Chapter Sixteen: Confrontation

“Lord Lu, were you looking for me?” Zhou Zheng spoke first.

Lu Chenzhou pulled him into an alley, repeatedly checking to ensure no one was nearby—after all, the entire city was now hunting him.

Zhou Zheng looked frail. Grasping Lu Chenzhou’s arm, he said, “Lord Lu, I have been following you ever since you left the Crown Prince’s mansion. From what I know of the Zhu family, they must have issued you an ultimatum.”

Lu Chenzhou studied Zhou Zheng carefully.

“Just a few days ago, Commander Zhou was the head of the Xiaoling Guard. How did he end up like this?”

Zhou Zheng replied, “Lord Lu, there’s no need for such sarcasm. I once thought you were a prodigal scion, but now it seems you’re the one hiding in the shadows. But that doesn’t matter now. I came today to propose a deal—a sure-win business for you.”

“Do you still have leverage?” Lu Chenzhou asked skeptically.

“Don’t you want to know why I did what I did? And how I came to know about the Netherworld Pavilion?”

The Netherworld Pavilion was indeed what Lu Chenzhou most wished to learn about; otherwise, the Jinyiwei would not be holding Shen Hua so tightly. Yet he couldn’t understand why Shen Hua revealed that Zhou Zheng was a tomb raider—what was her true purpose?

Sensing Lu Chenzhou’s doubt, Zhou Zheng continued, “I don’t have many days left. There’s no need to deceive you. You can arrest me now and take me to the Ministry of Punishments, but I won’t say a word. You know that well.”

Lu Chenzhou pondered briefly, then nodded in agreement. He led Zhou Zheng to the Tianyun Pavilion, entering through the back door.

The light filtering into the imperial prison dimmed gradually. Shen Hua stood in her cell, staring at the direction from which the white crows had just burst in. The cell had grown much quieter. It was a special cell in the imperial prison, reserved for the most difficult prisoners. The guards were mostly astute Jinyiwei. However, due to the earlier commotion, some guards had been reassigned elsewhere.

Suddenly, Shen Hua turned towards the cell door, facing the Jinyiwei guards who looked uneasy. After the earlier incident, they all knew of Shen Hua’s methods. The guards gripped their knives tighter, afraid to speak, watching her every move to ensure she wouldn’t step outside the cell.

Everyone was flustered by what had just happened, except for the person in the cell opposite Shen Hua’s, who lay on the bed with his back turned the entire time. Occasionally, the sound of metal scraping echoed from him. The candlelight stand in the cell was badly damaged due to the presence of those pythons, making the room darker than usual, barely revealing his features.

“Sir, who is the person locked opposite? Despite all that noise, he remained unmoved. He looks dangerous,” Shen Hua said as she approached the cell door to observe the man.

The Jinyiwei glanced briefly at the man, then back at Shen Hua, saying nothing.

Seeing they remained silent, Shen Hua leaned against the bars and touched the lock outside. This immediately prompted a guard to step forward, shouting, “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Nothing, just checking if the lock is secure enough to hold the man opposite,” she replied, a faint smile playing at her lips.

At that moment, another Jinyiwei came over. The two whispered briefly, but before they could finish, one suddenly collapsed, and the other soon followed. Everyone in the cell, except Shen Hua, seemed to fall asleep.

Using the hairpin in her hair, Shen Hua unlocked the cell and stepped out.

“Senior Brother Chi Li, after two months of sleep, it’s time to get up and work.”

She stepped over the two guards and used the same method to open the opposite cell door. The man lying there slowly sat up, adjusted his hair, and smiled. “Junior Sister, I knew you wouldn’t abandon me.”

He raised his arm, at which point Shen Hua took out a porcelain bottle and poured its contents onto the iron chains, which instantly melted into molten metal.

“Leave quickly. Huai Yu is waiting outside.”

Chi Li stretched, feeling relieved. “If it weren’t for these specially made chains, I wouldn’t have been trapped here for two months. Junior Sister, be careful.” With that, he leapt up through the window of Shen Hua’s cell and disappeared.

After he left, Shen Hua returned inside her cell.

“Where is everyone?”

When Wei Shiqi returned, he found two subordinates unconscious on the ground, and one prisoner in the cell long gone. Suppressing his inner fury, he questioned Shen Hua on why she hadn’t escaped with them.

Shen Hua looked at Wei Shiqi with a half-smile. “My lord, if I had fled today, how could I have stayed in Nanjing City? The suspicion on me would never have been cleared. Besides, what do others’ escapes have to do with me? With your intelligence, surely you realize that the whole act was just to draw you away, right?”

“You!” Wei Shiqi was at a loss for how to respond to her sarcastic tone, swallowing his anger repeatedly.

“Want to know how that man escaped?” Shen Hua asked.

Wei Shiqi thought for a moment, then signaled the others to leave.

“Speak.”

“Captain Wei, I, Shen Hua, never make a losing deal. You know that.”

She deliberately pointed at the iron lock on the cell door. “Remember what I told you this morning?”

Wei Shiqi ground his back teeth, eyes sharp as knives. “Doctor Shen, you haven’t eaten all day. How about trying some of the imperial prison’s cuisine?”

Shen Hua’s face immediately darkened, but she quickly recovered. “Thank you for your concern for the common folk, my lord.”

Within half an incense stick’s time, iron shackles identical to those on her senior brother were clamped onto Shen Hua’s wrists and ankles. Various torture instruments were laid before her. Wei Shiqi sat opposite, sipping tea and tapping his fingertips on the table’s edge.

“Doctor Shen must be tired from daily diagnosis and treatment. Today she’ll experience the Jinyiwei’s hospitality firsthand.”

Wei Shiqi gave a subtle nod to his subordinate.

“Wait.”

He suddenly stood, a mysterious smile playing on his lips. “Let me help Doctor Shen remove her outer garment so it won’t get soiled.”

He reached out to take off Shen Hua’s coat. Shen Hua’s pupils contracted sharply, her fingertips clenching into her palm, yet her expression remained unchanged. The onlookers remained silent, but all wore chilling smiles.

“Clink…”

As the coat was removed, a copper bell fell to the ground.

Wei Shiqi bent down to pick it up.

“Don’t,” Shen Hua warned.

His hand paused mid-air but still retrieved the bell, shaking it twice by his ear. No sound came forth. He tried a few more times, still silent. He asked if the bell was sensitive to those things.

“That depends on who uses it,” Shen Hua replied with a sneer.

“Is that so?”

Her words carried a hidden meaning this time, causing Wei Shiqi to hesitate, as if his thoughts had been read.

Wei Shiqi picked up a knife from the torture table. “That day in the imperial tomb, you used knives like this to open those corpses one by one. I thought it incredible that someone could do that without blinking. Such a person can only be an assassin; no other identity fits.”

Shen Hua laughed and sighed. “I’ve said all I need to say. If Captain Wei still believes I have some hidden motive, then let me see your methods.”

“Very well.”

Wei Shiqi had his subordinates introduce the imperial prison’s specialized instruments.

“Doctor Shen, there are thirteen interesting devices here: ‘Wildcat Companion,’ ‘Ants on a Tree,’ ‘Rising Coffin for Fortune,’ ‘Mouse Burrow,’ ‘Step on Lotus,’ ‘Frying Human Face,’ ‘Drinking Poison to Quench Thirst,’ ‘Grooming and Dressing,’ ‘Masterful Skin Painting,’ ‘Pipa Performance,’ ‘Bearing Thorn to Apologize,’ ‘Fiery Red Embroidered Shoes,’ and ‘Ever-Smiling Mouth.’ Pick one, and we’ll try it.”

“Oh?”

Shen Hua deliberately raised her voice. “Then let’s go with ‘Rising Coffin for Fortune’—sounds auspicious.”

Wei Shiqi resumed his seat as his subordinates placed a sheet of paper on Shen Hua’s face, carefully wetting it with water. Layer by layer, the paper stuck tightly to her skin. By the fifth layer, Shen Hua felt her breath grow shallow, yet she remained silent. The Jinyiwei kept adding paper and water, chanting “Rising Coffin for Fortune.” By the ninth sheet, Shen Hua began to struggle for breath, her limbs instinctively moving but unable to escape.

At that moment, Wei Shiqi suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if bitten by something. The pain was excruciating. The teacup in his hand slipped and shattered on the floor. Blood sprayed from his mouth. He realized he had been poisoned.

His subordinates rushed to support him and investigate.

“Stop!” Wei Shiqi managed to say.

The executioners ceased immediately, hurriedly peeling away the layers of damp paper from Shen Hua’s face.

Shen Hua’s expression turned dazed, her face pale. Suddenly, a flash of light shot through her mind—a sharp sword stained with blood. The masked wielder’s voice echoed by her ear: “Don’t be afraid, I’m here to save you.”

A basin of icy water dragged Shen Hua back into her cell. Her nostrils and lungs burned painfully, gasping a few deep breaths before she could steady herself. She then looked at Wei Shiqi.

“I’m someone who cherishes life. If I’m to die, I’ll take someone with me.”

Wei Shiqi covered his mouth with a square cloth, but it quickly turned red. Ignoring Shen Hua’s eerie calmness, he signaled his subordinates.

Shen Hua continued, “My lord, I warned you just now.”

Wei Shiqi kept coughing up blood, barely able to remain seated. He glared hatefully at the bell on the table, no longer daring to touch it.

His subordinates grabbed Shen Hua’s collar, demanding to know where the antidote was.

“This poison only I can cure, and the antidote is in my mind,” she replied sharply, shooting a dagger-like glance at the guard holding her. Possibly fearing further poisoning, he immediately released her.

“Well then, Captain Wei, we’ve both tasted death from the same source.”

Wei Shiqi coughed more blood, trying to rise but lacking strength, leaning on his subordinates. His face twitched violently. His eyes burned fiercely like a starving wolf as he snarled, “Madwoman.”

Shen Hua smiled. “My lord must remember, I’m a ghost doctor—not exactly sane in your eyes. Let me remind you, if you cough up blood for another hour, your days will be numbered.”

Hearing this, the subordinates wasted no time removing Shen Hua’s iron chains and returning her coat, their attitude vastly improved. Shen Hua looked at the wet paper she had just peeled off and threw it aside.

“Captain Wei, I am merely a doctor. You should not be targeting me.”

She popped a pill into Wei Shiqi’s mouth. “This pill will only keep you safe from death for seven days.”

One of Wei Shiqi’s subordinates grew agitated, moving to choke Shen Hua, but stopped halfway. Shen Hua pressed a knife to his abdomen, eyes full of disdain.

“You’re no match for Doctor Shen. Step back.”

Wei Shiqi finally regained some composure but remained seated.

“My lord.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t kill you, Captain Wei.”

Shen Hua’s tone was mocking as she spoke to the Jinyiwei.

“My lord, you needn’t doubt my identity. Nine out of ten doctors know their poisons; poisoning can be done in an instant. I grew up wandering the martial world alone. If I hadn’t learned some tricks to protect myself, I would have died long ago.”

She pocketed the copper bell and added, “You may not believe me, but it doesn’t matter to me. Seven days from now, I will give you the antidote. Until then, don’t trouble me, or I may not survive—but you certainly won’t. Also, I will remember today’s events, and one day, you will pay.”

The Jinyiwei valued their lives most of all. Despite her harsh words, Wei Shiqi had no choice but to endure. His breathing was heavy, and he barely managed a crack in his lips.

“You like money, don’t you? How about we make a deal?”

Shen Hua shook her head, refusing.

“You can make deals with Lu Chenzhou. Why not with me?”

“Because you’re Jinyiwei. And a smart one at that. I don’t work with smart people.”

Her eyes flickered upward slyly.

Wei Shiqi forced a bitter smile. “If Lu Chenzhou heard that, he’d hold a grudge.”

Shen Hua thought silently, “Perhaps he’s the one you should be investigating.”

“For now, I’ll release you, but you’re not to leave the city. I will order your portrait sent to the Five Cities Military Command.”

Shen Hua sneered. “Suit yourself.” She leaned close to Wei Shiqi’s ear and whispered, “The other day at the imperial tomb, you were entangled by those things, weren’t you? If you need me, come to the Ghost Market. But my price will be higher.”

Veins bulged on Wei Shiqi’s face, his knuckles cracking, but then he lowly chuckled, “Very well… Doctor Shen.”

By the time Shen Hua left the imperial prison, night had fallen. The moon flickered behind clouds. She looked up at the moon hanging high, sighed deeply, as if setting aside the day’s ordeals.

Walking across the bridge, the bustling sounds from across the river filled the air. Nanjing City seemed calm, but storms always come after such quiet.