Liu Xian’an was so sleepy from being massaged that he lay on the couch and watched through the window as a few white butterflies descended. Liang Shu followed his gaze and said: “There are more and more butterflies in the army these days.”

“En,” Liu Xian’an replied lazily. “There will be more in the future. It would be great if A-Yuan were here. She loves butterflies the most.”

There were many butterflies in the southwest, so it was not a strange thing. The person with Ku You’s face constantly walked around the military camp on crutches. Gao Lin followed beside him, complaining endlessly, you look half-dead, so why do you have such good physical strength? It won’t do to measure the entire radius of one hundred and ten li with your feet. Is this illness real or fake?

Yuan Yu ignored his chatter and continued to walk across the wet ground, watching the white butterflies flutter high and low in the shadows of the grass and trees under the moonlight. He thought he had successfully attracted poisonous Gu, but in fact, the white butterflies were attracted by disciples of Baihe Mountain Village using nectar. The two looked roughly the same, but there were some subtle differences. With the interference of nighttime and the silver gauze, they were almost unnoticeable.

In addition, Gao Lin complained about dizziness and weak legs from time to time. They also met a few soldiers along the way who had to go to the hospital for treatment because of a severe wet cough, which was a sign that the plague of poison was spreading. Everything was going according to Yuan Yu’s plans.

And as more and more soldiers developed symptoms, the demand for heat-clearing and detoxifying herbs in this area also surged. Medicinal supply dealers often asked one or two questions when delivering herbs, and the news spread like this. But it did not cause a panic—after all, the southwest was heavy with humidity and miasma. It was common to have headaches and fever if one was not careful during the summer.

. . . . . . .

Feng Xiaojin stroked his sore temples and tried to sit up in bed, only to feel that his muscles and bones were weak. He realized something was wrong and turned his head to glance at the antidote on the cabinet, then gritted his teeth and tried to get out of bed, but he only moved less than two cun.

When he tried to perform exercises, his qi dispersed without gathering. Feng Xiaojin clenched his fists, his face turning blue. He had thought he still had time. He had thought that as long as Liang Shu was still alive, his martial arts would be valuable to Mu Zhe, but now it seemed the madman was much crazier than he had imagined.

Feng Xiaojin rolled over and fell to the ground, crawling toward the cabinet little by little.

And the Nanyang woman, disguised as Wumeng Yunle, had already walked into Wumeng Yunyou’s room with a medicine bowl. When the witch doctors standing guard saw her, they stood up, bowed, and then left. Wumeng Yunyou turned his head and smiled: “What’s wrong? You look unhappy? Is Ku You ignoring you again?”

“No.”

“Then don’t scowl miserably. Everything’s ready, right? When do you leave?” Wumeng Yunyou sat up and reached out to pinch his sister’s face, but she dodged. The Nanyang woman turned her head and said softly: “Master asked me to visit twenty more cities this time.”

“Twenty?” Wumeng Yunyou frowned. “This is too many. And Liang Shu is always watching your movements. The longer you stay out, the greater the danger. Why would Master arrange this?”

“Because of Liu Nanyuan. She is highly sought after by the entire southwest now. Liang Shu wants her to take my place.” The Nanyang woman said hatefully, “He wrote many beautiful stories for her, comparing her to a goddess who can resurrect the dead, and pushing her to the top of the clouds full of shining golden light. He also spread rumors to trample me into the mud, saying that I am not the successor of the Baifu Buddha Mother. He says I…..that Ku You and I had a private affair, and that I’ve already fled to the Valley of Ten Faces while pregnant.”

“Nonsense!” Wumeng Yunyou held her arm and said, “Ai, don’t cry, ah. This is why Master asked you to go to twenty more cities?”

“Yes. In order to make the rumors more credible, Liang Shu even found someone to pretend to be me and pay homage to Liu Nanyuan.” The Nanyang woman looked at Wumeng Yunyou, her eyes red with grievance. “Ge, kill her for me. Kill Liu Nanyuan. I don’t want to wait one moment, do it now.”

“Okay, okay,” Wumeng Yunyou agreed. “I’ll kill her for you.” He nodded in a light and airy way, because in his heart, it was just one life. Whether her name was Liu Nanyuan or Liu Beiyuan, it was just the flick of a blade.

A witch doctor came in with a bowed head, holding a porcelain jar in his hands. The Nanyang woman took his hand and warned: “Uncle will not allow you to use the Embroidered Spider Lady. You must not tell him.”

Wumeng Yunyou hesitated a bit, but couldn’t resist his sister’s plea in the end and said: “Okay, but if Uncle gets angry because of this in the future, you have to speak for me.”

He lay back on the bed and watched the witch doctor pour the huge spider out of the porcelain jar. When this black and red monster scented blood, it immediately stabbed its hairy claws into flesh with excitement, then slowly wriggled forward and bit the skin cun by cun with venom-containing teeth.

The Nanyang woman stood outside the bed canopy, gazing at the pale cheeks of the young man inside. She smiled brightly: “Thank you, Gege.”

Wumeng Yunyou’s consciousness gradually blurred, but after some brief sleep, he soon woke up again. He looked down at the wound on his waist. Although the surrounding area was shining with a strange black sheen, it had been completely “sewn up,” and his movements were unimpeded. He took the sword beside the bed and left the dense forest without stopping.

The Nanyang woman asked: “What if he fails to complete the task?”

“He is more than capable of killing Liu Nanyuan.” Mu Zhe gazed after the young man’s back in the jungle. “Taking a step back, even if he fails and is killed by Liang Shu, there is nothing to regret. If I keep him here, sooner or later he will have to fight against me for his uncle and sister. It is better to send him out to fend for himself.”

The Nanyang woman shook her head: “It’s just a shame about that face.”

“You are pretending to be A-Le, the last thing you will lack in the future is a man. It is a pity that you are so short-sighted.” Mu Zhe turned around and walked back. “Since the reward has been collected, start working tomorrow.”

The Nanyang woman raised her hand and examined the newly painted black nails: “That’s easy to say.”

By the time Feng Xiaojin finished his movement and breathing exercises and arrived at Wumeng Yunyou’s residence, the courtyard was already empty.

Although Ku You was certain that Feng Xiaojin would cooperate with him, he did not expect that the other party would stumble all the way to the dark room. There was darkness all around, and Ku You relied solely on his ears to hold his arm and ask: “Mu Zhe—”

“Mu Zhe hasn’t discovered this place.” Feng Xiaojin was covered in cold sweat. He bit off his words forcefully and slapped a thick pile of paper into his arms. “Yunyou is missing. I suspect Mu Zhe has sent him to the Valley of Ten Faces. These are the things you wanted. I’ll let you go if you promise to spare his and A-Le’s lives.” Feng Xiaojin’s eyes darkened. He continued after a moment, “Both he and A-Le have been poisoned. I have been searching for an antidote for many years, but I haven’t been able to find one so far. I wrote down the few things I have. You…..perhaps Baihe Mountain Village can find a way to keep them alive, or at least let them suffer less.”

Ku You helped him sit in the corner. He reached out to check his pulses and asked: “Bone erosion powder?”

“Mu Zhe wants to turn me into a puppet. He only needs this face. It’s best if I can move, but better for me not to be able to move than to lose it.” Feng Xiaojin raised his head and leaned against the stone wall with a bitter smile. “But he underestimated my skills. You go, don’t worry about me. There are masks and pills in the bag, which can reduce the poison of the forest miasma. Go toward the direction of the Northern Wolf Star. At the end is your Dayan’s military camp.”

Ku You raised his hand and sealed two of his acupuncture points, which would delay the spread of the poison. “You know I can see?”

Feng Xiaojin didn’t answer, and only said with all his strength: “Remember what you promised me.”

He groped for the mechanism, pulled hard in his direction and flipped the latch, sending Ku You out.

Outside was soft, moist woodland.

At midnight, Mu Zhe walked into the courtyard carrying a tray and tools. He planned to do it himself and keep the other person’s face forever, but when he opened the door, he saw nothing but a mess. The person had long since vanished. If Wumeng Yunle’s disappearance had made him furious, then Feng Xiaojin’s disappearance filled his heart with panic and fear. The tray in his hand immediately fell. Various utensils clattered and shattered to pieces. The disciples outside the door followed the sound and rushed over, only to receive a furious roar: “Go, get him back for me!”

Silver-white torches lit up most of the dense forest.

But in the end, nothing came of it.

Mu Zhe waited anxiously at first, then sat blankly in the room, crying, cursing, and then crying again, pacing back and forth like a trapped animal. Thinking that he might lose the lover in his memory forever, his blood receded and his face turned as pale as paper. 

“How dare you,” he repeated over and over again. “How dare you!”

No disciple dared to approach the leader again, and everyone in the forest was in a panic, fearing that if they were not careful, they would lose their heads. And just at this moment when anxiety was spreading, someone suddenly discovered that Liu Hengchang had also disappeared mysteriously. No one could tell whether he had fled by himself or with Feng Xiaojin. In any case, he had vanished completely.

There was a boom, like a heavy object falling to the ground.

Feng Xiaojin listened distractedly, and then there was a slight call: “Young Master Feng, Young Master Feng!”

Liu Hengchang followed a rope and slipped down nimbly. He picked up the bag on the ground, patted it clean, and put it on the table. Then he lit a fire stick. “Young Master Feng, Commander Ku asked me to come over.”

Feng Xiaojin didn’t speak. He also had no energy to speak anymore. Liu Hengchang checked his pulse and quickly opened the needle pack, prepared ointment, and helped the man lay down on a small bed.

. . . . . . .

In this land, it seemed that only Liu Nanyuan and many of the common people in the southwest were completely happy.

Just like Second Young Master Liu said, she was so happy that she didn’t even remember to write a letter, so he relied on Chang Xiaoqiu and Cheng Suyue to send letters back. Liu Xian’an read them over and over again. Liang Shu asked: “What, can’t you memorize it the first time?”

“Isn’t it possible that A-Yuan met a sick man she likes?” The more Liu Xian’an thought about it, the more he felt that this possibility was not low. 

Liang Shu said: “I don’t think so. And based on Chang Xiaoqiu’s letter overflowing with joy, it doesn’t look like he’s fallen out of love.’

Liu Xian’an still sighed. Ai, ai, ai, he really had somewhat of a brotherly appearance.

Liang Shu took this person back into his arms: “You really miss A-Yuan. I’ll ask Gao Lin to send you there so that you can take some time to relax by the way. You won’t have to be bored in the military camp and be disciplined when you laze around for a while.”

“Da-ge has had no time to teach me these past few days,” Liu Xian’an said. “Wumeng Yunle is enough to give him a headache.”

One headache was the antidote, and the second headache was the other person’s mental state. Mu Zhe had used a lot of Gu to give her a normal appearance even though her body was full of poison, and now that the medicine had stopped, all kinds of negative consequences were appearing one by one. The most obvious one was that she was no longer beautiful. Her fair skins seemed to have been sprayed with a layer of black and yellow dye, and ugly speckles had appeared on both sides of her nose.

Wumeng Yunle screamed and broke the mirror in front of her.

Liu Xianche frowned: “Calm down.”

“You, you are jealous of me!” Wumeng Yunle tried to rush forward, but was stopped by the soldiers. She continued to curse, “Your sister is jealous of me!”

“A-Yuan has never seen you at all.” Liu Xianche said, “I am a doctor. As long as you are willing to cooperate with treatment, this face—”

Before he could finish speaking, Wumeng Yunle lowered her head and bit the hand in front of her. The soldier hurriedly broke away and accidentally bumped into her face in his haste. The blow he gave her was neither light nor heavy, but it stimulated Wumeng Yunele to lose control even more. No one had ever dared strike her in the face, and no one had dared question her beauty. She struggled desperately, and her clothes and hair were scattered. Liu Xianche turned his head and considered what the woman responsible for guarding her had said: “Young Master Liu, she will not listen to advice, and only look at herself in the mirror all day long. What if…..she really is insane?”

“You let me go!” Wumeng Yunle was still screaming. “I want to stand with Liu Nanyuan, I want to stand with her for everyone to see! Don’t even think about ruining my face!”

Her voice was pitched so high that it pierced the roof. The soldiers held her down, all of them panting from exhaustion. They were extremely puzzled. How could this madwoman’s eccentric personality attract tens of thousands of followers to be enthralled by her? Where was she beautiful, ah? But though they thought so, they could never say it, and she had to be comforted from time to time. Yes, ah, you are the most beautiful woman in the world.

Wumeng Yunle looked at her black nails and the ugly face in the bronze mirror and cried again. She could hear the perfunctory tone in their voices, but she felt that his kind of perfunctory treatment was justified, because her appearance was nearly ruined and she wouldn’t get any preferential treatment if she lost her beauty.

Liu Xian’an also stood outside the courtyard and listened. He felt that there was no solution to this matter, because his elder brother would never use Gu to save someone, but without Gu, Wumeng Yunle’s face would not be restored to its original state. And if her face was not restored, she would remain crazy.

A-Ning suggested: “Young Master, why don’t you tell her about the vast and beautiful Heavenly Dao and the universe?”

“I have told her.” Liu Xian’an clasped his hands. “I said that everything will age, and that ‘not being beautiful’ is actually a method of self-preservation. As a result, she wouldn’t listen at all, and even yelled at me and asked why I didn’t ruin A-Yuan’s face.”

A-Ning: “……”

Liu Xian’an said: “She has been clamoring to see A-Yuan. But I feel that even if she sees A-Yuan, her symptoms will not be relieved, but will only become more out of control.”

“Because she is indeed not as beautiful as the Third Young Lady. She can still comfort herself now, but after seeing her, even her last justifications will be lost,” A-Ning said. “But if she is not allowed to see the Third Young Lady, it is not an option for her to continue to make trouble like this, not eating or drinking. She will die.”

Liu Xian’an said: “Da-ge came up with an idea.” He thought for a moment. “Tell Aunt Liu to cover the windows of this house with gauze, and remove the candles at night to make the light as dim as possible. Then send some nice new clothes, rouge, and cosmetics, especially powder, which can cover those spots to some extent.”

Facts proved that this method was indeed effective. The dim light blurred the flaws on her face, and Wumeng Yunle’s mood finally calmed down a little, but the recovery was very limited. Liu Xianche asked: “When will A-Yuan return?”

“Three or four days,” Liu Xian’an said. “It’s almost time.”

The “poisoned” atmosphere in the garrison camp was already in place, with the appropriate fainting and vomiting. It was a time when doctors were in short supply, so no matter how smoothly Liu Nanyuan’s journey to win the peoples’ hearts was going, whether for sentiment or reason, Liang Shu “must” call her and the other disciples back in order to make the act more realistic. Liu Xian’an asked: “Does Da-ge want Wumeng Yunle to see A-Yuan?”

“Mu Zhe’s Gu medicine is dangerous. Her physical condition is deteriorating rapidly, and she refuses to cooperate with treatment. Her inner demons are also at work, making it difficult to treat her.” Liu Xianche said, “When the time comes, let A-Yuan dress more simply and less glamorously.”

Liu Xian’an nodded: “Okay, I will pick her up personally when the time comes and give her your instructions in advance.”

That the lazy fellow was willing to take the initiative to walk around camp showed that he truly missed his sister. On the day of departure, Liang Shu grabbed his hair tie behind him and asked sourly: “Why have I never seen you miss me this urgently?”

“I miss you too, miss you too,” Liu Xian’an said perfunctorily, and got into the carriage with the clothes in his arms. 

He ran extremely fast.

Liang Shu: “……” Spoiled!

Liu Nanyuan’s team had already marched near the Valley of Ten Faces. The trip had gone very smoothly, and the assassination attempts they had been worried about didn’t happen. Every day was uneventful. The biggest dispute was simply some people fighting over their places in the queue, and they were stopped by soldiers on the spot. Chang Xiaoqiu said: “With more than a hundred guards, as well as the Imperial guards sent by the prince, if Mu Zhe isn’t stupid, he must know that sending assassins would be in vain.”

“Not only the guards and Imperial guards, but also you. Your performance is pretty good.” Cheng Suyue turned her head and asked, “How is it going? Is there any progress?”

Chang Xiaoqiu replied: “Yes, I don’t blush anymore.”

Cheng Suyue was puzzled: “This can only mean that your face is growing thicker, right?”

Chang Xiaoqiu: “…..That’s also correct.”

Cheng Suyue sighed deeply. Aside from the prince, why were there only bachelors in the Xiao Wang Palace team? They weren’t the very intelligent sort.

Just as she was troubled, the most intelligent person in Xiao Wang Palace came to trouble her: “Er-ge!”

Cheng Suyue and Chang Xiaoqiu also stepped forward to greet him, but considering the recent emergence of a group of disguised Nanyang people, Liu Nanyuan stopped not far away and asked: “Give an example. The dao is in the world, but what happens next?”

Liu Xian’an replied: “It is like creeks and valleys are to the rivers and seas.”

“What is in the trance of the dao?”

“Images.”

“What else is in the trance of the dao?”

“Objects.”^[1]

Liu Nanyuan let down her guard and was very happy. This was her amazing Er-ge!

Cheng Suyue and Chang Xiaoqiu both stood there with dispassionate expressions. Won’t ask. We won’t understand if we ask.

A-Ning had already roughly told her the story of Wumeng Yunle in his previous letter. Liu Nanyuan asked: “As long as I’m uglier than her, it’s okay?”

“It can calm her mood somewhat,” Liu Xian’an said. “I’ve brought you all the clothes. Da-ge prepared them himself.”

A-Ning took over the bundle and opened it. They were plain, even plainer than the clothes the disciples of Baihe Mountain Village wore when seeing patients, and similar to Second Young Master Liu’s usual robes. But since the wide robe couldn’t conceal the lazy egg’s immortal bearing, it naturally couldn’t conceal his sister’s beautiful face. On the contrary, the poor clothing and thorn hairpin made her look more delicate and pitiable.

Liu Xian’an said: “Forget it, I’ll change your appearance when the time comes.”

Although it was very troublesome, Wumeng Yunle was currently his elder brother’s patient, and everyone from Baihe Mountain Village must fulfill their duties as a doctor.

Liu Nanyuan was full of curiosity about this rumored “Holy Maiden,” and Wumeng Yunle also wanted to see her without waiting for one moment. Jealousy was like poison ivy winding tightly around her heart. Such was the case that she groomed her face carefully at all times, meticulously applying layer after layer of rouge and dying her nails the most gorgeous red.

The woman asked worriedly: “Isn’t this behavior already crazy?”

“Let her see A-Yuan more quickly. I will ask the prince to send troops to escort her.” Liu Xianche said, “If she sees A-Yuan and gets rid of her inner demons, perhaps she can still be saved.”

So that night, a group of carriages secretly drove out of the Valley of Ten Faces.

Wumeng Yunle held a mirror and looked at her reflection. She had put on the most beautiful dress and placed hairpins in her hair, like a butterfly alighting on the clouds. The thick cosmetics covered her unhealthy complexion. She admired it, entranced, and felt that she was still beautiful.

And Liu Xian’an also put a disguise mask on his sister. He pinched her almond-shaped eyes like black grapes and shaped them into inverted triangles. Her lips were dark, her hair was yellowing, and the most important thing was to carelessly wear a big skirt. He asked: “Do you feel comfortable?”

Liu Nanyuan said: “What is so comfortable about this? It’s uncomfortable to death. If not for treating people’s illnesses, it would be impossible for me to dress this sloppily in my life.”

Liu Xian’an: “But the prince—”

“The prince likes you, so of course it’s fine no matter what, but these clothes are so ugly.” Liu Nanyuan jumped off the carriage. “I’m not saying that one’s appearance comes from the heart, but you should know what I mean.”

Liu Xian’an: “Oh.”

While the two were talking, Chang Xiaoqiu ran over and said: “Wumeng Yunle has arrived.” As he spoke, he couldn’t help but look at the disguised person a few more times. Liu Nanyuan asked: “What, do I not look good?”

“N-n-no, you look good, I don’t think you’ve changed much.” Chang Xiaoqiu hastily waved his hands. “The clothes also look good.”

Liu Nanyuan: “……”

Liu Xian’an cough cough coughed next to her. Did you hear that? He said you look good. He likes you.

Liu Xian’an felt that her brother was very silly, and didn’t want to talk to him, so she picked up her ugly skirts and went to see Wumeng Yunle at the front.

In the forest clearing, Wumeng Yunle had been waiting for a long time in a daze. Perhaps it was because she had stayed in a dark room for too long or perhaps because of the poison, but she had been a little afraid of the light lately. So she wrapped herself in a bright red cloak and wore a hat to block most of the dazzling sunlight, leaving only a shadow on her face that made her red lips look even brighter.

Cheng Suyue alerted her: “Third Young Lady Liu is here.”

Wumeng Yunle immediately returned to her senses and looked up at the end of the path.

Liu Nanyuan said, natural and poised: “Yunle-guniang.”

Wumeng Yunle’s eyes widened, as if she couldn’t believe that the ordinary-looking woman in front of her was the legendary most beautiful woman in the world. She simply stared at her without blinking. Her mind went blank at first, and then she was filled with the ecstasy of victory. She knew that no one in this world could be more beautiful than herself. 

Liu Xian’an stood behind Liu Nanyuan and watched the changes in Wumeng Yunle’s expression. Knowing that his brother’s method was effective, he breathed a sigh of relief. And at this time, perhaps because she wanted to take a closer look, Wumeng Yunle rushed at Liu Nanyuan. The guards would naturally not allow her to get close. Just as they were about to stop her, a silver light flashed in the forest!

“Be careful!” The Imperial guards were the first to react. Two of them protected Liu Nanyuan, the other dragged Liu Xian’an away, and Chang Xiaoqiu took A-Ning and flew out of the way. Cheng Suyue instinctively went to pull Wumeng Yunle away, but when she stretched out her hand, her pupils shrank and she quickly took two steps away. 

The silver light was not a sword, but a venomous snake with its mouth wide open! Cheng Suyue drew her sword at once and chopped it into two pieces. She had already seen the face of the attacker clearly. It was Wumeng Yunyou. Thus, her first reaction was that he was here to save his sister, so she held the sword backhand and placed it across Wumeng Yunle’s neck to threaten the other party, but another silver flash had already arrived like lightning!

With a thud, it penetrated into Wumeng Yunle’s heart.

Everyone was shocked in an instant by this turn of events. Cheng Suyue grabbed Wumeng Yunle’s limp body and the bright red cloak fell down, revealing the girl’s face smeared with countless layers of cosmetics. Under the dazzling sunlight, it looked a little stiff and mottled, as if she was wearing a poor-quality mask.

Wumeng Yunyou saw the other party’s appearance and gave a slight frown, but he didn’t think it was his sister. He just remembered the sentence from before he departed, “In order to make the rumors more credible, Liang Shu even found someone to pretend to be me and pay homage to Liu Nanyuan.” Therefore, he didn’t experience any grief, just a little annoyance. Annoyance that he had prepared so hard for so long, but in the end he only killed a substitute.

He hadn’t met Liu Nanyuan, and based only on the intelligence he had received before, he killed the most beautifully dressed person he saw in the crowd who loved butterfly hair pins. Although he had killed the wrong person just now, there was no time to correct it, so he turned around and ran deep into the forest, preparing to look for the next opportunity.

The guards rushed to catch up.

Liu Nanyuan pressed a large piece of gauze to Wumeng Yunle’s wound, but it could not slow the speed of her life passing. The abnormally-colored blood soon soaked completely through the gauze and dyed the grass dark, and the fishy smell soon attracted many filthy flying insects.

Wumeng Yunle was still looking at her face. She said hoarsely: “You’re not beautiful.”

“En, I’m not beautiful,” Liu Nanyuan said. “You are the most beautiful.”

Wumeng Yunle slowly moved her gaze above her head, looking at the sun through the shadows of the trees. She looked for a moment, and suddenly smiled: “I am the most beautiful. My gege said so.”

She raised her hand and struggled to wipe the blood from the corners of her mouth before she died, trying to make herself cleaner, but her face only became more and more smudged. Liu Nanyuan wrung a clean handkerchief and helped her wipe her face then closed Wumeng Yunle’s wide eyes and sighed deeply. 

Liu Xian’an said: “At least before she died, she still felt that she was the most beautiful.”

Liu Nanyuan asked: “Who killed her?”

Cheng Suyue replied: “Her brother.”

Liu Nanyuan was extremely shocked: “How can there be such a brother?”

“Who knows,” Cheng Suyue said, upset. “I didn’t expect it and even tried to use her as a hostage. As a result…..the people of this evil cult are truly insane.”

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[1] This back-and-forth about the dao comes from the classic Chinese text “Tao Te Ching,” a foundational text of Taoism. ⮐

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Chapter One Hundred Eighteen << Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred Twenty