"How could it be you?"
Zhong Li leaned against the carriage, her gaze weak as she looked at the person before her.
Gaunt-faced, with reasonably regular features, it was none other than Magistrate Qi, whom she had met earlier that day at the prefect’s mansion.
"Why, Madam Zhong, do you believe it could not be your subordinate?" Qi Lei poured a cup of water and handed it to Zhong Li.
Zhong Li took it, draining it in one gulp. After catching her breath, she said, "Are you not in league with them?"
Qi Lei smiled and shook his head. "Madam Zhong, if your subordinate were in league with them, do you believe you would still be alive?"
Zhong Li remained silent, clutching the water cup, lost in thought.
After Qi Lei poured her another cup, his gaze fell upon the medicine box she carried. "I know the purpose of your visit here, Madam Zhong. However, Liaocheng is too dangerous now. You should not have come. While there is still time, I can escort you out of the city."
"Should not have?" Zhong Li looked up, meeting Qi Lei's eyes. "If I had not come, His Highness the Prince might have perished here. He is only a single medicinal ingredient away from waking. I will not leave, no matter what."
"His Highness the Prince can be saved?" Qi Lei's eyes widened in surprise at her words.
Zhong Li looked at Qi Lei in confusion. Though she didn't understand why he appeared so excited, she still nodded. "Yes! That is why I have been roaming the streets of Liaocheng. I have searched for half the night, and I did not expect this one ingredient to be so difficult to find."
"What is it lacking?" Qi Lei pressed.
Zhong Li pursed her lips and simply looked at him. Only when she was certain his eyes held only sincerity and no evasion did she say, "Tian Hua Fen."
"It's actually that!" Qi Lei started, muttering to himself.
Zhong Li scrutinized Qi Lei's reaction. "What? Do you have it?"
Qi Lei made no sound. He lifted the carriage curtain and gave an instruction to the driver outside.
As the driver outside acknowledged him, the carriage turned and headed in another direction.
"Yes, your subordinate has it." After he sat back down, he looked at Zhong Li and said.
"I have inquired extensively, and that item is a sacred object of the Divine Maiden Sect. Ordinary people do not possess it. How do you have it?" Zhong Li, her vigilance high, asked Qi Lei.
Qi Lei took a deep breath, concealing his excitement. "Only those within the Divine Maiden Sect have this."
Hearing this, Zhong Li's gaze sharpened. Her fingertip subtly slid out a scalpel, but she made no further move.
"Why have you stopped, Madam Zhong?" Qi Lei asked, looking at her hand hidden within her sleeve.
Zhong Li said, "Killing you would be simple, requiring but a single strike. After all, you are as frail as can be. However, for you to reveal your secret at this juncture, there must be more to this, correct?"
"Heh heh!" Qi Lei let out a laugh. His body swayed with the jolting of the carriage. He seemed happy, yet upon closer inspection, tears could be seen at the corners of his eyes. "That's right. I am dying. I am gravely ill."
Zhong Li lowered her gaze, remaining silent.
Qi Lei sighed and pulled back the curtain, gazing at Liaocheng's night scenery. "What a fine Liaocheng, what a beautiful night sky."
"I entered officialdom twenty years ago, when Nan Yue Kingdom had just stabilized. Liaocheng was not as prosperous as it is now. War had left many scars on this city. I, along with the late Prefect Min, helped build it to this state, bit by bit.
Liaocheng is like my child. I married and had children here, watching it grow little by little. Until ten years ago, Yu County, under Liaocheng's jurisdiction, suddenly produced the Divine Maiden Sect, which, under the guise of eternal life and ascension to divinity, deceived the populace and unscrupulously amassed wealth.
Only after Minister Chen apprehended Xuan Qingzi did the Divine Maiden Sect calm down slightly. Three years ago, it began its mischief again." Qi Lei recounted.
"Three years ago?" Zhong Li narrowed her eyes. It had been so long. Jincheng was so close to Liaocheng, yet they had not discovered it. It seemed there were problems within the court.
"When did you join the Divine Maiden Sect?" Zhong Li asked.
"Also three years ago," Qi Lei replied. "At that time, I discovered the nascent signs of the Divine Maiden Sect and wished to report the information to the court as quickly as possible. Who knew that not only did the secret letter not reach the Emperor, but my... my only daughter... was actually... *sob sob*..."
As Qi Lei spoke, his emotions suddenly surged. His hands trembled, his face contorted in pain. "My only daughter was left half-dead by them. I consulted many physicians, but none could help. Just like... His Highness the Prince now."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Li had a sudden realization. "So, you are doing this hoping I can save your daughter?"
"No!" Qi Lei's expression grew even more pained. He clutched his head, shaking it frantically. "She is already... gone."
"Then you..."
"They used my daughter's life to threaten me. I had no choice but to join the Divine Maiden Sect. I thought that would save my daughter's life, but..." Qi Lei's hands, gripping his hair in anger, began to turn white. "They actually made my daughter a sacrifice to the Divine Maiden!"
Zhong Li felt a pang in her heart, as if something had shattered. She looked at Qi Lei with a conflicted gaze, unsure how to comfort him.
Qi Lei's face was now covered in tears. His features, wrinkled and contorted, twisted into an appearance of extreme ugliness.
"At first, I was unwilling, but... my wife became pregnant at this critical juncture." Qi Lei panted, his body trembling uncontrollably. "They drugged me to control me. I couldn't let them know I hadn't taken the medicine, nor could I let them know I was still lucid.
So... so I could only feign piety and personally... personally hand over my daughter to them... *sob sob*... Madam Zhong, can you imagine? A father personally handing over his daughter to others as a sacrifice."
Zhong Li slowly closed her eyes. The image of the pitiable female corpse hanging on the southern wall of Jincheng began to flood her mind. Qi Lei's daughter must have been like that.
"We were fortunate enough for our family to survive, but we are not whole. My wife gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, yet no one can feel happiness." Qi Lei closed his eyes, tears flowing down his jaw, dripping into his cup, slowly merging with the tea.
"When I handed over my daughter, I vowed to eradicate the Divine Maiden Sect. I waited for three years. Now that Madam Zhong has arrived, I believe this is my only chance for revenge."
"Qi Lei," Zhong Li slowly spoke his name. "I swear, I will."
Qi Lei gave a bitter smile. He glanced at the scenery outside, then quickly took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped the tears from his face. "Madam Zhong, please wait here. I shall return shortly."
Zhong Li nodded and watched Qi Lei alight from the carriage and enter the residence.
In the empty carriage, a faint aroma of tea lingered. Exhausted, she closed her eyes as if to rest.