Bright Sword: Conquer the monk at the beginning and take down Zhou Weiguo

Xiao Hu was squatting by the stove, stirring the pot of freshly boiled medicinal soup. His brows were furrowed, clearly uncomfortable from the smell of the medicine, yet he still slowly stirred it with a wooden stick, his face full of caution. Hearing footsteps, he turned around abruptly, saw Qin Cang, and immediately stood up, his face full of excitement.

"Brother Qin, you're back! I thought you were gone last night because you weren't here..." Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly noticed that Qin Cang's face was as pale as paper, and his expression was as cold and stern as the frost that had just formed on an ice cliff.

"Medicine..." Qin Cang said in a low voice, but his eyes fell on the cloth bag in the corner of the room. He had placed it there before leaving, but it had obviously been disturbed.

Xiao Hu nodded quickly, ladled the medicine into a bowl, and handed it over: "It's just been brewed. I cooked it according to your instructions, five parts water, three parts medicine, and the rest is cinnamon and red bone vine..."

Qin Cang took the bowl but didn't drink it. He lowered his eyes, sniffed it, and his nostrils twitched slightly. The next moment, he poured the medicine in the bowl onto the brazier beside the stove with a "whoosh." The flames suddenly shot up, and the medicine sizzled as soon as it touched the embers, emitting thick blue smoke mixed with a sour, sweet smell.

Xiao Hu stood there stunned for a long time before stammering, "Brother Qin, what... what are you doing?"

Qin Cang turned around and stared at him. There was no anger in his eyes, but a chilling pressure emanated from them, as if a silent coldness was slowly seeping out of his body.

“You know this medicine can’t be mixed with anything.” Qin Cang’s voice was deep, like a roar rising from the ground. “But this pot contains Dove Vine and Lock-tendon Flower.”

Xiao Hu's face immediately changed, and his lips trembled as he stammered, "I...I didn't...I don't know what you're talking about..."

"Don't lie." Qin Cang took a step forward, his foot landing with a slight tremor, like a lynx gathering its strength before a pounce. His gaze was fixed on Xiao Hu's eyes, a hint of panic flickering in those young eyes, as if he were desperately trying to hide something.

"This isn't something you could do alone." Qin Cang continued to press, his voice not rising, but like a knife tip, inch by inch piercing the other's heart. "Someone instructed you. Tell me, who is it?"

Xiao Hu's panic completely crumbled. He knelt on the ground with a thud, and cried out in a hoarse voice, "I didn't mean to hurt you, Brother Qin, I swear I didn't! I... I just... that person gave me a small packet of medicine, saying that adding it would help you sleep better, that you've been working too hard these days and need to get a good night's sleep... I... I didn't know it was poisonous..."

Qin Cang watched him silently, his chest heaving without uttering a word. He knew, of course, that Xiao Hu wasn't a malicious person, but he also understood that a person's stupidity had nothing to do with their motives; once violence was committed, it was unforgivable.

"Who is that person?" He remained motionless, only asking coldly.

Xiao Hu lowered his head, his voice almost drowned out by the firelight: "I...I don't know his name. He was wearing a straw hat and a cloth robe. He met me by the river and said he knew a little about herbs and could tell that your breathing was disordered...so I believed him..."

Qin Cang's gaze was icy as he said, word by word, "That person said my breathing was disordered?"

Xiao Hu nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes... He said your internal organs were in disarray and your essence and blood were flowing backward, which he said was a kind of poisoning reaction... I noticed that you didn't look well those few days, and I thought, maybe he really does have a solution..."

"There's a trap." When Qin Cang uttered those two words, it was like a dagger piercing through all tenderness. "That person came to test us."

He slowly walked to the door, his gaze piercing through the shadows of the trees, looking into the vast distance. His heart at that moment was like a frozen lake, calm on the surface, but turbulent beneath.

That person knew about his illness, even what medications he was taking. No outsider could possibly know such detailed information. It could only be someone from the past—someone who had walked alongside him, shared his hardships, fought alongside him, and ultimately betrayed him.

Before he could even find out who the person was, the enemy could no longer contain themselves and began to lay out one trap after another.

"Have you told me where I am?" Qin Cang asked calmly.

Xiao Hu quickly shook his head: "No, I...I swear, I only met him at the village entrance. I didn't even say your name. He only said 'the man with the scar on his face.' When I heard him say it sounded like you, I didn't think much of it..."

Qin Cang nodded, without blaming him, but the coldness in his eyes deepened.

He quickly processed everything in his mind. The other party was extremely cautious, using only words to lure him without leaving any physical traces. Even the poison was a slow-acting, sedative, intended to render him unconscious rather than kill him outright. This indicated that the other person was unsure whether he was weak enough to be no longer a threat, or perhaps the other person didn't want to act personally but only wanted to use someone else to do the dirty work.

He could no longer stay here. He could no longer take the medicinal herbs from the mountain or the valuables stored in the house. He needed to move.

But not immediately. He has to fish out the snake first.

“Go to the village entrance again tomorrow,” Qin Cang suddenly said, his tone as cold and hard as iron. “Go back along your original route. If anyone talks to you again, remember their clothes, expression, tone of voice, and gait. Don’t reply, don’t ask questions, just remember every detail.”

Xiao Hu was taken aback: "What if... he doesn't come?"

“He will come.” Qin Cang’s voice was firm and resolute. “He has taken the medicine and will wait for it to take effect. He is waiting for something to happen to me and for you to bring out the news. He will not give up easily.”

Xiao Hu gritted his teeth and nodded. Although he was still somewhat apprehensive, he finally mustered up the courage to say, "Brother Qin... if I don't do well, don't blame me."

"I won't blame you," Qin Cang said softly, his eyes as dark as night. "I only blame myself."

Qin Cang sat in one corner of the wooden bed, his expression calm to the point of being indifferent. His hands rested on his knees, but unconsciously they clenched slightly, his knuckles turning white. The anger in his heart was no longer a raging flame, but rather a smoldering ember beneath the ashes, dark red, scorching, and ready to explode at any moment.

He slowly closed his eyes, his mind replaying the image of the medicinal soup exploding in the fire, releasing strange smoke. He knew that smell all too well. Years ago, he had been poisoned by the same kind during an ambush on the border, nearly losing his life. It was an extremely difficult-to-refine medicine, requiring several potent, incompatible ingredients from the mountains and rivers, mixed with bewitching pollen, to be effective. This wasn't something a villager could concoct; behind it all was someone who knew him inside and out.

He bent down, pulled a thin-bladed dagger from his boot, and gently inserted it into the crack in the woodshed floor, lifting it up slightly. An inconspicuous wooden plank tilted up, revealing a small patch of dry soil hidden deep beneath. Qin Cang's gaze sharpened, and he brushed aside the soil with his hand, revealing a small black cloth package.

He took out the package and untied it, only to find that something was missing—the small bronze plaque that had been hidden inside was gone.

His heart suddenly tightened.

The bronze plaque wasn't a cherished keepsake, but rather a clue. He knew someone was secretly watching him, so he deliberately left the plaque as bait, allowing him to determine whether anyone had been there.