After Wang Nanshi was given the哑药 (yǎ yào -哑 medicine), he indeed became much quieter. However, transitioning from an audible performance to a silent one meant the spectacle’s excitement plummeted by more than half, the stark drop in quality greatly diminishing Lu Shi’s interest.
What was worse, looking at Wang Nanshi now made him feel utterly disgusted, like a writhing mass of bloody flesh, utterly revolting.
Fortunately, he was battle-hardened and had witnessed even more gruesome sights, otherwise he would have already thrown up his undigested meal.
Lu Shi stood up. He didn’t want to stay there any longer to insult his eyes. "You two watch him. Give him the antidote every two hours. Don't let him die too quickly."
He wanted Wang Nanshi to be tortured to death, to be truly satisfying and to honor the souls of the departed.
After making the arrangements, Lu Shi left to report to Ling Mohan, detailing the entire ordeal.
"Tomorrow, finish him off directly and throw the body to Fan Shun's estate," he commanded. "I want to give Fan Shun a warning. He shouldn't think this Cloud City is entirely his domain."
"Yes, Young General."
After Lu Shi withdrew, Ling Mohan processed the written letter with medicinal fluid, then tucked it into the small envelope attached to the homing pigeon’s leg.
He needed to send news from Cloud City to Chu Chenyi as soon as possible. It was difficult enough to contend with Fan Shun’s hundreds of thousands of defending soldiers with only the troops he had brought.
Only by informing Chu Chenyi of the situation here, and having him bring reinforcements quickly, could they succeed. Even traveling day and night, it would take four to five days to reach Cloud City. He had to find a way to stall Fan Shun.
...
"My lord, my lord… Help! My lord…"
"Who dares trespass? This is Fan…"
Before the servant could finish speaking, the door was flung open from within, revealing Fan Shun’s somewhat bloated and puffy face.
"You impudent cur, daring to disturb me!"
"My lord, help! I am Vice-General Wang's servant. My lord hasn't returned home since yesterday, and I fear he may have met with misfortune. I beg my lord to save him!"
Fan Shun let out a disdainful scoff. "If he hasn't returned home, then go find him. As if I could conjure people out of thin air. Hurry up and scram, don't bother me. Guards, drag him out!"
"Yes, my lord!"
"My lord, this servant begs you, save my lord, my lord…"
Fan Shun was annoyed by his clamor and kicked a potted plant.
"My lord, a corpse has been dumped at the manor gates!"
"Damn it, it seems there will be no good fortune today. Who has such gall to throw a corpse at my door? Are they trying to ruin my Feng Shui? Go and see."
Mornings were the most inauspicious times for such things. Fan Shun’s anger flared instantly. Dragging his somewhat corpulent body, he strode outside.
The moment he saw the corpse, Fan Shun felt a wave of nausea and retched, spitting out even bile before feeling slightly better.
He had never seen a corpse in such a惨状 (cǎn zhuàng - miserable state) before. "Go and see who this person is."
"My lord, your subordinate has looked. But the face has been completely scratched, and it has been gnawed by insects and rodents. It’s impossible to tell who it is."
The servant said, barely suppressing the urge to vomit, finding it truly disgusting.
"My lord… my lord…" Suddenly, a wail rang out. It was the servant from Wang Nanshi’s household who had barged in earlier, now kneeling beside the utterly repulsive corpse and weeping.
Hearing the sound, Fan Shun frowned tightly. He covered his nose and mouth with a handkerchief and nudged the corpse’s face a few times with his foot. He couldn't tell if this corpse was Wang Nanshi.
He withdrew his foot. Bloodstains had smeared his leather boots. Disgusted, Fan Shun lifted his foot.
The servant standing nearby immediately understood and quickly crouched down, using his own clothes to wipe Fan Shun’s foot clean.
"Are you sure this is Wang Nanshi?" Fan Shun, unable to make a positive identification, asked the servant who had come forward to claim the body.
"My lord, the clothes on the corpse are exactly the same as what my lord was wearing when he left. And my lord has a mole on the inner side of his left arm. This corpse also has one. This is my lord."
"My lord, my lord was murdered so tragically in Cloud City. My lord must seek justice for my lord!"
Fan Shun no longer wanted to look at the corpse. He quickly turned his head. "I will have someone investigate this matter. Hurry up and take the body back, don't leave it at my manor gates any longer."
As soon as he finished speaking, several people hurriedly carried the corpse away. More than a dozen people swept the area in front of the manor gates no less than ten times before Fan Shun was satisfied.
"My lord, Wang Nanshi deserved to die. He disobeyed my lord’s orders, so his death is only fitting."
"Enough of your gossip. I know you never liked Wang Nanshi. Now that he’s dead, it’s to your liking, isn't it?"
"My lord, you see clearly. The reason I disliked Wang Nanshi was because he was insidious. He was disloyal to my lord. Such a traitor by my lord's side was a threat. Now that he is dead, I am relieved."
Zhang Kun’s face was full of flattery, acting the sycophant to perfection. This Wang Nanshi had always opposed him, and he had disliked him for a long time. He didn’t know who had done him the favor of dealing with Wang Nanshi this time, saving him the trouble of acting himself.
"I know your loyalty. You have been by my side for ten full years, and when have I ever mistreated you? It is only when you are by my side that I feel at ease."
"However, the way Wang Nanshi died is still full of suspicion. Someone dares to lay hands on my subordinate in Cloud City. Their courage is truly great. For this matter alone, I cannot let it go. Go and investigate who did this. Once you find the culprit, kill them directly, leaving no loose ends."
Such a person remaining in Cloud City meant that he himself might be the next to die. How could he allow such a dangerous presence? They had to find the person as soon as possible. Only the dead posed no threat.
"Yes, my lord. I will find the person and eliminate them immediately. You can rest assured."
Zhang Kun acted the sycophant to perfection, willing to do anything to climb higher, naturally needing to hold onto the right leg.
"You know what you’re doing. You may go down now!"
"Yes, my lord."
Fan Shun, dragging his corpulent body, got up. Just as he was about to return to his room to embrace a beauty for a nap, a servant rushed in to report.
"What is it now? It's endless!" Fan Shun said impatiently. Today was destined to be a bad day for him.
"My lord, it's General Ling. He has brought his men."
Fan Shun’s expression froze instantly. He said quickly, "Quickly invite him in!"
"Lord Fan is so busy with state affairs, I presume you have just woken up."
Ling Mohan’s chilling voice echoed as he walked in and took a seat in the highest position, as if it were his own.