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Chapter 5: The Third Miss's Iron Hand: The Viper in the Pavilion

  Even before setting foot inside the shop, the sheer volume of the argument made Ye Li frown. Antique shops, of all places, should be sanctuaries of hushed elegance. Instead, the voices were loud enough to be heard clearly on the street. Inside, the shop was a chaotic theatre. The Manager , a man draped in showy, luxurious silk, stood sneering down at a sickly, haggard young man. The young man's features were handsome, but his skin was sallow and dry. Though his clothing was worn, it was meticulously clean, lending him a subtle, desperate scholarly air. He was a portrait of anxious embarrassment. " Manager, please look more carefully, " the young man pleaded, his voice trembling slightly. " This painting is truly an original work by Master Wu Zhikai from the previous dynasty. " The Manager’s contempt was palpable, dripping from his voice like poison. " Look at you. Impoverished. How could a beggar like you possess an original Wu... Wu Zhikai? This paintin...
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Chapter 3: Kui's Stand and the Undertaker's Shadow

 


Act 1: Rain (3) 

The Ghost-Faced Man—Lord Kui—led Bai Hehuai through the deserted Chunyang Wanshou Palace. The old patriarch, having swallowed Bai Hehuai's initial palliative, was now resting.

As they walked, Bai Hehuai casually pulled an osmanthus cake from her sleeve and began to nibble. "My master took me in at ninety," she explained, her voice muffled by the pastry. "I was five. He saw the future Medicine King in me and snatched me up before my senior brother could. He died two years later, but my seniority stands. I truly am the junior uncle of the current Medicine King, Xin Baicao."

"I see. But why abandon Medicine King Valley for Jiangnan?" Lord Kui asked.

Bai Hehuai finished her bite, weighing the cake. "You've clearly never been. Three thatched houses, two pigs, a horse, seven sheep, and a large vegetable patch. Is there any place on earth more boring?"

Lord Kui shook his masked head. "I imagined it prosperous."

"Prosperous? Our ancestral precept forbids high fees. Medicine King Valley is dirt poor!" She shrugged. "When Xin Baicao took over, I ran. He can't control his junior uncle. I came to the South—the people here are rich!" She took another bite. "And the osmanthus cake is delicious."

"I see. I hadn't expected that," Lord Kui murmured.

Bai Hehuai glanced at him, annoyed. "You are a strange person. I just revealed my entire life story, and all you can say is 'I see.' Aren't you curious how I knew your name was Kui?"

Lord Kui adjusted his mask. "Miss, you and the Patriarch are old friends; you must have heard of the Dark River structure."

"Childhood stories," she corrected. "My master told me stories to trick me into learning medicine. The Dark River—three families: Su, Xie, Mu. Their leaders are the Patriarchs. The elite killers are the Spider Shadow, code-named after the Twelve Earthly Branches (Rat, Ox, Tiger, etc.). I met Rat, Tiger, and Horse already, their swords engraved with their sign." She clapped her hands, dusting off crumbs. "And you, with the red demon mask, guarding the Patriarch? You are the leader of Spider Shadow: Kui!"

Lord Kui sighed softly. "I once asked the previous incumbent why we brand ourselves like this. Why write our identity on our face?"

"And what did he say?"

Lord Kui suddenly became halting and awkward. "He said... he said it's about the... the sense of ceremony, what do you know?"

Bai Hehuai stared. "'Sense of ritual, what do you know?' Why are you suddenly tongue-tied?"

"It's not me. It's him who's tongue-tied," Lord Kui insisted.

Bai Hehuai's eyes widened in realization. "Wait! The man I saw earlier today, holding the golden-ringed staff? The one who smokes and chews betel nut? He was the previous Kui?

As they reached the main hall, Lord Kui looked out. "Uncle Zhe is here too. Are there others?"

"There's the little mustached one," Bai Hehuai said, noticing the shift in Kui's tone. "It seems the Dark River isn't as united as the stories claim. The Su and Xie families are intercepting me before your own people. Do they want the Patriarch to die?"

"A lot of things have changed," Lord Kui murmured. He raised his voice: "Chen Long!"

A figure wearing a Dragon mask dropped silently from the eaves and knelt. "Boss, Chen Long is here."

"Take the doctor and lead everyone north. Leave a mark in Jiuxiao City; I will follow." Lord Kui's command was firm.

Bai Hehuai frowned. "You're staying to stop them?"

"They want us dead. As long as I live, I won't allow it." Lord Kui waved his hand. Chen Long vanished with Bai Hehuai. A faint, soft rustling followed, as the assassins loyal to the Patriarch prepared their defense.

"I hope we meet in Jiuxiao City, Lord Kui," Bai Hehuai said, turning.

"You don't need to call me Lord Kui," the masked man said quietly. "Call me Su Muyu.'"

Bai Hehuai nodded, realizing the connection to the men outside. "Your surname is Su. Just like them."

Beneath the cliff, Su Zhe peered at the discarded medicine bottle. A small, blue-and-white snake uncoiled from it, flicking its tongue. Su Changhe laughed. "They figured out your trick, Uncle Zhe. The Fragrant Cream's scent trail only lasted a mile."

Su Zhe gently gathered the snake and the bottle. The cream contained a unique tracking herb only detectable by his familiar. "We made a mistake," he sighed.

"What's wrong?" Su Changhe asked.

"The one we let go... she might be a true miracle healer," Su Zhe muttered, realizing the depth of her foresight.

Su Changhe stroked his mustache, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes. "Fortunately, I made some preparations."

"Oh?" Su Zhe gripped his staff.

"I sent a man to follow the Xie brothers, those diligent fools. They may be a few steps slower, but they're never late." A carrier pigeon landed on his palm. He retrieved the message and read the location aloud: "Chunyang Wanshou Palace."

Su Zhe smiled. "Clever. Let's go, Uncle Zhe. I fear the old man at home can't wait much longer."

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A Romantic Collection of Chinese Novels