Lin Sui’an had a strange and vivid dream. She walked through a forest, soft green grass brushing her bare ankles, sunlight filtering down through the canopy like golden rain. A familiar fragrance of fruit and wood drifted through the air. Rainbow-colored little fruits clung to branches and blades of grass; through their crystalline skins, one could see the thread-like veins of the fruit within. Bathed in sunlight, they floated upward like bubbles, swaying and drifting, slowly gathering into a shimmering, radiant human silhouette.

The fragrance of the fruit and wood was intoxicating. The halo around the silhouette faded away, and the figure grew clear — a strikingly beautiful young man, hair like a black waterfall, eyes like washed black gems, his throat clean and defined, his collarbones elegant, and following from the collarbones downward, in the light, the bare skin glowed, smooth and luminous as jade —

Good heavens!

Lin Sui’an snapped her eyes open, a touch of chagrin in her heart.

Why did I have to wake up now?

Just a little longer would have been so nice.

Lin Sui’an smacked her lips with lingering reluctance, then felt something wasn’t quite right: why had her dream featured a completely unclothed Hua Yitang?

Could it be that one thinks by day and dreams by night — oh, stop it!

Clearly it was just a side effect of Xuanming Shanren’s poisonous mist affecting her mind.

That’s right — she had been poisoned!

Lin Sui’an jolted fully awake, sat up with a start, felt her face, rapped her skull, wiggled her toes — and was greatly relieved. Normal temperature, steady heartbeat, blood flowing at an even pace. It appeared the poison had been fully purged.

There was no need to guess — Doctor Fang’s healing hands had worked their miracle.

Lin Sui’an dressed and searched the room, but found no sign of Qian Jing. Thinking back, she seemed to recall handing it to Jin Ruo just before losing consciousness. She had no idea how long she had slept — Jin Ruo had likely kept it safe for her.

Outside, rain was still falling, tapping and pattering against the roof tiles. Lin Sui’an held one hand over her head, stepped through the puddles, and crossed the back courtyard corridor to the front hall of the clinic. The clinic was empty of patients — only Fangke, Mu Xia, and Yita were there. Yita was making tea; Mu Xia and Fangke were drinking it, looking quite at ease.

Lin Sui’an walked straight over and sat down. She picked up a cup of tea and examined it — Yita had likely brewed the local Hundred Flowers Tea from Cheng County. The tea was clear, and there appeared to be no strange additions, so she felt confident enough to take a sip, and was greatly satisfied. The flavor was about sixty percent similar to the tea she was accustomed to — it would have been perfect if not for those few obtrusive peppercorns.

“Yita’s skill keeps improving,” Lin Sui’an said with a smile.

No one answered. Fangke held his teacup. Mu Xia’s mouth hung half open. Yita held up his tea ladle. All three stared at her with expressions laden with a thousand unspoken words. Feeling rather self-conscious, Lin Sui’an touched her face and asked, “Have I become more beautiful in my sleep?”

“I have meat braising on the stove.” Mu Xia tossed out those words and bolted.

“Pig man — Sishi — Sishi —” Yita clawed at his tea ladle and said, “Sishi — outside — it’s all become a mess — no good, no good…”

Lin Sui’an was thoroughly confused. “A mess of what? Sishi — what happened to Hua Yitang?”

Fangke’s expression grew even stranger. He sighed first, set down his cup, gazed out the window at the soft drizzle for a long moment, and then said: “Lin Niangzi, do you know that over these past two days and one night while you slept, the world has turned upside down entirely?”

Lin Sui’an: “What?”

What riddle was Doctor Fang speaking in?

Fangke drew two small porcelain jars from his sleeve — the very two Lin Sui’an had brought back from the Longshen Temple — and arranged them on the table one by one. He pointed at them: “The residue in both these jars is the poison of the Longshen Fruit. It can, in the short term, unleash the body’s latent potential — significantly enhancing physical strength, speed, and so forth — giving the user a sensation of limitless invincibility. However, this poison causes varying degrees of harm to the body. Used in large quantities, it leads to damage of the heart and blood vessels. In severe cases — as with Hao Liu in the eastern capital or the assassin in Guangdu City — the heart ruptures and kills. It can also cause abnormalities in the body’s organs, such that the user feels no pain or discomfort even when sick or injured.”

Damage to the heart and blood vessels — Lin Sui’an recalled the sensation she had experienced during her own poisoning and asked, “Was the poison I suffered the same?”

Fangke nodded, and gave Lin Sui’an a meaningful look. “Long-term use of this poison also produces a particularly unusual after-effect — severe changes in temperament.”

Lin Sui’an drew a sharp breath. She thought of the bloodthirsty killing intent that had surged through her, beyond her control — as though another, blood-craving “Lin Sui’an” had been hiding within this body of hers.

During this poisoning, the reaction had been something her willpower alone had barely been able to suppress. Could it be —

“This poison is so insidious and vicious — how did you treat it, Doctor Fang?” Lin Sui’an asked.

Whether it was Lin Sui’an’s imagination or not, when she posed that question, the expression on the esteemed great coroner’s face became distinctly complicated.

“The method of treatment is not particularly difficult, and the medicinal ingredients are not particularly rare — but the catalyst for the antidote —” Fangke paused. “Is very expensive.”

Lin Sui’an: “Eh?”

What catalyst? How expensive?

Fangke sighed again, lowered his eyelids, and began drinking his tea.

Lin Sui’an suddenly realized that Fangke had never actually answered her original question about Hua Yitang — he had shifted the conversation to the Longshen Fruit instead. An ominous feeling rose in her chest.

“What trouble has Hua Yitang stirred up this time?”

This time, not only did Fangke not answer — even Yita let out a long-suffering sigh.

Lin Sui’an frowned. “Where is Hua Yitang?”

Before the words had fully left her mouth, Xiao Yu and five or six women appeared at the clinic entrance, holding umbrellas. Xiao Yu poked her head inside, looked around, and the moment her gaze landed on Lin Sui’an, her eyes lit up and she cried out: “Sister Fang, you’ve recovered?!”

Lin Sui’an paused — she had only then remembered that her identity in Cheng County was that of Fangke’s younger sister, which naturally meant her surname was “Fang.”

“Ah —” Lin Sui’an could only go along with it. “More or less.”

The one who smoothed things over for Lin Sui’an was, surprisingly, Yita. The golden-haired, blue-eyed youth rose and clasped his hands in a bow: “Thank you all for your concern — Pig Man has fully recovered.” His fluency in the Tang tongue had improved considerably.

Xiao Yu beamed with delight and came sprinting inside, taking a seat beside Lin Sui’an and looping her arm through hers. She looked Lin Sui’an up and down from left to right, then covered her smile with her hand — smiling all the while, and shooting meaningful glances at the women outside. Those several women looked around in all directions, then scuttled into the clinic, crouching and tiptoeing, and surrounded Lin Sui’an in a ring — smiling and smiling. The more Lin Sui’an looked at those smiles, the more her skin crawled.

Woman A: “Oh my goodness, she truly is just as Young Master Mu described — Sister Fang is so lively and spirited, with such thick, dark hair, so full of good fortune! What a delightful girl.”

Woman B: “Look at those eyes — deep black, bright white, clear lids, defined under-eyes — what a fresh, radiant young woman.”

Woman C patted Lin Sui’an on the shoulder: “Look at these little arms — solid, strong — at one glance you can tell she’s a woman who can shoulder the weight of things!”

Lin Sui’an: “…”

Mu Tang was the alias Hua Yitang used in Cheng County. The ominous feeling within Lin Sui’an grew stronger and stronger by the moment — Hua Yitang must have caused an absolute catastrophe!

Xiao Yu giggled on and on. The several women conducted a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree inspection of Lin Sui’an, their faces full of maternal tenderness, their eyes brimming with admiration, their mouths pouring forth compliments — Lin Sui’an even had the unsettling sensation that she was some kind of small, fluffy creature on the verge of being scooped up and enthusiastically cuddled.

Just what on earth had happened while she was sleeping?

Lin Sui’an shot Fangke a bewildered look for an explanation. Fangke appeared to be attempting the physically impossible task of stuffing his entire head into the mouth of his teacup.

Woman A wore the expression of someone who understood everything perfectly. “Mu Tang told us all about you two. Don’t worry — we’ve been talking to Doctor Fang for two days, and he’s come around quite a bit. From now on, you two just settle down and live well here in Cheng County.”

Woman B: “Exactly, exactly — don’t worry about a thing! We’re all the way behind you and Young Master Mu!”

Woman C: “The best days of your life are still ahead!”

Xiao Yu: “Stay in Cheng County from now on — Yita too, all right?”

Lin Sui’an stared: “…”

“An’an, you’re awake!” A figure walked briskly into the clinic, casually shaking the raindrops from his umbrella. Crystalline droplets scattered through the air, and a familiar scent of fruit and wood drifted over. Lin Sui’an was reminded of her rather indecent dream.

The main character of that dream was now smiling as he sat down beside her, his clear, dark eyes gazing at her steadily, unblinking. Lin Sui’an saw her own deeply disdainful expression reflected in them.

Hua Yitang broke into a grin, showing off a gleam of bright white teeth, and produced an oilpaper parcel from his robe, presenting it to her like a prized treasure: “An’an, I bought you sweet rice cakes — still warm. Your favorite.”

The muscles of Lin Sui’an’s face twitched violently.

An’an? What in the world is that?!

And sweet rice cakes? Isn’t it Jin Ruo who likes those sickly-sweet things?

Seeing that Lin Sui’an wasn’t taking the cakes, Hua Yitang looked a little deflated. His long lashes drooped as he blinked with pitiful dejection. “I know — aside from my looks, I have no real merit.” (Fangke let out a scornful snort.) “Being with me truly must be an unfair lot for you. Whenever I think of this, I cannot sleep at night, and my heart is pierced with anguish. Since — since that night — I have thought and thought, for many days, and have finally made a decision!” Hua Yitang suddenly seized Lin Sui’an’s hands, his gaze blazing with intensity. “I, Mu Tang, am a true man of seven feet — I cannot go on drifting and stumbling through life like this. I will make something of myself!”

Lin Sui’an’s eyelid twitched furiously. She turned her hand over and gripped Hua Yitang’s palm with crushing force. “What. Did. You. Just. Say?!”

Hua Yitang’s hand turned white under the pressure. His smile contorted and trembled. “An’an — I am devoted to you alone — I will give you a good life!”

An’an your head!

Lin Sui’an shifted her fingers, and there was a crack. Hua Yitang was instantly reduced to tears streaming down his face. Xiao Yu burst into applause. “Mu Tang is weeping tears of joy!”

The women beside them were profoundly moved, dabbing at their eyes:

“Oh, look at this young couple — what wonderful affection!”

“Young Master Mu may look slight and delicate, but he truly has backbone and character.”

“Sister Fang, don’t worry — getting Young Master Mu into Xiande Manor is something my husband will handle personally. As long as Young Master Mu works diligently, he is sure to carve out a fine future!”

Xiande Manor?!

Lin Sui’an’s heart gave a sharp jolt. She recognized that name — Yun Zhong Yue had mentioned it before. It was the other major power in Cheng County, aside from the Longshen Temple.

Hua Yitang seized the opportunity to withdraw his hand and bowed in thanks to the women. The women, deeply moved by his teary-eyed expression, showered him with the full force of their maternal affection, comforting and reassuring him for a good while, before at last departing in high spirits.

Once the outsiders had gone, Lin Sui’an straightened her robe and sat with composed posture. A single look, and Yita moved swiftly to close every door and window — and refilled Lin Sui’an’s tea while he was at it. Fangke, who had been sitting as though on pins and needles, made to escape, only to be pinned back in his seat by Lin Sui’an’s look. Hua Yitang, needless to say, simply stood there, hands and feet at a loss, his smile frozen stiff.

Lin Sui’an blew gently across the peppercorn husks floating on the surface of her tea. “Speak. What happened?”

Fangke: “My tongue is clumsy — I cannot explain it clearly.”

Yita: “My Tang tongue not good — cannot make it clear.”

Hua Yitang cleared his throat twice, drew his miniature fan from his sleeve, and flipped it open with a snap: “This matter, when one begins to speak of it, is truly a tale of a thousand twists and turns, thrilling and soul-stirring in equal measure, and represents the great brilliance and courage of I, Hua — what are you doing?!”

Fangke clapped a hand over Hua Yitang’s mouth. Yita grabbed his arm and dragged him aside. In perfect unison: “Will you please shut up?!”

Mu Xia came running out of the kitchen carrying a small clay pot of warmed broth, and placed it attentively before Lin Sui’an. “Lin Niangzi, this matter has many layers and complications — allow me to explain it to you in detail.”

Lin Sui’an picked up a piece of braised chicken and placed it in her mouth. The broth was rich, the meat fragrant — utterly satisfying to her soul.

Mu Xia cleared his throat. “Two days ago, Lin Niangzi fell unconscious from the poison, and the situation was extremely critical. Doctor Fang used every technique at his disposal to stabilize the spread of the toxin. Then, unexpectedly, Xuanming Shanren led all the Taoists of the Longshen Temple down the mountain into the city, bearing down upon this clinic with great ferocity. At the time, Lin Niangzi had only just been detoxified and could not be moved. We were too few and too weak to stand against Xuanming Shanren’s forces — and it was at this moment of extreme peril that Fourth Young Master stepped forward, deployed a chain of stratagems to repel the Longshen Temple, and thus saved all of our lives.”

Lin Sui’an raised an eyebrow. “What chain of stratagems?”

Mu Xia held up a finger. “The first link: he had me go to the county office to bring Constable Zhu and his men to provide support and stall for time. The second link: using an unexpected yet entirely plausible turn of events to trick Xuanming Shanren into abandoning his suspicions. The third link: having Yun Zhong Yue impersonate Lin Niangzi to lead the entire Longshen Temple away.”

“Oh?” Lin Sui’an ate another piece of meat. “What was this unexpected yet entirely plausible turn of events?”

Mu Xia’s conscience pricked at him: “…That particular detail is, in truth, not terribly important…”

Fangke gazed at the ceiling. Yita studied the floor. Hua Yitang, who had the thickest face of them all, looked away, the tips of his ears burning scarlet.

Lin Sui’an narrowed her eyes and set her chopsticks down with a clack. “Tell me.”

“Heh heh — it was nothing much, really. A manservant named Mu Tang and a young woman named Fang An were caught by the young woman’s elder brother, Doctor Fang, in a rather compromising moment — having pledged themselves to each other and been sharing the same bed.”

A slender voice slipped in, mingling with the sound of the rain, drifting like autumn maple leaves, winter snowflakes, spring willow catkins, summer dewdrops — light and weightless, and it rang through Lin Sui’an’s skull with a resounding hum.

Everyone in the room reacted with alarm. Then the window shutter creaked open a crack, and a slippery shadow slid inside, spun a little circle on the spot, and became an unremarkable-looking short man of about forty-something — sallow-faced, with beady green eyes and a few straggly, malnourished hairs on his chin.

He was carrying a long, narrow object wrapped in black cloth, roughly two feet in length, and his smile was thoroughly ill-intentioned. “Also bearing witness to this delightful spectacle at the time were Xuanming Shanren of the Longshen Temple, Constable Zhu, and a great crowd of Taoists — a roaring, surging mass of several dozen people. According to reports, the manservant called Mu Tang was at the time undressed and in a state of rather… enticing disarray!”

“What utter nonsense! I was clearly wearing my trousers — where on earth was there anything enticing about it?!” Hua Yitang leaped to his feet shouting. “Yun Zhong Yue, stop calling a stag a horse and spouting your slanderous rubbish!”

The man — that is to say, Yun Zhong Yue — grinned even more wickedly, and tossed the long, wrapped object to Lin Sui’an. Lin Sui’an caught it and understood immediately. She tore away the black cloth binding, and inside was indeed Qian Jing. With a flick of her wrist, Qian Jing left the scabbard, and its blade sent an eerie green arc of light sweeping through the room — which, as ill luck would have it, flashed directly across Hua Yitang’s throat.

Hua Yitang shuddered violently and fell instantly silent.

Lin Sui’an lowered her eyes to the hair-splitting blade of Qian Jing. “Yun Zhong Yue — is what you said true?”

“What happened that night has already spread throughout all of Cheng County — it has become the hottest gossip of the past two years. In just a few hours, it reached every ear in the city. Every last resident of the town is savoring it with great relish.” Yun Zhong Yue smiled. “If Lin Niangzi doesn’t believe me, you need only step outside and ask.”

“I see,” Lin Sui’an said with a nod, still staring at the blade. “Do you have any last words?”

Hua Yitang was drenched in cold sweat, his voice trembling. “At — at that time the situation was desperate — I — I couldn’t think of anything better, I swear — I didn’t do anything — truly, nothing at all! I behaved properly from start to finish! You were bundled up from head to toe — only a single toe was showing — Mother!!!”

A surging gale from the blade whistled by and sliced through the lock of hair at Hua Yitang’s temple. Hua Yitang yelped, his legs gave way and he sank to the floor, and as the all-encompassing light of Qian Jing bore down on him, he felt its fierce, bone-chilling killing intent against his face, his pores, his eyelashes, and the very surface of his eyes. He threw back his head and wailed at the top of his voice:

“Please don’t slash my face — please!!!”

I’m back, hahaha, head thrown back in laughter!

Took a leisurely trip to ring in the New Year, watched some wonderful films — absolutely satisfied!

Fully recharged!

Highly recommend The Wandering Earth 3 and Deep Sea — you absolutely must see both in IMAX. They were incredible!