"Constable! Wake up!"
"Constable! You must be alright!"
"Oh no! The constable isn't breathing!"
"Quick! Pinch his philtrum, press his tiger's mouth, slap his face!"
Someone, not sure who, made the suggestion. The nearest constable helped the man up and landed a resounding slap.
With a *crack*, Li Zhao's face turned to the side.
The echo was loud, but the man didn't wake up.
"No reaction?"
"Hit him... a few more times."
The people nearby urged them on.
And so, a continuous series of *slap-slap* sounds echoed from the doorway, even developing a rhythm as they continued.
Rong Zhi and Xia Yunting watched this scene in bewilderment.
Suddenly, Xia Yunting lowered his head and whispered to Rong Zhi, "Are they fighting amongst themselves?"
"Most likely they have a grudge."
Soon, Li Zhao's face was red and swollen. Rong Zhi finally couldn't stand it anymore.
"Stop hitting him, you'll kill him if you keep going."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it successfully drew everyone's attention.
The slapping sounds came to an abrupt halt.
A constable, seeing Rong Zhi, immediately charged forward viciously.
"Speak quickly, you..."
"Hmm?"
His words were cut short as a tall figure blocked his path.
A terrifying oppressive aura immediately washed over him. The constable glanced at the man in front of him. He was tall, only slightly handsome, but his eyes revealed a deep killing intent, as if they could freeze a person like ice.
His voice faltered, "You... what did you do to our constable?"
Rong Zhi looked with satisfaction at the man standing protectively in front of her. Accustomed to dealing with all sorts of troublesome individuals alone, it was the first time someone had stood up for her, and it felt quite good.
Her voice was cold.
"You didn't state your purpose and trespassed into my home. This is just a small lesson for you. If you continue to make a scene, I guarantee you'll suffer more than he did."
The constable was stunned. Seeing the thin young girl, he didn't expect her to be so formidable.
Recalling how he had fainted from the fumes last time, he dared not act rashly. He softened his tone.
"Well... aren't we in a hurry to find someone? Miss, could you at least let our constable wake up first?"
That was more reasonable.
Xia Yunting then stepped aside.
Rong Zhi parted the crowd and walked to Li Zhao. She saw that his face was a bright red, like peach blossoms blooming all over the mountain, with a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.
This was definitely a personal vendetta!
Rong Zhi couldn't help but sigh. Her Ghost Fly Grass could at most stimulate the senses, causing people to faint from the stench. The power of these two slaps was far greater than that of the Ghost Fly Grass.
She leaned down, pried open his mouth, and fed him a pill.
A moment later, Li Zhao slowly opened his eyes. The instant he regained consciousness, he yelped in surprise.
"Why does my face hurt so much?"
"Constable!"
The constable who had been hitting him earlier pushed Rong Zhi aside and grabbed Li Zhao.
"Constable, you scared us to death! You were poisoned, your face was so swollen, we thought you... Luckily, this young lady gave you an antidote, otherwise you wouldn't have woken up."
As he spoke, he dramatically wiped his eyes.
Rong Zhi couldn't help but applaud him inwardly.
Impressive. Fortunately, there were no mirrors here, otherwise if this constable saw his face covered in palm prints three inches long, this charade wouldn't be maintainable.
Li Zhao clutched his face and gasped several times. Confirming that he had indeed turned into a pig's head, he couldn't help but curse, "Damn it!" Then he saw Rong Zhi.
He was suddenly startled. Recalling the sequence of events, a hint of defensiveness appeared on his face.
"Are you done with your statement? If so, you'll come with us."
Rong Zhi gave him a half-smile.
"I will go, of course. It's just... there are many poisonous herbs growing near my home. You have been here for too long, and I'm sure you've all inhaled some of the scent. You're fine now, but who knows if it will have an effect later? This is the antidote. Eat it, otherwise, if something happens later, you'll blame me."
As Rong Zhi spoke, she took out several identical pills.
The crowd hesitated at first, but seeing that the constable had taken one without any issues, they gradually took them and swallowed them.
Xia Yunting beside her looked on with curiosity. Those unfamiliar pills were definitely not ordinary clearing pills.
"It's cool and tastes good."
"I was wondering why it felt so smelly around here earlier. Now the smell is gone."
After taking them, several people felt refreshed and looked at Rong Zhi with a newfound admiration.
"Let's go."
Perhaps it was because Rong Zhi had given them the antidote, but the constables were quite polite to Rong Zhi and Xia Yunting along the way. Only Li Zhao walked at the very front, grimacing and covering the swelling on his face.
Rong Zhi felt that this group of people probably had no ill intentions, but they wouldn't say what the specific matter was when asked.
The group arrived at the county town, passed through several bustling streets, and arrived at a grand mansion.
Rong Zhi looked up and saw the plaque above the entrance inscribed with two strong, vigorous characters – Zhang Mansion.
Upon seeing these words, a bright woman in red suddenly appeared in Rong Zhi's mind: the county magistrate's daughter, Zhang Yajing.
These constables had come to find her, but they didn't take her to the yamen; instead, they came to the Zhang Mansion. Recalling the events on the street that day, Rong Zhi guessed that Miss Zhang was unwell and needed her medical attention.
Treating an illness was not a major issue. Rong Zhi couldn't help but survey her surroundings. The courtyard was large, with winding corridors and pavilions. In a blink, they had reached the back courtyard.
Rong Zhi recalled the lady's pulse from that day. It seemed to be asthma, yet different from ordinary asthma. Judging by her condition, it wasn't serious, and there must have been a highly skilled physician who regularly treated her.
As she was thinking, a surprised voice suddenly rang out from ahead.
"Divine Doctor! You're here!"
Rong Zhi followed the sound and looked. The person had already approached.
Still dressed in red, but with dark circles under her eyes and a sallow complexion, it was clear she hadn't slept well recently and her diet was irregular.
Rong Zhi smiled slightly and asked, "Miss Zhang, are you feeling unwell recently?"
"It's not me who is ill, it's a friend of mine. Divine Doctor, where do you live? You made me search everywhere! Oh, and who is this..."
Zhang Yajing's eyes immediately noticed Xia Yunting.
"This is my husband, Xia... Lei."
"Oh, greetings, Young Master Xia."
Zhang Yajing performed a fist-and-palm salute.
Xia Yunting nodded slightly, remaining silent, thinking that this girl really liked to make up names. Xia Lei? It's almost like it's going to rain.
Zhang Yajing didn't say much, always feeling that this man had an unapproachable aura.
"Where is the patient now?"
Only when she confirmed she was there to see a patient did Rong Zhi relax.
"In the wing room to the east. I'll take you there."
"Eldest Miss, since we've found the person we were looking for, we'll be going back now."
Li Zhao's expression was grim. He had been in pain all the way here, and his face had swollen even more than before. After a brief remark, he clasped his hands and left.
"Hey, wait a moment..."
Rong Zhi tried to stop him, but he left very quickly, disappearing from sight in an instant.
"Divine Doctor, quickly come and see the patient. He has been in a coma for seven days."
"Alright."
Upon hearing about the patient, Rong Zhi also became anxious. She followed Zhang Yajing to the east wing room. When Xia Yunting entered, Zhang Yajing hesitated for a moment but ultimately did not stop him.
Seeing this, the constables also dispersed.
The moment she saw the patient, Rong Zhi had to exclaim, what a small world!
Isn't this the quack doctor who scammed and cheated people? She was just about to settle accounts with him.
"Divine Doctor, please take a look quickly."
"Alright."
Rong Zhi first observed. The man's complexion was ruddy, his expression peaceful, and his breathing was even. He looked as if he were merely asleep, not ill at all.
She asked Zhang Yajing.
"Miss Zhang, when did the patient become like this?"
Zhang Yajing seemed to recall something and looked a little embarrassed.
"Seven days ago, I went to visit him and saw him collapsed on the ground, unconscious. I brought him back. I thought he was just exhausted and would wake up soon. I didn't expect that seven days have passed, and there's been no sign of him waking up. Even calling him gets no response."
Seven days ago?
Rong Zhi's expression turned a bit strange.
"Did he eat or drink anything at the time?"
"Drink anything... Oh, I remember! There was a teacup next to him, but the water inside had already dried up."
Understood, it was Drunk Immortal.
Rong Zhi didn't expect that he would actually drink that cup of water.
However... if he fell into a coma due to accidentally drinking Drunk Immortal, and hadn't eaten or drunk anything for several days, how could his complexion be so ruddy?
To be safe, Rong Zhi still checked his pulse. The pulse was steady and strong, showing no signs of illness whatsoever.
She became even more puzzled.
She examined him and found no obvious external injuries.
"Miss Zhang, has the patient eaten anything during his coma these past few days?"
"No, he hasn't eaten any of the meals I cooked these past seven days, not even a sip of water."
As she said this, Zhang Yajing wore a troubled expression.
Rong Zhi looked at her haggard appearance and her obvious worry, and immediately understood the relationship between these two.
It seemed this young lady was smitten with him.
"Miss Zhang, the patient's condition is a bit complicated. I need to stay and observe for a while."
"Oh, that would be wonderful! I'll prepare rooms for you!"
Zhang Yajing had already intended to ask, but they had only met once, and she hadn't figured out how to bring it up. She never expected the other party to take the initiative, which was truly surprising.
She happily went out the door and bumped into Cui Xi.
"Miss, why haven't you rested yet? You haven't slept for a day and a night. Madam just scolded me severely and told me to watch you sleep. Hurry back to your room!"
"Never mind that. Cui Xi, quickly have someone prepare a wing room. The Divine Doctor will be staying at our home. Also, tell the kitchen to buy some fresh vegetables, as well as chickens, ducks, and fish. Buy the fattest ones. I want to host a banquet for the Divine Doctor tonight."
"Divine Doctor?"
Cui Xi was stunned.
"Have you found the young lady from last time?"
"Found her! She's inside seeing to the illness."
"That's great! Doctor Chu will be saved!"
"Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and prepare the room!"
"Right away!"
Cui Xi quickly called two people and rushed off to prepare the room. Halfway through, Cui Xi suddenly stopped.
What was she supposed to do when she found the young lady earlier?
While Zhang Yajing was busy with the servants, Rong Zhi and Xia Yunting were contemplating Chu Qingze.
"When you eliminate all the impossible hypotheses, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth," Rong Zhi said softly.
She looked at Xia Yunting.
"He's faking it."