Huo Wei’s life has been very leisurely these past few days.
Every day, she stayed in the small courtyard, brewing tea and eating snacks. Although she still had the word “suspect” hanging over her head, no one actually bothered her while she lived here. Apart from being forbidden to approach Jiangchen Residence, she could go wherever she wanted.
The main branch had a good climate and beautiful scenery. A life without worries about food or drink, with nothing to do, was indeed carefree. But it also left her feeling uneasy.
After all, back at the Spirit Supervision Bureau, they had been wrongly accused and crying out that they were innocent, thinking that their lives were over and they would have to bear this unjust accusation forever. Yet after one night, everything came to an abrupt halt. Those people moved them to another place and locked them up. No one investigated them anymore or asked them any questions, but no one was willing to give them a proper explanation either.
Even after they had been moved for three or four days, she still hadn’t managed to see Fu Sang. Even knowing from other people that he was safe and well couldn’t put her mind completely at ease.
The unresolved case, the disappearance of Zhuge Qianyi, and Zhuge Heng’s inexplicable attitude all hung over her head like knives, leaving her constantly uneasy and unable to settle down.
It wasn’t until her parents called to ask where she was and why she wasn’t coming home for the New Year that Huo Wei made up an excuse, saying she was traveling and wouldn’t be able to return for a while. After hanging up, she belatedly glanced at the calendar and realized that tomorrow was New Year’s Eve.
Whether she stuck her head out or pulled it back in, she would get a knife either way. Huo Wei felt she couldn’t just sit around waiting for things to happen. She had to do something, at least find someone who knew the situation and ask what was going on, and whether someone could finally give her a definite answer.
After thinking for a long time, Huo Wei was planning where to find that civil servant named Liu Dongfeng and ask whether their suspicions had been cleared and when they would be cleared. Surely they couldn’t spend the New Year carrying this black pot…
But before that, she was visited by Zhuge Buhuo.
“Litte Black Huo!”
It wasn’t even light yet when Huo Wei was awakened by a series of “knock, knock, knock” sounds at the door.
She threw on her robe and rubbed her eyes as she went to open it.
Even before opening the door, she knew who was outside, because Zhuge Buhuo was the only person in the world who said that since she wore black every day, she might as well stop being called Huo Wei and just be called Little Black Huo.
Sure enough, as soon as she pulled the door open, she saw Zhuge Buhuo standing outside like a ghost, his face full of panic.
“W-what’s wrong with you?” Huo Wei was about to curse when she opened the door, but the moment she looked up and saw Zhuge Buhuo’s expression, as though the sky had fallen, she immediately fell silent.
“Something’s happened.” Zhuge Buhuo seemed to have run all the way here. Despite the freezing winter night, a thin layer of sweat had formed on his forehead, and even his breath trembled as he spoke. “Fu Sang has been poisoned.”
“Poisoned? How could he have been poisoned?! Your family is such a huge place, and you can’t even keep one person safe?!”
Huo Wei was practically screaming.
She couldn’t think about anything else and immediately rushed outside in her slippers.
“What are you standing there for? Where is he? Take me to see him!”
When Huo Wei arrived at Jiangchen Residence, only Fu Sang, Zhuge Buyi, and Liu Dongfeng were there.
Fu Sang was lying on the bed, unconscious. His face was as pale as paper, and half an arm protruded from beneath the blanket. The veins beneath his skin had already turned a horrifying blackish purple.
“What is this? What kind of poison is it?! How could he have been poisoned when he was perfectly fine?!”
Huo Wei was so anxious that she paced in circles. Clearly, no one present could know what had happened, so she could only ask the ghost who was always clinging to Fu Sang.
“Young General? Young General!”
At her call, a wisp of smoke drifted out from somewhere and slowly took human form in the room.
He glanced at Huo Wei without speaking, merely lowering his eyes and turning his face slightly away.
“Y-you, say something! How did he get poisoned?”
Huo Wei’s tone was noticeably gentler when she addressed Qi Changying, but she still couldn’t hide her worry.
“…”
Qi Changying frowned slightly and sighed very softly.
But in the end, he spoke.
“…The soup.”
“The soup? What soup?” Huo Wei was so anxious that she wanted to grab Qi Changying by the shoulders and shake him hard.
Qi Changying explained, “Yesterday evening, someone brought Fu Sang his meal and delivered a bowl of chicken soup.”
“Chicken soup?” Zhuge Buhuo found it strange.
He put his hands on his hips and asked Zhuge Buyi, “Was there chicken soup for dinner last night? The food in the family can usually make birds go faint from blandness. They feed us like rabbits every day. And now they’re willing to give Zhuge Fusang, a major suspect, chicken soup?”
The Xuangu Mountain Range was far from the city, and the main branch’s residence was tucked away in a mountain ravine. Naturally, there was no food street, trendy internet-famous restaurant, or food delivery service that could reach this place. With the family head leading everyone in abstinence and simple living, the people of the main branch could only rely on the cafeteria if they didn’t want to leave the mountains or cook for themselves.
The food in the cafeteria was divided into two types: free meals and paid special meals. The free meals usually consisted of one dish and a staple food per meal. The paid special meals, on the other hand, could be anything. But given Fu Sang’s current status as a prisoner, he was lucky to have anything to eat. Who would be kind enough to pay extra to give him a chance to order a special meal and replenish his nutrition?
“No.”
Before Zhuge Buyi could answer, Huo Wei spoke first.
She answered with certainty because during the time she had been living here, she had cried and laughed over her meals every day. She cried because the food was truly unpalatable and laughed because she could passively lose weight. Every day, she ranked the dishes from unpleasant to even more unpleasant.
It had been a way of finding amusement in hardship. Who would have thought it could come in handy now?
“Yesterday’s dinner was vegetable and radish soup. It was so terrible that it left a deep impression.”
“Then where did Zhuge Fusang’s chicken soup come from? I was just about to ask if you’d had a sudden outbreak of motherly love and ordered it for him.”
“Me? I can only drink radish soup myself. How would I have time to worry about him?”
“Then…”
“Fu Sang also said…”
While everyone was enthusiastically discussing the mysterious chicken soup, Qi Changying quietly interjected another half-sentence.
Everyone immediately fell silent, then asked in unison, “What did he say?”
“He asked me if I knew what this dish was.” Qi Changying spoke very slowly, as though he wasn’t particularly willing to say it.
“Chicken soup? Isn’t it just chicken soup? What else could it be?”
Huo Wei looked at Qi Changying.
She felt that Qi Changying was acting strangely today, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what was wrong.
“…” Qi Changying raised his eyes and met her gaze. Huo Wei froze slightly, then heard him say, “…He said it was a drowned chicken.”
“?” As soon as those words came out, Huo Wei drew in a sharp breath and, like Zhuge Buhuo, put her hands on her hips.
She stood there blankly for a moment, then turned to look at Zhuge Buhuo.
“Did you understand?”
Zhuge Buhuo spread his hands. “Am I an idiot?”
Who didn’t know that the grudge between Fu Sang and Zhuge Can started when Zhuge Can impulsively pushed Fu Sang into a lake in the middle of winter?
“What a beast. Poisoning someone during the New Year.”
After saying that, he felt like he was going to collapse.
“…No, wait. I reminded you that day to tell him to watch out for Zhuge Can. Did neither of you listen to a single word I said? Damn, this Fu San-you is a real character too. He’s locked up in prison, eating chaff and vegetables every day like a rabbit, and then one night someone brings him a bowl of chicken soup. Wouldn’t that be suspicious? And he actually dares to drink it?!”
“Do you think this is funny? Do you think I’ve had a chance to see even a single strand of Zhuge Fusang’s hair these past two days? Where was I supposed to tell him? Besides, he said the chicken soup was a drowned chicken. Obviously, he knew who had sent the thing, and he drank it on purpose!”
Huo Wei understood this person far too well. After analyzing the situation, she had a good idea of what was going on.
So she asked Qi Changying, “How much did he drink?”
“…” Qi Changying remained silent for a moment before answering, “…All of it.”
“…All of it?!” Huo Wei’s voice rose so high it almost pierced the ceiling. “What kind of ‘all’ are we talking about? The kind where he didn’t leave behind a single drop of soup or a single shred of meat?!”
Qi Changying nodded.
“…This lunatic. What the hell is he trying to do?”
Huo Wei really couldn’t take it anymore.
At first, she thought Fu Sang was using a self-inflicted injury ruse, turning the enemy’s scheme to his own advantage. But unless he truly wanted to die, who would drink an entire bowl of soup clean when they knew it was poisoned? Wouldn’t it have been enough to make a show of drinking some? Was he really that greedy?!
Still, the four words “wholeheartedly seeking death” weren’t entirely impossible when it came to Fu Sang.
So the peace of mind she had finally managed to regain was thrown into disarray again.
She turned to Liu Dongfeng beside her.
“Hey, you from the Spirit Supervision Bureau. Have you had a doctor come and see him? What kind of poison did he take? Is his life in danger? How can it be cured?”
“After the situation was reported, the main branch sent a doctor over. But the doctor said Zhuge Fusang had been poisoned with a mixed poison laced with an evil curse, and it won’t be easy to cure.”
Liu Dongfeng spoke with difficulty.
“Nether Path spirit masters developed this kind of curse-infused poison. The poison has to be removed before the curse can be lifted. The poison itself isn’t difficult to cure, but we need Stone Gold Flower as a catalyst. The doctor said there should be a few plants of Stone Gold Flower in the main branch’s warehouse. But this thing is precious, and Zhuge Fusang is a suspect. To use it, we have to ask the family head first. Yet no one can get in touch with him. Usually, he’s the only one who contacts other people, not the other way around. We still don’t know where he is.”
“Does Zhuge Heng have to approve it? No one else can?”
“Yes. The next young family head hasn’t been decided, and the Shaosi isn’t here either. No one can make the decision. We can only wait until the family head shows up.”
“Come on, it’s a matter of life and death. Do we really need to ask someone else for permission? Even if it’s precious, can’t I just pay for it? If double isn’t enough, I’ll pay twice as much. If twice isn’t enough, I’ll pay ten times as much. Save him first and worry about the rest later!”
“This isn’t something I can decide. I’m only an inspector sent by the Spirit Supervision Bureau. I don’t have a say in the family.”
“Then you can’t just stand by and watch the prisoner you’re supposed to be guarding die! You’ll be in trouble too if he dies, right?!”
Huo Wei genuinely didn’t want to make life difficult for an overworked wage slave, and she also genuinely felt that the current situation was so absurd it could drive anyone mad.
Seeing that Liu Dongfeng had no solution, she grabbed Zhuge Buhuo and punched him hard twice.
“How long are we supposed to wait for that damn family head of yours to show up? If he never appears in his entire life, am I supposed to wait for him my entire life too? Can I wait? Can Fu Sang wait?! Isn’t this your family? Go think of something for me, damn it! If San You dies, I’ll make the entire Xuangu Mountain Range accompany him in death. Do you understand?!”
“Could you stop acting like a domineering CEO at a time like this?!”
Anyone who could get along with that madman Zhuge Fusang had to have something wrong with them. Zhuge Buhuo once again realized this with profound clarity.
He scratched his head and casually said, “How about I point you toward a clear path? It just so happens that this is the season when Stone Gold Flower grows to maturity. If you’re lucky, you could go climb a mountain around the outskirts and maybe even pick some yourself. If your luck is good enough, it’d be much faster than waiting for my grandpa.”
What else was there to say?
As soon as Huo Wei heard this, she turned and left.
“Hey… Where are you going???” Zhuge Buhuo was just joking and casually proposed an impractical idea. Who would have thought Huo Wei would actually intend to put it into practice?
“To change clothes and pick flowers! Every single one of you Zhuge family people is a bastard!”
“No… You’re really going to pick it yourself?!”
Zhuge Buhuo was truly fed up with his own stupid mouth.
He slapped himself and hurriedly turned to instruct his younger brother.
“Look, it’s the New Year… I’ll go with her. Buyi, you stay here and keep an eye on things. If anything happens to Fu Sang or there’s news about Grandpa, call me immediately!”
“Oh, okay!” Zhuge Buyi followed them for a couple of steps, then stopped at the doorway and watched the two run away with concern. He didn’t look away until they disappeared from sight.
He had a vague premonition.
This New Year was likely to be anything but peaceful.
Zhuge Buyi sighed and closed the door. He was about to return to check on Fu Sang when he turned around and saw that the person who had been lying on the bed, barely breathing, had somehow sat up and was staring straight at him in the dim light.
“?!”
This gave Zhuge Buyi quite a fright.
He stumbled backward, his back hitting the door with a loud thud.
“Junior Uncle, y-you…”
Zhuge Buyi was so frightened he couldn’t speak properly. He turned and pulled the door open, wanting to call his older brother and sister, but the moment the door opened, an enormous force pushed it shut again with a loud bang.
Something shot past Zhuge Buyi’s ear and embedded itself in the door. He swallowed dryly and slowly turned his head. In the corner of his eye, a bright red line of blood gradually came into focus.
He followed the blood thread and turned his head.
Fu Sang was sitting on the edge of the bed, raising a hand to control the ghost-blood whip. A few seconds later, he took a deep breath and let his hand fall limply, as though drained of strength. The blood thread, which had been as taut as a steel needle, softened and dropped to the floor with it.
“Happy New Year.”
Even Fu Sang’s breathing was unsteady as he spoke.
As he said this, he began to topple sideways, but Qi Changying caught him and let him lean against his body.
Even in this condition, he still had the strength to threaten someone.
“You better not cause trouble. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee you’ll live long enough to see the New Year countdown.”
“Th-this… Junior Uncle, weren’t you poisoned…?”
As he asked, Zhuge Buyi vaguely understood what was going on. Huo Wei and his older brother had been deliberately sent away, while he, the one left behind, had probably been forced into some major affair.
“I never said I wasn’t.”
Fu Sang impatiently tugged at the collar of his sweater.
It was truly unbearable.
It felt as though flames were burning in his bone marrow.
His entire body was burning hot.
Most of what Liu Dongfeng had said just now was true.
He had indeed been poisoned with a mixed poison, but he didn’t need any Stone Gold Flower. The doctor had already detoxified him when he came earlier. The only thing wreaking havoc inside him now was the curse that had left the doctor helpless.
The evil-curse-infused poison was a sinister method developed by Qiyueban. To put it simply, it involved putting a curse into poison, allowing the poison to penetrate a person’s internal organs and imprint the evil curse into their flesh and blood along with it, making the curse’s effects deeper and more thorough.
Zhuge Can was truly sinister. It seemed that the suffering Fu Sang had inflicted on him back then had been deep enough. This person had spent every second of the past few years hating him. The revenge method he had shown him today was probably something he had spent a long time developing, alone in a little dark room, curled up in a wheelchair, thinking it over again and again.
Perhaps he was even secretly congratulating himself now, thinking he was an absolute genius, lying low for so many years until today, when he had finally avenged himself.
Fu Sang thought about this casually.
But to be fair, this curse was truly capable of tormenting a person. It felt as though his blood and bones were burning, and even his skin felt scalding hot.
All he could do was press himself as close to Qi Changying as possible.
At least this ghost was cold.
“The things you asked me to do are mostly done. Some information didn’t even need to be deliberately leaked. Zhuge Heng knows more than I expected. He seems to know your Crimson Evil’s identity and temperament quite well. After learning that you two have that kind of relationship, he still intends to kill you and take the ghost.”
“That’s human nature.” Fu Sang gave his assessment with his eyes closed and his strength almost gone.
“What else?”
“Also, Zhuge Can poisoned you because Zhuge Heng explicitly stated that he wouldn’t interfere in your affairs anymore. I think… he wants to use Zhuge Can to get rid of you?”
Liu Dongfeng raised his eyes and studied Fu Sang’s expression and condition.
The person who had always been extremely arrogant and domineering had, for once, lowered his guard and put away his thorns. He looked sickly and fragile, leaning against his ghost.
The scene was so deceptive that Liu Dongfeng was momentarily stunned when he heard his reply.
“Get rid of me? Does he think he’s worthy?”
Fu Sang sneered, and his next words sent chills down Liu Dongfeng’s spine.
“I’ve been provoking Zhuge Heng all along. He sees me as a thorn in his eye and a thorn in his flesh. Now that I’m no longer useful to him, there’s no reason to keep me alive. This poison is just a feint. The people who truly want to kill me are probably still hiding in the shadows. Zhuge Can has merely been pushed to the front to draw fire and provide cover. He’s not capable of accomplishing anything significant. Zhuge Heng isn’t stupid enough to put all his hopes on him.”
“…” Liu Dongfeng pursed his lips and didn’t answer.
“What else?” Only when Fu Sang continued asking did Liu Dongfeng return to his senses.
“Oh… Also, he seems very afraid that you’ll do something to the Shaosi.”
He paused and spoke honestly.
“After learning that you and the Crimson Evil have that kind of relationship, Zhuge Heng called you a madman and sent people to escort the Shaosi to the back mountain.”
“The back mountain?”
“Mm.”
“I see.”
Fu Sang’s lips curled very slightly.
“Huo Wei was also conveniently led away by you, Officer. You’re a little smarter than I thought.”
“You flatter me…”
“You’ve more or less completed the tasks I gave you, but there’s still one thing you haven’t found out: the matter concerning Zhuge Mingyun.”
Fu Sang had brought back a lot of files that day, but the files only recorded the outlines of each person’s life. They were straightforward and systematic accounts, lacking much of the emotion and detail. They might also omit important parts or even contain false information, so they weren’t particularly useful as references.
Fu Sang needed to gather more information from other sources. That was why he had ordered Liu Dongfeng to ask around and find out what people had to say about Zhuge Mingyun.
But…
“Zhuge Qianyi has been missing for too long, and it’s almost the New Year. Everyone in the main branch is busy and on guard. I couldn’t find an opportunity to ask around. Besides, I’m an outsider. Wouldn’t it be suspicious if I suddenly started talking to people in the family about the family head’s eldest daughter?”
“I don’t care about any of that. Those are the problems you’re supposed to consider.”
“I know. I’m just saying that I was originally worrying about how to get this information for you… But fortunately, Heaven never seals off every path. When the boat reaches the bridge, it will naturally straighten out.”
Liu Dongfeng’s words carried an implication, and Fu Sang seemed to understand what he meant.
He raised an eyebrow slightly and opened his eyes, looking together with Liu Dongfeng at the other person in the room: the poor child who had somehow been force-fed countless explosive secrets and was now sweating all over.
“I…”
Zhuge Buyi was still wearing the new red sweater his mother had just knitted. At this moment, he should have been at home making dumplings with his family and waiting for the New Year. Instead, he could only point at himself.
“…Me?”
