His heart ached, yet a sliver of hope remained. When Mei Shisi was struck by the hidden weapon, he had sealed her pressure points and administered the Antitoxin pill. If that Chu Dingjiang was skilled in healing, she would most likely survive.
But did Chu Dingjiang even know how to treat injuries?
Damn it! Who came up with the idea of using something as fragile as butterflies to track people? Smack!
Mo Sigui slammed his fan onto the table, reducing the remnants of the butterfly to dust. Gnashing his teeth, he swore to himself that he would find a way to use tigers or wolves as guides for tracking incense in the future!
Patrons in the hall turned to look. The timid innkeeper cautiously approached, "Esteemed guest..."
Mo Sigui prepared to settle the bill but, upon checking his sleeve, remembered that the last of his silver had been spent on a set of clothes and a night’s stay at the inn. Now, he had only a few coins left...
"This should cover the meal." Mo Sigui tossed his folding fan to the innkeeper.
The innkeeper had no idea how valuable the fan was, but the jade pendant attached to it—smooth and round like a quail’s egg—was worth enough to buy ten of his shops with plenty to spare.
"Safe travels, esteemed guest!" The innkeeper tucked the fan into his robe and eagerly saw him off.
As Mo Sigui reached the door, he brushed past a man and a woman. The man was burly and tall, with a dark complexion, while the woman was slender with sun-kissed skin. Their appearance was quite different from the locals near Bianjing. More striking was the aura of menace around them. The moment they stood at the entrance, the room fell silent.
"Who’s the owner here?" The woman spoke in flawless official dialect. As she spoke, her gaze flicked toward Mo Sigui, but she caught only the back of his head.
A faint whiff of medicine seemed to linger in the air.
"This humble one is the owner." The innkeeper forced a smile and cupped his hands in greeting. "Will you be dining or resting? Unfortunately, we have no guest rooms available."
The innkeeper diverted the woman’s attention as she unfurled two portraits. "Have you seen these two?"
Mo Sigui glanced subtly and vaguely recognized the figures in the portraits—an old man and a young one. His heart skipped a beat. Could it be Elder Qi and himself?
He lowered his eyes and walked out, feigning nonchalance.
The innkeeper found the young man in the portrait somewhat familiar, but sensing the pair’s hostility, he feared trouble and replied, "Our establishment is quite remote, and we don’t get many guests in a day. I haven’t seen these two."
The woman rolled up the portraits and took a seat by the window inside. "Bring tea."
The man followed suit. As he placed his sword beside him, he noticed powder on the corner of the table. "Innkeeper! Come wipe this table!"
"Right away! Right away!" The innkeeper, who had just finished brewing tea, hurried over with a rag.
The inn wasn’t usually busy. Managed by just the innkeeper and his wife—who doubled as the cook—he was the only one handling the front. Now, being ordered around by two people left him flustered.
Just as he was about to wipe the table, the woman stopped him. "Wait!"
She took a gourd from her waist and poured out a large centipede. The creature crawled onto the table, following the scent to the powder, and began devouring it. In moments, its entire body turned crimson, swelling almost to the size of a cocoon.
The innkeeper trembled, the rag slipping from his grasp unnoticed.
"Tell me, who was sitting here earlier?" The woman’s tone was gentle.
But the man’s sword was already unsheathed, resting against the innkeeper’s neck."It was a young man. He had just left when you came in!" The innkeeper, terrified out of his wits, dared not conceal anything and hurriedly produced a folding fan from his robe. "Brave warriors, noble lady, that young man used this to pay for his meal. This old fool didn't recognize him as the person you're seeking—I had no intention of hiding him, I beg your mercy."
The woman took the fan and slowly unfolded it. Seeing the painted branch of red apricot blossoms, her eyes lit up. "After him!"
Before the words had fully left her mouth, her figure flashed as she dashed out.
The man sheathed his sword and hurried after her.
"Physician Ning," the man asked, "was it Mo Sigui?"
The woman addressed as Physician Ning released a centipede. Seeing it crawl northward, she pursued without hesitation. "It must be him. This time, I will definitely meet him!"
"The master holds you in high regard. If he also submits to the master, wouldn't he share equal prominence with you?" the man said.
Physician Ning chuckled lightly. "Share equal prominence? Though the world is vast, its pinnacle is as narrow as a needle's point—it has never had room for two who stand first."
"Then why not kill him?" the man suggested.
"Would killing him make me peerless?" Physician Ning laughed softly. "No. If I killed him, I would only feel that there was a hurdle in my life I never overcame."
Physician Ning's real name was Ning Yanli. Only in her twenties, she had been hailed as a medical genius since childhood. Seven or eight years ago, there was already talk of "Ning in the North, Mo in the South." But later, Mo Sigui entered the Mei family, and his reputation gradually faded, while "Ning of the North" also vanished from public view for unknown reasons. Over the years, the pair of medical geniuses had largely been forgotten by most.
The two pursued their quarry for ten li before Ning Yanli spotted the figure ahead carrying a bundle on his back. She blew out two flying needles.
Mo Sigui sensed the disturbance behind him and swiftly dodged.
"Liu Hen, capture him alive!" Ning Yanli ordered.
Liu Hen obeyed, surging forward like an arrow, a chain whipping out like a serpent to coil around Mo Sigui.
Stumbling, Mo Sigui nearly fell to the ground.
"Mo Sigui," Ning Yanli caught up, amusement in her voice. "I've finally caught you!"
Mo Sigui steadied himself and turned, his tone flippant. "I don't recall incurring any romantic debts."
Ning Yanli met his teasing peach-blossom eyes and paused, momentarily taken aback. "You're much more handsome than in the portraits."
Mo Sigui gave a noncommittal smile.
"Long have I heard of you! I am Ning Yanli. We've never met, but you must have seen my... masterpieces," Ning Yanli swiftly returned to the matter at hand.
"Those half-finished works?" Mo Sigui's demeanor turned serious. "It was you who used medicine to forcibly enhance those people's Internal Energy!"
"Indeed." Ning Yanli flicked her wrist, releasing two poison-tipped needles.
The needles embedded themselves in Mo Sigui's thigh. He grunted in pain as she said, "A special gift, prepared just for you. I hope you like it."
Mo Sigui forced a smirk, enduring the spreading agony in his leg.
"I'll find you again in half a month." Ning Yanli arbitrarily set their next meeting before glancing at Liu Hen. "Let's go!"
"Physician Ning." Liu Hen's hand was already on his sword hilt, eager to kill Mo Sigui but not daring to act without permission.
Without turning back, Ning Yanli said, "If he dies by your sword, all ties between us are severed from this moment!"
Gritting his teeth, Liu Hen yanked back the chain and followed Ning Yanli.
Mo Sigui held his ground until the two figures disappeared from sight. Then his body swayed slightly, and he reached out to steady himself against a withered branch."What potent toxicity." Mo Sigui's face was pale and tinged with green, yet his eyes shone with unusual brightness, faintly revealing excitement.
As someone obsessed with The way of medicine, he often tested Medicine on himself, for no one could better discern the subtle differences in medicinal properties than he could. As for Ning Yanli's provocation, he gladly accepted it. (To be continued...)
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