Chapter 78 The Immortal in the Hermitage (Part 21) This kiss was just one of the ingredients he used...
That crippled Wang was originally a quack doctor. When it came to medicine, he claimed to be a gynecological expert, but he was only a half-baked expert, a fraud, and a charlatan. He mostly traveled among the villagers, who were short-sighted and couldn't afford good doctors, so they were easily deceived by such people.
The shopkeeper sneered, "But this Wang the Cripple is really skilled at abortions. Many doctors wouldn't do such a morally reprehensible thing, but he took advantage of the situation and developed some skills. So whenever there's something shady like this, people like to go to him. I don't think even if you two gentlemen find him, he won't say anything. Half of the fees he collects are hush money. I'm afraid he won't be able to outrun you two when he sees you."
Ah Liu chuckled twice, "Isn't he a cripple? How could he possibly outrun us officers?"
"Hey, he's faking it, he's perfectly fine!"
"Why would he pretend to be a cripple when he's perfectly fine?"
"Isn't there a saying that those with physical disabilities or flaws are often extraordinary people?"
After everyone laughed, Zhang Da asked for Wang the Cripple's address, and by evening he and A-Liu had found it at the end of Dafang Street, near Hulu Lane. They happened to run into Wang the Cripple, carrying his medical kit and holding a signpost, fumbling for a key to unlock the door. Zhang Da gave A-Liu a wink, and as soon as the door opened, A-Liu stepped forward and shoved Wang the Cripple, throwing him to the ground in the yard.
Wang the Cripple got up cursing, but when he saw that it was two government officials and the courtyard gate was bolted shut, leaving him nowhere to run, he immediately put on a smiling face and greeted them, "Oh, it's you two officials. What's wrong? You've come to see me, Wang the Cripple, for medical treatment too?"
Ah Liu kicked the signpost away, saying, "Your sign clearly says 'Gynecological Master,' do you think two grown men would even notice us looking for you?!"
"What's so hard about that? Men and women share the same origin, and yin and yang are interconnected. Many gynecological diseases are closely related to men. Sometimes, if you treat the man well, the woman's disease will naturally get better as well."
Zhang Da grabbed him and pulled him close. "Stop talking nonsense! Tell me, have you recently prescribed an abortion for a young and beautiful woman? Where is she now?!"
Wang the Cripple's eyes darted around, and he smiled broadly. "So many women have come to me about this, how could I possibly remember them all?"
Zhang Da sneered, "This person is a nun, and she is very beautiful. You can't possibly not remember her."
In Wang the Cripple's line of work, the most important thing is to keep his mouth shut. Most people hire him because of this, and if he were to reveal it today, it would undoubtedly ruin his reputation. Therefore, after weighing the options, he gritted his teeth and kept quiet, but he did ramble on and on about a lot of irrelevant things.
Ah Liu grew impatient and slapped him across the face. "Stop babbling! If you don't talk, I'll take you to the yamen for severe torture and see if you confess!"
These words made Wang the Cripple turn pale, and he lost his composure for a moment. He thought to himself, "I'll risk it all and face this tough opponent this time!"
He smiled at Zhang Da's annoyed face and said, "Even if the imperial court arrests someone, there must be a crime. I have always practiced medicine honestly and uprightly. I have never killed anyone or extorted money from anyone. No one has ever accused me. There must be a reason to arrest me, right? I am a literate person, unlike those country bumpkins who know nothing and are easily frightened by a few words. Besides, I have heard that the newly appointed Magistrate Yan of this county is very righteous. He has just taken office, and I guess he doesn't want to be accused of torturing the people before he has even settled in."
These words left Zhang Da at a loss, so he had no choice but to call Ah Liu and leave. He went home and worried for half the night, tossing and turning in bed for a long time without being able to sleep. His wife, Sui Zi, had recently become pregnant. After a long day of hard work, she was hoping to get a good night's sleep. Hearing the bed frame creaking and groaning, she got angry, got up, and slapped him twice. She then asked him why.
Zhang Da stared wide-eyed as he spoke, but Sui Zi found it amusing. "Go and tell Mr. Yu. Isn't Mr. Yu the most resourceful? Ask him to come up with a plan, and I guarantee that Wang the Cripple will tell the truth."
Zhang Da sighed, "This matter was originally instructed by Mr. Yu. It's just finding someone, not a big deal. If I can't even handle this properly, and have to ask him, wouldn't they look down on me?"
“You’ve always been a rough man. In the past, when you interrogated people, you would either hit or scold them. But when you encounter someone like this, you can’t hit them, and scolding them doesn’t hurt them. You have to rack your brains, right? But using your brain isn’t your forte. I hope Mr. Yu will understand. I don’t think he’s the kind of person who looks down on people easily. He has such a magnanimous spirit—” As he spoke, he pulled the blanket over his head and lay down to sleep with a smile.
Zhang Da leaned over and looked at her. "Hey, why are you all smiles when Mr. Yu is mentioned? Let me remind you, you're a married woman!"
Sui Zi pressed his face down with one hand. "Don't put your ugly face in front of me. If I look at your crooked nose and slanted eyes too much, I'm afraid I was born an ugly girl. I'd rather think about Mr. Yu more—"
Zhang Dayi was so upset that he couldn't sleep. The next day, he got up with dark circles under his eyes as soon as it was light, went to the yamen, ordered a fast horse, and headed straight for Qinglian Temple.
When they arrived at the temple and told Zhang Da about Wang the Cripple, Jiu Li said she had a solution. Zhang Da hurriedly asked what the solution was, but she just kept rolling her eyes and smiling.
Yu Qi glanced at her sly smile, then his eyes darted around and he noticed Xu Bai was also looking at her with a smile, his gaze filled with doting and admiration, which was rather annoying. He thought it best to take this opportunity to get her out of the meeting, so that she and Xu Bai wouldn't be constantly eyeing him.
He said, "Since you have a way to deal with that cripple Wang, go with Constable Zhang. You've been cooped up in this temple for many days, you must be tired of it. Go home and visit your mother while you're at it, and come back after you find Miaohua."
Jiuli originally only wanted to tell Zhang Da the method and let him handle it himself. At this time, those old nuns were probably plotting against her. If she left, they wouldn't be able to figure it out, which would delay things.
Yu Qi replied, "If they want to target you, they'll have to deal with me first. As long as I'm in this temple, I won't be delayed. Just go ahead."
That's true; they need to take down Yu Qi, this "mountain-guarding tyrant," before they can proceed. But then again, even without Yu Qi's protection, she's the one who makes her own decisions. What methods do these old nuns have to tame her?
As she pondered this, she sat down at the table, poured herself some tea, and said with a wry smile, "I don't want to go. What if you're in danger if I leave?"
Yu Qi, sitting in the back seat, glanced at her sideways and chuckled, "If I'm in danger, can you still protect me?"
She put down her teacup and turned her head. "It's hard to say. Although you've always protected me, that was in the past. Now I'm older, and you're getting old. It's my turn to protect you."
Du Zhong laughed so hard he fell back into his chair. Although Yu Qi was somewhat touched, the words "You're getting old too" were anything but cheerful. He just smiled and asked, "Am I that old?"
Jiuli smiled and rolled her eyes. "I didn't think that way. Didn't you say you were old? I was just going along with what you said."
Xu Bai chimed in, "The fish has a good heart."
Yu Qi gave him a cold look. "When did Lord Qi learn mind-reading?"
Jiuli touched one of her ears and glanced at Xu Bai from beside her hand, deliberately saying, "This is called telepathy."
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent, averting their eyes for fear of meeting Yu Qi's gaze and incurring his wrath. Only Xu Bai remained unfazed, feeling that a few sarcastic remarks from Yu Qi for her words were nothing.
The atmosphere froze for a moment. Zhang Da quickly took the lead and said, "I'll go and pay my respects to Master Chen. As for whether Miss Yu'er will come with me or not, you can decide and let me know later."
Du Zhong naturally followed suit and slipped away. Xu Bai would only be asking for trouble if he stayed, so he also went out. As soon as the three of them reached the door, Jiu Li rolled his eyes and said, "No need to discuss it anymore, Brother Zhang, I'll go with you. Anyway, we'll just get scolded here."
Anyway, Yu Qi was furious, and she was secretly pleased. Why wasn't she running away? But before she could even step over the threshold, Yu Qi pulled her back. "I have something to say to you."
He shoved her in, closed the door, and turned around, frowning. "What kind of indecent things have you said? Is this something a young lady should say? Aren't you ashamed in front of all these people?"
Jiuli plopped down on the long bench. "Just say what you think. What's there to be ashamed of?"
Yu Qi stared blankly, "Is that really what you think?"
"What else can I think?"
He paced back and forth in front of her, his hands clasped behind his back, wanting to ask her if she hadn't said she liked him before? Hadn't she shed so many tears for him? But he found it hard to say, so his steps quickened and his heart was filled with anxiety.
A quick glance revealed that she seemed completely unfazed, her face turned to the side, her hands fidgeting on her skirt, as if she had anticipated his anger and was utterly unafraid, even nonchalantly pouting.
She loved making these little gestures, a slight up or down twitch of the corners of her lips, perfectly expressing her joy or contempt—a naive, vulgar cuteness, yet annoyingly adorable! A sudden surge of anger welled up inside him. Wasn't she just calculating that no matter how angry he was, he couldn't hit her? Fine! He was going to teach her a lesson by surprise.
So, as if possessed, he grabbed her chin, turned her face to the side, bent down, and kissed her.
With just a light touch, his lips brushed against hers, and he let go and went behind the table.
Jiuli was still in shock. After a while, she turned around and saw him sitting calmly in the chair. The kiss just now seemed like a dream that had shattered on her lips. She blinked her eyes in disbelief.
Yu Qi's heart pounded wildly. As he walked over, he was filled with remorse and guilt. Despite all his precautions, he couldn't guard against a man's true nature. The desire to kiss her was just a momentary lustful impulse. His talk of "giving her a lesson" was nothing but a lame excuse for himself.
But no elder would willingly admit to being a villain in front of a junior. Even though he saw through her, he couldn't let her think he was a hypocrite, so he casually said, "Do you still think you can't do without Qi Xubai?"
Jiuli knew immediately that he wasn't sincere; he was just trying to prove to herself that she didn't truly love Qi Xubai. And yet, just a moment ago she thought things had taken a turn for the better!
At this moment, her heart sank, and her chaotic thoughts, like those of a sick person with no energy, gradually settled to the ground.
Fortunately, she hadn't foolishly questioned him about why he kissed her. Otherwise, not only would it not prove anything about him, but it would also make her seem like she didn't even understand herself. All her thoughts about Xu Bai and him could be easily dismissed by him as just the confusion of her teenage years.
No wonder people call him a "miracle doctor with strange hands"; his prescriptions are indeed extraordinary. That kiss must have been nothing more than a "dangerous drug" in his mind. If you ask him, he won't admit that he has any other thoughts about her.
She could only ignore it, blinking at the sky, "Hmm—I'm increasingly convinced that I can't live without him."
As soon as she finished speaking, Yu Qi's expression changed drastically. Before he could say anything more, she hurriedly got up to open the door, "I'm leaving now, I still have important business to attend to with Brother Zhang."
As she walked out with Zhang Da, Zhang Da, who had been listening to their conversation inside the house in a state of confusion, quietly asked her about it. She then recounted the shady dealings of Qinglian Temple to him in various ways. Zhang Da was indignant, slamming his fist into his hand, wishing he could arrest all those old nuns on the spot!
"I've always felt something was off about Qinglian Temple. No wonder those nuns were so beautiful—turns out they were prostitutes! They're hypocrites, they deserve to be torn to pieces!" As he cursed, he suddenly frowned, recalling their conversation in the room. "So, those old thieving nuns are plotting against you?"
Jiuli didn't take it seriously. She covered her mouth with her hand and whispered, "Uncle said that to catch a thief red-handed, we should turn the tables on them and catch them in the act of Qinglian Temple forcing good people into prostitution. They won't be able to deny it, and we must punish them with the death penalty in the future!"
Zhang Da nodded to himself. The two walked to the cave entrance next to the main hall, just as Jingzhen came in from outside, holding a fortune stick in her hand.
Seeing her solemn expression, Jiuli wondered what was wrong, so she put her palms together in greeting and asked, "Abbot, why do you look so unwell? Is something serious happening again?"
“Last night, Buddha appeared in my dream and gave me some guidance. He said that recently, my temple has been plagued by misfortune because a malevolent star has come to the temple. Wherever this malevolent star is, there will be a pervasive atmosphere of misfortune. His family and friends will all suffer because of him. Only by converting him can my temple be at peace, and even his friends and family will be freed from suffering.”
As Jingzhen spoke, she showed her the fortune slip, which contained a line from Lu You: "Fame and fortune have no end. All is but empty laughter."
Such sentences are most alluring; some people, after reciting too many empty and illusory words like "clouds and smoke" and "fleeting clouds," can't resist shaving their heads and becoming nuns. Jiu Li thought to herself, "So this female bald nun is trying to coax me into becoming a nun. What a jinx! Isn't she just talking about me?"
It just so happens that everyone knows she "died young" and was raised by her uncle. If Yu Qi were to have a mishap, it would confirm her reputation as a "jinx." Not only would she feel guilty, but the old lady would also be terrified. If they continued to spout nonsense about gods and Buddhas, how could an old woman withstand such deception? Wouldn't she then have to reluctantly send her to the temple to practice Buddhism, and thus fall into their hands?
It's clear that most of those "enlightened monks" who like to convert people into monks use this method to abduct people! They take people's perfectly good children into the temple, ostensibly as disciples, but aren't they just free slaves? That's considered good; if they end up in a place like Qinglian Temple, they become their cash cows.
Jiuli understood in her heart, but didn't show it on her face. She took the fortune stick, pressed it to her heart as if thinking about it, and asked with a worried look, "Master, who is the 'evil star'?"
Jingzhen sighed, "He is a man with few brothers to rely on, who is destined to be unlucky in love and friendship, and who has no connection with his family."
Jiuli cursed inwardly, "Isn't this exactly what I said?! You old bald man, just wait until I tear off your skin, and you'll suffer a terrible death!"
Zhang Da sneered inwardly, took the fortune stick from Jiu Li's hand and returned it to Jing Zhen, saying, "Let's hurry up and go. We have things to do, and we're worried it might rain later."
Seeing the unease on Jiu Li's face, Jingzhen thought to herself, "No matter how lively and mischievous a little girl is, she can't really turn the world upside down. After all, the heavens are ruled by the gods, and who on earth isn't afraid?" Her old woman from the countryside was even more susceptible to the tales of gods and Buddhas. If things continued this way, half the task would be accomplished; the other half rested solely on Yu Qi.
So she returned to her room and sent a young nun to invite Granny Chen San over, saying, "I've made a few more offerings of sesame oil for her, and I need to settle the accounts with her in person."
The young nun did as instructed, and soon Granny Chen came over. She saw Jingzhen sitting cross-legged on the couch with her eyes closed. Behind her, on the wall, hung a calligraphy scroll with only a large "Buddha" written on it, hanging directly above Jingzhen's head, truly "bright with Buddha's light." She kept murmuring long sutras. Granny Chen sneered at this, turned around, closed the door, and went to sit on the couch herself.
He quickly picked up a small paper packet, placed it on the kang table, and pushed it towards her, saying, "This is something you asked me to buy, and I've brought it."
Jingzhen lifted her right eye and glanced down, then closed it again and said, "You take it. You'll have to handle the rest for me."
Grandma Chen's expression changed. She glanced at the paper package. She had bought it herself; how could she not know it contained arsenic? She said, "What good can you do by buying this? If I do it for you and things go wrong, won't I become the scapegoat?"
Jingzhen opened her eyes, put her legs down, and smiled. "What do you mean by 'scapegoat'? Are you really innocent? Do you think Liaoyi really has nothing to do with you? Others may not know, but I do. Back when you were still in the temple, you and Liaoyi didn't get along. You were always jealous of each other's beauty and hated her domineering temper. You fought a lot. At that time, the eldest young master originally wanted to send her to your husband. If you hadn't secretly sabotaged her so she would have gotten sick and couldn't board the ship, she would be Chen San's wife now. Now that you've gained power, you still hold onto the old grudges. You deliberately came back to the temple to show off, and then took the opportunity to kill her. Isn't that right?"
Grandma Chen's face turned red with suppressed anger, but she dared not raise her voice, lest someone overhear her past misdeeds. "I didn't kill her. I was sitting peacefully in the temple the day she died, and I didn't go out at all. Besides, the people from the yamen have already investigated and found out that the one who killed her was a man. There are sachet and shoe prints as proof! Who knows if she had an affair behind your backs and you still want to pin it on me!"
As she spoke, she realized she was getting a little too worked up. The more agitated she became, the more she resembled the naive young girl she used to be when she had no power. No matter how strong her temper was, she was ultimately at their mercy. So she straightened her back and deliberately put on the airs of a grandmother. "Besides," she said, "I've worked so hard to get to where I am now. I'll have a good life ahead of me. Why would I want to kill someone and break the law?"
Jingzhen was merely speculating without evidence, so she softened her tone slightly. "That's the clear thing to say. You'll have good days ahead of you. You can't bring up those shameful things from the past. If your two maids find out and spread it around, you'll be in a difficult position as the Third Madam. For the sake of our past relationship, it's best if we all stay in peace. How could I let you take the blame? It's just that you live next door to Mr. Yu, which makes things easier for you. Don't worry, even if they investigate, they won't be able to find you. The young master is still here; he'll cover for us. This is also the young master's order. Otherwise, how would we have the courage? He values Yu Jiuli highly and wants to use her to win over several princes and ministers in the future."
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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