Chapter 519: Chapter 185: The Way of Ghost Catching
The words of gratitude were light, yet the speaker’s expression was sincere, no longer the usual cold aloofness, calm and composed.
Lu Tong’s gaze flickered.
A few days ago, she had used the debt of life-saving grace at the execution ground in Su Nan from years before to coerce Pei Yunmeng into doing her a favor.
She asked Pei Yunmeng to create a Light-vented Bulbul Painting and arrange it in the Fengle Building.
Fengle Building, in Rouge Lane of Shengjing, was the favorite hangout for the city’s wealthy merchants, a place for watching operas, drinking wine, resting, and buying pleasure...
Her sister had inadvertently entered this place because of Ke Chengxing and had also died there.
Pei Yunmeng readily agreed to help, even going beyond what was asked. His subordinates were well-connected and effective, and they quickly figured out the layout of the Fengle Building. The top row of lofts was reserved for VIPs—those who were of a certain status, unlike the ordinary wealthy merchants, the so-called "fat sheep."
Qi Yutai always stayed in "Thunder Awakening."
He was generous with his spending, and the shopkeeper was willing to reserve the upper room for him. When Lu Rou’s incident happened and the Qi Family’s servants rushed to the news and smoothed everything over for Qi Yutai, the shopkeeper glimpsed that this man’s identity was no small matter.
In fact, from the beginning to the end, there was no such "room-contending" guest; the owner of Fengle Building had never lent Thunder Awakening to anyone else for silver coins.
However, a few days before Qi Yutai’s mishap, the owner of Fengle Building had to attend to something back in his hometown and left the management to his cousin. This created many opportunities.
First, they pretended to be guests quarreling with Qi Yutai, causing his blood and qi to surge after just taking a dose of the powder. The "guest" wore a sachet containing herbal medicine that exacerbated the wind-evil entering the blood.
When a "singer" accidentally knocked over an oil lamp, it started a large fire and burned the paintings in the room, only to reveal the painting hidden underneath. That was a painting Lu Tong had specifically prepared for Qi Yutai; it was also the last medicine catalyst in his "panic and madness."
While Fengle Building wasn’t as well-guarded as the Yuxian Tower, arranging for such a situation had been greatly aided by Pei Yunmeng. His subordinates were even more capable than Lu Tong had imagined, even giving her the delusion that when he said he would help her kill Qi Yutai, perhaps it was not a joke.
But what was done was done, there was no use regretting it.
Lu Tong thought for a moment, reached into the pouch hanging at her waist, and took out a small, pink porcelain jar to hand over to Pei Yunmeng.
Pei Yunmeng was taken aback, "What is this?"
"Jin Xianrong’s nourishing medicine—I’ve also concocted a set for Lord Pei."
Pei Yunmeng: "..."
Seeing his silence, Lu Tong rarely took the initiative to explain, "I am grateful for Lord Pei’s help with the fire. I thought it over; what happened in Su Nan was, after all, a matter of many years ago."
"Consider this my thank-you gift to Lord Pei."
Pei Yunmeng’s face was expressionless, "Take it back."
"Lord Pei might as well accept it," Lu Tong said earnestly, "I have changed the prescription. After Huangmao Hill Hunting Ground, the Marshal sent me game from the hunt, and I took some deer blood from it. Deer blood is hot in nature, it warms the kidneys, strengthens yang, nourishes blood and benefits essence; it’s the best for incorporating into medicine."
"You won’t find a second bottle like this from the Imperial Apothecary."
She spoke earnestly, as though it truly was a precious thank-you gift, suggesting that his refusal to accept it would mark him as a simpleton without taste.
Pei Yunmeng laughed without anger.
He said coldly, "If you try to give me this thing again, I will spread rumors in the Imperial City tomorrow saying that I am your fiance."
Lu Tong: "..."
She silently put away the medicine jar.
This man did not know what’s good for him.
And he had no shame.
The atmosphere in the room turned icy for a moment. As if sensing her silent criticism, Pei Yunmeng coughed lightly and glanced at her, saying, "However, how did you think to mix cinnabar with those medicinal juices?"
The "Light-vented Bulbul Painting" in the "Thunder Awakening" room of Fengle Building was commissioned by Lu Tong to Pei Yunmeng.
The Thunder Chart was an ordinary silk painting, but the materials used for the "Light-vented Bulbul Painting" hidden underneath were anything but ordinary.
The scroll had been soaked in medicinal juice prepared by Lu Tong from red fragrant fluff beforehand, which, along with the fire, exuded a fragrant scent, intoxicating those who smelt it.
The pigments used for the depicted lines were personally concocted by Lu Tong: stone snake sheddings, mica, copal, Dip Blue Water, insect white wax... a variety of medicinal ingredients refined through a special method, mixed with cinnabar, and painted into the picture, with the color disappearing after half an hour. Yet, once there was fire, the cinnabar would reveal its color again.
Lu Tong had instructed Pei Yunmeng to apply these materials to the seven orifices of the figure in the painting.
As the fire grew fiercer and burned away the Thunder Chart, "Pond Spring Grass Dream" from the Board of Rites Office had unknowingly been assaulting Qi Yutai for a long time, his mania already at the brink, necessitating only the final catalyst.
Having just taken the powder and inhaled the fragrance, Qi Yutai’s blood and qi surged together, the qi joining with yang. Suddenly beholding the Light-vented Bulbul Painting, memories welled up, and upon seeing the figure in the painting bleed from the seven orifices, he would inevitably panic, his essence would falter, and his mind would become unstable.