C3 Nangong Han

"Miss, you've got it wrong. We just want to ask if you know what happened last night... after all, you were the only one on the mountain," the gentle man said with a smile.

"Last night, someone tricked me into going out, then stabbed me and left me on this mountain. I can't find him now. He thought I was dead, but by some miracle, I survived... When dawn broke, I opened my eyes to see the mountain covered in bodies..." Xuanniang recounted steadily, though her voice was weak, as if she might collapse at any moment.

But she clutched the dagger tightly in her hand.

The man in dark clothing suddenly turned, his sharp eyes fixed on Xuanniang. "How can you prove it?!"

Just those four words sent a chill down one's spine, enough to make anyone with a weaker constitution feel like kneeling under his imposing presence.

Xuanniang felt an unprecedented intimidation but gritted her teeth to keep herself from buckling. "If I can't prove it, are you going to execute me? I trust you don't want any wrongful convictions, do you?" Xuanniang was dizzy, on the verge of fainting.

The man in dark clothing, his expression icy, waved the others away, leaving only Xuanniang. He spoke coldly, "Evidence."

Xuanniang gave a bitter smile. She was the only one present at the scene. Even if she didn't do it, she couldn't clear herself of suspicion. No one believed a lone woman could kill so many men, but of those known to be there, she was the only one.

"I guess it's just a coincidence," Xuanniang said, taking a deep breath and steadying herself against a nearby tree. "Ever since I married into this village, I haven't left. Why would I kill these people? There has to be a motive for murder. It seems more like someone has it out for me and wanted me gone, which is why I was lured away last night..."

She struggled to move closer to the nearest body, examining it briefly. "The fatal wound wasn't the decapitation. The skin is dark and purplish, and the nails are already decaying. It looks like poison. The head might have been removed to conceal the victim's identity..."

The man in dark clothing listened, his expression darkening.

Just then, Xuanniang's vision blurred, and she collapsed.

The man stepped forward, grabbed her by the collar, and tossed her aside. After a moment's thought, he called over the gentle-looking man from before. "Chiyan, take her to rest."

Chiyan nodded. "Yes, sir..."

The man in dark clothing narrowed his eyes dangerously, his silence intimidating.

"Nangong, I'll handle it. What should we do when she wakes up?" Chiyan quickly corrected himself and asked.

"Get a doctor to check her out. Keep her around; she might still be useful," Nangong Han replied coolly.

Chiyan had Xuanniang carried away while Nangong Han quietly surveyed the mountainside littered with bodies, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. Trusting others didn't come easily to him; even the least likely person could be the culprit, and he couldn't overlook any possibility.

Yet, there was some truth in what Xuanniang had just said.

Nangong Han, usually decisive, couldn't shake the image of Xuanniang's pale, fragile figure, valiantly trying to hold herself together. Could a woman like that really be the murderer?

Xuanniang drifted into a long dream. People in simple clothing, from a time of economic and trade backwardness, gathered in a tribal setting. She saw familiar faces: Mrs. Sunn, Xu Fangfang, the village chief, and many others from the village. They pulled her over to sing.

...

Suddenly, Xuanniang shivered and awoke with a start. Her hair was damp, and her face was covered in cold droplets. She instinctively wiped her face and looked up to find Nangong Han standing by the bed, his intense gaze nearly suffocating her.

Something flickered in her mind. She stood up, grabbed a towel to carefully dry her hair, and walked over to Nangong Han. "Sir, how about we make a deal?"

Nangong Han sneered, "A deal? What makes you think you're in a position to negotiate with me?"

Xuanniang reached out, tracing a line from Nangong Han's throat down to his chest, then smiled. "Lately, have you been feeling tightness in your chest, struggling to catch your breath, restless at night, breaking out in cold sweats, catching chills, and running a fever?"

Nangong Han's eyes turned cold at Xuanniang's touch. He was about to push her away when her words stopped him in his tracks. Each statement struck him with disbelief, almost prompting him to ask, "How do you know?" But instead, he narrowed his eyes, staying silent, and simply watched her.

"I have a way to cure you. In return, you help me find someone," Xuanniang said with a tone of certainty, even a hint of coercion. She knew someone like Nangong Han couldn't be threatened, but she was confident he wouldn't kill her.

Such symptoms were nearly untreatable in ancient times.