Chapter 7

After Han Yunong led Qin Xiao and Meng Zimo out of the Zhen Marquis Mansion, he did not feel relieved. Instead, a shadow of gloom enveloped his heart. Watermark GG test Watermark GG test

He was very clear that although they had safely brought Meng Zimo out of the Zhen Marquis Mansion, this was not the end, but just the beginning.

The conflict between the Zhen Marquis Mansion and the Commandant's Office had a long history, but the Zhen Marquis Mansion had never truly taken action against the Commandant's Office. Although there were undercurrents, they had not openly confronted each other. However, this time, Zhen Yujian's plot to frame Meng Zimo was exposed by Qin Xiao, which could only make the Zhen Marquis Mansion furious. In the future, the conflict between the two sides would only intensify.

Meng Zimo, of course, already knew that the Buddha statue had been found in Lang Shenshui's house. He was extremely angry but could do nothing about it. Being able to leave the Zhen Marquis Mansion unharmed was already a stroke of luck. Should he continue to argue with the Zhen Marquis Mansion?

Han Yunong walked ahead, and Qin Xiao followed behind, leading the horse. They entered a narrow alley, and Han Yunong turned around, frowning and asked, "How did you know the Buddha statue was there?"

Qin Xiao knew Han Yunong would ask and was well-prepared. He said, "I took a gamble. Since the Buddha statue was so precious, Zhen Yujian would never let it leave the mansion, nor would he destroy it. It could only be hidden in the mansion."

"Given how large the Zhen Marquis Mansion is, how did you know it was hidden in Lang Shenshui's house?"

"Since it was an imperial treasure, even if it was hidden, it wouldn't be placed just anywhere." Qin Xiao rubbed his nose and smiled innocently. "I guessed that the Buddha statue was either hidden by Zhen Yujian himself or entrusted to Lang Shenshui for temporary storage, but I couldn't be sure who had it. When I said we would search the Zhen Marquis Mansion, I noticed Lang Shenshui's face change, so I guessed the Buddha statue was likely in his possession."

"Hmm?" Han Yunong stared into Qin Xiao's eyes. "Even if you guessed that Lang Shenshui had hidden the Buddha statue, how did you know where he lived?"

"I just observed his reactions as we walked." Qin Xiao said as he walked. "The closer we got to his house, the more nervous he became. When we reached his house, his face completely changed, so I guessed that was where he lived."

"Is that really so?"

Qin Xiao nodded repeatedly. "Yes, that's how it was."

Meng Zimo then patted Qin Xiao on the shoulder and said, "I didn't expect you to be so clever. If it weren't for you, we would have been in big trouble this time." He then frowned and turned to Han Yunong. "Sir, the Zhen Marquis Mansion set a trap for us, and they are ruthless. If it weren't for Qin Xiao, this matter would not have been resolved. Zhen Yujian is vengeful, and since he didn't succeed this time, he will definitely look for opportunities to cause us trouble in the future."

Han Yunong nodded slightly. "We should try to avoid contact with people from the Zhen Marquis Mansion."

"This time, Qin Xiao foiled their plan, and they will surely hate him deeply." Meng Zimo frowned. "Qin Xiao, you must be vigilant in the future and not fall into the Zhen Marquis Mansion's trap."

Han Yunong said, "Stay in the Jiazi Supervision Office in the future and don't meddle in outside affairs. Don't cause trouble, do you understand?"

Although his tone was stern, his concern was evident. Qin Xiao felt a warmth in his heart and nodded. "Sir, don't worry. I'll stay in the Jiazi Supervision Office and won't make enemies."

"It's late. Go home early." Han Yunong waved at Qin Xiao. "Don't cause trouble for me in the future."

"I won't, I won't. I've always been well-behaved." Qin Xiao chuckled, turned to leave, but was stopped by Meng Zimo, who worriedly said, "Sir, Qin Xiao is alone. Will the Zhen Marquis Mansion...?"

"They don't have the nerve." Han Yunong sneered.

The Zhen Marquis Mansion was indeed the local overlord of Zhen County, but they still feared the imperial court. Without solid evidence, they wouldn't dare to easily move against the Commandant's Office.

If the Commandant's Office were careless and gave the Zhen Marquis Mansion a handle, it would indeed cause trouble. But if the Zhen Marquis Mansion were found by the court, it would also bring them significant trouble.

Qin Xiao bowed to Han Yunong and ran off.

Watching Qin Xiao's back, Han Yunong's gaze was deep and thoughtful.

......

Gui City had both the ornate architecture of the Zhen Marquis Mansion and the dilapidated alleys of Moutou Lane.

Moutou Lane was one of many small alleys in Gui City. It was narrow and poor, unlike the spacious roads in front of the Zhen Marquis Mansion. The alley was narrow and the ground was uneven, turning into a muddy mess during the rainy season.

Although poor, the people living in the alley had become accustomed to it.

When Qin Xiao returned to Moutou Lane, it was late at night, and the entire alley was silent. It was still chilly in the late spring evenings in Xiling.

Qin Xiao's income from the Jiazi Supervision Office was substantial. In just half a year, he had saved enough money to buy this small courtyard in Moutou Lane. Due to its remote location and poor condition, the price was very low, allowing Qin Xiao to have a place to live without having to sleep on the floor in the office.

He closed the courtyard gate behind him and looked towards the corner of the yard, where the old black dog was curled up under a plum tree.

Hearing the sound, the old black dog turned its head, barked softly at Qin Xiao, and then curled up again.

Qin Xiao quickly walked to the door of the house, looked up at the lintel with a hint of anticipation, and saw that the small dry branch he had placed there when he left was still there. He sighed bitterly and muttered, "One hundred and ninety-seventh day. It seems he really won't come back."

This was a secret.

If it weren't for "him," Qin Xiao believed he would have died half a year ago.

Three years ago, Qin Xiao, following the old man's instructions before he died, left the village where he had lived for over a decade. On the way, he contracted a plague. Fortunately, Headman Meng came to his rescue, saving his life.

However, after recovering from the plague, the cold disease that had plagued him since childhood began to flare up.

Since he could remember, the cold disease had always accompanied him. Every few days, he would feel extremely cold at midnight. If not for the old man's acupuncture treatment, Qin Xiao would have frozen to death at a young age. Under the old man's care, by the time Qin Xiao was seven or eight, he only needed to drink alcohol daily to prevent the cold disease from flaring up.

It was from that time that the wine gourd never left his side. However, Qin Xiao never knew why he had such a strange disease. Although the old man treated him with all his heart, he never mentioned the origin of the disease.

Headman Meng cured his plague, but the cold disease began to flare up. At first, it would only occur every two or three months, and drinking alcohol could suppress it. Later, the intervals became shorter, and strong alcohol no longer had any effect. Many nights, Qin Xiao endured the pain of the cold disease without letting anyone know.

On that night half a year ago, the cold disease flared up more severely than ever. Qin Xiao was delirious, knowing he couldn't survive. It was at this critical moment that "he" appeared.

Qin Xiao only remembered that the person used a strange technique

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to help him through that night. When he regained consciousness, "he" had disappeared without a trace.

He reappeared a month later, which was 197 days ago, when Qin Xiao's cold disease flared up again. In his delirium, the person fed him something, and before dawn, he disappeared again, never to return.

That night, when Qin Xiao regained consciousness, he found that the person had given him a cup of blood.

In addition, the person left a wine gourd that looked exactly like the one Qin Xiao had used before, even aged to look old. When placed side by side, it was impossible to tell which was the original.

From that day on, everything changed in a very strange way.

The blood could greatly alleviate the pain of the cold disease. Whenever the cold disease flared up, drinking a cup of blood could suppress it.

Qin Xiao still couldn't get used to the taste of blood, but he couldn't live without it.

Because blood was the only way to control the cold disease.

This secret, besides himself, perhaps only "he" knew.

But even more bizarre things happened afterward.

In the past half year, Qin Xiao had discovered some astonishing abilities from the changes in his body.

The blood could suppress the cold disease, and more strangely, his body would react in astonishing ways depending on the type of blood.

For example, if he drank dog blood, his sense of smell would become incredibly sensitive for the next two hours. He could easily detect odors that normal people couldn't, and even distinguish between two very subtle scents instantly.

The sensitivity of his sense of smell was closely related to the amount of blood he drank. Drinking more blood increased the sensitivity. After drinking two sips of dog blood, he could even smell the fragrance of a beautiful woman from the Zhang family across the street.

His ability to quickly find the ghostwood Buddha statue in the Zhen Marquis Mansion was due to this.

After smelling the box, he immediately recognized the scent of the Buddha statue. After finding an opportunity to drink the dog blood from the gourd, he used his superhuman sense of smell to follow the scent of the ghostwood from the Spirit Crane Pavilion to Lang Shenshui's house, easily finding the Buddha statue.

The wine gourd that Qin Xiao always carried was the one left by "he" that night. Inside the gourd was a smaller gourd. The outer gourd held wine, while the inner gourd held blood. At the bottom of the wine gourd was a mechanism. When the mechanism was triggered, the inner gourd would rise, and the blood could be drunk. When the stopper was replaced, the inner gourd would automatically sink back down.

Qin Xiao didn't know who "he" was or why, in his dying moments, "he" appeared like a god, pulling him back from the brink of death.

But like Headman Meng in Qin Xiao's heart, "he" was his savior. Qin Xiao only hoped to see his true face, remember the appearance of his savior, and, if possible, repay the debt of gratitude.

Qin Xiao had been hoping that "he" would reappear. For the past half year, every day after work, he rushed home to see if "he" was waiting.

Today was the 197th day of waiting, and "he" still hadn't appeared.