The Jade Kylin is trapped in the fog
Chapter Quote: Having defeated external enemies, we now encounter internal troubles. Seemingly ordinary illness, but hidden dangers lie within.
---
At the gate of the Lu Mansion, the guard was surprised to see Yan Qing return. Then, he looked troubled and whispered, "Brother Xiaoyi, you're back! But... the master has ordered that no one is allowed to visit the mansion at will. They must be informed first."
Yan Qing's heart sank, but he suppressed his anxiety and asked, "How is the master's condition? Why did he suddenly become so seriously ill?"
The guard shook his head. "I don't know the details. I only know that the master has been ill for several days and is not seeing any visitors. Even Li Gu... oh no, the new steward, can only wait outside the courtyard for orders."
Li Gu had been executed, and the new steward was an old servant promoted by Lu Junyi, a man of integrity. But even he could only wait outside the courtyard, which showed that the situation was unusual.
Yan Qing took a deep breath and said, "Go quickly and tell them that Yan Qing has returned and wants to see the master."
The guard left in response. A moment later, he returned, followed by an old man with white hair and beard. It was none other than Doctor Liu, the resident doctor at the Lu Mansion.
When Doctor Liu saw Yan Qing, he was like seeing a savior. He quickly pulled him aside and said anxiously, "Brother Xiaoyi, you're back just in time! The master's illness... is strange!"
"What's so strange?" Yan Qing asked anxiously.
"At first, the gentleman had a common cold, with a fever and cough. He took the prescribed medicine and should have gotten better. But his condition has recurred and worsened, and now he's more drowsy than awake." Doctor Liu frowned. "His pulse is intermittent, weak and slippery. It seems like an external evil has invaded the body, or... it seems like his vital energy has been severely damaged. I've been practicing medicine for decades, and I've never seen such a strange symptom. Even the imperial physician came to see him, but he was helpless. He just said it was 'evil spirit invading the body' and prescribed several prescriptions to calm the mind and replenish qi, but they didn't work."
An evil spirit invading the body? Yan Qing sneered inwardly. He never believed in such strange and supernatural theories. Lu Junyi was in his prime, a martial artist with strong muscles and bones. How could a mere cold cause such a condition? It must be man-made!
"Have the food and medicine been carefully checked?" Yan Qing asked.
"I've checked! I personally watched, and tested for poison with a silver needle, and nothing unusual. I've even changed the pots for boiling the medicine and the cups for drinking water several times, and the results are still the same." Doctor Liu sighed repeatedly, "Everyone in the mansion is in a panic now. They all say that the master might have...maybe he's offended something."
Yan Qing's sharp eyes swept across the silent mansion. The security seemed tight, but there was an air of deadness. He no longer hesitated and said to the guard, "I must see the master!"
The guard looked hesitant, but seeing Yan Qing's determined expression and knowing his status in the mansion, he had no choice but to let him pass. Led by Doctor Liu, they walked to the inner courtyard where Lu Junyi was recuperating.
The inner courtyard was even more heavily guarded, with a guard post every five steps and a sentry every ten steps. Yan Qing's suspicions grew even deeper. Was this deployment intended to protect against external thieves, or... to prevent those within the mansion from learning the true situation?
When he arrived outside the bedroom, a strong smell of medicine mixed with a faint strange fragrance hit him in the face. Yan Qing's nose twitched slightly. This strange fragrance... seemed to have been smelled somewhere before.
The new steward was standing guard outside the door. When he saw Yan Qing, he felt as if he had found his backbone and whispered, "Brother Xiaoyi, the master just took the medicine and went to bed."
Yan Qing nodded and gently pushed open the door.
The room was dimly lit, the windows shut, and a single oil lamp lit. Lu Junyi lay on the couch, his eyes closed, his face sallow, his lips chapped, his breathing shallow and rapid. Where was the trace of his former "Jade Unicorn" demeanor? In just a short time, he seemed to have aged ten years.
Yan Qing felt a pang in his heart. He walked forward slowly, knelt beside the couch, and called softly, "Master, Master? Xiao Yi is back."
Lu Junyi had no reaction and was in a deep sleep.
Yan Qing carefully observed his complexion, then gently lifted his wrist, which was exposed outside the quilt, and placed his fingertips on his pulse. The pulse was just as Doctor Liu had said: weak and chaotic, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, as if disturbed by something.
He glanced across the room, his eyes landing on the bowl of leftover medicine residue on the bedside table, and then at the green smoke rising from the incense burner in the corner.
The strange fragrance came from this incense burner.
He stood up calmly, walked to the incense burner, pretended to tidy up the corner of the quilt for Lu Junyi, and his sleeves accidentally brushed against the incense burner. His fingertips were quietly stained with a little incense ash, which he quickly hid in his sleeves.
"The master is seriously ill and needs absolute rest. This incense..." Yan Qing asked the steward at the door casually.
The steward hurriedly said, "This is the tranquilizing incense prescribed by the imperial physician. He said it will help you sleep better."
A tranquilizing incense? Yan Qing sneered inwardly. Having mingled with all sorts of people since childhood, he was quite familiar with all sorts of spices. Although this fragrance was masked by the medicinal smell, the faint, almost imperceptible sweetness within it was definitely not ordinary. It was more like... some kind of hallucinogenic drug from the Western Regions!
Could it be that the problem lies with the incense?
He left the room and said solemnly to the steward and Doctor Liu, "The master is seriously ill, and we must be even more attentive. From today on, I will personally take care of the master's diet and medicine. I will also temporarily stop using this tranquilizing incense and see how it works."
The steward naturally agreed. Although Doctor Liu felt that it was inappropriate to stop using the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician, he had no choice but to nod when he saw Yan Qing's firm attitude.
Yan Qing returned to his long-absent home and immediately closed the door. He took out the incense ash from his sleeve and carefully examined it in the light of the lamp. He then took some clean water to dissolve it and brought it close to his nose to sniff.
That's right! Besides the usual sandalwood and agarwood, there's indeed a very faint scent of "Datura" mixed in! A small amount of this can relieve pain and soothe the mind, but prolonged exposure can cause mental fatigue, blood and qi deficiency, hallucinations, and ultimately death from exhaustion in a coma! Furthermore, this isn't a poison; a silver needle can't detect it!
What a sinister trick! They actually used the tranquilizing incense prescribed by the imperial physician as a cover to secretly mix in this chronic hallucinogenic drug!
The person who poisoned Lu Junyi must have access to the imperial physician's prescription and be able to stay by his side for a long time without being suspected!
Who is it?
Yan Qing's mind raced through several possible figures. The new steward? While he was suspicious, his position wasn't high enough to keep him around his master for long. The inner courtyard's personal servants? They'd all been checked and were reliable.
Could it be... those imperial physicians who came to treat him? But they had no grudge against Lu Junyi, so why would they do such a cruel thing? Unless... they were instructed by someone else!
A name came to mind - Wu Yong!
Only he had the motive and the ability to set up such an elaborate and vicious scheme! He used his identity as an imperial physician as a cover, making everyone think it was a strange illness, not poisoning! If Yan Qing hadn't seen the underhanded tactics of the underworld and was extremely sensitive to smells, he would probably have been fooled!
We must find out the traitor immediately and get the antidote!
Yan Qing did not make a sound. He knew that the person who poisoned him must still be watching from the dark. Alerting the enemy would only make them hide deeper, or perhaps become desperate and do something desperate.
He summoned two of his most trusted attendants and whispered instructions. One was to secretly monitor anyone with access to the prescriptions and incense, particularly the imperial physicians and the inner court servants responsible for purchasing and blending the spices. The other was to rush out of the house to seek out a renowned figure in the martial arts world—the heir of the "Poisonous Hand Medicine King"—and inquire about the antidote to the Datura poison.
After making all the necessary arrangements, Yan Qing returned to Lu Junyi's courtyard and personally prepared the medicine, never leaving his side. He pretended to follow the imperial physician's instructions, but secretly discarded the prepared medicine and fed Lu Junyi only water and ginseng soup to keep him alive. At the same time, he ordered all the windows in the room to be opened for ventilation, dispersing the deadly aroma.
Two days passed like this. Although Lu Junyi's condition did not improve, it did not worsen either, and the time he spent in coma seemed to be a little shorter.
Now, the person in the dark seemed to be losing his patience.
Late that night, Yan Qing pretended to take a nap beside Lu Junyi's couch, but his ears were listening to every movement outside the window.
At about three o'clock in the morning, a very light, almost imperceptible sound of footsteps was heard outside the window, and it stopped for a moment, as if peeping.
Yan Qing held his breath, like a dormant cheetah.
The footsteps stopped for a moment and then quietly faded away.
Yan Qing immediately stood up and flashed to the window like a ghost. Through the gap in the window paper, he saw a vague black shadow tiptoeing towards the servants' room in the backyard.
Judging from his figure and steps, he is not an ordinary servant in the mansion!
A cold light flashed in Yan Qing's eyes, and he followed silently.
The shadow was very familiar with the route to the Lu Mansion. He made many turns and avoided the night patrol guards, and finally slipped into a small hut in the backyard where miscellaneous items were stored.
Yan Qing sneaked out of the house and put his ear to the door, only to hear very low conversation coming from inside.
A slightly shrill voice said, "...the incense is gone, and it seems the medicine hasn't been taken...Yan Qing is back, and he's really getting in the way!"
Another low voice said, "Why are you panicking? The plan has changed. The higher-ups have ordered that since slowness won't work, then... do it quickly! Find a chance tomorrow and put this package of stuff in his ginseng soup!" Then there was the slight sound of paper rubbing against each other.
Yan Qing's heart suddenly filled with murderous intent! They were actually going to poison him directly!
We can’t wait any longer!
He kicked the door open suddenly, and rushed towards the two people in the room as fast as lightning!
The two people in the room were horrified! The shrill voice came from an old servant in charge of cleaning the inner courtyard! And the deep voice came from a strange man in night clothes!
The man reacted extremely quickly, throwing three bone-piercing nails with his backhand, hitting Yan Qing in the face! At the same time, he retreated violently, trying to escape through the back window.
Yan Qing was prepared and dodged the hidden weapon by leaning sideways. The short knife in his hand flew out like a flash of lightning and accurately hit the knee of the man who was about to jump out of the window!
"Ah!" The man screamed and fell to the ground.
The old servant collapsed to the ground in fear, his mouth soaked.
Without waiting for the man to struggle, Yan Qing stepped forward and stepped on his vest, dislodging his jaw to prevent him from biting himself with poison. He then searched his arms and pulled out a small paper bag. When he opened it, he saw some white powder with a pungent smell, which was obviously a highly poisonous substance.
"Tell me! Who ordered you to do this?" Yan Qing's voice was icy cold, as if it came from the underworld.
Although the man could not speak, his eyes were full of ferocity and despair.
Yan Qing ignored him and turned his gaze to the old servant who was shaking like a sieve. He put the dagger to his throat and said, "You tell me. If you say anything false, I'll send you to hell immediately!"
Under the threat of death, the old servant kowtowed repeatedly, tears streaming down his face: "Brother Xiaoyi, spare my life! It was...it was the people from Liangshan who forced me to do this! They captured my grandson...that incense...that incense was a recipe given by Wu Yong, mixed with the imperial physician's tranquilizing incense...this poison...was also given by them..."
It was indeed him! Wu Yong!
Yan Qing suppressed his anger and asked, "How can we contact the outside world? Where is the antidote?"
"Every... every three days, at midnight, leave a message... under the third brick on the back wall of the City God Temple... the antidote... They didn't tell me, only that they would release my grandson after the antidote was accomplished..."
Yan Qing's mind raced. Today was the third day! It was past midnight, but perhaps there was still time to make arrangements!
He immediately summoned his trusted servants and secretly imprisoned the two thieves. Then, imitating the old servant's handwriting and tone, he wrote a note: "Yan Qing is already suspicious. The incense has been cut off and the medicine has been stopped. I request instructions and the antidote." He then stuffed the note into a secret compartment on the back wall of the City God Temple.
He wants to lure the snake out of its hole, not only to get the antidote, but also to grasp the connection with Liangshan!
By the time everything was arranged, it was already dawn. Yan Qing returned to Lu Junyi's bedside, looked at his master's haggard face, and clenched his fists tightly.
"Master, please be patient for a moment. Xiao Yi will definitely save you, and make those who plotted against you pay the price!"
The fog gradually dissipated, and murderous intent emerged. This secret battle surrounding the Jade Unicorn entered its most dangerous moment.
---
End of Chapter 11
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
