Go and capture those thirty-six fierce villains.

In the center of the black lintel, a white paper flower, over a foot long, hangs high. Long white banners hang on either side, their ends tied with silk threads.

Those entering and exiting through the central gate all had solemn expressions and wore plain clothes in black, white, or other simple colors. Judging from their build, most of them were military personnel.

Inside the study of the mansion.

Commander Gu was dressed in a blue official robe, and the bear embroidered on the patch on his chest was stained with large patches of dark red.

He sat blankly behind the mahogany table, on which lay his beloved doucai tea set. To his left was a roll of yellow paper, stained with specks of blood.

This is the official transfer order sent to him by the central government.

He was transferred from the position of garrison commander of Blood Rain Fortress to the position of guerrilla general of the Left Army in the capital, leading 5,000 cavalrymen, and holding the rank of third grade.

In such a peaceful era, it is extremely rare for a military officer to be promoted two ranks in one go.

Logically, Commander Gu should have been happy, but his son died... died the very night the transfer order arrived, died in front of him, died in his arms.

The study door creaked open.

The clerk, who had once acted out being so scared he wet himself, cautiously approached, looked at Commander Gu, hesitated for a moment, and then whispered.

"My lord, the main hall is all set up and the guests in the castle have all arrived. We are just waiting for you to come over."

The advisor stood very far away while speaking, as if he were ready to run away at any moment.

This wasn't his fault; since last night, Commander Gu had already killed countless servants and laborers. As a result, the study had become a forbidden area in the Gu household, and anyone passing by had to keep their distance.

"You mean... how did Xing'er die?"

The advisor remained silent, but fortunately, Commander Gu didn't actually want an answer.

He continued muttering to himself in his hoarse voice, "A sixth-rank Legalist, suddenly dying—is this something only the Sichen Guard could pull off?"

"Xing'er, your father is a useless man. Even if I know who the murderer is, I can't avenge you." Gu Shoubei said as he stood up, his crimson eyes suddenly fixed on the clerk standing at the door.

"Tell me, am I a complete waste?! A dignified fifth-rank military officer, and I can't even avenge the loss of my son!"

The advisor's legs trembled, his eyes fixed on the hand of the garrison commander who was already reaching for the sword at his waist, his mind racing.

This bastard wouldn't even want to kill me, would he...? I've been following him for over ten years!

"grown ups!!!"

The advisor suddenly let out a wail and collapsed to the ground, using his knees as feet to move to Gu Shoubei's side. He grabbed the man's left leg and exclaimed, "Although the Sichen Guards are swift and ruthless, they are now clearly in the same boat as us. How could they possibly harm the young master!"

Commander Gu remained unmoved, his hand already gripping the hilt of his sword: "If it wasn't them, then who could have poisoned my son?"

"Do you remember the young master who captured that physician? I heard yesterday that one of the centurions who participated in the capture of that physician died suddenly at home two days ago, also from poisoning. Although it is absurd for a seventh-rank official to defeat a sixth-rank official, those skilled in medicine are often skilled in poisons."

"It's hard to say...it's hard to say, but perhaps the physician held a grudge and, amidst the chaos at the city gates, administered a strange poison to the young master!"

The clerk groaned, his small eyes fixed on the hilt of Gu Shoubei's sword. He breathed a sigh of relief when Gu loosened his grip.

Phew~~ I think my life is safe for now.

The death of the centurion was true, but the claim that a seventh-rank official had defeated a sixth-rank official was pure fabrication. However, the advisor also knew that Commander Gu needed an outlet for his frustrations.

Si Chenwei was immobile, but the doctor was not.

Whether it's true or false is completely unimportant to him in this state.

"If that's the case, why didn't you say so earlier!"

Gu Shoubei shook off the clerk on his lap, stood there in contemplation for a moment, then returned to his desk and quickly wrote down numbers.

"Xing'er has been murdered; the suspect is suspected to be Si Chenwei, or perhaps an unknown doctor..."

After finishing writing, he looked at the clerk on the ground and said, "Send this letter to my second brother in the capital as quickly as possible. Also, contact the people of the Hundred Birds in Blood Rain Fortress. I want to buy the whereabouts of that healer, no matter the price!"

Ignoring the pain from his fall, the clerk scrambled to his feet, took the letter, and hurried towards the door.

"etc."

At the door, the clerk stopped in his tracks, fearing that the currently emotionally unstable Lord Gu might change his mind again.

"Notify the guards to kill all the servants and young boys who serve Xing'er in his courtyard. He's always been lazy and will need someone to take care of him over there."

"Eh."

The clerk trembled as he agreed, pondering whether he should find another way to make a living.

......

In Bei'an City, at the doctor's courtyard.

Bloodstains remained on the bluish-gray floor, and Dr. Dong's figure had vanished.

The doctors who were brewing medicine in the courtyard were now looking at Qin Ning with completely different eyes.

Should we choose the healer or the martial artist?

Who conducts medical skills assessments like this?!

They say a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger, but this young man is far too bold!

Those are people from the Good Doctor's Clinic!

Ignoring everyone's gaze, Lao Hu left. Qin Ning was pondering whether to ask someone what the rules were here, or at least when he could enter the Prince's mansion.

At that moment, a rather young voice rang out.

"Brother, you've got some skill! I've been wanting to get rid of that guy surnamed Dong for a long time. Your performance just now deserves a big toast tonight!"

Qin Ning turned around and found that the speaker was a young man in his early twenties, wearing brightly colored robes. He had a somewhat pointed face, but his eyes were extremely clear.

What's most eye-catching is that there's a small animal perched on his shoulder.

The little beast had a slender body, brownish-yellow fur, a pointed face, short, erect ears, and black eyes that darted around, making it look incredibly cunning.

Is this... Wong Tai Sin?

A look of surprise flashed in Qin Ning's eyes as the other person stepped forward and introduced himself.

"Huang Mu, an eighth-rank physician, comes from beyond the Great Wall. He is skilled in some Nuo arts and witchcraft. He is from a small place and has not been given a courtesy name."

In Bei'an City, "outside the pass" generally refers to the northern grasslands.

Judging from his appearance, attire, and tone of voice, the "outside the pass" he mentioned should be Tingchao Pass, east of Daxia. It is adjacent to Duanhe River and, although it is also part of Daxia territory, there are few inhabitants due to the harsh environment.

I didn't see this person in the courtyard just now, so he must have just come out of the house next door.

"Qin Ning, courtesy name Guiyuan, came to the Prince's mansion to try his luck, hoping to find a powerful backer."

Huang Mu was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter.

"You're really interesting. Come on, let me show you around here, and we can talk as we walk."

Huang Mu led Qin Ning on a tour of the courtyard; the layout was quite simple.

The houses in the front courtyard are all habitable, with two people per room. There are even more rooms in the back courtyard, also with two people per room. The small courtyard is filled with bamboo racks for drying herbs.

It seems this concubine is employing a wide-net strategy... Qin Ning pondered, his gaze constantly drifting towards the weasel spirit on the other woman's shoulder.

The little guy seemed very intelligent, but he was a little afraid of the cat.

When he walked side by side with Huang Mu, the other man deliberately switched from his left shoulder to his right shoulder.

"That's how it's been going on. That concubine has been gathering us for several days, and every day she's been ordering the physicians to brew herbal medicine and sending some to the Prince's residence from time to time, hoping it will help the Prince's strange illness. However, most of it has been returned by the chief physicians of the Medical Institute."

Qin Ning asked curiously, "Brother Huang, you weren't involved?"

He had just entered the courtyard, but he didn't see Huang Mu cooking.

"Although I am an eighth-rank physician, I am not very skilled in herbal medicine," Huang Mu said, patting the little beast on his shoulder. "I need to enter the Prince's mansion and demonstrate my skills to the young master in person."

"When will we be allowed to enter the Prince's residence?"

Qin Ning was quite concerned about this issue.

"Before you came, Brother Qin, this matter was still a long way off, but now that you're here, it should be resolved soon."

"What do you mean?"