Chapter 32: Scoop, scoop, greens, greens, scoop, scoop

This sound pierces the rain‑shrouded thunder, shaking the deaf and awakening the dumb.

The xuan paper, fluttering in the wind, sketches the young man's face above with lifelike precision.

Even the three tiny moles between his brows are not missed.

The voice was loud enough that everyone inside naturally heard the two constables' words.

Yu Hen's back, which had just relaxed a little, instantly tensed, and he instinctively hooked Du Shanü's fingertip.

Du Shanü understood his meaning—

Chinu, I'm afraid we're done for this time.

If one were benevolent, they'd likely have thought of other ways to break the situation earlier.

If one were a lunatic, they'd likely slaughter the officials in the county office root and branch.

But Chinu is neither.

He can see the root cause clearly, knowing that only the county magistrate can temporarily ease the tax levy, yet he also left a handle on his appearance...

But how could such a handle be easily avoided?

Killing isn't something you can do just by clicking your lips together, especially killing a good person.

If that good person had worked diligently most of his life, barely managing to secure a gatekeeper's post in the county office, with his wife, children, and elders at home waiting by a dim lamp for his return, the old wife, before seeing him off, would say: "Don't forget to bring home a peck of rice when you get your monthly pay, and a few feet of cloth for the children; I and the kids await your return..."

Must not kill.

Must not kill.

The old capital may fall, but the young emperor must not.

Evil people may perish, but good people must not.

The world may perish...... but the common people must not.

But if that's the case, how could we spare Chinu's life?

Du Shanü's mind raced; seeing Xiao Yao Tong already emerge from the inner chamber, ready to receive the wanted poster, she flicked her sleeve and tossed two inconspicuous water droplets onto the poster.

Normally, paper and ink dissolve in water; two drops would somewhat obscure the face.

However, unfortunately, the droplets landed poorly, and the paper happened to be sized xuan that resists water, so the water stains fell on the poster without spreading much.

The clever Xiao Yao Tong took the wanted poster, and coincidentally faced a raindrop, which instead drew attention.

Xiao Yao Tong stared intently and involuntarily hissed:

"This, this person......"

The constables who had been lazily sizing up Du Shanü and the other person immediately realized upon hearing that.

"Have you kids seen this person?"

In this small southern city, even over a hundred years one might not see such a major case of assassinating an imperial official.

The perpetrator of such a major case, a wanted criminal, surely must be extremely cautious.

Seeing Xiao Yao Tong recognize the person, the two constables immediately gripped their sword hilts, heightened their alertness, and began to scrutinize the surroundings carefully.

Xiao Yao Tong is still young, unable to withstand the questioning, and instinctively glanced toward the inner room where his grandfather was.

Only now did the two constables realize something was amiss——

Naturally, a shop wouldn't be left to just a child to guard; though this shop is remote, it's clearly a medicine shop and should at least have a doctor.

Now the doctor hasn't come out...

Could it be that the wounded wanted criminal hid in the medicine shop, holding the doctor hostage to treat him?!

The two burly constables exchanged a glance, slowly stepped forward, and entered the darker inner chamber.

Du Shanü withdrew her gaze, leaned close to Yu Baobao's ear, and lowered her voice urgently:

"If something happens later, you just look after yourself; no need to rescue or follow us running—just hide in a corner of the medical hall. If discovered, insist you came to the medicine shop for an eye ailment and don't know me or Chinu."

Today there is much bad news, and many regrets.

For example, I shouldn't have come out today; I should have let Ouyang Yan's mellow old green tea treat Chinu's illness.

Earlier, I was worried about that green‑tea‑husband, who said his medical skill was poor and he had no herbs, fearing that even a clever wife couldn't cook without rice, so I ventured out in the rain...

But since we're already out and things have come to this, further regret is useless.

Furthermore, she didn't go look for herbs with a numbing effect for emergencies.

The sole consolation is that, fortunately, after she made the Yuanrong crossbow, it stays with her, giving her a fighting chance.

She only worries about Yu Baobao.

Yu Baobao's eyesight is poor; he can't run away or escape.

She alone can't possibly look after both of them.

Du Shanü quickly finished her instructions, then took a broken silver piece, and while the two constables had their backs turned and couldn't see, she slipped it into the frightened Xiao Yao Tong's hand, whispering:

"Black doll, take this silver piece; don't say you saw us last time with the wanted criminal...... You grandfather and grandson are benevolent healers; my husband's eyesight is poor, and the constables only apprehend wanted criminals—there's no need to stir up trouble."

Xiao Yao Tong, dazed, instinctively took the silver piece, then recalled that these three had indeed appeared together before, and it was another round of nervous trembling.

Du Shanü didn't know how effective this silver piece would be, but having done what she could, she leaves the rest to fate—waiting to die is not her style.

Du Shanü untied the Yuanrong crossbow at her waist, which to others looked like just a bundle of sticks, held her breath, focused, and readied herself to act.

Killing is indeed difficult, but this improved Yuanrong crossbow can intimidate someone long enough to first take Chinu away; the problem shouldn't be too great...

In the depths of the medical hall, the fire on the medicine stove had long gone out.

A cross‑draft blew, causing the curtains to sway lightly, as if something were breathing in the darkness.

The lead elder constable gripped his sword hilt:

"Anyone there?"

The voice echoed in the empty courtyard.

No reply.

They went around the front hall and headed toward the inner chambers.

Layer upon layer of curtains separating the patients' beds; the deeper they went, the stronger the medicinal smell became.

The two felt their way past curtain after curtain until they heard an extremely faint voice coming from behind one of the curtains.

The constable raised his hand, while several paces away Du Shanü had already assembled the bed crossbow, her fingertips poised on the trigger.

She stood pressed against the wall, holding her breath, her eyes fixed on the hand about to lift the curtain——

As soon as anyone inside spoke, she would act!

A rough hand fell onto the curtain, and it was flung open!!!

A pungent odor rushed over them, so strong it almost choked——

It was the medicinal ointment—sharp and spicy, mixed with mint and sulfur, drilling straight into their nostrils.

Not only were the two nearby constables' eyes irritated by the fumes, even Du Shanü couldn't help covering her nose.

Inside the curtain stood a simple sickbed; at its head sat an old doctor with gray‑white beard, his back to them, bent over as he smeared something onto the person on the bed.

The person on the bed lay motionless, face and exposed hands coated in a thick layer of gray‑green ointment, obscuring their features.

Hearing the movement, the old doctor didn't set down his bowl and turned his head:

"What brings the two of you…?"

The kind‑looking little old man narrowed his eyes, as if unaccustomed to the light.

The constable steadied himself, lowered his hand from his nose, and swept his gaze over the patient.

His face was a smeared mess, even his eyebrows covered, only a small sliver of chin visible, gray‑white, not like a living person but like a golden statue caked in mud.

"Who is this?" the constable asked.

The old doctor kept his head down, continuing to apply the ointment, and answered offhandedly:

"What kind of question is that, sir? Of course it's a patient."

"What illness?"

Hives.

The old doctor said, scooping another large dollop of ointment from the bowl and slapping it onto the patient's face with a smack:

"Can't you see? His whole body is broken out in a rash, itchy enough to make him roll all over the bed; if I didn't smear this on, he'd scratch his own flesh off."

The constable frowned, stepped back half a pace; the medicinal smell was so strong it made his eyes sting.

He rummaged in his bosom and pulled out a wanted poster:

"Take a good look—is this the person?"

Only then did the old doctor lift his head, take the paper, and bring it close to his eyes to examine.

The portrait on the paper showed a slender young man with fine brows and clear eyes—utterly unlike the green‑slathered thing before him, a world apart.

He chuckled, returned the paper, and pointed to his white hair,

"Sir, I'm just old, not stupid."

"If this fellow really were a wanted criminal, could I still treat him? I would have…"

His words trailed off.

The old doctor suddenly rose, took a step back, and made a gesture as if about to run:

"—I've already run away!"

The two constables were left laughing and exasperated, then glanced again at the patient.

He still lay there, utterly still, no sign of breathing, like a corpse.

It's too foul.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go," the lead constable waved his hand and turned to leave.

The curtain fell back, and the two constables turned and walked away.

As they passed Du Shanü, they glanced over again; the lovely young lady, leading a man who looked blind, wore an expression of desperate anguish as she earnestly begged Xiao Yao Tong:

"Little doctor, please, you must save my dear little one——!"

"My dear little one, he—he really can't—oh, no, I mean he's about to give out——!!!"

Yu Hen: "......"

Xiao Yao Tong: "......"

The two constables: "......"

Is that really what was said?

How could it sound so strange?

?? Good thing Yu Baobao doesn't understand what 'no good' means… cough cough