When Su Muyu and Su Changhe returned to the Medicine Manor, Bai Hehuai had already lain back down and fallen into a deep sleep. Su Muyu glanced at Su Zhe, who shook his head slightly at him. "Don't worry. I know a bit about medicine too. Hehuai is just asleep."
"That's good." Su Muyu also sighed in relief.
"That boy—did you kill him?" Su Zhe asked.
Su Muyu shook his head. "Afraid there might be complications, I spared his life. But I left a mark on him."
Su Zhe chuckled. "You're still you—the most meticulous mind of this generation in Dark River. Let's all get some rest. Tomorrow, we'll have some troublesome matters to deal with."
"Ah." Su Muyu sighed softly, patted Xiao Chaoyan on the shoulder as he stood by the door, and returned to his own room.
The next morning, the tranquility of Crane Rain Medicine Manor was shattered by the neighing of a horse. Su Zhe pushed open the door to see a troop of armored soldiers surrounding the manor. Behind them stood an ornately decorated carriage embroidered with a crane.
Su Zhe tightened his grip on the Buddhist staff beside him and chewed the betel nut in his mouth. "Who's come to visit?"
"Kneel," commanded a silver-armored officer, riding forward on his horse and looking down at Su Zhe.
Su Zhe tilted his head back and suddenly burst into laughter, as if he had heard the funniest joke, unable to stop for a while.
The officer frowned. "What are you laughing at?"
Su Zhe ignored him, continuing to laugh heartily, even laughing out loud.
"How dare you!" the officer roared, lashing out with his silver whip. Su Zhe flicked his Buddhist staff lightly, meeting the whip head-on. The whip coiled around the staff, and the officer yanked upward with all his might—but Su Zhe didn't budge an inch. He looked at the officer and grinned. "Do you think you're very strong?"
Gritting his teeth, the officer strained with all his strength to pull the whip, but Su Zhe held the Buddhist staff as steady as Mount Tai, utterly immovable. Soon, sweat poured down the officer's forehead. He was a lieutenant of Nan'an City, famed for his natural strength, unmatched in valor within the army. Yet here he was, humiliated at the gates of this tiny Medicine Manor. Frustrated, he wondered if the man with the staff had some trick up his sleeve. Just as he hesitated whether to let go, Su Zhe suddenly yanked the staff hard, pulling the officer clean off his horse.
The officer crashed to the ground but immediately discarded the whip and drew his longsword, slashing at Su Zhe. Su Zhe's lips curled slightly as he raised a hand and caught the officer's wrist. "No need for such murderous intent, eh?"
A chorus of blades being unsheathed rang out as the soldiers behind him all drew their swords.
Su Zhe turned to look at them and sighed softly. "Not easy, huh."
A gust of wind swept past them. The officer realized the man before him was no mere Medicine Manor owner but a hidden martial arts master. Having witnessed the skills of such men before, he immediately waved his hand. "Hold your positions! Await the magistrate's orders!"
From the carriage behind them, the magistrate remained silent.Inside the carriage, the prefect was drenched in cold sweat, continuously wiping his forehead with a handkerchief. Beside him sat a young man who habitually stroked his small beard—Su Changhe. The prefect had no idea how this man had entered; he only felt a gust of wind lift the carriage curtain, and suddenly, there was a man beside him.
"So you are the prefect of Nan'an City," Su Changhe murmured.
The prefect nodded nervously, "Y-yes..."
Su Changhe pondered, "A prefect—that's a high-ranking official, isn't it? What grade are you?"
The prefect wiped his sweat again, "Fifth rank... a proper fifth rank."
"Oh." Su Changhe pulled out a dagger from his sleeve, twirling it playfully in his hand. "I'm not too familiar with the Beili system. Is fifth rank considered high? What about the Langya King, Xiao Ruofeng—what rank is he?"
The prefect was startled. The name of the Langya King, Xiao Ruofeng, was not something to be casually discussed. Moreover, as the most powerful minister in Beili, his rank was beyond question. Unsure of the man's intentions, the prefect hesitated to answer. But Su Changhe continued on his own, "Once, I drank with him in a tower pavilion in Heaven Revelation City."
The prefect's legs weakened, nearly sliding off the carriage seat. He whispered, "So you are a friend of His Highness the Langya King! My deepest apologies for the disrespect!"
"Hahahaha!" Su Changhe laughed heartily. "This Medicine Manor—I'm the owner behind it. The one who barged into your residence with a sword last time was my sworn brother. I truly regret the loss of your beloved son. But there was no other choice—your son was already dead. My brother was merely performing rites for his soul."
The prefect's heart clenched. He wanted to speak, but the glint of the dagger in Su Changhe's hand silenced him.
Su Changhe ran his finger along the blade's edge. "My brother and I are men of the martial world. People like us act directly. Prefect, when you return today, take a hot bath and arrange a proper funeral for your son. We'll continue running our Medicine Manor here, and you can keep being the benevolent official. From now on, we go our separate ways. How does that sound?"
The prefect remained hesitant. That son had been his only child, dearly cherished. He had come with a full retinue, intent on avenging his son's death. Yet before even encountering the enemy, he found himself cornered. He thought, Should I make a desperate dash and call for the soldiers to protect me? Surely so many men can't be overpowered by just one!
Su Changhe seemed to read his mind. He leveled the dagger and said, "If I wanted to kill you, it would take but a moment. Those outside wouldn't have time to save you."
The prefect replied grimly, "Even if you kill me, you won't leave Nan'an City alive. Besides, murdering an imperial official is a capital offense!"
"Hahaha, it wouldn't be my first time," Su Changhe flicked his wrist dismissively. "You could also choose to pretend to let us go, then return with ten times the men to raze our Crane Rain Medicine Manor. But rest assured—we'll be fine. And I will come for you."
The prefect stared at Su Changhe, who met his gaze unflinchingly. After a long silence, the prefect sighed and asked, "That day... was my son truly already dead?"Su Changhe sheathed his dagger: "You should be grateful that it was my brother who went that day, not me. If it had been me, I might have killed everyone in that house. Rest assured, my brother is a good man. If your son hadn't died, he wouldn't have acted."
After pondering for a moment, the magistrate loudly commanded the soldiers outside the carriage: "Retreat!"
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