Rebirth of Poisoned Empress, by 颜若优雅

Chapter 17

The Marquis Dongling Manor appeared calm and peaceful, but the ripples Shen Liang created was slowly permeating the muddy waters. 

Liu Shuhan, the mother-daughter pair had rushed to Shen Liang's courtyard with great fanfare, but returned, forlorn and with a visible, ostentatious hand mark across the mother's face. No matter how tight the lips of those who worked at the Manor were, the matter still quickly spread throughout the Manor. The old madame intended to suppress Liu Shuhan and had the servant by her side deliver some supplements to Shen Liang. She ordered her to pass the message along to Shen Liang for him to take good care of his body and hoped he would slap Liu Shuhan sometime again.

However, Shen liang displayed neither joy nor anger. When he discovered that the housekeeper had cut off all delivery to stock the small kitchen, he only smiled and had Qi Xuan work a bit harder every day and head out to buy the ingredients and food. For the next few days, Shen Liang never stepped another foot out of his courtyard and with Shen Ruiting's decree, no one came to bother him either. The Marquis Manor seemingly resumed its former peace.

"Liangliang, the medicine you prescribed really works wonders. I can't see the marks on you face anymore and the wound on you shoulder has almost healed."

Three days later, Shen Liang made an appointment to pick up the attires he had ordered from the Fei Yu Pavilion. Qi Yue helped remove the gauze on his shoulders and a smile finally bloomed across his face. He and Qi Xuan felt unbearable seeing it for the past several days.

"Of course it would. It's Wei Family's secret recipe."

Shen Liang placed the note down and caressed his wound with his slender fingers. The Wei Family had three familial treasures: the art of war, the medical code, and the scripture of poison. Rumors had it that the three treasures were left by the ancestors of the Wei Family from the husband-husband pair who once fought alongside the Holy Ancestral Emperor centuries ago. The art of war was a scripture written by General Wei Ting, the general titled as the God of War even today. He dedicated his entire life to the strategies and art of wars, and using the art of war, had never lost a single battle. It was a shame that the Imperial Family was no longer the same. Every battle the Wei Family won only added to the jealousy and suspicion the Imperial Family held towards them.

The medical classics and the scripture of poison were well-known to be treasures in the medical field. They were said to be written by General Wei Ting's wife, Jiang Heng. Stories have told that Jiang Heng was omniscient and skilled in both poison as well as medicine. He opened schools, studied and researched agricultural developments, and the beginning of the dynasty was stabilized through his efforts. It was proposed that if it wasn't Wei Ting who first met Jiang Heng, he would have long become the founding empress of the Great Qin Empire, and the Holy Ancestral Emperor remained unwed his entire life for Jiang Heng. 

Besides the art of war, not many people knew about the other scriptures. After hundreds of years had passed, even members of the Wei Family have forgotten about the medical books. Shen Liang had only discovered the books when he stumbled upon the Luban box left to him by his dad. In his previous life, when he had opened the box, Shen Qiang was right beside him. He was not the least bit defensive towards her and was easily deceived by her to relinquish the medical books. Fortunately, the scripture of poison which was hidden under the false layer was never taken by Shen Qiang, but Shen Liang had an inherently kind nature in his previous life and was reluctant to use the scripture of poison at all. 

Along with the scripture of poison that was hidden beneath the false layer was the obsidian black Xuan Tie token and a letter left by Jiang Heng for future descendants. The letter said that the Xuan Tie token was the only token and authority the Nether Guards obeyed. 

When Shen Liang first saw it, he didn't believe the token would be able to call on the Nether Guards. No, more accurately, Shen Liang didn't think the Nether Guards still existed. After all, hundreds of years had already passed since Jiang Heng's death, and the Luban box had remained locked and closed with no one able to open them since Jiang Heng's death. How was it possible for the Nether guards to still exist?

But reality proved that even after centuries, the Nether Guards still existed. Jiang Heng was truly worthy of being credited as the legendary figure of the Wei Family. Not only did he lay the foundation for the hundreds of years of glory, status, and fame for the Wei Family to come, he had also left a last life-saving grace for the Wei Family in case of peril. It was a shame that Shen Liang had been in fool in his precious life. He had lost the game with a hand of good cards, and turned the last life-saving token of the Wei Family into what would become the fall and end of the Wei Family. 

Shen Liang took advantage of the free time he had during the previous few days to once again, dig out the Luban box. He was no longer a fool. The items in the Luban box would never turn on him and would only be a weapon wielded against others!

"Who would have expected the madame to have left behind this? If the madame herself had known, perhaps he wouldn't have..."

Halfway through her words, Qi Yue found herself unable to continue. He raised his head to peer at Shen Liang. They all knew that Wei Zetian wasn't only just Shen Ruiting's reverse scale, he was also Shen Liang and the eldest young master's.

"Perhaps."

Shen Liang's actions pulled to a stop as his head lowered. He stood up to took the Luban box, disassembled the complex structure with ease, and took out the Xuan Tie token. He then placed the scripture of poison back into the box. 

He had already learned and studied the scripture of poison in his previous life. The medical code had been deceived into Shen Qiang's hands. She later became known for medical skills unfathomable at this time. However, this will no longer be the case. With his foundations formed from studying the scripture of poison, Shen Liang was able to easily integrate the basic techniques and skill set taught in the medical code from what he had learned already. Afterwards, the two scriptures will never appear before anyone else's eyes ever again.

"Liangliang, the carriage has already been prepared. When should we depart?"

Qi Xuan headed inside. As Shen Liang had ordered, he had been monitoring Fu Yunxi under the pretense of buying ingredients for the small kitchen. If it wasn't because Shen Liang had told him they would head to the Peiyu Pavilion to try on the attires later, the man would have long since disappeared.

"Let's go."

After Shen Liang had placed the Luban box in a safe place, he pocketed the Xuan Tie token and headed out.