When Hua Qinxi steps onto the main street, the scent of lychee immediately smothers his senses.
This early evening, the humble buildings of Yamin City are decorated brilliantly with red lanterns and vibrant posters. Restaurants, workshops, and stalls lined the sides of the road, obscuring residences behind their establishments. In all directions, there was laughter and gleeful cheers as today marks the longest day of the year: The Summer Solstice.
But to the veiled apothecary, this day of celebration is more like a day of particular inconvenience.
Bright lights, relentless chatter, running children, and boisterous hollering… Talk about a headache. Hua Qinxi grips the straps of his beilou[1] with mild irritation as he fits his way into the sea of people. He maneuvers with a quick stride, doing his best to avoid jabbing any unfortunate person with his weimao[2]. His dark veil was thick enough to obscure the outlines of his figure yet arcane enough to earn a few glances of intrigue.
As he steps into the pharmacy, whispers generate themselves behind him.
"Huh, a weimao? Haven't seen that old thing in a while… Aren't they only used now by those nomads of Chou?" Someone murmurs, stiffening in fear."Heavens! Is he one of those outlanders?"
Another slaps her friend's arm lightly, chastising her with a hiss. "No, he can't be, use your eyes! He's far too discreet to be one of those brutes. Look, that bamboo base needs maintenance so it's likely an old heirloom."
Hua Qinxi ignores their idle chatter and brushes the weimao's veil to the side, allowing the pharmacist at the reception to catch a glimpse of his features. His eyes are aventurine in color, striking and cool. Underneath his robes is skin rich in dark brown, appearing young and free of blemishes. Yet, half of his black hair retains grey streaks as it is pinned into a bun- the latter half pouring down like flowing ink. The pharmacist immediately catches onto the grey streaks, breath catching in his throat. Almost immediately, the air on his voice dials to a higher politeness.
"Good day, xiansheng[3]." The pharmacist grins nervously, back as straight as a beam. "How could this one serve you today? We are low-stock on cultivation herbs, xiansheng has come at the right time."
"Relax, I am not here for those." Hua Qinxi dismisses lightly, startling the pharmacist into confusion. The veiled man clarifies, "I am a low-ranked cultivator and the apothecary from Yuguang Village. Such formalities are unnecessary."
"A-ah, I see. That village is south of this city, yes?" The pharmacist stammers, caught off guard. His shoulders relax slightly as Hua Qinxi gives a light nod. "In that case xiansheng, what are you here for?"
Hua Qinxi reaches into his sleeve to retrieve a money pouch. "The lands of Yuguang are rich with herbs but we are lacking in the third tier. Could you prepare a batch for four months worth? An equal spread of general herbs will be alright."
The pharmacist takes the pouch into his own palm and looks up at the cultivator with an apologetic smile. "My deepest apologies, dear benefactor… this isn't enough yuanbao[4]."
Hua Qinxi raises a brow, a small scoff leaving his lips. "Oh? Has the price increased again?"
"Ah, you know how it is, xiansheng." The pharmacist laughs, meekly bobbing his head. Unexpectedly, his eyes swiftly sneak left to right, checking for nearby people. From this, he quickly leans over the counter and Hua Qinxi returns the gesture; albeit more subtly. The man lowers his voice, "You see, benefactor, the prices have gone up by tenfold. The people suspect the Dadinghe Sect are preparing a mandatory military plan with the taxes. Our pharmacy is having trouble sustaining business with these changes, I hope you understand, xiansheng."
Hua Qinxi smiles knowingly but replies in any case, "I understand. Do kindly name the price."
That earns a relieved smile from the pharmacist. "Thank you for your kind understanding, xiansheng! I will have your batch prepared right away."
In twice an incense time, Hua Qinxi left the pharmacy with the medicine within his beilou. The sun was beginning to set after all and he still had to find a place for the night. As he makes his way around, he finds himself walking alongside the city walls where advertisements, wanted posters, and announcements are plastered at readable heights. Huh, no wonder the people are so paranoid of outsiders. The amount of bounties is double the amount of regional announcements…
Based on what he's seen today, Hua Qinxi concurs that this storm has been brewing for months now. Not the physical kind, no, but the kind that weathers blood upon the streets. Hua Qinxi brushes his fingers along the edges of the wanted posters and admits he severely underestimated the situation. About a dozen faces mark the stone walls, their names and bounties bolded underneath their figures. There are indeed announcements about that military program but the details remain vague enough. Ah, so his time is near, then.
He scans through the names and faces, archiving each one in his mind. Taking a moment, he notes that all of these fugitives reign from different regions. With the current map disclosed of the human realm, there are six inhabited regions.
The first is The Northeast Shan, a land of mountains, bamboo, and monks.
Second is The Autonomous Western Yun, the united nation of three sectarian groups.
Thirdly, the Central Jin Plains, the largest and most influential region of all.
Then, the Northern Chou province, of nomads and great warriors.
Next, The Southeast Suo Estuary, the most mineral rich seaside of all nations.
And finally, The Southwest Mi Flatlands, the bountiful division and the land Hua Qinxi calls home.
His eyes eventually find interest in one of them in particular: a deeply haggard man with scars slashed all over his face. Though… When Hua Qinxi looks closer, he can't help but find the person quite striking. The man's eyes were a sharp sky blue— the foreign kind. His hair and beard are a dark redwood brown, and his skin was a nice tan. It seems he has the greatest plethora of copies. And the highest bounty of them all.
Chen Xiwan of the Chou, huh?
There isn't much information other than that and the great sum of yuanbao underneath his name. Conclusively, Hua Qinxi pauses right before the poster before ripping it clean off the walls. Stuffing it inside his basket, his detour comes to an end and his search for an inn begins. Two hours into the night is enough time to find great misfortune. And as he walks out of yet another door, he realizes he should have begun his lodging sooner.
So far, all the inns he's visited in the city are packed with people. Thrice. He's been rejected from three inns merely five hours into the night. Clearly, business is booming.
Quite evident by the amount of young couples he's witnessed continually take up space. Guess wheat isn't the only thing being harvested this season. Hua Qinxi grumbles. Having spent the past eight years cooped up in his rural village, he had pretty much forgotten about the chaos of the Summer Solstice.
The tired apothecary could only sigh and make a desperate turn for an outskirt inn— the kind that cannot guarantee quality. And wouldn't you know it, it was a full house too. Brimming with drunkards and puke left to right. As he leaves with the weight of a despondent man, all he has left are those brothels pinched at different corners and alleys of the city but never mind that. With his piercing headache, the intoxicating incense would only ruin his mind further.
Succeeding all of this, Hua Qinxi feels the faintest regret for his decision to stay behind in the city. He really should've just left with his group earlier that day as they even had carriages to bring them back to the village. He finds himself walking along the walls once more, looking for herbs growing in the dampness of concrete. Eventually however, the itch to forage beyond surges within him and he simply climbs over the not-so-high walls, trudging freely into the forest behind.
By an hour before midnight, he arranges his basket with careful hands. There wasn't much to find but he caught a few and a few is never a waste. By the corner of his periphery, he catches onto a dim red glow in the distance. "Hm?"
Raising his head higher, his vision adjusts and he sees something akin to a luminous red spider-lily with black ends and buds. Hua Qinxi's expression pinches. With a sigh, he brings himself forward, lowering before it. Ah, he wishes he was wrong. It is a Death Tow.
A cultivation herb that only grows on the corpses of cultivators.
The flower's nectar is used in revitalizing bodies withered by terminal or chronic illnesses; returning them to a normal, stable state. Sounds like a miracle, sure, but a healthy person would find this plant useless and if ingested, could lead to an early death or paralysis. Well, that's how many cultivation herbs are, anyway. Only those with suitable sickly bodies can sustain such powerful medicines.
Hua Qinxi lifts his eyes, inhaling the scent of ichor all the same.
Now, he is being presented with two options. The first is to save his skin and run as far as he can and the second is to investigate further. Ultimately, he decides with the latter. Because, well, If he's gone this far to have seen the flower then there is no point in stalling.
The apothecary smoothens out the wrinkles of his dark green robe and takes a wet step into the cave, bidding farewell to the moonlight shrouded behind the miry moss. With the darkness of the cave, Hua Qinxi found it difficult to find his way within. And, it did not take long for him to discover the corpse. His foot hits the torso of a cultivator with Death Tows blooming from the cracks of the large slashes and… bite marks? Hua Qinxi's expression fell grim as the scent of blood only thickened the further he ventured.
He feels for the walls, following the trail of glowing vermilion before him. Keeping his footsteps light as he ambles upon the ripples of rocky ponds. It is when his ears catch onto the sound of labored breathing that Hua Qinxi takes cautious steps back. His own back against a cavern wall with unease settles behind his spine. The act shoots adrenaline into his veins and he turns his heel; only for heat to break the cold-sweat fear as—
Snap.
—teeth crack deep into his nape. Hua Qinxi cries out as he collapses over, a burning mark searing into his neck. He bites into his fist to prevent the noises from falling out of him as he just landed arms first to the ground. Fuck! The stinging pain claws into his neck, freezing him all over his body. Even worse, heavy hands rough his waist down— forcing weight on his back. The apothecary kicks back as hard as possible but his efforts are all in vain.
Hua Qinxi recognizes the anatomy of a human— a man, one considerably built like a warrior. "Fuck! Let go!" He shrieks as that heavy panting latches onto his skin.
The damp scent of blood and sweat mix together, staining Hua Qinxi's back in pure filthy muck. His whole body freezes up all the more the molten pours into him. As those teeth tighten around his neck, Hua Qinxi kicks back with all his might— feeling the hands on his waist—go… cold? What..?
Hua Qinxi furrows his eyebrows. A hitched moan hits his skin before those hands twitch and stiffen into limpness.
Finally, Hua Qinxi lets out a pained heave as that crushing weight goes lifeless atop him. Still weighed from pain, it takes the apothecary a moment or two to crawl out from underneath the man's body; limbs aching and all. As he staggers back onto his feet, he realizes what just happened. Well. that beast must've swallowed the poison within his body.
He hesitantly palms a hand on his nape and hisses at the contact, the stinging hitting him in strong, harsh waves. Even in the dark, he can still definitely feel the pouring blood on his palms. Meaning his precious robe is stained with blood. Ugh. Whoever this man is, he bites like a damned animal. Hua Qinxi sighs in stuttered breaths, the pulsating points beating cruelly into his neck.
The apothecary lifts his own chin in an attempt to gather what he could of the other's appearance in the dimmed, barely visible moonlight. There is blood smeared all over his figure, from his muddy boots to his sharp bearded face. Through the lingering burn on his hips, he could tell the man's hands were calloused and rough, blistered and littered with old scars. The man looked rough with a haggard beard lining his jaw; his clothes were a mess too. But they looked like they belonged to those nomads of—
Hua Qinxi stiffens. Then, scoffs.
Ah, how convenient. An exact replica of that wanted poster. Chen Xiwan, isn't it? If he turns this prick in, won't he— "Hrrk!"
Hua Qinxi chokes as the ache on his nape swells once more like such a thought was offensive. Curiously, a dry pulse flows into his veins— his arms, overriding every sensation in his body. This wasn't just cold shivers, it is like—
"Agh! What…"
Hua Qinxi wobbles forward, heart beating out of his chest. What is this? No— it can't be. His head thrums with a horrid burn that claws into his bones. The apothecary makes a wet exhale, his breathing turning quick and impetuous. "H-hah, so this is why no one survived." He chuckles morbidly. He understands now, just why this man is a criminal.
It's the Lunar bound curse.
Albeit, curse is what the masses have an easier time accepting. In reality, it is a drug. A parasitic pharmaceutical that causes the bearer to go insane from bloodlust. An immortal flower that drinks the blood of its host… Blooming in the body every change of solar term. This flower is made for the wolves in the northern territories, not for the likes of humans. Those northern wolves are special and have the capacity to escape the mindless insanity while maintaining their bloodlust.
Once swallowed, the wolf's blood becomes blemished, planting seeds of mania within the marrow of their bones. It indeed makes them difficult to train but, this drug does serve a purpose. When the wolves bite their prey, the victim is scented with the same filth, so it allows for easier identification and tracking of enemies.
It is said that the only way out is death and killing the main bearer will only cause the filth within the victim's bodies to explode. This could result in a disfiguration, paralysis, or crippling of the body… It is a sentient plant after all, one that spreads itself like a deathly virus. To use this on a human…
Hua Qinxi groans in pain, side leaning against a jagged wall. No wonder this guy has a bounty on his head, it must've been agonizing. The apothecary glances down at his bloodied hand. Ah, well this isn't good. If he leaves Chen Xiwan here then he will only put the people of Yuguang Village at a greater risk of a rampage. Hua Qinxi rasps out the last of the numbing pain into his fists and takes one more look at the incapacitated man. A pause, then a decision.
As he hurls the criminal's arm over his shoulder, he lets out a thought of frustration.
Just how fucking heavy is this guy!
[1] Beilou [背簍] a basket carried on the back. It was a common way to carry goods or burdens on one's back, particularly in rural areas and during agricultural activities.
[2] Weimao [帷帽] is a veiled bamboo hat popularized in the Sui and early Tang dynasty periods.
[3] Xiansheng [先生] is a Chinese honorific term that can be translated as "Mister," "Sir," or "gentleman".
[4] Yuanbao [元寶] are a type of gold and silver ingot that served as a form of currency in imperial China, valued by weight.