"Young Master..."
A mournful, drawn-out voice suddenly came from within. A person dressed as a dan (female role in opera) glided over with graceful steps and threw herself into Chen An's embrace, as if boneless.
"Young Master, why have you brought these irrelevant people here again?"
Chen An stroked her head. "These are my guests. You must entertain them well."
The dan looked at Rong Zhi and Chu Qingze with displeasure, her gaze especially filled with hostility towards Rong Zhi.
"Then you must come in with me!"
She deliberately drew out the end of her sentence, like singing opera, and walked ahead with small, mincing steps.
Rong Zhi recognized her as the opera singer from last time. Why was she still singing so late at night? Even if she was obsessed, was she this delusional?
The group arrived at an empty room.
As soon as the door closed, all sounds from outside vanished, and even the wind disappeared. It felt as if they were completely cut off from the world.
Chu Qingze looked at Rong Zhi with unease.
Rong Zhi gave him a reassuring glance and spread paper on the table, writing a few words: If the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley were to truly appear, how should the royal family identify them?
Chu Qingze also looked at Chen An curiously.
Chen An pointed to Rong Zhi and explained, "Do you remember the last time I took you to watch the opera? Those who are brought back from the dead are particularly prone to being targeted by ghosts. If the Imperial Preceptor wants to distinguish between the real and the fake, he would likely use this method."
"I heard that many disciples of Medicine King Valley have entered the imperial family. Wouldn't it be easier to confront them directly?" Chu Qingze asked.
"Confrontation is necessary, but this method can verify authenticity. Souls cannot be faked."
Thinking of this, Chen An looked at Rong Zhi strangely. He had always been suspicious of her peculiar constitution.
Rong Zhi wrote on the paper again: If they encounter a fake Valley Master of Medicine King Valley, wouldn't that be very embarrassing?
"Of course... you mean..." Chen An's eyes, filled with confusion, gradually cleared, revealing a spark of excitement.
Rong Zhi wrote four characters: To pass off the fake as genuine.
Chen An looked at the four powerful characters and couldn't help but burst into laughter. "I've wanted to do this for a long time! Tell me how, and I'll help you with anything!"
Rong Zhi smiled slightly and began to write down a detailed plan on the paper.
They wrote all night, and the candlelight burned all night. Yet, to outsiders, this place was just a dark mansion, silent, with no sign of life.
As dawn broke, Chen An glanced outside and said to the two, "Then it's settled. You can recuperate here. It's very safe. Caiyue will take care of you."
Caiyue? Was that the opera singer?
"Where are you going?" Chu Qingze looked at Chen An. He remembered that when they found Chen An, he was sitting in the corner of a small tea house, looking like he didn't want to be found.
"All my family members are in prison. If I linger outside for too long, it will invite criticism."
He called for Caiyue from outside and then left, fanning himself.
Chu Qingze said to Rong Zhi, "I don't know if he's reliable, but I don't know who else to turn to."
Rong Zhi wrote: Trust those you use, and don't use those you doubt.
Chu Qingze hesitated. "Are you... the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley?"
His expression was a little nervous. In his heart, he already had a vague answer, but he couldn't be sure.
He couldn't be sure that something as momentous as returning from the dead would happen to someone close to him.
Rong Zhi didn't answer, but wrote: Are you Chu Yuheng's disciple?
Chu Qingze remained silent.
He couldn't answer that question.
Rong Zhi wrote: We all have our secrets.
Chu Qingze's hands suddenly tightened, as if he had received an affirmative answer.
Yes, they both had their secrets. Since they were secrets, let them remain so forever!
A faint sound of footsteps came from outside.
"Miss, it's time for your medicine."
Still in an operatic tone, a bowl of scalding medicine was placed on the table. Rong Zhi noticed that Caiyue had brought the medicine bowl directly. Wasn't it hot?
She extended her hand, signaling for the other to take her hand.
"What are you doing? Don't even think about flirting with me." Caiyue's face showed displeasure. She turned to look at Chu Qingze, and her eyes sparkled with a few more glints of light.
"Young Master, you are truly handsome. What is your name?"
As she spoke, she leaned closer. Chu Qingze couldn't control himself; the scent of her rouge made him gag, and he clutched the table, retching.
"You!" The girl's expression showed hurt. She covered her mouth and left.
Rong Zhi cooled the medicine and took a few sips, thinking that Chu Qingze's condition might not be curable.
Finally, he had become less resistant to Zhang Yajing. But after discovering them both in the coffin last time, he seemed to have regressed.
She finished the medicine and wrote on the paper: Do you think this girl has some issues?
Chu Qingze turned to look in the direction she had left and quickly concluded, "This girl has some mental issues."
Rong Zhi remembered her visit last time. Although she had only said one sentence then, she had seemed quite normal.
In just a few days, she had become abnormal.
"Don't you find this place very strange?" Chu Qingze listened intently and then said, "It seems too quiet here."
He opened the door and walked around the courtyard. After a while, he returned with a strange expression.
"I can't get out."
Rong Zhi got up and looked outside. The scenery outside was as usual. She tried walking in a straight line, but in the end, she found herself back in the room.
It was the same situation as last time when Dongmei and the others were in the thatched hut.
It seemed Chen An had arranged some sort of formation here.
"Is it dangerous?" Chu Qingze's heart tightened. He turned to look at the rockery next to him and struck it with a palm. With a crack, the stones shattered on the ground.
At the same time, Rong Zhi suddenly heard a sound. It was the bustling noise of the marketplace, the cries of the vendors.
She ran to the base of the wall and looked out. It turned out that this wall was adjacent to the street, but she hadn't heard anything just now.
It seemed Chu Qingze had inadvertently broken some formation.
"What are you doing?"
Caiyue came running over, anxiously closed the door, pushed the two of them into the room, and then went to the rockery to clean up the scattered stones.
Rong Zhi and Chu Qingze pressed against the window and saw her carefully picking up the shattered stones, trying to piece them back together.
Rong Zhi mouthed at Chu Qingze.
You've caused trouble.
Chu Qingze scratched his head, feeling ashamed. He had thought they were trapped here and instinctively wanted to cause some damage.
Don't know how Caiyue managed it, but the rockery stones were soon restored to their original state, and the sounds from outside were also blocked.
It seemed the rockery stones were the key to blocking out the outside world.
The two did not venture out again. They might encounter something else, and it wouldn't be good if they were discovered.
They settled down to live there peacefully. Meanwhile, Chen An had already arrived at the Prime Minister's mansion.
"Where have you been? Your father and sister are still in prison, and you're out wandering around?"
Old Master Chen's eyes were dark, and his words carried a strong sense of authority.
Chen An sat down in an empty seat. Before sitting, he did not forget to wink at Jasmine, who was beside Chen Yanyan, also known as Yun Heng, with the demeanor of a dissolute dandy.
"Father, aren't you all doing fine? Where are you in prison?"
Although the Grand Tutor's mansion had been sealed, it was merely for show. Could the people of the Grand Tutor's mansion be mistreated in the Ministry of Justice? Wouldn't that be like the Dragon King's temple being flooded by its own waters?
"Alright, stop your glib talk. We are here today to discuss countermeasures. And you, don't spend your days indulging in the company of women. The Chen family will depend on you in the future."
Unexpectedly, these words came from Chen Yanyan.
For a sister to scold her elder brother like this, no one present found it strange. If not for Chen An's notorious reputation outside, no one would encounter him without lecturing him.
"What is there to discuss? Xia Yunting has already been locked up, hasn't he? Why not just kill him directly?"
"Nonsense! He's a great general, and countless citizens in the imperial city admire him. How can we explain to the outside world if we kill him so obscurely?" Old Master Chen began to puff up with anger at these words.
"No one outside knows how he died. We just need to make up a plausible reason."
"Do you think the many hidden guards in the General's mansion are easy to deal with? Alright, you stop talking."
Old Master Chen pinched his brow. This son could anger him to death in three sentences.
Xing Jie, who had been sitting there without speaking, finally spoke. "The Grand Tutor is right. Xia Yunting cannot be killed directly at this moment, but he also cannot be left completely uncontrolled."
"Prime Minister, you are as verbose as ever. Just state your plan directly." Chen An couldn't help but interject, only to be glared at by Chen Yanyan, who then used her fan to cover her face.
Despite such blatant sarcasm, Xing Jie did not dare to retort and merely adopted a more courteous demeanor. "I have accidentally obtained a type of Gu worm that can control a person's mind. Why not use it on Xia Yunting first, and make him our subordinate? Perhaps in the end, our enemy can become an ally."
"Oh? Gu worm? What kind of Gu worm?"
Xing Jie clapped his hands, and a maid handed over a small box. Upon opening it, a plump little worm was revealed, covered in tiny legs and a pair of small wings. As it moved, it emitted a hissing sound.
Seeing this, Chen Yanyan frowned directly, while Yun Heng behind her's eyes lit up, showing a strong interest.
"Grand Tutor, this is called a 'Lover's Gu'. As long as it is placed inside Xia Yunting's body, he will be uncontrollably attracted to the first person he sees. My daughter Jiahui is currently the General's wife, and she has many conveniences in the General's mansion. Why not give it a try?"
Old Master Chen's lips curved into a cold smile after hearing this.
"If it's truly that effective, then let's give it a try."
Everyone said Xia Yunting was invincible on the battlefield, and victorious in every battle. He wanted to see if Xia Yunting could withstand this Gu worm.
At the Ministry of Justice prison, the jailer politely led the way. "Please rest assured, we are taking good care of him. Various torture instruments have been used these past two days, and he won't be able to get out of bed for at least three months."
As the jailer spoke, Old Master Chen and Xing Jie caught the scent of blood.
The straw on the ground had almost turned red. The cross to which the person was tied was soaked in blood, and the wood was almost rotten. A bloody, mangled figure hung from it. If not for the eyes still glaring at the outside with hatred, one could hardly tell it was a person.
"I never thought such a dignified great general would end up in such a state." Xing Jie was the first to laugh.
Ever since Xia Yunting returned, he had always been overshadowed. Now, he finally had a chance to hold his head high.
Xia Yunting clenched his fists, and the chains hanging from his hands clinked, almost breaking.
"Struggling is useless. Look at what this is?" Xing Jie opened the box, and a plump worm slowly flew out, emitting a frightening rustling sound.