The person on the bamboo couch had a face full of scars, as ugly as a fierce ghost.
To have such a person attend to the bed, unless the steward of Fengxing Pavilion had lost his mind.
Meng Qi was speechless.
Earlier, from a distance through the curtains, he had only vaguely seen a shadow with a bare upper body, the face not turned towards the pool; who knew what it looked like? There was singing and music next door, and here the arrangements had been made. Just when Meng Qi was anxiously “burning up,” how could he not be angry at this scene?
After the anger, he realized it was not the case at all. Meng Qi wished for a hole to appear on the ground for him to crawl into to calm down.
The doctor was so calm, yet he had all kinds of wicked thoughts in his mind—his thick skin couldn’t withstand it anymore.
Thinking more carefully, the identity of the swordsman was also clear as day. Who else needed Mo Li to keep such a close watch except for that masked assassin from Piaoping Pavilion?
Meng Qi tugged at the corner of his mouth, wanting to say something to smooth over the awkward situation. However, the image of water droplets eagerly sliding down Mo Li’s slender, fair chest and the scales faintly visible under the water surfaced in his mind again.
Quickly covering his nose with his hand, Meng Qi secretly wiped away a trickle of blood.
His heart was burning, and his spiritual energy was surging, directly causing chaos in his meridians.
Even an internal martial arts master, in such a situation, could only choose to control either the top or the bottom.
—Was there even a choice? Covering his nose and wiping the blood was doable, but the place three inches below the navel… try covering it with your hand?
Did the Imperial Advisor have no face?
Mo Li was even more puzzled. Meng Qi was dodging and refusing to extend his hand again, so he could only guess.
“Ahem, doctor, have you caught the person?” Meng Qi forced himself to speak, trying hard not to look at Mo Li’s inquisitive eyes.
Turning around, he half-pushed the menacing swordsman.
The swordsman forced under the bed: “…”
Wasn’t it just to prevent him from peeking? Who cared?
Indeed, the scales on Mo Li’s body directly shook the mind of the Taijing dragon vein, making it uncontrollable. However, to others, it was not the same at all. The swordsman hadn’t seen the scales; even if he had, he would have been horrified by the monster. No scales? Then it’s just a man, no matter how good-looking, still a man. What else could there be?
The swordsman snorted disdainfully.
He was angry and couldn’t help but snort heavily.
He expected Meng Qi to mock him coldly, maybe even kick him a few times. However, Meng Qi was only focused on explaining to Mo Li.
—Using secret voice transmission, the swordsman couldn’t hear a word.
After waiting for a long time without any response, the swordsman could only snort again to show his presence, wanting a quick end to this torture. What was the point of shoving him under the bed?
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the robe and shoes. Those two had already walked over here.
“Squeak.”
They sat down on the bamboo couch.
An incredibly ugly pink silk robe was thrown on the ground, and the swordsman’s face turned completely blue.
Although he was just an assassin, this was too insulting!
There were fewer than ten top masters in the martial world. Achieving such a level of martial arts, they all had a mutual respect for those of the same realm, knowing how difficult it was to reach that point. There was nothing to discuss with those who didn’t understand the heights of mountains and the depths of the sea. Top masters naturally appreciated each other. Hence, the old ancestor Qingwu would spend words discussing ambitions and ideals with Meng Qi and Mo Li. No one else could hear his mad talk. Therefore, the swordsman always looked down on Fengxing Pavilion because there were no top masters there.
The swordsman didn’t want to turn enemies into friends with Mo Li and Meng Qi but had to grudgingly acknowledge their prowess. However, he respected others, but they didn’t regard him at all.
Just as the swordsman was seething with anger, planning to risk damaging his foundation to teach these two humiliating fellows a lesson, he was suddenly pulled out from under the bed by a hand.
Before his eyes, there was no “absurd” or “unsightly” scene.
Mo Li’s clothes were neat, only his hair was loose.
Meng Qi had changed into a raven-black robe, with an inner garment embroidered with crane patterns. At a glance, it was evident that the material was of top quality. Originally, the clothes prepared for Mo Li by the bathhouse attendant were placed on the low table, but Meng Qi had taken advantage of the situation.
“This is Su embroidery. Nowadays, the price of southern goods has doubled since the Chu dynasty. Fengxing Pavilion is really willing to spend.”
Even dressed, Meng Qi was not happy. What did Fengxing Pavilion want by pleasing Mo Li like this?
To extract his secrets? Or more directly, to coerce Mo Li into working for them?
“Is this our prisoner?” Meng Qi deliberately raised his voice, wanting the swordsman to recognize his current situation.
Talking business helped dispel those distracting, wicked thoughts.
It wasn’t that Meng Qi wanted to suppress them, but this place was inappropriate.
Most importantly, if the scales that Mo Li hadn’t had time to shed were effective for himself, what about Mo Li?
—The dragon vein that could only turn into a sand rat was sluggish.
He had no scales, only fur to shed.
Did this mean the doctor couldn’t be attracted by his “beauty”?
No, no, there must be another way.
Meng Qi was even more reluctant to reveal the reason for his abnormal behavior. No matter how Dr. Mo questioned, it was useless.
But just because Meng Qi didn’t say it, did that mean Mo Li couldn’t guess?
Recalling carefully, Mo Li vaguely realized something. He looked around, dismissing the idea of turning back into his original form to reveal his scales, and didn’t expose Meng Qi’s ambiguous words.
The two then turned their backs to each other, one dressing, the other changing clothes.
After Mo Li used his internal force to dry the water droplets, Meng Qi dragged the swordsman out again.
The swordsman was about to make some sarcastic remarks when he suddenly saw the stone bottle fragments in Mo Li’s hand, and the words got stuck in his throat.
“The antidote… you risked your life to send out?” Meng Qi said slowly, “Your subordinate escaped to a graveyard. Since they chose their burial site, let them have it.”
“You killed them?”
The swordsman asked sharply. At this moment, there was no murderous aura around Meng Qi, yet the swordsman still felt a sense of foreboding.
“They were guilty of numerous crimes, how could they not die?” Meng Qi retorted, simultaneously using secret voice transmission to tell Mo Li the identities of those assassins.
Eight out of ten were on the government’s wanted list. The remaining two, whom Meng Qi had captured and interrogated, were uncooperative, claiming that this bathhouse was their territory.
“What about those two?” Mo Li’s expression grew more serious as he smelled the stone bottle.
“Hiding in…”
“Bring them over quickly.”
Meng Qi responded, then thoughtfully took out an intact stone bottle, causing the swordsman’s pupils to contract instantly.
“Found in the tomb, it should be the same medicine. Doctor, please examine it.”
Mo Li took out a pill, broke it, tasted it briefly, then turned his head and spat it out, asking sternly, “Opium?”
The swordsman met his gaze coldly. Meng Qi thought hard for a long time before recalling an ancient tale, which mentioned a vividly colored flower revered by the locals as a sacred medicine. Priests used it to communicate with spirits, listen to oracles, and it was said to have the effect of removing all worldly pain and worries.
“What is opium? A poison?”
“More troublesome than poison.”
Mo Li’s eyes were filled with shock and anger, and it was rare for Meng Qi to see him so upset, causing his heart to sink.
“I’ll bring the people here.”
As soon as he finished speaking, his figure flashed and disappeared.
Mo Li stared at the swordsman and asked, “Where did you get this thing?”
The swordsman kept his mouth shut and remained silent.
“You know how terrifying it is. Those who consume opium can never be free from it,” Mo Li said each word with emphasis.
He would never forget that smell. Magistrate Xue had a piece of black opium emitting the same scent.
Mentioning “Ghostly Vulture” Xue Ting inevitably led to the story of how he destroyed the entire Futu Temple within a month.
Futu Temple was originally a place where a princess from the previous dynasty kept her lovers. The underground tunnels were intricate, and after the princess lost favor, no one cared about the temple, allowing it to be occupied by a sorcerer from the southern borders who the princess had once worshipped.
The sorcerer didn’t cast spells; he poisoned people. To make matters worse, he was a master of traps.
The sorcerer took in many disciples, who passed down their sinister ways from generation to generation, behaving like a demonic cult. The righteous sects of the martial world attempted to eradicate them several times, only to suffer heavy casualties under the traps and poisons. Over time, the name Futu Temple became synonymous with fear, and no one dared to provoke them.
Xue Ting had poked this hornet’s nest.
Afterward, he happily took away gold, silver, and rare medicinal herbs.
The black opium was unremarkable, yet it was placed in the most lavish box.
There were several pieces back then, brought by the sorcerer from the southern borders as “sacred medicine.” Xue Ting had crushed and dissolved them in water, tested them on rabbits several times, and immediately burned all but the smallest piece upon seeing the drastic effects.
When Magistrate Xue took out this piece of opium, Mr. Qin was also present.
“Thud.”
Two people, gagged and bound, were thrown to the ground.
Mo Li awoke from his memories, his hand holding the stone bottle trembled slightly, and he then closed his eyes and said in a deep voice, “I will call the people from Fengxing Pavilion.”
“Doctor?”
“This matter is no small affair; it is not something you and I can investigate in a short time.”
Since Mo Li said so, Meng Qi naturally did not object.
Unexpectedly, the people from Fengxing Pavilion arrived faster than they had imagined, their shadows flickering through the bamboo forest.
Meng Qi squinted his eyes, then swiftly circled around the pool, angrily slapping his palm on a low wall.
“Boom.”
The wall collapsed, revealing a section of buried copper pipe.
The copper pipe was hollow, extending all the way to the neighboring courtyard.
“Imperial Advisor, please calm down. It is merely a pipe for heating water in winter,” Qiu Jing appeared gracefully with her people, admitting frankly, “Of course, when there’s no water, those with sharp ears can use it to eavesdrop. However, this is a courtyard, not a sealed room. Even if someone listens intently, they can only catch fragments.”
Realizing that everything he had said could have been overheard by Fengxing Pavilion, Mo Li’s face darkened, and he said coldly, “The Pavilion Master promised not to interfere or eavesdrop when I interrogate prisoners.”
“It is Qiu’s fault,” Qiu Jing bowed deeply, ashamed, “Before entering the room, I did not know it could be used for eavesdropping. When my subordinates reported this mechanism, I failed to uphold the integrity of a gentleman’s promise. It is my mistake.”
Nonsense!
The music and singing from the distant courtyard made it seem like Qiu Jing was there, but she was actually in the neighboring house, eavesdropping. Who would believe it wasn’t intentional?
Mo Li’s expression was unpleasant, and Meng Qi sneered, “A gentleman can be deceived with straightforward words. Pavilion Master Qiu should clean up her story before speaking.”
“We originally planned to take a detour and come from the other side, but the Imperial Advisor knocked down the wall,” Qiu Jing said earnestly. “Actually, I knew that the doctor wouldn’t interrogate the prisoners before the Imperial Advisor arrived. Therefore, it doesn’t count as breaking the promise. The doctor’s origins are mysterious, and Fengxing Pavilion’s habit of wanting to eavesdrop is indeed my fault.”
She was so straightforward that Mo Li had nothing to say.
In truth, he never fully trusted Fengxing Pavilion. The words he couldn’t say out loud, he transmitted secretly. The rest, which he didn’t mind the swordsman hearing, naturally didn’t bother him if Fengxing Pavilion knew, including his relationship with Meng Qi.
“Is the Pavilion Master planning to sell information about me and the doctor?” Meng Qi glanced at the monk Yuan Zhi behind Qiu Jing and mocked, “A monk does not lie. Since Master Yuan Zhi is here, why not tell us what you heard?”
The old monk bowed his head in embarrassment and recited a Buddhist mantra. Talking about serving at the bedside, a monk couldn’t say such things!
“Fengxing Pavilion previously sold information about the Imperial Advisor because there was no relationship. Now we owe you two a favor. Even if we sell information, it will only be widely known facts,” Qiu Jing’s expression was complicated, almost saying: unless you publicly get married, no one would believe it if Fengxing Pavilion sold such information.
Seeing her expression, Mo Li realized belatedly that only the monk Yuan Zhi was embarrassed, not knowing where to look, while Qiu Jing and her people showed no such discomfort.
Could it be they had already guessed—
Recalling that he and Meng Qi had been eating, living, and sleeping together along the way,
…it was indeed very obvious.
Mo Li didn’t feel embarrassed about being exposed. Holding the stone bottle, he asked directly, “Since you heard so much, you didn’t miss the part about opium, did you?”
Qiu Jing looked at him deeply and nodded, “Yes. What does Doctor Mo want Fengxing Pavilion to do?”
Mo Li, observing their reactions, knew they had never heard of opium or its terrifying effects.
“This substance comes from the southern regions…”
Mo Li began with the legendary sacred medicine of the southern lands, explaining how the locals considered it a divine gift, with bright red flowers growing in clusters.
Qiu Jing and her people quickly realized this was the root of the madness or death of Piaoping Pavilion’s assassins.
“Could it be a gu poison?” someone asked in shock.
“No, it’s a kind of drug, a drug that absolutely must not be consumed in excess.”
Mo Li’s expression was complex. Opium hid deep secrets. When Xue Ting discovered its evil nature, he ventured into the southern regions to find the plant but found nothing. Some locals remembered the legend but claimed they weren’t from the tribe that worshipped the sacred medicine.
“Ancient texts and some old prescriptions recorded it, but three hundred years ago, opium suddenly disappeared.”
“What do you mean by ‘disappeared’?” Qiu Jing asked sharply.
Mo Li replied solemnly, “No records exist. Whether in folklore, medical books, or martial world secrets, there is no mention. Even the tribe that worshipped the sacred medicine vanished. There’s no trace, even if you search the southern regions.”
“Doctor, you know so much…”
“A familiar elder once investigated it,” Mo Li admitted directly. “Opium has remarkable pain-relieving effects. A famous doctor in the Chen dynasty heard of it and wrote about never having seen this southern sacred medicine. In heavy doses, it is poison. Used too often, it becomes addictive. Initially, one dose every ten days, then every five days, three days, and finally daily. Once the drug is stopped, the pain is excruciating, as if insects were gnawing at the bones, unbearable.”
Meng Qi’s gaze fell on the swordsman, who remained silent.
“Where did the drug come from?” Meng Qi demanded.
Everyone turned their eyes to the swordsman, who, under the pressure, turned pale.
“Speak! Opium, which disappeared for three hundred years, why does Piaoping Pavilion use it to control people?”
“I… I don’t know. It was given by the master.”
The swordsman instinctively licked his cracked lips and said with difficulty, “There is no antidote. My subordinates… those assassins had already taken the drug before being sent to me. Although they are not good people, without timely doses, they would roll on the ground in pain. However, I had limited pills and could only have them pretend to be dead with a turtle’s breath technique on normal days.”
Meng Qi thought to himself that it was no wonder he didn’t see any beds or communal bedding in the tomb, only uncovered coffins.
“Who is your master, the one in charge of Piaoping Pavilion?”
The swordsman remained silent.
Meng Qi, infuriated, laughed coldly and pointed at the stone bottle in Mo Li’s hand. “Why don’t I shove this into your mouth? Let’s see what kind of drug can be called ‘demonic’ by the doctor.”
“If you do so, I will sever my meridians,” the swordsman said decisively.
He had seen too many assassins who would rather die than live, knowing that this thing must never be consumed.
“Oh, why not escape?” Qiu Jing tapped her folding fan against her palm, surprised. “For a master of your martial arts level, your master can’t have many like you, perhaps only you. Other assassins might die, but if you needed this drug, would your master be stingy enough not to give it to you?”
The swordsman first closed his eyes, then said coldly, “No need to provoke me. Since you recognize it and know it well, there’s no point in me hiding it. Even if there were an endless supply of opium, the person using it would still eventually die. It might be seven or eight years, or as short as three to five years, depending on their constitution.”
“Hah, even ants cling to life. Choosing between immediate death and living for three years, wouldn’t the latter be the obvious choice?” Qiu Jing probed again.
Qiu Jing and Meng Qi weren’t actually trying to force the swordsman to take the drug; they were targeting the other two captured assassins.
If the swordsman was captured, could the master of Piaoping Pavilion remain hidden? These assassins, enslaved by the drug, didn’t hate Piaoping Pavilion at all? Hatred could be exploited!
The swordsman unexpectedly saw through their scheme and sneered, “Don’t bother. They are already slaves to the drug; they recognize no one. They don’t hate the master; they hate me. Because I manage the drugs, I don’t let them take more, and I don’t need to take it… They appear respectful, but they would love to eat my flesh and drink my blood.”
Meng Qi looked at Mo Li.
Mo Li nodded slowly. The true sinister nature of opium, he had not yet revealed.
When Mr. Qin heard Xue Ting talk about the events of those years, he was shocked and broke off a small piece to test. Xue Ting didn’t know medicine, but the divine doctor Xuanhu was different.
Half a year later, Qin Lu killed a crazed pig with one palm and, with his disciple and Magistrate Xue, performed a secret autopsy in the dark.
The pig’s heart and brain were deformed.
Some parts were blackened, some riddled with holes… yet before it was killed, the pig was still alive.
Looking at the two struggling assassins on the ground, Mo Li suddenly wondered what a person would be like if their heart and brain were deformed.
Author’s Note:
Jianghu People: Futu Temple, a demonic cult.
Xue Ting: Oh, money! Light bulb lights up. JPG
Jianghu People: Everyone in Futu Temple uses poison, untouchable.
Xue Ting: That’s my specialty!
Jianghu People: The place is full of traps, extremely dangerous, no one can break in.
Xue Ting: Ah, they’ve been complacent for too long. I like that.
Xue Ting: Treasure hoard… no, I’m coming for this hornet’s nest.
The old Magistrate Xue stroked his beard in reminiscence: When I was young and rash, I was particularly short on money…
#A visionary who took the imperial exams to secure a stable government job#
#A sharp mind, seeing the political landscape clearly, decisively fleeing to keep his small official position#
#Intelligence 100, Bravery 100, fully maxed attributes, commonly known as wise and brave#
