Lu Ying and the others returned at dawn, hearing movement from inside the room.
Wei Caiwei: "I'm going to pull it out now. Endure it—this thing went in deep."
Wang Daxia: "Be gentle."
Wei Caiwei: "You should bite on a damp cloth. I'm afraid the pain might make you bite your tongue."
Wang Daxia: "Alright, I'll listen to you."
As Lu Ying was about to push the door open, Wu Xiaoqi stopped her, "...Boss, let's come back later." The sounds were far too suggestive.
Lu Ying glanced at her injured subordinates supporting each other, "Why wait? Your wounds need attention. Staying soaked in rainwater will only slow your recovery."
She pushed the door open and saw Wang Daxia lying on a bamboo bed, his long legs bare, with his right leg propped up on a chest. Wei Caiwei sat on a small stool, using iron tweezers to extract a boomerang-shaped hidden weapon embedded deep in his upper thigh.
When the weapon was pulled out, it came with flesh and blood. Wang Daxia, biting the cloth, let out muffled screams, his body convulsing uncontrollably. He nearly knocked over the silver needle Wei Caiwei was preparing to suture his wound with. Lu Ying and the others rushed forward, holding Wang Daxia down so Wei Caiwei could quickly stitch the injury.
After the suturing, Wang Daxia was in such pain his vision blurred. During the fight, he had been too focused and only felt a sting like a bee's, never imagining the "aftermath" would be this severe. Now he felt genuine fear.
The wound was in a tricky spot—just a bit further and it would have hit his buttocks.
If the boomerang had struck from the front, it would have landed right on Wang Xiaoxia's head.
Too close! Wang Daxia thought: Thank goodness it came from behind, or else Wei Caiwei might have ended up a widow.
Though the pain was his, his mind remained fixed on Wei Caiwei.
Wei Caiwei dissolved a medicinal pill and handed it to him, "I've mostly treated your injuries. You're lucky nothing damaged your tendons, bones, or internal organs."
Wang Daxia took a sip, his brows twisting like squirming caterpillars, "So bitter."
Wei Caiwei produced a piece of tiger-eye honey thread candy, "Drink it quickly. You'll get candy after."
Wang Daxia began to whine, "One isn't enough. I want more~"
Initially, Lu Ying felt pity seeing Wang Daxia covered in wounds—he was the most severely injured among her subordinates. But watching him overindulge in his role, still reveling in the persona of a seductive enchantress even after the honey trap mission ended, she found it downright cringeworthy.
Lu Ying picked up the medicine bowl, pinched Wang Daxia's jaw, forced his mouth open, and poured the liquid down his throat. Afterward, she stuffed a tiger-eye honey thread candy into his mouth, "What's there to fear about bitterness? It's nothing compared to your injuries. Sleep it off, and you'll be a tough man again by tomorrow."
Wang Daxia chewed the candy, not daring to reply.
As Wei Caiwei went to treat the other Embroidered Uniform Guards, she took advantage of Lu Ying changing into dry clothes to secretly slip a handful of tiger-eye honey thread candies under Wang Daxia's pillow, whispering, "Eat them secretly under the covers. Don't let Lu Ying see."
The crying child gets the milk; the whining man gets the favor. Wang Daxia stealthily pulled Wei Caiwei's hand under the quilt, rubbing it repeatedly, and murmured, "You are the cure to my pain (Note 1), the honey that sweetens my lips."
Wei Caiwei gently pinched his ticklish spot, "Let go. There are people everywhere—be careful not to blow our cover."At this moment, Ding Wu came over from next door and said, "Luo Longwen seems to have noticed something. He has already fled."
Lu Ying, having changed clothes, emerged and asked, "Is the gold still there?"
Ding Wu replied, "Most of it should still be there. Luo Longwen traveled light and took very little with him. I also found in the chest the tax exemption documents for customs clearance issued to him by Yan Shifan, secret letters, several correspondences, and the incense ink he was halfway through making."
Wei Caiwei, who was receiving treatment nearby, pricked up her ears to listen. Lu Ying said, "If Luo Longwen merely escaped, that would be one thing. What I fear is that he returns to the capital and tells Yan Shifan that we have been tracking him all along, fixated on his gold. Yan Shifan is a man who loves money as much as his own life. Seizing his gold is akin to taking his life—how could he possibly let us off lightly? Given the circumstances, our only recourse is to strike first and file a complaint."
Lu Ying picked up a brush. "I will write to my second brother-in-law, stating that Yan Shifan sent his confidant Luo Longwen to liaise with the Japanese Pirates, providing them with five thousand taels of gold to profit from smuggling. Yan Shifan's tax exemption documents, secret letters, and this five thousand taels of gold are all evidence."
Wang Daxia, pounding the bed, exclaimed, "Exactly! Otherwise, why would he bring five thousand taels of gold to Jiangnan? He must be colluding with the Japanese Pirates."
Wang Daxia produced the great seal of Ming Wang. For the past month, he had been in charge of the seal. Fortunately, Wei Caiwei and Lu Ying had promptly sought reinforcements; otherwise, if Ming Wang had died of illness, Wang Daxia might have ended up becoming the new Ming Wang and the leader of the pirates.
Wang Daxia tossed the seal to Lu Ying and said, "Hire a few master calligraphers to imitate Ming Wang's handwriting and forge several letters of correspondence and profit-sharing between Yan Shifan and Ming Wang. We have the seal right here—just stamp it on and pass them off as genuine. Tomorrow, plant these letters in Ming Wang's study for Generals Yu and Qi to discover. They are both Xu Jie's men and will naturally present the evidence. At this point, it's either Yan Shifan's death or ours. Why hold back? Use every means at our disposal against him—overwhelm the master with a flurry of blows. We have nothing to fear."
"Good idea," Ding Wu said, rolling up his sleeves. "I can imitate handwriting. I'll write them."
Everyone was busy ensuring Yan Shifan's downfall, and no one suggested pursuing the vanished Luo Longwen. Wei Caiwei felt relieved. The first hint of light appeared in the east. Though the rainy sky remained dark and the night seemed endless, the long night was nearing its end, and darkness would eventually give way to dawn.
The next day, everyone carried out the plan as arranged. Wang Daxia developed a fever, his body turning red all over like a boiled crab. When he felt cold, even under two quilts, he shivered uncontrollably, his teeth chattering loudly.
Wei Caiwei examined his wounds. While the others were healing well, the spot near his inner thigh where he had been struck by the Japanese pirate's boomerang had begun to fester.
The boomerang had likely been contaminated with something unclean beforehand. Wei Caiwei pounded wormwood into a paste and applied it to the affected area, then used heat-clearing and detoxifying herbs like dandelion and isatis leaf to prevent the festering from spreading.
When Wang Daxia was delirious with fever, both Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou came to visit him. Seeing Wei Caiwei in plain clothes and a mourning bun by the sickbed, they wondered why a widow had been chosen to treat him.
It was only when Wei Caiwei stood up to greet them that they noticed the widow bore a striking resemblance to He Daifu.
Qi Jiguang asked, "Where is your elder brother, He Daifu?"Wei Caiwei said, "There is no 'Big Brother,' I am He Daifu. I am a woman, and a widow at that."
Qi Jiguang was astonished for the third time: Why are the members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard all gender-bending? And so capable at that!
It took a full ten days for Wang Daxia to recover—his fever subsided, the stitches were removed, and he could walk again. Wei Caiwei breathed a sigh of relief, finally at ease.
Lu Ying inventoried the firearms stolen by the White Lotus Sect, recovering over two hundred items. She kept a few as evidence and distributed the rest to the Qi Family Army and Yu Dayou’s troops, who used them to continue suppressing the Japanese Pirates.
The group traveled north together, spending about a month on the canal before their large ship arrived at the Linqing Customs House, where they had initially departed. They once again lodged at the largest local inn—Xie Family Inn.
When they had set out, the river was frozen over in the first month of winter; now, upon their return, the chorus of frogs signaled the arrival of summer. The banks of the Linqing Canal were bustling with merchants from the north and south, and Xie Family Inn was lively and prosperous.
In a riverside pavilion, Ding Wu, Wei Caiwei, Lu Ying, and Wang Daxia sat together just as they had upon their arrival. Only this time, it was not a reunion but a farewell.
Lu Ying and the others would continue on the large ship to Tongzhou and then enter the capital. Ding Wu, however, would disembark, purchase a horse, and head northwest. Their paths would diverge from here.
By now, the mission to eradicate the White Lotus Sect was largely accomplished. Three of the sect leader Zhao Quan’s Four Great Disciples had been eliminated, a major source of the sect’s funding had been severed, and most of the stolen firearms had been recovered.
Next, Ding Wu would return to the White Lotus Sect Main Altar in Fengcheng, relying on San Niangzi’s support to continue his efforts against the sect.
With this parting, no one knew when they would meet again. A faint melancholy hung in the pavilion. Wei Caiwei’s eyes reddened first, and she silently picked at her food.
Still in mourning, Lu Ying could not drink alcohol. She broke the silence by raising a cup of tea in toast to Ding Wu, "May you have a smooth journey and swift success. May you soon dismantle the White Lotus Sect. I... we will all await your return."
After they drank, Ding Wu picked up the teapot, refilled Lu Ying’s cup, and poured himself a full glass of wine. He then raised his glass to Wang Daxia, "My sister is your neighbor. They say a near neighbor is better than a distant relative. I am far away in Fengcheng and cannot reach her easily. I must entrust her to you, her close neighbor."
In two years, we won’t just be neighbors—you’ll have to call me brother-in-law. Wang Daxia raised his glass, "Brother Ding, rest assured. Doctor Wei is a capable person. In truth, it is she who has always looked after me... and the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Though she is not a member, she has contributed greatly and is a friend to us. Besides me, Commander Lu has also always cared for her."
After they drank, it was Wei Caiwei’s turn. She forced back the tears welling in her eyes and raised her glass, "In the capital, I am doing well. I have friends and a promising career. Everything is moving in a positive direction, so Brother Ding need not worry. It is you, alone in Fengcheng, living a double life—gathering intelligence while guarding against exposure—that concerns me. I can do nothing to help you. You must be careful in everything."
Ding Wu replied, "I will. I will surely complete my mission and return to the capital. When that time comes, let us return to Tieling together and relocate our adoptive parents’ remains to the capital. Let their roots settle here, so we may honor them with ease in the years to come."The grand vision painted by Ding Wu was truly enticing. Wei Caiwei's eyes, washed clean by tears, shone with exceptional brightness as she nodded firmly.
Wang Daxia declared, "I'm going too!"
All three looked at him: What does this have to do with you?
Wang Daxia explained, "I've never been to the Northeast. I just want to travel and see more of the world. This journey to Jiangnan has already broadened my horizons considerably. Staying cooped up in the capital all the time is like being a frog at the bottom of a well." Why shouldn't I go? By that time, I might already be Banxia's husband. After all, a son-in-law is half a son.
The next day, the three stood on the boat, watching Ding Wu ride off toward the western horizon. Returning to the cabin, Wei Caiwei could no longer hold back the tears she had been suppressing. Soon, there came a knock at the door. "It's me."
It was Lu Ying's voice. Wiping away her tears, Wei Caiwei opened the door. Lu Ying entered and asked, "Could you teach me how to apply makeup? We'll be home soon, and I need to cover up the scar on my face."
Author's note: It's Sunday today, but everyone still has to work or go to school. Sending out 100 red envelopes to cheer you up.
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