The walk to the Western Courtyard infirmary took twelve minutes. Rian counted every step.
His body was a failing machine. His breath hitched in his chest, and a dull, freezing ache radiated from his stomach—the lingering signature of the Heart-Stopping Orchid. To the outside observer, he was a pale, shivering boy dragging his feet through the dust.
Internally, Rian was running diagnostics. Muscular atrophy: Moderate. Caloric deficit: Critical. Toxin clearance: 85% complete. Remaining 15% lodged in the meridian channels.
He pushed open the heavy wooden door of the infirmary. The air inside smelled of bitter mugwort, dried snake skins, and the distinct, metallic scent of blood.
This wasn't the infirmary for the main family. That one had spirit healers and light-attribute cultivators. This was the "bone-setter's shed"—the place where servants went when they broke a leg or caught a fever.
Old Doctor Gu was grinding herbs in a stone mortar. He was a hunched man with white hair tied in a messy bun and robes stained with years of medicinal juices. He was a low-level cultivator, stuck at the Qi Condensation stage for forty years, but his hands were steady. He was known among the servants as the only man in the Zhou household who wouldn't spit on you for bleeding on his floor.
He looked up as Rian entered. His eyes widened slightly.
"Young Master Rian?" Gu wiped his hands on a rag. "I… I did not expect to see you walking. The servants said you hadn't left your room in two days."
Rian stumbled toward a stool and sat down heavily. He kept his expression open, innocent, and slightly confused. The mask of a victim.
"I felt sick, Doctor Gu," Rian rasped, clutching his stomach. "I think… I think I ate a bad berry."
Gu frowned, moving quickly to Rian's side. "A berry? From the garden?"
"Yes. It was purple. I was hungry."
Gu grabbed Rian's wrist. His fingers were rough, but his touch was gentle. He closed his eyes, sending a tiny thread of Qi into Rian's pulse to scan his body.
A moment later, Gu's eyes snapped open. He stared at Rian, his face losing all color.
He knew. Any physician worth his salt knew the signature of the Heart-Stopping Orchid. It didn't look like food poisoning. It looked like a winter frost had frozen the blood. It was an assassination tool, expensive and precise.
"A… wild berry," Gu repeated slowly, his voice dropping to a whisper. He looked at the door to ensure it was closed.
Rian looked back at him, his eyes clear. "Yes, Doctor. Just a wild berry. I was foolish to eat it. I won't do it again."
The subtext hung heavy in the air. I know what this is. You know what this is. But if you say it out loud, we both die.
Old Gu let out a long, shuddering sigh. He looked at the boy—the maid's son whom everyone treated like a stain on the silk carpet. He saw the intelligence in Rian's eyes, a sharpness that hadn't been there before.
"You are a lucky child, Rian," Gu muttered, turning back to his shelves. "Or perhaps the heavens are just blind. That 'berry' usually stops a horse's heart in ten breaths."
"I have a strong stomach," Rian said.
Gu snorted, but there was no humor in it. He began rummaging through jars of dark, pungent liquids. "The poison… the berry… has mostly passed through your system. It is a miracle. But the cold energy has settled in your lower dantian. It is corrosive. If we leave it, it will cripple your cultivation foundation forever."
"Can you remove it?"
Gu shook his head sadly. "I am just a bone-setter, boy. To purge that residue completely, you would need a Pill Master or a Sun-Fire Elixir. I have neither."
He came back with a small porcelain bottle and a cup of warm water. He shook out three pitch-black pills that smelled like sulfur.
"Take these," Gu commanded. "They are made from Fire-Ant Glands and Dried Ginger. They are crude, and they will burn your throat, but they will suppress the cold toxin for a few weeks. It buys you time."
Rian took the pills. Asset acquired, he thought. Temporary solvency.
He swallowed them dry. The heat hit his stomach instantly, fighting back the numbness.
"Thank you, Doctor Gu," Rian said, standing up. He bowed perfectly, a gesture of respect that high-born sons rarely gave to servants.
Gu looked at him with pity. "Child… the Age of Coming is in three days. If you are still sick, you can ask for an exemption."
Rian paused at the door. He turned back, and for a split second, the innocent mask slipped. The Banker peeked through. "Exemptions are for those who plan to lose, Doctor. I just need to survive the audit."
He walked out before the old man could ask what an 'audit' was.
The Inner Sanctum – Lady He's Chambers
The air in the Matriarch's room was stifling, perfumed with expensive sandalwood to cover the scent of rotting ambition.
Lady He, the Matriarch of the Zhou Clan, stood by the window. She was a beautiful woman, sharp-featured and elegant, wearing robes embroidered with golden pheasants. Her hands were manicured, her nails painted red.
Currently, those hands were curled into fists.
Smack.
The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed off the marble walls.
The Captain of the Guard, a burly man named Zhang, grunted as the back of Lady He's hand struck his face again. He didn't dare dodge. He stayed on his knees, head bowed, blood trickling from his lip.
"You incompetent fool," Lady He hissed. Her voice was low, dangerous. "You told me the dosage was sufficient. You told me it was the purest extract from the Capital."
"Mistress, I swear!" Zhang stammered. "It was the Heart-Stopping Orchid! I put it in the tea myself! I watched him drink it! He should have been cold by midnight!"
"And yet," Lady He turned, pacing the room like a caged tigress, "the servants report seeing him walking to the infirmary ten minutes ago. Walking! Not carried! Walking!"
She grabbed a heavy jade vase from the table and hurled it at the wall. It shattered into a thousand pieces.
"Did you buy expired poison, Zhang? Did you pocket the difference in gold?"
"Never! I would never!" Zhang pressed his forehead to the floor. "Perhaps… perhaps the boy has a hidden resistance? Or a treasure?"
"He is a maid's mistake!" Lady He shrieked. "He owns nothing! He is nothing! If he survives until the ceremony, my husband might actually give him a bloodline. If he gets a bloodline, he becomes a branch member. He becomes permanent."
She took a deep breath, composing herself. She smoothed her robes. "It doesn't matter. The poison failed, but the damage is done. He will be weak. If he dares to show his face, we will simply deal with him more... publicly. Make sure the other young masters know he is 'unwell'. Accidents happen in the arena."
Zhang nodded vigorously. "Yes, Mistress. I will handle it."
Suddenly, the heavy double doors creaked open. A young servant girl rushed in, looking terrified. She fell to her knees beside the bleeding Captain.
"Mistress! Forgive the interruption!"
Lady He looked down at her with cold disdain. "Speak. If it is not important, I will take your tongue."
The servant girl trembled. "It… it is Young Master Rian, Mistress."
Lady He froze. The name hung in the air like a curse. "What about him? Has he finally died?"
The girl shook her head, tears welling in her eyes.
"No, Mistress. He is standing outside the main gate. He… he is requesting an official audience with you."
Silence descended on the room. Even Captain Zhang stopped wiping the blood from his lip to look up in shock.
The victim was knocking on the murderer's door.
Lady He's eyes narrowed into slits. A cold, cruel smile slowly spread across her face.
"He wants to see me?" she whispered, amused. "The mouse walked into the cat's den?"
She sat down on her high chair, arranging her silk sleeves.
"Let him in," she commanded. "Let us see what the dead boy has to say."