Lin Sui’an was not surprised to see Mu Zhong when she arrived in the grand estate’s main reception hall, since Hua Yitang had long since been probing her background, and Prefect Zhou had already lumped her in with the Hua clan as birds of a feather.

“Fourth Young Master, Lin Niangzi — are you both all right?” Mu Zhong rushed forward with an anxious look and let out a breath of relief only when he saw them both safe and unharmed. Then he immediately turned to cursing: “The Feng clan are truly wretched — we can’t just let this go, we have to show them a thing or two!”

“There’s no rush.” Hua Yitang placed a brocade embroidered cushion on Lin Sui’an’s seat, arranged the armrest, and said, “Sit.”

Lin Sui’an was not inclined to stand on ceremony and sat down, set down her money bag and Qian Jing, and worked her shoulder with a roll.

Hua Yitang sat down casually beside her, ladled a bowl of steaming hot tea and extended it toward Lin Sui’an. Lin Sui’an decided not to risk trying it — affecting not to notice it — so Hua Yitang swapped it for a cup of plain water, and only then did Lin Sui’an deign to take a sip or two.

Hua Yitang chuckled and fanned himself, then asked, “Is the one who died truly Yan He?”

He was asking Mu Zhong. Mu Zhong was startled by the easy familiarity between the two of them and took a moment before answering. “It is indeed Yan He.”

Hua Yitang: “How did he die?”

“He was found beneath Kaiming Bridge — just the head. By the time I arrived, the officers had already cleared the scene, and I couldn’t find any useful leads.”

Hua Yitang’s expression darkened. “How did Tian Hegui come to discover the body?”

“According to the shopkeepers in the area, Tian Hegui is a drunkard — he goes under the bridge to relieve himself when he’s had too much to drink and happened to stumble onto Yan He’s remains.”

“No one else noticed it before him?”

“No other testimonies for now. The prefectural yamen is also conducting inquiries.”

Kaiming Bridge was likely not the original scene of the crime, Lin Sui’an thought.

Hua Yitang: “Yan He was killed elsewhere and then the body was transported and dumped at Kaiming Bridge.”

Lin Sui’an’s heart jumped. She glanced at Hua Yitang.

Hua Yitang did not notice her gaze. Chin resting on his fan, he murmured to himself, “The killer would have needed a mode of transport to move the body —”

Lin Sui’an: Most likely a carriage.

Hua Yitang: “Carriages pass Kaiming Bridge constantly each day — that would be difficult to trace……”

Lin Sui’an: It would be best to pin down the time of Yan He’s death.

Hua Yitang: “Is it possible to obtain the coroner’s report?”

Mu Zhong shook his head. “Prefect Zhou is handling this case with extreme caution — that’s unlikely.”

Lin Sui’an stared fixedly at Hua Yitang, her scalp crawling. This is uncanny — this person’s chain of thought is running in perfect parallel with hers!

Hua Yitang finally felt the burning heat of Lin Sui’an’s gaze, turned to look — and found Lin Sui’an with slightly furrowed brows, lips pressed tightly together, her expression distinctly unfriendly.

Hua Yitang understood at once. He stood up, gave Lin Sui’an a folded-fan bow, and said, “Please.”

Lin Sui’an glared: What for?

Mu Xia stepped forward at the right moment. “Lin Niangzi’s guest room is all in order. Allow me to escort Lin Niangzi to her rest——”

Hua Yitang: “Mmhm — ahem!”

Mu Xia immediately stood down. “Mu Gong’s room is also ready. Six Squad Leader, please follow me.”

Mu Zhong said “Ah?” blankly, stood up in a daze, and Mu Xia glided to his flank in two steps — like a background specter — and shepherded him out.

“I’ll walk you,” Hua Yitang said with a pleased smile. “Shall we go?”

Lin Sui’an dearly wanted to say “No need,” but she recalled the distance she had covered from the front gate to the main hall, and estimated this young idler’s house was very likely the genuinely enormous establishment it claimed to be. If she tried to navigate it alone, there was a nine-in-ten chance she would get hopelessly lost.

Events proved that Lin Sui’an’s decision was entirely correct.

The Hua Estate’s scale was even more outrageous than she had imagined. It took a full quarter of an hour just to clear the front courtyard. As they walked, she counted more than ten architectural styles in her field of view alone — grand decorated galleries, elegant towers, arched bridges, stone bridges, and covered walkways joined seamlessly together, gardens clustered with rare blooms and exotic plants. Most jarring of all were the pigments on the building exterior walls: some red infused with pink, some pink infused with gold, some in an indeterminate purple, some in a murky black — a riot of color, and all of them giving off strange fragrances. The Hua Clan Grand Estate was like a giant hotpot packed to the brim with every spice imaginable.

Without comparison there could be no sense of contrast. Lin Sui’an now felt that her six strings of copper coins were about as valuable as rocks from the riverbed.

Suddenly, a hand reached sideways to grab the leather bag on her shoulder. Lin Sui’an’s reflexes fired — she seized the hand and wrenched it in a reversal.

“Ow ow ow ow!” Hua Yitang yelped and jumped aside.

Lin Sui’an: “……”

Was this pampered young man so swimming in wealth that he would still covet her paltry savings?

Hua Yitang looked thoroughly aggrieved. “I could see you were tired. I was trying to carry it for you for a while.”

Was she tired?

Come to think of it, now that Hua Yitang mentioned it, she did seem to be a bit tired.

“You did just go head-to-head with two or three dozen yamen attendants for half a night — you must be exhausted,” Hua Yitang said.

No, this wasn’t physical fatigue — it was mental exhaustion. The kind that came from within: spiritual depletion, a state one might call: complete inner draining.

When had it started?

It seemed to have started after she had suppressed the bloodlust in her body —

“Hua Yitang,” Lin Sui’an said suddenly, “the expression on my face at the time — or rather, my state of being — was it somewhat frightening?”

Hua Yitang waved his hands vigorously. “Not at all! You were fighting magnificently, beautifully, spectacularly imposing — like a tiger descending from the mountain, a dragon leaping from the sea, an earth-shattering force of nature, utterly matchless and peerless under heaven!”

Lin Sui’an: “……”

Even more drained now.

“That……” Hua Yitang lowered his voice. “Where did you train? Who is your teacher?”

“How far is the guest room?”

“We’ve arrived.” Hua Yitang pointed ahead: before them sat a quiet little courtyard with a two-story building standing in its center, surrounded by red flowers and green willows within. The outer wall was — pink. Wafting through the courtyard were tendrils of fragrance; whether from the flowers or the fragrant pigment on the walls, it was impossible to say.

Lin Sui’an was in no position to retreat now and could only steel herself and enter the courtyard. Hua Yitang followed behind her. “Would you take on a disciple?”

Lin Sui’an quickened her pace. Of course — no good deed goes unpunished.

Hua Yitang: “What do you think of my aptitude?”

Lin Sui’an stepped inside the room and swung the door shut with a bang.

The door caught Hua Yitang on the other side. He let out a pained “Ow,” retreating several steps before calling out in a muffled voice, “What about tuition fees — that can be discussed. Room and board included, and you’ll absolutely be treated as the most honored of guests. How about ten strings of copper coins a month? Fifteen? Twenty?”

He babbled on and on — insufferable!

Lin Sui’an yanked the door open. Hua Yitang was rubbing his reddened nose, and his eyes lit up. “How about twenty-five strings?”

Lin Sui’an: “It’s a family art passed down through generations. By ancestral decree, it may not be taught to outsiders.”

“You could always take a small loss and adopt me as a sworn older brother.”

“I am one year older than you.”

“Oh?!” Hua Yitang’s eyes rolled around once. “Understood — you mean lunar age.”

Lin Sui’an’s fist tightened.

Hua Yitang gave a dry laugh. “Truly cannot teach it? How about consulting the ancestors?”

“There is also an unwritten rule,” Lin Sui’an said, casting a deliberate glance at a certain portion of Hua Yitang’s lower half. “Passed to daughters, not to sons.”

Hua Yitang froze with a click.

Lin Sui’an slammed the door shut.

Outside, Hua Yitang exhaled, fanning himself in a leisurely stroll out of the small courtyard. Mu Xia had been waiting there for some time.

“I asked around with Mu Gong — he says that when Lin Niangzi draws her blade, her state is indeed a little……alarming.” Mu Xia said in a low voice. “Lin Niangzi’s blade is named Qian Jing. It appears to be an ancient weapon.”

The night was cool. Hua Yitang stood in his long robe, spotless as a winter plum blossom, the motion of his fan slowly coming to a stop. Transparent moonlight slid over his high nose bridge, as though a layer of ice had been cast over it.

“Look into it.”

Lin Sui’an sensed that something was not quite right.

The mental exhaustion had spread to her body — every muscle ached, her chest was tight, and there was a faint ringing in her ears.

Low blood pressure, or low blood sugar?

Fortunately, the guest room service in the Hua Estate was not poor. The small table beside the bed was stocked with water and pastries. Lin Sui’an grabbed two pastries and crammed them into her mouth, drained two bowls of water, and lay flat on the bed for a good while before feeling slightly better.

Reflecting on it now — this was the aftereffect of having forcibly suppressed her body’s bloodthirst with willpower. Lin Sui’an thought with some frustration: so there is a cost to spiritual exertion as well? She ought to study the Ten Purities Collection more carefully, but when the officers had taken her away, the Ten Purities Collection had been left at the inn — who knew if it had been thrown out or confiscated.

This time, the murderous bloodlust had seized her without Qian Jing in her hand. That left two possibilities: first, the bloodthirst had its origin in her body, and Qian Jing was merely an amplifier. Second, Qian Jing’s corrupting influence had already seeped into her body.

Either way, neither was good news.

She had to find a way to break the condition as quickly as possible.

Speaking of breaking the condition — Lin Sui’an thought back to what had triggered her to regain her senses. She still remembered Hua Yitang’s deep and luminous eyes in that moment. Strange — why him, of all people?

Lin Sui’an was extremely dissatisfied with this narrative development. Hua Yitang was the kind of person born with a protagonist’s aura surrounding him — constantly plagued by trouble, and with a deadly side effect: he dragged others in with him.

Otherwise, how would an utterly unremarkable soul who had crossed over into this world, peacefully minding her own business, have gotten tangled up in this mess for no reason whatsoever?

Lin Sui’an fell asleep in a state of indignation — and she even dreamed. She dreamed that Hua Yitang, dressed in garish women’s clothing, was kneeling shamelessly outside her door, babbling on and on without end. When she opened her eyes, the sky was already fully bright. She was soaked in sweat from sleep, and someone was knocking at the door — thud thud thud — and it was Hua Yitang’s voice again.

“Lin Sui’an, are you up? Breakfast is ready!”

The nightmare had come true.

Lin Sui’an sat in the dining hall with her head still buzzing.

Before her was a three-meter-long table spread with a rich and varied breakfast — soups and broths, pastries and cakes, noodles and flat pasta, even steamed buns. Of course, in this age the flat pasta was called “botuó,” and the steamed buns were called “steamed cakes” — none of that mattered. What mattered was that beside the table sat an unbearably noisy garnish that was simply impossible to ignore — Hua Yitang.

The table was this long — why did he have to crowd right next to her?

“I didn’t know what you like, so I had a bit of everything prepared. Try the Gold Snow Crisp,” Hua Yitang lifted a small steaming basket containing a large, fluffy, pillowy steamed bun with a skin tinged faintly golden. “Yellow clarified butter and flour kneaded together, set beside the stove to warm for two incense sticks’ worth of time until the dough rises, then kneaded again and steamed in the basket for another two incense sticks — it melts in your mouth.” He then brought over a plate — another steamed bun, but a size smaller. “This is the Light High Brahmin Flour Bun. It uses a secret sugar-refining technique from Tianzhu — exceptionally sweet —” He paused. “Why aren’t you eating?”

Lin Sui’an rubbed her temple and muttered, “So there’s breakfast here……”

Hua Yitang blinked. “You haven’t been eating breakfast?”

Before the crossing there had been breakfast, of course, but after the crossing, for the sake of fitting into local customs —

Never mind. Too complicated to explain.

“Poor, so I skip a meal when I can.” Lin Sui’an switched to a simpler explanation.

Hua Yitang went still. The rims of his eyes reddened slightly.

Lin Sui’an: ??

“Mu Xia — bring up the Seven Returns Paste, the Heavenly Blossom Cake, the Gold and Silver Layered Flower, and the Flame Cup as well!”

One great shout, and whoosh — in they all came, steaming basket upon steaming basket, plate stacked upon plate. In the blink of an eye the entire table was piled into a mountain of steamed buns.

Lin Sui’an had not yet finished the Gold Snow Crisp and had already lost her appetite at the sight. Mu Zhong, just entering the room, gave a start. “Fourth Young Master — are you planning to open a steamed bun shop and steal the Pei Family’s business?”

“Mu Gong, join us,” Hua Yitang said warmly.

Mu Zhong shook his head repeatedly. “I’m stuffed with anger — I couldn’t possibly eat.”

Hua Yitang’s expression shifted slightly. “What happened?”

“The whole of Yangdu is going mad with it — they’re saying Hua Family Fourth Young Master hired an assassin, has witness testimony and physical evidence, and yet is getting away with it by relying on the wealth and power of the Hua Family, leaving even the Yangdu Prefect powerless. They’ve got the story completely worked out,” Mu Zhong said. “And apparently even the testimony of a few of last night’s witnesses spoken in the hearing has come out — isn’t that absurd?”

Oh, now this is an interesting development.

Lin Sui’an’s appetite returned.

“Fourth Young Master — managers of all sixty-seven districts and thirteen quarters of Yangdu request an audience.” Mu Xia came hurrying in.

“Show them in.”

Thirteen men in black brocade robes entered in succession, cupping their hands together in unison. “The thirteen managers pay respects to Fourth Young Master.”

Hua Yitang: “No need for formalities. What has happened?”

Several of the managers’ brows were deeply knitted:

“We’d barely opened at the hour of the fifth watch when a mob of ruffians came causing trouble, shouting that Hua Family Fourth Young Master was a murderer, that the Hua Family’s rice was stained with human blood — it frightened the customers away.”

“The hat-making quarter too.”

“The general goods quarter as well.”

“Two rounds of trouble in the silk quarter.”

“One round in the fruit quarter.”

“The docks had them too.”

“The ship-trade quarter got it worst.”

Hua Yitang’s expression sharpened. “When did all of this start?”

The managers exchanged a glance. “Between the fifth watch and the hour of the dragon.”

“What happened after?”

“We drove them off and sent calming gifts to the customers — nothing too serious came of it.”

“This is pure harassment! And they deliberately picked the moment when Elder Brother, Second Elder Sister, and Third Elder Sister are all out of Yangdu — this is clearly taking advantage of Fourth Young Master’s youth and inexperience!”

Hua Yitang: “Were any of the ruffians apprehended?”

Manager: “Two were caught at the docks and are being held. They’re stubborn and won’t talk.”

Hua Yitang: “Send them to the prefectural yamen.”

Mu Zhong: “Prefect Zhou is in tight with the Feng clan — the moment we hand them over, they’ll be released before we can blink.”

“All the better if they’re released — have someone follow them, and see who they make contact with.”

Mu Xia: “These ruffians normally have no dealings with each other. For them to coordinate like this, they must have been paid by the Feng clan.”

The managers were righteously indignant:

“Exactly! How can our Hua clan suffer this kind of humiliation? Fourth Young Master, just give the word and we’ll muster the men and flatten the Feng Estate!”

“Those sanctimonious old hypocrites in the Feng clan — their own affairs are a pile of filth and they’re still splashing mud on us!”

“I’ve had enough!”

Hua Yitang shook his head. “Don’t act rashly. There is something suspicious about this whole affair. Go back first and keep the shops running steadily. Anyone who comes to make trouble — every last one of them — arrest them all, and escort them to the prefectural yamen with gongs and drums.”

The managers’ faces lit up with mischief:

“On the way to report them — shall we perhaps share a few interesting tidbits about the Feng clan?”

“Hire a few professional storytellers?”

“Better yet — hire a theatre troupe for full effect.”

Hua Yitang smiled. “As you all see fit.”

The managers left with expressions of eager anticipation. Lin Sui’an looked at Hua Yitang with a blank face. She had thought this fellow was merely somewhat unpredictable; now she realized he was spectacularly, extraordinarily unpredictable.

What kind of outrageous tactics were these?!

Then suddenly Hua Yitang came out with: “Nothing better to do, are they?”

The subject change was so abrupt that neither Mu Zhong nor Mu Xia reacted immediately — only Lin Sui’an quietly glanced at the mountain of steamed buns on the table.

Mu Zhong pressed a hand to his forehead. “Fourth Young Master, this is a fire at our eyebrows — stop eating!”

“I’m talking about the Feng clan,” Hua Yitang tapped his temple with his fan. “Yesterday too, today too — why are they fabricating all these claims that fall apart the moment you poke them?”

Mu Xia: “To ruin our Hua clan’s reputation.”

Mu Zhong: “To suppress our Hua clan’s business.”

Lin Sui’an: “To protect the Feng clan’s name.”

The room went quiet. Every head turned to Lin Sui’an.

Mu Zhong: “Lin Niangzi, what do you mean by that?”

“What was the hottest piece of gossip in Yangdu yesterday?” Lin Sui’an asked.

Mu Zhong and Mu Xia paused. Hua Yitang raised an eyebrow, fanning himself rapidly. “Of course! Once the story about Hua Family Fourth Young Master hiring an assassin broke out — who could still remember the doggerel verse about the Feng clan’s filthy secrets?”

Lin Sui’an: “People watching a spectacle only love what’s new and fresh.”

Hua Yitang: “Whether the spectacle is real or fake doesn’t particularly matter.”

“Bury one piece of gossip under a bigger one — and once the later gossip collapses and is exposed as fabrication, people will develop an interesting association,” Lin Sui’an said. “The first piece of gossip must also be false.”

“Excellent!” Hua Yitang fanned himself with great excitement. “Mu Xia — go investigate the origin of that verse. Who wrote it? Where did it first spread from?”

Mu Xia didn’t move. This was the first time Lin Sui’an had seen any expression other than the professional smile on Mu Xia’s face — a flash of genuine bewilderment.

Mu Zhong was equally stunned. “Wasn’t that verse your doing, Fourth Young Master?”

Hua Yitang was outraged. “How could it possibly be mine? If I’m going to write a verse, at the very least I’d make it rhyme!”

Mu Xia: “Fourth Young Master, when has your poetry ever rhymed?”

Mu Zhong: “He has a point!”

Hua Yitang: “……”

Lin Sui’an burst out laughing.

Side story

Lin Sui’an: I eat melons, I live for gossip, reading the room is my ultimate art!