The Ghost-Masked Man led Bai Hehuai out of the side room. The elderly man inside had taken a pill Bai Hehuai provided and had already fallen into a deep sleep. The two made their way toward the main hall of the temple.
"My master met me when he was ninety years old. I was only five at the time. He saw my extraordinary talent—that I had the potential to become the Medicine King—and didn’t want me snatched away by my senior brother, so he took me in as his final disciple. Unfortunately, he only taught me for two years before passing away. After that, my medical skills were mostly learned from my senior brother. But in terms of seniority, I really am the current Medicine King Xin Baicao’s junior uncle." Bai Hehuai took out a piece of Osmanthus Cake from her sleeve and nibbled on it as they walked.
"I see. But if that’s the case, why did you leave Medicine King Valley and come to Jiangnan?" the Ghost-Masked Man asked.
Bai Hehuai tossed the cake in her hand lightly. "You’ve clearly never been to Medicine King Valley. The whole place has just three thatched huts, two pigs, one horse, seven sheep, and a big vegetable patch. Is there anywhere more boring than that?"
The Ghost-Masked Man sounded puzzled. "It’s really that desolate? I always imagined Medicine King Valley as prosperous."
"Our master left a family rule: anyone practicing medicine under the name of Medicine King Valley must never charge exorbitant fees, no matter who the patient is. So the valley is actually very, very poor. After my senior brother passed away and Xin Baicao took over as Medicine King, I ran away. After all, I’m his junior uncle—he can’t control me. I searched far and wide before settling on Jiangnan because the people here are all very wealthy!" Bai Hehuai took another bite of the cake. "And the Osmanthus Cake here is delicious too."
"I see. I hadn’t thought of that." The Ghost-Masked Man shook his head slightly.
Bai Hehuai glanced at him. "You’re a strange one. I’ve told you so much, and all you say is 'I see.' Aren’t you curious how I figured out your identity?"
The Ghost-Masked Man adjusted his mask. "You and The Head are old acquaintances. Naturally, you’ve heard of us."
"When I was little and didn’t want to study medicine, I pestered my master to tell me stories. For every story he told, I’d study medicine for an hour. His stories often mentioned an organization called Dark River. They say it’s the most powerful assassin organization in the world, composed of three families—the Su Family, the Xie Family, and the Mu Family. The leader of the three families is called The Head, and under him is the direct assassination unit, Spider Shadow. The twelve strongest members are codenamed after the Twelve Earthly Branches: Zi Shu, Chou Niu, Yin Hu, Mao Tu, Chen Long, Si She, Wu Ma, Wei Yang, Shen Hou, You Ji, Xu Gou, and Hai Zhu. Today, I saw people wearing zodiac masks with the Twelve Earthly Branches engraved on their sword hilts—it couldn’t be more obvious. And you, wearing a red demon mask, standing by The Head’s side—you must be the leader of Spider Shadow, the Puppet!" Bai Hehuai finished her cake and clapped her hands in satisfaction.
The Ghost-Masked Man sighed softly. "I once asked the previous Puppet the same thing. As assassins, we should do everything to conceal our identities. So why do we, the direct assassination unit, wear our identities on our faces?"
"What did he say?" Bai Hehuai asked.
The Ghost-Masked Man suddenly slurred his words. "He said, 'Tha’s a sense o’ ceremony, ya dumbass.'"
Bai Hehuai blinked. "'It’s a sense of ceremony, you dumbass'? Why are you slurring all of a sudden?""It's not that I have a lisp, but he does," the Ghost-Masked Man corrected.
Bai Hehuai suddenly remembered, "Could the person I saw during the day be the previous Lord Puppet? Did he carry a Buddhist staff covered in golden rings? Did he smoke and chew betel nut?"
The two entered the main hall. The Ghost-Masked Man looked outside and whispered, "Uncle Zhe is here too. Anyone else?"
"There was also a man with a small mustache..." Bai Hehuai noticed the change in the Ghost-Masked Man's tone. "It seems Dark River isn't as united as my master's stories claimed. With The Head on the brink of death, the Su and Xie families are racing to intercept me before you. Do they want The Head to die?"
"Many things have changed over the years," the Ghost-Masked Man said, tilting his head back and calling out, "Chen Long!"
A dragon-masked figure descended from the eaves and knelt on one knee. "Boss, Chen Long at your service."
"Take the Miracle Healer and lead the group north. Leave a mark in Nine Heavens City, and I'll find you," the Ghost-Masked Man said solemnly.
Bai Hehuai frowned slightly. "You're not coming? You're staying to stop them?"
"You're right. They want The Head dead, but as long as I live, I won't allow it." The Ghost-Masked Man waved his hand lightly, and Chen Long vanished instantly. Soon, faint rustling sounds echoed through the temple as the hidden assassins began to move.
"Then I hope we meet again in Nine Heavens City... Lord Puppet," Bai Hehuai said, turning away.
"No need to call me Lord Puppet. Su Muyu will do," the Ghost-Masked Man murmured.
"So your surname is Su." Bai Hehuai recalled the lisping man with the Buddhist staff and the young man with the neatly trimmed mustache.
"Yes, just like them—Su."
At the foot of the cliff, Su Zhe looked down at the medicine bottle on the ground. A Blue Flower Snake coiled lazily atop it, flicking its tongue.
Su Changhe chuckled. "Seems they saw through your trick, Uncle Zhe. They tossed your medicine bottle barely a mile away."
Su Zhe planted his Buddhist staff into the ground, then bent down and scooped up both the bottle and the snake into his arms. The Fragrant Coagulation Paste he had given earlier did have healing properties, but he had added a unique herb—undetectable to ordinary noses—that his trained Blue Flower Snake could track from miles away. Yet he hadn't expected the woman in red to see through his plan so quickly. He sighed softly. "Perhaps we were mistaken."
Su Changhe raised an eyebrow. "Mistaken how?"
"Perhaps... the one we let go really was the Miracle Healer," Su Zhe muttered.
Su Changhe stroked his mustache. "Good thing I made some preparations of my own."
"Oh?" Su Zhe gripped his staff.
"I sent someone to follow those two from the Xie family. The moment they learn anything, my man will send word." Su Changhe extended his hand, and a carrier pigeon landed on his palm. He removed the message tube from its leg, unfurled it, and murmured, "Pure Yang Longevity Palace."
Su Zhe smiled. "That one's quite clever."Su Changhe shrugged. "I'm lazy, so I just send someone to follow those diligent folks. Though it might be a few steps slower, we'll never be late. Let's go, Uncle Zhe. The old man at home must be getting impatient by now."
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