Outside the No. 12 public toilet in the south of the city, Pu Yunshan, wearing a blue shirt stained with mortar, gritted his teeth and swung a broom.
He had intended to quickly clean up this filthy place so he could escape and find Zhao Wuxu to devise a new plan, but unexpectedly, he was overwhelmed by the stench as soon as he entered the backyard, making him dizzy and lightheaded.
Despite it being the dead of winter, there were flying insects here.
Pu Yunshan secretly activated his Fourth Rank internal energy, shaking away all the flies and stench within a foot of him.
As he circulated his internal energy, his muscles trembled slightly, his breathing adjusted accordingly, and his body remained taut and straight.
This subtle muscle tremor, however, appeared to Tuoba Mang as a sudden acute illness.
Tuoba Mang, who was squatting beside him teaching him how to scoop manure with a long-handled wooden spoon, was immediately terrified when he saw him suddenly tremble and turn pale.
"Oh no! This homeless man is having an epileptic seizure!"
Tuoba Mang threw down the manure bucket and pressed down hard on Pu Yunshan's shoulders, fearing that he would convulse, fall to the ground, and injure his head.
Caught off guard by the brute force, Pu Yunshan's internal energy was forced to dissipate. Just as he was about to retaliate, he heard Tuoba Mang shouting at the top of his lungs, " Auntie Zhao! Sister-in-law Wang! Someone's having a seizure!"
No sooner had the words been spoken than three middle-aged women wearing Hongxiu rushed in from the front yard of the public toilet.
Auntie Zhao was running at the front, still clutching half a piece of pickled vegetable in her hand. As soon as she saw Pu Yunshan being pinned to the ground by Tuoba Mang, she immediately concluded that he was suffering from a sudden illness.
"Oh dear, this young man seems to be possessed by an evil spirit. Look at his face, it's as blue as an eggplant!"
Sister-in-law Wang also stepped forward, reached out and touched Pu Yunshan's forehead, then squeezed his wrist, shaking her head and sighing.
"Her hands and feet are ice-cold; it seems the cold has seeped into her bones. If left untreated, she could die!"
Another woman, surnamed Sun, was known locally as Sister-in-law Sun. She was famous for her ability to treat acute illnesses.
He crouched down to examine Pu Yunshan closely, his gaze falling on his tense shoulders and slightly trembling fingers. He immediately declared, "This is undoubtedly epilepsy. My family's ancestral remedy specializes in treating this. Quickly, hold him up, don't let him bite his tongue!"
Pu Yunshan was completely bewildered. He had only used his internal energy to block the stench; how could that have turned into epilepsy?
He was about to speak in his defense when Tuoba Mang stuffed a rag into his mouth and then covered it tightly with his large hand.
"Don't talk! You can't move around when you're having an attack. You'll feel better after you take your medicine!"
Pu Yunshan watched as Sister-in-law Sun pulled out an oil paper package from her bosom. Inside were a few blackened garlic cloves, a small clump of dried grass roots, and half a bottle of aged vinegar that had been stored for an unknown period of time.
Sister-in-law Sun moved swiftly, immediately finding a rough porcelain bowl, smashing the garlic cloves and throwing them in, then grabbing a handful of grass roots and crushing them, finally pouring in half a bowl of aged vinegar and stirring it into a bowl of dark, murky mixture.
"Come on, drink this, and it'll cure you completely!"
Pu Yunshan shook his head desperately, but Tuoba Mang and Auntie Zhao grabbed his arms from the left and right, respectively. Sister-in-law Wang grabbed his chin from behind, and Sister-in-law Sun held a bowl to his mouth, pouring the contents into his mouth regardless of his willingness.
At this moment, he felt only despair. Should he use his inner strength and directly reveal his identity as the young master?
No, that's inappropriate!
I haven't met Wanqing yet!
The moment that bowl of "family recipe" entered his mouth, the spiciness of the garlic, the sourness of the vinegar, and the bitterness of the herbs blended into an indescribable flavor that made Pu Yunshan's eyes and nose run.
He couldn't hold back any longer and tried to force out these messy things by channeling his inner energy, but Tuoba Mang slapped him on the back of his pulse point, and his inner energy dissipated completely in an instant.
"Don't vomit! Drink it so the illness can dissipate!"
Pu Yunshan was nearly choked by the blow, and the mixed liquid in his throat slid into his stomach, followed by a wave of nausea.
He lay on the ground retching for a long time, but couldn't vomit anything. He just felt like his stomach was on fire.
Sister-in-law Sun nodded in satisfaction.
"See, that's the medicine taking effect. You'll feel better after you vomit."
Tuoba Mang breathed a sigh of relief and patted Pu Yunshan on the shoulder.
"Brother, your illness came on suddenly. Luckily you met us, otherwise it could have been fatal."
Pu Yunshan collapsed to the ground, feeling like he wanted to die.
He was originally the young master of Mount Qingcheng, Fourth Rank expert, but now he's been treated like a refugee and forced to drink all sorts of strange remedies. If word gets back to the mountain, how will he ever face his father again?
Seeing that his expression had softened slightly, Auntie Zhao urged him on.
"Alright, alright, you've rested enough. We haven't finished carrying the manure buckets yet, get up and get back to work!"
Pu Yunshan gritted his teeth and got up, forced to continue carrying manure.
He secretly vowed that once he took off that Hongxiu armband, he would make these people pay the price.
As night fell, the market in the south of the city gradually quieted down.
Zhao Wuxu, with his face covered, slipped into the back alley of the No. 12 public toilet during the handover of patrol duties.
He had originally planned to visit Pu Yunshan and discuss how to escape, but as soon as he rounded the backyard, he was forced to take two steps back by a strong stench.
Zhao Wuxu covered his nose and walked forward. By the moonlight, he saw several huge buckets of excrement piled up in the corner, with white steam rising from their mouths, clearly indicating that they had just been taken out of the public toilet.
He was trying to walk around the manure buckets when he accidentally kicked a loose stone slab, causing him to stumble. He frantically tried to grab something to steady himself, and ended up grabbing the edge of a manure bucket.
The manure bucket was already unstable, and when he pulled on it, it tipped over to the ground.
A bucket of premium-grade manure, meant for composting, was splashed all over the ground. Zhao Wuxu couldn't dodge in time, and half of his trouser leg was soaked.
He covered his mouth, nearly vomiting, and was about to leave when he heard footsteps approaching from not far away.
"Who's over there?!"
Auntie Zhao and two other women happened to be passing by and rushed over upon hearing the commotion.
In a panic, Zhao Wuxu turned and ran, but because the filth on the ground was too slippery, he stumbled and almost fell.
Auntie Zhao spotted the overturned manure bucket at a glance and immediately flew into a rage. "You manure thief! Do you know how many points this bucket of fertilizer is worth?!"
The excrement from the public toilets in the south of the city was purchased by the Prince's Mansion, and then distributed to the women responsible for cleaning after being exchanged for points based on the number of buckets.
This bucket of sewage is worth at least ten points, enough to exchange for half a pound of flour. Now that it's been kicked over, how could Auntie Zhao not be anxious?
She grabbed a bamboo broom and smacked Zhao Wuxu on the back.
"Stop right there! You dare steal our points and assets? Are you tired of living?!"
Zhao Wuxu winced as he was hit by the broom, but dared not reveal his identity or martial arts skills.
He was the adopted son of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, but now, with his face covered, he could only keep running while holding his head.
Sister-in-law Wang and Sister-in-law Sun were not to be outdone, attacking from both sides, taking turns using brooms and wooden sticks.
"Kill this thief! He stole manure and dared to run away!"
"Grab him! Make him pay back our points!"
Zhao Wuxu, reeking of foul odor, was chased and leaped about by three middle-aged women. He finally managed to escape to the alley entrance, only to be blocked by Xue Huan's men on patrol.
Seeing that he reeked of foul odor and was being chased by several middle-aged women, the man immediately judged him to be a repeat offender. Without asking any further questions, he grabbed him by the back of the collar and dragged him towards the Waterworks Team's residence.
"Stealing manure and still trying to run away? Come on, let's go see Lord Xue!"