Jiang Shenglin drove the carriage and took the overly frightened Second Young Master Zhu back home.
Meanwhile, Li Sui went alone to the Heavenly Spider Hall.
Pan Shihou was rolling up his sleeves, focused on pruning a bonsai pine tree in the courtyard, looking quite relaxed and leisurely. A cluster of fine branches was growing straight and vigorous, but one was stretching out at an angle. He held his breath and aimed his scissors to cut it, but then suddenly someone appeared behind him. Startled, his hand jerked, and with a sharp “snap,” the entire plant was cut off at the base.
“…”
Pan Shihou turned around angrily, appearing ready to scold a servant, but when he saw that it was Li Sui who had come, his expression changed from stormy to sunny. He greeted Li Sui with a warm smile and said, “Nephew, why are you here now? Didn’t you go to Hydrangea Valley to enjoy the scenery and relax?”
“There were forty assassins lurking in Hydrangea Valley,” Li Sui said, “and now they’re all dead.”
Pan Shihou was shocked by the news, “How could there be assassins there? Could it be the same group as the ones from Tiger Roar Gorge that day? Are they affiliated with Shangru Mountain Villa or the Burning Fire Hall? Did you leave any survivors?”
Li Sui’s voice carried a chilling coldness: “There was no need to leave any.”
Pan Shihou, confused, asked: “Why not leave any? Did the other side reveal their origin on their own, or have you found out something?”
Li Sui locked eyes with him: “The number of people who knew I was going to Hydrangea Valley today does not exceed five.”
Initially puzzled, Pan Shihou, upon realizing the implications, was suddenly struck with disbelief. He hastily said, “Nephew, you can’t possibly suspect me. Heavenly Spider Hall has always been upright, every step taken cautiously to avoid mistakes. Besides, I know well about your martial skills. Why would I send a mere forty people for an assassination?”
Li Sui interrupted him: “What about your son?”
“This…” Pan Shihou’s face turned pale. “Jinhua left early in the morning… it’s impossible. I’ve taught him since childhood to take you as an example. How could he make such a foolish mistake? It’s absolutely impossible.”
In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Pan Jinhua was called back from the teahouse by a servant. He entered the front hall and, seeing Li Sui there, his eyes unconsciously avoided contact.
Pan Shihou hastily asked, “Where did you go?”
Pan Jinhua replied, “Eight Immortals Teahouse. I made an appointment with some friends today to watch a play and listen to storytelling. The new troupe performs quite well. If Grandmother feels bored at home next time, she might —”
Before he could finish the second part of his sentence, a cold and chilly long sword was already placed on his shoulder.
“Nephew!” Pan Shihou’s voice changed in shock. He quickly grabbed Li Sui’s arm. “Nephew, please don’t be angry. Jinhua may truly be watching a performance. Let me clarify the situation.”
Pan Jinhua also stiffened his neck, not daring to move. He gritted his teeth and said, “What are you going to do?”
Lì Suí spoke coldly, “Colluding with the Demon Cult is a dead end.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“Whether you do or not, you know the truth yourself.” Li Sui’s tone was as cold as a sword’s edge. “I don’t listen to nonsense, so you either admit it or die.”
“Nephew!” Pan Shihou stood unsteadily, trembling as if sieving bran throughout his body.
Pan Jinhua spoke fiercely: “I don’t!”
The edge of Li Sui’s sword slightly shifted, and a bloodstain immediately marked the opponent’s neck. Before the blood could flow, it was frozen by the cold aura of the Xiangjun Sword. Pan Jinhua’s teeth chattered, and his neck became as stiff as if encased in ice, half of his brain was paralyzed.
Pan Shihou sat trembling on the ground, watching the situation, presumably thinking that his son was already dead.
Pan Jinhua’s Adam’s apple rolled, trying to swallow a mouthful of saliva, but he found that the base of his tongue was no longer under his control. It felt like thousands and tens of thousands of ice needles were wandering in his blood, causing a piercing pain and overwhelming fear. He looked at Li Sui in panic, not doubting for a moment that if he didn’t admit it, his throat would be cut off by the other party.
“It’s…” he exerted all his strength and squeezed out an unclear word from his mouth, “It’s me.”
Li Sui sheathed his sword, and Pan Jinhua fell back in the chair, gripping his cold neck with both hands, breathing in a distressed manner.
At this moment, Pan Shihou’s complexion wasn’t any better than his son’s. Even though he had been helped up by Li Sui from the ground, and his son was still alive, he still had trembling lips. He asked in disbelief, “What does it mean, what does it mean it’s you? Are you really in contact with the Demon Cult?”
“It…no, no, I’m not. I haven’t,” Pan Jinhua spoke incoherently, his voice hoarse and cracked, “They approached me many times, but I didn’t agree. It’s just this time, this time—”
Li Sui finished for him: “This time, you harbored a deep hatred against me, so you colluded with the Burning Fire Hall, wanting to put me to death?”
Blood vessels covered Pan Jinhua’s eyes, and with his ghostly pale face, he looked sinister and resentful. His chest heaved violently, appearing as though he wanted to shout many words but was restrained by the thick killing intent in the room, eventually swallowing them back.
Pan Shihou raised his hand high and slapped his son’s face fiercely, furious: “Have you gone mad!”
Pan Jinhua’s cheek quickly turned red, bloodshot streaks appeared at the corners of his mouth, and his voice carried a tone of resentment, “If you hadn’t always compared him with me, how could I have been bribed by the Burning Fire Hall?”
“You damn fool, how dare you find excuses!” Pan Shihou was furious, looking like he was losing his mind. Unable to find a suitable object inside the room, he went outside to grab a broom and came back to start beating his son. He cursed his disobedient son while doing so, and the servants outside the courtyard, not knowing what had happened, were frightened into silence by the commotion.
Li Sui got up and walked towards the exit.
“Nephew!” Pan Shihou dropped the broom and quickly caught up, pleading, “I will discipline Jinhua properly. After thoroughly understanding the causes and consequences of the whole matter, please spare him and give him a chance to live.”
Lì Suí understood clearly in his heart. The scolding and beating just now were all done to show him. However, he didn’t want to pursue it further. As for Pan Jinhua, whether he had a long-standing association with the Demon Cult or, as he claimed, impulsively made a deal only once, his identity had already been exposed. As a discarded son, he had little value to himself and to Chi Tian.
….
The sun was gradually setting.
Zhu Yanyin was sitting at the table, with a cup of herbal tea placed nearby.
In contrast to what Jiang Shenglin had expected, although Zhu Yanyin was afraid, he Yanyin didn’t appear to be so frightened that he needed assistance to walk back to his room. On the contrary, the Second Young Master Zhu walked back on his own, although his steps were somewhat unsteady. However, there was already a healthy color back on his face. When questioned by Zhu Zhang and Zhu Xiaosui, he could respond calmly, saying, “Yes, I went outside the city to clear my mind.”
Jiang Shenglin didn’t understand where this sudden calmness came from, so he tried to ask, Is the Second Young Master Zhu no longer afraid?
Zhu Yanyin gulped down three cups of herbal tea in succession, then, still somewhat shaken, said, “I am afraid, but if Uncle Zhang finds out, he will nag me for a long time. He might even hire dozens more guards to follow me. It’s better to keep it a secret.”
Jiang Shenglin gave him a thumbs up: Courageous and resourceful! Courageous and resourceful!
This time, although Zhu Yanyin hadn’t witnessed the gruesome bloodshed, the phrase “using the hilt to smash their heads” by Palace Master Li was still quite terrifying. Moreover, the weather outside had turned gloomy, pitch dark as if it was going to rain, or perhaps haunted.
In order to have a good night’s sleep and avoid dreaming of the wild and bloody scenes involving Palace Master Li, Zhu Yanyin proactively asked Jiang Shenglin for a box of sleeping aids and a few drops of flower oil to sprinkle on the pillow for calming the nerves: “Should I eat more millet porridge, honeysuckle tea, milk broth, and green bean soup recently to calm my nerves and quiet my spirit?”
Doctor Jiang felt gratified; indeed, the young master from the Zhu family in Jiangnan was intelligent and resourceful, making the physician’s job much easier.
On the contrary, the other patient made one’s head turn bald.
Jiang Shenglin ordered a servant to fetch the medicine box and took out some flower oil from it. Seeing that there were also several small blue porcelain bottles inside, Zhu Yanyin casually asked, “What is this?”
Jiang Shenglin replied, “Highly poisonous substances.”
Zhu Yanyin’s hand froze in mid-air and slowly retracted. He asked again, Why do you keep poisonous substances with flower oil? Don’t you ever mistake them? The bottles all look similar.
Jiang Shenglin smiled and said, “It’s not poison, it’s sophora flower nectar. If anyone finds the medicine too bitter, I give them a few pellets.”
“Oh, I see,” Zhu Yanyin breathed a sigh of relief. After a moment’s thought, he took out a small wooden box from a low cabinet. “Here is pine nut snowflake sugar. If the Divine Doctor doesn’t mind, take it along as well.”
Jiang Shenglin initially wanted to decline but thought twice. Since it was sugar from the Zhu family in Jiangnan, it might be a precious honey that takes eighty years to obtain a pound. Taking a little wouldn’t hurt, after all, everyone wanted to experience new things.
So, he filled two large bottles.
The flower oil had a calming effect. That night, Zhu Yanyin slept soundly despite the pouring rain throughout the city, without a hint of a troubling dream.
When Jiang Shenglin returned to the inn, Li Sui still had a damp look, his ink-black wet hair casually tied behind his head as he sat at the table, wiping his sword.
Jiang Shenglin’s immediate reaction was: “Is the poison acting up again?”
Li Sui replied: “No.”
“That’s good then.” Jiang Shenglin sighed in relief. “How about Heavenly Spider Hall?”
“It’s Pan Jinhua,” Li Sui said. “I went to Sky Spider Hall ten times, and eight times I witnessed the old man scolding his son. I guess he was trained to develop problems, which made him susceptible to the influence of the Burning Fire Hall.”
“Is that it then?” Following the rules of the martial world, having clandestine dealings with the demonic cult could cost someone their life or at least a severe punishment.
Li Sui put down Xiangjun Sword and said casually, “Pan Shihou has only that one son. Even if he’s a useless one, dressing up nicely and looking good at home is better than having none.”
Jiang Shenglin thought, Even if you’re trying to give the other person a way out, you can still say it in such a way that it’s not pleasing to the ear. Truly worthy of you.
The next batch of medicine was ready. Li Sui closed his eyes and took it. His brows furrowed: “Why does it taste more and more bitter? What kind of skill is this?”
Divine Doctor Jiang, “What, do I have to make the medicine with perfect color, fragrance, and taste for you?”
Li Sui: “…”
Jiang Shenglin took out a small bottle from the box and said, “Give it a try.”
The sugar crystals were crispy and delicate, not overly sweet, with more of a pine nut fragrance. Li Sui, lacking patience, crunched them with his teeth, making a crisp sound, and the half bottle was soon empty.
Jiang Shenglin asked, “Tasty, right?”
Li Sui lazily leaned back in the chair and said, “It’s alright.”
Jiang Shenglin explained, “This is sugar given by the Second Young Master Zhu. Besides pine nuts and honey, there might be snow lotus flowers that are eight hundred years old and old mountain ginseng that’s eight thousand years old. If you eat a few more bottles, you might be able to cure both poison and injuries.”
Li Sui: “Is this how you physicians diagnose now?”
Jiang Shenglin: “It wasn’t before, but it is now. The Zhu family even applies ointment to the wheels of their carriages. There’s nothing they can’t do. You can’t imagine the joy of the aristocrats of Jiangnan.”
Li Sui tossed the empty bottle back and said, “If you go around selling fake medicine on the streets, you might be able to afford the same old mountain ginseng in less than three years.”
Jiang Shenglin thought, Makes sense. Can you do me a favor and speed up? Don’t delay my second spring of getting rich selling Golden Gorilla Elixir.
Shenglin makes me laugh xD
Just binged this one. So funny! Can’t wait for more! Thank you for picking this up to translate!!
Thanks a lot for reading! You are welcome.
Are heart demons a thing in this universe? Cause I feel like the way Pan Shihou has raised his son is the perfect recipe for creating heart demons.