"Does the Heir remember the physician who disappeared from Suqing County twenty years ago, the one Master Li mentioned?" Zhong Li reminded him.
"You mean him?" Lu Wuxie narrowed his eyes. "Twenty years have passed. Are you sure he's still alive?"
"Why wouldn't I be sure?" Zhong Li smiled, a rare sight. "Not only am I sure, but he's also treated quite a few people in the Li mansion. Among them is the Vigorous Dragon Pill that Li Kun kept in his study.
If the Heir knew, the Vigorous Dragon Pill isn't something just anyone can concoct. Its formula was lost over ten years ago, and nowadays, those who understand medicine can't make heads or tails of it."
The reason Zhong Li knew so much was thanks to years of wandering with Gai Chen in Nanyue Kingdom. Naturally, she had seen more than others.
Upon hearing the name of the pill, Lu Wuxie suddenly understood why Zhong Li had asked Madam Fu that embarrassingly blush-inducing question.
His gaze then fell upon the contraceptive soup prescription before him, and he understood, "Are you implying that this physician conspired with Madam Feng to murder Li Kun?"
"Yes, not just Li Kun, but also Zhao Jun and Liao Chen. And this person..." Zhong Li pointed a finger at a Bodhi leaf on the table. "Is currently at Lingshan Temple."
"So..."
"So. The Heir has two ways to find the culprit: either start by investigating the physician who disappeared twenty years ago." Zhong Li finished Lu Wuxie's sentence.
"And the other way?" Lu Wuxie's smile deepened, a hint of admiration in his eyes that he himself hadn't noticed.
"The other way..." Zhong Li beckoned him closer.
Lu Wuxie leaned in to listen.
-------------------------------------
A few days later, Lingshan Temple.
"Have you heard?" a pretty young lady in an apricot-colored vest, holding three sticks of incense, asked her companion who had accompanied her, dressed in a similar aquamarine vest.
"Heard what?"
"A few days ago, there was a murder in this Lingshan Temple, wasn't there? The deceased was Master Zhao." The pretty young lady lowered her voice.
"Yes, I know. I heard it caused quite a stir; the number of pilgrims at Lingshan Temple on that day dropped significantly. And it wasn't just Master Zhao, Liao Chen and Master Li also met unexpected deaths," the woman in the aquamarine vest said, seeming to shiver and rubbing her arms. "It's as if they offended Buddha. The day before Master Zhao died, Buddha shed bloody tears."
"Pfft... you actually believe that?"
"Why wouldn't I?" The woman in the aquamarine vest looked bewildered.
"Let me tell you, if that were true, what about Master Zhao's child?" the pretty young lady deliberately raised her voice.
"What do you mean?"
"You don't know yet? Zhao Shi's child was sick before, right? Now they're completely recovered, and I heard the child can even get out of bed and run," the pretty young lady said.
"Really?"
"How could it be false? If you don't believe me, after we finish offering incense today, shall we pass by Zhao Jun's house and see?"
As they spoke, they walked arm in arm into the Great Hall of Heroes.
Behind them, a man with a grim expression and a hint of ferocity in his eyes stood silently.
Zhao Jun's house.
Madam Jia was busy hanging clothes in the courtyard. The child had been mischievous today, and she had already washed a courtyard full of diapers, but there was still half a basin waiting for her inside.
Unbeknownst to her, as she turned to pick up the basin, a figure flashed through the courtyard and headed straight for the house.
Zhao Jun's house was not large. Apart from the kitchen, which was built separately in a corner of the courtyard, there was only one bedroom and a reception room.
The figure lifted the curtain covering the reception room and peered inside. His lips curled slightly as his gaze fell upon the male child sleeping on the couch. He took some powder from his怀 and walked into the room.
The child, unaware of the approaching danger, seemed to be having a sweet dream, a pure and innocent smile on his face.
The figure lingered by the child's bed for a while, but the powder in his hand was slow to fall. Then, as if realizing something, he reached out to feel the child's pulse.
After a moment, his face darkened, and he muttered, "Not good."
He turned to leave.
"Master Liao Jue, won't you sit down? Why the hurry to leave?" Zhong Li's voice suddenly rang out from inside the room. The figure froze, and as the curtain was pulled aside, sunlight streamed in, revealing Liao Jue's face. It was the unassuming sweeping monk from before.
"You..." Liao Jue instinctively drew a dagger from his waist and looked at Zhong Li defensively.
Zhong Li walked towards Liao Jue, hands behind his back, without a trace of fear in his eyes.
"Don't come any closer, or don't blame me if my knife doesn't have eyes," Liao Jue roared angrily.
Zhong Li said calmly, "Master Liao Jue, why did you choose the profession of a physician before? Was it to heal the sick or just to make a living?"
Liao Jue expected Zhong Li to step forward and apprehend him, but instead, she suddenly asked this question.
Before he could answer, Zhong Li continued, "It shouldn't be just to make a living, otherwise, you wouldn't have become a renowned physician in Suqing. It's like when I wanted to become a coroner, I just wanted to seek justice for the dead, didn't I?"
"Hmph, you're just a brat who hasn't even grown all his hair, what do you know?" Liao Jue rolled his eyes at Zhong Li upon hearing this.
Zhong Li wasn't angry. She took another step closer to Liao Jue and said, "I don't understand? I truly don't understand. Since Master chose to become a monk and leave all worldly possessions, why are you still holding onto your obsessions?"
Liao Jue was stunned and was about to retort when Zhong Li's gaze suddenly sharpened. With a swift movement, she lunged at Liao Jue. Before he could react, she struck his wrist holding the dagger. There was a clatter of metal against the ground.
Madam Jia ran in, panicked, and clutched the child on the bed, trembling and sobbing.
"Master, do you have anything else to say?" At this moment, Lin Jin rushed in from outside, followed by the constables of Suqing County and Lu Wuxie, who entered leisurely with his hands clasped behind his back.
Liao Jue had initially thought that if it were just Zhong Li and him in the room, he might have a chance to escape. Now, seeing the situation, he gave a bitter smile and said, "When did you start suspecting me?"
Zhong Li stepped forward, grabbed his cheek, and pulled forcefully. If Liao Jue's appearance earlier had given an impression of amiability and detachment from worldly affairs, the true Liao Jue beneath the mask was a weathered, haggard, and wrinkled old face.
She glanced at it and casually replied, "I felt something was off about you from the beginning. I forgot to tell you, Master Liao Jue, when it comes to applying fake skin, there probably isn't anyone in the entire Nanyue Kingdom who can surpass me."
Under Liao Jue's astonished gaze, Zhong Li handed half of the mask to Lin Jin and continued, "Actually, at first, it was just a suspicion. After all, wearing a fake mask isn't against the law. But on the night Liao Chen had his accident, when I saw the butterflies surrounding you, I began to feel uneasy. However, the moment I truly confirmed it was when..."
She paused, her gaze falling on a corner of a woman's sleeve peeking out from the crowd, "It was when you casually wrote a character on the ground for a woman."
"What character?" Liao Jue seemed bewildered.
"Kè."