Chapter 79: The Strategy for Distributing Flowers

The ominous aura that had plagued the Sima residence had finally dissipated. Although Zhang Jifeng never appeared in person, he did manage to bring Lu Prefect’s men, rescuing the gravely wounded Ash Armor and withdrawing with the remaining survivors. Naturally, Li Buer was unable to leave unscathed. Fortunately, the short yellow-faced man, cowardly as he was, had doubled back to fetch reinforcements. With both sides’ backup arriving and standing off, everyone knew that continuing the slaughter would be meaningless; so they sounded the retreat, each side withdrawing with neither gains nor glory, but suffering heavy losses nonetheless.

Thus, Li Buer had no outlet for his grievances. He had fought fiercely, felled several foes, yet returned empty-handed; most importantly, he had failed to secure the winter flower, which meant his mission was a failure. In contrast, the short yellow-faced man had acted promptly, reporting the situation in time. Even though Li Buer berated him for desertion, the short man stubbornly insisted he was merely fulfilling his duty, using his wits rather than brute force.

Comparing the two, Wang Gemao naturally favored the cunning short man, dismissing Li Buer as a mere brawler whose boasts of valor were empty words. Furious and deeply humiliated, Li Buer could only accept a token reward of silver, while the short yellow-faced man was promoted to chief constable.

At last, Li Buer understood how Zhang Jifeng must have felt—shameless schemers were the hardest to deal with. The sight of the short man’s smug grin filled him with disgust.

Meanwhile, Physician Du had successfully rendezvoused with Erhu and the others. Curiously, the members of the Bamboo Grove Guild, in their haste, had taken a wrong turn, leaving Physician Du waiting for hours. Fortunately, Little Zhi, acting on instinct, led them straight into the Liu residence, where they encountered the recently released Liu father and son. Upon hearing their predicament, Liu Bu Wen arranged for Physician Du to meet with the group. They gathered in a side room of the Liu household, while the old steward busied himself with preparations.

Liu Chengyu looked disheveled and weary, while Liu Bu Wen remained spirited, as if untouched by the ordeal.

Erhu, impatient with formalities, was the first to speak: “Hey! Old Liu, what’s going on here? Were you two put under house arrest as well?”

Before Liu Chengyu could answer, Liu Bu Wen jumped in: “Don’t ask my father. When they let us out for air, Zhang Jifeng said he was going to take a leak, but came back saying something big was amiss and told me to hurry home.”

Peasant Jia took a sip of tea, sighing, “And then you got captured, right? But how come we didn’t see you in Wang Gemao’s prison?”

Liu Bu Wen straightened his rumpled clothes. “First of all, we're not criminals—just detained under house arrest. Secondly, it was Lu Prefect who took action against us.”

Everyone was stunned. So besides Wang Gemao, Lu Prefect had also entered the fray? Without a proper discussion with Luo Gan, the group was left bewildered and unsure how to proceed.

“Lu Prefect... what’s his connection to Luo? A prefect can’t just arrest people arbitrarily.” Uncle De was utterly confused, feeling wronged and tossed about.

“Allow me to explain,” came Physician Du’s voice from the doorway as he entered, nearly stumbling. Liu Chengyu rose to greet his old friend.

“Brother Du, we've been waiting for you!”

Physician Du took Liu Chengyu’s hand, then surveyed those assembled.

“The reason Lu Prefect laid false charges on Brother Liu lies in the mysterious treasure held by Luo Gan!”

The Bamboo Grove Guild members had all survived the ordeal, but only Luo Gan had passed the final test. None knew what the flower truly looked like or its purpose; their memories stopped at the moment they awoke, only to be apprehended by constables. Even so, everyone remained cautious and united, refusing to reveal any details about the secret treasure, even under Wang Gemao’s ruthless questioning. Among those who knew, the Liu father and son and Physician Du were closely connected, so either they leaked the secret or Luo Gan did.

Little Zhi said, “Now that Physician Du has spoken, then—”

Uncle De slapped Little Zhi’s thigh, giving him a warning glance to keep silent. Little Zhi held his tongue, and Liu Chengyu, sensing the tension, tried to smooth things over.

“We never discussed the treasure with Physician Du. Most likely, Luo Gan realized we were in trouble and sought help.”

Liu Chengyu laughed awkwardly, hoping to ease the strained atmosphere.

Each person harbored their own thoughts. After days of turmoil, Peasant Jia was curious about the treasure that had drawn them into such peril, the magistrate and prefect willing to go to any lengths to possess it.

“All this talk, but it’s just a thawed flower. Why are so many people fighting over it?” Peasant Jia shifted the topic to the treasure itself.

Uncle De’s eyes widened; he hadn’t expected Little Zhi to keep quiet, only for Peasant Jia to blurt it out.

Physician Du sat down, thinking how cumbersome it was to explain everything to a group compared to acting alone.

“Whether the snow and ice are a calamity or human-made remains unknown. Wang Magistrate and Lu Prefect got wind of a prophecy that a world-shaking treasure would appear at the Sima residence. Whoever possesses it will gain eternal youth, untouched by time.”

Reactions varied. Erhu, lacking patience, interrupted.

“I don’t care about all that! My ears are calloused from hearing it. What do we do now? Give us a plan!”

Physician Du nodded, unwilling to waste more time. “Good! I appreciate directness. With both Wang Magistrate and Lu Prefect wounded from their struggle, both sides claim they’ll help you obtain the treasure, otherwise they won’t release you.”

Now the group understood: there was only one flower, and both men wanted it. Even if they abandoned the people, they’d offend one or the other—no easy path forward.

Little Zhi said, “I say we agree with Wang Gemao. He’s the local power; even if Lu Prefect stirs trouble, he can’t match the convenience of a snake in its own hole.”

Peasant Jia disagreed immediately. “That’s not wise! A prefect outranks a magistrate. Everyone says it’s safer to pick the softer target.”

Little Zhi replied, “What nonsense! Why chase distant help instead of nearby?”

Peasant Jia retorted, “I know the wisdom of forming distant alliances and attacking nearby foes!”

The two argued fiercely.

“Enough! Offending either side is bad. I said we should just farm in peace, but you wouldn’t listen. Now look!” Uncle De spoke passionately, slapping his hand for emphasis.

Whenever trouble arose, he shifted blame—a flaw in teamwork. Peasant Jia was naturally displeased.

“Uncle De, I recall when we split the money, you didn’t have this attitude.”

Sensing discord, Erhu tried to break it up. “Stop it! My ears are ringing—now I’m going deaf! All this arguing, and no solution.”

Physician Du watched the quarrel unfold, but felt oddly reassured.

“Don’t worry. Luo Gan left us a plan.”

Just as he finished speaking, footsteps approached rapidly outside. The group tensed, but Physician Du remained calm and cheerful.