The man in the long robe stared at the faint red color on his fingertip, pondered for a moment, and came to a serious conclusion: someone who carries chili powder with them is very likely to have connections to the martial arts world.
The bearded man nodded in agreement, “That’s right.”
Who else but those lowly martial arts vagabonds would carry chili powder around?
Just imagine, two assassins facing off, and at a critical moment, one of them suddenly throws out a handful of chili powder. What a scene that would be!
The bearded man felt ashamed just thinking about it.
The idea that a well-bred young lady might carry chili powder never even crossed their minds.
As the rain outside the pavilion began to lessen, the man in the long robe walked out.
“Where are you going?” asked the bearded man.
The two seemed to be companions of equal status, rather than one leading the other.
The long-robed man didn’t answer, standing in the rain with his gaze fixed on the ground.
This was a secluded spot in the mountain temple. The ground wasn’t paved with flagstones like the main path but was a dirt road. Such a surface would surely leave footprints when wet.
However— the long-robed man looked at the ground where several inches of water had pooled due to the heavy rain, his brow furrowing even more.
The rain had been too heavy. Even if footprints had been left earlier, they would now be filled with rainwater.
No, in weather like this, anyone who had been here must have left some trace.
The long-robed man suddenly turned and asked the bearded man, “The person who attacked you was hiding behind this big tree?”
The bearded man nodded, “That’s right.”
The long-robed man’s gaze fixed on the ground as he walked towards the back of the tree.
The tree was very large, its thick trunk too wide for even two adults to encircle with outstretched arms. Its lush canopy had blocked almost all the rain, leaving only a shallow layer of moisture on the ground.
After a careful search, the long-robed man finally found a footprint at the edge where the canopy could no longer block the rain completely.
He immediately crouched down to examine the footprint.
Only the front half of the print was visible, with the toes pointing away from the trunk, suggesting the person’s haste in leaving.
The pattern on the footprint was so faint it was almost indiscernible, leaving only a rough outline.
The bearded man seemed to understand the long-robed man’s intention and crouched down beside him, muttering as he stared at the half footprint, “With just half a footprint and almost no pattern, it’s impossible to deduce what kind of shoes they were wearing.”
In the current Da Zhou dynasty, people of certain status wore boots, while common people wore cloth or straw shoes. Even among boot-wearers, there were several styles. With only a rough outline left, it would be extremely difficult to determine what kind of footwear the person had been wearing.
The long-robed man shook his head, still staring intently at the footprint, “We don’t need to look at the pattern or even the outline. Just look at the size of this half-footprint. Don’t you find it strange?”
“The size?” Prompted by the long-robed man, the bearded man’s eyes lit up, “This footprint is too small!”
The long-robed man nodded, “Correct. A footprint this small could only have been left by a woman.”
“A woman?” The bearded man looked perplexed, “Are you saying a woman threw chili powder in my eyes, then used my iron staff to knock you unconscious?”
The bearded man’s phrasing embarrassed the long-robed man, who snapped back irritably, “And gave you another blow too.”
The bearded man shook his head repeatedly, “Impossible, impossible, this is just too incredible…”
“Incredible?” The long-robed man sneered, glancing at the bearded man, “No matter how incredible, when you’ve eliminated all other possibilities, what remains must be the truth. A footprint this small couldn’t have been left by a child, could it?”
“Even more impossible. Although I didn’t see the person clearly, I can be certain they weren’t of a child’s height.”
After speaking, the bearded man fell silent along with the long-robed man. After a moment, he said angrily, “I can’t believe we were outmaneuvered in such an unexpected way, tricked by a woman.”
The long-robed man straightened up and said coolly, “In the martial arts world, women are often more daring and meticulous.”
“But why would she target us for no reason?”
The long-robed man’s eyes suddenly turned sharp, a hint of killing intent appearing, “At first, perhaps to avoid us, but then she overheard our conversation and you noticed her movement—”
The bearded man’s face changed abruptly, “Then what should we do? Our conversation was overheard. Will she inform the Seventh Prince?”
“It’s hard to say.” The long-robed man walked to the edge of the pavilion with his hands behind his back, his expression grim as he gazed at the thinning curtain of rain.
The bearded man approached, “What do you mean, ‘hard to say’?”
“If she’s someone with no connection to the Seventh Prince, she might not want to get involved. But we can’t rule out the possibility that she knows the Seventh Prince or might want to sell this information for money.”
The bearded man rubbed his hands, “If that’s the case, we’re in trouble. But since she’s likely a lowly martial arts practitioner, the chances of her knowing the Seventh Prince are slim, right?”
The long-robed man laughed coldly, “Have you forgotten? This Seventh Prince loves to associate with all sorts of people.”
The bearded man fell silent.
Finally, the long-robed man sighed, “Enough, what’s done is done. Worrying is useless now. I’ll have more people watch the Seventh Prince’s side to see if anyone unusual has contacted him recently. If we do find this person—”
The long-robed man’s eyes grew colder, “Then we’ll simply eliminate her!”
The bearded man nodded.
“The most important thing now is to quickly send that girl who resembles the Holy Maiden to the Seventh Prince’s side.” The long-robed man stepped on the half footprint on the ground, rubbing it away with his foot. “Let’s go!”
By noon, the rain had completely stopped. A cool breeze brought a thin mist to White Cloud Temple. The branches and leaves swayed gently, laden with water droplets. Occasional low bird calls could be heard from the forest, though no birds were seen flying overhead. The mountain temple seemed even more tranquil after the rain.
However, White Cloud Temple soon became lively again.
The worshippers who had been stranded in the temple due to the heavy rain began to emerge from their shelters, either lingering in the temple or preparing to leave. The temple monks also started to move about.
Jiang Yi stood under the corridor eaves, listening to the crisp dripping sound of water falling from the eaves. She turned to ask Jiang Si, “Fourth Sister, do you want to walk around anywhere else?”
Jiang Si glanced at Zhu Ziyu not far away from the corner of her eye and shook her head with a smile, “No, let’s not. The weather has finally cleared up, so we should head back early. Otherwise, if it rains again, the road will be difficult to travel.”
Jiang Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She didn’t want to stay here any longer, so it was best if her sister wanted to leave early.
Jiang Yi turned to Zhu Ziyu and said, “Husband, shall we return with Fourth Sister then?”
Zhu Ziyu’s gaze shifted slightly, looking towards Jiang Si.
Seeing him silent for a moment, Jiang Si asked straightforwardly, “Does Brother-in-law have other matters to attend to?”
Zhu Ziyu seemed surprised by Jiang Si’s direct question. He paused, then smiled and said, “No, I don’t. I originally came just to accompany your elder sister to offer incense. Let’s head back together then.”