Before she died, An Jiu wouldn’t mind taking a moment from her busy schedule to give Hua Rongjian an extra stab.

“Yes, yes, Young Master Hua speaks sense. Don’t be afraid to seek medical attention,” Mo Sigui agreed.

This “common enemy” instantly united the two who had always been in oppressed positions. Hua Rongjian said, “You may not heed my words, but you can’t disregard Miracle Doctor Mo’s advice.”

An Jiu squinted one eye to check if the crossbow’s main body was straight, drawling, “You two haven’t exchanged many words in half a month. Are you now like turtles eyeing mung beans, finding each other increasingly agreeable?”

“Then I must be the mung bean,” Hua Rongjian quickly responded.

Mo Sigui paused his work, staring at the handsome Hua Rongjian, and sighed, “May I ask where your integrity lies, brother?”

Hua Rongjian, dressed in a cyan robe, smiled cleanly and brightly in the sunlight, every inch the image of a noble young master, his whole being radiating integrity.

“Hmph!” Seeing Hua Rongjian unmoved, Mo Sigui decided to play along. He gestured with his hand, “What’s so good about mung beans? A turtle is this big!”

Hearing Mo Sigui’s words, Hua Rongjian found him more agreeable and changed the subject. “My elder brother heard that the Miracle Doctor likes fans, so he instructed me to find one. Would you like to take a look?”

Only then did Mo Sigui notice the box in Hua Rongjian’s hands.

Hua Rongjian opened the box, revealing a folding fan resting inside. The jet-black fan ribs emitted a cold, deep light in the sunlight, casting a dark purple sheen on the snow-white silk lining the box.

“This is…” Mo Sigui was instantly captivated, reaching out to touch the fan ribs.

An icy sensation seeped into his fingers, traveling through his meridians with his qi. In moments, his mind cleared.

“Ice dragon brain,” Mo Sigui picked up the folding fan and opened it. The fan’s face was pure white, seemingly gleaming with tiny droplets. “Heavenly silkworm silk.”

“Indeed. And it’s from a double cocoon,” Hua Rongjian added with a smile.

Heavenly silkworm silk, besides being more durable, fire and water-resistant, and impervious to blades, made even more beautiful fabric. Even undyed, it was quite eye-catching.

Double cocoons could be found among ordinary silkworm cocoons. A “double cocoon” refers to a single cocoon containing two silkworm pupae. Usually, the double-cocoon silk was used for making wedding quilts for brides, while in wealthy households, even the quilt filling was made from stretched double-cocoon silk. Double cocoons were already rare among ordinary cocoons, and among heavenly silkworms, they were even scarcer.

“Why does the Hua family offer such a precious gift?” Mo Sigui put the fan back.

The Hua family’s continuous gestures of goodwill surely had a purpose. No matter how fine the fan was, it needed careful consideration.

“It’s just a small favor for the Miracle Doctor,” Hua Rongjian said. “My elder brother has been poisoned. We only ask for your help in detoxifying him.”

Mo Sigui asked with interest, “Oh? What kind of poison?”

Hua Rongjian explained, “Two years ago when my brother had just been promoted to Zhixumiyuanshi, someone poisoned him somewhere unknown. At first, there weren’t any significant symptoms, just daily chest pain, usually a twinge or two when he was about to fall asleep. He didn’t pay much attention. But after two months, the pain lasted longer. Just half a month ago, a spot of cinnabar appeared on his chest…”

“Why didn’t he seek medical attention earlier?” Mo Sigui understood but found it strange. Given the Hua family’s influence, surely it wouldn’t have been difficult to ask the emperor to send Elder Qi to diagnose him.

“How could we not have? We sought out famous doctors everywhere, but none could cure him. Then we thought of the miracle doctor in the Konghejun who could revive flesh and bone. So my father personally went to the palace to beg, but the emperor trusted those Taoist priests greatly. He bestowed some ‘immortal pills’ upon my father, without mentioning the miracle doctor at all.” Hua Rongjian’s face lost all trace of a smile, the veins on his forehead and neck bulging, clearly suppressing his emotions.

The Grand Tutor Hua had never fully grasped the emperor’s intentions. If he didn’t intend to save Hua Rongtian’s life, why would he offer “immortal pills”? After all, the emperor was extremely faithful to Taoism, following a Taoist master in pursuit of immortality, and had been taking pills himself. Unless these “immortal pills” were fake.

“Tsk, tsk.” After listening, Mo Sigui already knew that this poison was Elder Qi’s concoction called “Ghost Flower.” From poisoning to death, a large red mark would form on the heart, resembling a red spider lily.

Red spider lilies were colloquially known as ghost flowers in some places. In Taoism, they were believed to guide souls and represent the mysterious cycle of past and present lives. Elder Qi must have created this poison specifically for Hua Rongtian, understanding his feelings for his deceased wife.

Setting aside these extraneous details, Ghost Flower was a slow-acting poison that required long-term consumption to be fatal. Once the cinnabar color on the chest formed a flower pattern, it would be beyond cure. By Mo Sigui’s calculation, for Hua Rongtian’s poisoning to reach this stage, even if he hadn’t consumed it daily, he must have ingested this poison for at least half a year out of the past year.

Seeing Mo Sigui frown, Hua Rongjian couldn’t help but ask, “Is it very tricky?”

Elder Qi had rarely visited Bianjing in the past decade and couldn’t possibly have developed a deep grudge against Hua Rongtian. The only possibility was that he was ordered to create this poison, which was then administered by someone else.

For Mo Sigui, detoxifying this poison wasn’t difficult. The tricky part was that this matter itself was entangled in a power struggle. He was considering whether helping would lead him into an inescapable situation. For just a fan, it didn’t seem worth it.

But considering that the Hua family was the first to inform him of An Jiu’s whereabouts and had offered such a generous reward, he couldn’t openly go back on his recent promise. “Alright, but you must promise me one thing.”

“Please speak,” Hua Rongjian’s expression relaxed slightly.

“The matter of curing your brother’s poison cannot be disclosed,” Mo Sigui said.

Hua Rongjian assured him, “You can rest easy about this. We won’t spread the word.”

Mo Sigui took paper and brush, quickly writing down a prescription. “Go prepare these medicinal ingredients.”

Hua Rongjian took the prescription with surprise, paused for a moment, and then his face gradually darkened. “The miracle doctor in the Konghejun, he’s from the Mei family, isn’t he?”

If Mo Sigui hadn’t known about this poison beforehand, he couldn’t have prescribed medicines without examining the patient.

Elder Qi’s reputation among common people wasn’t as widespread as Mo Sigui’s, but the Konghejun families and the jianghu world knew of such a person. In his early years, he traveled and adventured, earning the title “Divine Hand Holy Doctor,” feared even by the King of Hell. However, few knew he was an elder of the Mei family, otherwise the threshold of Meihua Li would have been worn down by visitors.

Thinking of this, Mo Sigui hoped the King of Hell wouldn’t hold a grudge, or the old man might suffer when he reached his domain.

“Miracle Doctor?” Hua Rongjian pulled him back from his thoughts.

Mo Sigui quickly distanced himself from the matter. “I’m only responsible for treating illnesses. Figure out everything else yourselves. Don’t involve me.”

“Of course. I asked too much. Please don’t take offense, Miracle Doctor.” Hua Rongjian had already guessed everything behind this but just wanted confirmation. Since Mo Sigui was unwilling to speak, he didn’t press further. “We’ll trouble the Miracle Doctor with my brother’s illness then.”

“It’s my duty, to fulfill my promise!” Mo Sigui said.

After these two finished discussing business, they realized that An Jiu was still engrossed in her work, having paid no attention to their conversation.