Fleeing from famine? Not a chance; the divine healer's wife made her fortune.

Suspicion resurfaces, but the truth will soon be revealed.

Su Yunlan leaned against Xiao Yuhan, but out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of Doctor Qian's furtive figure.

He hunched over, like a rat stealing oil, and slipped into a corner overgrown with weeds.

Alarm bells rang in Su Yunlan's mind, and an uneasy premonition arose spontaneously.

She had checked that area before; apart from some weeds and pebbles, there was nothing special about it.

What was Dr. Qian doing there?

She straightened up without making a sound, pretending to tidy up the scattered medicinal herbs beside her, but her eyes always followed Doctor Qian.

He then took out a cloth bag from his pocket and carefully took out some strangely shaped herbs.

These herbs were dark in color and emitted a pungent, fishy odor, quite unlike the medicinal materials she usually used.

Su Yunlan frowned slightly, her doubts deepening.

Doctor Qian collected the herbs, put them back in the cloth bag, and a sinister smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

He patted the dust off the cloth bag, his sinister gaze sweeping towards Su Yunlan, as ruthless as a viper spitting its tongue.

Su Yunlan felt a chill run down her spine; she was almost certain that Doctor Qian's actions were related to her.

"What are you doing, sneaking around like that?" Su Yunlan's cold voice rang out behind Doctor Qian, carrying a hint of barely perceptible pressure in her tone.

Doctor Qian turned around abruptly and saw Su Yunlan standing behind him. "Madam Su, I have been practicing medicine for many years. What's wrong with me picking some herbs?" He tried to appear calm, but his tone revealed a hint of unease.

"Oh? Is that so?" Su Yunlan walked slowly to Doctor Qian, her sharp gaze fixed on the cloth bag in his hand. "I wonder what kind of herbs Doctor Qian has collected? May I broaden my horizons?"

Doctor Qian instinctively hid the cloth bag behind his back, his eyes gleaming. "It's just some common herbs, nothing to mention."

Su Yunlan's lips curled into a cold smile. "Ordinary herbs? Why is Doctor Qian so nervous? Could it be that you've done something shady?"

Enraged, Doctor Qian shouted, "Su Yunlan, don't you dare slander me! I'm an upright and honest man, how dare you defame me like this!"

"Slander?" Su Yunlan pressed on, her tone icy. "If Doctor Qian has a clear conscience, why is he hiding his true colors? Is he afraid I'll expose him?"

"You..." Doctor Qian trembled with rage, his finger pointing at Su Yunlan shaking violently. "You...you..."

A cold glint flashed in Su Yunlan's eyes. "What about me? Doctor Qian had better remember this: some things, no matter how well you do them, will remain unknown." She snatched the cloth bag from Doctor Qian's hand.

"Su Yunlan! You..." Doctor Qian's face changed drastically, and he reached out to snatch the cloth bag back.

Su Yunlan dodged to the side, sneering, "What? Feeling guilty?" She opened the bag, and an even more pungent, fishy stench wafted out...

The moment Su Yunlan opened the cloth bag, a strong, rotten smell wafted out, making one feel nauseous.

She forced herself to endure the discomfort and emptied the contents of the cloth bag onto the ground.

It was a mixture of blackened grass roots, rotten leaves, and a few shriveled pieces that looked like animal entrails, emitting a nauseating, fishy stench.

Su Yunlan examined them closely and realized that these things were clearly not ordinary herbs, but rather seemed to be the raw materials for some kind of poison.

She felt a chill in her heart, and an ominous premonition came over her.

Upon seeing this, Doctor Qian's face turned ashen, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He hurriedly tried to pick up the things on the ground, but was stopped by a look from Su Yunlan.

Su Yunlan's eyes were like the sharp edge of an ice-cold blade, making him feel uneasy, and his outstretched hand froze in mid-air.

The surrounding exiles were drawn by the commotion and gathered around, whispering among themselves and curiously examining the objects on the ground.

Hunter Chen squeezed to the front and asked in a gruff voice, "Lady Su, what is this thing? Why does it smell so bad?"

Su Yunlan did not answer immediately, but bent down and carefully sniffed the herbs on the ground, her brows furrowed.

The smell of these herbs was similar to what she had smelled on some patients before, but stronger and more putrid.

Her gaze turned cold, and she looked at Doctor Qian as if he were a dead man.

"Dr. Qian, where did you get these things?"

Doctor Qian was pale and stammered, unable to speak. His eyes darted around, and he dared not look Su Yunlan in the eye.

He stammered, "I...I just picked some herbs randomly...I wanted to...want to see if they could cure the illness..."

"Treat illness?" Su Yunlan sneered, her voice not loud, but loud enough for everyone present to hear clearly. "With these moldy, rotten things? Doctor Qian, are you trying to kill someone?"

The crowd erupted in discussion, their eyes filled with suspicion and dissatisfaction as they looked at Dr. Qian.

They were already filled with fear because of the epidemic, and now seeing Doctor Qian take out these suspicious things only amplified their fear.

Magistrate Wu also squeezed in with his advisor, Master Ma. He glanced suspiciously at the herbs on the ground, then at the pale-faced Physician Qian, and felt a sense of foreboding, but on the surface he remained calm.

"Dr. Qian, what exactly happened?" he asked, feigning surprise.

Doctor Qian was on high alert, not daring to look at Magistrate Wu, and his body was trembling violently. He knew that he was probably doomed this time.

At this moment, Xiao Yuhan, who had been silently standing beside Su Yunlan, stepped forward and stood in front of Su Yunlan. His cold gaze swept over everyone present and finally settled on Doctor Qian.

"My wife is asking you a question, and you'd better answer truthfully." His voice was deep and powerful, carrying an unquestionable authority that made everyone present dare not underestimate him.

The physician, Qian, felt the powerful aura emanating from Xiao Yuhan, and his body trembled violently. He had never seen anything like it before, and was so frightened that he dared not lie anymore, stammering, "I...I...this is...this is..."

"What is it?" Su Yunlan pressed, her voice icy, as if a judgment from hell. "Could it be that you are the source of this plague?"

Doctor Qian was so frightened that his legs went weak and he knelt on the ground. He opened his mouth but could not make a sound, as if something was blocking his throat.

Xiao Yuhan glanced at the foul-smelling herbs on the ground, and then at the doctor's terrified expression. He had already made a judgment in his mind. He turned to look at Su Yunlan, a flash of worry in his eyes.

He knew that things were probably not as simple as they thought.

"This taste...something's not right." Xiao Yuhan said slowly, and as soon as he finished speaking, he gently pulled Su Yunlan into his arms and looked at her firmly.

Xiao Yuhan's broad, warm hand landed on Su Yunlan's shoulder, and a calming power instantly spread throughout her body.

In his deep gaze, besides worry, there was even more trust and determination, as if to say: Don't be afraid, I'm here.

Su Yunlan returned a reassuring look; the unspoken understanding between them was especially precious at this moment.

Even though the exiles around them didn't understand what was happening, they could feel the warmth and strength flowing between them.

In order to find out the source of the epidemic, Su Yunlan went alone into the nearby woods.

Sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground, but it could not dispel the cold and dampness of the forest.

The smell of decaying leaves mixed with the scent of unknown herbs made Su Yunlan feel a tightness in her chest.

She carefully parted the dense bushes, the crisp sound of breaking branches echoing under her feet, particularly jarring in the silent woods.

The sinister look in Qian Langzhong's eyes lingered in her mind. The feeling of being secretly watched was like a venomous snake coiling around her, making her feel extremely pressured.

Sweat soaked her clothes, but she dared not stop.

She must find the source as soon as possible in order to stop the spread of this epidemic.

The forest was dimly lit, and all sorts of strangely shaped plants swayed in the shadows like lurking monsters.

Su Yunlan carefully observed the surrounding environment, not letting go of any clues.

Suddenly, she discovered some fresh soil under a dead tree, standing out starkly from its surroundings.

She crouched down and gently brushed away the soil with her hands. A pungent, fishy stench wafted out, exactly like the smell emanating from the contents of Doctor Qian's bag.

Su Yunlan's heart sank. It seemed that she was close to the truth.

She continued digging, and beneath the soil, she discovered a buried cloth bag.

She carefully opened the cloth bag, and inside were the same rotten herbs and pieces of animal entrails as in the bag Qian the doctor had previously found, only in greater quantities and with a much stronger smell.

"As expected..." Su Yunlan murmured to herself. Suddenly, she heard a light footstep behind her. She turned around sharply, but only saw a dark figure flash by and disappear into the dense forest.

"Who?!" Su Yunlan shouted sharply, but only the silence of the forest and the rustling of leaves in the wind answered her.

Su Yunlan gently closed the cloth bag, took a deep breath, suppressed her nausea, and stood up.

The surrounding trees seemed to be watching her from the shadows; a gentle breeze rustled the leaves, making her feel uneasy.

She quickly composed herself and continued searching for clues in the woods.

Sunlight filtered through the treetops, dappling the ground, but it couldn't dispel the chill of the forest.

The smell of decaying leaves and soil mixed together, making her feel suffocated.

Su Yunlan carefully observed the surrounding environment, not missing a single detail.

Suddenly, she spotted several broken branches in the bushes not far away, indicating that someone had been there recently.

She carefully parted the bushes and discovered a hidden cave.

The opening was small, but large enough for a person to squeeze through.

Su Yunlan's heart stirred, and she quickened her pace involuntarily. She squatted down and shone her flashlight toward the cave entrance.

The cave was pitch black and filled with a putrid smell.

Su Yunlan took a deep breath and mustered her courage to enter the cave.

The cave was narrow, so she used her hands to support herself on the ground and moved forward slowly.

The deeper she went into the cave, the darker it became. Water droplets dripped down from time to time, hitting her arm and sending a chill down her spine.

Finally, she saw a faint glimmer of light ahead.

Emerging from the cave, Su Yunlan found herself in a secluded little clearing.

The place was filled with all sorts of strange plants and herbs, and the air was thick with a pungent, fishy stench.

In the center of the open space, there was a small platform made of stone bricks, on which were placed some medicine bowls and medicine-making utensils.

She went over and found some black liquid remaining in the medicine bowl, emitting a nauseating smell.

Su Yunlan's heart skipped a beat, and she felt a chill rise up her spine.

She knew that this was the source of the epidemic.

She quickly gathered the evidence from the cave and the open space and carefully put it into the cloth bag she carried with her.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from the woods. She turned around sharply and saw the figure of Doctor Qian flash by in the shadows of the trees.

"Doctor Qian!" Su Yunlan shouted, but before she could finish speaking, Doctor Qian had already disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.

She quickly caught up, the sound of snapping branches echoing beneath her feet, and leaves rustling behind her.

However, no matter how hard she chased after him, the figure of Doctor Qian remained elusive, eventually disappearing completely from her sight.

Su Yunlan stopped, her brows furrowed. She took a deep breath, turned back to the open space, and carefully organized all the evidence she had collected. She secretly resolved that, no matter what, she would bring the truth to light.

At this moment, a resolute expression appeared on her face, as if to say, "Qian Langzhong, you can't escape."

She tied the cloth bag tightly around her waist, turned and walked out of the cave, facing the gradually darkening sky, and resolutely embarked on her journey back.

However, her heart was filled with worry and unease, because the disappearance of Dr. Qian seemed to indicate that a larger conspiracy was quietly unfolding.