◇ Chapter 27 I’ll even take my life
The fighting spirit that had been crushed by Shen Yanheng's series of failed assassinations finally returned today. An Qin moved with gusto, his steps lighter than ever before.
It can be seen that he did not back down. It was really that Shen Yanheng was too scoundrel and difficult to deal with.
No wonder the owner of the manor deliberately gave him the task of assassinating Shen Yanheng. The owner of the manor really entrusted him with an important task!
An Qin lowered his eyes secretly, and his deep and serious expression suddenly became calm after he walked out of the dark dead end.
A handsome face without any expression was indifferent and stern. He was wearing a tight-sleeved suit and quietly disappeared into the crowd without attracting anyone's attention.
Jiangzhou, the largest jade mining area in the entire Liang Dynasty, had recently suffered from flooding and the spread of an epidemic, but only the farmers living along the riverbanks were severely affected. After Xu Shu's medicinal skills gained him a reputation as a miracle doctor, the epidemic had almost completely stopped. With the flood and epidemic under control, the jade mining area was flooded with merchants and wealthy businessmen. After a few days of renovations, the streets had long since returned to their former prosperity, even busier than the evening after An Qin and Shen Yanheng arrived, rivaling even the Imperial City. Even at night, the streets were still brightly lit and filled with constant shouting, almost indistinguishable from daytime.
It was rare for him to spend money without being frugal. An Qin weighed the silver he had received from Xu Shu and bought enough rice for seven days. After thinking for a while, he asked for a tray of meat buns. While the vendor was steaming the buns, he used the remaining money to exchange for medicine.
Medicinal materials are not cheap, especially before and after the disaster and epidemic. The price of even the most common herbs can double.
The shopkeeper smiled as he packed up An Qin's medicine and said attentively, "Sir, we had an epidemic a while ago, and it was thanks to Doctor Xu's timely intervention that it was stopped. I wonder if you can get two more doses of medicine according to Doctor Xu's prescription? It's better to be safe than sorry."
Xu Shu's medical prescription was no secret, otherwise he wouldn't have gained such love from the people of the state in such a short period of time. Even the owner of the drugstore had less materialistic airs on his face and more respect in his eyes when he talked about this "Divine Doctor Xu".
An Qin's expression remained unchanged and he did not answer. He crossed his arms and waited for him to get the medicine.
The shopkeeper had no idea that the Divine Doctor Xu in his mind had already died, killed by the man in front of him with a knife in his throat. He just thought An Qin misunderstood that he was taking advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune. His smile paused, his eyes rolled, and he quickly added, "Don't worry about this. Divine Doctor Xu made it clear before he gave the prescription to all our pharmacies that we are not allowed to charge high prices. Just ask when you go out. If anyone sells it cheaper than mine, you can send someone to destroy my place and I will definitely not say a word!"
Anqin glanced at him.
The shopkeeper was stared at by those sharp eyes, and was startled. He couldn't help but shiver on his back, and the smile on his face almost froze.
An Qin retracted his gaze and said lightly, "Yeah."
The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment, and the inexplicable fear he had just felt disappeared. He showed his eagerness to pay the money, and as if afraid that the other party would go back on his word, he immediately packed up the medicine.
The epidemic in Jiangzhou has long been gone, so I'd like to sell as many copies of this prescription as possible.
"By the way, sir, this stuff is from Doctor Xu. It can calm the mind and nourish the qi. You can take two portions according to the dosage." The shopkeeper counted the silver on the abacus and watched An Qin leave. Then he remembered the charcoal that Doctor Xu had sent earlier this night.
He had looked at it and knew it was not good charcoal. He had no use for it in his pharmacy in such a hot day. Instead of piling it up in the store and taking up space, he might as well give it to the person who got the medicine according to the wishes of the person who brought it, and just consider it as a good deed.
"Look, this is a legitimate pharmacy. We never steal from others. Otherwise, I wouldn't give you this charcoal."
The shopkeeper packed two bags for Anqin and stuffed them into his hands without caring whether he wanted them or not. He stood at the door and saw him off with a smile, almost waving and saying "Come again next time".
An Qin frowned, and when he heard that it was given by Xu Shu, he silently held the bag tightly and nodded.
Just as he was about to take his things and leave, An Qin suddenly thought of something and stopped abruptly.
"Excuse me..." An Qin frowned and asked the shopkeeper who was still standing outside the door, "What is a sworn brother?"
The shopkeeper: “…Ah?”
An Qin stared at him seriously.
Perhaps the other party's eyes were too sharp, the shopkeeper did not dare to answer, scratching his head: "I guess, I guess it must be what my cousins meant."
cousin?
An Qin intuitively felt that this answer was wrong, but the three words "诲兄" (brothers) seemed to mean brothers whether read horizontally or vertically, which was really unlike Chen Yanheng's usual despicable style.
Seeing that he couldn't get what he wanted, An Qin nodded to the shopkeeper, then turned and left with a large bag of herbs.
He went back to the bun shop to get the meat buns, carried the bag of rice that was enough for seven days, changed his clothes, and left the city at night.
.
It was exactly two hours later when I returned to the village. It was already very late at night. When I left, there were still a few huts flickering with faint lights, but now they were all immersed in darkness.
Everything was completely silent, and only the sparse stars and the moon could vaguely reveal the surrounding bushes, which were baring their fangs and claws, like evil spirits that were trying to take lives in the middle of the night, extending their dark and sharp claws.
An Qin quietly pushed the door open and entered the house, propping the door against a rice bag. Suddenly, a dim, flickering candlelight lit up in the pitch-black woodshed.
Chen Yanheng lit the small half candle and fixed it on the uneven ground with wax. Seeing An Qin looking over, a slight smile appeared on his pale face. "Only half is left. You have to use it sparingly."
An Qin felt as if something was tickling his heart. He hesitated to speak and turned away his gaze with a stern face.
Chen Yanheng glanced at the rice bag by the door, knowing full well that he hadn't asked where the money came from. "I thought you'd abandoned me again, but in just two hours, you've been tossing and turning like crazy, every second feels like..."
Before he finished speaking, An Qin took out an oil-paper bag from his lapel and threw it all over Shen Yanheng's chest.
The man was stunned for a moment, then smelled the aroma of meat wafting from inside, and curled his lips. As soon as he opened his mouth, a piece of cloth was thrown in his face, blocking his words.
It was his belt, but the priceless jade on it was gone.
In the middle of the night, I became a thief just because of a word he said.
It can be seen that he took his words to heart.
The Grand Tutor completely ignored his own words that "accepting the belt means agreeing to the courtship" and only thought about the matter of mutual love. Looking at An Qin's strong back and the serious profile, he suddenly laughed out loud.
He opened his thin lips again and just uttered the word "I" when a bag of hard objects was thrown into his arms. He gasped in pain, but he didn't forget to laugh and curse in his heart, and then he was happy to accept it again.
"I killed Xu Shu." To prevent the Taifu from getting carried away by lust, An Qin spoke first. "This is the charcoal he sent to the pharmacy. Two taels of charcoal for the prescription for the epidemic."
Although he didn't know how to practice medicine, as the owner of Fengyue Villa, his understanding of poisons was incomparable to that of ordinary people. Shen Yanheng regained his composure, picked up the prescription on the side, and compared it carefully with the charcoal in his arms.
This comparison indeed revealed something strange.
"Sangxinsan." He suppressed his smile and spoke lightly.
Sad Heart Powder is colorless but has a smell. It is said to emit a faint damp smell, which is extremely difficult to detect when mixed with charcoal and spices. Although it is not fatal, it can cause people to lose their minds when combined with Long Xin Cao. They will go crazy when they hear a specific whistle because they are easily controlled by others after losing their minds. Sad Heart Powder has always been a poison despised by people in the martial arts world. It disappeared as early as ten years ago. The charcoal distributed by Xu Shu actually contained such a poison. I am afraid that he wanted to make a big fuss about the people's loss of mind and blame the current emperor for violating the will of heaven, so as to take the opportunity to rebel against him.
An Qin was startled and frowned tightly. He carefully picked up a piece of charcoal and smelled it. Sure enough, he smelled a strange smell that did not belong to charcoal.
The look he gave Chen Yanheng suddenly became extremely complicated. After being shocked that Xu Shu was so cruel, he looked at Chen Yanheng's elegant face that looked like a banished immortal, and the indescribable emotion surged in his heart again, filling his entire chest.
Shen Yanheng's status as one of the Three Dukes wasn't enough; not only was his martial arts skills impressive, he even delved into poisons! What else could he not do?
Even though An Qin had been unhappy with him for a long time, he had to admit that this was the first time he had seen someone as perfect as Chen Yanheng.
Apart from his scoundrel and mean temperament, he is completely incompetent and even he is inferior to him.
An Qin looked at Chen Yanheng. He had regained his smiling face without knowing when, and was now looking at him with a smile on his face while supporting his head.
An Qin didn't know what he was thinking about. His expression suddenly became stern. A dark light suddenly flashed in his dark and cold eyes, and his pursed lips gradually relaxed.
If Chen Yanheng could be used by Fengyue Villa and serve the owner, perhaps...
"Chen Yanheng."
"Um?"
"I can tell you clearly, the higher-ups have issued an order. After returning to the capital, I will take your head at all costs." An Qin squatted down, paused for a moment, and said, "If you are willing to be loyal to the master..."
Chen Yanheng's slender fingers pinched the charcoal that was soaked in the heartbreak powder, "Okay."
An Qin didn't expect that he would agree without hesitation. The words he wanted to continue persuading him were suddenly stuck in his throat, and his eyes widened in surprise.
Chen Yanheng raised his lips, looked at the little assassin staring at him in a daze, and said: "If your master is willing to marry you to me, let alone loyalty to him, even my life will be taken -"
【Author’s words】
I'm back! I'll continue updating tomorrow!
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