Heaven envied the gifted

"Would you dare enter the residence and search it?"

His final words rang out with unmistakable provocation.

The hall fell silent at once, every gaze turning to Zhao Zhijie.

Zhao Zhijie's expression remained unchanged, but his heart sank.

What sort of place was the Princess's Residence? It was the residence of Princess Taiping, Guardian of the Realm. Without solid evidence and an order in His Majesty's own hand, who would dare barge in to search it?

And they would be searching for a Director of Medicine who had just rendered a great service and was enjoying her favor! At most, they could ask the princess to hand him over so he could cooperate with the investigation. But without concrete proof, she would never agree. Her dignity was at stake!

He considered for a moment, then said slowly, "Palace Physician Sun, investigations require solid evidence. I will verify the matter of that dispute with County Lady Wu myself. But if that alone is your basis for searching the Princess's Residence..."

He shook his head, his tone firm. "Forgive me, but I cannot comply."

Beside him, Yan Mingxiao chuckled. "Imperial Attendant Sun, unless I am mistaken, you yourself just declared this a lethal fifth-tier poison? A supreme masterpiece among poisons?"

Sun Huaijin swept his sleeve aside. "And what of it?"

Yan Mingxiao smiled. "How very strange. A youth not yet twenty would certainly have been thoroughly searched before entering the residence. As a newcomer appointed Director of Medicine, he would surely have been kept under close watch afterward as well. Are you saying that, through his own abilities, he concocted an extraordinary poison that even you could do nothing about, in just a day or two, right under the watchers' eyes? Palace Physician Sun, don't you think this 'theory' of yours strains belief a little too far?!"

Sun Huaijin was momentarily speechless, his face flushing red.

Most of the world's deadliest poisons were difficult to concoct and took considerable time. They could never be produced in a single leap.

Having immersed himself in medicine for decades, he knew those hardships well. The dreaded fifth-tier poison Blue Heaven, Yellow Springs, for instance, required seven different kinds of pestilential miasma gathered at the turn between the new and full moons, supplemented with the heartwood of a tree buried underground for a hundred years. These then had to be repeatedly refined over gentle and fierce flames at prescribed hours for forty-nine days, yielding only a trace of venom. Within three days, the flesh and blood of anyone poisoned would dissolve, as though they had plunged into the Yellow Springs.

Then there was Immortal's Intoxication. Colorless and odorless, this poison required silk from ice-soul silkworms that had slumbered for a century atop snowy mountains. The silk had to be soaked in chalcedony infused with the juices of nine rare flowers, then placed beneath the stars to absorb the essence of moonlight for three full years before the poison could be completed. Those poisoned first felt light and blissful, as though ascending into an immortal realm. Then their souls sank into an eternal drunken stupor, and they quietly perished within visions of perfect bliss.

Every one of these lethal fifth-tier poisons demanded years of painstaking effort and the convergence of favorable times and places. How could a youth newly arrived produce one in the snap of a finger?

But there were exceptions. He immediately thought of one. "Pufferfish Poison takes effect extremely quickly! Once swallowed, it can take as little as an incense stick's burning time to..."

Yan Mingxiao interrupted him. "Did Zhang Shouzhuo take an incense stick's burning time to die? Was there Pufferfish Poison on the envelope? Could a mere speck of Pufferfish Poison kill someone?! Palace Physician Sun, you are supposed to be a master of medicine, yet meeting you today has been a bitter disappointment! Lu Changfeng cured Young Master Xue and dragged the Imperial Medical Bureau's reputation through the dust. Given Zhang Shouzhuo's nature, his jealousy of a more talented man was hardly surprising. But I never imagined that even you would seek revenge over a private grievance, casting reason aside and blindly dragging him into this!"

"Insolence!"

Sun Huaijin's expression changed violently. If word of this got out, the reputation he had built over decades would be ruined in an instant!

Zhao Zhijie was about to smooth things over, but Yan Mingxiao pressed relentlessly forward. "Accusing Lu Changfeng defies reason. You, on the other hand, Palace Physician Sun—you trained under the same master as the deceased and knew his grudges and entanglements intimately. You also oversee the Medical Pharmacy Bureau, giving you access to rare poisons from across the realm."

She suddenly stepped closer and lowered her voice. "If we are asking who was most likely to obtain a lethal fifth-tier poison... your involvement probably deserves far more scrutiny than that of Director Lu, who was far away in the Princess's Residence."

Her words exploded like a thunderclap, throwing the hall into an uproar.

Every gaze swung toward Sun Huaijin.

"You... you..."

Trembling with rage, Sun Huaijin pointed at Yan Mingxiao, unable to utter another word for a long while.

"Enough!"

Zhao Zhijie stepped forward at the right moment and said sternly, "The facts are still unclear. How can you attack one another like this? Palace Physician Sun, I have recorded your lead and will investigate it thoroughly! Yan Mingxiao, take your people and look into the Imperial Physician Director's recent associates immediately. There must be no mistakes!"

He dealt both sides fifty strokes of the rod, forcibly quelling the argument, but the seeds of suspicion had already been sown.

Sun Huaijin's face was livid. He knew that not only had he failed to divert the flood of trouble elsewhere today, he had ended up splattered with its stench himself.

He shot Yan Mingxiao a vicious glare, then swept out without another word. Yet there was already a hint of panic in his retreating figure-not because of the Constables, but because of Lu Changfeng!

It suddenly occurred to him that if Lu Changfeng truly possessed the means to concoct a lethal fifth-tier poison in such a short time and kill with a snap of his fingers, this accusation had probably already offended him...

A chill shot up Sun Huaijin's spine to the crown of his head, leaving his heart icy cold!

Only after he was well away did Zhao Zhijie say quietly, "Mingxiao, you showed too much of your edge just now. He belongs to Medicine King Valley. You should still show him some respect."

Yan Mingxiao was unconcerned. "The Embroidered Shadow Pavilion isn't afraid of Medicine King Valley! Sun Huaijin was clearly trying to divert the flood of trouble elsewhere. Still..."

"Still what?"

"The Princess's Residence is less than a li from the Western Market..."

Yan Mingxiao looked toward the Princess's Residence, narrowed her eyes, and murmured, "If Lu Changfeng really could concoct a Fifth-Rank Deadly Poison in so little time, he certainly could have made the round trip with ease..."

Zhao Zhijie started. "Then you mean..."

Yan Mingxiao shook her head and sighed. "There is no evidence, and it is far too incredible! Sun Huaijin is still more suspicious. After all, Zhang Shouzhuo died after leaving the Palace Physician's duty room. Who knows what those fellow disciples were plotting... Or perhaps he knows something he isn't reporting. Zhang Shouzhuo may have provoked someone he should never have provoked, someone Sun Huaijin dares neither name nor offend..."

She sighed deeply. "This case won't be easy to solve. It's up to you, Master."

Zhao Zhijie shook his head with a rueful smile. "Don't call me Master. I'm not worthy of it. Just call me Old Zhao. If we truly get nowhere, we'll have no choice but to report it to your senior fellow disciple."

Yan Mingxiao smiled. "I'm afraid his Court of Judicial Review won't have any answers either. Let's investigate first."

The Princess's Residence.

The small kitchen in a side wing of the Spirit Pivot Institute.

Lu Changfeng personally carried over a pot of milky-white fish soup and set it on the small charcoal stove prepared earlier. Its rich, savory fragrance immediately filled the air.

Several people sat around the table: Medical Supervisor Shen Jingwan, as cool and aloof as ever; the newly promoted Medical Assistant Chen Jing'an; the newly appointed Chief Medical Officer Liu Mingyan; and Qing Dai, who stood attending beside Lu Changfeng.

When they saw the jade-colored fish flesh with its distinctive texture in the soup, all their expressions shifted slightly.

"D-Director of Medicine Lu!"

Liu Mingyan's voice tightened, and she could not help asking, "Th-this... is this pufferfish?"

Chen Jing'an also knitted his brows, his tone cautious. "Director of Medicine, pufferfish is highly poisonous! Even if properly prepared, it..."

Even the usually cool Shen Jingwan looked at the soup pot with a trace of disapproval in her eyes.

Everyone knew pufferfish was poisonous.

To them, gambling one's life for a delicious mouthful simply was not worth it.

As Qing Dai looked at the pot of soup, her fingers curled involuntarily. Naturally, she was afraid too. She had bought this pufferfish herself. Something so poisonous should not be brought into the residence, lest it endanger Her Highness... But she had never expected Lu Changfeng to cook it himself and eat it himself. He could at least have asked one of the residence's cooks to prepare it!

By rights, she should have been worried, but when she saw Lu Changfeng's calm, confident profile, most of her doubts instantly melted away.

She drew a deep breath, stepped forward, and said softly, "Sir, let me first..."

"No hurry."

Lu Changfeng raised a hand to stop her and smiled. "I'm treating everyone today. Naturally, I should go first."

He picked up his spoon, leisurely scooped up some milky-white soup, blew gently on it, and calmly brought it to his mouth beneath everyone's anxious gazes.

He savored it carefully, satisfaction spreading over his face as though he were enjoying the finest delicacy imaginable, utterly unconcerned that everyone around him was holding their breath.

"Mm. Cooked just right, incomparably sweet and savory. It certainly deserves its fine name, Xi Shi's Milk."

He set down his spoon, then spoke as casually as if making conversation. "Don't worry. Pufferfish may be poisonous, but specialized 'fish masters' have practiced this craft since the previous dynasty. Their methods of removing the poison have been passed down through generations and are truly a consummate art. There is more than one such establishment in Chang'an alone. When I practiced medicine in the neighborhood lanes, I was fortunate enough to meet an old master and learn the method. The key lies in sharp eyes and swift hands. Remove every trace of liver, roe, eyes, and blood, and you can enjoy the delicacy."

As he spoke, he put the piece of fish into his mouth and chewed slowly, perfectly at ease. Where was even the slightest sign of poisoning?

Seeing him so composed, the others finally relaxed a little.

Watching him speak with such easy assurance, Qing Dai's eyes flashed with a barely perceptible warmth and admiration. Shen Jingwan's gaze also lost some of its chill and gained a hint of curiosity.

Lu Changfeng took in all their reactions and knew that most of their doubts had faded. He waited a little longer, letting them see that nothing was wrong with him, before extending a hand in invitation. "Everyone, please. Once it cools, it loses some of its flavor."

Reassured, they took their seats as invited.

The fish soup was indeed extraordinarily sweet and savory, its flesh tender and silky-a supreme delicacy of the mortal world. Even Shen Jingwan's expression softened a little.

Just as the atmosphere around the table was growing more congenial, a faint commotion suddenly came from outside, mingled with hurried footsteps and murmurs.

Qing Dai set down her spoon and said softly, "I'll go and take a look."

She rose from the table and returned shortly afterward, a barely perceptible gravity in her expression. Walking to Lu Changfeng's side, she reported quietly, "Sir, word has come from outside. Imperial Physician Director Zhang Shouzhuo... has died suddenly inside the Imperial Medical Bureau!"

"What?"

Liu Mingyan let out a startled cry, and Chen Jing'an looked equally astonished. Even Shen Jingwan's spoon hand paused slightly.

Zhang Shouzhuo might not have been a physician of the highest caliber, but he was still the director of the Imperial Medical Bureau, a dignified court official. How could he have suddenly dropped dead inside his own offices?

Only Qing Dai, after her initial shock, found her gaze involuntarily returning to that pot of milky-white fish soup.

Pufferfish... deadly poison... taking an old dog's life...

Those few phrases swiftly linked together in her mind.

She recalled Lu Changfeng's miraculous skill when making perfume, his composure in the face of harassment, and the keen edge hidden beneath his mild demeanor.

If anyone in this world could refine pufferfish venom to such a terrifying degree, then as far as she knew, only the unfathomable Master Lu before her could do it... Sir was in the kitchen all this time... The Spirit Pivot Institute sits right against the western wall, and beyond that wall is the Western Market. I did leave for a while...

She already understood, but said nothing more. Instead, she picked up her bowl and resumed drinking.

Lu Changfeng's expression remained placid. He scooped up another spoonful of soup, slowly brought it to his mouth, and savored its exquisite sweetness. Only after swallowing did he raise his eyes and sigh softly. "Truly... heaven envied the gifted."

Silence settled over the table.

"Uh..."

Apart from Qing Dai, the other three nearly choked.

Heaven's envy? A gifted man? Zhang Shouzhuo?

Those seemed to be three entirely unrelated things!