The villagers all chimed in, “That’s right, it’s been abandoned for years. Nobody ever goes there.”
“Would anyone be willing to guide us?” Long Dan asked with a smile.
The people hesitated, but the plum garden owner spoke up, “Let one of my helpers guide the esteemed guests.”
The plum garden owner was considered wealthy in this rural area and had quite a few helpers.
Soon, a middle-aged man who looked simple and honest stepped forward and bowed to Jiang Si.
Jiang Si nodded slightly, “Thank you for your trouble. Aqiao, stay here with this child and wait for our return.”
The urgent matter at hand was to first investigate the Three Stones Temple. If nothing was found, they would return to question the boy further.
Holding the letter, Jiang Si was now certain that Miss Xiu’s disappearance was aimed at her. This made her even more eager to find Miss Xiu.
Leaving two guards with Aqiao, Jiang Si and her group set off for the Three Stones Temple.
As soon as Jiang Si left, the boy’s mother grew bolder. She pinched her son’s cheeks and scolded, “You little rascal, who gave you that letter? Why didn’t you say something earlier? You’ve brought trouble to our family!”
The chubby boy yelped in pain as his mother pinched his face.
Aqiao quickly intervened, “Sister, please don’t hit the child. He’s helped our mistress, and we should thank him.”
Quick-witted as always, Aqiao took out a small silver fish from her purse and placed it in the chubby boy’s hand, smiling, “Here, take this to play with.”
The woman’s eyes widened, and she stuttered, “We can’t accept this, we can’t—”
Heavens above, was that real silver?
This small silverfish must be worth at least three qian, enough to cover a family’s expenses for a month.
Even as she protested, the woman snatched the silverfish from the boy’s hand and quickly tucked it into her bosom, almost making Aqiao laugh.
The parents of the other children watched with envy, glaring at their offspring. They thought to themselves, “Weren’t they all stealing winter plums together yesterday? How did Second Fatty end up connecting with these important people and getting a silverfish without doing much, while our little brats might as well have not been there at all?”
The woman, wary of those greedy looks, patted her chest to ensure the silver fish was secure, then smiled ingratiatingly at Aqiao, “Young miss, feel free to ask Second Fatty anything you’d like.”
Aqiao smiled and led the chubby boy aside, questioning him gently.
The mountain where the Three Stones Temple was located wasn’t far from the plum garden. Jiang Si and her group made swift progress and soon arrived at the foot of the mountain.
“Madam, look, that’s the Three Stones Temple,” the guide pointed out.
Jiang Si squinted, spotting the faint outline of low buildings halfway up the mountain. If it weren’t for the barren winter vegetation, it might have been even harder to spot.
“Perhaps you should stay here, and I’ll take some men to check it out,” Long Dan suggested.
Jiang Si shook her head, “Let’s all go up together.”
Since Miss Xiu’s disappearance was aimed at her and had led her here, she couldn’t avoid facing it.
Climbing the mountain wasn’t a challenge for Jiang Si, and this wasn’t a particularly treacherous peak. Before long, the group arrived at the dilapidated temple on the mountainside.
Calling it dilapidated was no exaggeration. The walls were incomplete, looking as if they might collapse at any moment. Only the three oddly shaped stones in front of the temple remained stubbornly in place, having weathered countless storms.
“Mistress—” Aman called out softly, pointing to a spot.
Everyone looked closely and saw a brown cloth peeking out from behind one of the stones.
Lu Chuchu rushed over, exclaiming, “It’s the assistant who left with Miss Xiu yesterday!”
Everyone quickly gathered around.
The brown-robed assistant was leaning against the large stone. His hands and feet weren’t bound, but he seemed unable to move.
“How did you end up here? Where’s Miss Xiu?” Lu Chuchu asked urgently.
The assistant’s dry lips moved slightly, making muffled sounds from his throat, his eyes red with urgency.
“What’s going on here?” Lu Chuchu quickly examined him, utterly confused.
The idea of striking acupoints to render someone mute existed only in novels, not in reality.
Jiang Si’s expression grew serious as she slowly turned her gaze toward the ruined temple.
Bathed in the gentle winter sun, the temple appeared peaceful and serene. However, after discovering the immobilized and mute assistant, everyone felt an eerie sense of mystery surrounding the seemingly calm ruins.
Jiang Si stared intently at the temple entrance.
Half of the temple door was missing, making it look empty and desolate.
She turned her attention back to the assistant.
While others couldn’t understand what had happened to him, she realized he had been afflicted by gu poison!
This revelation meant that whoever was behind Miss Xiu’s disappearance was no ordinary adversary.
Would that person be inside the ruined temple? And was Miss Xiu there too?
After a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Si took out a pill from her purse and fed it to the assistant.
Her hesitation stemmed from a suspicion: the enemy might have used gu on the assistant to see if she could neutralize the poison.
Sometimes, even knowing it might be a trap, one still had to act.
Soon after, the assistant was finally able to speak, “Miss… Miss Xiu is inside…”
Hearing this, Lu Chuchu immediately moved towards the temple.
Long Dan held her back, “Miss Chuchu, wait a moment.”
Lu Chuchu frowned and looked at Jiang Si.
“Long Dan, take some men and check inside,” Jiang Si instructed.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Long Dan signaled to two men to accompany him as they approached the temple.
Suddenly, the assistant called out, “There’s… there’s another person!”
Long Dan paused briefly, glancing back at Jiang Si.
Jiang Si nodded slightly, “Go ahead.”
If the enemy only used gu, she could ensure Long Dan and the others’ safety. If the opponent was skilled in martial arts, Long Dan’s abilities should be sufficient to retreat safely if needed.
Jiang Si watched as Long Dan approached the temple entrance step by step. Just as he was about to reach it, someone suddenly stumbled out from inside.
Long Dan quickly caught the person, and Lu Chuchu’s face changed dramatically, “Miss Xiu!”
It was indeed Miss Xiu who had been pushed out.
Long Dan glanced at the temple doorway, then immediately retreated to Jiang Si’s side, supporting Miss Xiu.
“Miss Xiu, are you alright?” Lu Chuchu asked anxiously.
Miss Xiu looked only a bit haggard but seemed otherwise unharmed. Hearing Lu Chuchu’s question, she replied, “I’m fine… Your Highness, why are you here—”
Her words were cut short by Jiang Si’s sudden movement.
Jiang Si grabbed Miss Xiu’s wrist, focusing on her left hand.
Although Miss Xiu was no longer young and had endured many hardships, heaven seemed to favor beautiful women. Even at her age, she still had slender, fair hands.
On the nail of Miss Xiu’s left ring finger, there were three faint red lines.
Jiang Si’s eyes narrowed sharply as she stared at the three red marks, then turned her gaze to the quiet temple entrance.
If Miss Xiu had been afflicted with any other Gu, it might not have been so alarming. But she had been given the Heart-Imprint Gu, the very same that had once killed Jiang Si’s mother and nearly harmed her grandmother.
The person in the temple knew a lot about her and had deliberately used the Heart-Imprint Gu on Miss Xiu to get her attention.
What was the enemy’s true objective?