Qian Jiaoniang sat by the bed. Qingya followed behind her, afraid of history repeating itself, and urged her to stay back. Jiaoniang stared at Xing Muzheng, whose face was drenched in sweat. “He won’t,” she said. “Bring me a wet cloth—he’s burning up.”
As she spoke, she reached to gather all his long hair to the top of his head. Suddenly, Dingxi Marquis lunged forward to headbutt her. Jiaoniang had been prepared and leaned back, but her vision went black for a moment. She swayed, her hand landing on his chest for balance.
“Jiaoniang!”
“Madam!”
Qian Jiaoniang’s head buzzed, and after a moment, she found her voice. “I’m fine.” Her hand slipped under Xing Muzheng’s robes and groped blindly across his chest. Everyone looked at one another in surprise, but Xing Muzheng, for a fleeting moment, felt a trace of relief from the chill of her hand.
Qian Jiaoniang said, “Too hot… the marquis is burning up. Call Doctor Bai, have her come take a look.” She pulled her hand back, now soaked with sweat.
Ah Da replied, “Doctor Bai’s already seen him. She doesn’t know if this kind of fever is normal. She prescribed a cooling remedy, but the marquis won’t drink anything—spits it all in our faces!”
“Then fetch water—no, bring the bathing tub! Don’t use hot water. Use well water—quick!”
Ah Da and Wu Shunzi hurried out. Qian Jiaoniang added, “Wang Yong, have Ding Zhang bring more ice—lots of it. Qingya, go find some large clean cloths. And while you’re at it, call Doctor Bai again. Have her brew another round of fever and pain medication.”
Wang Yong and Qingya left as well. Inside the room, Li Qingquan stayed with Qian Jiaoniang, handing her a wrung-out cloth. “Madam, will this even help?”
Jiaoniang took the cloth. “Whether it helps or not, we have to try.” She laid the cloth over the marquis’s eyes.
He groaned, and she snapped at him, “What are you moaning for? You cracked my head open and I didn’t even scream!”
Surprisingly, Dingxi Marquis quieted down—for a moment. As soon as she finished wiping his face, he resumed struggling and shouting, sweat once again soaking his freshly wiped face.
Ah Da and Wu Shunzi carried the tub in and ran back out for water. Li Qingquan went to help. Left alone with Xing Muzheng, Qian Jiaoniang pushed back his soaked bangs. She stared directly into his black eyes. Though they had lost their former brightness, she seemed to be searching for another version of Xing Muzheng through them.
“…Sometimes I wonder if you’re still ‘alive’ inside your body. The thought is cruel—but if you really are still ‘there,’ then grit your teeth and endure. I swear, I will bring you back. Live. Just live.”
As soon as she finished, a wave of dizziness hit her. She collapsed forward onto Xing Muzheng, gasping to steady herself. Hearing footsteps draw near, she forced herself upright. “If you’ve broken my brain, you’ll have to take care of me for the rest of your life!”
Xing Muzheng thought: Then I really can’t die now.
Ah Da and the others returned, each carrying two buckets, pouring well water into the tub with loud splashes. In just a few rounds, the tub was nearly full. Wang Yong had the household staff bring ice to the doorway. Qian Jiaoniang told Qingya to wrap each ice block in cloth and drop them into the tub.
Li Qingquan and Ah Da worked together to untie Xing Muzheng. Li Qingquan tapped his pressure points—though the effect would be brief, it was enough time to lift him into the tub.
“Madam, should we… still tie him up?” Ah Da asked.
Jiaoniang leaned back against her chair, eyes closed. “Better tie him. If he kicks and spills everything, it’ll all be wasted effort. Once he’s better, you can untie him. Oh—and take off his clothes.”
“Should we… remove the pants too?” Ah Da pressed.
Jiaoniang’s eyes snapped open, her gaze cold as ice. Ah Da gave a nervous laugh. “Not removing them! Definitely not!”
They carried Xing Muzheng into the bath. The moment he was submerged, his agony eased. It was like covering flames with ice: though the fire wasn’t entirely put out, it was at least dulled. Especially where the ice packs touched his body—it was like burnt grass sprouting new green. Could it be that this curse feared water? Or ice?
Jiaoniang had saved him again.
Dingxi Marquis smiled. Ah Da exclaimed, “The marquis smiled! He feels better!”
Li Qingquan and the others were overjoyed. Wang Yong touched the water and cried, “Heavens, the water’s already warmed!”
“Add more ice—or fetch fresh well water. Watch over the marquis. When it’s time, help him out of the tub. I’m going to rest…” Before she finished, Qian Jiaoniang tilted her head and fainted.
***
Qian Jiaoniang awoke again at dawn the next day.
Xing Muzheng had soaked in the bath nearly all night. The household’s ice stores were nearly depleted, and they’d drawn water from the well two or three times. When he seemed a little better, Ah Da managed to feed him some medicine—but it had little effect. The moment he left the water, he’d start screaming in pain again. They had no choice but to place him back in the tub. At least they’d managed to get him to eat some porridge.
All of this was relayed to Jiaoniang by Qingya, who now absolutely forbade her from getting out of bed. Qingya even swore that if Jiaoniang acted recklessly again, she’d just kill Xing Muzheng and end it all.
Jiaoniang laughed. Qingya scowled at her before leaving to fetch food. When she was gone, Jiaoniang’s smile faded.
Though Xing Muzheng was stable for now, he was no fish—he couldn’t live in water forever. This was only a temporary fix. If they couldn’t find a real cure soon, then Xing Muzheng would… die.
“Madam! The person you asked Qingquan to look for—Peng Shi has brought them back!” Ah Da’s excited voice came from outside.
“Who is it? Someone who knows Western Li witchcraft?”
“Exactly!”
Could heaven be giving Xing Muzheng another chance?
“Who is this person? Where are they now?” Jiaoniang asked.
“They’re waiting in the main hall. Would you like to see them?”
“I do. Please, fetch Qingya first.”
Jiaoniang asked Qingya to help her up and change clothes so she could go to the main hall. Qingya refused, saying she could speak from behind the screen. Jiaoniang replied, “How will I know if he’s real if I don’t see him?”
Qingya pursed her lips and finally gave in a little. “Then he can come here—but only for the time it takes to burn one incense stick. No, one cup of tea!”
“Don’t worry. I’ll only ask a few questions.”
Qingya tidied her hair and helped her to the divan by the window. Then she removed the worn screen and allowed the guest to enter.
Ah Da led in two travel-worn men. Both were dressed in plain, everyday linen clothes, covered in dust from their long journey. One had delicate features and an empty right sleeve—his arm clearly gone. The other was tall and thin, his face wrapped so tightly in cloth that even his eyes were nearly obscured.
“Madam, this is Peng Shi,” Ah Da said, pointing at the one-armed man. “He came back with the Commander—he’s from Zizhou.”
Qian Jiaoniang paused in surprise. “Zizhou?” She nodded thoughtfully and turned her gaze to the other man.
The tightly wrapped man removed the cloth covering his face. Qian Jiaoniang and Qingya exchanged a glance, both slightly taken aback. This man appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six. His head was full of curly hair tied into a small braid at the back. One side of his face was adorned with intricate blue markings. He was clearly not a Xie person.
“Madam, this is Aliman, a man of Western Li. But his loyalty lies with the Commander. He’s helped deliver intelligence for us before.”
“A Western Li native… loyal to the Marquis?”
