Searching all day from the east side of the city to the west, by evening they arrived at the most desolate corner of the city, where dozens of tents were pitched on wasteland with over a hundred people loitering nearby. Some were gambling, playing leaf cards, or cleaning tools—their dress and behavior didn’t look like a merchant caravan.
Wei Xun went to inquire and learned they were a team of craftsmen from Changzhou, summoned by imperial decree to rush work on Princess Wangshou’s tomb. There were carpenters, lacquer workers, stonemasons, metalworkers, tombstone carvers, and more. Because the county magistrate had sealed the city to catch thieves, the craftsmen were trapped in the city with nothing to do.
Wei Xun wandered into the camp looking for clues when he saw over ten people gathered in a circle in a secluded corner by the city wall, burning paper money while filling a coffin with earth. It was common for people traveling to die on the road from poor adaptation to local conditions, infectious diseases, or overwork.
But Wei Xun immediately felt suspicious and stopped walking.
Huo Qi said: “How strange. Weddings are held at dusk, but funerals are usually in the morning. This group isn’t in a hurry to travel, so why bury their companion at this time?”
Wei Xun sneered: “When things go against normal patterns, there must be something evil.”
Because of Chen Shigu’s teachings, their entire school was familiar with various folk funeral rites. Wei Xun carefully observed the faces of these mourners and saw that while everyone looked sorrowful, it wasn’t the heartbreaking grief of losing a loved one. He bent down to pick up a piece of scattered paper money from the ground and discovered it was cut from hemp paper, forming a plan in his mind.
It was already late, and if he acted now, it would inevitably alert the enemy. He had been away from the county office all day and didn’t know if the situation with Bao Zhu had changed or if anyone had come to harass her, so he wanted to go back and check on her first before making plans.
Wei Xun said to Huo Qi Lang: “You should find another way. I didn’t steal that pearl.”
Huo Qi Lang was shocked: “If not you, then who? Are there other masters in this city?”
Wei Xun shook his head: “I don’t know. I’m going back to eat.”
Huo Qi Lang wouldn’t give up and said ingratiatingly: “Senior Brother, help me ask—does that young lady need any other bodyguards?”
Wei Xun wouldn’t pay attention to her and walked quickly toward the county office. Huo Qi Lang thought to herself that they weren’t staying at the Sun family shop anymore? Curious, she followed along. She knew Wei Xun’s lightness skill was unparalleled in the world, but she had never seen him run so fast—truly chasing wind and lightning, fleeting like dust, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
She stood there in a daze, sighing: “Incredible, his heart flies home like an arrow.”
As soon as Wei Xun entered, he felt the atmosphere was wrong. Bao Zhu was collapsed on the ground, already crying herself into a tearful mess, while Yang Xingjian’s face was ashen but he still forced a smile to comfort her. Seeing him enter, Bao Zhu no longer had her morning coldness and cried out loud as if grasping a lifeline.
Wei Xun had never seen her cry so miserably, as if she had suffered great injustice. He quickly asked: “What happened?”
Yang Xingjian’s expression was grave as he sighed: “Little Master Shisan was captured by the bailiffs.”
Wei Xun’s heart jumped: “How could this be?!”
Bao Zhu was crying too hard to speak. Yang Xingjian explained: “Today Bao Lang went through all the monks at Lotus Temple again and discovered this little novice among the traveling monks from other places. Luo Chengye testified that the person who knocked him down seemed very short, which perfectly matched several of Bao Lang’s suspect criteria: snake charmer and monkey trainer, literate monk, outsider. Bao Lang had already suspected it was a child or monkey that crawled into the Pagoda of Many Treasures to steal the pearl, so he immediately arrested him.”
Bao Zhu’s tears fell like broken pearls, and she sobbed: “Bao Lang has already tortured over ten people to death. Once Shisan is caught, he’ll definitely be tortured!”
Wei Xun wasn’t panicked but calmly comforted her: “Don’t worry too much. What Shisan learned isn’t the same path as mine—it’s external hard training like Old Four. Ordinary beatings won’t easily kill him in two or three days.”
Yang Xingjian was thinking of other matters and said with trepidation: “No one can endure torture. If he speaks and reveals the Princess’s identity and connections, that would be truly terrible.”
Wei Xun sneered: “If you know what shouldn’t be said, do you look down on us people of the martial world? My junior brother’s backbone isn’t that soft.”
Hearing this, Bao Zhu cried even harder, trembling all over: “If he endures torture and refuses to speak, won’t that mean double suffering?!” She sniffled and got up from the floor, sat before the bronze mirror, opened her makeup box, inserted several hairpins in her hair, and took out lead powder and rouge to start applying makeup.
She changed her proud cloud-sweeping brows to delicate weeping brows, slightly furrowed at the head and drooping at the tail, looking pitiful. Because she couldn’t stop crying, the rouge on her cheeks was immediately washed away by tears. She wiped it off with a handkerchief and repainted, repeating this several times until the rouge on the handkerchief looked like bloody stains. Unable to apply it properly, she simply gave up on powder and only painted her lips bright red.
Wei Xun and Yang Xingjian watched her strange behavior, and seeing that handkerchief marked with red stains, both felt their hearts jump with an ominous premonition of great disaster.
Yang Xingjian asked in a trembling voice: “Princess… what are you planning to do?!”
“I’m going to find Bao Lang right now and persuade him to release Shisan.” Bao Zhu said firmly while drawing her eyebrows: “My mother was the most charming woman in the world. I’ve seen how she manipulated men. As long as I dress up properly, I can definitely make that fellow obediently listen to me.”
Wei Xun and Yang Xingjian looked at each other, both showing expressions of terror, their hearts greatly shaken: She doesn’t understand at all! She’s going to toy with a dangerous weapon she can’t control!
Yang Xingjian thought that when the Imperial Consort died, the Princess was only ten years old—who knew what misunderstandings she had about these matters. Bao Lang had coveted the Princess for a long time. If she went like this, it would be like a fish swimming in boiling water or a swallow nesting on flying curtains—she would immediately be devoured alive by that man, not even a corner of her clothing would remain. Thinking of this, Yang Xingjian felt dizzy and weak-legged, falling to his knees with a thud, grasping one of her shoes and tearfully pleading: “The Princess absolutely must not risk herself!”
Bao Zhu wiped her eyes, struggling to hold back tears, and angrily said: “Do you not trust my mother’s methods, or do you not trust my beauty!”
Yang Xingjian cried: “I trust both, but as long as we ministers have a breath left in us, it would never come to the point where the Princess needs to take risks.”
Wei Xun was so frightened by her words that his heart palpitated—no less than Yang Xingjian. If not for his extra years of martial training keeping his back straight, he would have wanted to grab her other shoe to stop her. For the first time, he so completely agreed with Yang Xingjian, his face iron-blue as he said: “Old Yang is absolutely right. Only when I’m completely dead and you’re in mortal danger should you consider such tactics.” In his heart, he viciously thought that as long as she harbored such terrible ideas, Bao Lang absolutely could not be allowed to live.
Bao Zhu had no idea of the dangers involved and had always looked down on Bao Lang. She said: “He’s always begging to talk with me. If I persuade him, it would be bloodless victory—wouldn’t that be simpler? Even if I can’t accomplish it with one glance like Mother, saying a few more words shouldn’t be a problem.”
Wei Xun and Yang Xingjian both shook their heads with resolute determination.
Bao Zhu angrily cried: “Then what do you think we should do! We can’t just watch Shisan be beaten to death by Bao Lang!”
Wei Xun said: “No need for you to act. It’s just a prison break—nothing remarkable.”
Yang Xingjian’s heart sank, thinking that “prison break” and “nothing remarkable” could actually be said together—what incredible arrogance. After brief consideration, he quickly stopped him: “No! Many people at the Sun family shop saw the little novice traveling with the Princess. If we rescue him, it will definitely raise suspicion. Upon investigation, it will still implicate the Princess.” Though Yang Xingjian also pitied the captured Shisan, as long as he could keep Bao Zhu safe, he wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice everyone in this room.
The situation reached an impasse, the air grew heavy, and the room fell silent for a long while. Wei Xun slowly said: “Since rescuing one person won’t work, then let’s simply release all the prisoners and cause a great disturbance so no one can pay attention to anything else.”
Bao Zhu asked in surprise with tears in her eyes: “Can it be done?”
Wei Xun looked at her confidently and said decisively: “It can be done.”
Seeing his confident, proud smile, Bao Zhu immediately felt much more at ease, light appearing in her tear-dimmed eyes.
Wei Xun pondered for a moment and said: “To accomplish this, I need to prepare and find a helper. Besides Shisan, I have another fellow disciple in this city. May I call her?”
Bao Zhu was startled, remembering that tall, handsome woman in black, and asked: “Is it Huo Qi Lang?”
Wei Xun nodded: “You’ve already met Old Seven. This person acts absurdly but has no other intentions—it will just cost some money.”
Bao Zhu quickly said: “No problem!”
Wei Xun immediately climbed out the window to find Huo Qi, only saying that Shisan had been innocently arrested and the Yang father and daughter were willing to pay money to get him out, asking her to lend a hand.
Hearing there was a chance to get involved, Huo Qi was naturally overjoyed and smiled: “Little Baldy is good at emergency rescue. When we get him out, I’ll buy him candy.” She secretly wondered—this wasn’t going to the Great Temple of Justice prison in Chang’an to break into the imperial jail. For a mere county prison, with Wei Da’s abilities, going in to fish out a person would be effortless. Why did he need to specially find someone to help? Could it really be fellow disciple affection, willing to find her a money-making opportunity?
When Wei Xun explained the plan, she was shocked: Wei Da was planning something earth-shattering this time. Huo Qi Lang was a straightforward pleasure-seeker who didn’t think much about things—knowing there was money to be made was enough.
She immediately followed Wei Xun into the Reflection Study in the county office’s inner quarters. Seeing the beauty with furrowed brows and tearstains on her face, Huo Qi Lang immediately felt tender affection. Very naturally, she walked to sit cross-legged in front of her and asked gently: “Why are you crying like this? Whatever grievances you have, just tell Huo Qi. Seeing you cry like this breaks my heart.”
Yang Xingjian immediately darkened his face and glared fiercely at Wei Xun, secretly pointing at Huo Qi, meaning: How did you bring such an androgynous, loose-tongued helper?
Wei Xun also somewhat regretted not tearing Old Seven’s broken mouth apart before bringing her in, and wondered how she could say such flirtatious words with such a straight face.