The street lamps had not yet been lit, but inside the carriage, a high-quality honey-scented candle burned, casting a warm, soft glow.
Qin Jiuye looked up, meeting the somewhat surprised face of the man inside. He seemingly hadn't expected her to be so easily "picked up," and it took him a moment to lean closer.
"Does the lady truly recognize me? From where?"
Given her current state—disheveled hair and looking like a ghost—the fact that he could even strike up a conversation suggested that if he wasn't blind, he must have looted the cellars of Xiaofuju to be this intoxicated.
Qin Jiuye took him for a drunken dandy. Peering through the gap in the curtain to check outside, she brushed him off with nonsense.
"The world is vast. To meet is to be fated; why dwell on the past?"
"Well said." The man didn't seem to mind her perfunctory answer at all. He began introducing himself. "I am Xu Qiuchi, the second son of my family. My friends like to call me Second Young Master. Might I ask how I should address the lady?"
Today’s mess was of her own making, an unnecessary complication, and she had no desire to give her real name. However, seeing his gold and silver ornaments and his brocade robes, she didn't want to offend a potential future patron. She forced a smile.
"I am surnamed Qin, the proprietor of Guoran Residence. You may call me Shopkeeper Qin, as others do."
"So it is Shopkeeper Qin! I have long heard of your reputation. I must pay a visit another day. Where is your esteemed establishment? Does one need a formal invitation? What do your honorable parents enjoy? Which day are you free..."
Qin Jiuye felt a headache coming on. Outside the carriage, the property agent had not yet left and was still lingering nearby.
She could only turn back and whisper, "My family runs a pharmacy. We prioritize isolating external impurities to keep the medicinal herbs pure, so we haven't hosted guests for many years. I hope the Second Young Master will understand."
Xu Qiuchi looked surprised, then leaned in closer with a mysterious air.
"So Shopkeeper Qin is a divine healer! I heard something happened at Qingping Road a few days ago. The Fangwai Temple and the Qiushan Sect fought a bloody battle through the night. The scene was quite tragic. I wonder if Shopkeeper Qin sold any wound medicines and made a small fortune from it?"
Qin Jiuye paused, finally looking up to properly scrutinize this dandy who had struck up a conversation mid-escape.
He wore a pale madder-red silk robe. The fretwork embroidery on the collar and cuffs was so intricate it made her eyes ache. The jade crown on his head was a blue-tinted green, clearly priceless, but the style was too flamboyant and over-complicated, overshadowing his natural features. The jade belt around his waist seemed a bit tight, making his frame look rather frail, while the beast-bone folding fan tucked into it added a touch of romantic flair.
Though his attire was striking, the wealthy and powerful scions of the city currently preferred solid, primary colors over these intermediate shades.
*Is he from some merchant family that struck it rich overnight?* Nowadays, the sons of wealthy families loved to gossip about the affairs of the martial world, though most of it was hearsay; they had likely never seen a drop of blood in their lives.
Qin Jiuye reached a conclusion but decided to follow the conversation. After all, she had to pay Tang Shenyan for information; why turn down free news?
"I heard that Wang Xiao, the top expert of the Qiushan Sect, only went there to intercept and persuade them to return. How did it become a bloody battle?"
"Not so, not so. I heard that Yuan Shuqing, to show his sincerity, brought ten full crates of precious medicinal materials. Among them were secret medicines never shared with outsiders—cures for all ailments, antidotes for all poisons, tonics to increase internal power and strengthen the foundation... In short, that Wang Xiao was moved by greed. He used his sect's name as a pretext for a crusade, but in truth, he meant to steal the medicine for himself. Fangwai Temple is now consumed by a blood feud. Though few of them remain, they have sworn to demand justice. Yet Wang Xiao refuses to admit it, claiming he never went to Qingping Road that night."
*Never went? If he didn't go, then who was responsible for the carnage that night?*
So this was the second half of the news Old Tang hadn't finished. Qin Jiuye scoffed inwardly, thinking that these people of the martial world were hypocrites. They all claimed to be from righteous sects, yet they lacked the courage to admit their deeds. To those in the know, they were a joke.
"Perhaps he struck so ruthlessly on purpose, thinking that by silencing them, there would be no witnesses from Fangwai Temple."
The man, looking tipsy, smiled, his narrow eyes crinkling.
"Oh? Is that so? From the way you speak, Shopkeeper Qin, it sounds as if you know some inside details."
Qin Jiuye’s heart tightened. She realized the man before her was no ordinary drunk. Realizing she had nearly revealed too much, she calmly deflected.
"It's just a dispute over interests; why would I need to know the details? When it comes to silencing witnesses, slips are inevitable. Besides, both sides were experts, and it was pitch black. It’s only normal for one or two to slip through the cracks."
the man nodded, seemingly in agreement, but his next words were a different matter entirely.
"Fangwai Temple thought so too. That’s why they sent people to search near Qingping Road shortly after the incident. However, I heard that after counting the bodies, they found that not a single person from the group survived. Even the head of the Sect Leader, Yuan Shuqing, was found. They say if they had been a step later, the Xiaoyao Sect would have taken it to use as a 'cauldron' for refining elixirs..."
"Wait." Qin Jiuye’s throat felt dry, and her voice rose unconsciously. "You just said... everyone from Fangwai Temple is dead?"
"Yes." Xu Qiuchi nodded, his tongue sounding heavy again. "I heard Yuan Shuqing’s foster son personally went to identify the bodies. He was so overcome with grief that he spat blood and collapsed. He’s still sending people everywhere to find thousand-year-old ginseng to keep himself alive..."
The young master in his fine clothes continued to pour out information, but Qin Jiuye could no longer process it.
If no one from Fangwai Temple survived, and Wang Xiao claimed he was never there, then who was the man she had picked up from Qingping Road?
Outside the carriage, the property agent had finished his search and walked away, cursing. Qin Jiuye could no longer sit still and rose to leave.
"I just remembered I have urgent business. I shall take my leave now."
"Wait."
The man spoke suddenly. Her body froze. After a long moment, she turned back, only to see him rummaging through several booklets scattered near the cushions.
Finally, he picked one up and brushed the cover, his expression full of longing.
"Judging by your refined manner of speech, Shopkeeper Qin, you must be a person of elegant tastes. This *Collection of the Flower Ruins* is my favorite. Whenever I find it hard to sleep late at night, I take it out to appreciate. Since our meeting is fated, why don't I give it to you as a gift? It will give us something to discuss when we meet again. Don't you agree?"
In all her life, this was the first time someone had inferred she was a "person of elegant tastes" from her speech.
Qin Jiuye stared at his sincere eyes for a long time, then looked at the colorful booklet, finding the situation absurd.
She didn't drink much, so she couldn't understand the behavior of a drunkard. But Jin Bao had said one must never argue with a drunk; they were more stubborn than a village ox.
After a pause, Qin Jiuye took the colorful booklet and solemnly tucked it into her waistband.
"The Second Young Master is right. Then... until we meet again."
With that, the thin woman jumped off the carriage with her tattered bag of rice on her back and vanished into the night.
The carriage curtain, embroidered with cloud patterns, swayed before finally settling, concealing the vibrant madder-red within.
After a moment, the voice that had sounded drunken just moments ago spoke again. It was lazy, yet perfectly sober.
"It seems she truly knows nothing."
A crimson shadow appeared outside the carriage like a ghost, vaguely revealing a tall, slender figure. Then, a woman’s cold voice sounded through the curtain.
"She deals with the martial world. Does the Young Master truly believe she knows nothing of the prescription?"
"If she knew, she wouldn't have deflected the topic so clumsily. She was clearly concerned about something else."
"Should I send someone to watch her?"
The man pondered for a moment, unhooking the folding fan from his waist and fanning himself behind the curtain.
"Watch the one she picked up. Don't make too much of a scene; I wouldn't want things to be awkward if we meet again in the future."
The scent of wine wafted out with the night breeze stirred by the fan. The woman outside took a subtle half-step back.
"The Young Master intends to see her again?"
"Who can say what the future holds?"
"She is nothing but a physician looking to swindle some silver. Why waste your breath and time on her, Young Master?"
The man inside the carriage snapped his fan shut, his tone carrying a hint of a smile.
"I want to waste my breath on you, yet you won't say a single extra word to me. Now that I've found an outsider to chat with, are you jealous?"
The woman outside fell silent instantly.
After a long while, the red figure vanished in a flash, leaving even more hurriedly than she had arrived.
The man inside the carriage clearly heard the movement and laughed out loud without restraint.
The late spring in Jiugao City was damp and cold, but the night was just beginning to simmer in this alley of bright lights and warm wine.
***
After dusk, the rain began to fall again. It showed no sign of stopping as night deepened, and the paths in the village that had finally become easy to walk turned back into mud pits.
Qin Jiuye walked swiftly along the muddy road, not even bothering to avoid the puddles, heading straight for the gate of Guoran Residence.
The dilapidated wooden gate was half-ajar. The old Door God poster on it had lost half its form, leaving only half a head and one arm.
This was a "watchdog" she had intentionally left. She and Jin Bao didn't enter or exit through this gate frequently, and even when they did, they were careful not to knock the paper off. But if an intruder or someone in a hurry were to burst in or out, this paper Door God would certainly not survive.
*Good, good.* It was exactly as she had left it.
She breathed a sigh of relief, pressed her lips thin, and pushed the door open, heading straight for the central hall.
Jin Bao was wrapped in a blanket under the veranda, gathering medicinal herbs. Seeing her return, he hurried forward.
"Why are you back so late? Is it..."
The next moment, he saw her disheveled hair, and his voice cut off.
Qin Jiuye said nothing. She closed her oil-paper umbrella and propped it against the woodpile.
She had walked too hurriedly; the umbrella had snagged on a roadside branch without her noticing. Now there was a small hole in the paper, much like her current state of mind.
Unfastening the straps, she dropped the rice bag onto the ground. Jin Bao rushed forward to check it, his voice turning shrill.
"How could you let the bag get wet? What if the rice gets damp and moldy?!"
Qin Jiuye ignored him completely. Her thin arms found a sudden surge of strength as she shoved him aside and walked straight to the bed in the inner room.
Her face was grim as she panted, water dripping from the tips of her hair.
"Who exactly are you?"
The man on the bed still looked at her with those innocent eyes. After a long moment, he propped himself up, looking as if he had no answer.
Qin Jiuye felt a surge of nameless fury. But she had always been frail, and after a day without food, she lacked the energy to truly lose her temper. She simply pulled over a broken stool and sat down heavily.
"Who exactly are you?"
She asked again. This time her voice was much softer, but it carried a sharp edge of impatience.
Li Qiao knew he had to say something.
What should he say? Continue lying, of course.
Given that he had already been caught in a lie once, he had to be exceptionally careful this time. The best way was perhaps to tell her a mix of truth and falsehood.
But before that, he needed to know how much this woman had discovered and how far her understanding went.
"Since you already know, I have nothing left to say." He lowered his head, his voice low. "I didn't intend to hide it from you from the start; I was just afraid of dragging you into this."
Qin Jiuye could hardly stay seated.
If it weren't for the expensive medicinal plasters still stuck to his body, she would have lunged forward and pinned him to the floor.
Taking a deep breath, she took out the oil lamp she usually couldn't bear to use and flicked the wick several times before it lit.
"You are already here, so I am already involved." She leaned in close, trying to read the emotions in his eyes. "Tell me, that night at Qingping Road, how exactly did you survive?"
Under the dim candlelight, the man's eyes appeared a hazy light brown, looking both harmless and inscrutable.
"I survived because you saved me." His tone was gentle, carrying the weakness of someone still recovering from severe injuries. "The other side thought I was an insignificant character. Seeing me fall down the cliff, they assumed I was dead and didn't even bother to finish me off. But if you hadn't saved me, I wouldn't have lived."
This answer avoided the core of her question while simultaneously stroking her ego—a clever move born of a strong will to survive.
But Qin Jiuye could not be anyone's lifeline.
She could barely protect herself; how could she let someone else cling to her?
"I saved you for silver." She decided to lay everything bare; there was no point in pretending anymore. "The news is out. They say everyone from Fangwai Temple is dead. Since you aren't one of them, who are you? Why are you hiding your identity and staying here?"
Her words backed him into a corner. Had she not known how severely he was injured, she would never have dared to speak this way to a man of the martial world.
Even if he didn't look very old and had only a rusted blade by his side.
She stared intently into his eyes. He didn't look away. The two remained in a stalemate until the youth finally averted his gaze.
"There is no harm in telling you. I am indeed not a disciple of Fangwai Temple. I joined the group because I had other business. My entire family was harmed by villains, and I myself was poisoned. I must travel to various places to find medicine to sustain my life. You are a healer; you should know I am not lying."
He paused there. Qin Jiuye’s expression softened slightly.
She had noticed when she saved him that besides his life-threatening wounds, he did indeed suffer from chronic ailments. It seemed to be the result of some residual poison that had been latent in his body for a long time. Even with all her skill, she couldn't identify the toxin in a short time, only that it wouldn't kill him immediately, yet was difficult to eradicate.
But that wasn't what she truly cared about right now.
"So you were there for revenge?"
"I only wanted to live. I heard that Yuan Shuqing, the leader of Fangwai Temple, recently obtained a prescription—one that can dispel all poisons, cure stubborn illnesses, and even extend the life of a healthy person. People in the martial world have already caught wind of it. I went to Qingping Road for that prescription. As for what happened that night..."
*The prescription. Again with the prescription.*
The words of that young master in the carriage seemed to echo in her ears. Qin Jiuye interrupted him almost immediately.
"Enough! Stop!" She paused, took a deep breath, and spoke slowly. "Don't say another word. I don't want to hear it."
She only wanted to know if he posed a danger to her. She didn't want to hear who Fangwai Temple had provoked, who the killer was, or what the deal was with that prescription.
The more one knew, the sooner one died. She would rather remain half-ignorant; that way, if something happened in the future, she might still be able to extricate herself.
*Wait, the future?*
*What future? There can be no future!*
She stood up abruptly from the stool, averting her gaze from his bandaged body.
"You must leave. I cannot keep you here."
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
许秋迟 | Xu Qiuchi | The "Second Young Master" Qin Jiuye meets in the carriage.
茜色 | Madder-red | A specific shade of dark, brownish-red or crimson.
回字纹 | Fretwork pattern | A traditional geometric pattern often used in embroidery.
花墟集 | Collection of the Flower Ruins | The title of the booklet Xu Qiuchi gives to Qin Jiuye.
元漱清 | Yuan Shuqing | The deceased leader of the Fangwai Temple.
逍遥门 | Xiaoyao Sect | Another martial arts sect mentioned by Xu Qiuchi.
鼎 | Cauldron | Used in alchemy/cultivation for refining pills or elixirs.
李樵 | Li Qiao | The name of the injured man Qin Jiuye rescued.
果然居 | Guoran Residence | Qin Jiuye's home and pharmacy.
清平道 | Qingping Road | The location of the massacre.
方外观 | Fangwai Temple | The Taoist sect involved in the massacre.
秋山派 | Qiushan Sect | The sect accused of the massacre.
王逍 | Wang Xiao | The top expert of the Qiushan Sect.
