In Que County, Ni Su had dealt with herb women before and heard of herb women who caused deaths fleeing everywhere. She also clearly knew that generally, poor rural women who felt unwell would only seek out familiar neighbors or relatives they’d mentioned, and would never easily seek those unfamiliar herb women whose backgrounds were unknown.

“Has the Night Watch Bureau released everyone?”

Ni Su looked toward that old alley entrance.

“Young lady, what are you saying? Are you buying or not?”

The vegetable stall’s old man was quite puzzled. He only saw her holding a bunch of spinach but not looking at the vegetables, tilting her head looking who knows where, even talking to herself. The old man hadn’t clearly heard what she said.

Ni Su was watching the Night Watch Bureau’s subordinate officers emerge from the alley entrance. Hearing these words, she turned back to meet the old man’s strange gaze. A faint red appeared on her cheeks. About to sheepishly put down that bunch of verdant green spinach, she heard a voice beside her: “Ni Su, don’t put it back.”

She paused, meeting the gaze of the young man beside her.

“I’ll make soup for you to drink.”

In the radiant sunlight, his figure was as faint as mist.

Ni Su obediently placed the spinach into her vegetable basket.

“What did you hear?”

Ni Su gave the old man money and walked back carrying her vegetable basket.

This vegetable stall was carefully selected by her—very close to the alley entrance. When Xu Ziling went into the alley to listen to what those Night Watch Bureau subordinate officers were saying and doing, he wouldn’t be too constrained by distance.

But she was still somewhat uneasy, constantly looking at him in the crowd, observing him. “You’re truly not in pain?”

“I’m not in pain.”

Xu Hexue saw that passersby around them were more or less giving this young lady who kept looking around herself strange looks. He said, “Ni Su, don’t look at me.”

“If you’d be willing to appear and walk the streets with me, they wouldn’t look at me.” While walking forward, Ni Su said quietly, “Like at Master Jin Xiang’s home—I’ll put a veiled hat on you.”

Xu Hexue couldn’t answer her. Even that day at Xiechun Pavilion on Yong’an Lake when there were only the two of them, even later when painting on the boat, he still never truly revealed his form.

“A’Zhou’s neighbors have all been released. That Chao Yisong said that A’Zhou’s mother’s herb woman—those people didn’t recognize her. But A’Zhou’s father said that herb woman seemed to have close ties with the midwife who delivered A’Zhou originally.”

Xu Hexue responded to her initial question.

“So Chao Yisong and the others went to find that midwife?” Ni Su asked.

“That midwife passed away several days ago.”

Xu Hexue walked beside her. “They’ve already verified she died of illness, not murder.”

Then how could they find that herb woman? Ni Su frowned, but saw the person beside her suddenly stop. She couldn’t help but stop as well, looking up at him.

“You,”

Xu Hexue looked at her. His pale lips pressed together lightly. “If you’re not afraid, tonight we’ll go to that midwife’s home. The Night Watch Bureau has finished their examination. Perhaps her family will hold the funeral tonight.”

“Why would I be afraid of just going to her home?” Ni Su didn’t understand.

“Because we may need to open the coffin.”

Xu Hexue explained, “Someone who has just died will have residual soul fire remaining. As long as I see her soul fire, I…”

“You cannot use your techniques again.”

Ni Su interrupted him.

Xu Hexue blinked, seeing her serious expression. After a moment’s delay, he said, “I won’t use them.”

“After a person dies, if the residual soul fire is released, it will involuntarily yearn for the closest friends and relatives from life. Just like that day I encountered you outside Daqiong Temple in Que County.”

Ni Su heard him mention the cypress forest.

At that time, he had been stained with her brother’s soul fire, and when that soul fire saw her, it manifested.

“This beast pearl can absorb the soul fire from the deceased. Using it will be sufficient.”

Hearing his voice, Ni Su couldn’t help but look at his open palm, where a wooden carved beast pearl lay quietly.

——

Because the Night Watch Bureau had taken the midwife’s corpse for examination, the funeral banquet at her home was moved to tonight. After this, her son and daughter-in-law would hold the funeral overnight and send their mother outside the city for burial.

“Don’t the city gates prohibit exit at night?”

Neighbors at the banquet asked the daughter-in-law Pang Shi at the table, “How can you hold a funeral at night?”

Because that Granny Yang had been involved in a murder case, recently during the day there were many soldiers guarding the city gates. Granny Yang’s portrait was posted everywhere.

“If we don’t hold the funeral now, what will become of my mother-in-law? She can’t wait in the coffin,” Pang Shi wore plain mourning clothes, her face showing grief. “Originally we were going to hold the funeral that day, but the officials from the Night Watch Bureau graciously examined her, then allowed us to bury her overnight.”

“I heard that Night Watch Bureau place is quite frightening. When you went in, did you see anything?” An old man holding a wine cup asked curiously.

“No…”

Pang Shi shook her head. “Those officials only asked us husband and wife a few questions, then let us return first.”

“I heard the officials at the Night Watch Bureau have been busy with a case recently! They probably don’t have the leisure to question you more. That’s good—at least you came out quickly.”

The old man continued, “It’s all that black-hearted Granny Yang’s fault, bringing trouble to your family. If she hadn’t committed evil, how would you have encountered these matters?”

Everyone nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Hearing him mention “Granny Yang,” Pang Shi’s expression became somewhat off. She forced her lips into a smile, greeted them with a few words, then turned away.

Just then a young lady arrived outside the door. She wore her hair in double buns with no extra ornaments, dressed plainly and poorly, carrying a lantern, peering inside with her eyes.

Seeing her unfamiliar face, Pang Shi approached and said, “Miss, who are you looking for?”

“I heard Granny Qian passed away and wanted to come pay respects.”

The woman said.

“You are?”

Pang Shi examined her again but still didn’t recognize her.

“In all these years Granny Qian has been in Yun Jing, she’s delivered babies for so many families. It’s not strange you don’t know me. I heard from my mother that if not for Granny Qian delivering me back then, both my mother and I would have faced great danger. Now my mother’s health is poor and she can’t walk easily. It’s inconvenient for her to come from home, so she told me I must come offer Granny Qian a stick of incense.”

Pang Shi didn’t work as a midwife—how would she know how many people her mother-in-law had delivered over the years? Hearing this young lady’s explanation, she didn’t suspect anything else and invited her in: “Since you’ve come, join us at the banquet.”

In the simple main hall sat a pitch-black coffin. Oil lamps burned constantly on the altar table. Following Pang Shi inside, Ni Su secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Pang Shi lit incense and handed it to her. Ni Su received it and bowed before the altar table, then inserted the incense into the incense burner.

“Come, miss, sit here.”

Pang Shi brought her to a table with empty seats. Under the curious examining gazes of the men, women, elderly and young at that table, Ni Su steeled herself and sat down, placing the lantern beside her.

“Now with so many people, we can only wait for the banquet to end before finding an opportunity to open the coffin.”

Xu Hexue sat with her on a long bench and spoke.

“Then right now I…”

People at the table were all talking. Ni Su worked hard to lower her voice.

“Eat.”

Xu Hexue raised his chin slightly.

Ni Su hadn’t originally come to eat. She’d already eaten pastries before coming. But sitting here now without eating something seemed a bit strange.

“Are the Night Watch Bureau people still following me?” She picked up chopsticks and asked quietly.

“Mm, it’s fine.”

Xu Hexue surveyed the surroundings. “If you sit here without moving, they won’t rashly come in looking for you.”

“Miss, where are you from?”

Absentmindedly biting into a meatball, Ni Su was about to speak again when the woman sitting to her right suddenly leaned over.

“South district.”

Startled, Ni Su met that woman’s smiling eyes and answered.

That woman smiled and said “Oh, oh” a couple times, then mysteriously turned her head to whisper to another woman beside her, “So fresh and lovely…”

That woman had a loud voice and seemed overly familiar. She turned back with a smile and asked, “Where in the south district? I don’t know if your family has arranged a marriage for you yet? If not, you listen to me…”

“There is one.”

Ni Su hastily interrupted her.

“Ah?” That woman was stunned for a moment. She forgot what she was going to say next and said awkwardly, “Already arranged?”

Ni Su nodded. Afraid she would continue probing, she simply buried her head in her meal.

Funeral music mixed with human voices—this courtyard was extremely lively.

Ni Su used her sleeve to shield half her face. Secretly turning her head, she met Xu Hexue’s eyes. Sitting on the same long bench, this courtyard was brightly lit, yet only the lantern between them could leave a reflection in his eyes.

Ni Su opened her mouth, silently mouthing three words to him.

“I lied to her.”

Almost instantly, Xu Hexue’s lashes trembled. He immediately understood which three words those were.

Ni Su hadn’t originally realized anything, but discovering he understood her words, meeting his gaze again—suddenly, she turned away at once. She also forgot to pick out the annoying peppercorn. Eating a mouthful of vegetables, her tongue went numb.

Her face wrinkled up as she hastily lifted her tea bowl to drink.

Xu Hexue sat quietly beside her, lowering his lashes to look at her shadow on the ground. When she moved, the shadow moved too. But suddenly, he saw his own shadow.

Lustrous white and formless—worlds apart from hers.

Too many people had come. Ni Su and Xu Hexue couldn’t find an opportunity to open the coffin here and absorb the soul fire. The banquet soon ended. Those neighbors and relatives who came to help assisted Pang Shi and her husband in carrying the coffin out for the funeral procession.

Ni Su followed behind, knowing she couldn’t leave the city. But she was unwilling to let Xu Hexue harm himself again for this. Not knowing what to do, she saw Xu Hexue beside her suddenly transform into mist, then quickly condense into form before that coffin.

The lantern was in his hand—others couldn’t see it.

Xu Hexue examined those burly men carrying the coffin. His gaze fell on that pitch-black coffin. After a moment, he lowered his lashes and reached to feel beneath the coffin bottom.

As expected, there were air holes.

Ni Su followed closely behind the crowd, but unexpectedly a hand suddenly pulled her into another alley.

“Miss Ni.”

Hearing this call, even though she couldn’t see his face clearly in the dim alley, Ni Su recognized it was Night Watch Bureau Deputy Commander Zhou Ting.

“Don’t go any further.”

Zhou Ting spoke sternly.

Suddenly, many alarmed cries came from outside, followed by a heavy “thud” of something falling. Zhou Ting immediately drew his blade and instructed her, “Don’t move from here.”

Zhou Ting rushed out. Several black-clothed figures dropping from the eaves and suddenly appearing Night Watch Bureau subordinate officers clashed violently in the alley. Worried about Xu Hexue, Ni Su was about to lean out to look when she heard rapid footsteps on the roof tiles. Looking up, a black shadow above also seemed to discover her.

That person couldn’t make her out clearly. Seeming to think she was from the Night Watch Bureau, he reflexively threw a dart.

Silver light flashed toward her.

Seeing she couldn’t dodge in time, someone from behind suddenly embraced her waist. A sword gleaming with cold light appeared before her eyes, colliding with that dart. With a “clang,” the dart fell to the ground.

Xu Hexue stepped on the brick wall for leverage, easily leaping onto the roof tiles.

The two sides in the alley were still fighting, but this person fled first. Xu Hexue saw Zhou Ting below also notice the person on the roof. He immediately picked up a broken roof tile and threw it, striking that person’s knee bend.

The black-clothed person’s knee buckled. Losing control, he fell down, landing prostrate right before Zhou Ting.

The subordinate officers following Zhou Ting immediately apprehended him.

Zhou Ting frowned and looked up. Bright moonlight rippled like waves, spreading across the eaves and alleys. There was no one above.

“Of all places to hide, hiding in a coffin with a corpse that’s been dead and stinking for days—that herb woman is really… ugh…” Chao Yisong cursed as he ran over. While speaking, he dry-heaved several times. “Young Master Zhou, you…”

Before Chao Yisong finished speaking, he saw Zhou Ting stride quickly toward that alley opposite.

It was completely empty.

“Who was watching Ni Su?” Having just followed over, Chao Yisong saw Zhou Ting turn around with a dark expression.

“Ah?”

Chao Yisong was stunned for a moment. Turning back to ask around, he said somewhat guiltily, “Sir, just now we were all busy catching people…”

At the same time, one wall away—who knows whose courtyard.

Roses of varying depths covered the entire wall. In the moonlight, they were luxuriant and gorgeous.

Ni Su lay in the grass, eyes open, belatedly realizing she was pillowed on someone’s arm.

The candle in the lantern had burned too long and suddenly went out. Xu Hexue, worried Zhou Ting would discover her standing on the roof, hastily brought her leaping into this courtyard. But without the light she provided, his vision was pitch black. Careless for a moment, he fell with her.

He could smell the rose fragrance. Almost instinctively, he protected her in his embrace.

“Ni Su?”

She hadn’t spoken. Xu Hexue’s sightless eyes moved slightly as he called her name softly.

“Mm.”

Ni Su responded.

“The roses have thorns.”

Xu Hexue explained his impropriety, then moved to help her up.

Hearing this, Ni Su looked up at the cluster of roses behind. His arm had carefully protected her, avoiding those flower thorns.

She suddenly grabbed Xu Hexue’s sleeve.

“They seem to have left.”

Ni Su could no longer hear sounds from outside.

She refused to get up. Xu Hexue could only maintain his original position. But with this movement, trembling petals from the cluster fell onto their hair and robes.

He was completely unaware.

Ni Su knew his upbringing wouldn’t allow him to remain improper like this. She put his hand back and shifted aside, avoiding that thorny rose cluster.

As expected, his tense shoulders and neck relaxed somewhat.

“Can I look at the moon for a while before going back?”

Ni Su pillowed herself on her own arm, looking at his profile: “In a moment, I’ll hold your hand and we’ll go back.”

Xu Hexue couldn’t see the moon.

But somehow, he could always feel that her gaze seemed to rest on his face.

His slender fingers slowly curled.

His Adam’s apple moved slightly: “Alright.”