Chapter 7
After the events of that night, the two were certain of the existence of jiangshi. Though they had burned the cave, the Taoist priest’s words revealed a mastermind behind the scenes. If they didn’t uncover this puppet master soon, the consequences could be dire.
“Sister Ling, I fear this isn’t over,” Li Xinjun said, nestled in Song Ling’s arms in bed.
“Me too. We must find the person behind this. If more jiangshi appear, it will be even harder to deal with.”
“Do you think we’ll end up like in the ancient texts, forced to burn the entire city to solve the problem?”
“I don’t know, but I will do everything in my power to prevent that. Let’s not dwell on it now. We are both exhausted from tonight. Get some rest, we need to check on Shitou’s condition tomorrow.”
“Can I hold you while I sleep?”
“Of course, silly.”
Song Ling embraced Li Xinjun, who nestled comfortably against her chest, inhaling her scent as she drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Li Xinjun woke up first. She looked at Song Ling, still asleep and holding her close. A feeling of happiness welled up inside her. She silently wished that things could stay this way forever.
She studied Song Ling’s features, her long eyelashes, and thought that Song Ling was the most beautiful and kind person she had ever met.
Aside from her parents, no one had ever been so good to her. Meeting Song Ling must be a gift from heaven. She cherished their bond. Song Ling was her only family and her only friend.
Song Ling slowly woke up, opening her eyes to find Li Xinjun intently studying her face. Curious about what the mischievous girl was up to, she pretended to be asleep.
Li Xinjun, unaware that Song Ling was awake, was lost in her own world, fantasizing about their future together.
“Sister Ling, I like you too.”
Remembering Song Ling’s confession from the previous night, she mimicked the affectionate gestures of her parents and gently kissed Song Ling’s cheek. Song Ling, hearing Li Xinjun’s words, hadn’t thought much of it, planning to tease her later. But the sudden kiss made her heart skip a beat.
What was happening? Why did Li Xinjun kiss her? Her heart raced, and her cheeks flushed. No, no, Li Xinjun was just a child. This must be a misunderstanding. Don’t overthink it.
Confused thoughts flooded Song Ling’s mind. She convinced herself that it was just Li Xinjun treating her like family, nothing more.
Li Xinjun happily got out of bed and left the room. Song Ling sat up after Li Xinjun left and patted her cheeks, a pang of guilt washing over her. She felt that she had been too indulgent with the child and decided to maintain a more appropriate distance from now on.
Leaving her room, she saw Li Xinjun humming cheerfully in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. She walked over, pretending nothing had happened.
“Good morning, Jun’er.”
“Ah, Sister Ling, you’re up. Good morning! Wait a moment, I’m making noodles. They’ll be ready soon.”
Seeing Li Xinjun acting perfectly normal, Song Ling relaxed. It must have been her imagination. After all, Li Xinjun was just a child. She pulled herself together and replied, heading to the main hall.
After a simple breakfast of noodles, they set out for Aunt Liu’s house. Aunt Liu, seeing Song Ling and Li Xinjun, greeted them excitedly.
“Doctor Song, you’re finally here! Have you found out what’s wrong with Shitou?”
“Good morning, Aunt Liu. We haven’t found the exact cause yet. How is Shitou doing?”
“He woke up yesterday, but he still kept saying his head hurt. I gave him the medicine you prepared, and he fell asleep again. Would you like to go in and see him?”
Song Ling and Li Xinjun entered the house. Song Ling went to the bedside and checked Shitou’s pulse. It was still erratic, like the day before. She couldn’t understand what was wrong with him.
“Jun’er, help me unbutton his shirt. I want to see if there are any wounds.”
Li Xinjun untied the ropes binding Shitou and removed his shirt. Song Ling stepped forward and examined him carefully. She turned him over and noticed a shallow scratch on the back of his left arm. Normally, such a minor scratch wouldn’t have caught her attention, but the skin around the scratch was a deep purple, a clear sign of poisoning.
She took a small knife from her medical kit and made a cut on the scratch to draw blood. The blood that flowed out was black. Song Ling believed this might be the source of the problem.
She deepened the cut and cleaned out the black blood. Li Xinjun handed her a jar of healing balm. Song Ling applied the balm to the wound and then had Li Xinjun bandage it.
She prescribed some basic antidotes for Aunt Liu to give to Shitou. “Aunt Liu, brew this medicine and give it to Shitou three times a day. I’ll come back to check on him in a couple of days.”
“Doctor Song, will my son recover? I’m so worried that he’ll become like Uncle Wang. Please, you must save my son, I beg you.”
“Which Uncle Wang?”
“Uncle Wang who suddenly attacked people in the refugee camp a few days ago.”
“What happened to him?”
“I think he’s gone mad. He attacks anyone he sees and bites them. The other day, he even stole a live chicken from a neighbor and ate it raw, blood and all. It was terrifying. I heard he’s been captured and locked up. Do you think my Shitou will become like that too?”
Song Ling’s heart sank. Could this be related to the jiangshi? She remembered reading that people bitten by jiangshi would also turn into jiangshi. Could it be that both Uncle Wang and Shitou had been bitten? But that didn’t make sense. She had just examined Shitou’s body and found no bite marks, only the scratch.
Li Xinjun also had a realization. She frowned at Song Ling, who, seeing Li Xinjun’s expression, knew they were both thinking the same thing. They said goodbye to Aunt Liu and went to the prison to inquire about Uncle Wang’s condition. At the prison gates, they asked the guards about Uncle Wang. The guards’ faces changed upon hearing his name.
“Miss Song, Miss Li, Uncle Wang has become terrifying! We don’t dare approach him now, fearing he’ll attack us. Last time, one of our brothers wasn’t careful, and when he went to deliver food, Uncle Wang grabbed him and bit off a chunk of flesh from his arm.
We also noticed that he doesn’t eat the food we bring him. We were initially worried that he might starve to death, but then someone saw him catching and eating live rats every night. It’s truly frightening.”
“Can we go in and see him?”
“I advise against it. He looks different now. His eyes are bloodshot, his nails have grown long, and most terrifyingly, he has these long, sharp fangs. It’s truly scary. I’m afraid you two young ladies won’t be able to sleep after seeing him.”
Song Ling and Li Xinjun’s hearts tightened upon hearing the guard’s description. What he described was clearly a jiangshi, and if they were right, a second-generation jiangshi. Li Xinjun instinctively reached out and grasped Song Ling’s hand. Their worst fears seemed to be coming true.
“Sir, please let us in. I’m worried that Uncle Wang’s condition might be contagious. I need to see it for myself.”
The guard, hearing Song Ling’s reasoning, had no choice but to allow them inside the prison. Song Ling, holding Li Xinjun’s hand, walked towards Uncle Wang’s cell and observed him.
Upon seeing them, Uncle Wang lunged at the bars, trying to grab them. Song Ling and Li Xinjun stepped back, maintaining a safe distance.
“Uncle Wang, do you remember me? I’m Song Ling.”
Song Ling tried to communicate with him, but Uncle Wang didn’t respond. His eyes were fixed on them, as if he wanted to devour them. Li Xinjun noticed a small rat in the corner. She caught it and went to a nearby table, where she took a bowl and cut the rat’s throat with a knife, letting the blood flow into the bowl. The rat squeaked a few times and died.
Li Xinjun, holding the rat’s body in one hand and the bowl of blood in the other, walked to Uncle Wang and waved them in front of him. Uncle Wang, smelling the blood, became agitated. He stared intently at the bowl, his mouth open, revealing his sharp fangs.
Li Xinjun realized that Uncle Wang wasn’t interested in the rat itself but only in the blood. To confirm her suspicion, she placed the rat’s body and the bowl of blood in front of his cell. Uncle Wang, without hesitation, lunged forward and grabbed the bowl, drinking the blood.
Song Ling, witnessing this, frowned and pressed her hand to her forehead. Li Xinjun stepped back and looked at Song Ling. Their eyes met, and they stood there in silence for a moment before Song Ling spoke.
“Jun’er, I think we need to inform the authorities about this. This is beyond our capabilities.”
“You’re right, Jun’er. But I don’t know who to tell. I’m afraid no one will believe us.”
“Didn’t Eunuch Liu, who came to reward us from the Emperor, say we could seek help from Minister Chen if needed?”
“Yes! Thank you for reminding me. We can consult Minister Chen. We shouldn’t delay. Let’s go immediately.”
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