Hidden Shadow – CH 115

Chapter One-Hundred-Fifteen: Ghost Flower

Before she died, she would not mind taking a moment from her busy schedule to deliver the final blow to Hua Rongjian.

“Yes, yes, what Second Master Hua said makes sense. Do not be afraid to seek medical help,” Mo Sigui agreed.

“Shared hatred” instantly united the two people who had always been in a position of oppression. Hua Rongjian said, “I can ignore what you say, but I cannot disbelieve what Physician Mo says.”

An Jiu squinted one eye to check if the crossbow’s main shaft was straight and slowly said, “You two have not spoken more than a few words in half a month. Now, are you finding each other more and more pleasing to the eye?”

“Then I must be the green bean,” Hua Rongjian quickly replied.

Mo Sigui stopped what he was doing, staring at the handsome Hua Rongjian, and exclaimed, “May I ask where your integrity is?!”

Hua Rongjian wore a dark blue robe, his smile clean and cheerful in the sunlight, exuding the air of a refined gentleman, his entire being radiating the shining word “integrity.”

“Hmph!” Seeing his indifference, Mo Sigui decided to throw caution to the wind and gestured with his hand. “What’s so great about mung beans? Even a turtle is this big!”

Hearing Mo Sigui’s words, Hua Rongjian actually found him a bit more agreeable and changed the subject. “My elder brother heard that the Divine Physician likes fans, so he ordered me to find one. Would the Divine Physician take a look?”

Only then did Mo Sigui notice the box he was holding.

Hua Rongjian opened the box; inside lay a folding fan, its dark ribs gleaming coldly in the sunlight, casting a dark purple hue on the snow-white satin lining the box.

“This is…” Mo Sigui was instantly drawn to it, reaching out to touch the fan ribs.

A chilling aura seeped into his fingers, coursing through his meridians with his inner energy. In no time, his mind cleared.

“Ice dragon brain.” Mo Sigui picked up the fan and unfolded it. The fan surface was pure white, seemingly shimmering with water. “Heavenly silkworm silk.”

“Not bad. And it is a mandarin duck cocoon,” Hua Rongjian added with a smile. Besides being more resilient and impervious to water, fire, and swords, the silk woven from celestial silkworms was also more beautiful, dazzling even without dyeing.

Ordinary silkworm cocoons could also contain “mandarin duck cocoons.” These “mandarin duck cocoons” refer to cocoons containing two silkworm pupae. The mandarin duck-patterned quilt covers used as dowry for young women were typically woven from these cocoons, while wealthy families even used silk from mandarin duck cocoons for the filling of their quilts. Mandarin duck cocoons were rarer than ordinary cocoons, and those from celestial silkworms were even scarcer.

“Why does the Hua family send such a valuable gift?” Mo Sigui put the fan back.

The Hua family’s constant courting must mean they wanted something; even the finest fan needed careful consideration.

“Actually, for a Divine Physician like you, it is just a small favor,” Hua Rongjian said. “My elder brother has been poisoned. I beg you to help him detoxify.”

Mo Sigui asked with interest, “Oh? What kind of poison?”

Hua Rongjian said, “Two years ago, my elder brother had just been promoted to the position of Privy Councilor when someone poisoned him… somewhere. At first, there were no major symptoms, just a daily chest pain, usually a sharp pain or two just before he fell asleep, which he did not pay much attention to. But after two months, the pain became longer and longer, and just half a month ago, a little cinnabar appeared on his chest…”

“Why did you not seek medical help sooner?” Mo Sigui asked knowingly. It was just strange; with the Hua family’s power, asking the Emperor to send Elder Qi to treat him should not have been difficult.

“How could we not? We searched everywhere for famous physicians, but none could cure him. Then we thought of a Divine Physician in the Konghe Army who could bring the dead back to life and heal the wounded. So Father went to the palace and knelt to beg, but the Emperor trusted those Taoist priests. He gave Father some ‘elixirs’ but did not mention the Divine Physician at all.”

Hua Rongjian’s smile vanished, and the veins on his forehead and neck bulged, clearly showing he was suppressing his emotions. Prime Minister Hua had never been able to fathom the Emperor’s intentions. If he had no intention of saving Hua Rongtian’s life, why would he have offered a “miracle pill”? After all, he was a staunch believer, practicing immortality under a Taoist priest and constantly taking elixirs. Unless, of course, this “miracle pill” was fake.

“Tsk tsk.” Mo Sigui immediately understood that this poison was Elder Qi’s concoction of “ghost flower.” From the time of poisoning until death, a large red mark would form on the heart, resembling a spider lily.

The spider lily was commonly known as the ghost flower in some places, and in Taoism, it had the power to guide souls, representing the mysterious past and present lives. Elder Qi must have understood Hua Rongtian’s love for his deceased wife and felt moved by it, thus creating this unique poison for him.

Aside from these nonsensical gimmicks, the ghost flower was actually a slow-acting poison that required long-term use to cause death. Once the cinnabar mark on the heart formed a flower-like shape, even the most potent medicines would be ineffective. Considering the extent of Hua Rongtian’s poisoning, even if he did not take it daily, he must have ingested it for at least half the year.

Seeing Mo Sigui frown, Hua Rongjian could not help but ask, “Is it very troublesome?” Elder Qi had rarely visited Bianjing in the past ten years, and it was impossible for him to have any deep-seated hatred towards Hua Rongtian. The only possibility was that he was ordered to create this poison, which was then administered by someone else.

For Mo Sigui, the antidote was not difficult; the troublesome part was that the matter itself involved a power struggle. He was considering whether helping would lead to his utter ruin. For a fan, it did not seem worth it.

However, considering that the Hua family was the first to tell him An Jiu’s whereabouts and offered such a generous reward, he could not openly break his promise made not long ago. “Alright, but you have to promise me one thing.”

“Please speak.” Hua Rongjian’s expression relaxed slightly.

“The matter of your brother’s antidote must not be revealed,” Mo Sigui said.

Hua Rongjian assured him, “You can rest assured about this; we will not make a fuss.”

Mo Sigui took out paper and pen and quickly wrote down a prescription. “Go and prepare these medicinal herbs.”

Hua Rongjian took the prescription with surprise, paused for a moment, and his face gradually darkened. “That Divine Physician from the Konghe Army, is he from the Mei family?”

If he had not known about this poison beforehand, Mo Sigui would not have asked him to start preparing the herbs without a face-to-face consultation.

Elder Qi’s reputation among ordinary people was not as widespread as Mo Sigui’s, but the Konghe Army families and the martial arts world all knew of him. In his early years, he traveled and roamed the land, and everyone called him “Holy Physician with Divine Hands,” feared even by King Yama. However, few knew he was an elder of the Mei family; otherwise, the threshold of Mei Mansion would be worn down by the crowds.

Thinking of this, Mo Sigui hoped King Yama would not blame him for this; otherwise, the old man would be in for a rough time on their territory.

“Divine Physician?” Hua Rongjian pulled him back to reality.

Mo Sigui quickly distanced himself. “I am only responsible for treating the illness. Figure everything else out yourselves; do not drag me into it.”

“That’s right. I asked too many questions; please forgive me, Divine Physician. Hua Rongjian had already guessed everything behind it, but just wanted to confirm. Since Mo Sigui did not want to say, he did not force him at all. ‘I will have to trouble you with my brother’s illness, Divine Physician.'”

“It’s my duty to keep my promise!” Mo Sigui said.

After the two finished discussing business, they realized that An Jiu was still engrossed in her work, completely ignoring them.