12dz Chapter 223
Chapter 223
"If we give them too much at once, they won't be able to handle it. If their bodies break down, there will be no one to do the work.""Zhao Zhong, you are too soft-hearted. The little bit of work they do isn't worth the three good meals I feed them every day."
"Cook Wang, Big Sister ordered that we shouldn't mess around in the first month."
"Did you get the bowls and chopsticks?"
Smack!
Dongzhi was caught eavesdropping and thrown into the dungeon.
He didn't know what Yingmeng was, but from what Zhao Zhong and Cook Wang said, he knew it was nothing good.
Dongzhi didn't dare to eat the food they brought him.
One day, two days, three days... by the fourth day, Dongzhi couldn't hold out any longer.
He was starving. He took the food Zhao Zhong brought and swallowed it in large gulps.
Swallowing away all the beautiful future he and his sister could have had.
Dongzhi became Zhao Zhong's assistant, helping him feed Yingmeng to the fellow workers who had arrived with him.
Making them sink into depravity just like himself.
When the month was up, many didn't even mention going back. They were already addicted to Yingmeng and had forgotten their families.
Dongzhi also forgot the seven taels of silver he had been so desperate for, and forgot his sister waiting for him at home.
Every day, all Dongzhi thought about was Yingmeng, completely immersed in its illusory dreams.
If it hadn't been for that shocking incident, Dongzhi might have continued like this until his death.
That day, after finishing the tasks Zhao Zhong assigned, Dongzhi received his reward of Yingmeng.
He was just about to find a secluded place to properly enjoy it.
When he heard a series of groans.
Curious, Dongzhi followed the sound and arrived at a remote cave.
Along with the groans came waves of a putrid stench.
Dongzhi hesitated for a moment before walking in.
There, he saw a scene that still made his blood run cold whenever he recalled it.
Inside the cave lay several humanoid monsters, sprawled haphazardly across the ground.
They were unkempt and unshaven, with massive scars covering their exposed skin. Those scars exuded a sickening stench.
Seeing Dongzhi, these people reached out, muttering, "Give me Yingmeng, give me Yingmeng..."
Their teeth were black and yellow, and their bodies reeked dreadfully.
Terrified, Dongzhi stumbled backward.
Ignoring the filth on the ground, those people struggled to crawl toward Dongzhi, still crying out, "Yingmeng, Yingmeng, give it to me... I want it..."
Dongzhi was horrified. He fled the cave, gasping for air.
A deep realization struck him: if he continued to consume Yingmeng, he would become just like them, dying in an unknown cave.
A lingering fear gripped Dongzhi's heart.
Coming to his senses, he realized he had been away for a month. It was time to go back.
His sister was still waiting for him at home.
Wanting to leave, Dongzhi began to observe his surroundings in secret.
He discovered that an ox cart left the valley every three days to purchase food from the outside.
Dongzhi stole some Yingmeng and sneaked onto the ox cart to escape the valley.
Under the cover of night, he returned home.
Afraid that his ghastly, half-human, half-ghost appearance would frighten Xiaoman, he locked himself in his room.
He intended to tough it out and never touch Yingmeng again.
But Dongzhi's agonized roars from inside the room terrified Xiaoman outside the door.
To save her brother, Xiaoman brought Li An.
Li An arrived in his capacity as a doctor.
Zhao Zhong and his men also came, and they killed Xiaoman.
"It's all my fault. I should have just starved to death in that valley," Dongzhi blamed himself, his body suddenly convulsing.
"Hurry, tie me up, tie me up! I... I can't. I can't. I can't, I can't! No, give me Yingmeng, I need Yingmeng..."
Dongzhi relapsed into his Yingmeng addiction.
Li An instructed Lingyu, "Tie him up."
He turned and walked out, with Fifth Young Master following behind.
"How come I didn't know you had a sister?"
"There's a lot you don't know," Li An snapped at Fifth Young Master before returning to his room.
He ground the ink, took up his brush, and began to draw the valley scene Dongzhi had described.
Fifth Young Master watched from the side, his eyes full of admiration.
His An'an had unparalleled skills in painting.
After Li An finished the painting, he handed it to Fifth Young Master.
"Have your people investigate thoroughly. See if this place actually exists."
Fifth Young Master took the painting and arranged for his men to look into it.
Looking outside, it was almost time for the Flower King Banquet to begin.
Li An took the clothes Kongqing brought and went behind the folding screen to change.
Dressed in a green robe, Li An's figure appeared even more upright, resembling a piece of flawless jade.
Fifth Young Master stared blankly, and then a wave of jealousy hit him.
Li An was dressing up for a woman. Even the hairband he wore was a gift from him.
"I forbid you from going out," Fifth Young Master said, blocking the doorway.
Li An frowned. "Step aside."
Ultimately, Fifth Young Master couldn't win against Li An and watched helplessly as he got into Hua Ling's carriage.
Fifth Young Master imagined a thousand ways to torture Hua Ling in his mind. Feeling a bit better, he turned around and saw Kongqing laughing.
"You're laughing at me."
"No, I'm not. I just suddenly thought of, thought of..." Damn mouth, quickly think of something good to say.
"Thought of what?" Fifth Young Master's voice was gentle, but it made Kongqing's heart leap into his throat.
"This subordinate was wrong," Kongqing lowered his head and admitted his fault.
"Follow them and protect An'an. If he gets even the slightest scratch, I'll skin you alive."
"This subordinate will protect Second Master even at the cost of my life," Kongqing declared, before chasing after the departing carriage.
Inside the carriage, Li An and Hua Ling were discussing the Flower King Banquet.
Hua Ling's grandfather had once earned the title of Flower King.
As a family member, Hua Ling had accompanied her grandfather to the Flower King Banquet once before.
At that time, the town mayor was the current mayor's older brother, who was also Zhao Hong's husband.
The Flower King competition was an event organized during the previous mayor's tenure. Its purpose was to attract foreign merchants and improve the livelihoods of the people in Flower Town.
The process was arduous, but once the Flower King competition was established, Flower Town did indeed slowly prosper, just as the previous mayor had envisioned.
The people of Flower Town were very grateful to Mayor Zhu. After his passing, they jointly elected his younger brother, Zhu Fuying, to take over as mayor.
The Flower King Banquet was proposed by Zhu Fuying after he became mayor.
As they spoke, the carriage arrived at the Zhu residence.
Li An stepped out first, standing by to wait for Hua Ling to alight.
The two of them walked into the Zhu manor together.
Lanterns hung high above, making the entire main hall as bright as day.
As soon as they entered, Hua Ling was invited away by someone.
Li An found a corner to sit down and observed everyone in the hall.
"Why are you here?" Zhu Zhangzhi looked at Li An in surprise. Recently, he had had someone investigate him thoroughly.
Li An was just a wandering doctor who relied on his good looks to win Hua Ling's affection.
"Sister Hua Ling could never like you."
Zhu Zhangzhi's words caught Li An by surprise.
Hua Ling's relationship with the Zhu family was clearly not as distant as she had claimed.
"That is not something Young Master Zhu needs to worry about."
"I'm warning you. If you dare to have designs on Sister Hua Ling, I definitely won't let you off," Zhu Zhangzhi said, clenching his fists.
"Zhi'er, what are you doing?" Zhao Hong walked over.
"Mother, I was asking Doctor Li what to take to stop a cough," Zhu Zhangzhi instantly changed his expression and explained.
"Are you feeling unwell somewhere?" Zhao Hong grabbed Zhu Zhangzhi's hand and examined him closely.
"I'm fine. It's just that this morning, I heard you coughing."
Touched by her son's concern, Zhao Hong felt very comforted. "My throat was just a bit dry this morning. I drank some water, and I'm fine now."
"If you don't mind, Madam, I can take your pulse."