The gates of the Medicine Manor slowly creaked open, and a woman dressed in red stepped out. Tall and elegant, her delicate features were accentuated by a pallid complexion, as if she had long been deprived of sunlight. A vermilion dot adorned the center of her forehead, lending her an air of allure. As she reached the entrance, her brows furrowed and her eyes narrowed, adding a touch of haughtiness to her demeanor. "Who's there, knocking so loudly?" she demanded.
"Young lady, is the elder of your household present?" Su Changhe asked with a smile.
The woman blinked, then chuckled. "Oh, so you're looking for our Master Bai? He's out making his rounds. Would you like to come in for some tea while you wait?"
"No need. We'll wait here," Xie Changze replied.
"Very well, then I'll go fetch Master Bai for you." The woman stepped forward, a medicine chest slung over her shoulder, as if she had been about to leave anyway. She walked straight past Xie Changze and Xie Jinke, the latter instinctively reaching for his blade, only to be gently restrained by Xie Changze.
Su Changhe glanced at Su Zhe, his fingers subtly twisting as a dagger slipped back into his palm.
"We appreciate your trouble," Su Zhe said, gripping the Buddhist staff in his right hand. With a flick, a Golden Ring shot out, grazing the woman's cheek before returning to his grasp. He examined it—a trace of blood glistened on its edge.
"What are you doing?!" the woman cried, pressing a hand to her wounded cheek as she glared at Su Zhe.
Su Zhe reattached the Golden Ring and tossed her a small vial from his pocket. "My apologies, my hand slipped. This is Fragrant Coagulation Paste. Apply it, and within half an hour, your skin will heal completely."
"You're insane!" Snatching the vial, the woman stormed off, muttering curses under her breath.
Once she was out of earshot, Su Changhe turned to Su Zhe. "Uncle Zhe, are you certain she isn't Xin Baicao's junior uncle?"
"Xin Baicao himself is nearly fifty. How could his junior uncle be a mere girl?" Xie Jinke sneered.
"Could she be wearing a disguise?" Xie Changze voiced his suspicion.
"No." Su Zhe ran his fingers over the Golden Rings. "No disguise can fool my eyes—not even the Mu Family's Thousand-Faced Ghost."
Su Changhe grinned. "I've noticed that whenever you encounter a beautiful woman, Uncle Zhe, your Mandarin suddenly becomes impeccable."
Su Zhe smirked. "Nonsense."
A mile away, the woman in red casually tossed the vial in her hand. "Fragrant Coagulation Paste? As if Bai Hehuai would need such a thing." With a laugh, she dropped it to the ground and crushed it beneath her foot.
In the desolate outskirts stood a dilapidated Taoist temple.
Named the Pure Yang Longevity Palace, it was once dedicated to Lü Dongbin, the foremost of the Eight Immortals. In its heyday, the temple must have been grand, with towering walls and bustling worshippers. But time had worn it down—though the walls still stood tall, their surfaces were now cracked and faded, the incense long extinguished.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, its golden light bathed the ruins, lending them an ethereal glow. A figure in red, carrying the medicine chest, ambled up the mountain path. Finally reaching the temple gates, she called out loudly, "I'm here!"At her loud shout, a gust of wind swept by, and a figure clad in green robes landed before her. The person wore an ox-headed mask and carried a long sword at their waist, the hilt of which was engraved with the character "Chou." The ox-masked man frowned at the red-robed woman and asked, "Why didn’t your master come himself?"
The red-robed woman waved her hand and laughed. "My master turned to dust long ago. He can’t come—it’s your lord who’ll have to go see him."
The ox-masked man gripped his sword hilt, his killing intent flaring. But the red-robed woman seemed utterly unfazed, merely yawning. "So, are we seeing the patient or not? If not, I’m leaving."
"Chou Niu, let her in." A cold, clear voice sounded from within the courtyard.
"Now that’s a pleasant voice—sounds like a handsome man!" The red-robed woman strode past the ox-masked man and stepped into the courtyard.
But no handsome man awaited her inside. Instead, there stood a man wearing a fearsome ghost mask, a bamboo oil-paper umbrella slung across his back. Yet the red-robed woman’s voice grew even more delighted, as if she could see through the mask. "Just as I thought—a real looker!"
The Ghost-Masked Man studied her for a long moment before speaking slowly. "Follow me."
The red-robed woman raised an eyebrow. "Pity he’s not much of a talker." Adjusting the bookcase on her back, she followed him inside. The Taoist temple was empty, save for a towering, dust-covered statue of Lü Dongbin. The altar before it was bare—the incense burners, which might have fetched some money, had long been stolen. Yet despite the temple’s desolation, the red-robed woman felt as though countless eyes were watching her from the shadows.
"I think this temple’s haunted," she murmured.
Ignoring her, the Ghost-Masked Man led her through the inner halls, winding their way to a side chamber guarded by two green-robed swordsmen. One wore a horse mask, the other a tiger mask, their hilts engraved with the characters "Wu" and "Yin" respectively. The two seemed to hold deep respect for the Ghost-Masked Man, immediately bowing and stepping aside as he approached. The red-robed woman followed him inside.
The side chamber was pitch-black, illuminated only by three candles. A white-haired old man lay on a bamboo chair, frail in appearance but with eyes as sharp as an eagle’s. After scrutinizing the red-robed woman for a long while, the old man suddenly smiled, his gaze softening in an instant—like an ordinary elder looking at his granddaughter. The deep, knife-like wrinkles on his face smoothed out momentarily.
"He’s better than you. Doesn’t need a mask—he can change his face on his own," the red-robed woman remarked to the Ghost-Masked Man.
The Ghost-Masked Man paused, then shook his head slightly and stepped aside to stand by the old man.
The old man sat up, still smiling gently at her, unbothered by her earlier comment. "It’s been a long time. Last I saw you, you were just a snot-nosed brat."
The red-robed woman scoffed. "Last I saw The Head, he was a god of death always ready to draw his blade."
"I still am—just with white hair now. My hands are still stained red," the old man replied, a hint of menace creeping into his tone."Then let's not waste words. First, let me take your pulse and see if the current Head can still wield his blade!" The woman in red set down the medicine chest from her back, then flicked a red thread from her sleeve that wrapped around the old man's wrist. She placed her fingers on the thread and closed her eyes. Moments later, she opened them again, retracted the thread, kicked open the medicine chest with a foot, and waved her hand. Over a dozen silver needles flew out from the chest, and with another flick of her sleeve, they all embedded themselves into the Head's chest.
The entire sequence flowed as smoothly as running water, executed in one breath. The ghost-masked man standing nearby had been silently observing, but when the silver needles flew out, a murderous aura instantly radiated from him. Yet since the old man said nothing, he remained still.
"Rein in your killing intent. If you startle me and my hand trembles even slightly, your Head will be done for," the woman in red said, her tone laced with a veiled threat.
"My apologies," the ghost-masked man lowered his head slightly.
"You're quite polite," the woman in red smirked, then walked over to the old man. With a wave of her long sleeve, the silver needles returned to her palm. She glanced down at them, frowned slightly, sniffed, and then flung them away.
The old man chuckled, "Does my blood carry a faint plum fragrance?"
"Snow Falling on a Plum Branch. Head, how are you still alive?" The woman in red sounded genuinely surprised.
The old man didn’t seem offended by her bluntness, as if "how are you still alive" was a sincere question. He replied, "Decades of cultivation keep me barely hanging on."
"Snow Falling on a Plum Branch—the unique and peerless poison of Tang Sect's Second Master Tang, hailed as the Tang Sect's number one and the world's second most potent, surpassed only by the Mirror Flower Moon of the Wen Family's patriarch. It's said no one but Second Master Tang can cure it. Where is he now?" the woman in red asked.
"I killed him," the old man said casually. "My mission was to eliminate him. But before he died, he planted this poison in me."
"Oh?" The woman in red frowned slightly. "Even the Head of Dark River takes assassination contracts?"
"May I ask, can you cure him?" the ghost-masked man suddenly interjected, cutting off her line of questioning.
"The motto of our Medicine King Valley is: as long as they're not dead, they can be cured!" The woman in red stroked her chin, mimicking the mannerisms of some male physician. "But Snow Falling on a Plum Branch is indeed a tough nut to crack. Still, it's not impossible—as long as..."
"As long as what?" the ghost-masked man pressed.
The woman in red planted a foot on her medicine chest and declared matter-of-factly, "As long as the payment is enough!"
The ghost-masked man paused briefly before replying, "You'll have it."
"Then it's settled—he can be cured," the woman in red said with a triumphant grin.
The ghost-masked man glanced at the old man, then back at her, hesitating before asking, "Shouldn’t your master take a look first?"
The woman in red’s smile faded as she scratched her head. "My master’s long been buried in peace. Why do you keep wanting to dig him up?"
The ghost-masked man was startled. "Xin Baicao’s junior uncle... is already dead?""Hahaha, Moyu, you're mistaken," the old man laughed. "This is Xin Baicao's junior uncle, the former Medicine King's junior sister, and the last disciple of Medicine King Valley's first valley master, Li Yuzhen."
"Physician Bai Hehuai greets the Dark River Grand Master and—" The woman in red bowed slightly, then raised her head to glance at the Ghost-Masked Man before continuing softly, "Greetings to Dark River's Lord Puppet?"
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