It was already dusk by the time Qin Jiuye returned to Tingfeng Hall.
The twilight filtering through the windows cast long streaks of light across the stone temple’s pillars. Silence reigned between the corridors and the inner courtyard; not a soul was in sight.
She stared at the fresh official seal pasted onto the door, her mind buzzing with a dull ache. Faintly, she could still hear the echoes of the nonsense she had so confidently spouted back at the government office.
At the time, she had spoken without thinking, merely trying to extricate herself from a tight spot. She didn't believe for a second that Qiu Ling was truly so rigid and obtuse that he couldn't see through her. Moreover, even if he did take her words at face value, looking at it objectively, how could a traveling doctor scraping by in a small mountain village truly help a Military Inspector solve a case?
So, why? What was his reason for dragging her into this muddy water and refusing to let go?
It couldn't be that he actually had... some other kind of feelings for her...
Qin Jiuye’s fingers curled instinctively, and she accidentally picked off a corner of the official seal on the door frame.
Tampering with a government seal was a crime, and she might be fined for it. Startled, she hoped Lu Zican wouldn't turn back so soon while she frantically tried to figure out how to stick the seal back on without leaving a trace.
Suddenly, a figure approached from behind. Before she could react, she was pulled into a tight embrace.
"Sister, why are you only just returning? I’ve been waiting so anxiously."
Qin Jiuye went rigid, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. After a long moment, she slowly wriggled out of the embrace, put some distance between them, and spoke warily.
"Has your illness flared up again? Or did you take the wrong medicine after it did? Did you eat anything other than what I gave you...?"
The youth she had pushed away stood in the dim, yellow light. His hand still gripped the edge of her sleeve, refusing to let go. His expression seemed calm—perhaps too calm, which only made her more confused.
"I’m asking you a question. When did you get out? Did you see the others..."
Before she could finish, the sound of footsteps echoed from the side corridor. A moment later, Lu Zican entered with two familiar figures, greeting her as he walked.
"Shopkeeper Qin, why are you still standing at the door? Perfect timing. The Inspector has finished taking statements from these two. Now that everyone is here, try to get along. If everything is in order, I’ll be locking the main gate later tonight."
Qin Jiuye’s gaze slowly shifted to the people behind him. Du Laogou still looked as bleary-eyed and intoxicated as ever. Not far from him stood Qin Sanyou, clutching a basket of radishes. His eyes darted between Qin Jiuye and the youth beside her, his white beard trembling slightly.
Qin Jiuye finally realized she was standing far too close to the youth. She quickly yanked her sleeve away and retreated three steps.
In the time it took to take those three steps, she suddenly understood the intent behind Li Qiao’s earlier actions.
Back at the government office, she had casually mentioned he was a relative, but Li Qiao did not look nearly as reassuring as Jinbao. After recalling Lu Zican’s probing earlier that morning, she was even more certain of this. For a young man with a vague identity and lingering suspicions surrounding him, nothing was more beneficial than having a simple, honest family as cover.
Li Qiao wanted to solidify this identity—not just in front of Lu Zican, but in front of Qin Sanyou as well.
One had to remember that Qin Sanyou had never met him before, and the two likely had no chance to reach an agreement regarding this fabricated kinship.
Therefore, he had to drag Qin Jiuye into it.
He was gambling—gambling that the grasshopper currently tied to the same string as him was a clever one who knew how to read the room.
Unfortunately, he had never had blood siblings, nor had he ever truly experienced the bond between a brother and sister. He had no idea that actual siblings didn't act this way at all.
Fortunately, Shopkeeper Qin, who had established her own business at a young age and seen the dangers of the world, had reached enlightenment within those three steps. Her face remained calm. While inwardly cursing the youth’s sinister schemes, she put on a smile to "see off" the guest.
"I’m grateful to Adjutant Lu for personally escorting my grandfather here. It’s getting late, and I imagine things are busy during the curfew. If there’s anything else, we can talk tomorrow."
But Lu Zican seemed to be possessed by some stubborn spirit. He didn't take the hint, instead stepping forward to feign small talk.
"I didn't notice before, but looking at him now, Shopkeeper Qin’s younger brother seems quite a bit taller than the rest of the family. His accent doesn't sound like he's from the Jiugao area, either."
This Lu Zican looked like a rough, brawny man, but he was actually quite observant.
Qin Jiuye’s heart skipped a beat. Sure enough, the basket of radishes in Qin Sanyou’s hands hit the ground with a loud *thud*.
"What younger brother?"
Lu Zican’s gaze turned sharp as a blade. Qin Jiuye groaned inwardly and quickly turned halfway to shoot Qin Sanyou a meaningful look.
"The child from my maternal grand-uncle’s side! We said last year he’d be sent over, but it was delayed because of his illness. He only came to the village to find me the month before last. Grandfather, have you really gone senile? How can you not remember the things you arranged yourself?"
Qin Sanyou continued to stare, his eyes shifting between Qin Jiuye and Li Qiao.
Lu Zican narrowed his eyes. "Shopkeeper Qin, is it that your grandfather can't remember, or did this never happen at all?"
The atmosphere grew tense, teetering on the edge of disaster. At the critical moment, Qin Sanyou finally bent down slowly and picked up the fallen radishes.
"Oh... I forgot."
Qin Jiuye breathed a secret sigh of relief and quickly gave the person beside her a mock-reproachful shove.
"Look at you! You should have said something before coming; you’ve confused Grandfather. Don't you dare tell Grand-uncle we mistreated you when he asks later."
The youth lowered his head obediently, playing along with perfect timing. "How could I? I only came to ask Sister to help regulate my health. I didn't want to disturb Grandfather further, which is why I didn't notify him in advance."
At this point in the performance, anyone with a bit of sense should have prepared to wrap things up, as no real evidence had been found. But Lu Zican was a stubborn one. He refused to let it go, circling around Li Qiao.
"From where I’m standing, this young brother’s constitution looks sturdier than anyone’s. He doesn't seem to need any 'regulating' at all."
For a liar, being repeatedly placed in danger of exposure is the most difficult thing to withstand.
However, the two people Lu Zican was facing were far more stubborn than he imagined—the type who would never back down until they were at death's door.
The youth remained in his humble, submissive posture, but his tone held not a trace of fear or panic.
"It wasn't like this before. It’s all thanks to Sister’s superb medical skills; every patient she treats speaks highly of her. If Adjutant Lu doesn't believe it, you can have her feel your pulse and you'll see."
The knife had been handed to her, and Qin Jiuye rose to the challenge, delivering the final blow.
"Exactly, exactly. I wonder if Master Lu has had any troubles lately? Kidney deficiency? Hemorrhoids? Or perhaps some other... unspeakable ailment? My consultation fees are very fair, and my lips are sealed. I would never mention it to outsiders..."
A crack finally appeared on Lu Zican’s heavily bearded face. He backed away a few steps, his tone returning to the professional manner he’d arrived with.
"I still have official duties to attend to. I won't delay here any longer."
Watching that burly figure hurry away, Qin Jiuye finally exhaled the breath she had been holding in her chest.
But before she could fully relax, Qin Sanyou’s voice rang out, heavy with suppressed emotion.
"Come here. We need to have a proper talk."
****** ****** ******
The night was deep, and fireflies fluttered toward the flames. Inside the study of Tingfeng Hall, a rare candle had been lit.
Tang Shenyan had tactfully retreated with Du Laogou, leaving the only table in Tingfeng Hall that wasn't covered in clutter to Qin Jiuye’s "family."
Li Qiao sat not far behind Qin Jiuye, while Jinbao sat upright next to Qin Sanyou. Jinbao’s expression was inscrutable, and he looked like a head eunuch attending an emperor, whispering incessantly into Qin Sanyou’s ear.
Qin Jiuye couldn't stand it anymore and finally spoke up.
"What on earth can't be said to my face? I think you’ve been out of work for so long you’ve made yourself sick with boredom..."
Before she could finish, Qin Sanyou’s gaze stabbed toward her like a pair of butcher knives.
"What right do you have to talk about him? If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes today, how much longer were you going to hide this from me? I’m asking you—what is going on here?"
Qin Jiuye took a deep breath, deciding to keep it simple and brief.
"It’s not a big deal. He’s a worker I hired to help out at the apothecary."
Jinbao snorted through his nose, wearing a "just as I thought" expression. He turned to say something else to Qin Sanyou, but Qin Jiuye finally lost her patience and spoke in a dark, ominous tone.
"Situ Jinbao, you’d best remember that Grandfather is only here for a few days, but you’ll be stuck with me for many more. Think carefully before you open your mouth."
She rarely addressed him by his full name; when she did, it usually meant nothing good would follow.
Jinbao immediately shut up. Qin Sanyou lowered his eyes and spoke.
"You two leave first. I have words for your Shopkeeper alone."
The youth who had been sitting silently in the corner was the first to rise and walk out. After a long moment, Jinbao reluctantly lifted his backside and retreated as well.
The door was left half-ajar. The night wind crept in, making the candle flame on the table flicker and dance.
Qin Sanyou’s brow remained furrowed, his face shifting between light and shadow.
"If he’s a worker, say he’s a worker. Why claim he’s your brother?"
Old Qin was truly Old Qin; he went straight for the jugular.
Qin Jiuye summoned every ounce of her focus and replied calmly.
"He’s from the martial world. He didn't have money for treatment and ended up owing me. I had to keep him here to work off the debt, but I couldn't draw attention to it, so I told people he was a distant relative."
This was indeed the reason she had kept Li Qiao in the first place. But now that she was telling the truth, Old Qin wasn't buying it.
"But he’s a man."
Qin Jiuye was silent for a moment before reminding him, "Jinbao is also a man."
"How is that the same?!" Qin Sanyou finally lost his temper. At the slightest disagreement, his beard began to quiver and his voice rose. "I watched Jinbao grow up. He’s practically family. He might be a bit dim, but he would never have malicious intent, let alone harm you. You can't say the same for anyone else."
His words were fair. Although Jinbao often caused small troubles, he had never caused a major disaster.
A certain someone, however, was different. He hadn't even been there for three months and he had already nearly turned her little thatched cottage upside down.
But as the saying goes, nothing is more annoying than hindsight. It was too late for any of that now; she couldn't exactly knock the man unconscious and dump him back in Xizhu Mountain.
"I only set a three-month term for his work. Once the term is up, he’ll leave."
Qin Sanyou snorted coldly. "Hmph. If I hadn't seen him, I might have believed that."
Qin Jiuye looked bewildered. "Now that you’ve seen him, what? Does he have two noses or three eyes? Why don't you believe me?"
Qin Sanyou had a fiery temper and a stubborn streak; his voice grew louder and louder.
"Of course I don't believe you! Would you really be willing to let him go after three months? You’re just infatuated with his good looks. 'Distant cousin'? Why didn't you just say you picked him up off the side of the road?!"
But she *did* pick him up off the side of the road.
However, Qin Jiuye knew that Qin Sanyou’s focus wasn't on that at all. He had been "provoked" by Situ Jinbao and was convinced there was some scandalous relationship between her and Li Qiao. She couldn't blame Old Qin; the scene of their first meeting earlier had left a terrible impression.
To drown out Qin Sanyou’s shouting, Qin Jiuye felt the blood rush to her head, her throat burning.
"We... we aren't in *that* kind of relationship!"
"Then what kind of relationship is it?!"
Qin Jiuye went silent.
She thought of the dangers of the Qingping Path, the turmoil at Baoshen Pavilion, Li Qiao’s actions that night, the details of the Kang Renshou case, and that young Military Inspector who refused to let matters rest... She truly couldn't tell him any of it. Once some things were said, there was no turning back. Qin Sanyou had already been dragged into this; she couldn't let him sink any deeper.
Gritting her teeth, she slumped back into her chair in self-abandonment.
"Fine. It *is* that kind of relationship."
Qin Sanyou slapped his forehead, his beard trembling, looking as if he were about to expire on the spot.
"You... you... you are simply..."
"I am simply what? I have a young, handsome servant attending to me every day. I’m having the time of my life!"
Now that the paper had been torn, Qin Jiuye let herself go completely. She was already a "dead pig" anyway; she wouldn't blink an eye no matter how he tried to "gut" her.
Now it was Qin Sanyou’s turn to be fuming. He stewed in silence for a while before asking fearfully, as if remembering something.
"Then... has he swindled you out of your silver?"
Qin Jiuye shook her head. "No."
Not only had he not swindled her, he had earned her quite a bit of silver.
"Then has he asked you to do anything untoward? Or done anything untoward to the other villagers...?"
"No!"
"Then what is he after? Why does he insist on staying by the side of a village girl like you?"
What was he after? He was after her as a human shield, someone who could hide him within this blood-soaked martial world. He was after her as a free antidote furnace, keeping her every move under his eye. He was after her because she had spent half her life in poverty, a rootless drifter who wouldn't be his match even if they turned against each other over conflicting interests...
Qin Jiuye slid further down in her chair, her entire body sinking into the shadows.
"I only set a three-month term for his work. Once the term is up, he’ll leave."
After their argument, Old Qin seemed to finally calm down, though his expression remained bitter and pained, as if Qin Jiuye weren't running an apothecary but a business of murder and robbery.
"How big is your business anyway? Stop putting all your effort into these crooked paths. No matter how capable he is, he won't earn you much more money. I can't rest easy with him by your side."
But for an ordinary family, wasn't "savings" just something built up bit by bit? She had no power, no great talent. What was wrong with using every method possible to earn a few extra coins? It was better than not having a single cent when money was needed.
But Qin Sanyou didn't think that way. He seemed to believe that the poor should just live like the poor. Whenever she tried to explain this to him, they always ended up parting on bad terms.
Thinking about how he had just been released from the dark, sunless dungeon of the government office, Qin Jiuye picked at her ear and muttered under her breath.
"Actually... he did earn quite a bit more money."
She had tried her best not to bring it up, but Qin Sanyou wouldn't let it go. He seized on her words to start lecturing her again.
"Tell me honestly. The reason you went to the Su Manor—was it because you got greedy and wanted to swindle them out of their silver?"
Qin Jiuye laughed out of sheer frustration.
"Swindle them? Even if I wanted to, I’d need the skill for it. The people in the Su family are all as sharp as monkeys. I’ve ended up covered in filth for no reason; the Su family should be the ones paying *me*!"
"Look at the kind of people who went with you to give a consultation. It’s only normal that you couldn't make heads or tails of it. Stop thinking about such unrealistic things every day, or you’ll end up getting yourself trapped. I don't need your silver for my old age. I can support myself."
"Can't I earn it to spend on myself?" Fearing she would lose her temper again if they spoke any longer, Qin Jiuye abruptly changed her tone, leaning in with a smile. "By the way, do you remember that courtyard I told you about last time? Once this is over, I’ll take you to see it one day. You’ll definitely love it..."
But before she could finish, Qin Sanyou’s face changed instantly.
"Have you been listening to a word I’ve said?! In these chaotic times, how can a girl like you, from a poor background with no one to rely on, handle that kind of wealth? Living a steady, humble life is better than me worrying about you all day long!"
His sudden, harsh rebuke left Qin Jiuye stunned. The smile still lingered on her lips, frozen into an awkward curve that made her feel an indescribable ache.
The candle on the table, now nothing more than a stub, flickered once and finally went out.
It wasn't that she didn't understand Qin Sanyou’s good intentions. But she just wanted to share a bit of joy, a bit of hope. She didn't want their family to live forever under the shadow of the word "bitter."
In truth, she had many questions she wanted to ask tonight. For instance, did Kang Renshou really board that boat? What was the deal with the blood on the boat? Had Fan Tong interrogated or mistreated him after the arrest...?
But in the end, those words only turned into a weary look, which vanished into the darkness after the candlelight died.
"I had Old Tang redo the bedding. You’ll have to squeeze in with him for the next few days. I have things to do; I’m leaving."
She turned to walk out. But Qin Sanyou’s voice rose again.
"Wait." He paused for a moment before speaking quickly. "Stay away from the Military Inspector. You... you aren't a match."
Qin Jiuye stopped in her tracks. It was a long time before she turned around.
"Why would you suddenly say that, Grandfather?"
"Do I really have to spell it out? Investigating cases is the government’s business. Why is a half-baked amateur like you, who can't even figure out her own life, joining the fray? He’s someone sent from the capital. People from there value logic over personal ties..."
Qin Sanyou continued to ramble, but she could no longer hear him.
She felt deeply wronged.
She wanted to say that she had followed them to Ershui Riverside and stubbornly offered her humble opinions not to see some Inspector from the capital, but to understand the situation, clear her family’s name, and return to Guoran Ju to live her life.
She wanted to say she had self-awareness. Otherwise, the first time she saw him riding toward her, she would have brought up the past, rather than avoiding him even now.
She wanted to say she had never "joined the fray" for fun. How could someone like her have the leisure or the right to do such a thing?
But her mouth opened and closed, and in the end, she said nothing.
Qin Jiuye left, carrying the candlestick. Long after she had gone, Qin Sanyou sat back heavily in his chair.
In the room without candlelight, even the sound of a sigh was swallowed by the gloom.
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
听风堂 | Tingfeng Hall | The location where the characters are being detained.
督护 | Military Inspector | A high-ranking military/administrative official (Duhu).
参将 | Adjutant | A military rank, subordinate to the Inspector (Canjiang).
阿姊 | Sister | A-zi; elder sister.
阿翁 | Grandfather | A-gong; a respectful term for one's grandfather.
果然居 | Guoran Ju | Qin Jiuye's shop/residence.
肾虚 | Kidney deficiency | A common term in Traditional Chinese Medicine, often used as a jab at a man's vitality.
痔疾 | Hemorrhoids | Mentioned as a crude medical insult.
疑罪从有 | Presumption of guilt | A legal concept where a suspect is treated as guilty until proven innocent.
