Shi Ting brought Yan Qing to Shun Cheng’s renowned black market.

The entrance to this black market was extremely well-concealed, and ordinary people had absolutely no way of getting in.

Yan Qing had heard Shi Ting mention it before — the materials for her wheelchair had been purchased here, and the quality was exceptional. Now that she had actually come to this legendary place, it was quite different from how she had imagined.

The black market was lined with shops, but these shops did not sell liquor or food or clothing — they sold things that were very difficult to find elsewhere.

Weapons, antiques, and all manner of rare and curious objects.

Shi Ting made his way to an inconspicuous shop and pushed open the door.

A man was sitting on a sofa, his long legs propped up on the chair in front of him, a glass of red wine held lazily in his hand as he sipped at leisure.

When he heard someone enter, he didn’t even look up, and said indolently: “Browse as you like.”

Yan Qing recognized him at once — this was the young man named Xie Yan who had been at Shi Ting’s side at the wedding.

Shi Ting’s hand suddenly held a steel ball, which he lightly flicked — and the glass in Xie Yan’s hand shattered into pieces.

Xie Yan’s eyes flew open, and he erupted in fury: “Damn it, a glass imported from overseas, twenty silver dollars apiece, you son of a — “

Before he could finish, he caught sight of the person behind Shi Ting, and his eyes immediately lit up: “Oh ho, so you’ve brought along a pretty little face.”

Yan Qing: “…”

“Shi Qi, not that your older brother wants to lecture you, but you’ve only just gotten married and here you are sneaking out behind your lovely young wife’s back to fool around — and not only are you fooling around, you’ve gone and found yourself a man. Tsk, tsk, tsk… after all these years of friendship, I never would have guessed — you’ve got quite the eclectic taste.”

“Good day, Mr. Xie.” Yan Qing could not bear to listen any further, and stepped out from behind Shi Ting, giving Xie Yan a slight smile.

Xie Yan stared at the somewhat familiar face before him, blinking once, twice…

“Sis — sister-in-law?”

Yan Qing smiled: “I heard from Shi Ting that the materials he used to make my wheelchair were provided by Mr. Xie — Yan Qing has not yet had the chance to thank Mr. Xie.”

“Not at all, not at all.” Xie Yan gave an awkward laugh, then turned and glared at Shi Ting, blinking his eyes furiously in a silent plea for rescue.

You little wretch, you didn’t tell me, making me embarrass myself in front of my sister-in-law like this.

“That set of glasses — I have one at my place; I’ll have someone send it to you.” Shi Ting couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. “I came to find you because I need you to introduce me to someone.”

“Who?” Xie Yan settled onto the sofa and picked up a fresh glass. Once glass in hand, he shot Shi Ting a wary look: “You dare smash my glass again, I’ll twist your head off and use it as a ball.”

Yan Qing: “…”

This was the first time she had ever heard anyone speak to Director Shi like that.

But Shi Ting’s expression remained perfectly calm and unruffled as he replied: “I need a master practitioner of the gu craft.”

“The gu craft — who are you trying to harm?”

“I only wish to consult them on a few matters.”

Xie Yan poured himself a glass of wine and began drinking at an unhurried pace. “Very well — you drink a few cups with me, and I’ll take you there.”

Shi Ting lowered his head, idly toying with a small steel ball between his fingers. Seeing this, Xie Yan quickly set his glass down: “Who wants to drink wine — important matters come first, let’s go, right now.”

Yan Qing watched from the side, unable to suppress a smile behind her hand.

Xie Yan was Shi Ting’s friend, and this was the first time she had seen him with a friend. It seemed the experience was not exactly “very pleasant.”

Xie Yan led the way, guiding the two of them through the lively black market.

The black market was full of men, every one of them looking fierce and menacing — clearly not good people. No wonder Shi Ting had told her to wear men’s clothing. For a woman to suddenly appear in a place like this would truly be shocking, and would invite unnecessary trouble.

“Master Xie.” Shop owners who caught sight of Xie Yan bowed their heads respectfully without exception.

Someone even pressed a chicken leg into Xie Yan’s hand; he actually started eating it right as he walked.

Xie Yan was about the same height as Shi Ting, with a pair of flirtatious peach-blossom eyes, and a face that was utterly flawless. Judging by the respectful attitude of the passersby toward him, one could easily gauge his standing here.

It was just… he paid very little regard to his own imposing, dignified image.

“Do you want some?” Xie Yan held out the half-eaten chicken leg to Shi Ting.

Shi Ting didn’t even glance at him: “Lead the way.”

Yan Qing quietly exhaled in relief — she had been genuinely afraid Shi Ting might actually take the chicken leg and start gnawing on it, which would have made her feel as though the whole world had gone topsy-turvy.

The group arrived before a wooden door. Xie Yan knocked, and before long a young woman came to open it.

Seeing Xie Yan, the woman smiled and said: “Master Xie.”

They entered the shop; the dim, gray walls inside were covered with all manner of strange masks, along with some odd weapons whose names Yan Qing could not begin to guess.

Shi Ting quietly warned Yan Qing: “Everything here is poisoned — do not touch anything.”

Yan Qing gave a start, finding the place more eerie and unsettling than ever.

“Grandmother is inside.” The young woman led the three of them into an inner room.

On the heated brick bed of the small room sat a woman. She was dressed in rather worn clothes, her skin wrinkled and dried out as though it lacked moisture. Her eyes were closed at that moment, eye sockets deeply sunken, looking like a skeleton sitting there.

“Grandma Liu, it’s me, Xie Yan.” Xie Yan stepped forward.

Grandma Liu did not open her eyes, but her nose twitched, and when her eyes did open, they fixed on the half-eaten chicken leg in Xie Yan’s hand.

Xie Yan quickly handed the chicken leg to her.

Grandma Liu took it, crossed her legs, and bit into it with gusto.

She was clearly toothless, yet she gnawed at that chicken leg without the slightest hesitation.

Yan Qing: “…”

What sort of remarkable characters did this black market produce, anyway?

Grandma Liu ate the chicken leg clean, leaving not a shred of meat, tossed the bone aside, wiped her mouth on her sleeve, and said: “What do you want to ask? Ask away.”

Shi Ting then spoke: “I would like to ask Grandma Liu about gu poison.”

Shi Ting proceeded to recount the matter of Bi Zhu.

“Is this woman still a maiden?”

Yan Qing had never asked this, but Bi Zhu was young and had not yet wed at home. She had been brought all the way to Shun Cheng under someone’s protection and should still be a virgin.

“She should be.”

“Is she slightly plump in build, with a ruddy complexion?”

“Indeed.”

Grandma Liu fanned herself with a tattered palm-leaf fan as she spoke: “She is waiting for the right time.”

“The right time?”

“You say this gu woman has been in the Mansion for 77 days, yet no one in the Mansion has been afflicted with gu — it is not that she has not yet made her move, but that her gu has not yet fully matured. There is a kind of gu called a child gu. It requires placing seven types of venomous creatures into a jar, burying it at a crossroads, then refining it over a censer fire, feeding it with a maiden’s menstrual blood, and waiting until the 81st day — nine times nine — to remove and complete it.” Grandma Liu half-closed her eyes.

“And what is this child gu used for?”

“The child gu is used specifically against women who are with child. If a pregnant woman ingests it, the child in her womb will dissolve into bloody water, and the pregnant woman herself will be rendered unable to conceive or bear children ever again. In severe cases, she will suffer lasting illness, and at worst, within one or two years, she will be in her grave.”

Shi Ting and Yan Qing were thunderstruck upon hearing this.

The only woman in the Shi Mansion carrying a child was San Yitai Du Linghua. Although Shi Guang’s concubine Qiu Cao was also pregnant, her status was too low for anyone to go to such elaborate lengths against her.

“Is there any way to counter it?” Shi Ting suppressed the cold dread in his heart.

Grandma Liu said: “The gu has not yet fully matured, so the best course of action is to find where the gu woman has buried the gu, retrieve it, and kill it with pomegranate root water. If the gu is killed before it matures, the gu woman will suffer a backlash — her appearance will age twenty years within forty-nine days, and she will forever lose the ability to raise gu.”

With so many crossroads in Shun Cheng, where would Bi Zhu have buried the gu?

“Grandma Liu, do you have a way to find the burial site?” Shi Ting asked.

Grandma Liu thought for a moment: “I don’t have that ability myself, but on the day before the gu reaches full maturity, it must feed on menstrual blood. The gu woman will go to tend to it on that day. If you want to find it, just have someone follow her.”

“Oh yes.” Grandma Liu added as a reminder: “The final surviving venomous creature will produce one black pellet. That is the child gu — that is what the gu user employs to harm people.”

The three of them thanked Grandma Liu and departed. Once outside, Shi Ting said to Xie Yan: “Grandma Liu’s favor — put it on my account.”

“Grandma Liu is no ordinary person.” Xie Yan winked mysteriously. “Don’t worry — I’ll have someone bring her two roasted chickens in a moment.”

Yan Qing: “…”

Now that was a remarkable person!

After leaving the black market, the two of them quickly returned to the car.

“We’ll go find pomegranate root water first.” Shi Ting instructed Dihuai to drive. “Zheng Yun’s house has two pomegranate trees out back — we’ll dig one up.”

“Director Shi helping himself to a subordinate’s property, truly without ceremony.” Yan Qing teased him.

“That pomegranate tree of Zheng Yun’s is a lazy one — apparently it’s been growing for years without flowering or bearing fruit. I am helping Zheng Yun tidy things up.”

This was Yan Qing’s first time visiting Zheng Yun’s home, and it was different from what she had imagined. Zheng Yun’s was a standalone house with only a small courtyard, swept and tidied spotlessly clean. And sure enough, behind his house, there were indeed two pomegranate trees.

Zheng Yun was dressed in casual clothes, practicing with a long spear in the courtyard. The spear shifted and transformed in his hands like a living serpent — most impressive.

“Seventh Brother.” Zheng Yun saw Shi Ting enter and paused in surprise, instantly drawing in his spear.

When he caught sight of the person at Shi Ting’s side, the lingering astonishment on his face deepened.

“Squad Leader Zheng is so impressive.” Stars flickered in Yan Qing’s eyes. “So you also practice the long spear.”

Zheng Yun recognized Yan Qing’s voice: “Oh, it’s sister-in-law.”

“May I take a look at your spear?” Yan Qing asked.

“No.” Shi Ting took her hand: “This spear is very heavy — don’t strain your wrists.”

Zheng Yun smiled: “Indeed, sister-in-law, just have a look — don’t hurt yourself.”

Yan Qing ran her fingers curiously along the red-tasseled long spear: “Squad Leader Zheng, do you live here alone?”

“Yes.” Zheng Yun said: “Just me.”

Yan Qing did not press further — she felt that continuing to ask would likely intrude on someone’s privacy.

But Zheng Yun was forthcoming on his own: “My father and mother are not in Shun Cheng.”

Hearing this, Yan Qing smiled in understanding: “I think this place is too quiet for you — you need a mistress of the house.”

Zheng Yun looked a little embarrassed: “I haven’t given it that much thought for the moment, and besides, I doubt any woman would want to marry me.”

“Squad Leader Zheng is being far too modest — if you were to shout once in the street right now, I guarantee the young women would line up wanting to marry you.”

“Sister-in-law is teasing me.” Zheng Yun’s face had gone red.

Yan Qing stopped teasing him and quietly withdrew her gaze from the long spear.

“Seventh Brother, coming this late at night, there must be something important?” Zheng Yun returned to a serious expression.