Dailu Quarter. The third quarter of the Hour of Hai.

Fangke pressed his fingers in turn against Qiu Sanniang’s and A’Niu’s wrist pulses for a moment, then wrote out a prescription and handed it to Mu Xia. Mu Xia and Yita immediately ran to the kitchen to brew a fresh batch of medicine.

Zhu’s mother asked with a face full of anxiety, “Dr. Fang, how are they?”

“Their pulses have temporarily stabilized — there is no longer any danger to their lives,” Fangke said. “I have written a new prescription to clear heat and expel toxins. They should be able to wake up tomorrow.”

Zhu’s mother let out a breath of relief. Zhu Dachang tugged at Fangke and said in a low voice, “Then what about the poison in my mother? What do we do about that?”

“Qiu Sanniang and her son are constitutionally weak from birth, and on top of that they have gone hungry for years, leaving them malnourished. Their resistance against the talisman water’s poison is poor, which is why their symptoms came on so violently. Aunt Zhu, on the other hand, has a robust constitution. The palpitations she suffered earlier looked alarming, but her life was never truly at risk. Chief Registrar Zhu need not worry too much.”

“What about afterward?” Zhu Dachang pressed. “What about the other people of Cheng County? Didn’t you say the entire county has been poisoned?”

Fangke was silent for a long moment. “That is indeed the case.”

“Then — then then then then — can your antidote cure everyone’s poison?”

Fangke shook his head. “No.”

Zhu Dachang immediately grew frantic. “Then then then what on earth are we supposed to do?! If there’s truly no other way, we can report it to the prefectural government, report it to Guangdu City, report it to the Court of Judicial Review — aaahhh, where on earth have Hua Family’s Fourth Young Master and Lin Niangzi gone?! — “

Zhu’s mother delivered a slap to the back of Zhu Dachang’s head. “You are at least a county chief registrar — what kind of spectacle are you making of yourself, wailing and hollering like that? It’s far too early to be mourning. Everyone is still alive and breathing. What is there to panic about?” She looked toward Fangke. “Dr. Fang surely has a solution. Am I right?”

Fangke fell silent again.

Studying the cases of Qiu Sanniang and A’Niu, he had readjusted the antidote’s composition, and the effects had indeed improved — but the critical problem remained unsolved. They were urgently short of water-bathed silver toads. Without the medicinal catalyst to activate the antidote’s potency, the remedy could only achieve thirty percent of its intended effect. There was also a far graver problem: the medicinal supplies they had brought to Cheng County, at the very most, were only enough to treat several dozen people. With over nine hundred residents in the county, it was a drop in the ocean.

“The residents of Cheng County have mostly suffered chronic poisoning. Their five viscera and six bowels, their blood and sinew and bone, have all sustained damage. Their bodies have coexisted with the poison for many days now and have reached a delicate equilibrium. Should we rashly administer potent medicines, it may well be counterproductive. It is better to use mild medicines to treat them gradually and steadily. However —” Fangke fixed his gaze on Zhu Dachang. “Whether it is medicinal materials or the catalyst, both can only be obtained outside the city.”

Zhu Dachang’s face fell. “Xiande Manor and Longshen Temple have already sealed off the city. There is no way out.”

“Is the Chief Registrar unable to leave the city either?”

Zhu Dachang gave a bitter smile. “This chief registrar of mine is nothing but a figurehead.”

Zhu’s mother furrowed her brow tightly. Fangke pinched the bridge of his nose.

Yita and Mu Xia brought the medicine into the room and helped Qiu Sanniang and A’Niu drink it. The color slowly returned to both their faces. Hurried footsteps approached from afar, and Jin Ruo leapt in through the window, saying in a low voice, “Something feels wrong outside. Those Taoist priests who were searching the streets have all suddenly withdrawn — and they haven’t gone to Longshen Temple in the north of the city, but to Longmen Gate in the south.”

Fangke was startled. He strode quickly to the window to look out — and at that very moment, from the direction of Cheng Mountain, a bell toll suddenly rang out, shaking the heavens. Dong — dong — dong — vast flocks of night birds shrieked and burst from the pitch-black forest, like pale gray specters drifting in anguish across the dark sky.

Zhu’s mother’s expression changed drastically. “That is the Longshen Temple’s Heaven Bell!”

Fangke asked, “What does it mean?”

Zhu’s mother replied, “When the Heaven Bell shakes the sky, the Dragon God descends to this world. This is Longshen Temple’s announcement to the entire city that tomorrow is the Dragon God Sacrifice Day. All residents must kneel at the shores of Dragon God Lake to welcome the Dragon God’s manifestation. At that time, the temple’s Abbot will bestow talisman water upon the people, as a token of the Dragon God’s grace and blessing upon mortals.”

The expression on Fangke’s face darkened. Jin Ruo was stunned. “Have you actually seen the Dragon God?”

A look that defied description welled up on Zhu’s mother’s face. Her skin trembled uncontrollably. “Yes, I have!”

Jin Ruo clicked her tongue. “That was probably not the Dragon God manifesting at all — that was the talisman water causing hallucinations!”

Zhu’s mother’s face went ashen. She shook her head rapidly and said no more.

Fangke’s eyes grew dark and cold as ice. He gazed into the distant pitch-black night sky and silently cursed inwardly:

Where in the world have those two gone off to enjoy themselves?! Why aren’t they back here already to clean up this mess?!

Lin Sui’an was watching the moon.

She had been in Cheng County for so long, yet this was the first time she had seen the moon — it looked like a great silver plate with a bite taken out of it. Perhaps it was the wind, but the clouds moved swiftly, their edges blurring into soft outlines, as though draped in a layer of gauze.

This was a great earthen pit, three to four zhang deep, its walls made of black rock — like an enormous well, or a trap dug to catch wild beasts. Tall pine trees at the mouth stood like swords stabbing into the night sky, while the pit’s floor was carpeted with thick pine needles, and within those needles lay shriveled pine cones.

Besides herself, there were five other people in the pit.

Bingsi, Bing Shisi, Bing Ershi Si, and Bing Sanshi Si were seated across from her side by side, legs stretched out long before them, like four tattered rag dolls with their heads leaning against one another. They were wrapped in vine roots, their eyes tightly shut, breathing faint and shallow. All four of their heads had swollen up like pig’s heads. As Lin Sui’an recalled, she had apparently only broken their hands and feet during the fight — she had not struck at their faces — yet she could not understand how they had ended up like this.

Lin Sui’an was also half-lying, half-sitting — though she had a fragrant, warm human cushion behind her back. Without turning around, she already knew it was Hua Yitang.

The position was actually quite comfortable. Her head rested against Hua Yitang’s shoulder, her back pressed against Hua Yitang’s heartbeat, and every breath Hua Yitang exhaled brushed against her earlobe, sending a tickle from the tips of her hair all the way to her toes.

Hua Yitang was asleep. Lin Sui’an did not know how long he had slept, nor did she know how he had gotten her and these four people into this pit. By the time she had woken up, everything was already as it was now.

Hua Yitang’s arms encircled her, his hands clasped tightly together like a lock. Lin Sui’an tried to struggle free, then gave up — Hua Yitang’s hold was very firm, as though he feared, even in his dreams, that she might run away. More importantly, her entire body was now weak and limp, her hands and feet soft and feeble, as though she had become completely useless.

The bloodthirsty killing intent that had surged through her body earlier had long since vanished without a trace. The poison had probably dispersed. Lin Sui’an could not determine whether her current state was an aftereffect of suppressing the killing intent, or a complication from the poisoning — but it was far more severe than previous episodes, and she had no way of knowing when she would recover.

Lin Sui’an let out a long, quiet sigh.

The long, steady breath beside her ear faltered. Hua Yitang’s muscles suddenly tensed. “Y-y-you’re awake?”

Lin Sui’an made a sound of acknowledgment.

Hua Yitang’s heart began thudding wildly — dong dong dong — the vibrations tickling Lin Sui’an’s shoulder blades. He remained still, holding her, and asked carefully, “How are you feeling right now?”

“My whole body is weak,” Lin Sui’an said. “The poison should have dispersed.”

Hua Yitang hastily loosened his hold on Lin Sui’an, helped her sit up steadily, and pressed the back of his hand to her forehead. He smiled. “No fever. She really has recovered.”

Lin Sui’an studied him quietly. The young man before her was in tattered clothes — his shoulder area in particular was ripped badly enough to expose skin, where two bruised and purplish wounds were visible, as though worn raw by rope. His hands and face were covered in scrapes. His hair was a disheveled mess, stuck through with a few withered pine needles, and only half of a hairpin remained, dangling precariously. His lips were chapped and peeling, and a bloodied scab had formed on his cheekbone — yet his eyes were still bright and glittering, like stars.

And there was the fragrance on him — though much fainter than before, it still lingered, gentle and long-lasting.

A line of verse surfaced in Lin Sui’an’s mind without warning:

Fallen and crushed to dust and mud, only the fragrance remains unchanged.

Ahem. Given the circumstances, this seemed somewhat ill-suited to the moment.

Lin Sui’an looked away. “Where is this place?”

This one question opened the floodgates. Hua Yitang immediately launched into an animated account, waving his hands and gesturing energetically. “You have no idea how terrifying it was — the fire was roaring, things were cracking and crumbling from above, raining down debris, and there was all that horrible poisonous smoke. I used every last drop of my strength to drag you and those four pig-heads into the secret passage. Those four pig-heads were way too heavy — I couldn’t budge them an inch. At the most critical moment, I had a flash of inspiration: I tore the vine roots off the passage walls, tied those four pig-heads together in a chain, and made my escape — carrying you on my back while dragging them behind me along the passage — “

Lin Sui’an quietly glanced at the blue-and-swollen faces of the four men — Bingsi and the others — and could more or less guess what they had gone through on that journey.

“The passage was pitch-black, winding this way and that, with forks everywhere — more branching paths than I’d ever seen in my life. Fortunately, this one here is learned and knowledgeable, well-versed in the art of tracking scent on the wind, and led you all out safely by following the smell — only to find, right at the end of the passage, a pit hidden under dead branches and dried leaves, and wouldn’t you know it, I stepped right into it with one foot. And so, in we all went.”

As he finished, Hua Yitang struck a pose as if to say, “Mission accomplished.”

Lin Sui’an was amused. “You’ve worked hard.”

Hua Yitang flashed a grin of more than twenty white teeth, then pulled out from behind him a hand-woven grass fan and began waving it smugly. “Of course! With this distinguished son of wealth here, everything will naturally turn out splendidly!”

Lin Sui’an stared wide-eyed. “That fan — “

“I wove it myself. Impressive, isn’t it?” Hua Yitang cast an extremely disdainful look at the four men. “Four smelly fellows — fanning a bit of fragrant air their way is already more than generous. You surely don’t expect me to hold them in my arms too? How revolting!”

Lin Sui’an stifled a laugh. “The Hua Family’s Fourth Young Master is truly of the most brilliant wit.”

Hua Yitang was very pleased with this assessment. He gave the grass fan another wave and dropped his voice to a lower register. “What is the story behind these four?”

Lin Sui’an was quiet for a moment. “While they were fighting me, there was an instant when they seemed to recover their senses. They may still be saved.”

Hua Yitang frowned. “I gave them Dr. Fang’s antidote, but they still haven’t woken up until now. And we are trapped in this dangerous place, barely able to save ourselves — who knows what will happen, or whether there is still time…”

“There is time…” Lin Sui’an murmured. “There is still time…”

Moonlight filtered down through the gaps between the pine needles, as though spreading a layer of cool, rippling water across Lin Sui’an’s body. Hua Yitang felt a sharp, violent pang in his chest. He seemed to see, within Lin Sui’an, a loneliness so deep it had no bottom — as though, in all of heaven and earth, she stood utterly alone, with nothing to lean on in any direction.

Hua Yitang dared not make a sound. He thought for a moment, then scooted over, carefully pressing his shoulder against Lin Sui’an’s shoulder, and sat quietly beside her, gently swaying the grass fan so that more of the lingering fragrance from his clothes might drift her way.

All around them was complete silence. Lin Sui’an heard the sound of moonlight falling, felt Hua Yitang’s warmth, and breathed in the gentle scent of fruit and wood. The tension in her nerves eased, strand by strand. She exhaled softly and said, “Old Manor Master Qiu was already deeply poisoned before he died — his senses had entirely left him, but his strength and speed had increased greatly, nearly on par with my own. These four are the same. I have a feeling that they and I are…”

Very alike.

“You are not alike!” Hua Yitang’s voice was firm and clear. “They lost. But you win every time.”

Lin Sui’an gave a bitter smile. “That is because of Dr. Fang’s antidote, and your incense, and before that — “

Before that, it was because you happened to be there. If she had been relying only on herself…

“That is precisely the greatest difference between you and them.” Hua Yitang gently took hold of Lin Sui’an’s hand, turned his head, and looked steadily into her eyes. “Behind you, there is Dr. Fang, there is Jin Ruo, Yita, Mu Xia — and there is me.”

The young man’s brows and eyes were open and bright, and his long lashes shimmered silver in the moonlight. Lin Sui’an felt a rush of warmth rise to her eyes, and her throat tightened. She hastily lowered her gaze.

Hua Yitang quietly curved the corners of his mouth, his tone as though he had noticed nothing out of the ordinary, and continued fanning the tattered grass fan. “Ah — come to think of it, we have quite a number of people backing us up, haven’t we? Needless to say there is our own Hua Clan — and then there is Ling Sixth Young Master, the Court of Judicial Review, and Bai Ruyi and Bai Xiang, who could be counted as two more, more or less…”

Lin Sui’an listened quietly: How wonderful. She is someone with people behind her now.

All of a sudden, Lin Sui’an sensed something strange. The hairs on her back stood on end all at once. She snapped her head up.

In the pallid moonlight, a head was hanging upside down and peering into the pit’s opening. Its eyebrows had drooped into a downturned eight shape, and its mouth was opening and closing, forming words. “Tsk tsk tsk. I’ve been searching for you two until smoke was coming out of my head and fire from my feet, and here you are, having found yourselves a lovely spot to admire the moon, enjoy the breeze, and exchange sweet nothings. You’re really quite inconsiderate, aren’t you?!”

“A ghost!” Hua Yitang screamed.

“Not a ghost,” said Lin Sui’an, shielding Hua Yitang with one arm and rapidly identifying the features of the upside-down face. “That is Xuanqing from Longshen Temple…”

Hm?

The head smiled, and switched to a different voice — clear and melodious, like fingers plucking strings beneath water. “Palace imperial liquor wine — “

“One hundred and eighty per cup — ” Lin Sui’an responded to the code by reflex, then immediately caught herself. “Yun Zhong Yue?!”

The Taoist Xuanqing — Yun Zhong Yue — blinked, then tilted her mouth to one side. “With so many eyes watching, the two of you making eyes at each other like this — are you not in the least bit embarrassed?”

Lin Sui’an and Hua Yitang both startled and looked in the direction Yun Zhong Yue had indicated — only to find that the four people across from them had, at some unknown point, opened their eyes, and were now staring straight at them without blinking.

Mini Theater

Bingsi: Good grief, I open my eyes and I’m immediately force-fed a mouthful of secondhand romance. My heart can’t take it.

Bing Shisi, Bing Ershi Si, Bing Sanshi Si: Same.