It's Not What You Say, It's How You Say It

Li Yan never procrastinated when it came to getting things done.

After discussing matters with Yang An, he prepared a few taels of silver in the afternoon around two or three o’clock, intending to buy some gifts and visit Hunter Zheng’s family.

The purpose was to talk about the red-scaled horned python.

Yang An wasn’t idle either. He stayed home with Manman to keep Yang Ning company, while he himself went next door to visit Old Mr. He.

Lately, his sister’s complexion hadn’t been good.

Yang An planned to gather some herbs to help replenish her blood and energy.

Old Mr. He’s house and the Yang family’s residence were both located in Wanshou Lane.

The two families lived diagonally across from each other, just a short hundred meters or so away.

Yang An’s family was very close with Old Mr. He’s. They exchanged gifts during festivals, and Old Mr. He often sent them health-preserving herbs.

Yang An treated the place like his own home.

He didn’t bother knocking; seeing the door was open, he called out, “Old Sir, are you home?” and walked right in.

No sooner had he stepped inside than he bumped straight into a tall, burly young man.

About twenty years old.

Under a broad forehead were two thick, dark eyebrows, like two strips of bandages. His eyes were small, but his nose and mouth were quite large, all wrapped in a beast-skin jacket.

He looked sturdy and vigorous.

Recognizing the young man’s face, Yang An smiled and greeted, “Brother Zheng Fei! Long time no see!”

He knew this young man well.

It was quite a coincidence—he was the son of Hunter Zheng, Zheng Shoutian. Zheng Fei hadn’t expected to run into Yang An here either and called out with surprise, “Second Brother Yang!”

Though Zheng Fei was a year or two older than Yang An, because Yang An had been literate since childhood and passed the Tongsheng exam at ten, the usually anti-intellectual Zheng Fei admired him from the bottom of his heart.

He kept calling him “Second Brother, Second Brother.”

At first, Yang An was reluctant, but after being called that for so many years, he had grown used to it.

Noticing the medicine Zheng Fei was carrying, and knowing he had just come from Old Mr. He’s house, Yang An asked with concern, “Brother Zheng Fei, is your uncle or aunt ill?”

Zheng Fei hid the medicine behind his back and shook his head with a smile. “It’s nothing, nothing. We mountain folk often get little scrapes and bruises—that’s all, no big deal.”

He added, “Second Brother, are you here for medicine too?”

Yang An nodded with a smile.

He briefly explained that his sister Yang Ning had been lacking in blood and energy lately.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Fei patted his chest confidently and said, “That’s easy. Once the snow on Yunling Mountain melts, I’ll go up there and pick some Zhuxue Fruit for Sister Yang Ning. Eating those will surely help her recover!”

The two families, the Lis and the Yangs, were very close.

Yang An didn’t bother with formalities and said, “Then I thank you in advance, Brother Zheng Fei.”

Zheng Fei laughed heartily.

Since his family still needed the medicine, he didn’t linger. “Second Brother, I have to go now.”

Yang An waved goodbye.

Watching Zheng Fei run off with the medicine in hand, he thought to himself, “Uncle Zheng is the best hunter in Yunzhou City and knows a bit about herbal medicine. Usually, even minor injuries and illnesses can be treated with herbs he gathers himself. The fact that he came to Old Mr. He for medicine this time means it’s probably not as simple as Zheng Fei says.”

“Sigh, what a damn world!”

“Let’s wait for my brother-in-law to come back and ask about the situation. I have a bag of gold leaves given by that despicable woman, so money’s not an issue. Zheng Bo and Zheng Fei are good men; if they can help, they will.”

Yang An didn’t dwell on it any further.

He went into the inner room and soon saw Old Mr. He, whose hair was already streaked with gray. Yang An explained the purpose of his visit.

Yang Ning was kind-hearted.

She treated people well. Knowing that Old Mr. He was getting on in years and had no children to care for him, she often brought food and drink to his home during festivals and holidays. Sometimes, she even helped sew clothes and quilts for him.

That’s why, at this moment,

when Old Mr. He heard that Yang Ning’s health had been poor lately, he hurriedly took out two pieces of blood ginseng from the bottom of his medicine chest—each aged twenty or thirty years—and handed them to Yang An.

He didn’t even ask for money.

Then he urged, “Go back quickly and brew this for your sister!”

Yang An smiled and carefully pocketed the blood ginseng.

He didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he rolled up his sleeves and told Old Mr. He a lie: “Old sir, a few days ago I ate something unclean in the mountains. Afterward, a black-green line appeared on my arm. Could it be some kind of poison?”

“Poisoned?”

Old Mr. He didn’t take the matter lightly. He quickly pulled out a silver needle and asked Yang An to extend his arm. Then he inserted the needle into several acupuncture points along the greenish line.

After a while, he withdrew the needle.

The silver needle remained shining and untarnished.

Old Mr. He then asked Yang An to open his mouth so he could examine the underside of his tongue.

He pressed on several acupuncture points around his body.

After a thorough and meticulous examination, Old Mr. He still found nothing abnormal.

He stroked his beard and said, “Your blood and energy are strong, your spirit is vibrant, and your bones and blood are well-nourished. It doesn’t look like you’ve been poisoned.”

Yang An cautiously asked, “Is it possible that it’s a poison that only takes effect after several days? Or perhaps some kind of Gu poison?”

At Yang An’s reminder,

Old Mr. He suddenly brightened. “Now that you mention it, it very well could be Gu poison. That bluish-black line on your arm does resemble the toxic threads produced by certain Gu insects.”

Yang An’s heart lifted.

He hadn’t expected Old Mr. He to be so knowledgeable in this area. He quickly asked, “Old sir, is there any way to cure it?”

Old Mr. He glanced at him and said, “Gu poison isn’t easily cured. Gu insects usually come in male-female pairs or parent-offspring pairs. To dispel the poison, you must obtain the mother or the other half of the Gu insect to slowly draw it out.”

No need to guess.

The other half of the Gu insect must be in the hands of that despicable woman!

Unfortunately, Yang An couldn’t get it.

If he had the ability to obtain it, he wouldn’t need to come to Old Mr. He for a cure.

“Is there really no other way, old sir?” Yang An asked with a worried frown.

Old Mr. He comforted him, “Gu poison is tough to deal with. Beyond that, there’s really no other method. But Er Lang, don’t be anxious. I see no serious harm to your body. This Gu poison probably isn’t very toxic. Even if it is, it won’t be severe. I’ll flip through some books over the next few days to see if I can find any other solutions.”

The poison was indeed mild.

At worst, Yang An would be dead within five days, his internal organs consumed.

Yang An sighed. Old Mr. He was just a barefoot doctor from the neighborhood.

To expect him to undo the poison cast by that despicable woman

was truly asking too much.

Still, he wasn’t entirely without hope.

After all, even if Old Mr. He could help him break the Five-Day Heartbreaking Gu, he wouldn’t take the antidote outright. He would keep it on hand, just in case.

Yang An was fully aware that he currently had no strength at all.

He couldn’t stand against the Lin family or the Cui family. With both of them around, even if he managed to break the Five-Day Heartbreaking Gu, he would still have to quietly stay by Princess Anle’s side to develop his strength.

If that wretched woman found out he secretly took the antidote...

He’d be doomed without a burial place.

Yang An said, “Then I thank you in advance, Old Mr. He. Oh, and please don’t tell my sister about this.”

Keeping a patient’s secret was the most basic principle for a doctor.

Old Mr. He didn’t hesitate and agreed immediately.

Back at home, Yang An handed the blood ginseng to Yang Ning, who was busy making smoked jerky with Manman. His sister had already prepared a whole basket of jerky.

He shoved a piece into Yang An’s mouth. The taste was quite good.

Manman continued to perform steadily.

She didn’t make as much as she ate.

There was no worry about feeding Manman; Hei Ying still had several thousand jin of meat buried up in Xueling Mountain. When the time came, they could dig it up and bring it home, enough to last her for a while.

In a few days, the academy exam was coming up.

This was the entrance exam for the Imperial Academy, and Yang An was determined to get into the Martial Institute. After failing three times in a row, he wouldn’t waste a single moment.

After eating two pieces of jerky, he returned to his room and became a foot fetishist—scrambling to cram.

He earnestly flipped through the stack of brick-like books on his desk, drowning in the sea of knowledge. Yang An had no idea that at this very moment, Wang Gou’er’s wife was accusing him.

Jinfeng District.

It was the most expensive district in Yunzhou City.

Every household here was worth a fortune.

Wang Gou’er’s mansion was among them, now draped in white mourning banners. Wang Gou’er’s wife, Chen Lian, wearing mourning clothes, knelt before Sun Ming, whose face was marked by a black mole.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she cried, “Commander, my husband died unjustly. He never did any evil in his life, yet he met such a fate! I beg you, sir, to do justice for this widow! Arrest the villain Yang An!”

Sun Ming sized her up from head to toe.

Though Chen Lian was in her thirties, having been kept in the deep courtyard by Wang Gou’er for years, her skin was fair and delicate, her figure full and voluptuous. Her plain mourning clothes only made her look even more pitiful.

A flicker of lust crossed Sun Ming’s eyes.

He said coldly, “When I came to question you this morning, you said you didn’t know who the murderer was. Now you accuse this Yang An? Are you mocking me?”

Chen Lian trembled.

She forced herself to say, “This widow would never mock you, sir! I swear! It was indeed the villain Yang An who killed my husband! Please, do justice!”

“Not mock me? I think you’re far too bold, you filthy woman!”

The black mole on Sun Ming’s face twitched as he said to Liu Mang, “I’ll personally investigate this filthy woman! Lock the door. No one is to enter or leave without my permission! And take those maids with her outside for a thorough investigation!”

“Yes, sir!”

Liu Mang’s face lit up with joy as he grabbed two young, inexperienced maids and hurried out.

Once the door was shut, Sun Ming stood up and looked down at the trembling Chen Lian. The black hairs on his mole quivered as he grinned lecherously and approached her.

“Sir, this widow truly... truly does not dare to deceive you...” Chen Lian stammered in fear.

"Don't be afraid," Sun Ming said, gently touching her delicate, tender cheek. "Is it true that your husband was killed by Yang An?"

"Words won't help. What matters is having the right connections."

"Do you understand?"

Chen Lian nodded, trembling as she lifted her hand to reach for Sun Ming's belt.

After a moment.

With swollen lips, Chen Lian curled up in Sun Ming's arms, sobbing softly, "Sir, please, you must seek justice for this humble woman. If you capture Yang An, I will give you my house and everything I have."

Sun Ming didn’t respond immediately.

Chen Lian’s hatred toward Yang An was so fierce that she was willing to sell her body and property just to take revenge. This made him suspicious.

He feared Yang An might not be an easy target.

He asked, "First, tell me—who exactly is this Yang An?"

Chen Lian replied, "He's nothing but a fallen family living in Wanshou Lane! A poor scholar who failed the imperial exams multiple times! Somehow, he gained some kind of power and became a martial artist, then ruthlessly killed my husband... *sob* Sir, please kill him and avenge my husband!"

Sun Ming relaxed.

Anyone with even a shred of influence in Yun Prefecture would never live in the shabby, impoverished Wanshou Lane.

Moreover,

Every year before the imperial exams in Yun Prefecture,

The powerful families would have already pulled strings to ensure their sons and daughters’ names appeared on the list.

For Yang An to have failed three times,

He was definitely a nobody—no background, no talent.

A worthless ant that could be crushed without a second thought.

But the fact that he suddenly became a martial artist and had some kind of mysterious fortune was interesting. Killing him and taking that fortune might prove useful later.

Sun Ming ran through his calculations in his mind.

His large hand slid along Chen Lian’s smooth body as he declared with authority, "Yang An’s crimes are heinous and unforgivable by both heaven and earth. Tomorrow, I will lead men to bring him to justice!"

"Yes, yes~ Thank you so much, sir~"