"No one instructed me!"
The man, stubborn as a mule, refused to back down.
He strained his neck, like a crooked tree clinging to a precipice.
Song Qingchao's knuckles popped as she clenched her fists.
"Miss Song."
It was Bai You'an.
Song Qingchao turned and saw him approaching. Despite the biting cold, his forehead was beaded with sweat.
She stepped forward, naturally leaning close to him.
"How is it?"
"One didn't make it," Bai You'an said, a touch of sadness in his voice. "He ate too much, and it was too late."
"Dead!?" The man behind them exclaimed in disbelief.
He shook his head vehemently, murmuring impossibilities.
He struggled stubbornly, and even Zhou Zhengxi could barely restrain him.
Song Qingchao looked at him calmly. "Zhengxi, let him go."
The moment Zhou Zhengxi released him, the man lunged forward, stumbled to the ground, and quickly scrambled back up.
Song Qingchao frowned, startled by his sudden movement.
Her waist was held by Bai You'an, who gently shifted her aside.
The man knelt beside the corpse, his hands trembling, unable to touch it.
"This is impossible, it can't be! You're lying to me!"
His hand landed on the body, patting the face, patting the shoulder. "Zhu Zi, wake up."
"He's dead," Song Qingchao said.
"No! You're lying!" The man twisted his head and roared at Song Qingchao, tears blurring with snot on his face. "How could Zhu Zi die? It was just two peanuts, no, no."
"Those two peanuts are what cost him his life," Bai You'an stated the fact with brutal honesty. "His constitution couldn't handle that. Eating it caused a rash. Didn't you know?"
The man collapsed onto the body, sobbing hysterically, seemingly deaf to Bai You'an's words.
Song Qingchao gestured for Zhou Zhengxi to pull the man away. "May he rest in peace. Please accept my condolences."
"I can't accept them!" The man suddenly lunged at Zhou Zhengxi, attempting to snatch the knife from his waist.
Zhou Zhengxi had once been the captain of the Imperial Guard's dark division. If he lacked skill, it would be an insult to the imperial family.
With a swift, clean movement, he merely dodged, seized the man's wrist, and applied a joint lock, subduing him.
"Master?"
He looked at Song Qingchao, awaiting her command.
Song Qingchao spoke softly, "If you seek revenge, go find the one who made him eat the peanuts. I am the one saving you. Would killing me be ingratitude?"
The man bared his teeth, like a maddened beast.
Song Qingchao saw no point in asking further questions.
She simply pulled the man to face the stunned crowd.
"He himself admitted it was the peanuts that caused the illness, not the medicine. Are you all reassured now?"
An old woman at the front, wringing her hands, tentatively asked, "We understand now. Miss Song, you are kind-hearted. We were mistaken and shouldn't have caused trouble, but..."
Her gaze flickered towards Xiang Yunling. "We were also frightened and worried. We just hope you'll continue to look after us..."
The rest of the crowd echoed her sentiment.
But Song Qingchao still felt something was amiss.
She was annoyed, and Bai You'an's arm was still around her.
"Everyone, rest assured, we will safely escort you all home."
She comforted the crowd and was about to dismiss them when Zhou Ri pushed his way out.
He rushed directly to Song Qingchao and knelt to report.
"Master, Young Master has something he wishes me to deliver to you."
He then presented a medicinal packet with both hands.
Song Qingchao accepted it with a puzzled expression, her face changing upon seeing its contents.
She quickly handed the prescription to Bai You'an.
Bai You'an scanned it with his fingers and also frowned. He then passed the packet to Xiang Yunling.
"Where did you get this?"
Zhou Ri respectfully replied, "Today, Young Master noticed something amiss with the Chang family's shop. He sent me to investigate undercover, and it was then that I learned the Chang family had also developed a prescription, claiming it to be a miracle cure, a hundred times more potent than Guangji Temple's. They also said..."
He glanced at Xiang Yunling but ultimately spoke, "...that Master Xiang is framing people for profit and is untrustworthy because he caused deaths."
Song Qingchao's already grim expression turned black.
Lin Tingwan, after hearing this, exploded in anger and lunged to drag Zhou Ri into a fight.
Song Qingchao pulled her back, her brow furrowed. "Don't rush."
She asked Xiang Yunling, "What's the difference between this medicine and ours?"
Xiang Yunling poked the medicine caught between his fingers. "The dosage has been adjusted. We used milder ingredients to temper the coldness of Forsythia, but this one contains purely intensely cold substances. The medicinal properties are more than double."
He sighed. "The efficacy is real, but so is the harm to the body."
Song Qingchao looked at Bai You'an, who nodded in agreement. She then asked, "Where did the Chang family find this medicine?"
Her question stumped everyone.
Let alone the Chang family's stock.
She had turned the entire Chang family upside down.
She could guarantee with her life that the Chang family had no more medicine.
But Song Qingchao wasn't in a hurry.
She still wanted to know another matter.
Lin Tingwan, whom she held, suddenly became as quiet as a speechless quail.
She had been boisterous earlier, but now she was silent.
The person in question, Xiang Yunling, stepped forward directly. "I caused a death back then, and the clinic was closed because of it. However, the abbot of Guangji Temple, holding no grudges, still invited me to come one day a week as usual. I had nothing else to do, so I agreed."
"Was there any hidden illness in that matter back then?"
Xiang Yunling lowered his head and chuckled. "He died in my clinic; I have nothing to say."
Song Qingchao nodded, acknowledging his statement.
Then, her attention shifted to the restrained man.
The onlookers, who had been watching the commotion, sensed the situation had taken a turn and began to withdraw.
But Song Qingchao did not permit it.
She said stiffly, "No one is allowed to leave, not a single one!"
The crowd was at a loss.
However, fearing that Song Qingchao would abandon them, they remained rooted to their spots.
Song Qingchao twisted and finally pulled her hand free from Bai You'an's grasp. She then stepped towards the man.
"I'll give you a chance for revenge. Tell me the truth."
She pressed on the back of the man's neck, threatening him. "Your second option is, I kill you, and you can go to hell with your good brother."
The man, snot streaming down his face, looked up at Song Qingchao and then wiped his nose with his sleeve.
"I choose the first option."
Song Qingchao immediately withdrew her hand. She reached for a handkerchief but realized she had discarded it earlier.
As she frowned, Bai You'an on her side handed her one.
Song Qingchao accepted it without hesitation, meticulously wiping between her fingers.
The man took a deep breath. "The incident with Doctor Xiang back then was orchestrated by the Chang family. The deceased was someone they found on the mountain. They brought him back and couldn't save him. Seeing he was near death, they sent him to Doctor Xiang's clinic. By then, it had been a day, and he was only barely clinging to life when they brought him in."
Everyone listened, their eyes widening in shock. Some couldn't believe their ears and rubbed them vigorously with their hands.
The man continued, "The Lin family's true daughter liked Doctor Xiang, and the original engagement was void. The Chang family, enraged, took the opportunity to target Doctor Xiang. After the Xiang clinic collapsed, sure enough, Master Lin was no longer willing. The Chang family got their wish, but because Chang Pinghe insisted on marrying the original fake daughter, Old Master Chang poured all his anger onto the clinic. Otherwise, the clinic wouldn't have collapsed so quickly, and Master Xiang wouldn't have become a despised fraud..."
At this point, everyone was truly stunned.
Even Song Qingchao was taken aback. "Wh-what?"