#155: Not Dead

Ah Jin had initially thought it was a corpse and was too frightened to approach. He was about to report it to the authorities when the “corpse” moved slightly. Realizing the man was still alive, Ah Jin quickly carried him back to his home.

The man had a deep wound in his abdomen, which appeared to have bled profusely. The flesh around the wound had turned pale from being soaked in water.

Being too poor to afford a doctor, Ah Jin’s family could only clean and bandage the wound, then feed him some fish porridge. After half a month of unconsciousness, the man finally woke up. His first request was for Ah Jin to go to the Taishou’s residence and ask Li Yuan to come, claiming he had an urgent matter to discuss. He also repeatedly emphasized that only upon meeting Li Yuan could Ah Jin reveal his name—leading to Ah Jin’s earlier words at the Taishou’s gate.

Upon entering the house, the same fishy smell as on Ah Jin’s body filled the air. Fishing nets and other tools were scattered in the corners. An elderly woman emerged from the kitchen, holding a steaming bowl of fish porridge. Though her eyes were open, she seemed unable to see Li Xuanba and Ah Jin, tentatively asking, “Ah Jin, is that you?”

Ah Jin hurried forward to steady her hands. “Yes, it’s me.”

The woman nodded, then anxiously asked, “What about the Taishou? Did you bring him?”

Ah Jin truthfully replied, “The Taishou isn’t at the residence, but I’ve brought the Taishou’s third son. It should be the same.”

“That’s good. Feng Li just woke up. Hurry and take Third Young Master to him.” Ah Jin acknowledged and led Li Xuanba to the inner room. By the sunlight streaming through the window, they could see a man lying on the bed, as pale as paper—it was Feng Li.

Li Xuanba quickly approached the bedside. Seeing him, Feng Li grew agitated and weakly said, “Th… Third Young Master!”

“It’s me,” Li Xuanba responded, urgently asking, “Feng Li, how did you end up like this? What happened? Where is Elder Brother?”

Feng Li took a breath and reassured him, “Third Young Master, rest assured. Elder Brother… is fine.”

Hearing this, Li Xuanba relaxed but remained puzzled. “If he’s fine, why are you here, and so gravely injured?”

Feng Li sighed. “It’s all my fault for being careless. I fell into Wu Meixue’s trap—or rather, Shen Yunyi’s.”

Li Xuanba was stunned. “Wu Meixue? Shen Yunyi? What are you talking about?”

Feng Li struggled to speak, his voice barely audible. Ah Jin entered with the fish porridge and said, “Third Young Master, Feng Ge just woke up and is still very weak. Let him eat something before questioning him.”

Though anxious, Li Xuanba knew Feng Li’s condition wasn’t suitable for immediate questioning. He patiently waited.

After drinking a few sips of porridge, Feng Li gestured for Ah Jin to remove the bowl. Weakly, he continued, “Elder Brother heard that Second Young Master had intervened in the county office matters for Wu Meixue, coupled with the previous incident involving Magistrate Wang. He believed this woman posed a threat to Second Young Master, so he secretly ordered me to return to Honghua Prefecture to eliminate Wu Meixue!”

Li Xuanba gasped. “Elder Brother ordered you to kill her?”

“Yes,” Feng Li confirmed. “On the night of February fifteenth, I ambushed her on her way back to the residence, fully expecting to end her life. However, I discovered that Wu Meixue not only knows martial arts but also fights in a style similar to Shen Yunyi. I’m certain she is the missing Shen Yunyi!”

“Wu Meixue is Shen Yunyi?” Li Xuanba found it hard to believe. “How is that possible? They are entirely different people. To say she disguised herself, Second Brother thoroughly investigated—Wu Meixue showed no signs of disguise.”

“I don’t know how Shen Yunyi managed to deceive everyone, but it’s undoubtedly her!” Feng Li coughed, enduring the pain in his abdomen, and hoarsely continued, “This woman is extremely cunning. She took advantage of my momentary carelessness and injured me. If I hadn’t jumped into the Qing River, I would already be dead by her blade!”

Li Xuanba sat there in shock, unable to process the revelation. He was familiar with Wu Meixue—when Second Brother had defended her despite pressure from Magistrate Wang, he had opposed it. Yet, he never imagined Wu Meixue could be an assassin!

Feng Li caught his breath and asked, “Third Young Master, is she… still in the residence?” Upon Li Xuanba’s nod, he urgently urged, “Quickly return and inform the Taishou. Have him arrest Wu Meixue immediately to prevent her escape.”

Li Xuanba agreed but added, “By the way, when you fought her, did you learn anything?”

“No. She kept tight-lipped, and we were constantly engaged in combat—there was no time to ask anything. However, I believe if we use severe interrogation methods, we can extract information.”

Li Xuanba nodded. “I’ll handle this. For now, I’ll arrange for someone to bring you back to the Taishou’s residence and find a doctor to treat you.”

Feng Li hesitated. “Before I left, Elder Brother instructed that this matter must remain secret. Involving Third Young Master was unavoidable, given the urgency. Even though we now know Wu Meixue is an assassin, it’s best not to let Second Young Master know.”

Li Xuanba frowned deeply. “You have a point. But if you don’t testify, we can’t expose Wu Meixue as an assassin. Second Brother is very protective of her—if I suddenly arrest her, she’ll surely use him to stir trouble.”

Feng Li considered this and asked, “What about the Taishou?”

“Father went to visit an old friend early this morning and won’t return for a few days.” Hearing this, Feng Li fell silent. After a while, he suggested, “To make Second Young Master believe Wu Meixue is an assassin, there’s only one way—expose her true identity in front of him.”

Li Xuanba nodded in agreement. “For now, since you’re not fit to return, stay here and recover. I’ll arrange for a doctor to visit.”

After Feng Li agreed, Li Xuanba handed over all the coins he had to Ah Jin. Holding the money, Ah Jin didn’t know what to do. “Third Young Master…”

“Thank you for saving Feng Li. This is a small token of my gratitude.” Before Li Xuanba finished speaking, Ah Jin hastily returned the money, shaking his head. “Mother always says saving lives is the right thing to do. I can’t accept your money.”

The elderly woman echoed, “Yes, Third Young Master. We can’t take your money. Please take it back.”

Seeing their refusal, Li Xuanba said, “Consider it payment for caring for Feng Li and buying groceries. Buy more chicken, fish, and meat to nourish his body. I’ll arrange for a doctor.”

The woman smiled. “We’re fishermen—we don’t need to buy fish. But we can buy a few chickens to make soup. Ah Jin, take it for now. If there’s any leftover later, we’ll return it to Third Young Master.”