After sleeping around the campfire for a night, Xing Shuishui felt energized the next day. The group traveled smoothly through Luodan Kingdom using the ruler’s travel documents.
Xing Shuishui looked up. Luodan Kingdom was much cleaner compared to hundreds of years ago. The streets were filled with fragrant scents and colorful ribbons, with vendors selling fruits and spices everywhere. Some children were playing ball, nearly hitting a passing carriage.
Xing Shuishui noticed people on the streets infected by jade flowers and suddenly understood the source of the fragrance – it was truly an epidemic, everywhere. It wasn’t like this hundreds of years ago.
The children had jade flowers on their heads.
The noodle cook had jade flowers on his hands.
A peddler’s left eye was even completely overtaken by jade flower vines. Jade flower petals floated in the sky, filling the air with an intoxicating fragrance.
The carriage stopped before a crowd.
A man in official robes stepped down and bowed respectfully: “Honored guests, the ruler has been waiting for you.”
He seemed normal, showing no signs of infection.
After entering the city, Li Guanyu’s group split from Xia Mingkui and took a carriage to the palace. Xing Shuishui was naturally among them.
The ruler paced back and forth, having waited for a long time.
Upon seeing Li Guanyu, he excitedly tried to grasp his hand but was blocked by Li Guanhang, who glared at the ruler.
The ruler said excitedly: “You’ve finally arrived… I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
He Liansheng: “Cut the nonsense. How much do you know about the jade flowers?”
Li Guanyu also asked: “Please tell us about the source of the jade flowers.”
The ruler sighed and said: “The source of these jade flowers is at Shenshan Manor. Xue Zhangxin died there back then. My court mystic even cast divination – these jade flowers are Xue Zhangxin’s curse.”
Xing Shuishui never tolerated any slander against her sister and muttered: “Only listening to mystics, no wonder the jade flowers are spreading.”
Li Guanyu frowned in surprise. Xing Shuishui realized her reaction might have been too strong and fell silent.
The ruler wasn’t angry: “It’s not baseless. Our kingdom had never heard of jade flowers before. They only appeared after Xue Zhangxin’s death.”
Li Guanyu pondered: “It seems we must visit Shenshan Manor.”
Hearing this, the ruler personally saw them off at the gate before leaving.
It was already late when they left the palace.
Instead of staying in the palace, they found a random inn on the street. It was mealtime and the inn was packed. The thick flower fragrance made their group seem out of place.
Xing Shuishui ignored them all and ordered a basket of xiaolongbao to eat at her seat. Li Guanyu didn’t touch his chopsticks. Li Guanhang looked around nervously, as if afraid someone would poison him.
“Sister, this place is strange. These flowers are everywhere.”
“Pay attention to the flower’s fragrance, there might be issues.”
Li Guanhang nodded.
He Liansheng didn’t plan to eat.
Xing Shuishui glanced at him. The plate of radish strips seemed to be on his table. Seeing He Liansheng’s attention wasn’t on the table, she reached for it.
But he stopped her.
Xing Shuishui: “I want the radish strips.”
He Liansheng said coldly: “Can’t you see? You’re the only one eating at this table.”
Xing Shuishui used her other hand to put a xiaolongbao in his bowl, saying casually: “Then join me in eating.”
What did it matter if they ate or not? Would not eating help them find the truth about the jade flower epidemic?
He Liansheng thought she was crazy and turned his head: “Xing Shuishui, why should I eat with you?”
Xing Shuishui replied disdainfully: “Because fasting pills taste bad. Xiaolongbao tastes good. He Liansheng, stop eating fasting pills and try this instead. If it’s too bland, you can add some radish strips and pickled vegetables.”
Since meeting him, she noticed He Liansheng barely ate mortal food, taking fasting pills every day. Xing Shuishui couldn’t understand: how could he eat something as awful as fasting pills as meals! Had he never eaten mortal food since childhood? How inexperienced.
She felt some pity for those old folks at Lingshan – her first time eating a fasting pill made her throw up, and afterward just the smell made her want to die.
He Liansheng smirked: “Not good? Have you even tried them?”
Xing Shuishui paused while picking up food, but quickly recovered: “Just the smell tells me it’s not as good as xiaolongbao.”
Seeing He Liansheng still not touching his chopsticks: “Just try it.”
He Liansheng: “No.”
Xing Shuishui: “I ate it and I’m fine.”
He Liansheng: “No.”
Xing Shuishui: “…”
“Then give me the radish strips.”
This was the first time someone cared about what he ate.
He Liansheng studied her, giving a cool smile. Seeing only a few radish strips left, he dumped them all in his bowl and actually ate the xiaolongbao she had placed there.
Then he commented: “Not as good as fasting pills.”
Xing Shuishui was about to explode with anger.
Could he just chop off his tongue? Such a person with no taste – whoever becomes his dao partner in the future would be truly unfortunate.
He Liansheng saw her trying to contain her anger and couldn’t help but chuckle coldly.
Xing Shuishui ignored him.
Just as they were finishing, the Li siblings finally picked up their chopsticks, symbolically eating a bit before preparing to pay. At this moment, someone rushed to place copper coins on the table. Xing Shuishui was startled, hearing the person say: “I’ll pay for this table.”
Turning to look at the newcomer – it was Xia Mingkui.
What a coincidence to meet again.
Xia Mingkui seemed very familiar with this place, even chatting with the waiter. Li Guanyu seemed to want to say something but stopped. Xia Mingkui apparently noticed their doubts and smiled at Li Guanyu: “I roughly know why you’ve come to Luodan Kingdom. Follow me, Sister Li, and you’ll understand.”
Li Guanhang initially disagreed, but since Li Guanyu wanted to follow, the group ended up at Xia Mingkui’s home.
Li Guanhang: “Sister, weren’t we supposed to check out Shenshan Manor? Why are we at this ghostly place!”
Xia Mingkui retorted: “You’re the ghost. If you don’t want to come, just leave.”
Li Guanhang could only follow with a sour face.
Xia Mingkui’s home was very old and small, looking cramped. It was hard to imagine a family living inside. Opening the door revealed four or five people, making the already crowded house look ready to collapse.
Xing Shuishui immediately noticed the sickly man on the bed, with dark eye sockets and yellowed skin, making her frown.
Xia Mingkui: “Brother.”
She picked up some moldy medicine but instead of brewing it, tried to pour it directly into the man’s mouth. Li Guanyu quickly stopped her, putting the medicine back on the stove: “Miss, you can’t!”
Xia Mingkui looked at her questioningly.
Li Guanyu: “This medicine is moldy, it absolutely cannot be consumed.”
But Xia Mingkui smiled: “It’s fine. People here always take medicine this way, there won’t be any problems.”
“How can this be acceptable,” Li Guanyu worried, “Guanhang, go get fresh medicine for Miss Xia’s brother.”
Li Guanhang pointed at their flat purse, hesitating to speak.
The man lying on the bed suddenly said: “No need to trouble the immortals, this is an incurable condition anyway.”
He pulled back his covers. Xia Mingkui’s face showed panic. Xing Shuishui looked closely – this Xia Mingyu had a jade flower growing from his mouth. Though the flower hadn’t bloomed, it already showed hints of crimson.
The flower’s fragrance instantly filled the room, eerily sweet.
Thinking about how this crimson was nourished by human flesh, Xing Shuishui felt chills down her spine.
Xia Mingkui said: “Brother, they are powerful cultivators! They must have a way!”
Xia Mingyu comforted his sister.
Li Guanyu asked: “Brother, could you tell us about this demon flower’s origins? How did it appear in people? Did you accidentally inhale jade flower seeds?”
Xing Shuishui belatedly realized that if jade flower seeds were floating in the air, she might have been infected since entering Luodan Kingdom.
But… nobody on the streets wore veils. People in the palace seemed uninfected. There must be something strange about this.
Xia Mingyu smiled bitterly: “This flower… we volunteered to be planted with it.”
Xing Shuishui was shocked.
Xia Mingyu continued: “Do the immortals know about Xue Jiuling’s sister Xue Zhangxin being killed at Shenshan Manor?”
He Liansheng: “What are you trying to say?”
Xia Mingyu: “The night Xue Zhangxin was killed, Xue Jiuling fought someone using mirrors at Shenshan Manor. Because Mirror Wushuang had been harmed before this, they believed the culprit was Du Dizhu, Mirror Wushuang’s direct disciple, and chased after him fiercely.
Du Dizhu was arrogant at first, but later realized he couldn’t win. To escape Xue Jiuling, he returned to Luodan Kingdom.
Before the incident, the old ruler had treated him with great respect. After the incident, Du Dizhu blamed everything on Luodan Kingdom, went on a rampage through the streets devouring children, and destroyed the national dam.
That year was a terribly harsh winter.
The kingdom’s labor was heavy, and officials said whoever helped repair the dam would get food, but in the end there wasn’t a single copper coin or grain of rice. Though I was bedridden, I saw many people die every day. They died without crying or making a fuss, perhaps too desperate about this world.”
Xing Shuishui never imagined such things happened afterward, clenching her fists. This Du Dizhu truly deserved death – why hadn’t she dragged him down with her in her previous life?
Xia Mingyu’s tone grew sorrowful: “That’s when Shenshan Manor was bought and converted into a workshop, offering high wages to recruit people to cultivate jade flowers.
At first, no one dared go when they heard the jade flowers would be fed by humans. Later, when the reward reached a hundred gold taels, some were tempted. Once one person was tempted, a second followed. Since times were hard and life was cheap, the hundred-tael reward became ten taels, yet people still rushed forward, afraid it would become one tael next time.
My father died from exhaustion then, my little sister fled elsewhere, and my mother and I lived in a tiny room. Mother fell gravely ill. Her only wish before death was for our whole family to sleep together in coffins after death, so we wouldn’t suffer in the next life.”
He pointed to several partially hidden coffins behind the back door. Xing Shuishui’s heart clenched at the sight.
One tael of gold couldn’t buy several coffins, but it could buy a human life.
Xia Mingyu continued: “The jade flower in me was planted then.”
“Shenshan Manor would give some rice, then require monthly visits to the manor. When flowers bloomed, they were harvested. If not blooming, they fed us spiritual medicine to nurture them. Each time we returned, they’d give some food. Though my body is now broken, I don’t blame them. Without them, many more would have died in Luodan Kingdom.”
Such a major event – the Luodan ruler couldn’t possibly not know. He must be hiding something.
Xing Shuishui thought of all the people on the streets growing jade flowers and felt chills down her spine. Gods, how many people were there? What was Shenshan Manor’s purpose in cultivating so many jade flowers using humans?
Li Guanyu’s expression showed sympathy.
But He Liansheng remained unmoved, saying sarcastically: “A demon flower is still a demon flower. No matter how you dress it up, it’s still a demon flower. Jade flower? It should be ground to dust rather than putting on this show. There are many ways to survive in this world – taking the crooked path means paying the price.”
Li Guanyu gestured for him to say no more.
Xia Mingkui grabbed them pleadingly: “Immortals, you must have a way to remove the jade flowers? I’ve seen Shenshan Manor recruiting workers again recently. Since they can plant them, they must have a way to remove them. You could take this chance to sneak in and save my brother!”
The group exchanged glances. After disguising themselves, the Li siblings still looked like siblings, Xing Shuishui appeared ordinary, no longer standing out. Though He Liansheng changed his appearance, he couldn’t hide his intimidating aura that spelled trouble for anyone who provoked him.
Xing Shuishui looked in the mirror, thinking how these Lingshan people’s names were so famous that Shenshan Manor’s people would immediately know who they were, which would alert them too early.
So after some thought, she pointed at herself in the mirror and said to He Liansheng: “From now on, I’m He Lian Shui. And you’re Xing Shengsheng. How’s that?”
He Liansheng: “?”
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