"Ma Xingping..."
Yan Shouyi walked forward in disbelief and asked, "What in the world is going on?"
Zhu Huansi, unaccustomed to such scenes, was so frightened she hid behind Zhu Ling, while Zhu Ling himself wore a solemn expression.
Ma Jinxuan's eyes turned red, and she said with a sob, "My brother turned out like this after escaping from the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor."
"Let me tell it."
Old Master Qin sighed, unconsciously rubbing the jade thumb ring on his finger.
"Three days ago, Xingping suddenly broke into my courtyard. He was already covered in wounds and in a very poor state. I immediately arranged for doctors to tend to him. However, not only did Xingping's injuries fail to improve, but he also developed a more peculiar illness."
"At first, Xingping was already somewhat delirious, constantly mumbling something, and his limbs would twitch from time to time. Later, his body gradually lost all sensation, becoming still. Following that, he began to waste away. In just three days, he transformed from a robust young man into the state you see before you."
Everyone gasped, especially Yan Shouyi and Lin Ziqing, who were utterly astonished.
They still remembered how agile Ma Xingping had been, like a monkey, back in Chenjia Village. Yet, in a mere three days, he had become this.
If an uninformed outsider were to see him, they might mistake Ma Xingping for a vegetative patient who hadn't left bed for over a decade.
Ma Xingping sat there now, like a skeletal frame. If it weren't for his occasionally moving eyeballs and the slight rise and fall of his chest, he would have been indistinguishable from a corpse.
Old Master Qin said, "We've invited all the best doctors in Chang'an to examine him, but none of them could figure out what it was."
"That's because they have no understanding of this illness," Old Jin said gravely.
Old Master Qin sized up Old Jin and said, "Jinxuan mentioned earlier that among you is a descendant of the Qi Huang Sect, an ancient medical lineage. Perhaps they can discern what illness Xingping is suffering from. I presume that ancient medical descendant is you?"
Yan Shouyi spoke up, "Old Jin, do you have any ideas?"
Old Jin didn't answer. He stepped forward to feel Ma Xingping's pulse, examined his pupils, and finally shook his head.
"Ma Xingping is not ill."
Lin Ziqing asked in confusion, "Not ill? Then how is he..."
"He is not sick, nor is he poisoned, but rather – cursed," Old Jin stated sternly.
Cursed?!
Everyone was incredibly surprised. Towards this familiar yet unfamiliar word, they naturally harbored a degree of fear.
If it were an illness, it could be treated; if it were poison, it could be detoxified. But a curse was something ethereal and intangible. How could it be removed?
Old Jin shook his head. "This is a curse. Ma Xingping must have provoked something in the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. With my current knowledge, I'm afraid I'm powerless. However..."
Old Jin examined Ma Xingping again and finally delivered his verdict: "Based on Ma Xingping's physical condition, if we cannot break the curse within a week, he will likely be beyond saving."
No one present had the standing to doubt Old Jin's words.
Upon hearing this dire news, Ma Jinxuan couldn't help but burst into tears.
Even someone as strong as she was, could not bear the pain of losing her elder brother.
Lin Ziqing quickly stepped forward to comfort her, "There's still a week left, we can definitely break the curse. Jinxuan, don't give up!"
Leave the comforting to Lin Ziqing.
Yan Shouyi, being a man, naturally needed to remain calmer.
He asked Old Master Qin, "Old Master Qin, when Xingping returned, did he bring back anything, or say anything strange, or do anything peculiar? Please think carefully, as there might be a clue to breaking the curse."
"I was just about to mention that!"
Old Master Qin said sternly, "When Xingping first returned, he could still utter a few simple words. I heard him continuously repeating one phrase even when he was unconscious."
"What did he say?"
Old Master Qin enunciated four words heavily, one by one: "Yang Ling Hu Fu."
"I'm not very educated. Can someone explain what that is?" Long Feicheng asked, scratching his head.
In fact, Old Jin, Weng Qianxiang, and Zhu Huansi also had the same questions, but since Long Feicheng was willing to ask, they all pricked up their ears to listen attentively.
Yan Shouyi explained:
"The Yang Ling Hu Fu was a token used by the First Qin Emperor to mobilize troops."
This Yang Ling Hu Fu was cast in bronze in the shape of a crouching tiger, which could be split in half. On the neck of both the left and right halves of the tiger were twelve characters of inscribed gold seal script, identical:
"A tally of arms, the right is with the Emperor, the left is in Yang Ling."
These twelve characters meant that the right half of the tally was kept by the Emperor, and the left half was with the commanding general stationed in Yang Ling.
Once troops needed to be mobilized, an envoy would carry the right half of the tally for verification. Upon confirmation, troops could be dispatched directly.
In ancient times, with rudimentary methods of information transmission, the tally was the sole proof. Whoever held the tally could command the army, even if ordered to kill the Emperor in the capital, the soldiers would comply without question.
This showed the immense importance of the tally.
Ma Xingping, upon returning from the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, kept muttering about the tally used by the First Qin Emperor to command troops and dispatch generals. There must be a connection, and Yan Shouyi felt this was where the clue lay.
Zhu Ling said at this moment, "I've heard of the Yang Ling Hu Fu too. It's supposedly in the National Museum. Are you planning to steal the Yang Ling Hu Fu?"
The National Museum was not a place that could be entered and exited at will, let alone have items taken from it.
Even Yan Shouyi didn't have absolute confidence, and forcibly stealing things was not his style.
At this point, Old Master Qin said solemnly:
"Actually, the Yang Ling Hu Fu was stolen long ago. What you see is a fake."
"What?" Zhu Ling's mouth widened in astonishment. This was explosive news.
Old Master Qin continued, "The real Yang Ling Hu Fu will appear in our Chang'an Ghost Market tomorrow night."
Everyone was stunned. How did Old Master Qin know the whereabouts of the Yang Ling Hu Fu, and what was this Chang'an Ghost Market?
Yan Shouyi said humbly, "Please explain, Old Master Qin."
Old Master Qin knew that Yan Shouyi and the others were outsiders and didn't understand the inner workings of Chang'an.
He patiently explained:
"Chang'an, as the ancient capital of thirteen dynasties, is not an exaggeration to call it a place of outstanding people and spirit. Precisely because so many kings, marquises, generals, and ministers have appeared on this land, the ghosts of Chang'an are also more numerous and stronger than in other cities."
"The Chang'an Ghost Market is an event regularly held under the patronage of the Ghost King families of Chang'an. At that time, members of Ghost King families from all regions will attend, as well as some ghost kings who claim territories. There will even be Yin-Yang masters, disciples of major sects, and inheritors of folk traditions."
"And in this ghost market, naturally, the goods sold are not things used by the living..."