Chapter 28: Flushing Out the Mole

"I've checked into it. He is Ah Sheng, a former apprentice of Wang Da. When the incident with Wang Da occurred, he was ill and away from the camp, so there was no evidence to suggest Ah Sheng was involved in framing Dr. Jiang. Furthermore, according to investigations, many said that Ah Sheng was often mistreated by Wang Da and lived a hard life. Since our army is short-handed and he is one of the few medics with pharmacological knowledge, I took it upon myself to keep him on, backed by the guarantees of many others," Yang Bin said, his expression grim. "I never expected he would actually be problematic. Lately, he has been frequently seen entering the medics' tents and has had contact with those specific soldiers."

Duan Jing frowned slightly. "It seems this medicine boy is not as simple as he appears. Yang Bin, have someone keep a close eye on him immediately, and ensure he remains unaware that he is being watched. At the same time, investigate who he has been associating with recently, focusing specifically on those soldiers he has approached."

Yang Bin nodded in agreement.

"Also, notify Jiang Bai to visit that soldier's tent again tonight. Have her pretend to change his bandages, but this time, make it clear that she knows he is involved and that his cohorts are about to abandon him," Duan Jing said, his tone carrying a deeper meaning.

Yang Bin was momentarily stunned. "Is the strategist trying to set them against each other?"

Duan Jing nodded. "Exactly. I suspect Ah Sheng is the one who poisoned him, but I need to verify it. I just don't know if we can uncover who his master is."

Yang Bin smiled faintly. "A brilliant plan, Strategist. I will make the arrangements at once."

As night fell, the camp grew silent, with only the occasional sound of patrolling soldiers' footsteps echoing across the empty grounds. Jiang Bai, carrying her medical kit, quietly entered the soldier's tent. The soldier remained in a deep, steady sleep, showing no signs of abnormality.

Jiang Bai put down her kit and pretended to change his bandages, though in reality, she was administering the antidote to the poison she had previously given him. As the soldier began to regain consciousness, he hadn't yet realized what was happening when he heard someone speaking nearby.

Jiang Bai feigned concern. "You're awake? How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright. But... my wounds haven't healed?" The soldier felt carefully, and the pain in his wound was still unbearable.

"Ah? Oh, I see!" Jiang Bai acted flustered and gave a vague reply.

"Dr. Jiang, I've heard your medical skills are excellent. Could you please take another look? I feel that this wound..."

Jiang Bai interrupted him. "I truly cannot cure this; I cannot treat this injury."

"What did you say, Doctor?" The soldier was incredulous. He couldn't believe Jiang Bai couldn't even detect such simple poison. While not common, with her skills, she should at least be able to tell the difference between a burn and poisoning.

"Just rest well and don't think too much," Jiang Bai cut him off, looking at him with what seemed like pity.

"Dr. Jiang, you can't give up on me!" The soldier grew anxious. With her renowned skills, why would she abandon him? This poison was a signature of the Jiang family in the capital, but he had no antidote on him. When they entered the camp, they were searched; no poisons or antidotes were allowed inside. He never imagined his master would have someone poison him.

"Tell me if there is anything you would like to eat, and I will do my best to provide it," Jiang Bai said, looking at him with pity, as if offering a final gesture of kindness.

To the soldier, however, this sounded like a final meal before execution. He couldn't eat!

"Dr. Jiang, I beg you, please take another look," the soldier pleaded. Her words clearly indicated she knew he was poisoned—why wouldn't she save him?

"Dr. Jiang, the strategist would like to see you," a guard said, entering the tent to summon her.

"Rest well and don't dwell on things," Jiang Bai said, offering a few comforting words before packing her kit and leaving, ignoring his desperate attempts to stop her.

"Damn it." The soldier clenched his fist and struck the bed frame. It was all that cursed Ah Sheng's fault. Before he fell ill, he had just made contact with him to discuss setting the fire. He had been completely off guard; thirsty from their talk, he had drained the cup of tea Ah Sheng handed him in one go. That tea must have been poisoned!

"No, I cannot just sit here and wait for death," the soldier muttered. Rather than die from such a painful poison, he might as well gamble on the strategist for a chance at life. Jiang Bai's expression suggested she knew how to save him. If the General would save him, he could live! He only hoped the General could rescue his family from Jiang Hui.

That day, Ah Sheng, who was grinding herbs with other boys in the pharmacy, learned something new.

"You mean the tent where that soldier is being kept is now under guard?" Ah Sheng stopped his hand from moving the grinding wheel.

"Yes. And did you know? I heard Dr. Jiang is even bringing him fine wine and food," the medicine boy shared the gossip he had picked up.

"What does that prove?" a wide-eyed boy nearby asked, confused.

"What does it prove? You should know that after Dr. Jiang visited him yesterday, she had a long, detailed discussion with the strategist. As soon as she left, the strategist immediately sent guards to protect him. And Dr. Jiang, who is usually so cold and aloof, is personally serving him food. What does that tell you?"

"That he is important?" the wide-eyed boy followed the logic.

"Exactly! And ever since the doctor visited, the strategist hasn't looked as troubled as before; his expression was quite relaxed. Think about why the strategist has been so worried lately—why would this man be so important?"

"Could that soldier be the breakthrough we needed?" The wide-eyed boy gasped.

"Exactly," the gossiping boy said with a look that suggested the other had finally caught on.

"Do you think the strategist has already caught the mastermind?" the boy asked, full of admiration.

"I'm not sure, but I don't think they're far off," the gossiping boy asserted.

Hearing their chatter, Ah Sheng lowered his head and gripped the wooden handle of his tool tightly. Suddenly, he seemed to realize something and released his grip. He pretended he needed to relieve himself, handed his work to someone nearby, and hurried out.

The gossiping boy glanced up intentionally, catching sight of Ah Sheng's hurried figure, and stopped talking.

"Hey, what are you looking at? You haven't finished—what happened with your uncle's relative and the stray dog?" the boy asked with wide, innocent eyes.

"Right, let me continue," the boy said with a slight smirk, resuming his gossip.

"Hey! Is there anyone at the door?" the soldier shouted.

"What's wrong?" the guard at the door walked in.

"I have something of great importance to report to the strategist. Could you please ask him to come here?" the soldier pleaded.

The guard said nothing more and left promptly to fetch him.

Just as the guard stepped away, Ah Sheng crept over, checked that no one was around, and slipped into the room.

Hearing the door open, the soldier looked up and saw Ah Sheng enter, a flash of surprise and alertness in his eyes. He recognized him as the person he had met the other day.

"Why are you here?" the soldier's voice was hoarse.

Ah Sheng closed the door, walked quickly to the bedside, and whispered, "I heard you asked to see the strategist?"

The soldier sneered, "What business is that of yours?"

Ah Sheng didn't answer directly, instead lowering his voice further. "Are you going to tell the strategist that the Jiang family started the fire?"

The soldier was indifferent. "So what if I am?"

"You cannot say it. He will kill us both," Ah Sheng tried to stop him.

"That's none of your concern." The soldier's words made Ah Sheng sigh in relief; it seemed he hadn't revealed the truth to Duan Jing yet, and there was still room to maneuver.

Ah Sheng took a deep breath. "I know Jiang Hui sent the men, and I know that cup of tea was poisoned, but now is not the time to expose them, or we will both die."

The soldier sneered. "You think I'd believe you? You're in league with them!"

Ah Sheng shook his head frantically. "No, I'm not! I just... I just want to live."

The soldier stared into Ah Sheng's eyes, not understanding what he meant, but it didn't matter. "I have nothing to say to you. Get out of here!"

Ah Sheng was silent for a moment, his shoulders slumping in resignation. "I'm sorry, I'm really suffering! I don't want to be controlled by them anymore! They kidnapped my family and threatened me to pass them information, but I can't go on like this! My conscience won't allow it, and my family would despise me."

The soldier, thinking of his own family held captive by Jiang Hui, felt a flicker of empathy and his brow relaxed slightly. "What good does telling me this do? I can't even save myself."

Seeing the soldier's softening attitude, Ah Sheng leaned in closer. "I want to live. If you tell the strategist directly, I will die."

"That has nothing to do with me," the soldier said, not wanting to get involved.

Ah Sheng continued, "I have a plan that can save you from your master's wrath while allowing you to atone for your sins to the strategist. It's a way for us both to survive, but I need your cooperation."

The soldier hesitated. "What kind of plan?"

Ah Sheng looked around to ensure no one was nearby. "We can create a ruse. After you reveal part of the 'truth,' you can pretend to die from the poison. The strategist will think you're dead; the Jiang family will realize you are no longer useful and stop holding your family captive or hunting you down. You can then use the opportunity to escape and reunite with them."

A glimmer of hope appeared in the soldier's eyes. If he could avoid the path of full confession, that would be ideal. "But what about the poison in my body?"

Ah Sheng pulled a small bottle from his tunic. "This is the antidote I hid away. While it isn't enough to cure it completely, it will neutralize most of the effects. Any doctor can treat the remainder."

The soldier took the bottle and examined it. "Why are you helping me?"

Ah Sheng's youthful face was filled with earnestness. "Because I don't want to die either. And I think you're a good person; you haven't betrayed me after all this time. I don't think you should be sacrificed as an innocent pawn."

The soldier remained silent for a moment, then nodded. "Fine, I'll trust you once. But how do we pull off the ruse?"

A hint of cunning flashed in Ah Sheng's eyes, though it quickly returned to an expression of innocence. "I've already thought of it. When the strategist arrives, just implicate a few other factions, then pretend to succumb to the poison. This will divert their attention and make your master believe you were loyal to the end."

The soldier's eyes lit up. "And how do I get out?"

"Don't worry about that. I am a medicine boy; I can still help handle the bodies. I'll prepare everything and smuggle you out in the chaos. We can both be free."

The soldier took a deep breath. "Fine, I'll believe you this time."

At that moment, footsteps sounded outside, and the guard's voice called out, "The strategist is here."

Ah Sheng stood up quickly and whispered, "Remember, make it look convincing."

Seeing the soldier nod, Ah Sheng climbed out the window, closed it, and crouched beneath it to eavesdrop.

The door opened, and Duan Jing walked in, followed by several guards.

"I hear you have something to report," Duan Jing said, sitting down and fixing his gaze on the man with an oppressive intensity.

"Yes. I saw who started the fire. The poison was administered by that same person to silence me."

"Oh?" Duan Jing walked to the bedside and observed him carefully before turning to his men. "You may step outside."

With a wave of his hand, the guards retreated, leaving only the strategist and the soldier.

"Tell me specifically what you saw," Duan Jing said, his voice low and calm, his eyes as sharp as a hawk's as he stared directly into the soldier's eyes.

The soldier swallowed hard, his fingers trembling slightly as he hesitated. His gaze darted back and forth, clearly struggling internally.

"I... I saw a man in black. He was... he was splashing oil in the grain storage room. After he finished, he pulled a fire starter from his robes and ignited it." The soldier's voice shook, as if every word exhausted his strength.

The strategist frowned slightly. "A man in black? Did you see his face?"

The soldier shook his head. "It was too dark. I only saw he was dressed in black, masked, tall, and very fast. He vanished in a blink. But I heard him speak, and he had a Southwestern accent."

The strategist was silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the credibility of the soldier's words. His gaze remained fixed on the soldier, as if trying to see through his soul.

"Then why didn't you stop him or report it?" the strategist asked, his voice calm but with an underlying coldness.

The soldier's face went pale, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He bowed his head, his voice trembling even more. "I... I was afraid. Before he left, he saw me and threatened that if I said anything, he would kill my entire family."

The strategist sneered. "Do you expect me to believe such an excuse?"

The soldier looked up sharply, his eyes full of terror. "I dare not deceive the strategist! Everything I have said is true!"