TGCFNM -Chapter 370 Striking from the Shadows

Late at night, with a faint click, the prison door creaked open.

Chu Ling murmured her thanks and swiftly left the Dali Temple’s prison.

A short while later, a carriage arrived—it was Zhang Dong.

Chu Ling nimbly jumped into the carriage. Wan Sanjin handed her a face covering, and Zhang Dong flicked the reins, urging the horse forward.

After a short journey, the carriage stopped at a corner of the street.

The surroundings were silent. Not a single figure could be seen. Only a faint yellow glow shone from a nearby apothecary.

Chu Ling and Wan Sanjin covered their faces and slipped into the shadows.

—

“…So you’re saying there’s nothing wrong with the wine?” Xu Shiyin’s face was flushed red, and he felt another nosebleed threatening to come on.

The physician nodded firmly. “It’s a fine medicinal wine. In weather like this, a cup to warm the body will make one feel quite comfortable… It’s just that your qi and blood are both deficient. Taking such a strong tonic all at once was more than your body could handle.”

Only then did Xu Shiyin recall that Yunliu had mentioned it was a powerful tonic wine… So in the end, it was his own physical weakness.

“I’ll prescribe two doses for you. Boil them when you return and cool down the excess internal heat…”

“…Many thanks.”

After a while, Xu Shiyin emerged carrying a lantern, medicine in hand. The apothecary soon shut its doors behind him.

“I must hurry back to finish the painting. Yunliu will likely be arriving soon…” he muttered to himself.

As he passed the corner, his vision suddenly went black—a sack was thrown over his head. Immediately after came the dull thud of a heavy strike. He collapsed by the roadside.

Chu Ling picked up the medicine and lantern. Wan Sanjin and Zhang Dong lifted Xu Shiyin into the carriage, and under the cover of night, they departed.

When the carriage reached the Dali Temple, Wan Sanjin and Zhang Dong carried Xu Shiyin inside.

The head warden sighed faintly and led them straight to the interrogation chamber, where Xu Shiyin was chained to a chair.

Chu Ling entered shortly after and gave her instructions:

“Find someone to disguise the scene so it appears Yunliu was being painted—let it look like she posed all night. When the painting session ends and Yunliu is to return to the pleasure house, secretly escort her to the Wan residence. Then send someone to inform the brothel madam that the Dali Temple has traced the matter back to Xu Shiyin.”

Wan Sanjin nodded. “Understood.”

Chu Ling waved her hand. “All right. Split up and move.”

Wan Sanjin and Zhang Dong turned and left.

Chu Ling stepped into the interrogation room, took out the incense Su He had prepared for her, lit it, and waved it briefly beneath Xu Shiyin’s nose before stepping back. Her eyes were cold as she stared at him.

Xu Shiyin frowned, struggling back to consciousness—then froze in terror.

Before him stood Chu Ling, who had been arrested and thrown into the Dali Temple prison. Beside her were various horrifying instruments of torture, some even stained with blood.

“Well, if it isn’t Master Xu, the Painting Sage?” Chu Ling sneered softly as she dragged a chair over and sat down in front of him.

Xu Shiyin struggled, the chains on his body clanking loudly. “What do you mean by this?”

“What do I mean?” Chu Ling let out a cold laugh, as if she had just heard the greatest joke in the world. “This is the prison of the Court of Judicial Review. This is a place for interrogation. Sitting before you is an imperial official investigating the case of the courtesans who die within seven days of becoming flower queens. And you ask me what I mean?”

Panic flickered in Xu Shiyin’s eyes. He instinctively avoided Chu Ling’s gaze.

Chu Ling’s eyes darkened. “I’ve investigated. You began painting for the flower queen of Canghua Pavilion last year. After that, you were the only one who painted the flower queens. And it was from that point on that this so-called ‘Seven-Day Flower Sacrifice’ began… Quite proud of yourself, aren’t you, Master Xu?”

“When have I ever been proud?” Xu Shiyin lowered his head, unable to hide his unease.

“Will you confess honestly, or shall I make you confess?” Chu Ling asked coldly.

Xu Shiyin suddenly raised his head. “I only paint. What crime have I committed?”

Chu Ling slowly rose to her feet. “Then let me tell you what your crime is!”

“From the moment you began painting them, the flower queens started dying one after another. Count them—eight women have died miserably after you finished their portraits… Surely you won’t deny that you painted them in those final days? The restorative wine was delivered by me. When I arrested you, it was with both the culprit and the evidence present.”

Xu Shiyin’s face turned pale. He swallowed dryly. “I… I only painted. Whatever happened has nothing to do with me.”

Ignoring his defense, Chu Ling continued, “From the day you first revealed your skill, the madam of the brothel must have intended to cooperate with you. That’s why you, Tao Jing, Pan Shoucai, and Chen Cuiyan were able to decide who would become the next flower queen.”

Xu Shiyin’s eyes widened in shock.

Chu Ling narrowed her eyes. “After you chose the flower queen, the rest was the madam’s doing. Step by step, she groomed the new flower queen, had her parade through the streets, then arranged for you to paint her—and sold the portraits at exorbitant prices… One painting for fifty thousand taels. Seven paintings—that’s eight hundred thousand taels. How much of that did you take, Master Xu?”

Xu Shiyin clamped his mouth shut.

“You were involved from beginning to end, and yet you think you’re innocent?!” Chu Ling pointed at him angrily. “So many young women died because of you. Are you even human?”

Xu Shiyin suddenly glared at her resentfully. “I only painted them! What does their life or death have to do with me? I didn’t kill anyone!”

“No—you did kill them!” Chu Ling said, enunciating each word.

Xu Shiyin turned his head away. “I didn’t kill anyone!”

Chu Ling’s eyes burned red. “After a girl was chosen as flower queen and returned from the parade, what did she feel? Relief? Anxiety? Excitement? Or that faint, desperate hope? Each night as you painted her, knowing her life was slipping away day by day—what kind of anguish was written on her face? And you captured every bit of that suffering on canvas…”

When Xu Shiyin said nothing, Chu Ling continued.

“I showed your paintings to Elder Song.” Chu Ling said. “And I’ve more or less guessed why your art has become so twisted.”

Xu Shiyin jerked his head up, suddenly agitated. “He saw my paintings? What did he say?”

Chu Ling frowned angrily and went on, “You rose to fame in your youth with a single painting—a court lady admiring the spring mountains. What people talked about most was the realism of her expression, especially those shy, tender eyes… But after that, you never progressed. No one cared about your work anymore. Everyone said your inspiration was gone. You became lost. You fell into despair.”

“But one day, you saw a flower queen—the one who came from Sin Street. Beneath her cosmetics, her discomfort and tension couldn’t be hidden, especially in her eyes, brimming with sorrow… With that painting, with that ‘authentic’ expression, you gained attention once more. You saw hope. And so… you cooperated with the brothel madam, painting one portrait after another—capturing the various expressions of the flower queens during the seven days before their deaths. They sold for sky-high prices, and you leapt to fame as the so-called ‘Painting Sage.’”

“For the sake of your own selfish desires, for the hollow title of ‘Painting Sage,’ you colluded with the madam and caused eight deaths. And you still dare ask what Elder Song said? He only found those seven paintings eerie and horrifying. As for the painter—he thought him dark and twisted at heart. No matter how skilled the brushwork, you are unworthy to paint!”

Xu Shiyin suddenly struggled violently. “No one is better than me! Not even Fu Qingyu can surpass me! I am the Painting Sage! Why am I unworthy to paint?!”