Chapter 23: Citywide Manhunt

As soon as she finished removing the needles, Wang Dalin had the two physicians examine the patient. Qin Hanxiao tactfully stepped aside. She was confident she would not be discovered; no matter how they examined him, the result would be the same as what she had stated. She busied herself checking the medicine packets and handed the oral medication to Wang Dalin.

"This is the oral medicine. Take it to be decocted now. Soak it for the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, bring it to a boil over a high flame, then simmer it down until three bowls of water become one. Additionally, prepare some clean water and a stone mortar for me."

Wang Dalin handed the medicine to a servant and had the items brought to her. Throughout the process, he watched Qin Hanxiao prepare the medicine intently, even being ordered by her to grind the herbs. Halfway through, the two physicians reached a diagnosis: "The patient suffered a severe blow to the back of the head, resulting in massive intracranial hemorrhage. There are also several burns on the body, which are likely to leave scars. We apologize, but our medical skills are limited. You should seek a more capable expert."

As expected, it was just as she had predicted. Hearing this, Wang Dalin cast another suspicious glance at Qin Hanxiao, but he could discern nothing from her calm expression. Nevertheless, he felt that this woman was plotting something.

After the physicians left, Master Chang kicked over a chair in a rage. "You wretch! If you cannot cure Young Master Zheng, I will have your whole family buried with him."

Qin Hanxiao thought to herself: If he went to kill the Qin He family right now, she would applaud him. But given her current predicament, she had to bow her head. "If Master Chang does not trust me, you may invite all the famous doctors in Mingjiang Prefecture. I guarantee that I am the only one who can save him."

As for when he would be cured, however, that was not guaranteed. All she could do now was stall and wait for an opportunity to save herself. She also hoped that Pei Yuantang and the others would find her, though the chances of that were slim. Even if they discovered that Qin He had sold her out, they might not be able to track her here. Another possibility was that they might assume she had run away again. Rather than waiting for uncertain possibilities, she had to fight for her own survival.

Once the medicine was prepared, Qin Hanxiao had Wang Dalin help undress Young Master Zheng. As she applied the medicine to him, she thought: You cannot only blame me; I am merely acting for my own self-preservation. You have suffered, and I have suffered, so we are even. The real culprits are that man named Chang and Wang Dalin. When you wake up, make sure you identify the right enemies and take fierce revenge.

After the medicine arrived, Qin Hanxiao secretly added a tiny drop of spiritual spring water to it. She only wanted to save herself; she did not want to take a life.

***

No one could sleep that night; everyone was waiting for Young Master Zheng to wake up. By noon the next day, after the third dose of medicine had been administered, Young Master Zheng finally regained consciousness. However, he could not move his body at all, nor could he speak; only his eyes could move.

This terrified everyone, including Wang Dalin and his men. Master Chang, in particular, pressed a blade against Qin Hanxiao’s throat. "Didn't you say you could cure him? What is this? Is this what you call a cure, you bitch? I'll skin you alive first!"

Young Master Zheng was the brother-in-law of Magistrate Cao, the imperial merchant. If something happened to him here, none of his family would escape the consequences. Had he known this would happen, he never would have gotten involved. He hadn't tasted any profit, but instead, he had invited a lethal disaster.

With the blade at her throat, Qin Hanxiao was terrified, but she didn't even dare to tremble for fear that Master Chang's hand might slip. "His condition is temporary. Once the intracranial hemorrhage clears, he will recover. I will apply acupuncture to him daily; he will be able to speak in at most half a month, and he will be able to move freely in two months." She wanted to say it would take longer, but she feared they would become suspicious.

Master Chang truly wanted to skin her, but given the current situation, he had to keep her alive. Gritting his teeth, he warned, "You had better not play any tricks."

Still fuming, he turned and kicked Wang Dalin. "You watch her. If she pulls any more stunts, I will hold you accountable."

Wang Dalin didn't even dare to groan after taking the kick. "Don't worry, Master Chang. I will have men guard her every step of the way. I guarantee she won't be able to pull any more tricks."

After Master Chang left, Wang Dalin glared at Qin Hanxiao and ordered his men to surround the room. "Do not let a single fly escape."

Qin Hanxiao swallowed hard and rubbed her neck; fortunately, it wasn't bleeding. *Why didn't he kick him to death?* she thought. She hadn't eaten or drunk anything for a day and a night, and she was nearly fainting from hunger. "Could I please have something to eat?"

Wang Dalin shot her an annoyed glare and refused. Qin Hanxiao pouted. "If I starve to death, Young Master Zheng will die too, and you'll be buried with him."

Wang Dalin let out a heavy huff and ordered someone to bring her food. While eating, she tried to probe for information about their current location, but Wang Dalin glared at her and left after throwing out a warning: "If you talk nonsense again, I'll cut out your tongue."

After eating her fill, Qin Hanxiao slumped over the table to doze off. This was a war of attrition; she couldn't let her body collapse first. As for Young Master Zheng on the bed, she didn't need to worry about him; there were servants to take care of his bodily functions.

She did not know how many people were frantically searching for her outside. When she didn't return yesterday, Pei Yuanxing had set out to look for her. He had indeed thought the same as Qin Hanxiao suspected—that she had run away again.

He left in a rage, and when passing through the village, someone asked him, "Third Brother, where are you rushing to?" He naturally wouldn't admit that Qin Hanxiao had run off, so he only said, "I'm going to pick up my second sister-in-law."

The person who asked him replied, "Isn't your second sister-in-law already back? I went into town to sell mountain goods today, and on my way back, I ran into the carriage that brought her home. I recognize the young man who was driving it."

If she had already been brought back, then where had she gone? Someone nearby added, "I saw your second sister-in-law's father this morning. Did she go back to her maiden home for some reason?"

When he rushed to the Qin residence and asked, Qin He claimed he had never been to Shanghe Village and had not seen Qin Hanxiao. Instead, he turned the tables, accusing them of theft. "Did you lose my daughter? You compensate me for my daughter!"

With a look from him, Mrs. Luo caught on, immediately grabbing Pei Yuanxing's arm and howling. "My poor daughter! She married a cripple, only to be mistreated by her in-laws. It's only been a few months, and you've already mistreated her to death!"

Pei Yuanxing was already frustrated from not being able to find her, and he could no longer hold his temper against their unreasonable entanglement. "People in our village saw that it was you who went to find Qin Hanxiao. Where have you hidden her? If you don't hand her over, don't blame me for being impolite."

Mrs. Luo ran out into the street to wail, drawing the whole village to watch the spectacle, insisting that the Pei family had beaten Qin Hanxiao to death and demanding compensation. Pei Yuanxing couldn't explain himself no matter how hard he tried, and with so many people watching, he couldn't possibly resort to violence.

He simply shouted, "If you can't make it clear, then come with me to the magistrate's office!"

As soon as he said this, Mrs. Luo, who had been crying to the heavens, immediately shut her mouth. Qin He also looked guilty, stuttering and refusing to respond. Yet he still bellowed, "I don't care about that! You killed my daughter; the Pei family must either pay money or pay with a life!"

He had clearly mentioned she was missing, but they insisted she was dead. This made Pei Yuanxing deeply suspicious of them. After returning and explaining the situation to Pei Yuantang, Pei Yuantang immediately sent him to the docks to find Jiang Qing and his men.

Jiang Qing brought over twenty men to the Qin residence. These were men who lived by the blade, and with just a few methods, they made Qin He confess. However, when he led his men to the Zhisheng Gambling House, where Wang Dalin often frequented, they found no one. After asking around, no one knew where Wang Dalin had gone.

Without finding Wang Dalin, there was no news of Qin Hanxiao. In order to find him, they didn't hesitate to send men to search the entire city. Pei Yuantang stayed home, but he utilized all his connections. She was timid and delicate; he didn't know how she was faring now. No matter what happened, she had to stay alive.