Though she understood everything in her heart, she still clung to her pride.
Ling Mohan's patience wore thin. He drew the sword from a nearby guard and pointed it at the man's throat, his voice chilling, "If you do not confess by Mao Shi tomorrow, I will kill you and feed you to the wolves."
With that, he threw the sword to the ground and pulled Feng Jin away.
As the two left the dark prison, sounds of wailing erupted from within.
After finally finding someone and being on the verge of uncovering clues, yet being unable to extract any information, it would have been quicker to kill him.
Back in the room, Ling Mohan's heart was restless. He punched the wall, and a trickle of blood immediately welled from the back of his hand.
"Even if you smash your hand to pieces, it will be of no use," Feng Jin said indifferently, glancing at the man. She took out a handkerchief and bandaged the back of his hand.
"Lu Shi, arrange for a few people to disguise themselves as assassins and pretend to kill him. I'll draw a blueprint for you and have someone make a jade pendant as soon as possible. The jade pendant is emerald green in color, with a clarity of three to four parts."
Feng Jin, recalling her memory, drew the shape of half a jade pendant on paper.
During the interrogation, she had seen half a jade pendant on the man. An assassin hidden in the shadows, whose work involved ruthless killing, would typically carry knives, swords, and hidden weapons. Such a fragile item as a jade pendant would not be something they carried with them.
However, the jade pendant on his person had a worn rope from long wear, but the pendant itself was as new, without a single scratch, suggesting it had been carefully kept.
The other half of the jade pendant must be with someone very important.
She didn't believe he would remain as loyal as ever upon seeing the jade pendant.
"Your subordinate obeys. I will make arrangements now."
Lu Shi took the blueprint and withdrew.
"How did you see the jade pendant on him?" Ling Mohan asked, confused. He hadn't seen any jade pendant on the man earlier.
"When he rushed to snatch the incense box, I vaguely saw a jade pendant on his chest. Since it was hidden so deeply, it must be something very important. I memorized the shape of the jade pendant."
Feng Jin had long ago amplified her vision and hearing several times using the secret art of the Thirteen Needles of the Divine Physician.
She could clearly hear and see everything within a hundred meters.
"You saw his chest?"
Ling Mohan's attention had veered in a peculiar direction. The thought of it almost made him explode, a fire raging within him, threatening to consume him.
He worried about losing his temper again and upsetting Feng Jin, so he could only suppress his anger.
"Yes, if I didn't look closely, how could I remember the shape of the jade pendant?"
Remembering the shape of the jade pendant in such a short time and then drawing it left her with a throbbing headache.
She needed to rest well and eat something delicious to recover.
"You..." Ling Mohan pointed at Feng Jin, unable to contain his anger. He suppressed his fury and spoke in a relatively gentle tone, "Do you know that men and women should maintain a distance? What kind of behavior is it for you to stare at a man's chest so openly!"
The hand holding the teacup froze, and Feng Jin immediately lost interest. She slammed the cup down on the table.
"I practice medicine, treat illnesses, and save lives. I have seen thousands upon thousands of men and women. The act of uncovering a man's chest to treat him is as common as duckweed..."
Everything Feng Jin said was ordinary. There were even more outrageous things she didn't mention, fearing Ling Mohan couldn't accept them.
Thousands upon thousands, as common as duckweed...
Ling Mohan didn't dare to dwell on Feng Jin's words.
He shouldn't have argued with Feng Jin about these matters; it was simply asking for trouble.
"In short, as a woman, you should always maintain distance from men. And now that you are married, you have a husband and should adhere to wifely virtues..."
Ling Mohan muttered a string of sage advice, all intended to make Feng Jin remember to keep her distance from any man other than himself.
"Be quiet. All your mumbling is useless nonsense. I am a physician, and saving lives is my duty. In my eyes, there are only patients, not men or women. If you harbor reservations because of such trivial matters, then our forced union will only bring more pain. It would be easier to divorce."
Upon hearing the word "divorce," Ling Mohan instantly panicked. The anger in his belly vanished like smoke, and he sat there, wronged like a mistreated little wife, as if he were the one being wronged.
Seeing his prolonged silence and his aggrieved expression, Feng Jin rolled her eyes in exasperation.
His change of mood was truly swift. Just moments ago, he was arrogant and talkative, and now he had completely quieted down.
She was too lazy to bother with him and directly pushed open the door to leave.
She would rather spend her time cultivating her medicinal herbs than engage in pointless arguments with Ling Mohan.
These were rare herbs she had found, difficult to grow in the wild and impossible to cultivate artificially. Each jin could be sold for a thousand gold.
She had specially cleared out a room to nurture these rare medicinal materials.
Their growth was indeed good. In just half a month, they were almost mature. Once new seeds were produced, large-scale cultivation could begin.
At that time, she would not only earn a sum of money but also improve the medical environment in Nan Chu.
She was doing a good deed. Perhaps one day, she would also be remembered in history.
After watering and fertilizing the herbs, Feng Jin returned to her room.
Upon entering the room, Lu Shi was already waiting there.
"Greetings, young madam. This is the jade pendant crafted according to the blueprint you drew. Please examine it, young madam, and let me know if anything is amiss. I will have someone make changes."
Feng Jin took the jade pendant and examined it carefully. It perfectly matched the jade pendant the man had worn in her memory.
She had to admit that the craftsmanship of ancient artisans was truly excellent. They could create such intricate details based on just a blueprint.
And this was achieved without any machinery or high-density computation like that of computers, with no deviation at all. It was truly impressive.
"It's good. It's already nine-tenths similar. Please instruct your men to let him see it from afar a few times. Absolutely do not let the jade pendant fall into his hands, do you understand?"
"Your subordinate understands." Lu Shi cupped his hands and said, taking the jade pendant with him.
Ling Mohan saw Feng Jin and approached her with a fawning expression, helping her to her seat. He solicitously handed her a cup of tea, "Are you hungry? I had the kitchen stew some bird's nest soup for you. Eat something to line your stomach first."
The sudden fawning made Feng Jin more suspicious. She raised her eyes to glance at Ling Mohan.
"We just had lunch, not even two hours ago. I'm not hungry yet. General Shao, please don't bother trying to appease me."
She would rather do something productive with that time.