With a flash of her figure, she appeared on Yelu Qi’s bamboo tower. The window that was usually open was tightly shut, and there was no one upstairs.

A clanging sound came from below, followed by a bang that shook the entire bamboo tower. She flashed downstairs and before she could steady herself, a black shadow came crashing toward her. She instinctively dodged, and the black shadow slammed hard into the side pillar of the bamboo tower, snapping it with a crack. Half the bamboo tower immediately collapsed.

Before Jing Hengbo could see clearly who the crashing black shadow was, someone from the uncollapsed half was beckoning to her: “Hengbo, that side is about to collapse. Come over here.”

Hearing this voice and seeing the dim figure – Yelu Qi sitting cross-legged on the ground – Jing Hengbo’s heart settled. She swept over and asked: “How are you?”

The bamboo tower was close to the surrounding wall with no light below. She couldn’t see Yelu Qi’s expression clearly, only heard him smile slightly: “Just a sneak attack by some petty thief.”

Jing Hengbo smelled heavy medicinal scents, and something seemed to be dripping from overhead. Presumably Yelu Qi had been brewing medicine in the bamboo tower when someone attacked and the medicine pot overturned.

At this moment, a black shadow struggled out from under the half-collapsed bamboo tower. Jing Hengbo glanced at it and sneered: “Of course it’s you.”

The black-clothed youth snorted coldly.

“Earlier by the latrine, you were planning to assassinate Yelu Qi, weren’t you? When I ran into you, to divert my attention, you simply told me about those patients’ identities, making me shocked and confused, seeking the truth. Then while I was listening to stories, you ran off to kill Yelu Qi.” Jing Hengbo looked sideways at the black-clothed youth. “Who would have thought that behind that aloof face, you’d be so skilled at scheming.”

The black-clothed youth turned his face away, ignoring her. His pale profile looked paper-thin in the darkness.

Jing Hengbo raised her hand, and a dagger hovered in the air, pointing at his throat from a distance.

“Speak. Why did you try to assassinate Yelu Qi? How did he offend you?”

The black-clothed youth turned back, suddenly frowning: “Yelu Qi? He’s Yelu Qi? I think I’ve heard that name.” After thinking for a long time, he said uncertainly: “The Left State Preceptor of Dahuang? How would the Left State Preceptor come here?”

“You don’t even know who he is, yet you’ve tried to kill him twice?” Jing Hengbo was amused by her anger. She also wondered how long these fellows had been confined here. Were they still stuck in memories of Yelu Qi as Left State Preceptor?

“I wanted to kill him not because he’s Yelu Qi,” the youth answered coldly, “but only because he’s connected to our enemies. I failed today, otherwise after killing him, I would have killed you too.”

“Murder requires a reason. If you don’t give me one, I’ll kill you without reason.”

The youth looked up at the medicinal juices flowing down.

“Because of the medicine?” Jing Hengbo was stunned. “No wonder your expression was wrong every time he brewed medicine. What connection does this medicine have with you people?”

“This medicine was prescribed by the Fushui Medical Saint, wasn’t it? I can smell one of the obscure medicines that only his family uses.” The black-clothed youth’s expression was cool. “That old undying one now only serves the Fushui royal family. Ordinary people can’t get his prescriptions at all. Since you can use his prescriptions, you’re naturally closely connected to the Fushui royal family. Either you’re related to the Fushui royalty, or you’re assassins they sent to kill us. How could I not strike first?”

Jing Hengbo was dumbstruck – wasn’t this misunderstanding getting too big?

“Moreover, you showed kindness to them.” The black-clothed youth pointed next door. “Who in this world would show kindness to people for no reason? Offering flattery without cause – either treachery or theft.”

Jing Hengbo was again amused to anger. She reached out to recall her dagger and shook her head: “Are you paranoid? Is it necessary to be so suspicious of everyone? In all this time, have you people never encountered anyone who gave you warmth and help?”

The black-clothed youth immediately shook his head woodenly: “No.”

Jing Hengbo was momentarily speechless, unable to help sighing in her heart. When people encounter much cold suffering for long periods, even when facing fire, they don’t recognize human warmth.

“How exactly did the Fushui Medical Saint offend you people?” she asked.

“Looking at those people, can’t you guess the reason?”

“They…” Jing Hengbo frowned. “Weren’t they originally ill? Was it caused by the Fushui Medical Saint?”

“Being ill wouldn’t cause so many people to be ill, nor would it be concentrated only in the royal family. Fushui people can be said to have no illnesses when healthy, or all have illnesses when sick. Living near the qi-gathering swamps for long periods, Fushui people have abundant internal qi. This qi makes Fushui people strong and energetic during their prime years. But such abundance comes at a price – overly abundant qi consumes a person’s lifespan. Fushui people rarely live long lives, especially those closer to the qi-gathering swamps. The qi-gathering swamps are very close to the Fushui capital and are royal property, so royalty is most heavily affected.”

Jing Hengbo suddenly understood. Previously she knew Fushui people’s bellies made gurgling sounds, and that the Fushui royal family had gone to great lengths to change this gurgling. The Fushui Medical Saint was elevated to divine status precisely for helping the Fushui royal family solve this gurgling problem. At the time she had muttered – changing gurgling to hiccupping was better? Wasn’t hiccupping more uncomfortable? Only now did she realize this was related to the Fushui royal family’s lifespan. No wonder they preferred hiccupping and showing people their tonsils rather than continuing to gurgle.

“You’re the most heavily affected population? A group ruined by the Fushui Medical Saint’s treatment?”

The black-clothed youth suddenly sneered: “You’re truly naive and childish. Someone like you living in the Fushui royal family would be lucky to survive a year.”

Jing Hengbo blinked – was she wrong? She wasn’t in the Fushui royal family, but she lived in the Imperial capital! She was a queen who grew up amid the blood and fire struggles of the Imperial capital!

She touched her nose, thinking that shouting “I am the queen” now wouldn’t convince anyone. These Fushui people were accustomed to sinister schemes and calculating hearts. Encountering bad was natural; encountering good made them suspicious. This couldn’t be explained – they’d have to figure it out themselves.

“Fine, fine, I’m naive and childish. So can you, mature and wise one, tell me what exactly caused them to become like this and be exiled here?”

“The treatment of any disease requires a research process, especially diseases never heard of in the world.” The black-clothed youth said expressionlessly. “The royal family wanting to change their situation naturally needed to start treatment from the royalty. But the king and his most important people couldn’t be the first to undergo trials, because that meant possible failure and risk. So what kind of people are most suitable?”

“The king’s enemies, people the king feared, those who knew too many secrets, those who were framed, or those who possessed too much and threatened others.” Jing Hengbo slowly answered. “A good opportunity to eliminate dissidents.”

“Exactly.” The black-clothed youth’s eyes flashed, looking at her somewhat strangely. “Didn’t expect you to be so proficient in such matters.”

Jing Hengbo giggled – how could she not be proficient? How dare she not be proficient? Could she have survived until now without proficiency?

“So,” she said, “the consort was chosen because as the king’s bedmate she knew too many secrets, or someone framed and ostracized her; the general because his achievements threatened the ruler and he controlled military power, making him feared; the prince because he possessed status that could threaten the king’s throne.”

“Yes. As for the others, they can’t escape those same reasons – becoming sacrifices for the royal family or their clans for various reasons.”

“You should hate the king more,” Jing Hengbo said, “not the Fushui Medical Saint – he’s just a doctor. Taking anger out on people using the Medical Saint’s medicines is even more absurd.”

“We can’t be certain whether the Medical Saint acted as the king’s accomplice in eliminating dissidents under the guise of treatment; just as we can’t be certain that you, using the Medical Saint’s exclusive prescriptions, aren’t definitely spies and assassins from the Fushui royal family.” The black-clothed youth said flatly. “We finally escaped here and live under Young Master Qiu’s protection. We can’t take another risk.”

“The prescription we use was written by Si Rong Ming, the Medical Saint’s disciple. Si Rong Ming is my friend,” Jing Hengbo said. “We’ve never met the Fushui royal family or Medical Saint.”

“Whether you’re spies doesn’t matter now.” The youth waved his hand wearily. “I can’t kill him anyway. I originally planned to kill him, then take advantage of your shock and emotional turmoil to kill you too, but since I can’t do it, I’ll accept whatever punishment.”

“Why didn’t you simply poison my medicine? Though I don’t eat the delivered food, I must drink the medicine.”

“Qiu Jinfeng won’t allow it. When he treats illness, he treats illness – he won’t allow anyone to use his medicine to damage his reputation. We still need his protection, so we can’t do that.”

“However,” the black-clothed youth suddenly smiled maliciously, “I think I was being overly cautious. Because without my intervention, someone won’t live much longer anyway.”

Jing Hengbo whirled around.

She suddenly realized Yelu Qi hadn’t spoken at all.

He had been leaning against the pillar, seemingly smiling and listening, but when she turned around, she didn’t notice any movement from him.

Jing Hengbo rushed over and finally saw his complexion clearly. Her heart immediately sank with a “thud.”

That patch of blue-purple color on Yelu Qi’s forehead had appeared again!

Behind her, the black-clothed youth said slowly: “Any poison – the longer it’s suppressed, the more fierce its outbreak. The Medical Saint’s prescription can’t cure the poison in his body. He increased his medicine doses trying to suppress the poison, which will only make the rebound more violent.”

Jing Hengbo didn’t listen carefully at all. She quickly lifted Yelu Qi onto her back and ran outside.

The black-clothed youth seemed to be saying something behind her, but she could no longer hear. Her figure flashed repeatedly as she left the courtyard, leaped over the fence, and rushed into the dense forest.

After entering the forest, what had been pitch darkness suddenly blazed with light amid thunderous sounds. A ball of fierce fire on the left, torrential floods rolling on the right, both surging toward her in the center.

She sneered, flashed up to the highest treetop, then flashed again and was already out of the formation.

No formation in this world could stop her. Where her will moved, she could go anywhere under heaven.

The moment she flashed up to the treetop, she looked down and seemed to see black shadows moving below. The next instant she was out of the forest, with violent wind sounds behind her as something crashed out.

She dodged, and that thing smashed into a stone ahead, actually shattering it.

Looking carefully, Jing Hengbo saw it was an iron staff as thick as an arm, half buried in the stone. This showed how vicious the forest’s mechanisms were – completely lethal setups.

Angry, she casually took out a tinder box, lit it, and tossed it behind her.

The forest was full of dry leaves and dead branches. The flame immediately caught, spreading into a patch of jumping orange-red in moments.

Jing Hengbo burned the forest partly to vent anger, partly to alert Qiu Jinfeng. If Qiu Jinfeng refused to properly treat Yelu Qi today, she would go on a killing spree!

In the firelight, a chaotic figure could vaguely be seen crashing about in the forest. Seeing the flames, it immediately rushed over.

Jing Hengbo was frantic with worry. After throwing the flame, she didn’t look back at all but flashed away, heading straight for Qiu Jinfeng’s residence on the east side of the island.

At this moment, not far from the lake island entrance, a small boat swayed in the moonlight.

A person sat in the boat, his clothing the same color as moonlight.

Behind him, the boatman trembled all over, stammering: “Hero… hero… this island can’t be entered casually… people will die…”

“You don’t need to enter.” The person answered in a cool voice.

“Then… then… then…” The boatman’s face was mournful. He wanted to say something but dared not – then you can’t occupy my boat for so many days, ignoring people, not speaking, not going to the island, just circling around it – what exactly do you want to do?

Thinking of his fate made him want to cry without tears. Ever since he last sent a pair of man and woman to the island and jumped overboard mid-journey in fright, unfortunate events had come one after another.

The day after jumping ship, he went to the island shore to retrieve his boat. After returning, he encountered someone of indeterminate gender who held a blade to his throat, demanding he ferry them to the island. When he refused and before he could beg for mercy, that person knocked him unconscious with the blade’s back.

He had to ferry them again, using the same trick of escaping mid-journey. After all, boats that reached the lake island vicinity could always be recovered eventually.

The day after escaping, he returned to the lake island to find his boat but couldn’t locate it. From afar he saw that androgynous person rowing around the island, knowing they couldn’t land. Fearing discovery and another beating, he fled.

After returning home, he sighed constantly. Then one night he was dragged up by a group of people who were obviously Fushui soldiers – each one fierce and martial. They grilled him about who had stolen his boat, what they looked like. After prolonged questioning, they ordered him to lead the way. He dared not, fearing he wouldn’t return, and escaped when unguarded.

This escape led him to a nearby Fushui border town, planning to temporarily stay with relatives to avoid trouble. He felt all these groups were problematic and big events would happen soon.

But trouble still came from loose lips. One day while eating noodles at a stall, he suddenly smelled a fragrance – particularly rich and alluring. Momentarily intoxicated, he remembered that journey carrying the tightly wrapped man and woman, how the graceful female figure had seemed to carry this same fragrance. He couldn’t help sighing: “This fragrance smells so good.”

He’d only said that one sentence.

Then he knew nothing more.

When he awoke, he was back in his own village, on a boat. The boat wasn’t his – sitting in it was a white-clothed person with their back to him, facing the lake island.