It was as if the River Dyke Official Song Tuo’s words had been overheard by the unseen River God himself. From that day forward, the rain in Jiugao never ceased, and the waters of the Huan River continued to rise.
Since the secret meeting ended, everyone’s hands were full, yet their words grew sparse. They crossed paths briefly within the shipyard each day, exchanging a nod before hurrying off to their respective tasks.
Qin Jiuye’s attitude toward the Qiu brothers underwent a subtle shift. Perhaps it was because she now knew the history of the Black Moon, or perhaps it was the realization that those two knew far more than she had imagined. She couldn't help but reflect on everything that had happened, gaining a new perspective on how she had ended up where she was today.
But things had already come to this, and she had no time to dwell on her own circumstances. The matter of the Secret Formula was like a flash of lightning on the horizon; the thunder was bound to strike sooner or later. Everything was a bowstring pulled taut, an arrow ready to fly. After all, Young Master Yan had held out for seven years, Lu Sihai for one, and He Yuanzhou for several months... but how long could *he* hold out?
The first thing Qin Jiuye had to do was thoroughly test the wine brought back from Qionghu Island. She mixed the liquid into a water vat and added several sluggish fish caught from the nearby docks. Before long, the fish began to swim with frantic energy.
She couldn't be certain if the Secret Formula had a similar effect on creatures other than humans, but the sight of the fish in the vat filled her with gloom. Her mind drifted back to the dim cave, recalling every face she had glimpsed in that fleeting moment.
Those who could receive the bestowed wine and drink the Great Lu Brew were mostly sect leaders. Once the disease broke out, it would not be as simple as killing or isolating them; the entire martial world would be plunged into chaos. Several days had passed since the Sword Appreciation Assembly. She didn't know when the first infected person would turn, but she knew that time was running out for everyone. However, this matter was of such gravity that any mishandling could trigger an upheaval. After much deliberation, Qiu Ling personally sent a message back to Kunxu, asking Yuan Zhi to handle it. Yet, as she watched the messenger pigeon vanish into the layers of clouds, Qin Jiuye felt no sense of relief.
Would a hidden sect that hadn't even shown its face at the Sword Appreciation Assembly—one with no interest in the affairs of the martial world—truly be willing to step into such a mess?
She forced herself not to dwell on things beyond her control, focusing her limited energy on researching the Secret Formula.
For the sake of so-called "fairness," Commander Lu Zican had assigned the inner room used for researching the formula to both her and Teng Hu. During the day, the two were forced to share the space. They were working toward the same goal, but their logic and methods were worlds apart. They could have minded their own business, but Teng Hu clearly had other ideas.
He was used to being surrounded by people, with an endless supply of medicine boys and servants at his beck and call. Now that he was alone in this shipyard, his circumstances had changed, but his bad habits remained. He actually tried to order Qin Jiuye around like a servant. She, of course, would not indulge him. The two engaged in a series of skirmishes, starting with fighting over space, then medicinal ingredients, then tools, until it eventually devolved into a war of words.
After all, physical confrontation was exhausting; a verbal spat only cost a bit of saliva.
Before this, Qin Jiuye never knew she was capable of multitasking to such a degree—burying her head in testing and refining medicine while simultaneously spitting out a barrage of biting remarks.
Back at Guoran Residence, Jin Bao liked to nag, but compared to Teng Hu, his nuisance was negligible.
Teng Hu’s mouth wasn't a mouth; it was a concealed weapon capable of spraying "venom" twenty-four hours a day. She often felt the urge to stick a needle into his perpetually taut face, but she feared that whatever leaked out would be poisonous and foul. She even suspected that his "verbal assaults" were a strategy to disrupt her thinking and progress, though she couldn't fathom what benefit that would bring him.
For three consecutive days, they traded blows, the "East Wind" prevailing one moment and the "West Wind" the next. It was, for the most part, a draw.
What couldn't be settled inside the room had to be taken outside.
During the sweltering heat of the afternoon, the two walked side-by-side into the dark chamber where the patients were kept.
Over the past few days, whenever she had a free moment, Qin Jiuye would come here to observe and record the condition of the infected. The shipwrights responsible for guarding them had grown familiar with her and handed her a prepared face cloth.
Although Qin Jiuye had preliminarily judged that this strange illness was transmitted through blood, she still insisted that everyone in close contact with the patients wear a mask and take precautions. The guard had been "trained" by her and Gao Quan; he was no longer as panicked as he had been at the start, handling the procedures with practiced ease. Qin Jiuye felt a small sense of comfort seeing this. Although a conclusion was still far off, they had at least made some progress in dealing with the Secret Formula.
"...Commander Lu said that when they were found, the situation was critical and they had to be subdued by force. Two of them didn't make it past the first half-day. The remaining three are here."
After giving a brief explanation to the first-time visitor, Teng Hu, the guard lit a torch in the corner.
As the light flared, there was a commotion in the dark room. Several shadowed figures, bound by chains, began to grow restless.
Qin Jiuye carefully performed her observations, recording each person's condition. Their clothes bore the faint, darkened stains of blood. Unlike the sword-dancing youth on the flower boat who had turned into a monster, these people wore the ordinary clothes of common folk from the Jiugao area. This caused Qin Jiuye to speculate about their identities every time she saw them. Were they local farmers? Merchants? Why were they dragged into this terrifying conspiracy? Were they chosen, or was it simply a matter of ill luck?
"From the look of you, this isn't the first time you've dealt with these things."
Teng Hu’s voice rang out suddenly, his probing intent obvious. Qin Jiuye’s guard went up instantly as she slowly stood.
"I have been investigating cases with the Governor; naturally, I have encountered them before. Master Teng Hu speaks constantly of inheriting his master's name—surely you haven't gone this long without seeing a single patient?"
She deliberately gave an ambiguous answer and countered with a question. The latter fell silent, merely pulling out his gloves and putting them on. He walked straight past her to one of the infected and barked an order at the waiting shipwright.
"Hold him down for me."
The two shipwrights didn't suspect anything, assuming he intended to take a pulse or draw blood like the woman did. They stepped forward and pinned the man down. However, in the next moment, Teng Hu drew a hollow bone knife from his sleeve and plunged it into the infected man’s thigh without hesitation.
Accompanied by a piercing shriek, the chained figure struggled frantically. The two shipwrights nearly lost their grip. Startled, Qin Jiuye rushed forward to help, turning to shout at Teng Hu.
"What are you doing?"
Teng Hu had already withdrawn the strangely shaped bone knife. He inspected the poison within the hollow chamber and looked at her with a peculiar expression.
"I heard that those who consume the Secret Formula can regrow flesh, heal from chronic ailments, and become immune to all poisons. If I don't see it with my own eyes, how can I be sure if it's true?" He glanced at the writhing figure beneath the chains and reached a cold conclusion. "The healing speed isn't as fast as imagined, and the resistance to toxins isn't as strong. Perhaps it's individual variation, or perhaps it depends on the timing of the infection..."
Teng Hu’s voice droned on, but Qin Jiuye was momentarily speechless.
To some extent, she knew that when dealing with such an extraordinary situation, Teng Hu’s attitude might actually be the correct one. Emotional involvement would compromise judgment and hinder a physician's decision-making.
But she simply could not control her feelings. Before being a physician, she was first a human being—a person of flesh, blood, and emotion. Seeing her own kind treated so cruelly made her feel sick to her stomach.
Especially when she thought that one day, that youth might meet the same fate.
"Perhaps the lady's medicine from before is having an effect? After all, they were raving mad when they first arrived, but they've settled down a lot now. They look a bit more like people."
The shipwright spoke up. He clearly didn't like Teng Hu either and was intentionally siding with Qin Jiuye.
But Qin Jiuye knew better; this was merely self-deception. She didn't need further examination to see that the infected were not improving; they were simply becoming weaker.
She had formulated her medicine based on her past experience treating epidemics. When a plague strikes fiercely, early detection and medication are the only way to survive. However, the medicine cannot be too aggressive, or the patient will die of exhaustion even if the disease recedes. After much thought, she had tried a path of using softness to overcome hardness, using small doses to neutralize the great threat. She just didn't know if the potency was insufficient or if she had failed to hit the root of the illness, as several doses had yielded no effect.
Teng Hu stood by with his arms crossed, clearly disdainful of the shipwright's words. Finally, he took out a gold-painted porcelain pill bottle and signaled the shipwright to feed it to the patient.
The small bottle had a thick, lustrous glaze, and the rim and base were painted with real gold; it felt heavy in the hand. However, Qin Jiuye felt that what was inside was less a medicine and more a concoction refined from a dozen different toxins.
Within moments, the patient who had taken the pill reacted. His eyes flew wide, his nostrils flared, and a hint of color actually returned to his pale, ashen face. His lips trembled as if he were trying to speak.
Seeing this, the corners of Teng Hu’s mouth curled upward.
"Do you see? Your lukewarm prescription is a mediocre one. Using poison to fight poison is the superior strategy."
Qin Jiuye said nothing, her eyes fixed on the patient, refusing to relax.
Stirring up mud in a pool of stagnant water was never a good thing, especially when the pool was already fraught with danger.
Sure enough, she soon sensed something was wrong and quickly pulled the shipwright who had fed the medicine aside. In the next instant, the man who had taken the pill suddenly collapsed, convulsing on the ground. The veins in his face and limbs bulged and burst. A rattling sound came from his throat, and after several violent tremors, he went completely still.
The shipwright was terrified. Qin Jiuye stood frozen for a long time.
In that final moment, she had understood the words the patient’s lips had mouthed.
*Kill me.*
The lethal poison had entered his throat, causing unbearable agony. In that brief moment of regained sanity, his only wish was to die.
What kind of torture could make an ill person lose all will to live?
While she was still in a daze, she saw Teng Hu retreat to a distance, covering his nose and mouth with one hand through his face cloth. The two eyes he showed held only a trace of disappointment.
"It seems there was a problem during the refining process, or perhaps the poison catalyst wasn't pure enough. This remote place lacks quality ingredients; the quality and quantity are both substandard, far inferior to what I have prepared in my valley."
In such a situation, he was only thinking of saving his own face, blaming the failure on others.
Qin Jiuye’s disgust had reached its limit. She spoke coldly.
"Since you are so dissatisfied and disdainful, why did you come crawling to our door in the first place? Go back to your nest of vipers."
"I came because the people who can test the formulas are in your hands." Teng Hu acted as if he couldn't hear the sarcasm in her voice. His small eyes darted about, already calculating his next move. "Didn't you say that when you went to Qionghu Island, you brought back some wine laced with the Secret Formula?"
Qin Jiuye remained cold and silent, but he would not let it go.
"Although it cannot be confirmed that the wine is indeed laced with the formula, there is no harm in trying. Where is that wine now? If you won't give it to me, I will ask someone else."
As he spoke, he turned to leave. Qin Jiuye stepped forward to block him, questioning him in a low voice.
"What exactly do you intend to do? If that wine really is tainted, anyone who drinks it will fall ill..."
"Isn't that the whole point of you going through the trouble of bringing it back? How long do you plan to ponder over a vat of fish?" Teng Hu’s eyes, which showed more white than black, stared straight at her face. Combined with his flat, emotionless voice, he looked like a venomous snake flicking its tongue. "You saw the situation just now. If we want to understand that Secret Formula sooner, we inevitably need more people to test the medicine. Since you don't have enough 'heads,' you must find a way to make up the numbers. If you can't find volunteers, go into the city and find some beggars. Invite them for a round of wine as a treat..."
"Shut up!"
The woman’s angry voice echoed through the surroundings. Teng Hu, cut off by her sharp cry, finally showed his familiar impatience and irritation.
"I thought you were here to help me. It turns out you're just a hindrance."
In their previous verbal sparring, they had already said the nastiest things possible to each other. Compared to the insults she had endured while making a living in the past, it was nothing, so Qin Jiuye hadn't truly been hurt or angered by it.
But at this moment, she felt a surge of uncontrollable rage.
Ultimately, the reason Teng Hu could say such things so easily was because the "beggars used for testing" were far removed from his life. But she had just lost Old Tang, and Du Laogou was still missing. The beggars he spoke of could very well be her friends.
People are selfish.
Teng Hu was selfish and thus incapable of empathy, and she was angry because of her own "selfishness."
It was like a chicken talking to a duck; venting was useless. Qin Jiuye suppressed her anger, and her voice became calm.
"Like master, like disciple. Your master chose to go into seclusion on Qionghu Island to study the Secret Formula for this very reason, didn't he? After all, Qionghu Island was an isolated prison back then. If he used death row inmates to refine and test medicine, no one would ever investigate."
She pointed the spearhead at Zuo Ci, but Teng Hu didn't shy away from it.
"So what if he did? They were all heinous criminals. Becoming material for testing medicine was the best way for them to atone for their sins, was it not? Medical theory must be verified through practice. I wonder which 'great sage' you, a village girl, studied under? Or are you self-taught, planning to spend your whole life writing prescriptions based on a few tattered medical books?"
Qin Jiuye replied solemnly.
"My master was only responsible for leading me through the door, but the masters who have accompanied my cultivation until now number in the tens of millions. Every patient who comes to Guoran Residence is my master. To disrespect a patient is to disrespect my teachers."
"High-sounding words," Teng Hu concluded, clearly not believing a single word she said. "A rural village doctor who thinks she has attained the Dao because she can treat a few headaches and fevers. You have no idea that out there, malignant diseases are like tigers and wolves, requiring thunderous methods to deal with them. This is due to your narrow vision; it is not your fault."
His words didn't contain many overtly vicious terms; he seemed to be merely stating his opinion. Yet, it was more unbearable than any curse or insult.
Qin Jiuye laughed out of sheer anger.
"A man who only knows how to chase fame and fortune in the martial world dares to be so arrogant. I don't know about other things, but I know that most of the living people who pass through my hands stay living, unlike the reputation of the White Ghost Umbrella, which is only associated with the dead. Toxicology and pharmacology are fundamentally different. The human body is made of flesh. Even if there truly is a poison that can counter this disease, the person taking it might not be able to withstand the violent surge of medicinal power. Even if the Secret Formula's predicament is resolved, the person will likely not survive..."
"So what? The world only needs to know that I was the one who conquered this strange disease." Teng Hu’s voice rang out coldly, filled with an unshakeable stubbornness. "Lifespan is determined by Heaven. A physician only cares about curing the disease; they cannot control anything else."
"A physician treats *people*. If the person is gone, what is the point of curing the disease?!"
With a fire burning in her throat, Qin Jiuye finished her sentence and refused to waste any more words on him.
She felt he was a wild fox talking Zen; he was certain she was a village girl debating the Dao.
They were never the same kind of people. It was only because they both liked to take unorthodox paths and seek unconventional solutions that they had somehow ended up on the same road by mistake. Trying to convince the other was a fool's errand.
Teng Hu clearly realized this as well. He narrowed his eyes and leaned in close to her, speaking ominously.
"I don't care how you plan to end this, just don't stand in my way. I don't like taking detours. If someone insists on standing in front of me, I can only step over them."
If their previous exchange was merely bickering, this was now a blatant threat.
Colleagues clashing was a small matter, but affecting the work was a major one. Qin Jiuye was considering how to respond when she heard Li Qiao’s voice suddenly ring out nearby.
"What is Sister busy with? Do you need a hand?"
Qin Jiuye turned her head. The youth had stood by her side at some unknown point.
The situation seemed to change instantly. Seeing Teng Hu’s darkened expression, Qin Jiuye immediately cleared her head.
She didn't like Teng Hu, but uniting with him against the Secret Formula and Ding Miao was an important move. Moreover, since they were all gathered under one roof, now was not the time to make enemies. Even if the Four Gentlemen of the Black Moon shared some camaraderie, it had nothing to do with her, an outsider. She couldn't be the one to ruin the plan.
Thinking of this, she took a deep breath and said, retreating to advance.
"Everyone works according to their own abilities; let us mind our own business. Further words are useless."
However, though she wished to let it drop for now, Teng Hu was relentless, turning his gaze toward Li Qiao.
"I heard Di Mo unleashed that mad dog Li Kuquan to chase you down at the Stone Boat. But..." Teng Hu paused, his small eyes sizing up the youth’s body. "Only a few days have passed, and you look quite decent."
Qin Jiuye’s heart skipped a beat.
For an experienced physician, observing the complexion and listening to the voice was enough to make a basic judgment of a person's physical condition. For someone who had been hacked half to death just a few days ago, Li Qiao’s spirit and energy were recovering far too quickly.
She also suddenly realized: besides the patients locked in the dark room, there was another patient in this shipyard standing right in front of Teng Hu.
He had been missing for so long, yet he chose *this* moment to appear.
Qin Jiuye cursed inwardly, trying her best not to let it show on her face. She took an inconspicuous step forward, shielding Li Qiao behind her.
"They were just superficial wounds. Isn't Master Teng Hu from the martial world? Why are you making such a fuss?"
This time, Teng Hu didn't speak.
But his eyes never left the youth’s body.
After a long moment, he withdrew his gaze, and the various probing emotions in his eyes vanished as if he intended to let the matter go.
"Consider yourselves lucky. Di Mo brought Li Kuquan, that blind dog. If it had been anyone else pursuing you relentlessly, even as a descendant of the Green Blade, you wouldn't have lived until now."
Having said that, he walked straight past the two of them toward the exit.
Li Qiao was standing to Qin Jiuye’s right, and Teng Hu passed by on that same side. At the moment he brushed past the youth, something slid out of his sleeve—something golden and bright.
His movement wasn't fast, but it was extremely well-hidden. This was the pinnacle of skill for those who specialized in poisons and concealed weapons; compared to bloody combat, they were adept at taking lives in silence.
A cold wind blew from the dark room behind them, and the youth happened to be standing downwind.
The corners of Teng Hu’s mouth curled. The hand hidden in his sleeve moved slightly, and something was about to emerge soundlessly...
Suddenly, a foot shot out from the side, striking directly at his lower body.
Qin Jiuye never knew that the body could react faster than thought.
Teng Hu was a master of poisons, and his hand techniques were naturally excellent, but his footwork was lacking. Although he sensed her movement, he couldn't dodge in time. She stomped down hard, landing right on several of his toes.
She was wearing old shoes with soles that had been patched so many times they were as thick as a wall. Teng Hu, however, wore fine silk slippers. For summer coolness, the uppers were as thin as the crispy shell of a sugar figurine. Having been "heavily wounded," he let out a cry and doubled over.
Qin Jiuye was quick to act, pushing Li Qiao aside while stepping forward with feigned concern.
"Oh, I am so sorry! I've been staying up too late these past few days, and I'm a bit dizzy and blurred..."
Teng Hu violently brushed her hand away, panting for breath. His dark hands clenched into fists. It took a long moment before he regained his expressionless facade. He stared at the footprint on his shoe and spoke softly.
"I heard that He Yuanzhou died abruptly shortly after being taken away. I wonder who those prescriptions you've been preparing are intended for?"
Qin Jiuye’s triumphant expression stiffened for a moment before she quickly recovered.
"You said your master spent years painstakingly researching the truth of the Secret Formula. I wonder if he practiced what he preached, or if it was all just talk?"
Teng Hu paused, and after a while, he revealed a strange smile.
"Don't worry. You'll find out eventually."
With that, he flicked his sleeves and stormed away.
The unpleasant conversation ended there. It wasn't until Teng Hu’s figure had completely vanished that Qin Jiuye’s hand, soaked in cold sweat, slowly relaxed.
At this moment, she was certain that Teng Hu already suspected Li Qiao.
Back at Hanging Fish Shoal, whenever an injured disciple was carried off the field, Teng Hu would use his status as a physician to step forward and check on them. She had noticed then that he seemed to have something hidden in his sleeve, but she had been too far away to see clearly. Just now, she had caught a glimpse—it seemed to be an exquisitely constructed sachet.
Was it incense? Or a knockout drug? Surely it wasn't the same kind of incense Zhu Fuxue had used on the Falling Sand Sect’s boat?
Alarm bells rang in her head. Qin Jiuye looked as if she were facing a great enemy. She grabbed the youth beside her and whispered urgently.
"You are not allowed to see him alone from now on. Avoid him whenever possible. Even if you must meet, never let him get close to you. Be careful with what you eat and drink..."
"Then Sister must not let him bully you." Li Qiao’s voice interrupted her nagging. He added somberly, "Even if I don't see it, you cannot let him bully you."
Teng Hu was not even on the level of Qiu Ling or Su Lin; he was merely relying on his status as a descendant of the Black Moon to linger here. How was he worth her enduring such grievances?
The youth’s gaze was intense, causing Qin Jiuye to lower her head.
She wanted to say that she endured these things not because of who Teng Hu was, nor because of Qiu Ling’s request, but because the Secret Formula was currently inside his body. If even she didn't take it seriously, could they really rely on Teng Hu, who treated human life as nothing?
But she couldn't say those words just yet.
She thought of the confusion of working day and night with no results, the frustration of seeing no improvement after dose after dose of medicine, and the passing days that felt like someone was constantly counting down in her ear...
This was her anxiety. This was the difficulty she didn't want him to know.
Taking a deep breath, Qin Jiuye turned away, burying her head to hide her expression as she walked forward.
"He's just a lone fox now, he wouldn't dare to act openly on someone else's territory, but we have to watch out for his underhanded tricks. You don't know, some things have no antidote; if you're hit, you just have to endure it yourself. For example, that Cangying Incense—though not poisonous, it's a very powerful thing. The younger and more vigorous one is, the harder it is to endure..."
As she spoke, she suddenly realized there was no sound behind her. She looked back to see that he hadn't followed.
Only then did she notice that he seemed to be covered in moisture, and his clothes were somewhat disheveled.
"By the way, where did you go? You've been disappearing after dark these past few days. It couldn't be that those people have found you again..."
She walked toward him as she spoke, instinctively reaching out to touch his collar, but he gently dodged her.
"The previous antidote is almost gone. Has Sister prepared a new one?"
He asked suddenly. Qin Jiuye couldn't help but pause. After a moment, she said, "It's almost ready."
Li Qiao nodded and stepped forward to take her hand.
The heat of his palm was somewhat scalding, but it was far less intense than the warmth the gesture itself provoked.
Seeing the woman indeed look around nervously, no longer concerned with questioning him, the youth smiled faintly and hid their joined hands within his sleeve.
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
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野狐谈禅 | Wild Fox Talking Zen | A Zen term for superficial or incorrect spiritual discourse; used here to describe the debate between Jiuye and Teng Hu.
白鬼伞 | White Ghost Umbrella | The title or moniker of Teng Hu's master, Zuo Ci.
藏婴香 | Cangying Incense | A specific type of incense mentioned by Jiuye, likely an aphrodisiac or a substance that tests one's self-control.
细丝履 | Fine Silk Slippers | Delicate, thin-soled footwear worn by Teng Hu.
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Secret Recipe | Chapter 192 | The Fox's Zen | Novela.app | Novela.app
