Volume 5: A Different Path

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was already late summer.

The matter of Jiang Qionglin being granted death did not cause much of a stir in the imperial court.

Perhaps from the day Jiang Qionglin won the top place in the imperial examination, he had been labeled as someone with connections. Regardless of whether he had real talent or held high office, in the eyes of others, until his death, he was just a male courtesan for entertainment, easily discarded. No one knew what he had truly experienced, nor what changes he brought to Taiping Prefecture. They only said he was ungrateful and disappointed the Empress Dowager’s favor.

After Consort Shu committed suicide, Chen Zhao did not move to the Ban Yue Palace but stayed in the Daming Palace. The Queen’s residence, Ban Yue Palace, was thus left vacant, its gates locked and never opened again.

Perhaps the only change brought by Jiang Qionglin’s death was that Prince Wu Rui’an, who rarely attended court, began to attend regularly, listening attentively to the Emperor’s words and participating earnestly in state affairs. Court officials who once had high hopes for Prince Wu began to vie for his favor again, inviting him to various engagements after each court session.

With fewer disturbances from him, Jian Su Medical Clinic finally regained its peace.

Di Jiang spent her days feeding cats and gathering herbs, leading a rather leisurely life. But when she had nothing to do and could only sit in the pharmacy staring into space, she found herself somewhat bored.

She looked at the chairs and tables in the corner, remembering how Wu Rui’an used to sit there, sometimes playing chess, sometimes reading books, but more often than not, he would be with Wen Yao, listening to her tell all sorts of bizarre stories.

Whenever Wen Yao mentioned something strange, he would slam the table and exclaim, “Is this true?”

Each time, this earned him a sharp glare from Di Jiang.

She knew very well what Wen Yao must have told him: “The reason Old Dongjia’s candied lotus root is so delicious is because opium flowers are added to the syrup, making people addicted, sleepless, and craving more.”

Or perhaps: “The banyan tree at the end of the alley and the one in our courtyard share roots. In their past lives, they were a pair of devoted lovers who could never be together. Their resentment after death condensed into trees, suppressed here by the National Master. But the shopkeeper says they will eventually come out to harm the world!”

And so on, countless examples.

Every time Wen Yao finished animatedly telling these stories, Di Jiang had to explain to Wu Rui’an for a long while. She would say that Wen Yao, having frequently listened to storytellers at teahouses, became someone who believed every rumor and exaggerated wildly, turning a soybean into a potato. Her words should be taken lightly, just for amusement.

Thinking back to those days, Di Jiang couldn’t help but regret deeply all the things she had told Wen Yao before... There were simply too many! Wen Yao was like a sieve, unable to hold back anything she heard!

However, after Wu Rui’an left, Wen Yao’s impulsive behavior improved significantly. Perhaps due to experiencing more things, she also matured. Without their laughter and chatter, the shop indeed became much quieter.

At this moment, Wen Yao didn’t know where she had gone off to play, while Shuxiang and Zhuchai were cleaning in the backyard. With nothing to do, Di Jiang stood behind the counter, gazing absentmindedly at the sky outside the window, counting the number of feathers on the tails of birds flying by.

She stood like this from dawn till dusk. After countless birds flew past the window, she suddenly saw a bird with five-colored plumage land on the trunk of a tree by the entrance.

“Chirp chirp—” The bird lowered its head, pecking at something in its wings. Its tail was completely bare, bald and blood-stained, seemingly plucked clean by someone.

Di Jiang was slightly surprised and raised her hand. The bird flew from the tree trunk onto her fingertip.

Just at this moment, Wu Rui’an walked in holding a large bunch of bright red Danruo flowers. Standing by the door, he happened to witness this scene.

“Why are you here?” Di Jiang was startled.

“All the flowers in my garden have withered. While the gardener was cleaning up, he found these remaining Danruo flowers. I thought they looked nice, so I brought them to give to you as a touch of early autumn.”

Wu Rui’an placed the Danruo flowers on the table and looked at the bird in her hand, asking, “Is this yours?”

“Just passing by. Seeing it injured, I’m checking on it,” Di Jiang shook her head, puzzled. “I’ve never seen this kind of bird before.”

Wu Rui’an was suspicious and took a closer look, then exclaimed, “This is a precious little thing! Shopkeeper Di, you’re going to get rich!”

“Does Your Highness recognize it?” Di Jiang was curious.

“This was once a popular pet. The young masters of noble families in the capital all loved it,” Wu Rui’an leaned closer to Di Jiang, grinning. “Do you see its five-colored feathers? Aren’t they beautiful?”

“They are beautiful, indeed quite rare.” Di Jiang lowered her head, carefully observing the bird in her hand.

The bird trembled, trying to burrow into her arms, seemingly terrified of the person in front of it.

Her heart softened, avoiding the wound on its tail, and she slowly stroked it from head to tail, gently soothing it.

“Do you know how much it’s worth?” Wu Rui’an sneered.

“Hmm?” Di Jiang blinked, waiting for him to continue.

Wu Rui’an quickly extended one finger and waved it in front of Di Jiang’s eyes.

“Ten taels?” Di Jiang guessed.

Wu Rui’an shook his head and wiggled his finger again.

“Surely not a hundred taels?” Di Jiang was skeptical.

“Wrong! A thousand taels!”

“What!” Di Jiang’s hand twitched, startling the bird.

It hopped and jumped out of Di Jiang’s hand, flying to perch on her shoulder.

“You said it’s worth how much?” Di Jiang widened her eyes, looking expectantly at Wu Rui’an.

“A thousand taels.” Wu Rui’an solemnly reiterated.

“What kind of bird is this? Worth a thousand silver taels?” Di Jiang was astonished, but soon frowned angrily. “Your Highness has a lot of free time today, coming here to tease me again?”

“How dare I tease you?” Wu Rui’an put away his smile and spoke seriously. “To be precise, this bird isn’t five-colored, but seven-colored. A five-colored body, golden beak, and a crimson feather at its tail. Of course, the one on your shoulder hasn’t grown its tail yet. Once it bleeds and grows a crimson tail feather, this bird will be worth at least three thousand taels of silver.”

“Really?” Di Jiang’s eyes sparkled.

“My word is as solid as nine tripods; I absolutely won’t deceive you.”

After Wu Rui’an finished speaking, Di Jiang immediately took the bird from her shoulder, her hands trembling uncontrollably as she held it, greedily swallowing saliva. It seemed as if she was already holding three thousand taels of silver coins in her hands.

Wu Rui’an carefully arranged the Danruo flowers one by one in the vase, then sat down on his favorite rattan chair. Familiarly pouring himself a cup of cold tea, he noticed Di Jiang still intently staring at the bird.

Seeing that Di Jiang treated the bird better than him, Wu Rui’an felt displeased. Crossing his legs, he sighed, “But even if it’s worth a fortune, I still advise you to let it go.”

“Why?” Di Jiang frowned. With this bucket of cold water from Wu Rui’an, she suddenly felt the three thousand taels of silver turn back into just a bird.

Just a pretty bird. If roasted over fire, it might not even fill one’s stomach.

Noticing Di Jiang’s reluctance, Wu Rui’an added, “This bird was a popular pet a few years ago. Because of its colorful appearance, very pleasing to the eye, it was highly favored by collectors. People often spent large sums to buy it from the black market to keep at home, claiming it could ward off evil.”

“Isn’t that great?” Di Jiang’s heart reignited with hope.

Unexpectedly, Wu Rui’an shook his head and continued, “It was very popular a few years ago, but no one keeps it anymore these days.”

“Why?”

“Because... the owners of households that kept this bird died suddenly.”

“What!” Di Jiang felt as if she had fallen into an icy abyss. Her hand tightened, and the bird was choked by her grip.

“Chirp chirp chirp—” The bird struggled loudly, bringing Di Jiang back to her senses.

Di Jiang quickly released it, apologizing, “Sorry, sorry... I didn’t mean to.”

The bird proudly shook its head and returned to her shoulder, as it was the safest place.

Di Jiang sat down opposite Wu Rui’an with the bird.

“What exactly happened to this bird?” Di Jiang asked.

“I’m not too sure. Back then, those who died because of the bird were first-rank officials in the court. To prevent public panic and stabilize the hearts of the people, the Ministry of Justice quickly sealed off the news, announcing only that they died of illness. Therefore, these cases remain unsolved mysteries to this day.”

“...” Di Jiang’s lips parted slightly, showing both surprise and curiosity.

“I can secretly tell you the details, but please don’t spread it,” Wu Rui’an cleared his throat and said, “I heard that this bird is called the Blood-Drinking Bird. Its owners cannot escape the fate of death, and their bodies were found soaked in a pool of blood, looking extremely terrifying.”

“So... does the ‘blood-drinking’ mean that the bird drinks its owner’s blood to grow a crimson tail feather?” Di Jiang exclaimed in shock.

“I don’t know about that. This case remains an unsolved mystery. However, the only thing I can confirm is that this creature is ominous. If anyone dares to present this bird to me now, I will surely punish them.” After Wu Rui’an finished speaking, he calmly took a sip of tea.

Di Jiang shrank her neck and tried to drive the bird away, but found that it wouldn’t leave no matter what. It clung to her shoulder as if it had grown there. Even if she caught it and threw it out the window, it would fly back soon and perch on her shoulder as usual.

“It... seems to have attached itself to me. What should I do?” Di Jiang bit her lip, her eyes sparking with unusual light. She appeared frightened, but in reality, she was excited.

She seemed to be eagerly anticipating that something interesting was finally going to happen in this boring life.

At this moment, Wu Rui’an’s face darkened.

“This shouldn’t be...” Wu Rui’an looked grave, frowning.

“What’s wrong?” Di Jiang was puzzled.

“It seems this bird has recognized you as its master?”

The bird on Di Jiang’s shoulder tilted its head, as if understanding his words, proudly looked at him, nodded, its eyes seemingly saying, “You’re smart.”

“So, the next person the bird kills will be me?” Di Jiang pretended to look like she was about to cry, but the gleam in her eyes was ten times brighter than before.

Wu Rui’an pondered for a while, puzzled, “It seems someone really wants your life...” He finished speaking, then slammed the table, abruptly standing up, “I’ll go back and investigate the files to see if there’s any way to resolve this. Until I return, don’t go anywhere!”

After Wu Rui’an finished speaking, he hurriedly left Jian Su Medical Clinic.

After he left, Di Jiang regained her composure.

She took the bird from her shoulder and placed it on the table, examining it thoroughly from left to right, up and down. No matter how she looked, she couldn’t see where its lethality lay.

Its pair of azure eyes gleamed with a mysterious light, appearing incredibly enchanting.

Di Jiang smiled, humming an unknown, cheerful tune. She fetched a bowl of corn kernels from the backyard woodshed and placed them on the table, saying to the bird, “Eat up, have plenty. Don’t end up as a starving bird on the road to the underworld.”

Upon hearing this, the bird coincidentally got a corn kernel stuck in its throat, unable to swallow or cough it out for a long time.

“Chirp chirp chirp—” It cried painfully, its eyes turning red from the strain.

Finding it amusing, Di Jiang patted its back, helping it ease the breath. Then she returned to the counter, resuming her daydreaming.

Against the yellowish sky, birds occasionally flew by in flocks, each one looking ordinary, none as colorful as the five-colored bird.

The bird in her shop, its plumage resembling poisonous mushrooms in the jungle, the more vibrant and dazzling its exterior, the more deadly and terrifying it was.

But...

She wasn’t afraid at all.

A bird of death?

If it dared to act up in her territory, it might end up as roast chicken.

As Di Jiang thought this, the bird on the table let out a loud sneeze.