A few of them held their noses, enduring the foul stench as they entered the room.

The light inside was dim, the air so thick it felt like water could drip from it.

"Gag..."

The moment they stepped inside, one of the younger men couldn’t help but dry heave.

On the room’s dirt floor lay a corpse, long since gone rigid, curled into a ball. Its features were a blur, its skin a grotesque bluish-purple. Across its swollen face and exposed arms, a dense rash of inky black spots had spread. Some areas had even begun to ulcerate and ooze pus, releasing a sickly-sweet, metallic stench.

"Is that... Wang Ershou?"

Wang Youquan narrowed his cloudy old eyes. Steeling himself, he leaned in for a closer look. A moment later, he shot backward as if he were a cat whose tail had just been stepped on, his voice changing pitch:

"Back! Everyone get out! Now!"

Though they didn’t understand, the men saw the elder’s terror and didn’t dare linger. They scrambled back out into the cold wind.

"Elder, what happened to Ershou...?" one man asked, his voice trembling.

Leaning against the base of the wall, Wang Youquan gasped for breath. His wrinkled old face was as pale as paper. He shakily spat out a single word:

"Plague!"

"What!"

The word struck them like a bolt from the blue. The few men present were so terrified they nearly fled on the spot.

In an age so short on doctors and medicine, "plague" was just another name for death. If it spread, it wouldn’t just be Wang Family Village—all of Qingxi Town would become a dead land!

"Damn it! That Wang Ershou must have gotten sick a long time ago and kept it a secret!"

"That bastard! I saw him fetching water from the well just over ten days ago... We’re finished, we’re all finished!"

Panic spread through the group in an instant, and despair settled over every man’s heart.

"All of you, shut up!"

A fierce and resolute light flashed in Wang Youquan’s cloudy eyes. "Don’t let a word of this get out!"

He lowered his voice. "Find a few quick-handed men. Under the cover of darkness... set a fire. Burn this house, and the body inside, to ashes!"

"Elder, but..."

"If you want to live, you’ll do as I say!" Wang Youquan gritted his teeth. "The rest of you, go door to door! Tell them you’re taking a census for the spring planting, but look closely. If anyone in any family has black spots on their body... even if you have to tie them up, you will bind them and put them in quarantine!"

...

「Su Mansion, Back Courtyard.」

In contrast to the bleakness outside the town walls, the Su Mansion was filled with warmth, the charcoal brazier burning brightly.

Su Yu, his older brother Su Hong, and the Yang Sisters were gathered together, discussing matters for the coming new year.

"Second Brother, the new year is only seven or eight days away. This is our first year in the new residence, so we should make it lively. The peach-wood charms for the gate, the couplets, and the red lanterns for the courtyard—we need to get all of them," Su Hong said with a smile, holding an account book.

"That’s for you to decide, Big Brother," Su Yu said, taking a sip of hot tea. "Also, have Li Da make a trip to prepare some generous gifts for my master and senior brothers at the martial arts hall."

Su Hong nodded and had Yaya, who was standing by, grind the ink and take notes. "Second Brother, what are the specifics for the gift list?"

Su Yu began to ponder, unsure of what to do, when Yang Zhen gently took over the conversation.

"Brother Su, as for Master Qin, he’s fond of a good drink. My family has ordered two jars of Hundred Flowers Brew from Jian’an Prefecture through the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce. This wine is made by fermenting a hundred types of Spirit Flowers and is buried underground for three years to mature. A single jar is worth fifty taels of silver. It’s a thoughtful gift that also suits Master Qin’s tastes."

Su Yu’s eyes lit up, and he nodded. "Good, we’ll do as Zhen’Er says. What about my senior brothers?"

"For Senior Brother Qi, Senior Brother Xu, and the others, we can give them some high-quality Cloud Mist Spirit Tea..."

Yang Zhen methodically arranged each gift, ensuring they were neither too extravagant nor too plain, but perfectly catered to each person’s tastes.

At her side, Yang Ai occasionally chimed in with suggestions for the New Year’s Eve dinner menu and details about the mansion’s decorations.

Watching the two women bustle about the room, Su Yu felt a strange sense of satisfaction well up inside him.

’This massive mansion would still lack a certain warmth if there wasn’t a thoughtful woman to run it.’

His gaze couldn’t help but fall upon the two women.

The younger sister, Yang Ai, was dressed in a festive, peach-pink blouse and skirt. She was gesturing with paper cuttings, her face full of youthful vitality. Her skin was fair and supple, like the finest white jade, so delicate it seemed one could break it with a breath. Perhaps because of her years practicing Martial Arts, the lines of her waist and back were taut and strong even as she sat, giving her a kind of wild beauty.

Her older sister, Yang Zhen, wore a long, lavender dress that made her look dignified and gentle. As she looked down to review the gift list, a few strands of dark hair fell beside her ear, lending her the quiet grace of a highborn lady. But Su Yu’s mind couldn’t help but conjure the image of her from that other day—the soft, bewitching way she had thrown herself into his arms. That contrast, hidden beneath her poise, was utterly captivating.

Perhaps sensing Su Yu’s unabashedly fiery gaze, Yang Zhen subconsciously looked up.

Their eyes met.

The admiration, possessiveness, and faint trace of desire in Su Yu’s eyes made Yang Zhen’s heart skip a beat.

’Brother Su’s gaze... Is he finally developing feelings for me?’

The tips of Yang Zhen’s ears instantly turned beet red, but she didn’t look away. Instead, she shyly returned his gaze with a gentle smile before hastily looking down again, her grip on her brush suddenly unsteady.

A slight smile touched Su Yu’s lips as he withdrew his gaze.

...

「White Ape Martial Arts Hall, Master Qin’s Room, Inner Courtyard.」

Qin Fangqiong accepted the Hundred Flowers Brew from Su Yu, his old face unable to hide his joy. "You’re a thoughtful one, kid! To think you managed to get me such a fine wine, HAHAHAHA!"

Su Yu stood respectfully to the side, bowing as a disciple should. "Master, your kindness and guidance are as high as the mountains and as deep as the sea. That this disciple has achieved what he has today is all thanks to your nurturing. With the new year approaching, this humble gift is but a small token. I only hope Master will accept it."

Su Yu spoke these words with utmost sincerity.

His circumstances had changed so much in the past year. He had gone from a lowly fisherman’s son to where he was today, and Master Qin and his senior brothers and sisters had helped him a great deal along the way.

Otherwise, no matter how talented he was, without their protection and help, he would have had no room to grow. From Cao Bin to Sun Shi, it had always been Master Qin who had shielded him from the storms.

Seeing Su Yu’s sincerity, Qin Fangqiong felt a deep sense of gratification.

’I made up my mind to spend my life savings on him, and even planned to pass on my legacy to him. It seems I didn’t misjudge his character.’

’His talent for the Martial Arts is astounding, his comprehension is shocking, and his temperament is excellent. On top of that, he is a kind person who knows how to be grateful. Where could I ever find another disciple as satisfactory as him?’

At this thought, a hint of determination flashed in Qin Fangqiong’s eyes. He turned, walked to a hidden compartment behind a bookshelf, and carefully took out an ancient wooden box.

The box was made entirely of black ironwood, its surface carved with intricate patterns that gave it an air of antiquity.

"Open it and have a look." Qin Fangqiong handed the box over, his expression solemn.

Su Yu did as he was told, taking the box and lifting the lid.

In an instant, a bone-chilling white mist spilled out, causing the temperature in the warm room to plummet.

When the white mist dissipated, Su Yu’s pupils contracted sharply.

A strange plant lay quietly inside the box. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Its stem and roots weren’t like those of a plant at all. They had a pale, osseous quality, as if carved from human bone. Atop the stem bloomed a deep purple flower. The petals were crystal-clear, like the highest quality purple jade, emitting a faint purple glow in the dim light. It was an eerie and magnificent sight.

"This is a Xuan-grade Treasure Medicine, the Purple Jade Bone-Washing Flower!"

A flash of pride and pained reluctance crossed Qin Fangqiong’s eyes. "This flower grows deep within subterranean ore veins of extreme yin and cold. It blooms only once a century and is priceless—so rare you can’t buy it even if you have the money! I snatched this from the hands of two Profound Bone Realm masters back in the day!"

"Master, this treasure medicine..."

Su Yu was deeply shaken. Although he didn’t know the medicine’s effects, he knew just from its Profound Tier grade and appearance how incredibly valuable it was.

Qin Fangqiong stared at Su Yu. "Your comprehension is the best I have ever seen in my life, but your innate constitution... is far too poor!"

"It will constrain you now, and it will continue to constrain you on your future path in the Martial Arts."

"And this Purple Jade Bone-Washing Flower, while not as precious as a Bone Marrow Cleansing and Bone Forging Pill, isn’t far behind. After you go back and consume it, it will act like a rasp, scraping your bones clean of toxins and forcibly expelling the impurities from your marrow!"

"The process will be painful, but if you can endure it, your innate constitution will improve from low-grade to mid-grade, or perhaps even upper-mid-grade!"

At this, Qin Fangqiong gave Su Yu a deep look, his voice filled with expectation. "Su Yu, this is the Celestial Stepping Ladder I’ve prepared for you. Don’t let me down."

Su Yu took a deep breath and bowed deeply to his master.

"This disciple will forever remember Master’s immense kindness and will not fail to live up to your expectations!"