Ink Burns

Chapter 50

Shanyue looked away and continued walking inside.

A voice came from behind: "After bleeding from your fingertips and writing, your skin is torn. You need to apply white medicine, rosin, and yellow wax to reduce swelling and prevent wind."

Shanyue paused and unconsciously retracted his right hand into his sleeve pocket. He pierced his index finger with a needle and bled it, then copied Duan's calligraphy on a plain silk handkerchief by comparing it with the account book. The needle was pierced too deep on his fingertip and too much blood was let out, and the swelling has not subsided yet.

"Madam, that blood letter, was it you who wrote it?"

The man behind him held onto the tall red painted pillar and slowly stood up: "You were the one who let the madam go, and you arranged the old woman who played cards, the maid who won money, and the mule cart at the alley entrance, right?"

Shan Yue's right sleeve trembled slightly, and a butterfly bone knife fell steadily into his palm. He turned around completely and saw the man was still a teenager, elegant and handsome, tall but thin, with lips as light as paper. He was 30% similar to Cheng Xinghe, but his eyes were clear and bright, and one pair of eyes alone was enough to distinguish the two.

Shan Yue stared at him without saying a word.

"You hold the knife in your right hand, right?" The young man smiled and said, "Please don't kill me."

Shanyue has never encountered this model.

Begging for mercy right away is like kicking cotton.

"Do you want to destroy the Cheng family?" The young man coughed a few times and covered his mouth with his left hand: "If that's the case, then you don't have to kill me."

Shan Yue tucked his right hand into his sleeve, and used his thumb to push the hilt away, his eyes fixed on him motionlessly: "Who are you?"

"My name is Cheng Xingyu." The young man looked into Shanyue's eyes intently: "The second son of Master Cheng, and the younger brother of Cheng Xinghe."

Shan Yue remained motionless.

Under the moonlight, the gray smoke from the burning paper money in the bushes swirled in a straight line in the night sky. The fire was blazing, and the orange-red outer flame was dancing. The young man tilted his head slightly, and his eyes, like blue waves, reflected two balls of warm fire.

"What do you know?"

Shan Yue asked softly, his eyes sweeping across the screen wall, and he estimated the probability of winning if he fought at this place and now. It was quiet here, and he was punished for drinking and playing cards in the kitchen yesterday, so there were few people around now. If he took advantage of the opponent's unpreparedness and attacked directly in the throat, he would have some chance of winning. However, his clothes would be splattered with blood, and it would be difficult to explain on the way back to the embroidery building.

Cheng Xingyu simply sat down, exposing his back and head, giving all the initiative to Shan Yue.

"I don't know anything. I don't know who you are, where you come from, or where you are going. But it's not surprising that the Cheng family is a lackey, doing bad things, and being immoral. It's not surprising that they have offended their enemies and brought disaster upon themselves." Cheng Xingyu coughed a few more times: "If you want to bring down the Cheng family, we have the same goal, so you can go together. You don't have to kill me."

Shan Yue covered the scabbard with his thumb, crossed his arms over his chest, and sneered, "Your last name is Cheng, but you don't protect the Cheng family, but instead you attack them. Do you think I believe you?"

Cheng Xingyu smiled, his eyebrows and eyes were clear, except for the three points of weakness accumulated between his eyebrows, he was an extremely handsome young man.

"I have lived in Changming Mountain in northern Anhui for a long time. It is not yet the beginning of winter, but there have been sporadic outbreaks of dysentery in the north. Unlike previous years, this year's dysentery is more vicious. Often one person gets sick, and within three days, the whole family will show symptoms. Those with mild symptoms have diarrhea and low-grade fever, and can recover by taking sugar and salt water and eating a few doses of coptis root. However, those with severe symptoms have to stay in bed, have diarrhea and high fever, and cannot take any medicine or drink any fluids. They will die in less than half a month."

Cheng Xingyu was obviously short of breath, and his voice came out from his throat, sounding a bit thin and weak, but the fire in his eyes was still burning pure and strong.

"I came back for two reasons. First, my father passed away. Although I cannot carry the coffin, I should also wear mourning clothes to show my gratitude.

"Second, winter is approaching and dysentery is spreading. Northern Anhui is only ten days away from Songjiang Prefecture. With the plague ahead, the Cheng family is one of the largest medicinal materials merchants in Southern Zhili. Half of the medicinal materials on the market are shipped from the Cheng family to various prefectures in Southern Zhili."

Cheng Xingyu spoke hastily, and his tone became even more empty: "The Cheng family just sells real and fake medicinal materials together!"

Shanyue recalled the letter that Lao Lu had handed over over the wall a few days ago: "'Fake medicines are rampant in the market, especially in small clinics and rural pharmacies. The fake medicine pretending to be angelica is called Duhuo, and the fake medicine pretending to be sea sand is called Hongzhuanfen. The pharmacies make a profit from it, and those who take the fake medicines will not be seriously ill, but will suffer from worse symptoms.'" The Cheng family is selling fake medicines.

Shan Yue was not surprised at all.

She was not surprised by anything the Cheng family did.

What she expected was that after getting the power to manage, she would try her best to collect evidence and then strike back. However, she was afraid that Lord Liu and the Cheng family were birds of a feather, so she was still thinking about it.

Now, Cheng Xingyu said that dysentery has already broken out in the north, and with the arrival of cold winter, the plague will spread to the south. The Cheng family sells a mixture of real and fake medicinal materials. Once the plague spreads to southern Zhili, the consequences will be disastrous if the medicine becomes ineffective.

Shan Yue said in a low voice: "So, what do you want to do after coming back?"

Cheng Xingyu thought for a moment and said, "I came back from Changming Mountain. It took fifteen days on the journey. If the plague has entered the city, I will warn everyone that the Cheng family is selling fake medicine. Even if someone has already bought the Cheng family's medicinal materials, they will know about it and not delay the opportunity to treat the disease. If fortunately the plague has not arrived, then I am just worrying for nothing, and everyone will be happy."

After Shanyue finished listening, he saw that the young man's eyes were burning, his lips were pale, and his voice was rapid with a few coughs and gasps, but his eyes were burning and his demeanor was pure and kind.

Shan Yue turned away and whispered, "Why?"

Cheng Xingyu was confused: "Huh?"

"Are you not feeling well? Since you have already escaped from the Cheng family, why bother traveling so long and getting stuck in this quagmire again?" Shan Yue looked up at the sun.

Cheng Xingyu was puzzled: "It is for sick creatures."

Shan Yue turned his head back and stared at him with frowned brows. His tightly knitted brows showed three parts of confusion, three parts of absurdity, three parts of laughter, and one part of panic, which made up a total of shock.

"Your last name is really Cheng?"

Shan Yue whispered.

Are you sure it wasn't that Aunt Pang who found a high monk to make another green gauze hat for Master Cheng?

Cheng Xingyu didn't hear clearly, and asked again: "Huh?"

Shan Yue lowered his arms from across his chest, his face calm, "Then I wish you success."

Then he raised his foot and walked inside. Just as he raised his heel, he heard a voice behind him: "So I said, we have the same goal, so we can move in the same direction."

Shan Yue's expression was calm as he glanced aside slightly: "I'm sorry, our goals are not the same."

"I just want Cheng Xinghe to suffer a lifetime of pain, sorrow, regret, and hardship. As for the Cheng family? The people? The living beings? The heavens? What does it have to do with me? Heaven and earth are cruel and treat all things as straw dogs. I am just an insignificant speck of dust in the world. I have suffered and been tempered. Now I have practiced enough and obtained the true scriptures. I am worthy of everyone."

Except her mother and Shui Guang.

Shan Yue withdrew his remaining light, and saw Cheng Xingyu, thin and alone, standing in the firelight.

Like, a saint.

(End of this chapter)