Nan Shiying: "..."
Even though the former Valley Master was already dead, Nan Shiying still wanted to dig up his corpse and reduce it to ashes.
This was called utter annihilation!
Poison Old Man, counting his fingers, tried hard to digest these utterly absurd remarks. So his master refined medicine boys because he wanted to use the Nirvana essence still not fully absorbed by the Empress to research the elixir of immortality?
"I still can't believe it!"
"If what you say is true, then how did my master die, how..."
Poison Old Man's voice gradually weakened. Whether his master had truly died was still debatable, and he couldn't righteously retort his grand-uncle's absurd claims.
Yet, deep down, he still refused to believe any of it.
Nan Shiying was silent for a moment. What was her relationship with the Medicine King Valley, and was her physical body still in the Medicine King Valley? These were not matters that she needed to figure out immediately.
She had already returned to life through a borrowed body, which meant that she had likely died in the Medicine King Valley. Everything they were hearing now was just the word of the Ghost Old Man, and its truth still needed to be verified.
What was important now was what the Longevity Sect intended to do and to change the border defenses before the Liao Frontier obtained the border map.
"Grand-Uncle, you've been in the black market for many years. Do you know if there are people from the Miao territory and the Longevity Sect hiding in the black market?" Nan Shiying tapped her fingers lightly on the table. The Ghost Old Man had been hiding in the black market for nearly thirty years, so he must know some secrets unknown to others.
The Ghost Old Man pondered and said, "On the east street of the black market, there is a midwife. She is called a midwife, but she specializes in abortions. It is said that her abortion technique is very peculiar."
"Those who have abortions from her are tight-lipped about it, and she always sends away accompanying persons when she performs an abortion, leaving only the patient. Therefore, her skill is mostly speculated upon, with no concrete evidence. However... I suspect she uses Gu."
"Besides that, in the south market, there is a blacksmith who specializes in making cookware. Half of the black market's cookware is bought from him. The dishes made with his cookware are more fragrant than those made with other cookware. I bought one to try, and it seems he added something to it when forging. I haven't figured out what exactly, but I did find that he leaves a mark on the forged cookware. The mark is very small and hard to see with the naked eye. I happened to discover the mark while researching it, and I had seen that mark on the Empress's jade coffin before."
"As for others, although I have been in the black market for decades, I rarely leave the apothecary..."
"Uncle, where do you procure your medicinal herbs? Have you had any regular customers over the years? Or is there something you don't want to say or cannot say?" Nan Shiying interrupted the Ghost Old Man. A midwife? A blacksmith? Did he think they were easy to fool, or that their status prevented them from asking too many questions?
He hadn't said anything relevant, only talking about trivial matters to fill the silence.
The Ghost Old Man was silent, then said, "The medicinal herbs are purchased from the apothecaries above ground, and there are records. You can send people to inquire yourself. As for customers, the black market has no fixed clientele. Unlike transactions above ground, people who buy medicine in the black market are either people who have lived here since birth or wanted criminals whose identities are hidden from the public. Let alone fixed customers, they may not even reveal their faces when buying medicine."
"Are you satisfied with my answer?"
Nan Shiying picked up the wine pot and poured a full cup for the Ghost Old Man, smiling, "Uncle-Grandfather, why do you ask? I am merely concerned about Brother Feng's safety. If we can capture more spies from the Miao territory and the Longevity Sect hidden in the capital, it can also blunt their edge, and preferably disrupt their plans. In their distress, they will have less reason to focus their attention on you."
The Ghost Old Man clicked his tongue, picked up his wine cup, and drained it in one gulp.
"Will I, this old man, live in the Regent's Mansion from now on?" he asked.
Nan Shiying smiled and poured him another cup, "If you don't like it, I'll have someone buy you a manor outside."
"No need, I'll live here!"
"Alright!"
There were still many unoccupied residences in the backyard. When Little Flower's rock garden was built, it was renovated as well. Green Wan tidied up a courtyard, not far from Little Flower's rockery.
After arranging for the Ghost Old Man, Nan Shiying went to the study in the front yard and, without concealment, told Ji Jinmo everything.
Ji Jinmo's hand, which was fiddling with his prayer beads, paused slightly. His focus was remarkably peculiar: "You mean, everything was orchestrated by Yue Sinan? Just so you could live another life?"
Nan Shiying choked. Why was he using such a teeth-gritting tone and such a definitive "you"? She remembered she hadn't confessed everything yet.
Ji Jinmo had only guessed that she wasn't the original Nan Shiying. But how was he so certain that she was Empress Nan Fengluan?
Although some things didn't need to be said, your certainty makes me feel stupid!
Nan Shiying nodded, too lazy to hide it any longer, "If what the Ghost Old Man said is true, then yes."
"Yue Sinan wanted me to live another life."
Ji Jinmo suddenly looked up, his eyes shining as brightly as the midday sun. He had been filled with jealousy just moments ago, but he hadn't expected her to go along with his words and admit everything. Although she still hadn't revealed her identity or anything she was hiding, her responses in the past few days and her tacit admission today made Ji Jinmo ecstatic.
"You... what are you doing?"
Nan Shiying felt a prickle on her back under Ji Jinmo's intense gaze, her throat dry as she swallowed several times. Recalling his almost frantic demands from the previous night, her body began to react strangely.
She wound her sleeve around her finger, glaring at him fiercely with a feigned sternness, her tone of questioning tinged with a tremor, her imposing manner completely gone.
Ji Jinmo got up and walked towards her.
Nan Shiying suddenly stood up and turned to run.
Ji Jinmo, with his quick reflexes, grabbed her hand, pulled her back, and dragged her into his embrace. He lowered his head, looking at her slightly flustered face, his low laughter sounding like a captivating spell, blowing into Nan Shiying's ears and creeping into her body, making her skin tingle all over.
"Why are you running?"
Hearing his amused inquiry, Nan Shiying felt a touch of shy annoyance. She looked up, her eyes, seemingly filled with autumn water, widened, the ripples within them overlapping, reflecting only Ji Jinmo's face.
"Why am I running? I'm not running. Why would I run?" Nan Shiying's triple denial was as stubborn as fruit-flavored hard candy.
Ji Jinmo lowered his head and bit her lip, tasting it. He found it wasn't fruit-flavored, but like iris-flavored hard candy, with a floral scent mixed with honey, fragrant and sweet.