Hidden Shadow – CH 087

Chapter Eighty-Seven: A Difficult Choice (2)

Lou Xin pursed her lips and said, “Thank you for your trouble, Divine Physician.”

She stood up, bowed, and turned to go to the back hall.

Lou Xiaowu noticed her suppressed anger and said to Mo Sigui, “I will go see the Sixth Elder too.”

The others followed Lou Xin and Lou Xiaowu away, leaving only Mo Sigui and An Jiu in the room.

Mo Sigui could see Lou Xin’s displeasure, but he did not care. “Why are you here? Have you been missing me terribly?”

An Jiu ignored his second question. “I was attacked in Bianjing. The Konghe Army rescued me, and upon returning to Mei Mansion, I was assigned to come with the Lou family.”

Mo Sigui propped his head up with his fan handle, his shimmering peach blossom eyes glancing at her. He said casually and flirtatiously, “You were attacked? These people really are not picky; they do not let any small fry escape.”

An Jiu nodded. “So I heard you were attacked too.”

“Ha!” Mo Sigui chuckled, sitting up straight. “I especially enjoy chatting with you; it is good for building stamina.”

Before meeting An Jiu, Mo Sigui had never lost in the art of teasing people. It was quite interesting to have someone who could silence him.

The two sat for a while. As Mo Sigui prepared to go to the ice cave, he suddenly remembered something. “Hiss! They are all gone. Who’s going to carry the corpses?!”

An Jiu looked at him without speaking, and the atmosphere suddenly turned cold and tense.

“Do not be like this; it is creepy,” Mo Sigui said, leaning closer to her. “Fourteenth Young Lady, come with me to the ice cave.”

“No,” An Jiu refused decisively. She had only come to understand the situation and did not intend to do any physical labor.

“If you come with me, I am willing to spend my entire life healing your meridians,” Mo Sigui exclaimed.

An Jiu stopped at the doorway, turning her head to look at him. “If I do not go, can you really bear not treating them?”

Given Mo Sigui’s fanaticism for medicine, it was impossible for him to bear the sight of such strange and unusual injuries. An Jiu was not going to fall for that.

The large council hall was now empty except for Mo Sigui. He could have simply given up. But out of a physician’s responsibility, he could not stand by and watch those corpses, which could potentially cause a great plague, lie in the ice cave.

Mo Sigui, carrying a lantern, went to the back hall with an air of self-righteousness to find someone to take him to the woodshed.

Lou Xin, though angry, did not keep Mo Sigui waiting. After all, this was a matter for the Lou family, and his willingness to help was already a favor.

Winter brought a lot of firewood, and the Lou mansion had a large stockpile of dry firewood. Mo Sigui glanced at the sky, estimating that the snow would not fall again, and ordered all the firewood to be moved out. He then took one person into the ice cave to retrieve the corpses.

As a century-old prominent family, even in its decline, the Lou family still had over forty members. Even if each member was only assigned a maidservant, the number would still be equal.

Just as expected, the dead were all servants. Even if they possessed martial arts skills, most were below the fourth level and could not withstand the extreme cold. Almost all of them were blocking the entrance to the ice cave, so there was no need to search for them.

Judging from the situation, someone must have tried to escape from the ice cave, which was why Lou Mingyue was blocking the passageway with her sword.

Mo Sigui toiled all night, collecting 107 corpses, more than half of whom were girls aged thirteen or fourteen.

Buds withered before they could bloom. Mo Sigui felt a pang of sorrow.

A thick layer of grease was poured over the firewood pile, and a torch thrown on it blazed up a large area with a loud bang. The bodies were frozen solid, burning from dawn until afternoon before finally turning to ashes.

Mo Sigui ordered people to go down the mountain to buy large quantities of Cangzhu and Zaojia, preparing for another round of disinfection.

At dusk, the people who bought the medicine returned, bringing with them terrifying news—a plague had broken out in the outskirts of Bianjing!

Plagues usually occurred in spring and summer, but this one, occurring in the dead of winter, spread at a speed no less than that of summer. In a village north of the city, the entire population was infected within two days. People were dying one after another, and the villagers panicked, trying to flee elsewhere.

Fortunately, the imperial court was prepared this time, narrowly managing to seal off the entire village.

“I’ve heard that the plague has been discovered in other villages as well,” said the person procuring medicinal herbs.

The council hall was deathly silent. Lou Mingyue, seated at the head of the table, was deathly pale. Overnight, this woman, not yet twenty, had strands of white hair at her temples, making her look five or six years older.

Everyone present knew perfectly well where this “plague” had come from. The high terrain and howling north winds could very well have carried the poison elsewhere. Another possibility was that Lou’s family had inadvertently spread the poison to villages along the way when they went to Mei Mansion to seek help.

Lou Xin stammered, “We always take secluded paths and never go near any villages!”

“It seems someone has improved the plague gu,” Mo Sigui said gravely. “Back then, as long as you did not get close to the poisoned person, you would not get infected. Now, the poison is many times more potent than before; not only is it easily contagious, but the onset time has also shortened by a day.”

Mo Sigui estimated, based on the original plague gu’s toxicity, that delaying the treatment of those still alive in the ice cave for a few days would not be a problem, but now it seemed…

The gazes of the crowd towards Lou Mingyue varied. Lou Xin’s and Lou Xiaowu’s sorrowful eyes held a sliver of hope, hoping she could find a way to both protect the Lou clan and avoid harming the innocent. However, this hope, falling on Lou Mingyue’s shoulders, felt like a mountain, almost crushing her.

Mo Sigui, on the other hand, hoped she would quickly make a decision to burn those already deeply poisoned, which was too cruel for Lou Mingyue.

Seeing that familiar yet unfamiliar face so haggard, Mo Sigui’s heart softened, and he turned his head away, unable to bear looking any longer.

Lou Mingyue rose and walked out of the council hall, stopping abruptly at the door, looking up at the powerful characters on the plaque.

An Jiu leaned against the inside of the door, closest to her, seeing how the blinding snow light made her pale skin almost transparent, her glassy eyes clearly reflecting the words on the plaque.

“Loyalty and Righteousness.”

Lou Mingyue closed her eyes, forcing out a single word through clenched teeth: “Burn!”

The hoarse voice carrying the words “Loyalty and Righteousness” struck An Jiu’s heart like a hammer blow, leaving an indelible mark.

“You should all go back,” Mo Sigui said. “Fourteenth Young Lady and I will handle this.” This matter was thankless and arduous. Although it was Lou Mingyue’s decision, no one could calmly face someone who had personally taken their loved one. Yet, this time, An Jiu did not object.

Mei Jiu was already sobbing uncontrollably, as if the people being burned were her own people.

Lou Mingyue took a deep breath and said resolutely, “No! I am going. How can I remember this blood feud if I do not see it with my own eyes!”

“I am going too!” Lou Xiaowu said.

Lou Xin did not speak, but her hateful gaze made her stance clear.

Nanny Ling led people to pile up all the dry firewood stored by the Lou family, while Mo Sigui and the others took turns carrying the people out of the ice cave.

During a break, Lou Xiaowu squatted beside Mo Sigui and whispered, “Brother Mo, will they be in a lot of pain? Can you use some sleeping potion…” These people were frozen solid; it was unlikely that they could be killed instantly with a sharp blade.

“Slit their throats later,” Mo Sigui said.

If they could not breathe, they most likely would not wake up again, but there’s no guarantee that there would not be exceptions.

“Mm,” Lou Xiaowu said in a muffled voice.

Those with high internal strength circulated their true qi within their bodies on their own. Therefore, they would not be completely frozen solid; they would certainly feel pain when struck by blades, and Mo Sigui could not do anything about it.

Lou Mingyue carried a four- or five-year-old boy out of the ice cave and walked straight to Mo Sigui. “Can you save him?”

Mo Sigui looked up.

The fire sable fur reflected a few drops of color onto Lou Mingyue’s face, making her look like a newly blooming red plum blossom in the snow.

“Brother!” Lou Xiaowu jumped up and quickly took the child, frozen solid.

The Lou clan consisted of only about twenty people. Mo Sigui remembered the exact order in which they contracted the disease. This child had contracted the disease almost simultaneously with several elders and had been frozen in the ice cave for so long; logically, he should have died long ago.

Mo Sigui carefully examined his complexion. His face was deathly pale, his cheeks flushed a deep pink, as if he had just contracted a plague. “If I am not mistaken, the elders have transferred all their inner strength to him, so there’s still hope!”

Lou Mingyue was not surprised. Lou Mingrui was a male heir the Lou family had finally managed to produce, though born to a daughter. Strictly speaking, he should be considered a grandson, but from birth, he was regarded as the continuation of the Lou family line and treated the same as a legitimate grandson.

“Xiaowu, you accompany Physician Mo to prepare for treatment. Leave things here to me,” Lou Mingyue said, then knelt before Mo Sigui. “Second Young Lady Lou swears that she will not rest until she avenges this grudge in this lifetime; Physician Mo saved my Lou family line. Mingyue has no way to repay this kindness, but in the next life I will repay it with my life’s blood.” Lou Mingyue kowtowed three times crisply and then remained prostrate on the ground.

“I deserve your kneeling,” Mo Sigui said calmly, looking at her. “I do not believe in an afterlife. Even the grandest promises of the afterlife are worth less than a single word, a single phrase, in this life.” He tucked his folding fan into his sleeve and took Lou Mingrui’s hand.

Lou Xiaowu helped Lou Mingyue up and hurriedly caught up with him.

Back then, Qiu Ningyu had said something similar. She had told him, “Five years from now, if I cannot find a husband, I will marry you. Before I am married, you are not allowed to marry again, and you are not allowed to be with anyone else.”

They had been betrothed since childhood; this was merely a young girl’s willful statement. Mo Sigui remembered laughing and saying at the time, “That’s terrible! Tomorrow I will have to tell the ladies of Bianjing to cherish these five years; otherwise, with your tormenting them for the rest of their lives, where will they find such a refined and elegant gentleman as they do today?”

Those words still echoed in his ears, but the person was no longer there.

Today, he suddenly encountered a woman who resembled her and actually made a promise for the afterlife. Five years was already difficult enough; how could he promise for the afterlife?

Mo Sigui felt he was destined to live a lonely life.

An Jiu stood by, seemingly invisible. After Lou Mingyue left, Lou Xin approached. “Young Lady Mei,” she said.

She clasped her hands in a respectful bow, then continued, “I have a request, and I hope Young Lady Mei will grant it.”

“Speak,” An Jiu said.

Lou Xin said, “Just now, Physician Mo said to slit the throats of the clansmen to avoid further pain. I cannot bring myself to do it. Mingyue has already struggled enough in making this decision; I do not want her to do it herself. I hope you can…”

“Alright,” An Jiu readily agreed before she could finish.

Lou Xin was stunned for a moment, then said bitterly, “Thank you.” Having to thank someone for killing her family members felt like a lump in her throat.

The firewood rack was ready, and the others placed the forty-odd corpses on it. An Jiu covered her mouth and nose, climbed onto the rack, and used a dagger to cut open the throats of each of them.

Nanny Ling had someone pour oil on them. Even though the fire was poured very carefully, such a mass burning could never compare to a proper burial.

Lou Mingyue bit her lip tightly but insisted on keeping her eyes fixed on the flames.

Lou Xin simply turned her back.

Once everything was ready, Lou Mingyue said in a hoarse voice, “Light the fire.”

As soon as she opened her mouth, blood flowed from the corner of her lips.

No one moved.

After a while, An Jiu took the torch from Nanny Ling and tossed it onto the firewood rack.

The fire roared up, quickly engulfing everyone inside.

Located furthest south and closest to Lou Mingyue and An Jiu was the head of the Lou family, a woman in her forties whose features bore a resemblance to Lou Xin.

The wind whipped the ashes, fueling the fire, and amidst the flickering flames, An Jiu clearly saw the Lou family head slowly open her eyes.

Lou Mingyue trembled uncontrollably, a suppressed sob escaping her throat.

The head of the Lou family made no other move, seemingly staring intently at the drifting ashes and lingering snow, her eyes unblinking.

“Mother!” Lou Mingyue approached, her eyes reflecting the leaping flames, a blood-red hue. “Your daughter will avenge you!”

An Jiu felt a sudden, sharp pain, as if someone had pinched her. She had thought Lou Mingyue’s mother was long dead; she had not expected her to be the head of the Lou family!

Lou Mingyue was a woman of great spirit, and An Jiu knew she could not do what she did. Even if the whole world burned down, she would not give up on her mother’s last hope of survival.

Perhaps because she herself could not do it, An Jiu sincerely admired her.

Lou Mingyue did not kneel, hoping her mother could see her one last time before she died. However, the head of the Lou family simply closed her eyes slowly.

The head of the Lou family’s face was covered in water droplets, a single red tear welling up from the corner of her eye—whether it was blood or a tear, it was impossible to tell.

Lou Mingyue’s knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the snow, her cheek pressed against the cold snow, but it did nothing to bring her back to her senses. In her final moments of blurred consciousness, Lou Mingyue felt a pair of hands lift her.

As night fell, the reinforcements from the Konghe Army finally arrived.

Lou Xin suppressed her resentment and reluctantly received the Konghe Army.

Lou Mingyue, burdened with worries, only slept for an hour. Upon hearing that the Konghe Army had arrived at the mansion, she quickly washed up, donned mourning clothes, and went to the council hall.

She was much more lucid than Lou Xin. The plague had struck suddenly, and two days had passed since she was first discovered. The journey to seek help from the Konghe Army and the Mei clan had further delayed her. Even if the Konghe Army had arrived a day earlier, the result would have been the same—just a few more laborers to carry corpses and firewood.

Having reached the halfway point, Lou Mingyue encountered Nanny Ling seeing off the Konghe Army members. She bowed and asked directly, “Has the Konghe Army found the mastermind behind this?”

“This is our Lou family’s new head,” Lou Xin introduced. The Lou Mansion no longer existed; there was no longer a head of the family.