Su Xiaoying felt a little regretful and sighed along with the old woman, but ultimately it wasn't her business, so she turned to Yimei and said, "It looks like there won't be any available inside, let's not go in and disturb them..."
However, Yi Mei's face suddenly turned pale, and her expression became unusually stern. Her right hand rested lightly on the hilt of the Han Guang sword, as if she were about to draw it.
Su Xiaoying was startled and said, "Yi Mei?"
Yi Mei suddenly turned her head and rushed straight inside.
The deeper they went, the heavier the somber atmosphere became. Since the deceased was a young girl, there were no mourning banners or white mourning clothes. However, from the inner room, a woman's sobs could be heard, her voice choked with emotion. Perhaps because she had been crying for so long, the sound was stuck in her throat, unable to escape. Yet, she couldn't suppress the next sob, so it was all locked inside her throat, only to be released intermittently after a while. Su Xiaoying felt a pang of sympathy and quickened her pace, trying to pull Yimei back. But at that moment, Yimei darted forward, lifted the curtain, and rushed inside.
The young girl's body was still lying on the bed. The doctor and his wife, one standing and one sitting, were both stunned for a moment, grieving and never expected someone to break in.
Yi Mei walked straight to the bedside and yanked off the shroud. The little girl was already dressed, but speckled blue spots, shaped like plum blossoms, peeked through her skin, clearly visible on her neck and face. The scene resembled a rural tie-dye, except this time it wasn't homespun cloth, but rather that of a young child.
Yi Mei's pupils contracted suddenly, just as they had when she killed someone. She gripped the Han Guang sword tightly with her right hand, and the voice that came out of her mouth was soft and faint, but her tone was somewhat strange.
Just as Su Xiaoying entered, she overheard her muttering to herself, "Wrong flower pattern."
The doctor and his wife were startled. The doctor recognized Su Xiaoying and Yi Mei, and immediately cried out, "What do you want!" His voice trembled uncontrollably. Seeing the couple supporting each other, their whole bodies shaking like leaves, Su Xiaoying felt a little guilty and quickly said, "We came to express our gratitude. We've been so uncooperative; we're truly sorry!"
Yi Mei had already come to her senses. She turned to the doctor, lunged at him, and grabbed his throat.
Su Xiaoying was startled. The doctor's wife trembled even more violently, then suddenly convulsed, collapsed to the ground, and lay still. Su Xiaoying rushed over to help her up, only to find that countless streams of black blood were flowing from her eyes, nose, mouth, and ears; she was already dead.
Yi Mei said, "Be careful, the blood might be poisonous!"
Su Xiaoying released the dead woman and turned to check on the doctor's condition when she heard a "thud." Yi Mei had already released his throat, letting him fall to the ground, and shook her head, saying, "It's too late."
Three corpses were found inside the room within moments. Su Xiaoying was secretly alarmed and asked, "What kind of poison is so potent!"
“It’s a spring chill,” Yi Mei said, shaking her head. “Those who are affected will feel cold and shiver, and it’s extremely difficult to cure.”
Su Xiaoying said, "I wonder who this doctor offended to suffer such a disaster."
Yi Mei asked, "Haven't you heard of the 'Mismatched Flower Painting'?"
Su Xiaoying frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "I feel like I've heard of it before... it seems like it was more than ten or twenty years ago. The 'Mismatched Flowers' painting—what exactly is it?"
Yi Mei's gaze lingered on him for a moment before she slowly said, "The 'Mismatched Flower Picture' is not a picture; it is actually a prescription."
Su Xiaoying asked, somewhat puzzled, "Prescription?"
Yi Mei said, "That's right. The 'Incorrect Flower Painting' records a medicinal formula that can greatly increase one's power. Practicing it for one day will have the effect of hundreds or thousands of days."
Su Xiaoying said, "In that case, the Mismatched Flower Painting must be extremely tempting to martial arts practitioners."
Yi Mei said, "That's for sure. To give you an example, someone who was completely unknown just one day could become famous after taking the Mistake Flower Pill in three to five months. Who wouldn't be tempted by that, someone like me who travels the martial world?"
Su Xiaoying smiled and said, "I'm afraid that this 'Mistaken Flower Pill,' despite its miraculous effects, is not a good thing."
Yi Mei asked, "How did you know?"
Su Xiaoying said, "I'm just reasoning according to common sense. Learning martial arts is like learning to write. First you learn to read, then you learn to punctuate and read, then you read famous poems and essays. You have to accumulate knowledge slowly before you can write something good. Since I didn't study much when I was young, I naturally can't write good articles. I'm afraid this principle applies to everything. Without putting in the effort, it's hard to achieve anything. Where would a pie fall from the sky? Such a good thing makes people's hearts tremble just thinking about it."
Yi Mei said coldly, "It's a pity that there are very few people in the world who understand this. Twenty years ago, when the 'Mismatched Flower Painting' appeared in the martial arts world, people went crazy for it. Many people went bankrupt, even selling their wives and children, just to buy a single 'Mismatched Flower Painting'; some masters and elders who had already retired returned to the martial arts world for it."
Su Xiaoying sighed softly, "The greater the fame, the harder it is to tolerate others. A person who is renowned far and wide, if suddenly finds others rushing up to him while his own martial arts skills are not so great, he will definitely not be able to hold back. He will be forced to use the Wrong Flower Pill even if he originally did not want to. — What will happen after taking the Wrong Flower Pill?"
Yi Mei said, "Those who have only taken it once or twice will have their skills greatly reduced after three years, or even lose all their martial arts. Those who are seriously injured will all go to see the King of Hell."
Su Xiaoying said, "In this way, the decline of the martial arts community is inevitable."
Yi Mei said coldly, "You reap what you sow, there's really nothing wrong with that." She paused for a moment before continuing, "The pitiful one is the 'medicinal ingredient' of the Cuohua Dan."
Su Xiaoying's heart skipped a beat, and she asked, "The medicinal catalyst?"
Yi Mei said, "The Cuohua Dan was originally a kind of rare poison. It requires searching for a five-year-old girl, feeding the child the pill, and then drinking the girl's fresh blood two days later. After the girl's blood is taken, the poison takes effect, and her whole body is covered with blue spots, which is called Cuohua Ban."
Su Xiaoying was startled and exclaimed, "Wrong flower pattern!" She couldn't help but turn her head to look at the girl's corpse on the bed.
Half Spoon Mountain Villa
Su Xiaoying said, "So, this matter must be closely related to the Incorrect Flower Diagram. But if practicing the Incorrect Flower Diagram is so dangerous, why would anyone still be willing to practice it?"
Yi Mei frowned and said, "Twenty years ago, during that great chaos, everyone turned pale at the mention of the painting. The 'Incorrect Flower Painting' has been extinct for a long time, and it is said to have been lost long ago."
Su Xiaoying said, "Since the 'Incorrect Flower Diagram' is just a prescription, it is very easy to pass it down orally or to copy it."
Yi Mei said, "Back then, countless people went bankrupt to buy a single 'Mistake Flower Painting.' A 'Mistake Flower Painting' was worth a thousand gold pieces, but I've never heard of anyone copying a prescription. I don't understand why."
"So," Su Xiaoying spread her hands and asked, "what do you plan to do about this?"
"Me?" Yi Mei paused, then hesitated, "This..."
Su Xiaoying said, "Let's just leave it alone."
Yi Mei asked, "Why?"
Su Xiaoying said, "You're an assassin, not a chivalrous hero. Such matters are naturally handled by chivalrous heroes. If you were to step forward, wouldn't that confuse your identity?"
Yi Mei said, "What you said makes sense."
Su Xiaoying said, "I'm telling the truth."
Yi Mei said, "However, nowadays, there are very few people who like to get involved. Some people have great reputations, but they don't like to get involved. They just like to sit on the ground and divide the spoils."
Su Xiaoying said, "You don't seem like the type to meddle in other people's business."
Yi Mei asked, "Don't you think the 'mistaken flower painting' is quite interesting?"
Su Xiaoying glanced at her, a hint of surprise in her eyes. After a moment, she asked, "Why are you so interested in the wrong flower painting?"
Yi Mei smiled slightly and said, "I was just curious."
Su Xiaoying said, "You don't seem like someone who's curious about everything."
Yi Mei said, "Women are usually very curious, and I am no exception."
Su Xiaoying scratched her head, thought for a long time, then looked up and said, "Alright, since that's the case, we should go to Jiao Family Clinic in the east of the city."
Yi Mei suddenly realized and said, "That's right! Doctor Jiao from the east of the city also examined this child!"
Su Xiaoying said, "The old woman next door doesn't know about the 'wrong flower spot,' so it's understandable that she's ignorant; but this child's father has always practiced medicine, how could he not know about the 'wrong flower spot'? Even if he doesn't know, Doctor Jiao is the most famous doctor in Ganzi City, and it's said that his medical skills are superb, how could he not know?"
Yi Mei looked at Su Xiaoying with some surprise and nodded, saying, "You're right. I didn't realize before that you were so smart."
Su Xiaoying sighed and said, "So you only just realized it?"
Yi Mei said, "Stop talking nonsense. Go quickly and bring that doctor over here. I'll check here and see if there are any clues."
Jiao Enzhi's clinic had a very large storefront, and he had already made a great name for himself as a doctor in the area. Therefore, although his consultation fees were quite high, many patients would still line up in the clinic's lobby early every morning. Because of this, although Jiao Enzhi and his apprentices did not officially begin seeing patients until 9:00 AM, the clinic's doors would open as early as 5:00 AM to facilitate patients' access to care.
The same was true that day. Patients lined up one after another in front of Jiao Enzhi's nameplate, some standing and some sitting. The line stretched all the way to the entrance of the hall, then turned a corner at the main entrance, forming an irregular arc.
As Su Xiaoying squeezed in, she was met with dissatisfaction from a group of people. "Hey, young man, don't try to cut in line. Go to the back of the line." "That's right. If you want to be fast, come earlier next time."
In this situation, if even one person complains, it's as if they've incurred the wrath of the crowd, and they immediately start pointing and whispering about him.
Su Xiaoying called out loudly, "I'm the doorman of Doctor Jiao's house. My wife sent me to deliver a message! Make way, make way... Hey, make way!"
Su Xiaoying squeezed inside. Jiao Enzhi's consultation room was still empty, but the clinic manager came over and pulled him aside. The manager looked him over and asked suspiciously, "I've never seen you before?"
Su Xiaoying casually replied, "I only started working yesterday. It was Madam who instructed me, so the gentlemen don't recognize me."
The steward looked surprised and asked, "What message do you have?"
Su Xiaoying said, "Madam instructed me to speak directly to Master."
The steward said, "Doctor Jiao hasn't arrived today! Is there something wrong at the manor?"
Su Xiaoying's heart skipped a beat, and she asked, "Didn't you come?"
The steward said, "Even Doctor Chen hasn't come. If something happened at the manor, they should have sent a message earlier. Look at all these patients outside."
Su Xiaoying's doubts grew, but she replied perfunctorily, "Our madam didn't mention it either, so I don't know."
The steward asked, "Did the madam really send you?"
Su Xiaoying replied, "Yes."
The steward stared at him with utter astonishment for a moment, then said, "Madam passed away two years ago."
Su Xiaoying thought for a moment and calmly said, "I guess I went to the wrong door."
When Su Xiaoying returned, Yi Mei had already covered the doctor and his wife's bodies with a sheet. She sighed and said, "This person moved very quickly; I didn't see anything unusual. And Dr. Jiao is nowhere to be found either?"
Su Xiaoying sighed and said, "You're right. Not only is Doctor Jiao gone, but his chief apprentice, Doctor Chen, has also disappeared. This person is not only swift and efficient, but also very decisive. He doesn't seem like an ordinary person. If you want to investigate further, it won't be easy."
Yi Mei thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Is that Doctor Jiao the best doctor in Gansu and Zibo?"
Su Xiaoying replied, "Yes."
Yi Mei said, "Didn't you say that this little girl's father is the best doctor in Ganzi? When did another doctor, Jiao, appear?"
"This..." Su Xiaoying said to Yi Mei without changing her expression, "Treatment of wind-evil entering the body is this doctor's specialty, which is not good at Dr. Jiao."
Yi Mei's expression immediately turned fierce. She glared at him and cursed, "Go to hell, Su Xiaoying! You think I'm so easily fooled, huh? How much money did you embezzle? Tell me! Tell me! Admit it now, or I'll make you regret it!"
"No...?"
"So that's why we've been missing so much money lately! It turns out it was you who did this!"
"You didn't have much cash on you to begin with..." Su Xiaoying argued as she slipped away in a flash.
Yi Mei caught up with him in a flash, grabbed his clothes, and shouted, "You cheated me out of my money and you dare to run away! You better tell me the truth!"
Su Xiaoying swore, "Really not... I only secretly went to a restaurant once, using your money, that's all!"
Yi Mei wore a smug expression and said, "I caught it, didn't I? How much did it cost?"
Su Xiaoying said, "It's only half a string of cash, you're too stingy."
Yi Mei chuckled and said, "So what if I'm stingy? Am I naturally stingy? Is being stingy a crime? Half of next month's wages will be deducted, no discussion. Come on, you're coming with me to a place."
Su Xiaoying laughed too, saying, "Whatever I say is what it is, you're so easy to talk to—" Seeing that Yi Mei's face was turning sour again, she quickly asked, "Where are you going?"
"Half Spoon Manor." Yi Mei suddenly became serious.
"Half-Spoon Manor?"
Yi Mei said, "Six miles west of Ganzi City, there is a Banshao Mountain Villa."
Su Xiaoying said, "There are many manors in the martial arts world. No matter where you are, you can build a manor."
Yi Mei said, "Xie Yuanlan, the owner of Banshao Manor, is famous in the martial arts world for his Divine Wind and Swift Sword. It is said that he is also a famous wealthy man. Twenty years ago, when the Mistake Flower Picture was circulating everywhere, he did not buy the wrong picture, nor did he refine the wrong flower pill, thus preserving his martial arts skills. Those who died from taking the wrong flower pill left behind orphans and widows in extremely tragic situations, and he also went around to help them."