10 Detoxification

There was poison in the water!

Realizing this, her hands holding the basin began to tremble uncontrollably. Madam Zhu truly hadn’t spared even this little infant! Fearing suspicion if she lingered in the room, she quickly poured the water out with a splash and returned inside. Madam Zhu was cradling Yu Nie, coaxing him gently, “Yu Nie must be obedient and well-behaved. Your mother is watching you.”

To anyone else, these words sounded merely like a mother’s affectionate murmuring, nothing out of the ordinary. Yet Qing Yin detected a hidden malice beneath the surface. That phrase “your mother”—while seemingly self-referential—upon closer thought seemed to speak of someone else. She stole a glance at Yu Nie’s face, but nothing seemed amiss. Still, she knew all too well that appearances could deceive, and her heart pounded with dread.

She stepped forward and said, “Madam, you must be tired. Let me amuse him for a while.”

Madam Zhu handed Yu Nie over, replying, “Yu Nie is already a year old. Perhaps it’s time for him to be weaned. There’s no need for the wet nurse any longer—let you and Luokui take turns minding him.”

Qing Yin agreed.

Madam Zhu continued, “Children who bathe often are less likely to fall ill. Bring him to me every afternoon, and I’ll give him a bath.”

Qing Yin hesitated, then replied, “Yes.”

She carried Yu Nie back to the side room where she lived with Luokui. Luokui hurried up to ask about the murder, but Qing Yin had no time for that. Instead, she anxiously inquired, “Are there medicinal herbs prepared in this household?”

Luokui replied, “Our master is an imperial physician—unlike other houses, we have a large medicine storeroom.”

Once she learned the location, Qing Yin set Yu Nie on the bed. Looking at his face again, though his expression was as usual, his brow seemed faintly tinged with blue. She quickly said to Luokui, “Please, sister, go boil some water for me—I’ll need it.”

Luokui wanted to ask more, but Qing Yin had already dashed away. At the medicine storeroom, she took up a brush and wrote out a prescription for the steward. The steward was already surprised that a young maid could write, and upon reading the prescription, his astonishment grew.

“This is a formula for dispelling snake venom. Has someone been bitten by a snake?”

“Yes, a sister in our room was bitten. Please, can you prepare the medicine quickly?”

“But how does a young girl like you know how to write prescriptions? Even if you can, you’re not a physician—I can’t just give you medicine. Best to let the master—”

“There’s been a death in the household; the master is overwhelmed. By the time he writes a prescription for me, the poison will have already claimed a life! My home is full of snakes—we get bitten all the time. I’ve known this formula by heart since childhood! Please, uncle, hurry!” She stamped her foot in urgency.

The steward, half-believing, half-doubting, dared not delay when a life was at stake. Trusting his own experience and seeing nothing amiss with the prescription, he dispensed the herbs as requested. Watching Qing Yin run off, he muttered, “She can dress wounds and write prescriptions—what sort of girl is she?”

Qing Yin dashed back with the herbs, found a clean wooden basin, and locked the door tightly behind her. Luokui asked in puzzlement, “What are you doing?”

“Giving Yu Nie a bath. Don’t make a fuss, sister. Madam is likely asleep, let’s not disturb her.”

Right now, nothing was less desirable than drawing Madam Zhu’s attention, so Luokui kept silent. Qing Yin placed a handful of fresh herbs in the basin, poured in hot water, and waited until the water cooled to a safe temperature, allowing the medicinal properties to infuse. She undressed Yu Nie, carefully settled him into the bath, and let him soak.

After playing in the water for a while, the child grew tired and fell asleep. Qing Yin did not take him out, but supported his head so he could soak for a full hour. Only when the bathwater darkened did she lift him out, dry him, and lay him on the bed.

Having done all this, she felt a measure of calm return and realized how utterly exhausted she was. She collapsed beside the baby and lay motionless to rest.

Luokui came over to ask, “Why not give Yu Nie back to the wet nurse?”

“Madam wants him weaned, so the wet nurse isn’t allowed. She wants us to take care of him.”

Luokui frowned in irritation. “Ugh, minding a child is exhausting—I can’t do it.”

Qing Yin replied helplessly, “Then I’ll do it.”

Suddenly, Luokui remembered her earlier terror. “Oh, what does it matter who takes care of him? I’m planning to leave the Lin household altogether.”

Qing Yin said, “If you can leave, that’s for the best. This place is truly not fit for living.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Did you know how strangely that person died?”

As Qing Yin recounted what she had seen, Luokui’s face turned pale. She quickly packed a few things and tried to ask for leave under the pretense of visiting her family, but was stopped at the gate by officers.

The family of Wang Chuwu, whose death was suspicious, had reported the case to the authorities. The Lin household’s gates were still under strict guard. Officials rigorously questioned everyone in the house, and no one was allowed to leave until the matter was resolved. Luokui returned in tears and told Qing Yin what had happened. Qing Yin’s mind raced: with her ability to scale walls, she could easily escape this sinister place and avoid getting caught up in disaster.

But as her gaze fell upon the little baby sleeping soundly, her heart softened and her urge to flee wavered. Clearly, Zhu Sha wanted to harm this child. If she left, who would save him?

In truth, she had no way of knowing exactly what poison Madam Zhu had placed in Yu Nie’s bathwater, nor what the consequences would be if untreated. She could only trust her intuition—that Zhu Sha meant harm—and, having detected a trace of snake venom in the water, had tried bathing Yu Nie with an antidote, hoping to draw out what had just seeped into his skin. But it could not possibly remove all the poison.

Whether this would help, she could not be certain. She simply couldn’t stand by and watch the child be manipulated by Zhu Sha, so she took the risk. What other choice did she have? Perhaps she should tell Lin Zifeng.

From the wall came a faint noise. The black cat sleeping in the basket stirred, raised its head, and upon seeing the bow tied to its tail, fainted again in fury. Only then did Qing Yin remember it, and she placed some food in a small dish beside the basket.

That afternoon, she pretended to take Yu Nie out to play in the garden and, as if by chance, encountered Lin Zifeng on the shady path. Seeing his son, Lin Zifeng stopped. “Why isn’t the wet nurse with him?”

Qing Yin replied, “Madam said Yu Nie is a year old and should be weaned, so she wants me and Luokui to look after him.”

Lin Zifeng frowned. “He’s only one—why wean him now?” He wanted to disagree with Zhu Sha’s decision, but recalling her erratic behavior, he was unwilling to argue. “Just be careful and look after the young master.”

Qing Yin suddenly said, “Master, Yu Nie seems unwell today—he’s been fussy. Could you check if he’s sick?”

Lin Zifeng hurried over, examined Yu Nie’s face, felt his forehead, and took his pulse, but found nothing unusual. “He’s fine. It’s probably just the weaning. Make more rice porridge and feed him often so he doesn’t go hungry.”

Qing Yin hesitated, then replied, “Yes.”

Lin Zifeng smiled, patted his son’s head, and walked away. Qing Yin opened her mouth to speak, but the words died in her throat.

The ordeal with the poisoned bathwater had left no sign. A tiger will not eat its cubs; however much he distrusted Zhu Sha, he would never believe a mother could harm her own child. Should she tell him that Zhu Sha now had a tail and might not be the real Zhu Sha anymore?

If she said that, she herself would be in danger. Even if Lin Zifeng believed her, how could he possibly fight a demon?

No, she decided, she couldn’t tell him. She was only nine years old—an age when she should have been nestled in her parents’ arms—yet life had forced her to grow so cautious and shrewd.

From that night on, she slept with Yu Nie in her arms. Three or four peaceful days passed; Madam Zhu made no further moves, and the household remained calm. Each day Qing Yin would secretly give Yu Nie a bath after Madam Zhu’s.

One night, the little one slept restlessly—no doubt from being newly weaned—and cried several times, keeping Qing Yin awake. When dawn was near, at last he slept soundly, but then wet the bed, soaking half of it.

Half-asleep herself, Qing Yin was just drifting off when she suddenly felt something leap onto her. Opening her eyes, she saw the black cat stepping carefully up her body to stand on her chest.

In the darkness, its eyes glowed cold and gold.

For days, the cat had been sleeping deeply. Whenever she checked, it was never awake, though the food by its dish always disappeared. Now seeing it walking again, she wondered if it had finally recovered. Surviving such severe injuries was no easy feat.

The black cat stood on her chest, suddenly stretched out its head, and bit at her throat. Its furry mouth made her neck itch.

Qing Yin laughed and dodged. “Don’t be naughty! I’ll feed you in the morning.” Casually, she brushed it off, sending it tumbling onto the blankets beside her.

Stranger was stunned. His original plan had been to bite her and drag her off to the immortal realm as a hostage for the Immortal Lord. But after his injury, he was so feeble that a mere tap sent him toppling. How could he possibly capture her in this state? His spirit broke, and grief welled up within him.

Qing Yin reached out, stroked his neck as if coaxing him to sleep.

He desperately wanted to roar, “Get lost, don’t touch me!” but was too dizzy with rage. He curled up between the girl and the baby, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Qing Yin woke to find the baby and the black cat cuddled together, sleeping sweetly—a scene so warm she couldn’t help but smile. Yawning, she quietly got up and went into the courtyard to air out the bedding, feeling exhausted.

Just then, several people arrived. Steward Xu came in, accompanied by two men who looked like officials. Qing Yin hurried over to ask what was happening. Steward Xu said, “These are from the authorities; they have some questions for Madam about Wang Chuwu’s case.”

Only then did Qing Yin notice the plaster stuck to the left side of Steward Xu’s head. She asked casually, “Uncle Xu, what happened? Why the plaster?”

Steward Xu pressed his forehead with a pained look. “I’ve had a splitting headache since last night—must have caught a chill.”

Half-Immortal Seal 10_Drive Out Poison complete!