That day, Song Fengsui had originally intended to stay home and rest, so he sent word to the village. Unexpectedly, no sooner had the messenger left than someone from the village arrived at his house.
The yamen had announced that medicinal herbs were to be collected. Every village under the town’s jurisdiction had to pay the required amount after the autumn harvest. Otherwise, they would have to pay additional taxes to purchase the shortfall from elsewhere.
The practice of collecting herbs to store for emergencies was not new this year; there had always been such a precedent. When an epidemic had broken out in the villages before, a great deal of the herbs stockpiled by the authorities had indeed been used. Now that autumn harvests were underway and the mountain herbs were reaching maturity, it was only right to replenish the supplies.
After receiving the notice, the village households were more enthusiastic than in previous years. After all, this year they had truly relied on the government’s medicinal herbs to save their lives.
It was a busy season for farmwork, and the men were all occupied in the fields. Yet every household still had to send at least one person into the mountains to gather herbs. Since the main laborers of the families could not be spared, this task fell almost entirely to the women and the ge’er.
Seeing this, Song Fengsui said that he would represent his household. First, the men of his family were likewise needed for the farmwork and could not be spared. Second, he knew medicinal herbs, so he was more suitable than anyone else in the family.
He also wanted to explore the mountains. The towering, rugged peaks stretching for hundreds of miles around Yancheng must contain plenty of valuable herbs. At the same time, however, the forests were full of poisonous insects and miasma, with dense trees that blocked out the sky and wild beasts lurking within. In the past, he would never have dared enter the mountains alone without permission.
Going in with the village party would be much safer.
Thus, Song Fengsui rubbed some insect-repelling herbal juice onto his body, changed into clothes that were a little thicker, and tucked a medicinal sachet at his waist and another against his chest. Then he shouldered a basket, took a knife, joined the village’s herb-gathering party, and entered the mountains with them.
More than twenty people had come this time. At first, everyone climbed together, chatting merrily. After more than an hour, when they had reached the mountains, they split into three groups of six or seven.
Everyone was a native of the village. Though most were young women or ge’er, nearly all had experience gathering firewood or digging up mountain produce. Still, to ensure their safety, they would be collecting herbs in the area around Roundhead Mountain, in the inner ranges. Villagers often traveled in and out of this mountain, so it was relatively safe.
With so many people, splitting up and heading in different directions would make the group easier to manage—and allow them to gather more herbs.
“Two hours from now, no matter how many herbs you’ve gathered, everyone must meet back here. Once we’ve counted the people, we’ll head down before sunset.”
The elderly Mrs. Zhou called out in her booming voice, “You all know how densely the trees grow in these mountains. If the sun sets before you make it back, the forest will turn pitch-black, and the wild beasts will start prowling. If anyone fools around and misses the appointed time, the rest of us aren’t going to wait around for one or two stragglers!”
Her words were met with a chorus of replies.
Then, without further delay, the three groups set off in different directions.
Though this was a mountain frequently visited by villagers, the trees still blotted out the sky and sun. Bushes and vines grew luxuriantly, tangling across the ground and between the trees. There was no proper path, making it difficult to walk.
The sunlight could not penetrate the canopy. When there was no wind, the mountain was bearable, but whenever a gust swept through, the entire forest rustled. The chill wind brushed over their bodies, making the place feel cold despite the heat outside—heat intense enough to cause sunstroke.
Fortunately, Song Fengsui had anticipated that the mountain would be cooler. He had added another layer of clothing. It had felt too hot while climbing, but now it was just right.
The group Song Fengsui had been assigned to consisted of seven people. Their leader was an older married man whom the others seemed to call Mr. Xiao. He gripped a long-handled sickle and walked at the front, clearing the way with swift, practiced movements.
Song Fengsui took note of this, tightened his grip on the straps of his basket, and followed closely behind, unwilling to fall even half a step behind.
He had visited hunting grounds outside the capital when he was in Jing before, and at the time he had thought those forests wild enough. Compared with the mountains of Qianzhou, however, they were utterly incomparable.
He had traveled through the mountains several times during the epidemic as well. At night, the darkness had been so deep that even with a small torch, he could see only what was immediately nearby. He had actually found the mountains less frightening then. Now, moving through them in broad daylight, he could see much farther and everything was laid bare before his eyes, which made the dangers of the mountains even more apparent.
Naturally, walking at night had been easier because Duan Yan had been there. Not only could he carry Song Fengsui without even breathing heavily, he could also free one hand to cut through the vines.
The corners of his lips curved up unconsciously. He was lost in thoughts of a certain someone when he had no idea that a pair of eyes behind him was glaring at him resentfully.
“All right, gather herbs around this area. Don’t go too far, and it’s best if you work in pairs.”
At Mr. Xiao’s words, Song Fengsui gathered his thoughts. The others followed the instructions and paired off, scattering in different directions with small hoes to dig up the herbs.
Although everyone had entered the mountains together and had chatted and laughed along the way, no one seemed willing to speak with Song Fengsui. Earlier, when the larger group had been climbing, several villagers whose illnesses he had treated had greeted him and exchanged a few words. None of them, however, had been assigned to this group.
Apart from Mr. Xiao, the members of this group were all young ge’er and girls, some a little older than him and some a little younger. After the group split up, several of them gathered at the rear, whispering and murmuring about something.
Now and then, a few words drifted into Song Fengsui’s ears—“vixen,” “seducing people,” “Duan”—though he could not hear them clearly. After noticing several times that they were sneaking glances at him while whispering, he had a pretty good idea of what was going on.
After a moment of silence, he did not bother asking anyone to accompany him. He simply paid attention to his surroundings and went off on his own.
There were plenty of good things to be found in the mountains during the autumn months. With his sharp eyes, Song Fengsui quickly spotted a large astragalus root and immediately crouched down to dig it out.
Just as he was getting into the task, a voice came over to him.
“Brother Song, what sort of sachets are you wearing? I noticed a faint medicinal fragrance coming from you earlier, but I couldn’t tell where it was coming from. Only just now did I realize it was your sachets.”
Song Fengsui lifted his eyes and saw a somewhat familiar ge’er. He had a small, roundish face, and his features were quite handsome; in the village, he could certainly be considered an outstanding beauty.
Song Fengsui vaguely remembered having seen him before, but did not know his name. Since the other was speaking to him, he replied politely, “There are a lot of mosquitoes and insects in the mountains, so I put medicinal sachets on me to keep them away.”
“No wonder the mosquitoes and little bugs don’t come near you. When we were walking, it wasn’t so bad, but the moment I crouched down, they swarmed over my head as if I were a piece of meat.”
With a smack, the ge’er slapped the back of his hand, killing a mosquito as large as his little finger.
“Look at that. They’re practically sucking me dry.”
Song Fengsui glanced toward the others and noticed that the person who had been partnered with this ge’er had already gone over to follow Mr. Xiao.
He found it somewhat strange. The people who had not even spoken to him before had abandoned their companions and come straight toward him. But when he glanced over, he saw that the man had three or four swollen bites around his chin and the corners of his eyes. He guessed the poor fellow had been bitten mercilessly by mosquitoes and had come over specifically to strike up a conversation, hoping to get a sachet of medicinal herbs to drive away the insects.
Seeing that the man showed no ill intent—and that he happened to have extras—Song Fengsui took one from inside his robe and handed it to him.
The young ger was delighted to receive the sachet. He immediately tied it around his waist, but after getting what he wanted, he did not leave. Instead, he stayed beside Song Fengsui and dug for medicinal herbs with him.
“Those people really have no shame. They’ve been whispering about you nonstop—I couldn’t stand listening to it.”
“They were talking about your looks, Brother Song. They said you were the one who seduced the village head’s eldest son, taking full advantage of him before leaving him lovesick and distracted. Then you turned around and got entangled with Duan Yan, whose family has even more property. They said you’ve ruined the village’s morals.
“I say they’re only talking because they can’t stand that a ger is better-looking than them. All they can do is make sour remarks to feel better. I couldn’t bear listening to it, so I threw a few words back at them. Now they won’t even speak to me.”
The ger had quite a lot to say. Song Fengsui fell silent for a moment, though the fellow had indeed guessed correctly: the others had been speaking ill of him earlier.
Hearing this, Song Fengsui merely smiled and did not take it to heart. He had heard such words often enough in the past. Later, when he treated patients at Duan Yan’s estate, people saw that he had the Duan family behind him and had genuine need of his medical skills, so naturally they no longer dared say such unpleasant things to his face.
But he knew that just because he did not hear them, it did not mean no one was saying them behind his back.
In the countryside, farmers who knew neither books nor letters cursed in blunt, vulgar terms, and their words could indeed be unpleasant. But back in the capital, plenty of people had cursed the Song family as well—and what they said was not necessarily any more refined.
“It’s nothing. I suppose they’ve simply misunderstood me,” Song Fengsui said lightly before continuing to dig for herbs.
Seeing that Song Fengsui neither grew angry nor complained, Zeng Jingui pressed his lips together and swallowed the words he had originally intended to say.
He had talked until his mouth was dry, yet the other man’s emotions had barely fluctuated. What was the point of his wasting his breath?
He secretly sneered. No wonder this man could entangle himself with several men—his endurance really was something few could match.
Noticing that Song Fengsui was wholly focused on digging up medicinal plants, he stopped talking as well. He crouched down and dug, though his eyes kept darting toward the others.
About half an hour passed. The people in the group had scattered as they searched, and their figures were no longer visible, though their voices and movements could occasionally still be heard.
Zeng Jingui suddenly stood up. “We’ve nearly cleared out everything nearby, and our baskets aren’t even close to full. Come on, I’ll take you farther in. We can dig over there. Last year, I found quite a few good things in that area.”
Song Fengsui looked around at the ground, where not a single medicinal plant remained in sight, and nodded. He asked, “Do you often come into the mountains?”
“I do. Sometimes I come in with my brothers to gather firewood, and in spring we dig for wild vegetables. I’ve been coming into the mountains since I was little.”
Zeng Jingui led Song Fengsui along at a brisk pace. They had not gone far when he began using a knife to make marks on the trees they passed.
“No need to waste your effort. I know this area like the back of my hand.”
“I can see that the terrain in the mountains is complicated, and the weather can change easily. It’s still better to be cautious,” Song Fengsui said.
“You’re right.”
Zeng Jingui slowed his pace to wait for him.
Only then did Song Fengsui feel at ease enough to go farther.
After changing locations, they indeed found quite a few more medicinal plants, and the two of them busied themselves once again.
“Brother Song, come give me a hand!”
Song Fengsui had just discovered some wild Dysosma and was gathering it when he suddenly heard Zeng Jingui’s voice. Following the sound, he found the ger with a rope tied around him, one end secured to a tree and the other fastened to his own body.
He had spotted a great many well-grown medicinal plants beneath the steep slope and wanted to climb down to gather them. He asked Song Fengsui to let out the rope for him.
“Perhaps you shouldn’t go down. There are medicinal plants below, but the grass is thick. There may be insects or snakes.”
“Mountain folk aren’t afraid of things like that.”
Zeng Jingui urged him, “If you won’t help me, I’ll go down myself.”
Song Fengsui saw that the slope was not especially high, but a fall could still cause serious injury. If Zeng Jingui truly fell, it would be troublesome to deal with him in the mountains. So he set down what he was doing and helped hold the rope, lowering the other man little by little.
After a quarter of an hour of struggling, Song Fengsui was sweating heavily. Fortunately, Zeng Jingui reached the bottom safely.
When Song Fengsui finally loosened his grip, his palms were red and raw from the rope, burning painfully.
His steps were a little unsteady. After taking two short breaths, he leaned over and called down to Zeng Jingui, “Be careful.”
The man below replied that he would, then asked whether Song Fengsui wanted to come down as well. There were many medicinal plants below.
Song Fengsui was already afraid of heights. Just holding the rope had nearly exhausted his strength, and his legs were barely able to support him. How could he possibly climb down the steep slope?
Even if he managed to go down, he would have no strength left to climb back up.
He waved a hand. “There are plenty up here as well. I’ll stay here. I can still help pull the rope for you later.”
Zeng Jingui answered from below.
Song Fengsui turned around and continued digging for medicinal plants.
It was precisely the season when wild Dysosma matured in the mountains. He wanted to gather as much as possible. The herb was effective in treating epidemics, and to put it bluntly, if they ever encountered an outbreak like the plague again, it could prove extremely useful.
It was better to collect more while he could. He could keep some on hand and store some at home for his own family.
He had heard that when people entered the mountains to gather medicinal herbs, there were no rules requiring them to hand over a certain amount of each kind. If someone came across a precious herb such as ginseng, they would simply keep it for themselves.
Song Fengsui patiently gathered every medicinal plant he found. This area seemed to see little human traffic. Though the land was no richer than the places they had searched earlier, there were far more herbs here—and even several old plants that had grown for three or four years.
He could not help feeling puzzled. Then he looked up and realized that, at some point, the surroundings had grown much darker.
When he stood up, he saw that mist had risen among the trees.
The distance he could see was rapidly shrinking. He hurriedly called out to Zeng Jingui, but no one answered.
Song Fengsui rushed toward the steep slope. The mist below was even thicker than above. There was no sign of the other man anywhere.
“Zeng! Where are you? The fog’s come in. We should go back!”
“Zeng! Can you hear me?”
Song Fengsui searched in every direction. He shouted until his throat hurt, but no one responded, and his heart began to tighten with unease.
After looking around, he spotted the rope still tied to the tree. That confirmed he had not taken a wrong turn—Zeng Jingui had indeed climbed down from here. He circled the slope and called out again and again.
The fog was growing thicker by the moment, and the sky seemed to be growing darker as well. The wind against his body carried a chilling bite.
Song Fengsui did not dare climb down recklessly to search for Zeng Jingui. He hurriedly shouldered his basket, intending to return to the group’s gathering place and bring Mr. Xiao and the others back to search for Zeng Jingui together.
He felt his way along the marks he had made on the way there, secretly thankful that he had taken the precaution of leaving them. Otherwise, he truly would not have known what to do.
Song Fengsui kept his nerves steady as he walked, calling out for the others all the while. His throat had grown hoarse, yet no one answered.
Judging by how long he had been walking, he should have reached the place where they had entered. Strangely, however, the path seemed to be growing more difficult. He kept stumbling and nearly fell several times, making him wonder whether he had taken a wrong turn.
He reassured himself that it was only because he was nervous, and because of the fog. That was why the way seemed harder to walk than it had on the journey in. Besides, he had been following the markers, so there was no way he could have gone wrong.
Yet after walking on for some time without finding a second marker, his heart sank. Only then did he finally admit that he really had taken a wrong path.
Song Fengsui made a quick decision and hurriedly turned back. But the fog was growing thicker and thicker. When he looked up, he could no longer see the sky. To either side, the trees and bushes stood amid the dense mist, seeming at times like human figures and at others like terrifying shadows.
The howls of wolves and the cries of other wild beasts repeatedly reached his ears, and his heart climbed into his throat.
It was as though he had encountered a ghostly maze. In the space of a single night, he seemed to have been walking in circles, exhausting his strength without finding even a single marker to guide him back!
“Where could he have gone? We can’t find him anywhere, and he isn’t answering our calls!”
“Old Xiao, how were you keeping an eye on him? All he does is cause trouble. The mountain’s filled with fog, and it’s so dark. I’m afraid the weather outside is about to turn.”
Several of the young men from Mr. Xiao’s group kept their heads down and said nothing. Only Zeng Jingui spoke up.
“He came in with me, but we were both busy gathering herbs. Who would’ve thought that the moment I turned around, he’d vanished without a trace? I shouted until my throat nearly broke, but he never answered. When I saw the fog getting worse and couldn’t find him, I had no choice but to come back and look for all of you.”
“We came in together. We can’t go back with someone missing. Let’s split up and search again!”
“We’ve been looking for ages and haven’t seen him anywhere. It’s getting late! Once night falls, we’ll all end up feeding the tigers and leopards in these mountains.”
“Doctor Song only arrived in our village recently. He doesn’t know the mountains. If we leave him behind and go down ourselves, do you think he’ll survive?”
“And besides, he’s… well, wouldn’t his family come after us if something happened?”
“His legs are his own. If he got lost, how is that our fault?”
The group began arguing noisily, everyone talking over everyone else. They nearly came to blows.
Just then, a deep rumble of thunder rolled through the thick branches and leaves overhead. The people whom Madam Zhou had been unable to quiet for ages fell silent in an instant.
“Thunder! It’s thundering! What are we going to do?”
“I’m going down the mountain, no matter what any of you say! If we don’t get caught by the epidemic, we’ll all die up here together!”
The entire group descended into chaos. Madam Zhou was furious as well. She was worried about the person who had gone missing, but she dared not risk the lives of so many people.
“Everyone, hurry down the mountain first. Notify the Song family and the farmstead, and have the men come into the mountains to search!”
At Madam Zhou’s command, everyone agreed and hurried toward the path leading down the mountain.
Everyone was terribly anxious. Only Zeng Jingui’s heart bloomed with secret delight when he heard the thunder. He felt that even Heaven itself was helping him.
Song Fengsui was nothing but a vixen. It would be best if Heaven took him away.
He had seduced Qingyun, who had been utterly devoted to him. Then, the moment he laid eyes on Duan Yan and saw that the man had greater power and influence, he immediately abandoned Qingyun for him, leaving Qingyun so heartbroken that he had been bedridden for days.
It would have been one thing if Song Fengsui had honestly stayed with the man surnamed Duan. But no—he had secretly begun clinging to his cousin, Ye Xingzhi, as well. The two families had been on the verge of discussing a marriage, yet Song Fengsui had bewitched Ye Xingzhi so thoroughly that the man scarcely spoke to him anymore.
How could Zeng Jingui possibly swallow this grievance?
