Chapter 5, The Secret of the Wine Gourd

The wine gourd that Qin Xiao carries with him today is the gourd left behind by "him" that night. Inside the gourd, there is a small gourd; the outer gourd holds wine, while the inner gourd contains blood. At the bottom of the wine gourd, there is a mechanism; as long as the mechanism is triggered, the inner gourd will rise, and what is consumed is the blood from the inner gourd. Once the stopper is placed on, the inner gourd will automatically sink back down.

... ...

Meng Zimo had already raised his hand and patted Qin Xiao on the shoulder, saying: "I didn't expect you to be quite clever, if it weren't for you this time, it would have been a real mess." He then frowned and said to Han Yurun: "My lord, the Zhen Marquis's residence has set a trap for us, ruthless and merciless. If it weren't for Qin Xiao, this matter would not have ended well. Zhen Yujing is vengeful, and since he has not succeeded this time, he will surely seek opportunities to trouble us in the future."

Blood can suppress cold symptoms, and more intriguingly, the body can exhibit remarkably astonishing reactions depending on the type of blood.

Moreover, the sensitivity of the sense of smell is closely related to the amount of blood consumed. When the quantity of blood consumed is excessive, the sensitivity of the sense of smell increases. After consuming two mouthfuls of dog blood, one can even detect the body fragrance of Zhang's beautiful daughter-in-law, who is half a street away.

Qin Xiao knew that Han Yurun would inevitably ask, and he had long been prepared, saying: "I am also taking a gamble. Since the statue of Buddha is so precious, Zhen Yujing would never allow it to leave the Marquis's residence, let alone be damaged; it can only be hidden within the Marquis's residence."

Over the past six months, Qin Xiao has discovered some astonishing abilities arising from changes in his own body

The Zhen Marquis's residence is so vast, how do you know it is hidden in Lang Shenshui's room

Qin Xiao had been eagerly anticipating the reappearance of that person. For the past six months, every time it got dark, he would quickly rush home, hoping to see if that person was waiting for him at home

With a *picture* book in hand, Qin Xiao bent slightly towards Han Yurun, then turned and ran away swiftly

Han Yunong slightly nodded and said, "We should try to minimize our contact with the people from the Zhen Houfu."

Meng Butou helped him recover from the epidemic, but the cold symptoms began to manifest. At first, they occurred once every two or three months, and drinking alcohol could barely suppress them. However, as time went on, the intervals between episodes became shorter, and strong liquor no longer had any effect. Many nights, Qin Xiao endured the pain brought on by the cold symptoms, not daring to let anyone know.

The Zhen Marquisate is indeed the local sovereign of Zhen County, yet it remains wary of the imperial court. Without solid evidence, it would not dare to easily take action against the officials of the Duwei Prefecture.

Is it really so

The conflict between the Zhen Marquisate and the Duwei Mansion has a long history, yet the Zhen Marquisate has never truly taken action against the Duwei Mansion. Although there are undercurrents between the two sides, they have not openly torn their relationship apart. However, this time, Zhen Yijiang's scheme to frame Meng Zimo was instead exposed by Qin Xiao, leaving the Zhen Marquisate in a state of anger and humiliation. Consequently, the conflict between the two parties is bound to intensify in the future

It was also from that time that the wine gourd never left his side, yet Qin Xiao did not understand why he had such a peculiar ailment. Although the old man devoted himself to treating Qin Xiao, he never mentioned the origin of this condition

He is very clear that although he has safely brought Meng Zimo out of the Zhen Marquis's residence, this is not the end, but rather just the beginning

Since the time he began to keep records, the cold syndrome has always accompanied him, causing him to feel as cold as ice in the middle of the night every few days. If it were not for the old man's acupuncture treatment, Qin Xiao might have frozen to death at a young age. Under the old man's care, when Qin Xiao was about seven or eight years old, as long as he persisted in drinking alcohol every day, the cold syndrome would no longer occur.

If it were not for "him", Qin Xiao believed that he would have perished six months ago

This is a secret

Mudu Alley is one of the many narrow lanes in Turtle City. It is wide in some places and narrow in others. Compared to the spacious road in front of the Zhenhou Mansion, Mudu Alley is somewhat cramped, with an uneven surface. When it rains, it becomes extremely muddy, with water pooling everywhere.

Perhaps hearing the sound, the old black dog turned its head, barked lightly at Qin Xiao twice, and then curled up again

On that night six months ago, the cold symptoms flared up with unprecedented severity. Qin Xiao felt dazed, aware that he could not endure much longer. It was at this critical moment between life and death that "he" appeared

Gazing at Qin Xiao's silhouette, Han Yunong's eyes were deep and contemplative, as if lost in thought

The Turtle City features both the ornate beams and painted rafters of the Zhen Marquis Mansion and the dilapidated state of the Wooden Alley

Qin Xiao earned substantial profits in the A-shaped prison, and within just six months, he had saved enough money to purchase this small courtyard in Wooden Alley. Due to its remote location and dilapidated condition, the price was very low, which allowed Qin Xiao to have a place to stay, eliminating the need to sleep on the floor in the official's dormitory.

"No, no, I have always been very well-behaved." Qin Xiao chuckled and turned to leave, but was called back by Meng Zimo, who expressed concern, saying: "My lord, will Qin Xiao be safe alone at the Zhen Hou residence...?"

However, even more bizarre events occurred afterwards

I closed the courtyard gate behind me and looked towards the corner of the yard, where the old black dog was curled up under the plum tree in the corner.

In addition, that person left behind a wine gourd, which is identical in shape to the gourd that Qin Xiao had used before, even showing signs of aging. When the two wine gourds are placed together, it is impossible to distinguish which one is the original gourd.

This time, Qin Xiao has ruined their scheme with the library, and they will surely hate him to the bone. Meng Zimo frowned and said: "Qin Xiao, you must be on guard at all times in the future, and do not fall into the trap of the Zhen Hou Mansion."

Everything began on that day, when an extremely strange change occurred

Although his tone was stern, his concern was evident. Qin Xiao felt a warmth in his heart and nodded, saying: "My lord, rest assured, I will stay honestly in the A-shaped prison and will not hold any grudges against anyone"

It is getting late, you should head back soon. Han Yunong waved at Qin Xiao and said, From now on, try not to cause trouble for me.

That night, only waiting for dawn, Qin Xiao regained consciousness and discovered that the person had actually made him drink a cup of blood

Qin Xiao only remembers that person used a strange technique to help him get through that night, and by the time he regained consciousness, "he" had vanished without a trace

For instance, once one drinks the dog blood, within the next two hours, the sense of smell will become unprecedentedly acute. Qin Xiao will be able to easily detect scents that ordinary people cannot perceive at all. Moreover, even scents that differ only slightly can be instantly distinguished by Qin Xiao.

This secret, apart from oneself, may only be known by "him"

However, after the recovery from that epidemic, the cold condition that had tormented him since childhood began to manifest.

After Qin Xiao sniffed the shell of the shellfish, he immediately became acutely aware of the scent of the Buddha statue. After finding an opportunity to drink the dog blood from the gourd, he used his superhuman sense of smell to follow the fragrance of the ghostly wood, tracking the scent from Linghe Pavilion all the way to Lang Shenshui's residence, effortlessly locating the Buddha statue.

If the Duwei Mansion is inadvertently caught by the Zhen Marquis Mansion with incriminating evidence, it will certainly lead to significant trouble. Similarly, if the Zhen Marquis Mansion is found by the court with an excuse, it will also bring considerable trouble to the Zhen Marquis Mansion.

Since it is a bestowed treasure, even if it is hidden away, it would not be placed just anywhere. Qin Xiao raised his hand to touch his nose and said with an innocuous smile: I suspect that the statue of Buddha was either hidden away by Zhen Yujing himself or temporarily entrusted to Lang Shenshui for safekeeping, but I cannot be certain who currently possesses it. When I mentioned searching the Zhen Hou residence, I noticed that Lang Shenshui's expression changed, which led me to speculate that the statue is likely in his possession

Han Yurun walked ahead, while Qin Xiao led the horse and followed behind. Upon entering an alley, Han Yurun turned around, frowned, and said: "How did you know the Buddha statue was there?"

Oh? Han Yunong fixed her gaze on Qin Xiao's eyes: "Even if you guessed that Lang Shenshui hid the Buddha statue, how would you know where he resides?"

Because blood is the only method to restrain cold symptoms

After Qin Xiao was admitted to the hospital, he quickly walked to the door, looking up with a hint of anticipation. He noticed that the small dry branch he had placed there before leaving was still there, and he couldn't help but smile wryly and sigh, murmuring: "It has been one hundred and ninety-seven days; it seems he really will not come back."

After Han Yunong led Qin Xiao and Meng Zimo out of the Zhenhou Mansion, instead of feeling a sense of relief, a layer of gloom enveloped her heart

Qin Xiao nodded repeatedly, saying, "That's right, that's right."

When Qin Xiao returned to Wooden Alley, the night was deep, and the entire alley was enveloped in silence. In late spring, the nights in Xiling were still somewhat cold

Three years ago, Qin Xiao, following the instructions of the old man before his death, left the village where he had lived for over ten years. On the way, he contracted a plague, but fortunately, Captain Meng intervened and saved his life.

Qin Xiao still cannot adapt to the taste of blood even to this day, yet he is unable to part with it

Blood can significantly alleviate the suffering caused by cold syndrome. Whenever symptoms of cold syndrome manifest, consuming a small amount of blood can effectively suppress the onset of the condition

Qin Xiao did not know who "he" truly was, nor why, at the moment of his impending death, he appeared as if a celestial being had descended from the heavens, pulling him back from the gates of the underworld.

They do not yet have such great audacity

Han Yunong said: "From now on, stay honestly in the A-shaped prison, do not concern yourself with matters outside, and especially do not provoke trouble. Do you understand?"

I observed his reactions as I walked along the way. Qin Xiao said as he walked, "The closer I got to his residence, the more flustered he became. By the time I reached his residence, his complexion was completely off, so I guessed that was where he lived"

Mencius Mo had certainly learned that a Buddha statue had been found in Lang Shen's water house, and he was extremely angry in his heart, yet he felt helpless. It was already a stroke of luck to have walked out of the Zhen Marquis's residence unscathed; could he still continue to argue with the Zhen Marquis's residence?

It appeared again, one month later, on that night one hundred ninety-seven days ago, when Qin Xiao's cold symptoms flared up once more. "He" also appeared again. In a daze, Qin Xiao was fed a little something by that person, who vanished again before dawn. Once he left, he never appeared again.

He is able to quickly find the wooden Buddha statue carved from ghostly wood in the Zhenhou Mansion, and the secret lies here

Today marks the one hundred and ninety-seventh day of waiting, yet that person has still not appeared

Although impoverished, the people living in this alley have become accustomed to it all

But just as Meng Butou's position in Qin Xiao's heart, "he" is Qin Xiao's savior. Qin Xiao only hopes to see his true face, to remember the appearance of his benefactor in his heart, and if given the opportunity, to repay the debt of gratitude.