risking one's life

"My lady, are you alright?" Yi Er knelt by the pit, watching Jiang Jin carefully examine the corpse's eyes.

"What kind of poison is this?" Jiang Jin rolled up the corpse's sleeve and examined the purple marks on his body closely. "There's also a very strange smell on this corpse."

"My lady, you'd better come up quickly." Yi Er looked at the somewhat rotting corpses inside, fearing that some kind of epidemic might infect Jiang Jin.

“Okay.” Jiang Jin raised her hand and Yi Er quickly pulled her up. “Wife, let’s go to the lake to wash up.”

Yi Er frowned as he looked at the stains on Jiang Jin's dress. "My lady, I'll get you a new dress."

"Okay." Jiang Jin felt a little disgusted by the stains on her dress, so she stayed by the lake and waited for Yi Er.

The lake water was crystal clear, and the chirping of birds filled the air. Just as Jiang Jin relaxed, she heard unfamiliar footsteps and quickly hid in the grass by the lake.

"Master, do you think the Gate of Yin and Yang can really be closed?" a young boy asked the Taoist priest with an air of otherworldly wisdom beside him, munching on a sesame flatbread.

"The so-called Gate of Yin and Yang is just an outsider's term. It's possible that someone has set up a formation in Nanyi, which is why there are ghosts and monsters causing trouble. It's also possible that someone is using ghosts and monsters to kill people here. But we still need to see for ourselves before we can draw any conclusions." The Taoist priest looked at the child with affection. "It is our life's mission to eliminate evil spirits for the people."

"Don't go!" Jiang Jin hurriedly called out to stop them as she watched the master and disciple walk towards Nan Yi.

"Who are you?" The Taoist priest instinctively protected the child, frowning as he looked at the dirt on Jiang Jin's body.

"Greetings, Daoist Master. I came to investigate after hearing that something had happened in Nanyi, but I discovered it wasn't the work of evil spirits. Rather, someone was deliberately spreading rumors of evil spirits to prevent people from entering Nanyi. Your two going there rashly might be dangerous." Jiang Jin's eyes were clear and didn't seem like those of a bloodthirsty person, so the Daoist lessened his suspicion.

"Does my lady have any evidence?" The Taoist priest walked up to Jiang Jin and looked at her dress. "Your dress is quite extraordinary; you must be no ordinary person."

"Wife!" Yi Er rushed back and, seeing the two Taoist priests, became wary.

"It's alright, these two are here to rid Nanyi of evil spirits. Let's take them to see the pit." Jiang Jin took a few steps forward, glanced at the child, and then stopped.

"The scene in that pit is rather gruesome; perhaps children shouldn't see it?" Jiang Jin rubbed the child's head.

"It's alright. I've seen countless partings and deaths since I was a child; these are nothing to me." Jiang Jin hesitated, watching as the Taoist priest finally had Yi Er cover the child's eyes.

"Then let your master take a look first. If he deems you alright, we'll release you." Jiang Jin led the two to the pit. The densely packed corpses saddened the Taoist priest.

"Please, madam, take your apprentice and wait to the side. I will perform a ritual for them here." The Taoist priest sat cross-legged on the ground, chanting incantations over the large pit. Yi Er, meanwhile, warily looked around, fearing that the men in black might approach again.

After a short while, he slowly got up, walked to Jiang Jin's side, bowed, and thanked her, saying, "Thank you, Madam, for saving our lives."

"No, no, you are both kind-hearted people. I only saved you because of what you said, so actually you saved yourself." Jiang Jin leaned to the side, not daring to accept the Taoist's bow.

"If you two have nothing else to do, you should leave here as soon as possible," Jiang Jin advised. "We don't know who is inside or what they are doing. If you stay here, you will only be in danger."

"Then thank you for reminding me, madam." The Taoist priest glanced at the corpses in the pit with pity. "After everything is over, madam, would you be willing to give them a proper burial?"

"Of course, these are innocent civilians, and we can't let them lie dead in the wilderness. However, their bodies will be cremated in a few days, and there's currently no way to save them." Jiang Jin also felt somewhat helpless; as an official, she had to watch helplessly as her people suffered this way.

"Why don't I go in and take a look?" the child volunteered, seeing the somber atmosphere surrounding everyone.

"No way!" Jiang Jin immediately objected. "The people inside are all desperate criminals. How could they let a little kid like you go on such an adventure?" Looking at the child's eager eyes, Jiang Jin seemed to see a second Zi Yuan.

"My friend and I will stay in the abandoned house up ahead for now. If you two don't mind, you can go and rest first." Jiang Jin first reassured the child before handing him over to Zhou Cong for safekeeping.

When the group returned to the hut, they saw Zhou Cong routinely binding Zi Yuan's wrists. "This..." The Taoist priest looked at Jiang Jin warily, fearing that they had just escaped one danger only to fall into another.

"I was worried she might secretly go there to gather information, so I had someone watching her." Jiang Jin walked to Zi Yuan's side and untied the rope around her wrists.

"We saw the corpses being carried out of there. It was strange and had a peculiar smell." Jiang Jin looked at Zi Yuan and asked, "Do you remember if you smelled anything unusual when you were in the secret room that day?"

"A special scent?" Zi Yuan rubbed her wrist, recalling the situation. "It was the scent of rouge and face powder, the common fragrance of perfume found in brothels." Zi Yuan sniffed the scent lingering on Jiang Jin's sleeve and shook her head.

"It doesn't seem like it. The smell was much stronger, but since it was in a brothel, I didn't pay much attention to it." Zi Yuan pinched her nose as she looked at the stains on Jiang Jin's clothes.

"Oh dear, you should go change your clothes right away, the smell is making me nauseous!" Seeing that Ziyuan was about to vomit, Jiang Jin could only briefly introduce the two Taoist priests.

When Jiang Jin came out after changing her clothes, she saw Zi Yuan sitting in front of the Taoist priest, chattering incessantly: "Master, could you tell me when I will be able to establish myself in the world, when my marriage will come, and which Buddha should I worship to be most effective?"

"Ziyuan!" Jiang Jin grabbed Ziyuan's ear and dragged her to Zhou Cong's side. "Tie her up again. If she asks any more strange questions, I'll gag you."

"Yes, Madam." With Jiang Jin's instructions, Zhou Cong became much more efficient. "Zhou Cong, relax a bit. If I have any red marks on my hands, I definitely won't let you off the hook. I'll make sure your body is covered in red marks!"

Jiang Jin was about to pour water for the Taoist priest when she heard Zi Yuan's words and almost dropped the teacup.

"Ziyuan, watch your words." Zhou Cong coughed awkwardly. Only Yi Yi and Yi Er were watching the show.

“You all don’t look like ordinary people.” The Taoist priest patted the child’s head and smiled, “It seems that our meeting is also a matter of fate.”

"You flatter us. We're just ordinary people." Jiang Jin, not daring to reveal his identity, quickly changed the subject. "How did you two get to Nanyi? Are there already rumors circulating outside?"

"It's not just a coincidence. My master and I encountered the people of Nanyi in Fuyu County. We heard that evil spirits were causing trouble in Nanyi, so we came to exorcise them." The Taoist priest's expression remained calm, not appearing to be lying.

"Fuyu County isn't exactly close to Nanyi." Zhou Cong looked at the master and apprentice; although they seemed kind, appearances can be deceiving. What if they harbored malicious intentions?

"Distance doesn't matter; I'm just worried about delaying Nan Yi's affairs and implicating more people." The Taoist's sincere words reassured the group.

"I imagine there are quite a few people like you two, and perhaps many fellow Daoists have already met with misfortune." Jiang Jin recalled the fragments of a Daoist robe he had vaguely seen in the pit, and a sense of desolation welled up in his heart.

"Ah Jin, if all else fails, we can go check it out tonight. Just staying inside thinking about it isn't going to solve anything," Zi Yuan said anxiously, tapping the table.

"Yi Yi and I will disguise ourselves as Taoist priests, and the rest of you will meet us outside." Jiang Jin pondered for a moment, but still felt they couldn't just sit and wait to die.

"no!"

"no!"

Two voices rang out simultaneously. Zhou Cong and Zi Yuan looked at Jiang Jin with disapproval. "Are you crazy? They might be waiting for you to walk right into their trap. If something happens to you now, everything will be for nothing!" Zi Yuan naturally couldn't let Jiang Jin take the risk alone.

“Madam, I will not allow you to go alone.” Zhou Cong couldn’t even imagine Wei Shu’s fury if he knew that Jiang Jin was risking her life alone.

"Alright, Yi Yi and I have been through a lot, so we naturally have ways to save our lives. Besides, going during the day will make it easier to call for help." Jiang Jin's mind was made up. She hadn't done anything so risky in a long time, and she felt her blood surging with excitement.

"Then I want to go with you!" Zi Yuan would never let Jiang Jin go on an adventure alone.

"Ziyuan, you need to stay outside and keep watch. If anything happens to me, you can call for help." Jiang Jin trusted Ziyuan the most, so naturally she wouldn't let her be imprisoned with her.

"Yi-yi and I are going to disguise ourselves as fellow disciples to slay evil spirits. Daoist, could you lend us your magical artifacts?" Without hesitation, the Daoist took out his artifacts and even taught the two their basic usage and proper etiquette.

"Everything went well for you two." The Taoist priest looked at Jiang Jin, who had just come of age, but whose eyes held a calm and composed air. She arranged things very well; she was indeed a good child.

"Thank you for your kind words." Jiang Jin, holding the magical artifact, slowly walked towards Nan Yiwai under the gaze of everyone.

"Who goes there!" A sinister gaze fell upon Jiang Jin. Pretending not to notice, she bowed respectfully to the fake Taoist priest before her.

"Fellow Daoist, my senior brother and I, while traveling in Beizhou, heard that evil spirits were causing trouble in Nanyi, so we came here specifically to slay the demons." Jiang Jin deliberately brandished his magic weapon a couple of times, looking quite professional.

"So it's you, fellow Daoist!" The fake Daoist in front of him revealed a moment of greed before his ruthless eyes disappeared and he smiled and said, "The Yin-Yang Gate of Nanyi is indeed very troublesome. If you could lend us a hand, we would be more than happy to do so. Someone, quickly take the two of you down to rest. We will seal the Yin-Yang Gate together tonight."

The fake Taoist waved his hand, and someone led Jiang Jin and the other person through the main gate. The interior of Nan Yi was indeed somewhat desolate, with withered leaves falling in the wind, as if even sunlight couldn't penetrate the gloom.

Jiang Jin thought she smelled the scent of a corpse on the man in front of her. Although it was faint, the smell was very strange and she couldn't be mistaken.