Chapter 42

Unresolved grudges in the martial world, relentlessly pursued to the end.

After firing the signal arrow, Baisha fetched water from the well and approached Guan Luori to tend to his wounds.

Shimei hurried over, saying, "Let me do it."

Baisha stopped her, reminding her that as a lady of noble birth, it wasn't appropriate for her.

Shimei waved her hand dismissively, "It's fine. I've fed pigs and butchered chickens before. This is nothing."

Guan Luori burst into laughter upon hearing this, "The girl's got spunk. Are you from the north? Not as delicate as those from the south?"

Shimei glared at him, "Who says southerners are delicate? I was born in Jiangnan."

"Is that so?" Guan Luo Ri nodded understandingly, "Must be an unloved, ugly child then."

Annoyed, Shi Mei didn’t indulge in his banter. She wrung the cloth to wipe the blood off his face, asking, "What happened to your eyes?"

"I got ambushed. Some guy threw some powder at me, and now it's like this, quite painful."

Examining closely, Shi Mei noticed faint yellow traces on his face after wiping away the blood.

"Who was that man?" asked Bai Shu.

"At first, I thought it was you," Guan Luo Ri admitted bluntly. "But when he threw that damn powder, I realized it wasn’t you, Bai Shu."

After cleaning Guan Luo Ri's eyes, Shi Mei pondered. Chen Zhaomei's notes mentioned a poison called Huang Mi Zi, a peculiar yellow herb ground into powder. When sprinkled in the eyes, it caused blockage in the veins, leading to bloodshot eyes and temporary blindness, turning the skin yellow. Its antidote was salt. Rinsing the eyes with salt could restore vision and alleviate pain, although clarity would only return gradually over a month.

Thinking of this, Shi Mei wondered if it might cure him, "Hey, Guan Luo Ri."

Guan Luo Ri, covering his eyes with a cool cloth, joked, "Wow, the girl's getting bold, calling me by my name?"

Shi Mei said, "You mentioned earlier that if Bai Shu saves your life, you'd tell us who murdered Qiao Lao Kuan, right?"

Guan Luo Ri nodded, "Yeah, what about it?"

"If I cure your eyes, does that count as saving your life?" As Shi Mei spoke, Guan Luo Ri was taken aback, "Girl, can you really cure my eyes? I'd even acknowledge you as my mother if that's true!"

"Tch," Shi Mei spat, "Who wants such a big son like you."

Guan Luo Ri chuckled awkwardly.

"Seriously though, is it a deal?" Shi Mei pressed.

"Absolutely!" Guan Luo Ri quickly nodded, "If you really cure my eyes, I'll tell you everything."

"You better keep your word!"

"I already said, although Guan isn't a good man, my word is my bond. The brothers in the jianghu know this. If you don't believe me, ask Master Bai."

Shi Mei looked at Bai Shu, as if questioning — should we save him?

Bai Shu nodded, seemingly indifferent about whether or not to save Guan Luo Ri. The crucial thing was to identify the murderer of Qiao Lao Kuan.

Shi Mei went to the kitchen and brought back a jar of salt. Unsure of how much to use, she scooped a ladle of water into the salt jar, stirred it with a chopstick until it seemed evenly mixed, then scooped a spoonful for Guan Luo Ri to drink. "Here, try this."

Guan Luo Ri, thinking it was an antidote, drank it in one gulp, then spat it out. "What is this? It's so salty!"

"That's the point!" Shi Mei used a cloth soaked in the salty water to wash Guan Luo Ri's eyes.

It was a gamble on her part, but after washing his eyes with the saltwater, Guan Luo Ri exclaimed, "Hey, little girl, give me some more. It really doesn't hurt anymore."

Bai Shu raised an eyebrow at Shi Mei — was it just salt?

"Yes," Shi Mei nodded, "The powder you were poisoned with might be the legendary 'Deadly Return-to-Heaven Powder'!"

Guan Luo Ri was skeptical, having never heard of such a thing in his long jianghu career.

Bai Shu looked puzzled at Shi Mei, who was winking incessantly at him — she was bluffing!

"I'm washing your eyes with heavenly salt. You should thank your lucky stars for meeting me. This kind of salt costs a hundred taels of gold per liang!" Shi Mei fabricated, while Bai Shu shook his head in the background.

Guan Luo Ri was astonished. "What is heavenly salt? No wonder it's so salty."

"Heavenly salt is a rare flower nectar found on the summit of Mount Tian. Unlike most nectar, it's salty, not sweet. Hence the name. It's an extraordinary treasure, especially effective for treating eyes!"

"That miraculous?" Guan Luo Ri was amazed. "Girl, are you a divine healer?"

"Not quite," Shi Mei replied. "Anyway, I've used a jin of heavenly salt on you. At one hundred taels per liang, you owe me sixteen hundred taels of gold. Let's round it down to fifteen hundred."

Guan Luo Ri gasped, "Where would I find that much silver to repay you?"

Shi Mei narrowed her eyes. "So, in addition to telling us who killed Qiao Lao Kuan, you also owe us a favor."

Guan Luo Ri raised an eyebrow. "Alright, say it. What do you want me to do? Kill someone, or start a fire?"

"Who asked you to kill or set fires?" Shi Mei pondered. "I'll tell you later. For now, consider it a debt."

Guan Luo Ri shrugged nonchalantly. "Okay!"

Shi Mei, seeing Guan Luo Ri agree, gave Bai Shu a fist bump – they had successfully pulled a fast one!

Bai Shu shook his head, amused yet resigned.

Soon after Shi Mei finished cleaning Guan Luo Ri's wounds, he eagerly opened his eyes. Though his vision was blurred, he could see a hazy light, no longer engulfed in darkness.

"Ouch... still can't see clearly," Guan Luo Ri frowned.

"Of course, it'll take half a month for a full recovery," Shi Mei said as she hid the salt container. Just then, faint footsteps echoed from the mountains.

Shi Mei turned to Bai Shu, "Is it Qin Dai and the others?"

Bai Shu frowned, "No, it's not them..."

"It's the soldiers!" Guan Luo Ri stated coldly. "I'm familiar with that sound... I can even hear the chains clinking."

Shocked, Shi Mei realized it must be the work of the fake Bai Shu. What a despicable act! Now they were in trouble. Guan Luo Ri was a wanted criminal, and Bai Shu had the unresolved case of Ming Jie's death. If discovered, it would be hard to escape implication.

Desperate situations inspire ingenious solutions. Seeing Bai Shu ready to fight, Shi Mei suddenly stopped him, "Do we have any more white robes?"

"We do..." Bai Shu nodded, referring to his master's robes in the wardrobe.

"Help him inside," Shi Mei instructed as she dashed to rummage through the wardrobe.

Bai Shu assisted Guan Luo Ri into the room.

Shi Mei had already found a set of white robes and dressed Guan Luo Ri in them. She then tore a white cloth into strips and wrapped it around his head in coils.

"Hey, what's all this for?" Guan Luo Ri felt as if his head was completely covered, resembling someone with a bucket over their head.

Shi Mei let down his hair, draping it over his face, and said, "If the soldiers come, pretend to be a ghost!"

Guan Luo Ri, surprised at first, burst into laughter.

"Stop laughing," Shi Mei chided, pushing him near the door to stand ready to scare the soldiers.

Bai Shu and Shi Mei then hid behind the bed.

Soon enough, they heard someone enter... When Guan Luo Ri had come in, he had left the courtyard door open, which was now creaking in the mountain wind.

The entering soldiers, a dozen or so, clutched their gleaming swords, looking around nervously, clearly frightened.

Shi Mei, clutching the food basket tightly, watched tensely. Guan Luo Ri was standing right at the door, which was ajar.

"Hey... Is there really someone here?"

"Didn't that guy just say so...? Sigh, the commander really had us come here in the dead of night."

"Isn't this about capturing an imperial fugitive? Catching him could mean a big reward."

"Let's just hope we don't lose our lives. Anyone hiding here can't be good news."

"What's that?"

One of them, with sharp eyes, pointed towards the door where Guan Luo Ri stood. Simultaneously, with a "creak", the door seemed to be slowly pushed open by the wind, and as a gust swept through... they saw a figure standing behind it. Dressed entirely in white, with no visible eyes or mouth, its hair wildly fluttering in the wind.

"Mommy!" A few of the more faint-hearted soldiers shrieked in terror... At the same moment, something hit their foreheads, and they cried out before falling backward to the ground.

It was Bai She inside, pelting them with pebbles.

Amid the howling mountain wind, Guan Luo Ri's hoarse voice could be heard shouting, "Give me back my life... give me back my life..."

"Ah!" The soldiers screamed.

Fear has a way of spreading contagiously. Sometimes when encountering a ghost, one might be scared to death by the ghost, and the other by their companion's reaction...

Among the officers, some were brave, others timid.

But in such a situation, in the pitch-dark forest, encountering a pale figure demanding their life back would terrify anyone. Combined with their colleagues' screams and fleeing, the officers were utterly spooked and dispersed in complete disarray.

Once the crowd dispersed, Shi Mei and Bai She also came out. Guan Luo Ri was laughing heartily, finding the whole episode amusing.

Bai She glanced at the wall and noticed several figures perched there.

Shi Mei jumped in fright, but Bai She gestured reassuringly, "Don't be scared, it's Qin Diao."

Shi Mei realized that the figures jumping down from the courtyard wall were indeed Qin Diao and a few of his followers.

Landing beside Bai She, Qin Diao remarked, "That was a clever trick."

Bai She gestured towards Guan Luo Ri.

Qin Diao leaned in for a closer look, "Who's this?"

"Guan Luo Ri," Bai She answered. At this, Qin Diao also seemed surprised, "Guan Luo Ri?"

"Hey," Shi Mei turned to Guan Luo Ri, "I've treated your eyes, it's time to talk. How did Qiao Lao Kuan die?"

Guan Luo Ri chuckled softly, "Little girl, you're smart, but I'm not foolish either. I have to wait until my eyes are fully healed in half a month before I can tell you. Besides, I need protection from my enemies, and I wouldn't miss the chance to rely on the powerful Gui Dao Men."

Seeing his smugness, Shi Mei narrowed her eyes, "Don't get too cocky, remember you owe me a favor. Be careful, or I might make you work like a horse or an ox!"

Guan Luo Ri, slightly dismayed, removed the cloth from his head, feeling a bit sullen. He realized the clever girl had got the better of him.

"Take him back first," Bai She said, gesturing to Qin Diao. He moved aside with Bai She, who whispered a few instructions. Qin Diao nodded in understanding, and he and his men quietly escorted Guan Luo Ri back to Bai She's residence.

After everyone left, tranquility returned to the surroundings.

Shi Mei glanced around. Bai She walked over and closed the courtyard gate, picking up the broken half of a sword on his way.

The two of them went back inside the house, relit the lamp, closed the door, and sat down at the table.

"Why does this sword emit a blue light?" Shi Mei inquired. "Is it coated with poison?"

Bai She nodded affirmatively, "Yes. This type of sword is extremely malicious. The poison is infused into the molten iron during forging, seeping into the blade. If cut by it, one may not die immediately, but the movements will slow down, and the wound will become numb."

"No wonder Guan Luo Ri was having trouble walking just now," Shi Mei mumbled to herself.

Bai She agreed, "You were quite quick-witted this time."

Shi Mei commented, "It’s because those officers were foolish. And that impostor who disguised as you, recruiting such cowardly officers, even without scaring them as ghosts, they wouldn’t stand a chance against you."

Bai She replied calmly, "He only needed those officers to witness me protecting Guan Luo Ri. Once they see that, by tomorrow, there will be rampant rumors accusing me of harboring a criminal wanted by the imperial court."

"Who is that man in white, really?" Shimei asked, puzzled. "Why does he seem so intent on impersonating you, as if harboring a deep grudge?"

Baisha shook his head, avoiding the topic, and changed the subject, "By the way... you seemed like you had more to say earlier."

"Uh..." Shimei blushed, feeling her initial impulsiveness fading away, unable to muster up the same spirit.

"I've forgotten it now. I'll tell you next time I remember," Shimei said as she placed the steamer basket by her pillow and lay down to rest.

Baisha leaned in to look at her, "Are you sure there’s nothing?"

"Hmm..." Shimei, teased by Baisha, felt her determination rising again, almost ready to speak if he asked once more.

But Baisha didn’t press further, seeing Shimei’s reluctance to talk. He covered her with his outer garment, sat back against the bedpost, and stayed to watch over her as she rested.

……

The next morning...

"Ah!"

Bai She was at the well in the courtyard, washing his face, when he heard Shi Mei scream from inside the house. Turning around, he saw the door open and Shi Mei rush out with the bamboo basket in hand, abandoning any semblance of ladylike decorum.

Bai She stopped her in her tracks and asked, "What happened?"

"A mouse! I opened my eyes and found myself staring right into the eyes of a mouse," Shi Mei replied, visibly agitated.

Bai She simply nodded and responded, "Oh."

"Oh?!" Shi Mei's eyes widened in disbelief. "You just left me in there with it? What if it had bitten me?"

Bai She reverted to his usual, somewhat oblivious demeanor, which only served to irritate Shi Mei further.

He fetched her some water, remarking casually, "It's normal to find mice here in the mountains."

Still feeling sullen, Shi Mei washed her face with the water he provided. Bai She then suggested, "After we pay respects to my master on the mountain, we'll head back to the city for breakfast. Are you hungry?"

Feeling a bit better, Shi Mei shook her head. After freshening up, she let Bai She lead her away by the hand.