To the Qin Jiuye of a month ago, both Juchao and the Chuanliu Courtyard were distant, unfamiliar names; she might well have gone her entire life without ever setting foot in either. Yet now, in the span of just a few days, she had stepped out of Juchao only to walk straight into the Chuanliu Courtyard, accompanied by a "fine partner" like Jiang Xin’er.
Upon learning of her decision, Qiu Ling had remained silent for a long time. Qin Jiuye understood much from that silence, offering both comfort and explanation: dredging the waterways required manpower and constant movement, and she would be of little help staying on the boat. It was better to scout the Chuanliu Courtyard and gauge its true nature. Furthermore, she had gained new insights from her trip to Juchao; if she could make use of Master Yan’s resources, it would be killing two birds with one stone. Since he had taken the initiative to invite her, she might as well go along with it. At most, it would be seven days; once the waterways were clear, they would reunite, and by then, she would surely have unearthed the truth behind the Secret Formula hidden within those walls.
The path into the Chuanliu Courtyard was winding and long. Whether it was the mist-shrouded bamboo groves or the scattered bamboo pavilions, everything suggested that the master of this place was not nearly as "hospitable" as he appeared. She had another reason for not letting Lu Zican follow: she wanted to downplay her connection to the Qiu family and lower the master’s guard, giving her investigation a better start. However, it was as if the man already knew her mind; the very day she and Jiang Xin’er arrived, they were informed that he was unwell and could not receive guests for the time being.
The messenger was a round-faced man named A-Wu. The moment Qin Jiuye saw his face, she recognized him as the one who had taken Old Tang from the Hall of Listening Winds. Yet, for some reason, he wore a mask of polite formality as if meeting her for the first time. His manner was distant and arrogant, making it difficult to tell if the man simply had two faces or if Master Yan had secretly instructed him to act this way.
If he didn't want to see her, why invite her into the Chuanliu Courtyard at all? Was it because he knew she had entered Juchao and wanted to pry something from her? Or did he think that by keeping her here, he could exert invisible leverage over Qiu Ling? Surely he didn't intend to use a worthless little insect like her as bait to lure out the assassin from the World’s Greatest Manor who was investigating the antidote for Qingfeng Powder?
Alarm bells rang in Qin Jiuye’s mind. From then on, she felt as though eyes were watching her from the shadows, yet every time she turned to look, there was nothing but empty space. This constant sensation of being monitored was so grating that she gradually lost her patience with Xiao Sa, who followed her like a shadow.
"Wait."
Qin Jiuye stopped in her tracks, pulling back Jiang Xin’er who was about to charge ahead, and turned to face the youth following closely behind.
"We’ve been cooped up for half a day, and it’s stifling. We’re just going for a walk; you don't need to follow us anymore."
Xiao Sa kept his head lowered as usual and spoke immediately. "I am under Master’s orders to guide the two ladies..."
Before he could finish, the woman interrupted him. "Is that why you’re sticking to us like glue? Using 'guiding' as a pretext to monitor our every word and action, only to report back to your master?"
Xiao Sa fell silent. He stood there frozen, not even daring to raise his eyes to meet hers.
"If you must follow, then follow," Qin Jiuye threw out the words and turned away, walking off with Jiang Xin’er’s support. The figure behind them did not follow after all, only calling out with a hint of urgency in his voice.
"Be sure to return before dark..."
Why did they have to return to their quarters before dark? At first, Qin Jiuye thought it was merely a casual threat, but she soon discovered the hidden answer.
Not long after entering the bamboo path, Qin Jiuye caught a faint, lingering scent of medicine. The smell came from the medicine-bearers weaving through the grove, each carrying identical glass bowls, moving in sync with the hour toward all directions. These people didn't seem to care about avoiding her; they stuck to their routes, delivered the medicine to various courtyards, and vanished back into the bamboo as silently as they had come.
Wasn't the Chuanliu Courtyard a secret underworld manor? Was one patient like Master Yan not enough? Why were they keeping so many? It couldn't be...
Qin Jiuye was stunned by the answer that suddenly surfaced in her heart. Only after Jiang Xin’er urged her repeatedly did she start moving again, her steps much heavier than before.
The twenty-odd courtyards were scattered deep within the bamboo forest, independent yet connected by numerous hidden paths, like isolated islands in a sea of mist. Only those who traversed them daily could distinguish the directions and targets. Knowing the layout had its own profound meaning, Qin Jiuye stopped wasting time planning a route and simply followed her whims, going wherever the path took her.
In the past, she hadn't the capital for such recklessness, but with Jiang Xin’er by her side, the situation was different.
Jiang Xin’er was as intense and fierce as her red robes, radiating a murderous aura. Walking with her, Qin Jiuye finally understood the joy Xu Qiuchi must have felt all these years. However, despite her newfound confidence, she didn't want to alert the enemy. Most of the time, she would observe from a distance, ensuring the occupants were alone and no medicine-bearers were around before choosing to enter.
Many of the "guests" in these courtyards had been regulars at the Lotus Market. Jiang Xin’er could tell their backgrounds at a glance and naturally felt Qin Jiuye’s behavior was inappropriate, but the latter didn't seem to care. Having posed as a Yellow Nun, mingled in the Sword Appreciation Assembly, and even knocked out the seizing Yuan Qi with a single needle, Qin Jiuye had long since cultivated a heart as still as water. Her expression remained indifferent throughout, projecting the aura of an otherworldly expert. If anyone questioned her during a pulse reading, she was ready to claim she was a "divine physician" invited by Master Yan, traveling to observe the people and uproot their suffering...
However, to Qin Jiuye’s surprise, she never got the chance to play the divine physician.
No one spared a second glance at her unfamiliar face, nor did anyone wonder who she was or what she was doing. These people were far too calm—disinterested in any person or thing, almost unresponsive. They were like the black waters deep within Mount Ming, falling into a deathly stillness after the earth had ceased its shaking. The master of this manor was like the sheer cliffs surrounding them, holding them firmly in the palm of his hand.
In a daze, she saw the shadow of another person in those silent backs.
She should have guessed it long ago. Since Master Yan could strike at Li Qiao in the Treasure Mirage Pavilion and maintain control over everything that followed, he must have succeeded many times before.
The moment she took the first person’s pulse, the heavy answer in her heart finally landed. Qin Jiuye detected a pulse pattern identical to the one she had found in Li Qiao.
The current Chuanliu Courtyard was like a massive prison. Those locked within were not just death-row inmates, but inmates afflicted with the "madness," requiring constant vigilance—especially after nightfall. Because the pupils of those infected by the Secret Formula would change as the disease progressed, they would gradually become sensitive to light and develop nocturnal habits. The first bloodbath involving Yuan Zhou had occurred at night.
Recalling the medicine-bearers she had seen on the road, Qin Jiuye realized that no matter how she "offered concern" as a physician, to the people in these courtyards, it likely seemed like just another method of exploitation or a stage of drug testing.
There were many people in the Chuanliu Courtyard who needed medicine, but there was only one true patient; the rest were merely his "medicine vessels."
Regarding this, the elusive Master Yan was clearly fearless, unconcerned that she might uncover these facts. Thinking of this, Qin Jiuye decided to go all the way. She hurried between the courtyards, compiling the conditions of everyone she met into a record, leaving the task of writing to Jiang Xin’er. The latter was initially extremely resistant to being an "assistant"—in the past, she would have drawn her blade and left—but though her words were harsh this time, her hands involuntarily performed every task assigned to her.
Being busy allowed one to spend less time on useless thoughts; it was a way to vent. Qin Jiuye saw through it but didn't speak of it. Aside from instructions related to the examinations, she would casually recount her experiences in Juchao and share her wild conjectures. In the past, she had only spoken of these things to Jinbao, but Jinbao never gave her any useful feedback. Over time, she had developed the habit of talking to herself. To her surprise, Jiang Xin’er often offered different insights, supplementing Qin Jiuye’s lack of knowledge from a martial artist’s perspective based on the physical conditions of the people in the courtyard.
During occasional breaks, Qin Jiuye would look at Jiang Xin’er and sigh inwardly: with such a young, vigorous body and a sharp mind, she would succeed in whatever she did. There was truly no need to be so heartbroken over a blockhead like Xu Qiuchi. At worst, she could work for her in the future. With such a fierce general, the Guoran Clinic’s expansion would be just around the corner.
Not just Jiang Xin’er, but all those youths who wanted to escape the World’s Greatest Manor could come to her. She would win their hearts with the antidote to Qingfeng Powder and then give them jobs. She would have Li Qiao as the head instructor, Jiang Xin’er as the protector, and Jinbao as the assistant. She would give these hotheads who only knew how to kill a proper training session; then she wouldn't have to worry about competing with those old fogies at the Huichun Hall...
The youth’s name slipped into her mind just like that. Qin Jiuye snapped out of her fantasies with a start.
"What time is it?"
Jiang Xin’er looked up at the sky. "The hour of the Monkey is nearly over. The sun is about to set."
It was indeed time to go back.
The sky was still bright, but the bamboo shadows around them had darkened. The wind blew through the grove, stirring up strange sounds.
They had only wandered for half a day, yet it felt as though they had walked the distance of an entire mountain. When they tried to find their way back, they discovered that the paths through the bamboo seemed different than before. This bamboo forest was indeed strange; the paths were clear during the day, but as soon as the light shifted slightly, they became ambiguous and difficult to discern.
Jiang Xin’er leaped up onto a stalk of emerald bamboo, scouted for a moment, then flipped back down, whispering to Qin Jiuye.
" I was a bit distracted when we came; I might have remembered the way wrong. But the general direction is correct; we’ll find our way back eventually."
Having the experience of their previous partnership, Qin Jiuye didn't panic. She simply nodded. "It’s nothing. Master Yan has locked a group of madmen together; he must have used some tricks."
Before her voice could fade, a gust of wind brushed past her. Qin Jiuye paused, and as if possessed, she turned her head. The wind had bent the bamboo behind them, faintly revealing a somewhat dim little courtyard.
"Wait, didn't we just..."
The two of them had clearly just come from that direction, yet they hadn't seen that courtyard. Curiosity rose in Qin Jiuye’s heart. Just as she was about to investigate, Jiang Xin’er suddenly pulled her back.
In the next moment, a woman’s voice rang out from the bamboo grove.
"That courtyard is empty."
Qin Jiuye looked toward the sound and saw a ruggedly dressed woman emerge from the dark bamboo. Although they were still a few paces apart, her nose keenly caught the mixed scent of medicine on the woman, instantly reminding her of the mysterious, smoke-filled infirmary she had glimpsed earlier.
She lightly tugged Jiang Xin’er’s sleeve. The latter understood and lowered her guard slightly.
"Miss Qin, Miss Jiang. I am a helper from the infirmary; you can call me Auntie Xiong. I heard that Xiao Sa was clumsy just now and upset you. Master sent me to check on his behalf." Auntie Xiong finished speaking and smiled at Jiang Xin’er, who stood in front. "This is deep within the bamboo sea; the paths in and out are roundabout. Since you aren't familiar with the roads, let me escort you back to your quarters."
One Xiao Sa is sent away, and an Auntie Xiong immediately arrives. It seemed that while not a soul could be seen in this bamboo forest, countless eyes were watching from the shadows.
Jiang Xin’er didn't move, only looking at Qin Jiuye. The latter immediately gave her a "it’s fine" look. Jiang Xin’er then gave the farmwoman a slight nod, supported Qin Jiuye’s arm, and followed Auntie Xiong onto the bamboo path.
The woman was strong and sturdy, her shoulders and back exceptionally thick. Her steps seemed heavy, yet they landed lightly, making almost no sound.
They both worked in a pharmacy, so why was there such a huge difference?
Jiang Xin’er narrowed her eyes, studying the woman’s back, then turned to look at the frail, stick-like woman beside her, inwardly judging Auntie Xiong’s skills and intentions.
"This is definitely the right way, isn't it?"
Auntie Xiong nodded. "Rest assured, Miss Jiang, this is a shortcut. There are many remote courtyards here; even those who have been here for a month often get lost. You should have someone with you next time you go out."
Qin Jiuye sniffed, pretending not to understand the implication. "We didn't have anything important to do, just curious and wandering around. You all have duties to attend to; it wouldn't be right to disturb your work."
Auntie Xiong was silent for a moment, then simply laid everything bare. "What I mean is, next time you want to know about the affairs of this manor, you don't actually have to avoid those of us who work here."
Qin Jiuye didn't speak, rubbing her nose defensively.
She wasn't trying to avoid these people; she was trying to avoid Master Yan. Who knew what was really going on in this place? Until the line between friend and foe was clear, it was better to be cautious.
The woman saw through her thoughts, a hint of a smile appearing on her face. "You don't need to avoid us, because we knew about these things from the start. Whether it’s the Secret Formula or the events of Juchao."
Qin Jiuye’s footsteps faltered. It took her a moment to process what the woman was saying.
In truth, from the moment she stepped into this manor, she had a vague feeling. The features of many people here were quite similar to the mountain villagers she had encountered in the depths of Juchao—broad foreheads, narrow faces, and pupils and hair much darker than average.
And now she finally understood why this secret manor was willing to welcome a wandering physician like her but not the descendants of the Qiu family. And why the suspicious, elusive Master Yan used these people to work in the manor without needing something like Qingfeng Powder to ensure their loyalty, as the World’s Greatest Manor did.
Because the people in this manor were all Juchao survivors.
They or their friends and family had been personally caught in that hellfire. The so-called secrets were no secrets to them, and there was likely no one in this world who hated the words "Secret Formula" more than they did.
Qin Jiuye spoke again, her voice much lower. "Are there still people in this manor who were infected during the battle of Juchao?"
Auntie Xiong shook her head, clearly knowing exactly what "illness" she was asking about. "They all passed away long ago. In this manor now, the one who has fought it the longest is Master."
Although she had guessed as much, hearing the woman say it so casually still made Qin Jiuye pause. She questioned the true intentions of the manor’s master and felt confused about the situation of the people here.
"If that’s the case, why do you still..."
Why, if they weren't sick themselves, did they gather in this isolated manor to work for someone who stirred up trouble in the martial world? Why not go out and live their own lives?
Qin Jiuye felt these questions were too rude and ultimately didn't ask them. But the woman already understood what she wanted to know. The smile on her face faded, and she reached up to lift her mottled hair, revealing a hideous scar.
"This wasn't caused by that foul disease, but by stones thrown by villagers as we passed through their towns. and this didn't happen the year of the incident, but three years later."
In three years, the fires of Juchao had long been extinguished, the vast forests had fallen into deathly silence, and the great floods had flowed into a thousand lakes and seas—but the world’s prejudice could not be erased.
The most ridiculous and tragic part was that, just like the mountain villagers she had met, these people who finally managed to escape might not have been "Juchao people" in the true sense. Before the tragedy, they were "pariahs" who couldn't even enter the city. They hadn't enjoyed a single day of a prosperous, comfortable life, nor had they seen the magnificent temples and palaces, yet after the disaster, they had to bear all the sins and suffering brought by the identity of "Juchao people."
Qin Jiuye felt a pang of bitterness. Before she could say anything, the silent Jiang Xin’er spoke up.
"The events of Juchao were the result of many factors. None of this was ever your fault."
Auntie Xiong casually pinned her hair back and gave a light laugh before speaking calmly. "That may be so, but when everyone feels it isn't their fault, someone has to bear the malice that has nowhere else to go. I was only thirteen or fourteen then, fleeing with my older siblings. We struggled through mountain paths to escape, but we couldn't even get on a boat. Do you know how those people described us? They said we were the descendants of demons. From the elderly to small children, everyone spoke of it as casually as they talked about the weather."
She could now speak of it all quite calmly, but the marks left by those past experiences had not faded.
"With Master’s help, the hardest times have passed. People still have to live their lives; we can't keep dwelling on the miserable things of the past, can we? The world treats us like a flood or a savage beast, but Master has a heart as vast as the sea. All these years, he has never given up the fight and has even built a home for us. Everyone respects him deeply. There isn't a day we don't hope for everything related to that strange disease to vanish completely. For that, we are willing to do anything..."
Auntie Xiong’s voice echoed slowly through the bamboo grove, but Qin Jiuye’s thoughts drifted for a moment.
She thought again of those Juchao villagers hiding in the deep mountains, forgotten by the world. She wondered if they had already left the mountains. If they knew that on the other side of the bamboo forest lay a shore of redemption, would they instead blame the deity who had trapped them? And in this "big family" called the Chuanliu Courtyard, Master Yan was no different from a new "god" to these Juchao survivors—leading them, protecting them, guiding them, treating their suffering as his own, and ultimately finding a vent for their displaced hatred.
But remembering the lonely figures and numb, diseased bodies she had seen in those courtyards just now, Qin Jiuye could not, for the life of her, associate Master Yan with a so-called savior.
The bamboo as thick as bowls could grow wildly here because the soil beneath them was packed with the corpses of the dead.
This was both a haven for the redeemed and a burial ground for those who had taken a wrong turn.
In a way, that former Shadow Envoy of the Manor, who was met with both praise and blame, had never truly vanished from the martial world; he had simply moved to a hidden corner to live under another identity.
"So, are the people drinking medicine in those courtyards also staying here voluntarily?"
The woman following behind suddenly asked. Auntie Xiong’s back stiffened for a moment, but she soon continued walking, her voice steady.
"Master has a great sense of justice, but Master is also ruthless. I don't have the perspective of a saint; I only know that in this world, those who can persist do so either for themselves or for those close to them. For you to have the courage to venture into Juchao alone and come to this manor, it must be for someone as well, right?"
This time, Qin Jiuye did not answer immediately.
She seemed to faintly guess the reason the woman had mentioned all this. it was like an invitation from a fellow sufferer, inviting her to step onto this one-way path of revenge. She didn't know how she differed from the people of the Chuanliu Courtyard, or even from Master Yan himself, but perhaps because of the courtyards she had just visited as a physician, she felt inexplicably incompatible with this place.
She couldn't easily mention the names of Old Tang, Old Qin, or Li Qiao in a setting like this. It felt as though those names would become bargaining chips for Master Yan to draw her into his game, or kindling to be thrown into the fires of revenge. And from beginning to end, she really only wanted to keep their past friendship deep in her heart.
"I said so much today only to tell you that what you are doing now is exactly what Master wants to do, and what we have worked toward for many years. You are not our enemy. We will do our utmost to help you, so please, try to trust us a little more."
Sensing the subtle emotion in her silence, the woman offered another gesture of goodwill. Qin Jiuye then replied softly.
"If I were truly wary, I wouldn't have agreed to come to this manor in the first place."
Her answer was evasive. Auntie Xiong was an experienced woman and didn't push further.
As they spoke, the courtyard with the small red lantern could be seen through the bamboo. Auntie Xiong stopped and watched as the two of them returned to the courtyard.
Before parting, the woman stood at the gate and turned back, seemingly mentioning one more thing casually.
"Tomorrow, let Xiao Sa come instead. He does a good job of guiding. Auntie Xiong still has the pharmacy to look after; leave these small matters to him."
Auntie Xiong didn't say much, only nodding in agreement. Seeing this, Qin Jiuye pulled Jiang Xin’er back into the courtyard.
The moment the door creaked shut and the rolled-up curtain was lowered, Jiang Xin’er’s voice rose in a low tone.
"She lied."
Qin Jiuye froze, then quietly peered through the gap in the door at the figure outside who had not yet departed.
"Which part?"
"There was definitely someone in that courtyard we couldn't enter at the end. Even though we were a bit far, I still heard some sounds."
Recalling the situation before Auntie Xiong suddenly appeared, Qin Jiuye felt that her and Jiang Xin’er’s disorientation might not have been due to negligence, but for some other reason. She didn't know much about obscure arts like the Qimen Dunjia, but she had reason to believe Master Yan had put some effort into the area around that courtyard. Perhaps even if she tried to find it later based on memory, she might not be able to.
But this instead confirmed the suspicion in her heart: there was something fishy about the Chuanliu Courtyard. She just didn't know if it was a man or a woman, old or young, or if it had anything to do with the Secret Formula. Whatever the secret was, once she met Master Yan, she would have a chance to find out.
Candlelight flickered in the courtyard. Outside, Auntie Xiong waited quietly for a moment. Once she was certain the two women had no intention of leaving again, she turned and vanished back into the bamboo grove.
The bamboo leaves rustled in the wind. She stopped and turned toward the shadows.
"Did you hear that? She still wants you to go over."
A youth stepped out from the shadows, still wearing his narrow hat and keeping his head low.
"Thank you, Auntie Xiong. She didn't want me following, so she had to find you."
Auntie Xiong walked closer and looked him over, saying with some confusion, "Uncle Ji’s skill has always been excellent; even I can't see any flaws in this face of yours. What are you worried about?"
Uncle Ji’s skill was indeed exquisite, but his disguise never seemed to hide anything from her.
The youth didn't speak, his body becoming somewhat stiff with extreme anxiety. Seeing this, Auntie Xiong couldn't help but continue her persuasion.
"Actually, the girl with her is no ordinary person; you can afford to be less worried. Besides, she doesn't recognize you now, so she naturally won't be considerate of your feelings."
More than just not being considerate, she was practically reckless.
The various things he had seen while following her flashed before his eyes: entering without a plan, the lack of an escape route, her overly kind expressions, the physical contact during examinations, the unsafe distances, and even her exposed back as she turned to leave...
No, none of it was okay. There were too many openings.
The people locked in those courtyards weren't suffering villagers or fallen immortals; they were a group of desperate criminals controlled by drugs. Human malice and bloodthirsty instincts were suppressed within that daily bowl of medicine, and no one knew when they might erupt uncontrollably and tear anyone nearby to shreds.
If this continued, he would go mad.
Why did she have to come here? She shouldn't have come.
Those Qiu brothers were truly useless to let her in like this, only to send a stupid girl from the Xin Camp who was careless and only knew how to draw her sword and shout when things went wrong.
Perhaps he shouldn't have gone to see her on the boat for the sake of his own selfish desires.
But he couldn't do it. He couldn't bear to be so close to her and not see her, couldn't bear to think of her day and night and not hear her voice, couldn't bear to let her pass him by forever.
He was like an insect in the dark; the moment he caught a glimpse of her light, he threw himself toward her without regard for his life.
Thinking about it now, Master Yan probably knew all along that he couldn't overcome this dark longing deep within his heart, which was why he had so casually handed the task of delivering the message to him. Every step he took was within the other man’s calculations, and he had personally brought her to this courtyard fraught with danger.
He had deceived himself, thinking she wouldn't actually agree. Master Yan was a dangerous man; trying to pry secrets from such a person was like asking a tiger for its skin. She was such a clever person; she wouldn't make such an immature decision.
But he never imagined she would agree right then and there.
He didn't know what she was thinking, and he didn't dare to guess. Yet he couldn't control the desires surging in his heart, hoping for that one-in-a-ten-thousand possibility—that she had come for him.
Was she still thinking of him? Had she guessed he had come to the Chuanliu Courtyard? Had she... already recognized him?
Just the thought of it made his body, which had been left gasping for breath by drugs and the foul disease, turn burning hot again. He would rather hide under a disguise and follow her every step, even if she never gave him a second glance or spoke a single word that crossed the line. He was still satisfied with it all.
Until she pushed him away today.
Now, even a humble identity like "Xiao Sa" couldn't keep him by her side. But wasn't this something he should have thought through when he decided to leave?
A dull pain radiated from deep within his body. He couldn't tell where it came from, but it surged with overwhelming force.
"Where is today’s medicine?"
In this vast manor, no one who knew the potential consequences of that medicine would ever actively ask for it—except for the person before her.
Auntie Xiong sighed, but still handed over the medicine she had prepared earlier.
"Actually, your current physical condition is no longer suitable for walking around outside, and Master hasn't given you any new tasks. I know that girl is an old acquaintance of yours. If you find seeing her to be a form of torture, why not find an excuse to hide in your courtyard for a few days? I’ll speak to Master for you..."
How could seeing her be torture?
Not seeing her was torture. Seeing her, yet being unable to acknowledge her, unable to call her name, unable to hold her in his arms—that was the torture within the torture.
He swallowed the pill cleanly. At this moment, even a poison that would rot his intestines would be nothing more than this.
"Thank you, Auntie Xiong. I’ll come back later."
***
