Chapter 36: Lingering Fear

Suhetang is located on the corner of the main street, less than half a street away from where the madman committed the crime.

Pei Zhiwei and Xiao Yunzhan walked at the front, but once they entered the clinic, they didn't see a single person.

Zhou Wenbin shouted at the top of his lungs, "Zhou Wenbin, the magistrate of Suzhou County, is here! Men of Suhetang, come out and answer me!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a young waiter, about fifteen or sixteen years old, ran out from inside, his face still showing signs of panic.

"Please forgive us, sirs! There was a huge commotion in the street just now, and we were all so scared that we hid in the inner room."

"Hiding inside?" Zhou Wenbin frowned and asked sharply.

"That madman was attacking people right in front of your house, didn't you see anything?"

The young man's voice was still trembling: "No, I didn't see anything. As soon as the noise started, the doctor told us to hide inside. He even found a wooden bar to prop the door shut. We didn't even dare to peek through the cracks in the window."

Pei Zhiwei stood to the side and looked at the store's furnishings.

Behind the counter stood a row of medicine cabinets, the handwriting on which the medicinal materials were copied was neat, but the cabinet surfaces were a mess.

She walked to the counter and pointed to the scattered herbs on it: "Were you preparing medicine just now?"

Another slightly older waiter came over. He was in his early twenties and was calmer than the younger waiter, but his complexion wasn't much better.

"My lady, we had just weighed the medicinal herbs when we heard someone outside shouting 'A madman is attacking people!' The doctor immediately told us to hide."

Xiao Yunzhan suddenly asked, "Where is your manager?"

The older man spoke first: "Our manager didn't come to the clinic today."

Pei Zhiwei guessed that they didn't know that the madman who had just been wielding a knife was their own manager, let alone that he was already dead.

She didn't immediately expose him, but followed up by asking, "Lord Zhou wants to check your pharmacy's accounts, especially the recent records of medicinal herbs coming in and out. Go and get them."

"Accounts?" The young waiter was taken aback for a moment, then quickly waved his hand.

"Madam is joking. The manager personally oversees the accounts; how could we servants possibly touch them?"

Seeing Zhou Wenbin's face darken, he quickly added, "If Lord Zhou is in a hurry to find the shopkeeper, I'll go to his house right away. His house is just on the next street, not far!"

Before Zhou Wenbin could speak, Pei Zhiwei shook her head first: "No need."

She then asked the older shop assistant, "Do you know if anyone has come to buy 'Charming Grass' recently?"

"Charming grass?" The shopkeeper frowned and thought for a moment, then shook his head firmly.

"No, my wife. This medicine is rarely needed; it's mostly used by family doctors to make painkillers."

Suhetang has been in Suzhou for many years, and many people come to see the doctor. The painkiller is used up quickly, and the little bit of herb available is just enough to make more. Where can we sell any more?

Besides, this medicine is controlled by the government. The shopkeeper specifically instructed that if anyone buys bewitching herb, the purpose must be clarified and their name and place of origin must be registered. So if you are only asking about bewitching herb, I know exactly what it is.”

Pei Zhiwei was somewhat surprised.

She originally thought that Suhetang had a lot of stock, so even if they didn't sell in bulk, there would still be a few people buying it. She didn't expect that "the amount they had for their own use was not enough".

If the shopkeeper was not involved in the kidnapping of the girl, then why did he get into trouble at this time?

Is it really just a pure coincidence?

At this moment, an elderly doctor in a long gown, about sixty years old, emerged from the inner room, stroking his half-white beard.

Pei Zhiwei wanted to ask more, but Xiao Yunzhan spoke first, his gaze sweeping over the shop assistants and doctor: "How is your manager's health? Does he have any hidden illnesses?"

Everyone in the shop was taken aback, completely baffled as to why he suddenly asked that question.

The old doctor was the first to react, saying, "The shopkeeper has always been in good health and has no hidden ailments."

"Are you sure?" Zhou Wenbin couldn't help but interject.

The old doctor smiled and said, "Lord Zhou, I've been practicing medicine in this clinic for so many years, how could I be unsure?"

"Did your manager say why he didn't come to the shop today?" Xiao Yunzhan asked again.

The people in the shop looked at each other and shook their heads.

The old doctor spoke first: "He's the manager, why would he tell us where he is?"

The young man nodded in agreement.

Xiao Yunzhan didn't say anything more, just stood there, his gaze fixed on the medicine cabinet, his expression unreadable.

Pei Zhiwei stood beside him and could feel the air pressure around him getting lower and lower, as if the surrounding air had frozen.

Zhou Wenbin was sweating profusely. He secretly glanced at Xiao Yunzhan's profile and saw that his jawline was taut. He didn't dare to ask any more questions, but he was terrified.

He guessed that Xiao Yunzhan had seen the chaos on the street earlier, and then remembered the previous disappearance case, and felt that he had managed the security in Suzhou too poorly, so he was unhappy.

Yu Haijing also sensed something was wrong and didn't dare to say anything, hoping that Xiao Yunzhan would give instructions on the next step soon, so as not to be stuck here.

Xiao Yunzhan stepped out first, and the others quickly followed.

When they reached the entrance of a deserted alley, he finally spoke.

"Zhou Wenbin, seal off Suhetang first, keep an eye on everyone, and don't let them touch anything inside. We'll talk about it after the autopsy report comes out."

Send three more groups of people. One group will investigate all of Su Hetang's movements today, from when he left home to when the incident happened, who he met and where he went.

A group of people, carrying the purchase records of the alluring herb from Lord Yu, openly went to each pharmacy to investigate.

Another round of clandestine investigations will uncover any unauthorized transactions outside of established records.

Report any leads to me immediately, without delay.

Zhou Wenbin quickly agreed: "Yes! This subordinate will arrange it immediately and will not dare to delay!"

Yu Haijing nodded in agreement: "This humble official will return to the yamen to retrieve the records and cooperate with Lord Zhou in investigating the pharmacy."

Xiao Yunzhan didn't look at them again, only said "Return to the manor" to Pei Zhiwei, and then turned and walked towards the princess's manor.

Pei Zhiwei quickly followed. As she passed Zhou Wenbin and Yu Haijing, she saw that the two of them had both breathed a sigh of relief and were busy instructing the yamen runners to do their jobs, with lingering tension on their faces.

The journey from Suhetang back to the Princess's residence was not far, but this stretch of road was exceptionally difficult.

Pei Zhiwei glanced at the person beside her several times, wanting to ask if he was still troubled by what happened on the street, but each time she saw his dark, tanned profile, she swallowed her words.

She simply followed in his footsteps silently.

The two had just entered the gate of the princess's residence and hadn't taken more than a few steps when they looked up and bumped into the Third Princess, Xiao Wanyao.

She was wearing a light green brocade dress and holding a round fan in her hand. When she saw them return, her face immediately lit up with a smile.

"Yun Zhan, Zhiwei, you're finally back! I've had freshly brewed pre-Qingming Longjing tea prepared, and I've also made your favorite dishes..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Yunzhan continued walking straight to his own courtyard without even glancing at her.

Xiao Wanyao stood there, stunned, forgetting to wave the fan in her hand. She looked at his back, then turned to look at Pei Zhiwei, her eyes full of doubt.

"What happened? He was fine when he left this morning, how did he come back like this?"

Pei Zhiwei was also somewhat helpless.

He could only step forward and say softly, "Your Highness, we just encountered a madman attacking people on the street, and Your Highness hasn't said much since."

She didn't dare say more, afraid that saying the wrong thing would only make the princess worry.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Wanyao frowned slightly, then relaxed and patted Pei Zhiwei's hand.

"You've worked hard all day. Go back to your room and rest. I'll have someone call you for dinner."

Pei Zhiwei responded with a "Thank you, Princess," and turned to return to her room.

As soon as she left, Xiao Wanyao called over her personal maid and whispered a few instructions to her.

The maidservant hurried towards the backyard.

A short while later, the maid returned and whispered a few words in Xiao Wanyao's ear.

A knowing glint flashed in Xiao Wanyao's eyes. "I understand. You can go now."

After the maid left, Xiao Wanyao, holding a round fan, slowly walked towards the courtyard where Xiao Yunzhan was temporarily staying.

As soon as they arrived at the courtyard gate, they saw Xiao Yunzhan standing under the eaves, gazing at the distant lake without moving.

She patted his shoulder. "Still thinking about what happened earlier?"

Xiao Yunzhan seemed startled. "Why is Third Sister here?"

"I heard that a madman was attacking people on the street just now, and Madam Pei even rushed in to save a child?"

Xiao Yunzhan remained silent for a while, then finally sighed, his tone full of frustration.

"Yes. At that moment, the madman raised his knife and slashed at the child. I had already rushed forward, but she was half a step faster than me and stood in front of him."

If my lightness skill were a little more agile, a mere instant faster, why would I have let her take this risk?

Xiao Wanyao was genuinely surprised. She knew Xiao Yunzhan's skills; even the most capable bodyguards by His Majesty's side were no match for him. She never expected that Pei Zhiwei's lightness skill was even better than his.

She followed his words and advised, "You're not a god, how can you be ahead of everyone else in everything? Madam Pei was just eager to save people, and besides, her skills are good, isn't that a good thing? She saved people and bought time at the same time."

"But what if something happens?" Xiao Yunzhan's voice suddenly rose, then he quickly lowered it, his eyes filled with lingering fear. "What if I don't get there in time to make a move?"

He used to boast that he was highly skilled in martial arts and had the emperor's favor, so he naturally assumed that he could protect the people he wanted to protect.

But today's incident truly frightened him, making him afraid that with his limited abilities, he couldn't even protect the people around him.

He recalled the smuggling of salt in the canal, Gu Boheng and Zhang Chengye's recent unusual behavior, and the possibility that the princess's residence might already be involved.

If Third Sister really knows about Gu Boheng's affairs, or even interferes, what should he do?

At that time, will he also be like today, watching things spiral out of control, unable to do anything about it?

Xiao Wanyao sighed softly: "Yun Zhan, don't shoulder everything yourself."

You are only human, and there will always be things you can't take care of.

Everyone has their own destiny. Lady Pei has her abilities, and that child has her fate. You've already done very well.

Xiao Yunzhan didn't speak, he just stared at the lake. Xiao Wanyao didn't try to persuade him anymore, she just sat with him until the sun was about to set, then she pulled him to the front hall for dinner.

That night, a servant came to report that Zhou Wenbin had arrived, along with a coroner.

He walked to the front hall, took the autopsy report, and looked directly at the cause of death column. The handwriting was neat, and it read, "The cause of death was cardiac arrest caused by poisoning from a mixture of cold food powder and alcohol."