Outside the privy, a circle of maids had gathered. The lead maid anxiously called out, “Young Master Chen, Young Master Chen, are you alright? Should we come in to help?”

The reply came in the form of an exasperated young voice: “No! Don’t come in! All of you stay outside!”

The maids exchanged glances. Indeed, this young master from Shuo Capital usually carried himself with such dignity – now having fallen into the latrine pit, he must be in quite a disheveled state and wouldn’t want others to witness such an embarrassing scene. However, they couldn’t just leave him unattended either!

The maids were so anxious they could tear their hair out.

He Yan stood in the side room, silently letting out a sigh.

Truth be told, given the Sun family’s attention to elegant refinements, even their privy was quite clean. But she had taken this action merely to dispose of the scent ball that Ding Yi had switched onto her waist.

The young master Chen who had fallen into the pit would certainly need to change and wash his entire body thoroughly. Even a scented sachet for clothes, after such an ordeal, would have to be discarded. If Yuan Baozhen’s master and servant were to inquire, it would be perfectly reasonable with no room for questions. After all, who would keep a filthy scent ball after falling into a latrine? That would be truly absurd.

However… He Yan looked at the filth on her body through the cloth strips, realizing the sacrifice she had made was truly too great. Chen Li Su appeared simple-minded but was quite clever. Now all these dirty tasks had fallen to He Yan to handle.

What a predicament.

As these thoughts ran through her mind, she suddenly heard someone outside call out: “Young Master Chen, please come out, Commander Xiao is here!”

Xiao Jue had come? He Yan had expected Fei Nu to come to assist him, why was it Xiao Jue instead? Why had he returned so early today? Before she could think it through, she heard Xiao Jue’s voice from outside: “Chen Li Su, come out.”

He Yan: “…”

Why was she always in such a sorry state whenever she encountered Xiao Jue? He Yan took a deep breath and tremblingly walked out supporting herself with a bamboo pole.

Everyone outside held their breath.

The youth’s clothes were splattered with filth, his hair somewhat disheveled. With black cloth covering his eyes, his expression couldn’t be seen, but his mouth was turned down in a pout. As soon as he emerged, he complained plaintively in a random direction: “Uncle, you’re finally here! If not for my good fortune, you would have had a nephew who died in the privy!”

Xiao Jue: “…”

He Yan took a step forward, and Xiao Jue stepped aside to avoid her. This man was incredibly particular about cleanliness – the fact that he could tolerate coming here to receive He Yan was probably his greatest concession.

“Fei Nu, take him back and get him cleaned up,” Xiao Jue said, turning to leave, seemingly unable to bear He Yan’s odor.

He Yan cursed inwardly – look at this behavior, was this how a person should act? Who did she fall into the privy for? Xiao Jue was truly ungrateful.

Fei Nu came over to support He Yan. Like his master, he normally stayed close to He Yan, but now that she had fallen into the privy, even while supporting her he maintained his distance and used a handkerchief. He Yan was speechless.

When they reached their quarters, this time without He Yan having to remind him, Fei Nu ordered hot water and a wooden bathing tub to be brought. With a wooden expression, he said to He Yan: “Go in and clean yourself thoroughly.”

“You won’t help me bathe?” she probed.

“You have a fiancée, it wouldn’t be appropriate.”

Tsk tsk tsk, time truly reveals people’s hearts. He Yan couldn’t be bothered with him and shakily closed the door herself before jumping into the bathtub.

Thinking about it made her indignant – she, the mighty General Flying Hong, had now been reduced to jumping into a privy to avoid disaster. If her former subordinates and colleagues were to see this, who knows how they would mock her?

But Yuan Baozhen probably hadn’t anticipated that the scent ball he had given her would be ruined before it even reached Xiao Jue. After all, when rain must fall and people must stumble, who can control such things?

Outside the room, Fei Nu crouched down and used a tree branch to poke through the pile of dirty clothes He Yan had discarded. A round scent ball rolled out from among the clothes. Fei Nu used the branch to hold the ball and said, “This must be it.”

Xiao Jue glanced at the scent ball on the ground without comment.

“Young Master, was this intentional or accidental?” Fei Nu was also puzzled. If He Yan had fallen unintentionally and the scent ball happened to be ruined as a result, it was too coincidental. But if it was intentional, and if she was working with Yuan Baozhen, why go to such lengths? Even for a ruse, it seemed too genuine.

“Intentional. However,” he smiled slightly, his gaze complex with what might have been disgust or surprise, “to even think of such a method, they truly don’t sweat the small stuff.”

That was true – who would have thought He Yan would fall into a privy? Even Yuan Baozhen himself probably couldn’t have anticipated it. He Yan’s action was truly bewildering. No person of dignity would think of such a method.

“If it was intentional,” Fei Nu looked at Xiao Jue in surprise, “Young Master, are you saying He Yan can see?”

Xiao Jue raised an eyebrow: “Nine chances out of ten.”

“Then why has he been pretending to be blind all this time?” Fei Nu was confused, “Is it to deceive us, or to deceive Yuan Baozhen?”

“Both,” Xiao Jue said leisurely. “He might not be on anyone’s side.”

Just as Xiao Jue was guarding against He Yan while coldly watching Yuan Baozhen’s performance, He Yan had likely also placed herself outside of it all. She was probably watching the contest between him and Yuan Baozhen as a spectator. While deceiving Yuan Baozhen, she happened to deceive Xiao Jue as well. As for her purpose, it wasn’t clear yet.

“Young Master, could He Yan interfere with our plans?”

“No,” Xiao Jue said. “It’s almost over.”

Fei Nu was silent for a moment before saying, “The reply from Shuo Capital should arrive tonight.”

After tonight, they would know who this He Yan was and what she sought. As for Yuan Baozhen, his good days were coming to an end.

…

In his room, Yuan Baozhen could hardly believe his ears. He asked the servant who had come to report, “What did you say?”

The Sun family servant, frightened by his expression, stammered, “Just now, Young Master Chen fell into the privy, and Commander Xiao took him away.”

Ding Yi’s expression changed dramatically. Yuan Baozhen rubbed his temples and waved his hand: “You may go.”

After the servant left.

Yuan Baozhen slammed his palm on the table: “Damn it!”

Without even investigating further, they knew that today’s effort with the scent ball given to He Yan had been wasted. Having fallen into the privy, the entire body would naturally be contaminated with filth, requiring a thorough cleaning inside and out – how could the scent ball possibly survive?

“This is bad,” Yuan Baozhen stood up, somewhat uneasy. “Would Xiao Jue discover that scent ball?”

“Xiao Jue is fastidious, he probably wouldn’t deliberately touch it. However,” Ding Yi’s expression was inscrutable, “He Yan is another matter.”

“You mean this was intentional?”

“Don’t you think it’s too coincidental? Just after receiving the scent ball, he falls into the privy. Earlier too, during the night banquet, the so-called flying insect in the cup was only his word. More importantly, why would Xiao Jue leave his nephew alone in the Sun residence? This person is very suspicious. I always feel that Chen Li Su isn’t as simple as he appears.”

“If he’s problematic, wouldn’t that mean he knows all our initial plans? Could this be a trap set by Xiao Jue?” Yuan Baozhen asked.

He had an innate fear of Xiao Jue, probably because he knew this Right Army Commander was someone who would kill regardless of status.

“I think we should act tonight,” Ding Yi finally spoke after a long while.

“What?” Yuan Baozhen anxiously said, “You can’t defeat Xiao Jue when he’s clear-headed.”

This was precisely why they didn’t dare confront Xiao Jue directly. Unfortunately, after the failed attempt at the night banquet, finding another opportunity would be difficult. They had hoped to work through Chen Li Su, but this youngster was even more peculiar – slippery and inexplicable, they still hadn’t figured out what was really going on.

Yuan Baozhen’s words seemed to anger Ding Yi, a dark expression flashing across his face as he said in a sinister voice, “I never planned to target him directly. His strange nephew is my target.”

…

He Yan cleaned herself thoroughly, and finally, to dispel the odor, she even took Chen Li Su’s fragrance and applied it all over her body. Only after changing into clean clothes did she dare to see Xiao Jue.

Xiao Jue sat at the table and stopped her from coming closer: “Stay three meters away.”

He Yan mentally rolled her eyes but smiled and said, “Uncle, I’m clean now. Don’t believe me? Take a smell—”

She tried to move closer, but a sword scabbard appeared before her, touching her nose and blocking her path. Through the gaps in the black cloth, she could see Xiao Jue covering his nose with his sleeve, his expression displeased, brows furrowed as if facing an enemy invasion.

He Yan spread her hands: “Alright, alright, I won’t come closer.”

Second Young Master Xiao was truly fastidious, but who knew if this fastidiousness could save his life? If she hadn’t jumped into the privy herself, under the effects of the scent ball’s poison, who knew how long the Second Young Master could have held out. He Yan felt a surge of regret – if she had known earlier, she would have thrown the scent ball right in front of Xiao Jue to see if he would still dare to be so picky.

She felt her way to a chair with the bamboo pole and sat down. After some thought, she still asked, “Uncle, how much longer will we be staying in this residence?”

“Oh?” Xiao Jue said, “You want to go back?”

“Not exactly, just feels strange staying here.” He Yan replied. She still wanted to dig out more information about He Ru Fei from Yuan Baozhen and Ding Yi, so naturally couldn’t leave so soon. But staying here wasn’t right either. Although He Yan didn’t know what Xiao Jue was doing, his various actions had already drawn Yuan Baozhen’s attention to He Yan, causing Yuan Baozhen to come looking for trouble with her instead. If this continued, before uncovering He Ru Fei’s secrets, her plans might be discovered by Yuan Baozhen.

“Strange in what way?” Xiao Jue spoke unhurriedly, seemingly not taking her words seriously.

“Censor Yuan keeps talking to me every few days,” He Yan decided to be straightforward, “I feel like he’s trying to fish for information. Uncle, aren’t you worried that leaving me alone here might lead to me leaking some secrets to him?”

Xiao Jue gave him a meaningful look: “What secrets do you have to leak?”

He Yan: “…”

Xiao Jue and Fei Nu had never told He Yan about their secret activities, clearly not considering her an insider. Even if Yuan Baozhen wanted to gather information, He Yan truly had no secrets to leak – she was just a peripheral figure outside the core, completely ignorant of the matter.

She said, “But this isn’t right either! What kind of uncle leaves his nephew alone in a tiger’s den and wolf’s lair? Doesn’t this look suspicious on its own?”

Who knew if Yuan Baozhen would try to switch another sachet on her? She couldn’t keep falling into the privy again and again – that wouldn’t just hurt her eyes, but her brain as well.

“Suspicious?” Xiao Jue lowered his eyes and said leisurely, “I haven’t seen him grow suspicious these past few days.”

He Yan wanted to shout internally – that was because she had been helping maintain the lie! Such a clumsy lie would make anyone suspicious. But He Yan could also see that Xiao Jue was doing this deliberately, clearly intending to mislead and divert attention. This man was truly dark-hearted, doing such things without any shame.

She asked, “Then Uncle, with all your running around outside day after day, have you found the culprit yet?”

When she spoke these words, her tone carried a hint of mockery. Though her eyes were covered with cloth strips and her expression couldn’t be seen, one could imagine the youth rolling his eyes. Xiao Jue calmly replied, “I have.”

“You have… you have?” He Yan was stunned, “Who is it?”

“You’ll know soon enough.”

What did he mean by ‘soon enough’? She already knew – the culprits were Yuan Baozhen and his servant! He Yan was so anxious she could tear her hair out, desperately wanting to drag Xiao Jue to Yuan Baozhen right now and point at Yuan Baozhen’s Ding Yi, saying to Xiao Jue: “It’s him, it’s this person, arrest him!”

But for now, she could only play dumb and ask, “Uncle, why not arrest him now?”

“The time isn’t right yet.” Xiao Jue’s lips curled slightly.

“Then when will the time be right?”

“When the deceiver is caught in the act.”

He Yan: “What?”

She didn’t understand Xiao Jue’s meaning, and before she could ask further, Fei Nu had already walked over, pulled her up, turned her around, and pushed her out the door, saying as he pushed, “It’s late, you should rest first.”

With a “bang,” the door was closed, truly showing no sentiment or loyalty.

He Yan glared at the door behind her, with a little figure in her heart cursing with hands on hips. Setting aside their past life’s classroom friendship, in this life they had at least faced assassins together, counting as half-formed bonds of life and death – what kind of attitude was this from Xiao Jue? With this attitude, how did he have so many young ladies in Great Wei admiring him? They must have been bewitched by the Southern Border’s witchcraft, it was bewildering!

She climbed onto the bed and lay flat, pulling the blanket up and burying her whole head underneath.

Fine, rest it is. After all, Yuan Baozhen wasn’t trying to kill her, so whatever.

…

After the autumn equinox, the nights grew colder.

He Yan was awakened by the cold.

The Sun family’s quilts were silk, soft, and fluffy, with exquisite embroidery, appearing quite grand and wealthy. Though thin, such quilts were very warm. In the days He Yan had slept at the Sun residence, the bedding had been truly impeccable. Being awakened by cold like tonight was a first.

The black cloth strip was beside her – she had removed it before sleeping. Now He Yan slowly sat up, wondering if it would be too troublesome to call someone to bring her another quilt in the middle of the night. As she turned her head, she saw that the window beside her had been opened, with wind gusting in.

No wonder it was so cold – with this cold wind blowing in, even three layers wouldn’t help. He Yan wanted to get up to close the window when suddenly she remembered something and turned her head. Sure enough, in the weak lantern light from outside, Fei Nu’s bed on the other side was empty – this person wasn’t there.

With Fei Nu gone, there was no need to check the inner room to know that Xiao Jue wasn’t there either. These master and servant must have gone off again to do something secretive behind her back. He Yan was unsurprised and got up to put on her shoes, intending to go close the window and continue sleeping.

The wind was extremely cool, making the tree branches by the bed sway, dropping dewdrops. He Yan reached out to close the window when suddenly she saw a black shadow flash by in the distance. If someone who couldn’t fight had seen it, they might have thought their eyes were playing tricks.

At this late hour, when even the dogs were asleep, why would anyone be wandering around? As thoughts flashed through He Yan’s mind, she grabbed clothes from the side and followed.

That person’s martial arts were good, but unfortunately, they were being followed by He Yan. He Yan followed very carefully – in her previous life, she had served in the Vanguard Camp and had experience with night raids and infiltrating enemy camps while concealing her tracks, so she was quite skilled at this sort of thing.

This person in black wasn’t Xiao Jue or Fei Nu – Xiao Jue and Fei Nu were very tall, but this person wasn’t tall. They were completely wrapped in night-walking clothes, making it impossible to discern any details. They seemed very familiar with the Sun family’s courtyards, avoiding places where there might be guards, and continued all the way to an abandoned courtyard of the Sun residence.

In the vast Sun residence, there was an abandoned courtyard, far from the main hall. When He Yan had first “gone blind,” she had hidden under windows listening to the maids’ idle chat and learned that this courtyard had once housed a favored concubine kidnapped by Sun Ling. This concubine had originally been the youngest daughter of a rice shop owner in Liang Province, born beautiful, but unfortunately caught Sun Ling’s eye and was taken back to his home.

The rice shop girl had already been engaged – to a scholar who lived outside the city with his widowed mother. The scholar, indignant at having his wife-to-be stolen, tried to file a complaint with higher authorities, but officials protected their own. In Liang City, the Sun father and son controlled everything, and ultimately the scholar and his widowed mother were thrown in prison, where they soon died of illness.

When the rice shop girl heard this terrible news, she wept endlessly. Sun Ling was already someone who tired quickly of new things, and after just a brief time grew weary of this girl. Seeing her cry daily only annoyed him, and feeling she brought him bad luck, he handed the girl over to his subordinates.

A perfectly good girl, thus brutally tortured to death.

Perhaps because her death was too tragic, soon after there were whispers around the courtyard of people hearing the girl’s crying at night. Sun Ling found it inauspicious and sealed off the courtyard. With such ghostly rumors, no one dared enter normally, and this courtyard became desolate.

When He Yan heard about this past event, she wished she could rush up and twist off Sun Ling’s head. There were always some people in the world who committed endless evil, but laughably, such people would still fear karmic retribution and wouldn’t dare approach places where their guilty conscience haunted them.

The black-clothed person had chosen this place, but it was just an abandoned courtyard – even the maids and servants had been withdrawn years ago. What could they want to do in a place with nothing?

This place had grown many weeds, and some trees had died from lack of water while others still lived but grew wildly without trimming, branches spreading chaotically, casting ghostly shadows on the ground. Besides the howling wind, there was only deathly silence, without a trace of life, like a graveyard.

The black-clothed person had reached the house where that girl had once lived and slipped inside.

He Yan hesitated for a moment, then entered through the window rather than the door.

Perhaps because Sun Ling had a guilty conscience, the doors and windows of this house were covered with many Taoist talismans, likely being extra cautious for fear of the wrongfully dead girl’s spirit coming to seek revenge.

He Yan slipped in through the window and strangely, this uninhabited house had lights lit. In the lamplight, when she saw the scene before her, even He Yan couldn’t help but be startled.

In this room, on tables and floor, there were densely packed Buddhist statues everywhere. The light came from oil lamps lit on Buddhist altars, apparently regularly maintained by someone. The Buddhist incense wafted about, but rather than bringing peace to one’s heart, it made one’s whole body grow cold.

Outside were Taoist talismans, and inside were Buddhist statues – the Sun father and son were panicking and grasping at straws, using both Buddhism and Taoism, not as composed as they appeared on the surface.

Sleeping on a bed of bloodshed, they must have nightmares every day. He Yan thought mockingly – if they were so afraid, why commit such evil? It showed that the evil in people’s bones couldn’t be changed.

Just then, a flower dart flew out from the side, coming fast and urgent. He Yan dodged to the side, blocking it with the dagger in her sleeve. With a “clang,” the flower dart fell to the ground, knocking over a wrathful guardian statue.

“So you weren’t blind.” Someone walked out from behind the Buddhist altar.

After being pursued for so long, this person finally showed their true face – still that unremarkably ordinary face, but the expression had changed. No longer flat and emotionless, a light of excitement even flashed in their eyes, as if they had caught an interesting prey.

“It took you this long to figure it out – you’re the blind one,” He Yan said.

Ding Yi laughed, and his laugh was somewhat strange. He said, “You’re very brave, coming alone all this way to follow me.”

“You deliberately opened the window, deliberately flashed past outside, deliberately walked slowly enough for me to follow – wasn’t it all to get me to come here? I’m generally very accommodating,” He Yan also smiled, “I hate to let people’s efforts go to waste.”

She had noticed from the start, but since others had already set the trap and her disguise was exposed, there was no point in continuing to play dumb. Besides, true masters never fear traps.

Only those lacking in ability would hesitate.

Ding Yi’s expression changed slightly when exposed, but after a moment he smiled and said, “Did you learn this sharp tongue from Xiao Jue?”

“It’s natural.”

“You’re not Chen Li Su.” Ding Yi stared at He Yan’s eyes, “Who are you?”

He had suspected He Yan even earlier than Yuan Baozhen had. It was because of that glance the youth had cast his way at the night banquet, even before Xiao Jue had drunk.

That gaze had mixed surprise, anger, hatred, unwillingness, and confusion, a hundred emotions pressing toward him. Though He Yan had quickly looked away, that moment’s gaze had caught Ding Yi’s attention.

He had never seen this youth before, but he was certain this youth had seen him.

“Who are you?” he asked again.

He Yan smiled.

The silent Buddhist statues watched all around, the talismans purified and expelled demons, seeming to carry distant Buddhist chants. The youth slowly raised their head, with a familiar expression, their gaze like light and lightning, making one’s heart contract.

“I am the ghost you killed,” she said softly, “crawled out from the underworld to claim your life.”