Daoist Mingxin quickly walked into the house. He glanced around, his gaze falling on the table leg propped up with the brick.

He squatted down to look for a moment, his brows knitting tightly.

Du Qing dragged the petty thief inside.

“Someone has tampered with it.” Daoist Mingxin said in a heavy voice.

Du Qing tossed the petty thief onto the ground, lifted the table leg, pulled out the brick, and reached his finger into the hollow section of the table leg.

Inside was completely empty.

“Master, the letters are gone.”

Daoist Mingxin glanced at the petty thief on the ground. “Wake him up.”

Du Qing pulled out a medicine bottle from his bosom, opened it, scooped out a fingertip of ointment, and smeared it under the petty thief’s nose.

Before long, the petty thief slowly opened his eyes.

Seeing Du Qing’s ice-cold face, the petty thief scrambled up in panic.

Du Qing reached out and pressed him back to the ground, a cold dagger held against his throat.

“Who are you?”

The petty thief was somewhat dazed. “Big, Big Brother, spare my life! I just wanted to steal a chicken!”

Why are you pulling a knife?

“Steal a chicken?”

The petty thief raised both hands, trembling. “Big Brother, I didn’t even succeed. I hadn’t even seen the chicken coop when my buttocks suddenly hurt terribly—”

He suddenly remembered and reached back to feel his rear, touching sticky blood.

The petty thief’s eyes rolled back, about to faint.

Du Qing pressed the dagger forward a bit. The petty thief was too frightened to faint.

“Tell me about the situation when you came in.”

The petty thief’s forehead was covered in sweat. “I was passing through the alley and discovered this household’s door was ajar, so I… I wanted to come in and take a look. I didn’t expect that after just two steps, I wouldn’t know anything anymore…”

“What time did you arrive?”

The petty thief thought for a moment. “Probably the beginning of the hour of the monkey.”

“Anything else?”

“Nothing.” The petty thief shook his head.

“Think again.” Du Qing reminded coldly.

“Really nothing. Big Brother, just let me go. I’ll never dare again—”

Before he could finish speaking, the petty thief’s head lolled to the side. He had stopped breathing.

“Master, we should leave quickly.” Du Qing wiped the blood from his dagger on the petty thief’s clothes, his expression unchanged.

Daoist Mingxin shifted to the side, avoiding the fresh blood spreading across the ground. “There’s no rush. Clean up properly before leaving.”

Du Qing asked no further questions and immediately began cleaning up.

Daoist Mingxin looked at the petty thief’s corpse and sighed almost imperceptibly.

Though the petty thief’s crime didn’t warrant death, they couldn’t let him live to speak carelessly.

Du Qing walked to the base of the wall, picked up a hoe, and began digging a hole beneath the osmanthus tree. By the time Daoist Mingxin had gathered the items he needed to take, the petty thief was already resting eternally beneath the osmanthus tree. Even the bloodstains on the ground had been washed away, waiting only for the wind to blow and sun to shine, for time to quietly smooth away the traces in the small courtyard.

In short order, Daoist Mingxin had changed residences again.

“Master, this subordinate will escort you out of the capital. Your whereabouts have been exposed—staying in the capital is too dangerous.”

Daoist Mingxin shook his head. “I cannot leave the capital now.”

Du Qing grew anxious. “Those letters were stolen, which shows they know your identity. Their next step will certainly be harmful to you!”

“If they were Emperor Tai’an’s people, when we returned there would have been a dragnet waiting, not an additional chicken thief.” Daoist Mingxin stroked his beard, somewhat puzzled. “This matter is rather strange. That person seemed to have come solely to steal the letters.”

“But the place where you hid the letters was so concealed, and there were mechanisms along the path to the house. How could that person have known?”

Daoist Mingxin gazed up at the starry sky and sighed. “There are always people more capable than oneself. Regardless, this person certainly knows my identity. The letters were stolen not long after changing residences—the security breach most likely occurred during the move.”

Du Qing lowered his head and cupped his fists. “It’s all this subordinate’s oversight.”

“It’s not your fault. The move was too sudden and hasty—some carelessness was inevitable.”

Du Qing’s expression turned fierce. “If not for those thugs causing trouble, we wouldn’t have needed to move. And that young lady who kept pestering you for fortune-telling—”

Daoist Mingxin’s thoughts stirred. “Du Qing, go keep watch on that young lady.”

In the months he’d been in the capital, if he had to name someone he’d encountered who stood out as special, it would be that young lady.

Second Miss Lin from the General’s Mansion.

Du Qing was shocked. “Master, you suspect it’s related to that young lady?”

“Whether there’s a connection is hard to say. Let’s observe first.”

Rationally analyzing, it was impossible for a young lady to be involved in these matters, but rationality didn’t represent everything.

Observing more couldn’t hurt.

As for contact with Qin Yunchuan, it would have to be suspended for a while.

Late at night, in the deep silence, Lin Hao reclined against her bed, carefully reading through the several letters by lamplight. The corners of her lips curved into a slight smile.

Acting at this time was indeed perfect. Qin Yunchuan had expressed his longing for his former master in almost explicit terms, yet hadn’t grasped her teacher’s whereabouts.

Her “startling the snake in the grass” this time meant that surely her teacher wouldn’t contact Qin Yunchuan for a short period.

The only thing that worried Lin Hao slightly was that her teacher was suspicious by nature—he might notice her.

But this couldn’t be helped. She was willing to bear this small price.

The next step was to present these letters before the Emperor.

Accomplishing this wouldn’t be easy. At the very least, she couldn’t implicate the General’s Mansion. Lin Hao planned to complete this task through the hands of Jinlin Guard Commander Cheng Maoming.

In her previous life, when she returned to the capital, she had witnessed Jinlin Guard Commander Cheng Maoming being beheaded at the execution ground. At that time, Cheng Maoming’s face was ashen as death, yet his heart was filled with endless regret.

He regretted that though he had offended the Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor Qin Yunchuan years earlier, he had hesitated to act rashly out of concern for the Crown Prince, resulting in his current fate of execution.

People like Cheng Maoming were accustomed to leaving no future troubles. If she presented evidence to convict Qin Yunchuan, he would surely be tempted.

Early the next morning, Lin Hao went out.

She walked from East Street to West Lane, browsed cosmetics shops and clothing stores, spice shops and treasure pavilions, drank flower tea, watched street performers, and finally bought two catties of braised beef before happily returning home.

When Du Qing returned to see Daoist Mingxin, it was already dark.

Seeing his haggard expression, Daoist Mingxin was somewhat surprised.

People skilled at tracking could all remain composed—he rarely saw Du Qing like this.

“How was today?”

Hearing Daoist Mingxin ask this, Du Qing’s expression twisted for an instant.

He listed all the places Lin Hao had visited, his face darkening. “I never knew a young lady could shop so much.”

Though Daoist Mingxin knew astronomy above and geography below, he didn’t understand much about teenage girls. He considered carefully. “Women are probably all like this. Continue tomorrow.”

The next day when it grew dark, Du Qing returned, his tone carrying an unnoticed grinding of teeth. “Today she visited even more places than yesterday, and even ate roasted chicken at a tavern before going home!”

What kind of girl was this? No wonder she had the excellent energy and thick skin to pester the Master for fortune-telling.

Daoist Mingxin met Du Qing’s faintly pleading gaze and said heartlessly, “Continue tomorrow.”

Five days passed in succession. Du Qing had visibly lost weight. He discussed with Daoist Mingxin, “Master, why don’t this subordinate just kill that girl?”

He truly couldn’t endure even one more day of this.

“Today she gathered with several friends to eat roast duck and mentioned you.”

“What did she say?”

“She said it’s a pity she can’t find you at the bridge anymore. She plans to wander around everywhere—perhaps she’ll run into you by chance, and then she’ll have all of them come to you for marriage fortune-telling.”

Daoist Mingxin fell silent for a moment, then said, “Forget it. You don’t need to watch her tomorrow.”