Bai Yuxiao frowned: "Didn't you just tell me the reason yourself?" The strange old man stroked his beard, pretending to be mysterious: "What I just said is only a small part of the reason. There's a bigger reason behind the origin of my nickname. But it's normal that you don't know. When I was at my peak, you weren't even born yet. Listen to me, and I'll tell you the origin of this nickname."
Bai Yuxiao crossed his arms, a little impatient, but he still listened patiently. If this old man really knew about the "Blood Evil Manual," then it would be easier to find out who was chasing Xiao You.
The eccentric old man spoke slowly, his tone low, "Back in the day, I was incredibly handsome and dashing. I always held the number one spot on the list of handsome men in the martial arts world."
"Get to the point." Bai Yuxiao interrupted the old man decisively, seeing that his opening was so unreliable.
The eccentric old man glanced at Bai Yuxiao with displeasure: "You little kid are so ignorant. The important part is naturally later. I'll give you a little background first, so you won't misunderstand later."
Bai Yuxiao suddenly regretted wasting so much breath talking to the old man in the first place. It would have been so much better to just throw him out and have some peace and quiet. But the strange old man interpreted Bai Yuxiao's silence as him reflecting on his mistakes and admitting his error. Feeling much better, he continued, "Although I didn't come from a prestigious school, my master was quite famous in the martial arts world back in the day. In this world, there was nothing he couldn't steal if he wanted to. And I, as his most outstanding disciple, and of course, his only disciple, can be said to have surpassed my master in the art of stealing."
Bai Yuxiao nodded. Indeed, the name of the notorious thief Plum Blossom was known throughout the martial arts world. Whatever he set his sights on, no matter how well hidden it was or how many guards he sent, he could always steal it without anyone noticing. Moreover, he was incredibly skilled in light-footed martial arts and exceptionally clever; despite stealing so many things, he was never caught. Some had even issued kill orders against him, but over the years, those assassins hadn't even managed to touch a hair on Plum Blossom's head.
Mei Hualang continued smugly, "Don't let my current appearance fool you. I was incredibly handsome back in the day. Countless young ladies from noble families went to great lengths to catch a glimpse of me, even digging up their family hefty possessions, just to lure me into stealing from their homes."
Bai Yuxiao stroked his chin. This Plum Blossom Thief was indeed a strange thief. He didn't steal gold or silver, nor jewels; instead, he specialized in stealing calligraphy, paintings, inkstones, or rare and valuable books. He frequently visited the home of the Grand Tutor of the Hanlin Academy, and Grand Tutor Han was almost brought to tears by his thefts. This led to Grand Tutor Han fainting whenever he saw anything shaped like a plum blossom. The Plum Blossom Thief had a habit of branding a faint plum blossom mark on the item he intended to steal before he did, indicating that he had taken a liking to it and would return to collect it soon. Thinking of this, Bai Yuxiao asked, "So the reason you're called the Plum Blossom Thief is because you always leave a plum blossom mark before stealing anything?"
The eccentric old man nodded. "Not bad, kid. Pretty smart." Bai Yuxiao twitched his lips. If he couldn't even figure out something this simple, he might as well just kill himself to avoid being stupid to death later.
Seeing that the old man was rambling on and on without getting to the point, Bai Yuxiao's patience was almost exhausted. "Alright, you've finished your groundwork. Now can you get to the point?"
"I can say it, but you have to promise me you won't hit me after you hear it." The strange old man glanced nervously left and right, but dared not look Bai Yuxiao in the eye.
Bai Yuxiao thought for a moment, and since the old man was already quite old, there was no need for him to fight, so he nodded in agreement.
Seeing that Bai Yuxiao had promised not to harm him, the eccentric old man swallowed hard and began to get down to business: "About seven or eight years ago, I went to steal some cured meat that your grandfather had hung in the kitchen, and I stumbled upon him playing chess with that old man, Kongkongzi. Out of curiosity, I took the cured meat over to watch, and found it quite interesting. Seeing my interest, your grandfather explained the game to me as he played. After learning a little bit, I got itchy and insisted on playing a couple of games myself. And that was it—I got hooked. After that, I'd go play all the time..." I used to play chess with your grandfather. Sometimes when he was busy, I'd pester him to play, but that old man was really annoying. He always thought I wasn't good enough and would chase me away after winning a few moves. Then, one time I overheard your grandfather talking about how he was compiling a chess manual, collecting all the endgame puzzles in the world. I thought to myself, once he finished, I'd definitely go and get the manual, or at least steal it. But when I went out for a stroll and went to find your grandfather, he said that the manual had already been taken by that old geezer, Kongkongzi.
"And then you went to Kongkongzi to steal the chess manual?" Bai Yuxiao frowned.
"No, I didn't steal it!" The strange old man waved his hands repeatedly. Seeing Bai Yuxiao's disbelieving look, he explained somewhat embarrassedly, "I've never come back empty-handed in my life, but that old geezer Kongkongzi broke my record. I couldn't steal anything from him, so I knew the chess manual was with him, and I never even considered stealing it. Originally, I wanted to go and borrow it from him, but that old man was so stingy that he wouldn't even let me glance at it."
Bai Yuxiao looked up at the sky and thought to himself: Of course I can't show it to you. If I showed it to you, would I be able to take it back?
The eccentric old man continued angrily, "Then I went around spreading rumors that there was a peerless martial arts manual called the Blood Evil Manual, and that Kong Kongzi's martial arts were so good because he obtained that manual."
Bai Yuxiao raised an eyebrow: "Are those people so stupid? They believe you just because you say so?"
The eccentric old man smiled mysteriously: "Young man, you're still too green. You should know that the most important thing about spreading rumors is to do it unintentionally."
"Unintentionally?" Bai Yuxiao was a little puzzled.
"Yes, it's unintentional. If you want others to believe your rumors, you have to let them overhear them by chance, and if necessary, provide some evidence. That's how you make them more credible."
Bai Yuxiao gave the strange old man a disdainful look. "Why did you do that?"
The eccentric old man scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "I originally thought that after I said that, Kongkongzi would think the 'Blood Evil Manual' was a hot potato. That old man Kongkongzi hates trouble the most. These days, people keep asking him to hand over martial arts manuals, he'd be driven crazy. So he would give me the chess manual. Unfortunately," he said, spreading his hands in a helpless gesture, "who knew that old man Kongkongzi was so stubborn, he refused to give up the chess manual no matter what. I saw that this trick wouldn't work, so I thought of another way. Later, I heard that there was a set of precious warm jade chess pieces in the palace, so I thought of stealing the chess pieces and exchanging them with him. That old man is obsessed with chess, maybe he would agree. Who knew that by the time I came out after stealing the chess pieces, the martial arts world had changed completely."
Bai Yuxiao snorted coldly. He no longer had any desire to communicate with this old man. How could someone so old do such childish and irresponsible things?
"I went to your grandfather to tell him about this, and he scolded me and then sent me here to ask me to do you a favor." Kong Kongzi's face was a little cold, but he didn't seem angry. He mustered up his courage and continued to explain why he was there.
Hearing the old man say that his maternal grandfather had sent him, Bai Yuxiao couldn't help but ask curiously, "What kind of help does my maternal grandfather need from you?"
Chapter 47, Taking Action
What favor does my grandfather need from you?
When Bai Yuxiao asked, the old man scratched his cheek with some difficulty and said, "Your grandfather didn't say exactly what kind of help I can get. He just told me to improvise and help in whatever way I can."
Bai Yuxiao was speechless. He was just improvising. This Plum Blossom Gentleman was best at stealing. Did he expect the old man to steal something for him? But he didn't see anything that needed the old man to steal.
Seeing Bai Yuxiao standing there looking conflicted, the strange old man jumped in front of him and asked, "Can't you figure out what you need my help with?"
Bai Yuxiao nodded. The eccentric old man clapped his hands and laughed, "It doesn't matter if you can't figure it out, there is something I can help you with now."
"What's up?"
"Have you noticed that Cai San's death was a deliberate frame-up?"
Bai Yuxiao nodded. Mei Hualang stroked his beard and strolled leisurely around the cell, maintaining a serious demeanor before continuing, "Then do you know what the purpose of the person who wanted to frame you was?"
"It doesn't seem like they want to use the government to take my life; they're probably just trying to buy time," Bai Yuxiao replied confidently after a moment's thought.
"Good lad, you're quite clever!" Plum Blossom said, leaving a dark handprint on Bai Yuxiao's snow-white shoulder. Bai Yuxiao glanced at the handprint, his brows furrowing, but then he thought that the old man was quite old, and he couldn't really get angry and throw him out. So Bai Yuxiao could only comfort himself, "Never mind, I should respect the elderly and not argue with an old man."
"So what I'm going to do for you is to disguise myself as you, and then you can sneak into the morgue in the backyard of the government office to check Cai San's cause of death, and while you're at it, find out who's plotting to frame you." Hearing Mei Hualang make this suggestion, Bai Yuxiao looked at him with great surprise, "You'll disguise yourself as me?"
Mei Hualang proudly raised his chin, "Your father's disguise skills were taught to him by me back then, kid. Watch, I'll show you what real disguise skills are!" With that, he unpacked the bundle he had brought, took out a bunch of bottles and jars, and started fiddling with them while his back was to Bai Yuxiao. After finishing, he took out a set of white clothes similar to those Bai Yuxiao was wearing and changed into them. Then, with an elegant flourish, he turned around.
Bai Yuxiao was shocked to see the disguised Plum Blossom Man. The person in front of him looked exactly like him. Plum Blossom Man was very satisfied with the shock he had given Bai Yuxiao. "Now you know how powerful I am." Even his tone of voice was exactly the same. Bai Yuxiao smiled bitterly. He guessed that even his parents wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the real and the fake.
Seeing that Plum Blossom Man suddenly seemed like a different person, Bai Yuxiao bowed in thanks and was about to leave the cell. However, after taking a few steps, he suddenly remembered something, stopped, looked at Plum Blossom Man, and said, "I have another request, I wonder if senior can grant it."
Mei Hualang, mimicking Bai Yuxiao's usual expressionless demeanor, asked, "Do you want me to help look after that little girl who's with you?"
Bai Yuxiao nodded, but didn't leave immediately, as if she had something else to say. The eccentric Plum Blossom Man curled his lip, "Go ahead with peace of mind. Although I, Plum Blossom Man, am a womanizer, I have absolutely no interest in those young girls." Having received Plum Blossom Man's promise, Bai Yuxiao left with peace of mind.
"Tsk tsk, how come the Bai family only produces such infatuated fools, just like his father?" Mei Hualang muttered to himself as he watched Bai Yuxiao's retreating figure.
The moon sank like water, and the night was silent.
Early the next morning, Qin Xiaoyou and Bai Yuxiao were brought to the main hall of the government office, where Zhang Liumazi was already kneeling obediently. Qin Xiaoyou still refused to kneel, and Mei Hualang, who was wearing Bai Yuxiao's mask, had never knelt before anyone except his master, so he also refused to kneel. The county magistrate sat in the hall, yawning sleepily, and this time he didn't seem to care much about whether they knelt or not.
Shortly after the court session began, a bailiff came to report, "The autopsy results are in." The magistrate, forcing himself to stay alert, summoned the coroner to the court. The coroner had a long, square face and dark skin, but he appeared honest and unassuming. The coroner knelt before the court and said very respectfully, "Your Honor, Cai San died suddenly from a stroke, and it has nothing to do with anyone else."
"So, Cai San died on his own?" the magistrate asked, squinting.
"Yes," the coroner replied.
Hearing the coroner's words, Qin Xiaoyou was puzzled. Didn't Bai Yuxiao say that Cai San died of poisoning? How did it suddenly become a stroke? She glanced at Bai Yuxiao standing beside her, only to see Bai Yuxiao winking and making faces at her. Qin Xiaoyou secretly pinched herself, thinking she was still dreaming.
The county magistrate, eager to return to sleep, found the case resolved and ordered Zhang Liumazi to be flogged thirty times for disrupting court proceedings and making a false report, then detained for ten days. Qin Xiaoyou and Bai Yuxiao were released without charge.
Qin Xiaoyou walked down the street, feeling dizzy and confused, wondering how things had ended up this way. She wanted to ask Bai Yuxiao, but he was acting strangely today, walking along the street expressionless and silent. Thinking he was still troubled by Cai San's death, Qin Xiaoyou kindly comforted him, "Actually, you don't need to worry too much. That coroner probably didn't have much skill; he couldn't distinguish between death by poisoning and death by stroke. Don't worry, I have a lot of confidence in your judgment." After saying this, she noticed that Bai Yuxiao was still staring straight ahead, not even glancing at her.
Qin Xiaoyou was puzzled. What was wrong with Bai Yuxiao? Following Bai Yuxiao's gaze, Qin Xiaoyou was furious. It turned out that although Bai Yuxiao appeared expressionless, his gaze was actually fixed on the eldest daughter-in-law and the young girl in front of him. Without thinking, Qin Xiaoyou pinched Bai Yuxiao's arm hard.
"Ouch," Mei Hualang rubbed his arm, which had been pinched so hard, and looked at Qin Xiaoyou in confusion, asking, "Why did you pinch me for no reason?"
Qin Xiaoyou raised her chin and said, "I'm willing."
Mei Hualang blinked at Qin Xiaoyou for a while, then said, "Women are indeed the most incomprehensible creatures in the world!"
"Hey, what did you say? Say it again if you dare! You damned Bai Yuxiao, stop right there!" Qin Xiaoyou was completely stunned by Mei Hualang's words. By the time she came to her senses, Mei Hualang, disguised as Bai Yuxiao, had already strode forward. Qin Xiaoyou chased after him, shouting and yelling.
Mei Hualang walked familiarly to the entrance of a brothel in Muxi County. The girls had never seen such a handsome man before, and they all rushed over to pull him inside.
Mei Hualang was having a great time with women on both sides, but Qin Xiaoyou was so angry that her eyes almost popped out. She took on the role of a shrew, forcefully squeezed a path through the group of women, stood next to Mei Hualang, and ruthlessly grabbed his ear and pulled him to the side.
"Ouch, that hurts! Let go of me!" Plum Blossom Man thought to himself that at his age, being treated like this by a young girl was truly tarnishing his lifelong reputation. But thankfully, he was disguised now, so if anyone was going to lose face, it would be Bai Yuxiao.
"Hmph, now you know it hurts? Why didn't you say it hurt when you were visiting brothels?" Qin Xiaoyou asked irritably, hands on her hips.
"Well," Mei Hualang looked up at the sky, thinking to himself, "If I'd known this girl was so fierce, I wouldn't have gone with her. I should have gone find the white jade flute quickly. Otherwise, this old man won't be able to enjoy his time in the brothel." Having made up his mind, Mei Hualang resumed his serious expression, looked at Qin Xiaoyou, and said, "Come with me." Without waiting for her consent, he turned and left.
Although she felt aggrieved, Qin Xiaoyou followed him. After turning left and right, the two entered an inn. Mei Hualang said, "I have things to do. You stay in the inn and wait for me." Without waiting for Qin Xiaoyou's protest, he disappeared. Qin Xiaoyou stomped her foot in anger, but there was nothing she could do. She could only go upstairs to her room.
Chapter 48, Two Similar Sachets
Thinking about Bai Yuxiao's actions and words today, Qin Xiaoyou felt sullen and unhappy. She had originally planned to catch up on her sleep, but after lying in bed for a long time, she couldn't fall asleep at all. "Hmph, it's all because of that damn Bai Yuxiao. If he doesn't give me a reasonable explanation when he gets back, I'm not going to talk to him anymore."
Qin Xiaoyou muttered to herself. Just then, Bai Yuxiao, who was in the suburbs, sneezed unexpectedly. He rubbed his nose, puzzled. Could it be typhoid fever? There was no reason for it; the symptoms didn't seem right. After thinking for a while without figuring it out, Bai Yuxiao shook his head and ignored it, continuing with his own business.
Since she couldn't sleep in bed anyway, Qin Xiaoyou got up and started thinking about the two sachets she was wearing. The strangeness of these sachets was entirely due to her recent imprisonment; it was then that Qin Xiaoyou realized something was amiss.
Last night, after Qin Xiaoyou was taken to her cell, she looked around and noticed that although the county jail was fairly clean and dry, various strange little insects, cockroaches, and rats kept scurrying around. Despite her usual fierce and tough demeanor, these little creatures still gave her the creeps. She didn't dare wander around, afraid of getting crawled on, so she stood straight in the middle of the cell. Coincidentally, her spot was directly opposite the cell window, and moonlight streamed in, shining on her. Qin Xiaoyou thought with a touch of smug satisfaction: "Apart from these four walls, doesn't it look just like a celebrity on stage, chased by spotlights?"
After standing for a short while, Qin Xiaoyou felt her legs getting a little sore. She looked down to massage them, but then she saw something strange. When she looked down, she noticed that all the insects and rats were walking around her, a few steps away. Not a single insect or rat came near her, as if she were some kind of plague.
Qin Xiaoyou tentatively walked towards a cockroach, but the cockroach, which had been moving slowly, immediately scurried away to a corner and disappeared.
Qin Xiaoyou's lips twitched. She was actually being rejected by insects! Undeterred, she tried a few more times, but to no avail. Qin Xiaoyou was puzzled; why did these little insects seem afraid of her? She stroked her chin for a moment, then suddenly a lightbulb went off in her head—she remembered her mother from Luanshanhun had given her a sachet, saying it could ward off insects and rodents. Goodness, that was a treasure! She'd almost forgotten about it.
With the amulet in hand, Qin Xiaoyou confidently plopped down on the dry haystack. After sitting for a while, she thought it best to take off the sachet and hold it in her hand for safety. She fumbled to untie the sachet from her waist, starting with the first one. She smelled it and realized the scent was off; she guessed it was the one Wenren Qi had given her and Zui Linglong before. She reached for the other one, but when she held both sachets in her hands, Qin Xiaoyou was dumbfounded—the two sachets were exactly the same!
Holding the sachets in her hands, examining them closely for a while, Qin Xiaoyou finally realized that the two sachets were merely similar. No wonder they looked so familiar when Wenren Qi gave them to her. Familiar? Similar? No, no, very wrong. Sachets with such special effects couldn't possibly be mass-produced, right? Moreover, carefully comparing the satin surface and workmanship, as well as the pearls adorning the edges, her intuition told her that the two items must be related. However, Qin Xiaoyou racked her brains all night, listing countless possibilities, but still couldn't figure out what connection Wenren Qi could possibly have with Luan Shanhun's mother.
When she couldn't think of anything else, Qin Xiaoyou originally planned to ask Bai Yuxiao quietly the next day, since Bai Yuxiao was very clever. But then she got angry with him and forgot everything.
At this moment, Qin Xiaoyou was holding two sachets on the bed, looking at them, thinking to herself, "I can figure this out myself without your help, humph."
Back to Plum Blossom Boy, after leaving the inn, he went to a secluded spot and quickly changed back into his old clothes. Touching his beard, Plum Blossom Boy said with satisfaction, "A face with a beard is the most handsome. Without a beard, I look like a pretty boy."
After shedding his disguise, Plum Blossom Man originally intended to go to a brothel for some fun, but just as he reached the door, he seemed to remember something, stamped his foot, turned around, and walked towards the outskirts of the city, ending up in a small grove of trees. Sure enough, White Jade Flute was waiting there.
Mei Hualang strode forward, reaching out to pat Bai Yuxiao's shoulder again. Bai Yuxiao, as if anticipating this, dodged away. What a joke! Although he was rich, he had no interest in throwing away several sets of clothes every day.
Seeing that his hand had missed its target, Plum Blossom Lang didn't seem to care much. Instead, he squatted down next to Bai Yuxiao and looked up at him like a child, asking, "Hey kid, I have to say you're pretty good. How did you manage to make Cai San die of a stroke?"
Bai Yuxiao replied nonchalantly, "He originally died from one type of poison. I simply gave him another type of poison. When these two poisons are combined, it makes it look like he died from a stroke. The subtlety of this is something that only someone well-versed in medicine can discern."
Mei Hualang chuckled, "As expected of the son of the Medicine King. Alright, I've finished my help, I'm leaving now. You can handle the rest yourself. Oh, right, there's something I almost forgot to tell you. Today, after leaving the county government office, I lost control and went to a brothel." Before he could finish speaking, Bai Yuxiao glared at him. Mei Hualang jumped back two steps, "Don't be so hasty. I only got to the entrance of the brothel when your little girl grabbed my ear and dragged me away."
Bai Yuxiao pressed his temples, thinking with a headache: He really shouldn't have agreed to let this old man impersonate him. Now he's doomed; Xiao You is still by his side and he's already going to a brothel. Even if he had ten mouths, he couldn't explain himself.
Seeing Bai Yuxiao's unfriendly expression, Mei Hualang clapped his hands and tried to leave, but before he could take two steps, Bai Yuxiao grabbed him by the back of his collar. Mei Hualang flailed his arms in the air and yelled, "What are you doing? Don't you know you have to respect the elderly?"
"Oh, respect? Okay." After Bai Yuxiao finished speaking, he let go of Mei Hualang's hand, and Mei Hualang fell forward. Fortunately, he was light-footed and twisted his body to stand up again.
Mei Hualang pouted like a child and yelled at Bai Yuxiao, "You did this on purpose!"
Bai Yuxiao crossed her arms and looked at him coldly, saying, "So what if it was intentional?"
Mei Hualang was furious: "He's just as petty as that old codger Kong Kongzi."
Bai Yuxiao ignored him and asked, "You caused this trouble, and you think you can just walk away like this?"
Mei Hualang feigned ignorance: "What trouble?"
“The Blood Evil Manual.” Bai Yuxiao’s tone was icy.
Mei Hualang muttered, feeling extremely aggrieved, "But the person they want to kill isn't me, so what does it have to do with me?"
Bai Yuxiao once again wore that expression so cold it was almost freezing to death. "Now I'm giving you two choices: one, find out who wants to kill Xiaoyou; two, ignore it."
Mei Hualang looked at Bai Yuxiao with suspicion and asked, "Can I choose not to do anything?"
“Of course,” Bai Yuxiao looked at Mei Hualang with amusement, then paused and added, “provided you are willing to watch the Blood Evil Manual be burned.”
Upon hearing Bai Yuxiao's words, Mei Hualang immediately jumped up on the spot, "Who is so bold as to burn the 'Blood Evil Manual'?"