Chapter 12: Each Heading Three Ways to Probe the Subtle

Long Qi smelled the fragrance of wine from afar; without needing to ask around, he was able to find Lady Zhuang's tavern.

Upon entering, he saw the tavern was packed, the air thick with the rich aroma of wine. The sounds of patrons drinking, clinking cups, shouting, the waiter's responses, and the singing from the stage were incessant—it was extremely lively.

Just as he was wondering where to sit, the tavern waiter hurried over to greet him. As it turned out, business in the shop was always booming and customers were endless, but the tavern had limited tables. Over time, a custom of sharing tables to drink had developed, and those who were bold and forthright often made drinking companions and kindred spirits here.

Long Qi thought to himself that this was not a bad way to gather information, so he let the waiter lead him to a small table by the window.

There were already two people at the table: one was bare-chested and robust, with broad shoulders and a thick waist, angry brows, a curly beard, and a voice like a booming bell; the other was wearing a brocade cap and long robes, with a slender build, a fair and handsome face, and a soft, faint smile. One was drinking heartily from a bowl, while the other was sipping lightly from a small cup. At first glance, they seemed completely mismatched, yet unexpectedly, the two were kindred spirits and good friends who had met through wine and often arranged to drink and chat here.

Long Qi cupped his hands in a salute to the two of them and sat down, and the waiter hurried to ask him what he would like to order.

"I smelled a fragrance of wine from far away and was unwittingly drawn here, but as for what I should order, I truly do not know."

"Hahahaha! Is the young brother a traveler?" the curly-bearded man laughed. "Although Liangcheng is famous far and wide for its Hundred Endings, if you ask me, Yao Yi's Qionghua Dew is even more mellow. The wine fragrance that brought you here is likely that."

The fair-faced man heard this and nodded in agreement: "Although it is a Flower Brew, it makes one reluctant to put down the cup; the aftertaste is endless."

"In that case, I shall follow the two elder brothers and try this Qionghua Dew." As he spoke, he cupped his hands toward the two men: "We cannot just drink wine, can we? Let us have a few small dishes, and I shall drink and make merry with the two elder brothers until we are drunk!"

……

In front of the prefectural office, Lu Ying handed over his visiting card. Before long, a yamen runner came out, saying that Assistant Prefect Zhao invited him inside for a talk.

This was strange; should the person inviting him not be the Prefect? Lu Ying felt suspicious but said nothing, following the runner into the hall.

Just as he stepped into the main hall, he saw an old man pacing back and forth. Seeing Lu Ying arrive, he hurried forward and reached out to welcome him.

"I have finally waited for a capable person to arrive!"

"I wonder why the Assistant Prefect is so anxious?" Lu Ying asked, performing a Daoist salute.

Assistant Prefect Zhao sighed deeply upon hearing this: "It is a long story!"

As soon as the two were seated, before Lu Ying could state his purpose, he began: "I can roughly guess your intentions. To be honest, this matter has troubled the yamen for a long time..."

"Does the Assistant Prefect mean..."

"That is correct, it is precisely the injury case in the suburbs," the old Assistant Prefect said, sighing again.

"Why does this case make you so anxious, sir?"

"This must begin from half a year ago..."

Half a year ago, a woodcutter passing through the woods in the southern suburbs saw from afar three men wearing only undergarments, standing together on a small path. As he drew closer, he heard them muttering, as if discussing something. He did not take it to heart and went off to chop wood. But when he returned home at sunset, those three were still as they had been in the morning. Out of curiosity, he went up to greet them, only to find upon walking closer that their eyes were rolled back to show the whites, saliva was flowing from their mouths, and their breathing was faint and wheezing, like walking corpses. Terrified, he hurried to report it to the authorities.

By the time the officials arrived, it was already dusk, yet the three remained standing in the same spot, which was extremely eerie. A bold one went up to pull at them, and as soon as he touched one of them, the three fell over in unison, yet their faces and breathing were exactly the same as when they were standing...

Since then, every month, three people would end up like this, all on the day after the full moon, and all of them were men.

Prefect He of Liangcheng was a man of great talent. In the examinations of the past two years, he was fortunate to have the favor of Heaven and was sent here. Although he was young, he had studied under Yuanqing and knew a few things about Daoist matters.

Perhaps he discovered something. On the first of last month, he suddenly shouted, "So that is how it is!" and went out of the office alone. Who would have expected...

That day happened to be the night of the full moon, and the next day he became just like the previous victims. He is still lying in the yamen now...

"So that is the source of the Assistant Prefect's anxiety..."

"To be honest, this matter has not been made public, nor has it been reported to the heavens. If this matter spreads among the people, this vital Bianchui stronghold will surely fall into chaos..."

"Then can this matter be told to the border defense generals?"

"It has naturally been kept hidden."

"Assistant Prefect," Lu Ying stood up and bowed to Assistant Prefect Zhao, "The junior came here precisely for this reason. I originally wanted to understand the relevant case details. Hearing what you have said, this matter must have its secrets. I believe the Prefect must have discovered something that day, which is why he went out alone, not wanting to implicate innocent people. I will not hide it from you, sir, I have two other Daoist friends currently investigating this matter outside. One of them once saved my life with her superb medical skills; I believe she can also wake the Prefect. It is just that she is likely still gathering evidence. When I meet with her, I will explain the situation and ask her to enter the office to perform treatment. But may I first examine the relevant case files?"

Hearing this, how could the old Assistant Prefect refuse? He hurriedly called a yamen runner to take Lu Ying to the archives.

……

Lingxiang was asking about the patients on the street, but she found that no one knew about this matter, which was very strange. But then she thought again that this matter was extremely bizarre, and the government would surely not make it public to avoid unsettling the people.

These people must have been kept at the official post station, so she asked her way there.

Arriving at the gate of the post station, she explained her purpose to the guard and was led to the inner hall.

Before long, an old man with a long beard came to greet her; he was actually the yamen secretary. After Lingxiang performed a Daoist salute, he led her to a small courtyard.

"Miss Lingxiang, the courtyard is full of these patients. Since you are a member of the Mysterious Sect, I believe you must have a way to save them..." the old secretary sighed on the way.

"Forgive me, senior, but I cannot make any guarantees until I have seen the patients."

Lingxiang's directness made the old secretary look at her with new eyes, unlike the previous quack doctors and strange Daoists who promised everything but did nothing.

"No matter, no matter. It is just that some of them have elderly parents and families, some are still young and strong, and they are all honest, good citizens. To end up like this, this old man truly cannot bear it..."

"Senior is kind-hearted; Lingxiang will naturally do her best."

As the two spoke, they arrived at a courtyard gate, where they could faintly hear the bubbling of medicine pots and the sound of footsteps inside.

"There are twenty people here in total, including seventeen patients, one doctor, one medicine boy, and one servant," the old secretary said as he invited her inside.

After Lingxiang exchanged greetings with the doctor, he led her to see the patients.

Some of these people were skin and bones, some were sallow and emaciated, and even those who did not look completely withered were pale.

The thin ones all had their eyes tightly shut, while those who were not yet withered had their eyes rolled back, and they were all muttering hoarsely.

The doctor said that the thin ones were patients from half a year ago, and those who still had their figures were sent last month. Currently, they were all being kept alive by old ginseng, and their food was liquid.

This was no illness; it was undoubtedly the result of a curse. Judging by the symptoms, it should be the work of one person, though it was unclear what technique was used.

According to their pulses, there was no immediate danger to their lives, but staying like this for a long time would surely lead to death, especially for those who had become skin and bones.

Lingxiang already had a plan in mind, so she fed Gathering Spirit Pills to those who were in the most serious condition, and for those who were still relatively optimistic, she had the medicine boy dissolve a Spirit-Nourishing Pill in water for them to take.

She also told the doctor that whenever it was a sunny day, he should place them in the courtyard at noon and let them be exposed to the sun for two quarters of an hour with their eyes covered.

After giving these instructions, she went to find the secretary.