Peach Spring Village was larger than Lin Sui’an had anticipated. Several manor houses were scattered among rolling hills; viewed from high ground one could make out a roughly circular layout, with the residences at the east, west, south, and north being comparatively remote, while the large manor at the center was clearly more splendid — brightly lit, yet not a soul in sight.

Just as the Purification Sect disciple had said, estate guards were continuously patrolling Peach Spring Village’s perimeter. If anyone claimed this Peach Spring Village was merely an ordinary holiday resort, Lin Sui’an would refuse to believe it even under penalty of death.

To be cautious, Jin Ruo spent half an hour studying the estate guard layout based on the floor plan provided by the Purification Sect disciple, and discovered that approximately five teams of guards in different-colored uniforms were crisscrossing through the area; when they encountered each other, they exchanged greetings — evidently having worked together in this official capacity for many years.

“The Ma Family of the Eastern City’s residence is on the north side,” Jin Ruo pointed the direction. “The one in the middle should be the Su Family of Suizhou’s manor. The most remote one on the far east side, not even a lamp lit — I’d guess that’s Wang Jinglu’s family’s place.”

Lin Sui’an: “Snow Niang should be in the Ma Family’s residence — I’ll head north.”

Jin Ruo: “I’ll go probe the Su Family’s manor.”

Lin Sui’an was somewhat surprised, wondering to herself why the boy was so enthusiastic today.

Jin Ruo bared his teeth in a grin. “Since we’ve come all this way, I won’t be at ease without taking a look.”

With that, he slipped into the pitch-dark grove.

Apprentices grow up; their wings harden; they have their own ideas now.

Lin Sui’an sighed inwardly, crouched low, and also entered the dense forest. Along the way she encountered three patrols of estate guards; fortunately these guards were merely making routine rounds and paid no real attention. Lin Sui’an evaded them without any difficulty. In less than a quarter of an hour she could see the outer wall of the Ma Family’s private residence; she scaled the wall and leaped in, then crept along the wall for a circuit and quickly found the brightly lit main hall with two teams of estate guards standing watch outside. Faint voices could be heard drifting from within.

Lin Sui’an floated lightly onto the roof of the main hall, using the roof ridge as cover, pressed herself flat, and carefully lifted aside two clay roof tiles. The light inside the hall illuminated her pupils.

Two sides of the hall were lined with tables and reclining couches, all full of people — mostly middle-aged men, cleanly and neatly dressed; they must have been those teahouse proprietors. Dishes, wine, and fruit pastries were laid out on the tables. In the seat of honor on a raised platform sat a man, fifty years or so of age, thin as a corncob left out too long in the sun. Lin Sui’an recognized him — she had seen him once at the Scattered Flowers Tower: Ma Kaicheng, head of the Ma Family of the Eastern City, father of Ma Biao, and also the seller of the counterfeit Hundred Blossoms Tea.

Snow Qiu Niang sat in the last seat at the far end from Ma Kaicheng; she was the only female proprietor in the room and easily identified. By her side was another woman in a white veil, dressed like a maidservant. Most proprietors had brought along attendants and page boys; behind Snow Qiu Niang were five attendants in black veils as well.

Lin Sui’an’s gaze circled these several people, recognized them, and could not help but scratch her head: Oh my, well — this is getting lively.

The food on the table was mostly finished; the banquet had clearly been going on for some time. Several proprietors showed impatience and raised their voices. “Family Head Ma, we’ve eaten the food, drunk the wine, watched the dancing, listened to the music — when will we actually get to the real business?”

Ma Kaicheng raised his wine cup. “Ma has already said — tonight, the senior partner wishes to deliberate with everyone on a great plan. Why must everyone be in such a hurry?”

Lin Sui’an’s attention was piqued: as expected — the Ma Family had someone behind them.

The assembled proprietors grew all the more unwilling.

“We’ve waited nearly three hours; the food is making us stuffed. You won’t even let slip a single word about this so-called senior partner — surely you aren’t deceiving us?”

“This so-called great plan of yours — could it be Hundred Blossoms Tea again? Come now, people in Yidu have already tasted the difference — Ma Family’s Hundred Blossoms Tea is a counterfeit; the flavor is completely off. The Hua Family and Purification Sect’s Hundred Blossoms Tea are the authentic product!”

“I’ve heard the Yidu Prefecture Yamen has already issued notice: they are cracking down hard on counterfeit Hundred Blossoms Tea. Hua Family’s Fourth Son is a Legal Adjutant. Family Head Ma, blatantly crossing swords with the Hua Family is like pulling a tooth from a tiger’s mouth, is it not?”

“You Ma Family are a great noble clan with powerful backing and needn’t be afraid. But we are all small businesspeople — if we offend the Hua Family, how would we stand in Yidu’s commercial world going forward?”

“What’s more, with the Hua Family now having the Purification Sect as an ally, they are like a tiger that has grown wings. Would it not be better if we just don’t invite this kind of trouble?”

Ma Kaicheng did not argue; he simply smiled pleasantly at everyone, glancing at the doorway from time to time as if waiting for someone. Suddenly he rose to his feet and bowed respectfully toward the entrance.

A person walked in through the night and took his place in the seat of honor — clad in black brocade robes, temples streaked with white, eyes and brows sharp and severe. It was Su Feizhang, the head of the Su Family of Suizhou.

The hall fell instantly silent. Lin Sui’an on the roof silently mouthed “well now.”

Su Feizhang’s sharp gaze swept the room; everyone involuntarily lowered their heads. Su Feizhang gave a faint smile. “Esteemed proprietors, with the Su Family of Suizhou as guarantor, Ma Family’s Hundred Blossoms Tea is the genuine article! Should anyone have a different opinion, they may raise it now — Su will patiently address each one in turn.”

Everyone was silent as cicadas in the cold — they dared not so much as let out a breath.

At that very moment, the veiled woman at Snow Qiu’s side let out a cold laugh. “Utter rubbish! Just the day before yesterday, Ma Kaicheng’s son Ma Biao drank his own family’s counterfeit Hundred Blossoms Tea, suffered a toxic flare-up, and nearly lost his life. Had the Hua Family not set aside past grievances to save him, Family Head Ma would already be burying the young in place of the old. And yet the Su Family Head still manages to say such things with a straight face — in all my life, I have never encountered a person so utterly without shame.”

Lin Sui’an silently pressed a hand to her forehead: As expected — in all the world, there is only one woman who can deliver such brazen lines with such a beautiful voice.

Su Feizhang showed not the slightest surprise; the smile at his lips deepened three degrees. “Where did your distinguished self get this information?”

The veiled woman stood up. “Why not invite Ma Biao out to confront us in person?”

Ma Kaicheng: “Ahem — my son contracted a chill last night and is not well enough to receive guests.”

“It seems the two of you cannot even be bothered to fabricate a plausible lie,” the veiled woman sneered coldly. “Hundred Blossoms Tea is the exclusive product of the Hua Family of Yangdu; the cultivation, selection, and processing are all the Hua Family’s secret methods — the Tang realm has only this one source. Where does the Su Family Head find the confidence to claim the Su Family of Suizhou can produce Hundred Blossoms Tea?”

Su Feizhang smiled and rose to his feet. “Why, because of you, of course!”

With that, he gave a sharp wave of his hand; a squad of estate guards surged in from outside, surrounding Snow Qiu Niang and the veiled woman. “If we exchange the Third Daughter of the Hua Family for Hundred Blossoms Tea, the Hua Family of Yangdu will certainly agree.”

The veiled woman laughed aloud; with one hand she flung off the veil, and a face of surpassing beauty was revealed in the lamplight — beautiful enough to captivate the soul. “My fourth brother was right — there is not a single good person in the Su Family of Suizhou! Ita!”

The five black-clad attendants sitting in the shadows flashed forward, all simultaneously lifting their veils to reveal their faces. The youth at the front had golden hair and blue-green eyes, jeweled rings glittering on all his fingers. The Four Dragons flanked him, their killing aura overwhelming; they steadily enveloped the Third Lady of the Hua Family and Snow Qiu Niang at their center.

Su Feizhang raised an eyebrow. “So the Third Lady of the Hua Family came prepared!”

Hua Yimeng raised her brow even higher. “Likewise.”

The two spoke almost in unison: “Attack!”

The estate guards rushed in a surging tide; Ita led the Four Guardians to meet them. The assembled proprietors fled in a panic, screaming as they sought any hiding place. In an instant, gemstone brilliance bloomed like a rainbow, blade light split the air like startled lightning, and in no more than a moment, more than ten estate guards flew sideways out, spattering the ground with blood.

The proprietors huddled trembling behind the pillars. They watched as Hua Yimeng and Snow Qiu Niang stood perfectly unharmed in place, the Four Guardians holding firm at the four cardinal positions, not having drawn a single extra breath. Ita wiped the blood from his jeweled rings with the hem of his garment, tilted his head, and glared at Su Feizhang. “You — go eat dog excrement!”

Lin Sui’an, with a heart full of pride: Ita and the Four Dragons have grown up — they can hold their own now.

Ma Kaicheng’s complexion turned green; he darted a glance at Su Feizhang. “Su — Su Family Head, what — what do we do?”

The smile vanished from Su Feizhang’s face; a streak of viciousness crossed his eyes. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

Every hair on Lin Sui’an’s body stood on end. The candle flames in the hall suddenly extinguished entirely; sickly pale moonlight pierced through the window lattice and cast the floor in white. From the darkness behind Su Feizhang came a faint rustling sound; one after another, hideous tree-bark masks emerged from the shadows. The masks swayed and scattered, drawing out dozens of dark silhouettes that spread like ghosts and encircled Hua Yimeng and company.

Ita and the Four Dragons’ expressions changed drastically. Su Feizhang’s face went cold. “Except for Hua Yimeng — kill them all!”

The black ghosts raised their hands and brandished their weapons: black blade, two chi long, two fingers wide, glinting with a hellish radiance. The Four Dragons’ pupils contracted sharply; the killing intent buried in their bodies broke free uncontrollably and they charged forward, ignoring Ita’s shouts. Without warning, the roof exploded with a deafening crack, and a figure trod on moonlight and descended from above, flinging one arm in a sweep — dark green blade light like spectral fire forced back the black ghosts, steadily interposing itself before everyone.

The young woman stood bolt upright, the clear ring of the blade reverberating, awakening the consciousness in the Four Dragons’ eyes.

Hua Yimeng was overjoyed. “Lin Niangzi!”

Ita’s eyes reddened. “Pig-person!”

Lin Sui’an surveyed her surroundings and thought: this is bad. The masked killers before her were unlike any she had previously encountered; she could sense no aura from them whatsoever — it was as if their bodies contained nothing but “absence.”

That feeling made her deeply uneasy.

It appears the “Doom-Breaker” experiments of that Third Lord have been upgraded again.

“Guard the two ladies — do not leave them for half a step!” Lin Sui’an said in a low voice. “I will hold the rear — go, quickly!”

Ita acknowledged and, together with the Four Dragons, pressed close on all sides of Hua Yimeng and Snow Qiu Niang and moved swiftly toward the main gate. Lin Sui’an gripped Qian Jing tightly and faced toward the killers, slowly retreating one step at a time. The masked figures did not attack; they matched her footsteps — one step, one step, one step, closing in. Suddenly the world brightened; Lin Sui’an had retreated to the courtyard outside, moonlight flooding her entire body, the cold seeping to the bone.

Su Feizhang’s face was half hidden in the shadow behind dozens of tree-bark masks, revealing a ferocious smile. “I did not expect Lin Niangzi to come as well — a truly delightful surprise!”

Lin Sui’an swept the area with the corners of her eyes; Hua Yimeng and the others had already found themselves with no retreat, as more and more masked figures climbed the courtyard wall and swayed in the night — left and right, their clattering wooden sounds going click-clack, like a string of hideous, uncanny human-faced fruits growing from the wall.

Lin Sui’an swallowed: My stars — what luck — she had blundered straight into the masked men’s lair!