Chapter 24 Moon Pearl

Regarding the speculation about the origin of the Gu poison, Shang Yuji told Doctor Yan about her suspicions regarding Jiang Xi's mother and wet nurse. After learning about this, Doctor Yan conducted a simple examination on him.

Having confirmed that everything was indeed correct, Yan Qingxian offered to leave. He needed to treat the people rebuilding Jingzhou. He had only come to inquire about his junior brother's recent condition, but he hadn't expected such an unexpected gain.

After seeing off Doctor Yan, Shang Yuji looked at Jiang Xi's red birthmark with some curiosity. She wanted to touch it, but was afraid of stimulating the Gu, so she hesitated and finally gave up the idea to be on the safe side.

Jiang Xi's expression shifted from anticipation to disappointment. He hesitated and asked, "Does Aji not want to touch me anymore?"

Shang Yuji quickly stopped his wild thoughts and ruffled his hair roughly: "How could that be? I'm just afraid of triggering the Gu, and if it takes effect, we won't know what to do."

He let her do as she pleased, his hair disheveled, knowing she didn't dislike him. His disappointment vanished, and his innocent smile returned to his face.

Ironically, this beautiful face, despite being ravaged, did not appear disheveled; instead, it gained a touch of stunning beauty.

“Ah Ji doesn’t dislike me, Ah Ji is good.”

How good is it?

Without hesitation, he smiled so broadly his eyes disappeared: "Higher than the sky, deeper than the sea, absolutely the best."

"Alright, thank you for the compliment. I'm going to write a letter to Dr. Fang to explain the situation and tell him not to keep us waiting."

Although they were supposed to live in anonymity after leaving the capital, they still revealed their real names when necessary in order to uncover the buried truth.

Fortunately, not many people know about it now. There is only one doctor, one doctor, one person, the owner of the Fulai Inn in Yangzhou, and Lin Mingshan, who is investigating information about the southern border.

However, the shopkeeper was told that the person being searched was a relative, not the person in question. It's unclear how much of that he believed, but in any case, he was just trying to delay things as long as possible.

It's somewhat like saying, "I have a friend, and that friend is me," but I don't think Da'an would have such a saying.

I wonder if that Master Lin found the information she needed.

.

Zhuomu Village in Southern Xinjiang.

The mountain range has a unique shape, with jagged rocks and towering trees that block out the sky, concealing many villages hidden deep within.

The old woman in front of me, dressed in blue-purple exotic clothing, became excited as she spoke, gesturing wildly. Sitting opposite her was a young man with a cold and stern expression.

It was Lin Mingshan who was gathering information in southern Xinjiang.

His face was indifferent, but his mind was blank and lost: What was she saying?

Lin Mingshan turned to look at the burly man beside him, glared at him, and gestured for him to understand the meaning behind the old woman's words.

The burly man wiped away non-existent sweat and said sullenly, "Brother Lin, she said there are no women named Mingzhu in the village, but there are many pretty girls. She thinks you are handsome and will surely win their hearts. She asked if you want to stay."

"I won't stay. I have other things to do!" Lin Mingshan decisively refused.

"Ask her again, ask her, twenty years ago, who left or passed through the village?"

Most tribes in southern Xinjiang operate within their own tribal boundaries. With abundant resources in the mountains, they have no worries about making a living, resulting in extremely low population mobility. Some people spend most of their lives without ever leaving their villages.

Seeing that he had no interest in staying, the old woman's attitude quickly turned cold. However, out of consideration for the interesting little trinkets they had exchanged, she dutifully replied, "No, what's wrong with the village? Nobody wants to leave!"

After finishing his conversation with the old woman, Lin Mingshan took out a few old sheets of paper from his bundle, grabbed a charcoal pencil, and drew a long line at the location where Zhuomu Village was written.

The dozen or so villages listed before Zhuomu Village were all marked with a horizontal line; those were the villages he had already visited.

However, there was no news about Mingzhu.

Bright pearl... bright moon pearl...

This is the name of the employer, "Jiang Xiqu's" mother, a name more like that of someone from Da'an than someone from southern Xinjiang.

The name wasn't even provided by the employer; Lin Mingshan learned it through the Wanshang Alliance.

Beyond Zhuomuzhai lies even deeper into the mountains, in Wumingzhai, a place that locals fear to even speak of.

Da Han is a native of Da'an who moved to southern Xinjiang. He grew up in southern Xinjiang and did a lot of business between villages, so he has a good understanding of the accents of each village.

But Wuming Village, he has never been there!

I heard from the older generation that everyone in that village is incredibly skilled at using insects. If you enter their territory without permission, you won't even know how you died!

Moreover, Wuming Village is located in the deepest part of southern Xinjiang, and it is impossible to find without some knowledge of the local customs.

"No, young man, Wuming Village is too dangerous. I won't go with you no matter what." The burly man refused repeatedly, trying to persuade the young man Lin not to go, "The older generation all say that if you go to Wuming, you will surely die!"

"I will definitely go. I'll give you an extra hundred taels. Will you go or not?" Lin Mingshan asked, rolling up the paper.

One hundred taels of silver is nothing more than a grain of millet in the granary for high-ranking officials and nobles, but it is an enormous sum for remote, poor old farmers.

The big man hesitated again after hearing the price. The reason he accompanied Brother Lin to explore the villages of various ethnic groups was because someone in his family was seriously ill and urgently needed money.

After a struggle, the burly man gritted his teeth and said, "Add another fifty taels! Add another fifty and I'll go with you. Give me the money before we go, and I'll take it home before we set off."

Lin Mingshan: "Okay."

.

In the capital city, a gentle breeze and slanting rain fell on a house in the west of the city.

A-Cuo stretched his hand out the window, scooped up a handful of rainwater, and looked up at the swaying treetops: "Aunt Hui, is Aunt Yue really that important? So important that we didn't hesitate to leave the village and travel thousands of miles to Da'an, the capital?"

"A-Cuo, do you still remember the village rules?"

Her palm tilted downwards, raindrops cascading from her hand. She turned to face Hui-gu inside the house, her lovely, doll-like face expressionless, calmly responding in the slanting afternoon rain:

"Life and death are preordained, and one must bear full responsibility."

Hui Gu chuckled lightly: "Yes, the people in our village are the least concerned about the lives of others, but there's another rule before that."

"The practice of witchcraft and sorcery is used by the entire clan to make demands."

“In Wuming, life is not important, Gu is important, and your Aunt Yue is the most blessed Gu woman in the entire Wuming.”

A centipede crawled out from A-Cuo's blue collar, rustling across her neck, climbing up her face, and disappearing into her black hair.

Both remained silent in the face of this scene, with A-Cuo seemingly oblivious as the centipede crawled all over him.

Huigu: "Acuo, many people in the village must have told you that you are a genius that comes along only once in a century. However, Ayue was born to be a witch.

Hearing this, A-Cuo's calm eyes flickered. Hui-Gu seemed to recall something, and her nostalgic expression twisted instantly as she continued, "What an enviable talent, but unfortunately—"

Her voice suddenly rose, becoming increasingly shrill: "For some Central Plains man! She left the village! She gave up witchcraft! She abandoned all of us, saying she only wanted him, only him!"

Her voice was shrill and piercing, her face contorted in a grimace, she gasped for breath, her body arching violently: "She's dead! She died for nothing! Do you know how she died?"

"Suicide! A double suicide for love! All for that one man from the Central Plains!"

A-Cuo's lips parted slightly, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Aunt Hui, are you thinking about her?"

Otherwise, why would you be so sad, with your eyes filled with sorrow?

The room fell silent for a long time before Huigu finally spoke: "Acuo, the dead live carefree lives, while the living suffer. Why is that?"

If you listen carefully, you can almost hear the tremor in her voice.

She exhaled a breath of stale air, feigning nonchalance: "Ah, I'm getting off-topic. Why would I think about that damned woman?"

"Let's talk about the last Gu she left behind. It's cured, and that's also the real reason we came to Da'an, the capital."

"Let's start with the name of that Gu poison, it's called—"

"The Heart-to-Heart Gu"

.

Jingzhou, the governor's residence.

The long carriage stopped in front of the mansion. Li Wanjing felt weak in the knees, as if he were walking on clouds.

Rows and rows of carriages, a scene like something out of a dream. The lady had people come in to rest first, and ordered food to be served so that the brave men who had traveled all the way could catch their breath.

Li Wanjing drifted by unsteadily, his soul chasing after him.

So much disaster relief food...

As he walked, he started laughing to himself again.

Not only him, but also the minor officials and ordinary people who knew the news could not believe it.

In the past, when disaster struck, didn't everyone always manage to get through it by themselves, even if it meant struggling to make ends meet?

The imperial court's disaster relief grain was barely enough to cook two bowls of porridge at the city gates and distribute to everyone!

And it's so fast! At the usual pace, it might take two months for the court to send a message.

The person leading the relief grain was Cui Shu, whom Shang Yuji had met once before. After being entertained by the governor's mansion, the two met privately.

Aside from Cui Shu's initial gratitude to Shang Yuji for helping the Princess, after a brief exchange of pleasantries, Shang Yuji took the initiative to ask, "I wonder who will be given the title of disaster relief?"

If the relief grains from the capital are not clearly stated, they will naturally be attributed to the imperial court, and wouldn't all this effort be in vain?

Cui Shu had already learned from the Princess that Shang Yuji was one of his own, and he stated frankly, "Whoever put in the effort will naturally gain the credit."

Cui Shu is a smart man. When a smart man doesn't beat around the bush, it's actually quite easy to understand what he means.

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No need. Miss Shang has worked hard for several days on disaster relief. Leave the rest to us."

Just as Jingzhou was thriving, the imperial court on the other side received an urgent report of flooding from Jingzhou.

Like a pebble thrown into a still lake, it instantly splashes up countless water droplets, which fall and create ripples on the surface.

The capital city is no longer as peaceful as it appears on the surface.

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Author's note: Centipede is actually a centipede.