch his strange tone, interrupting him, “How much does a tombstone cost in the city?”
Zhou Jiu: “This subordinate doesn’t know; I will go ask later…”
“Regardless of the cost,” Zhan Yueqing walked far away from that cabinet until he felt the suffocating sensation vanish. He took a deep breath, “Go and advance my next month’s allowance from the Grand Preceptor’s mansion. Buy a tombstone and let that zither rest in peace in the ground.”
Zhou Jiu paused in his tracks and looked at Zhan Yueqing, only to see him muttering to himself—
He probably thought he was just rambling, unaware that his words were being heard by others.
“You guys aren’t people… Seductive, my foot. The Prince of Rui is certainly no good either…”
Zhan Yueqing was furious. The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became. He decided the Feiyan Pavilion wasn’t a good place either. He didn’t want to browse anymore and led his men out of the Treasure Pavilion.
“Is the young master hungry?” Zhou Jiu leaned in, his voice sweet again.
Zhan Yueqing glanced at him suspiciously, “No… why are you suddenly smiling so fawningly? Like that seller earlier.”
Zhou Jiu coughed,收敛 (recovering his composure), and said, “It’s regulated by His Majesty; at this hour, you must eat… There is a good roast goose restaurant called ‘Seven-Mile Fragrance’ nearby, and they also have honey-walnut tea.”
Zhan Yueqing’s eyes lit up slightly.
Zhou Jiu, reading the situation, added, “That shop’s walnut tea is the sweetest, and they add milk to it.”
“Then let’s go take a look.” Zhan Yueqing changed direction, “I suppose I am a little hungry.”
Seven-Mile Fragrance was an eatery. It was noon, and the place was bustling with customers, the aroma of food drifting for miles.
Zhan Yueqing opened a private room. Not long after he entered, the dishes were served.
Iron-plate beef sizzled, sliced roast goose glistened with oil and was paired with sour plum sauce; clear-stewed crab-meat lion’s head meatballs were topped with a small piece of green vegetable.
Zhan Yueqing: “…?!”
Why was the food served so quickly after he had just ordered? When Tan Huairan used to make him crab-meat lion’s head meatballs, it took over two hours to stew.
“Here is the last dish—your locust honey walnut tea, Second Young Master, please enjoy!”
The waiter finished serving and ran off as if Zhan Yueqing were a ferocious beast.
Zhan Yueqing came back to his senses, suddenly realized something, and looked at Zhou Jiu, “What did His Majesty say to you? Why are they so afraid of me?”
Zhou Jiu chose to ignore the latter part and said firmly, “His Majesty said you must eat three main meals and four snacks every day. If even one dish is not to your liking, I am to skin them alive.”
Zhan Yueqing: “…”
Zhan Yueqing was momentarily dazed, having the illusion that he was actually a pig.
Who on earth eats seven meals a day?
“Is he really going to skin them, or is he just threatening?” Zhan Yueqing asked, biting on the lotus-shaped straw while drinking.
“This…” Zhou Jiu hesitated, “You had better not ask, otherwise you won’t be able to eat your meal.”
Zhan Yueqing understood. He frowned; it seemed Tan Huairan had really skinned people before.
Was it out of necessity? That he couldn’t sit firmly on the throne otherwise?
But the way Tan Huairan looked when he was “eating people” the other day, it seemed more like he was genuinely ill…
“By the way, why did you take so long to follow me at the Haiyan Palace that day?” Zhan Yueqing asked suddenly.
“People from the Empress Dowager’s side were asking me questions, which delayed me.” Zhou Jiu explained hurriedly, “You were scared that day, weren’t you? It was also my fault; I should have told you earlier that His Majesty says you can only go see him after the Hour of the Rat (1 a.m. to 3 a.m.).”
Zhan Yueqing didn’t understand, tilting his head, a large question mark seeming to appear above his head.
“Why?”
“Did you see him beating someone that day?” Zhou Jiu was a bit more tactful.
Zhan Yueqing thought for a moment, “I saw it. He also ate people.”
“He didn’t eat them, it wasn’t that gross,” Zhou Jiu was anxious again, “He just gets like that occasionally. He says he’ll beat them to death, but he doesn’t actually kill them. He just forbids those who make mistakes from appearing in front of him again.”
Zhan Yueqing paused: “Does he also suddenly fall unconscious? Or laugh one second and kill someone the next?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Zhou Jiu agreed repeatedly, but then he saw Zhan Yueqing lower his eyes, biting the straw, looking as if he were deep in thought.
After a long while, Zhan Yueqing murmured: “So, is it that he cannot go ‘OOC’ (out of character)… that’s so bitter.”
He frowned and suddenly pushed away the lotus-shaped cup, “Why is the bottom so bitter?”
Zhou Jiu was stunned, “That shouldn’t be. That’s flower honey at the bottom; it’s impossible for it to be bitter.”
“It really is bitter.” Zhan Yueqing lifted the lotus cup. At the bottom, there was a layer of sedimented crimson honey that looked like blood.
Zhan Yueqing: “…” He would never drink anything from outside ever again.
Zhou Jiu sensed something was wrong, “I’ll go call the manager to take a look.”
He pushed the door and went out, leaving Zhan Yueqing alone in the room.
Zhan Yueqing ate several bites of food to suppress the bitterness, but the next instant, he felt a wave of heat spreading from his leg.
This heat was like a spark of fire, quickly spreading across his leg. Zhan Yueqing paused, suddenly lifted his robe, and touched it—
The poison mark was burning.
It was getting hotter and hotter, as if something was about to erupt.
“What is going on…” Zhan Yueqing frowned. He was about to raise his hand to take his own pulse, but a more acute intuition washed over his brain, causing him to instinctively turn around—
His neck suddenly felt a sharp pain.
Everything went black. His final memory was seeing a mask of a flying bird.