Lu Ying and the others returned at dawn, hearing sounds from inside the room.

Wei Caiwei: “I need to pull it out. Bear with it—this thing went in too deep.”

Wang Daxia: “Be gentle.”

Wei Caiwei: “You should bite down on this wet cloth. I’m afraid you’ll be in severe pain and bite your tongue.”

Wang Daxia: “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

Lu Ying was about to push the door open when Wu Xiaoqi stopped him. “…Chief, let’s come back later.” These sounds were too suggestive for the imagination.

Lu Ying glanced at his subordinates supporting each other, all wounded. “Why wait? Your injuries are urgent. Being soaked by rain makes recovery even more difficult.”

Lu Ying pushed the door open and saw Wang Daxia lying on a bamboo bed, his two long legs bare. His right leg was elevated on a box, while Wei Caiwei sat on a small stool, using iron forceps to extract a boomerang-like hidden weapon that had penetrated deep into the root of his thigh.

When the hidden weapon was pulled out, it brought flesh and blood with it. Wang Daxia bit down on the cloth, moaning in agony, his body convulsing involuntarily. He nearly knocked into the silver needle Wei Caiwei was holding for suturing. Lu Ying and the others rushed forward, holding Wang Daxia down so Wei Caiwei could quickly stitch the wound.

After the suturing was complete, Wang Daxia was in such pain that his eyes were unfocused. During the battle, he had been too absorbed in fighting, feeling it was just like a bee sting—nothing painful. He hadn’t expected such an intense “aftershock” and now felt genuinely afraid.

The wound was in a tricky location—just a little further and it would have been his buttocks.

If the boomerang had been shot from the front, the injured area would have been exactly Wang Xiaoxia’s head.

Too dangerous! Wang Daxia thought: Fortunately it was shot from behind, otherwise Wei Caiwei might have had to remain a living widow in the future.

The pain was in Wang Daxia’s body, but his mind was still thinking of Wei Caiwei.

Wei Caiwei dissolved a pill and had him take it. “I’ve treated most of your injuries. You’re very fortunate that no tendons, bones, or internal organs were damaged.”

Wang Daxia took a sip, his eyebrows twitching like writhing caterpillars. “So bitter.”

Wei Caiwei brought out a piece of tiger eye silk candy. “Drink quickly. You’ll get candy after you finish.”

Wang Daxia began acting coquettishly. “One piece isn’t enough. I want more.”

Originally, seeing Wang Daxia covered in wounds, Lu Ying felt pity. Among his subordinates, Wang Daxia was the most severely injured. But seeing Wang Daxia so immersed in his role, still reveling in the world of a country-destroying enchantress even after completing his honey trap mission, Lu Ying suddenly felt disgusted.

Lu Ying picked up the medicine cup, grabbed Wang Daxia’s chin, forced open his mouth, and poured the medicine down his throat with gurgling sounds. After finishing, he stuffed a piece of tiger eye silk candy into his mouth. “What’s so scary about bitterness? Compared to all your injuries, what does this amount to? Sleep it off, and tomorrow you’ll be a good man again.”

Wang Daxia chewed the candy, not daring to speak.

Wei Caiwei went to treat the other Embroidered Uniform Guards. While Lu Ying was changing into dry clothes, she secretly stuffed a handful of tiger eye silk candy under Wang Daxia’s pillow, whispering: “Eat them secretly under the covers. Don’t let Lu Ying see.”

The crying child gets milk; the coquettish man has the best life. Wang Daxia secretly pulled Wei Caiwei’s hand under the covers, rubbing it repeatedly, whispering: “You are this slave’s medicine (Note 1), the honey that sweetens my mouth.”

Wei Caiwei gently pinched his ticklish spot. “Let go. There are people around us. Be careful not to expose ourselves.”

At this moment, Ding Wu came over from next door, saying: “Luo Longwen seems to have sensed something. He’s already fled.”

Lu Ying came out after changing clothes and asked: “Is the gold still there?”

Ding Wu replied: “Most of it should still be there. Luo Longwen left with light baggage, taking very few things. I also found in the boxes the tax exemption documents for passing checkpoints that Yan Shifan had written for him, secret letters, several pieces of correspondence, and half-made fragrant ink.”

Wei Caiwei, who was treating patients nearby, pricked up her ears to listen carefully. Lu Ying said: “If Luo Longwen just fled, that would be manageable, but I fear he’ll return to the capital and tell Yan Shifan that we’ve been tracking him all along, keeping an eye on his gold. Yan Shifan is someone who loves money like his life—if we confiscate his gold, it’s like taking his life. How could he easily spare us? For now, we can only file the first complaint.”

Lu Ying picked up his brush. “I’ll write to my second brother-in-law, saying that Yan Shifan sent his confidant Luo Longwen to liaise with the Japanese pirates, funding them with five thousand taels of gold, intending to profit from smuggling. Yan Shifan’s tax exemption documents, secret correspondence, and these five thousand taels of gold are all evidence.”

Wang Daxia pounded the bed, saying: “Right! Otherwise, why would he bring five thousand taels of gold to Jiangnan? He must have come to collaborate with the Japanese.”

Wang Daxia took out the Ming King’s great seal. For this past month, he had been the one managing the seal. Fortunately, Wei Caiwei and Lu Ying had rescued him in time, otherwise, if the Ming King had died of illness, Wang Daxia might have had to become the new Ming King and pirate chief.

Wang Daxia tossed the great seal to Lu Ying, saying: “Find some skilled calligraphers to imitate the Ming King’s handwriting and create several letters between Yan Shifan and the Ming King discussing their division of spoils. Anyway, I have the ready-made seal here—just stamp it and it’ll pass for real. Tomorrow we’ll stuff these letters into the Ming King’s study and let General Yu and General Qi discover them. They’re both Xu Jie’s men and will naturally present the evidence. Now that we’ve reached this point, either Yan Shifan dies or we perish—what’s there to worry about! Use every method possible against him. Random punches can kill the master—we don’t need to fear him.”

“Good idea.” Ding Wu rolled up his sleeves. “I can imitate handwriting. I’ll write them.”

Everyone was busy plotting against Yan Shifan, and no one suggested pursuing the disappeared Luo Longwen. Wei Caiwei felt relieved. The first hint of light appeared in the east. Although the rainy sky remained dark and the night seemed endless, the long night would end, and darkness would eventually have its limit.

The next day, everyone acted according to plan. Wang Daxia developed a fever, turning red all over like a cooked crab when hot. When cold, even with two blankets, he still shivered violently, his teeth chattering.

Wei Caiwei examined all his wounds. The other injuries were fine, but only the spot where the Japanese boomerang had struck deep in his thigh root began to fester.

The boomerang must have been contaminated with something unclean beforehand. Wei Caiwei ground artemisia into powder and applied it to the affected area, then used dandelion, isatis leaves, and other heat-clearing medicinal herbs to prevent the festering from spreading.

When Wang Daxia was delirious with fever, both Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou came to visit him. Seeing Wei Caiwei beside the sickbed wearing plain clothes and a mourning hairstyle, both men wondered why they had found a widow to treat the illness.

It wasn’t until Wei Caiwei stood up to bow that the two realized the widow’s appearance was remarkably similar to Doctor He.

Qi Jiguang asked: “Where is your elder brother, Doctor He?”

Wei Caiwei replied: “There is no elder brother. I am Doctor He. I was originally a woman—oh, and also a widow.”

Qi Jiguang was shocked for the third time: How are all these Embroidered Uniform Guards gender-reversed? And all so capable!

It took a full ten days for Wang Daxia to recover. His fever broke, the sutures were removed, and he could get up and walk around. Wei Caiwei felt a huge weight lifted from her shoulders.

Lu Ying counted the firearms stolen by the White Lotus Sect one by one, recovering about two hundred pieces. He kept several as evidence and gave the rest to Qi Jiguang’s army and Yu Dayou’s forces to continue fighting the Japanese pirates.

Everyone traveled north together, taking the waterway along the Grand Canal for about a month. The large boat reached the Linqing checkpoint where they had started, and everyone again stayed at the local largest inn—the Xie Family Inn.

When they had come, it was the first month with the river frozen by ice and snow. When returning, it was already summer with the sound of countless frogs. Along both banks of the Linqing Canal were merchants traveling between north and south, making the Xie Family Inn bustling and prosperous.

In a pavilion by the river, Ding Wu, Wei Caiwei, Lu Ying, and Wang Daxia sat together just as they had when arriving—only last time was a meeting, this time was a farewell.

Lu Ying and the others would continue by large boat to Tongzhou, then enter the capital. Ding Wu would go ashore, buy horses, and head northwest. Everyone would part ways.

With this, the mission to destroy the White Lotus Sect was more than half complete. Of the four great leaders under Sect Master Zhao Quan, three had been eliminated, an important source of the White Lotus Sect’s funding had been cut off, and most of the lost firearms had been recovered.

Next, Ding Wu would return to the White Lotus Sect’s main altar in Fengcheng, continuing to rely on Third Madam as his patron while dealing with the White Lotus Sect.

With this parting, who knew when they would meet again. A faint sorrow of separation hung over the pavilion. Wei Caiwei’s eyes reddened first, and she ate in silence.

Lu Ying was still in mourning and couldn’t drink alcohol. She used tea as wine, breaking the silence by toasting Ding Wu. “I wish you safe travels, swift success, and an early victory over the White Lotus Sect. I… we’ll all wait for your return.”

After the two drank together, Ding Wu picked up the teapot first, poured tea for Lu Ying, then filled his own cup with wine and toasted Wang Daxia. “My sister is your neighbor. They say distant relatives aren’t as good as close neighbors. I’m far away in Fengcheng, beyond my reach, so I must rely on you, this close neighbor.”

In two years, we won’t be neighbors anymore—you’ll have to call me brother-in-law. Wang Daxia raised his wine cup. “Elder Brother Ding, rest assured. Doctor Wei is a capable person. Actually, Doctor Wei has always been taking care of me… and the Embroidered Uniform Guards. Though she’s not one of our people, she’s made many contributions and is a friend of the Embroidered Uniform Guards. Besides me, Commander Lu also cares about her greatly.”

The two drank together. Now it was Wei Caiwei’s turn. She forced back the tears swirling in her eyes and raised her wine cup. “Everything is going well for me in the capital. I have friends, a promising job, and things are all moving in a good direction. Elder Brother Ding needn’t worry. But Elder Brother Ding is alone in Fengcheng, living a double life, gathering intelligence while guarding against exposure. I can’t help you with anything—you must be careful in everything.”

Ding Wu said: “I will. I will definitely complete the mission and return to the capital. Then we’ll go back to Tieling together to move our adoptive parents’ remains to the capital. Fallen leaves return to their roots—with a long life ahead, it will be convenient for annual memorial visits.”

This grand promise that Ding Wu painted was truly enticing. Wei Caiwei’s eyes, washed by tears, were especially bright as she nodded emphatically.

Wang Daxia said: “I’ll go too!”

All three looked at him: What business is it of yours?

Wang Daxia said: “I’ve never been to the Northeast. I just want to travel around and see places. This trip to Jiangnan has broadened my horizons considerably—staying in the capital all the time is like being a frog at the bottom of a well.” Why can’t I go? By then, I might already be Banxia’s husband—a son-in-law is half a son, after all.

The next day, the three people on the boat watched Ding Wu ride west on horseback. Wei Caiwei returned to the cabin, and tears she had held back for so long finally fell. Soon after, there was movement at the cabin door. “It’s me.”

It was Lu Ying’s voice. Wei Caiwei dried her tears and opened the door. Lu Ying entered and asked: “Can you teach me how to apply makeup? We’re almost home, and I want to cover the scars on my face.”

Author’s Note: Today is Sunday, but everyone has to work and go to school. I’m sending out 100 red packets as consolation.