A moment later, Chi Xue and the short man were also cleared out.

The two drunkards maintained their heart-attack-inducing pose of embracing each other’s shoulders. Tie Ci was still singing: “I’ll send you away, thousands of miles away…”

Not to be outdone, Feiyu sang: “Jade furnace, ice mat, mandarin duck brocade, powder melting, fragrant sweat flowing on the mountain pillow. Outside the curtain, the pulley sounds, frowning with a startled smile. In the willow shade, mist is dim, low temples and cicada hairpins fall. Must make a lifetime’s gamble, exhaust today’s joy with you…”

Then the two applauded each other, magnanimously praising each other’s singing as more beautiful.

The food on the table was devoured like a whirlwind. Feiyu was obviously more deeply drunk, picking up food to feed into Tie Ci’s mouth, nearly poking it into her ear instead: “Come… this is what I hate most… shredded chicken with yellow chives…”

“You… why do you hate this… I quite… like it…”

“Because chives enhance virility… my father believes in food supplements… likes to eat this… when he occasionally visits my mother… my mother always prepares this… pfft… why eat so many chives for nothing… aren’t a dozen or so enough…”

“Wow wow wow, you have a dozen sisters… Hey! You gave me one chopstick too many! When I eat… uh… I only eat three chopsticks!”

“Heh… your rules… are like the imperial family… hey, you wouldn’t be imperial family, would you? Prince? Duke? Child of a princess?”

“Ha… my daddy doesn’t let me tell others… come, eat food… eat food…” Tie Ci picked up a chopstick of ribs and fed them into Feiyu’s nose.

The two ate a few confused bites. As the wine’s effect surged up, Tie Ci grabbed Feiyu’s collar, mumbling: “Sleep time, sleep time…”

Feiyu laughed heartily, saying with heroic spirit: “Sleep! Let’s sleep right now!”

She bent down and lifted Tie Ci up. Tie Ci was overjoyed, laughing loudly: “Oh, you as a woman can actually carry me!”

Feiyu’s arms held her steadily. Hearing this, she looked down with a smile: “You as a man aren’t heavy either!”

She carried Tie Ci swaying toward the bedside, her left foot tripping her right foot. With a stumble, bang—the two fell onto the bed with Tie Ci underneath and Feiyu on top. Tie Ci was pressed down with a grunt, nearly suffocating. When she opened her eyes, she saw Feiyu’s face above—like snow piled with jade, luminously beautiful.

Feiyu had been laughing, but meeting her gaze, gradually restrained her smile. Propping her head on her elbow, she examined her with interest. After a long moment, she said: “Green mountains like painted eyebrows, autumn water for spirit… Usually I see you as a graceful young man, but looking closely up close, you seem excessively refined. This skin is more feminine than a woman’s…” As she spoke, she reached out to rub Tie Ci’s face. Tie Ci turned her head aside, suddenly crying “ai yo”—Feiyu’s hairpin had caught in Tie Ci’s hair. Tie Ci reached up to untangle it but couldn’t. Feiyu also raised her hand to help. When their fingers touched, both paused slightly, then both found it inexplicable. Tie Ci’s hand brushed, somehow pulling out Feiyu’s hairpin. Black hair cascaded down, tangling with Tie Ci’s long hair, messy as willow catkins suddenly floating through the window lattice.

Both quieted, though neither understood why this moment had become silent. Then Feiyu’s elbow softened, half-collapsing onto Tie Ci. Tie Ci lazily pushed but couldn’t move her, looking down to see the person had already fallen asleep.

Tie Ci snorted, thinking this woman couldn’t hold her liquor!

She got up, very kindly wanting to help Feiyu remove her outer garments so she could sleep more comfortably. This courtesan liked wearing loose, flowing robes that fluttered like a mountain immortal, but they were also cumbersome and troublesome. Tie Ci took a long time to undo all the buttons. When she began helping her undress, she suddenly touched her chest.

The Crown Princess kept a palace full of beauties—casual touching was almost habitual. Having touched, she’d touched, thinking of that proud fullness, she quite smoothly gave it a squeeze.

With this squeeze, she froze.

This feel…

So real!

She held her hand suspended in air, stunned for a long time. The wine seemed to have gone to her brain—even turning over a simple matter took ages, let alone this complex topic that vaguely touched secrets. The more she thought, the emptier her mind became, the faster the bed canopy spun, the more the heaven and earth swayed… “Bang.”

She fell heavily onto the bed.

With her injured body, even with a thousand-cup tolerance, she couldn’t resist this strong medicinal and alcoholic force.

She collapsed.

This sleep was very deep, and she vaguely dreamed. In the dream, beauties danced gracefully. She loudly cheered and scattered reward money like golden rain. The beauty smiled amidst the scattered gold, suddenly lifting her long skirt to reveal two legs covered in black hair…

Tie Ci’s eyes snapped open.

The moment she opened her eyes, the nightmare just now dissipated, leaving only the vague image of two black hairy legs flashing and disappearing in her mind.

Something heavy was on her body. Turning her head slightly, she saw legs in snow-white trousers pressed against her legs, and an arm across her chest.

The courtesan hadn’t woken yet.

The room was very dark with no lamps lit. Outside the window, the bright moon was like a disk—they’d slept until evening.

Tie Ci felt much better spiritually. The numbness at her wound was receding, and it didn’t hurt much anymore. Her internal qi flowed powerfully and smoothly.

For the sake of this extremely effective medicinal wine, she wouldn’t hold it against the courtesan who’d accidentally climbed into the dragon bed.

However, this medicinal wine seemed to have some hallucinogenic components. She held her head and thought for a long time but couldn’t remember what had happened from when she got drunk until she fell asleep.

Memory blackouts couldn’t be helped. She was about to call for someone to light lamps and serve her when she suddenly frowned.

Chi Xue and Dan Shuang were always very cautious. With her sleeping at this time, it was impossible for them not to be guarding in the room.

Just thinking this, she faintly heard the sound of clashing weapons carried by the wind. Looking out the window, she saw the area below brightly lit, with a large group of officers and soldiers surging through the corridors, while Dan Shuang alone blocked the corridor entrance. The others were nowhere to be seen.

She gripped the eaves edge and flipped onto the roof. Looking down from the rooftop, the entire small building was surrounded. People carrying torches surged from all directions, surrounding the small building so tightly that not even water could leak through.

She faintly caught a familiar smell, noticing people in every direction carrying black buckets.

Footsteps thundered as Chi Xue ran upstairs with an anxious expression. Seeing Tie Ci flip down from the roof, her expression relaxed. Before she could speak, Tie Ci had already said: “Call Dan Shuang back!”

Chi Xue said: “Young Master! The county office brought people from the Ziyang Thousand Household Office to surround this place. We’ll cover your escape!”

Tie Ci raised an eyebrow: “Thousand Household Office?”

Chi Xue nodded certainly. As the chief palace maid managing the Crown Princess’s Ruixiang Hall, her skills weren’t limited to serving people—she knew something about various officials and trades, civil administration and military systems. The Thousand Household Office commanded regular soldiers, not ordinary archers selected from local farmers by the Patrol Inspector’s Office. More importantly, though called the Ziyang Thousand Household Office, it actually belonged to the military forces protecting Lai Prefecture, under the joint command of the Ministry of War and the Regional Military Commission—not something a mere county magistrate could command.

A Thousand Household Office had over eleven hundred men. From what she could see, at least half had come.

Tie Ci stared below, vaguely seeing several people rushing over in profuse sweat. Their figures seemed familiar, but she also saw those people splashing the contents of black buckets at the base of walls.

Chi Xue said urgently: “Master, if we don’t leave now, we won’t be able to!”

“Call Dan Shuang back!”

Chi Xue didn’t dare argue further and whistled. Dan Shuang retreated while fighting. Those soldiers didn’t pursue, just maintained their positions on all sides.

Heavy oil vapor spread through the night air.

Li Yao stood in the darkness with a cold expression.

This ignorant young man, bent on achieving merit and establishing his career, didn’t know that some matters were like gu-raising jars—lift one crack, and countless poisonous insects would emerge endlessly, never resting until death.

Urgent footsteps suddenly sounded behind him. Li Yao turned to see the county magistrate running over, shouting from a distance: “What are you doing!”

Li Yao was slightly surprised, then sneered coldly: “His Honor should be content with wine drinking—why meddle unnecessarily!”

The county magistrate frowned: “This matter hasn’t been clarified yet. The other party hasn’t confessed, and the evidence is insufficient. Why create such a commotion!”

“How is it not clarified?” Li Yao said in surprise. “Mao Shiba was overcome by lust, picked flowers and killed people—the evidence is conclusive. He resisted stubbornly, attempting to escape from prison. I’m capturing him and bringing him to justice—what’s wrong with that? His Honor is so agitated—could it be you fear the other party’s power in the capital and want to let the criminal escape?” He sighed, saying earnestly: “Your Honor, we studied for ten years, became officials in one day. We should naturally be clear and just, for country and people. Private hearts and desires won’t do!”

The county magistrate, having his black and white so reversed by such rhetoric, turned pale with anger. His chest heaved several times before he managed to say: “Since it’s an arrest, you should have him return to court for careful trial, form case files, then submit to the capital and await approval for judgment. What are you planning to do? Use private punishment… perhaps?”

The four words “kill to silence” reached his lips, but meeting Li Yao’s sinister gaze, he didn’t dare speak them.

“His Honor overthinks!” Li Yao, impatient with his arguments, suddenly waved his sleeve vigorously.

From all directions, people threw torches at the spilled liquid.

With a “whoosh,” flames like red demon dragons climbed the wall pillars, instantly leaping half a zhang high!

…

The moment Tie Ci flipped onto the roof, Feiyu opened her eyes.

With two swishing sounds, two people flipped down from the beams, hanging there and saying quietly: “Master, that side is preparing to act! They’ve tracked here. Li Yao called soldiers from the Thousand Household Office, planning to burn that person to death under the pretext of investigating a criminal case, which conveniently draws away all military forces from the Ziyang to Lai Prefecture route, facilitating the Second Prince’s border crossing. We need to leave quickly too!”

Another person said: “The secret passage we’ve been digging recently next door leads right to that side…”

Feiyu smiled: “No, we’re not taking that route.”

Both were confused: “Then which route? Once the fire starts, we won’t be able to leave!”

Feiyu patted under the bed: “Didn’t we just discover one here!”

“That’s just a small hidden room for hiding clients—it doesn’t connect!”

“That’s not necessarily so… shh, go quickly, he’s coming back!”

The two figures flipped back onto the beams.

At the railing, Tie Ci flipped down from the roof and suddenly saw Shen Mi in that small alley outside the courtyard wall, climbing that tree and waving at her.

He probably hoped she could find a way to charge over from the rooftop, but he couldn’t see from his position that below were large numbers of soldiers with drawn bows surrounding them. Once she charged out, she’d have to pass overhead and become a target.

Tie Ci gazed at Shen Mi. Even across the distance in darkness, she could still make out the anxiety on his face.

Shen Mi always surprised her. Such a person who’d experienced worldly tribulations and developed a slippery nature—she’d never dared hope for his loyalty, yet he seemed to have inexplicable confidence in her.

Perhaps this was a smart person’s intuition.

She watched for a moment, finally making up her mind. She pulled out a small brocade pouch from her chest and threw it.

The bright yellow pouch cut through the night’s blackness, landing in Shen Mi’s embrace.

Shen Mi caught it and looked up at her. Tie Ci nodded. At this time, Chi Xue and Dan Shuang also arrived, and the three rushed back into the room.

The two women followed behind her in confusion, not understanding why she was returning to a dead end instead of breaking through at this time.

The fire was extremely fierce. In a flash, flames licked up to the second-floor railings. Window paper made soft tearing sounds, turning to ash with golden-red edges when touched by fire. Black smoke snaked like demons through the corridors, mixed with bright red sparks flashing on and off, choking people into constant coughing.

Tie Ci rushed straight to the bed. Seeing that Feiyu was still sleeping peacefully, she smiled helplessly and wrapped her in the blanket. When Dan Shuang and Chi Xue also jumped onto the bed, she activated the mechanism.

The bed board flipped. Feiyu rolled down first like a ball. Dan Shuang said dissatisfiedly: “Why let her go down first!”

While falling, Tie Ci calmly answered: “Because the bottom might be uneven—someone needs to cushion the fall.” The next instant, she comfortably landed on the human cushion that was Feiyu.

Feiyu: “…”

Truly no martial virtue.

…

The great fire suddenly leaped up, nearly singeing the county magistrate’s boots. He retreated in alarm while Li Yao ignored him completely.

The county magistrate gritted his teeth but ultimately lacked the courage to charge forward again. He turned and left with a flourish of his sleeves.

Except for a staff member following him, no one paid him attention. The county magistrate walked out of Fuchun Tower in dejection. Shen Mi, waiting anxiously by the side door, approached, but seeing his expression, knew that his effort to persuade the county magistrate to stop the county deputy had ultimately failed.

He looked uneasily at those flames, wondering what power this Master Mao had disturbed to make the opponent disregard everything, willing to create such a huge disturbance to kill and silence him.

Behind him, the county magistrate said angrily: “Just relying on having backing!”

Shen Mi was startled. The county magistrate realized he’d misspoken and sighed: “This county has done its best. I’ve said before—Li Yao covers the sky with one hand and has even greater backing. Even this county can’t do anything about him, let alone you—it’s like a mantis trying to stop a chariot… You’ve already done your utmost duty to that Master Mao. Let it end here. Don’t let people find you disagreeable and crush you with one finger.”

Having said this, he turned and left.

Shen Mi touched the small brocade pouch in his chest, looking at his retreating figure with words on his lips he couldn’t speak. After a long moment, he murmured: “Mad men will meet their heavenly retribution…”

The county magistrate sneered coldly with his back turned: “Heaven? Heaven is high and cannot be questioned!”

…

In the darkness, Tie Ci sat up, her wound aching faintly.

Wrapping Feiyu in the blanket and throwing her down first was also unavoidable—she couldn’t use lightness skills with her unhealed injuries and couldn’t withstand impacts.

Fortunately, though Feiyu’s attitude was poor, she still reached out to catch her steadily.

Dan Shuang and Chi Xue both came to support her. Chi Xue said worriedly: “Young Master, hiding here isn’t a solution. As a local power, County Deputy Li definitely knows about this trick under courtesans’ beds. Once he discovers no corpses in the fire, he’ll search here quickly.”

Tie Ci said nothing, closing her eyes to sense quietly. Last time hiding down here, she’d felt flowing wind—there should be a passage.

But now the fire above might be too fierce, with acrid smoke leaking through gaps overhead, confusing the air in this underground chamber and making it difficult to distinguish momentarily.

Dan Shuang lit a fire starter. Before them was a small chamber that appeared sealed, empty with nothing in it, seemingly unused. Plant roots even crawled down the walls.

Tie Ci signaled Dan Shuang and Chi Xue to find an exit. Everyone searched, but only Feiyu stood by the wall covering her nose in disgust, constantly brushing off falling ash. Dan Shuang, finding her disagreeable, walked over and bumped her shoulder. The courtesan slowly slid along the wall, occasionally adjusting her hairpin. Suddenly crying “ai yo,” her hairpin had caught on a thick root. She tried to untangle it but the more anxious she became, the more tangled it got. With a fierce pull, there was a sudden whooshing sound.

Feiyu seemed startled, standing there dazed. Tie Ci reacted quickly, pulling her over with one motion. Looking down, she discovered that root was actually fake—this was the mechanism! The mechanism was truly ingenious, mixing fake roots among real ones so densely they were hard to distinguish. If not for Feiyu’s preening, in this dim light, how could they have discovered it so quickly?

She pulled hard, and Feiyu’s hand still held that root. With a crack, the entire root was pulled out. Then with a rumbling sound, the entire uneven dirt wall before them crashed toward them like a mountain!

In that very instant, Tie Ci saw a passage appear behind the dirt wall!

“Go in! Quickly!”

Dan Shuang pushed Chi Xue in with one palm, then flashed inside herself. Tie Ci pushed Feiyu, who crashed into the passage, still not releasing that root in her hand. Tie Ci heard grinding sounds behind her. Turning back, she saw the opposite wall had also been triggered in a chain reaction, rumbling toward her as well.

Both walls moved extremely fast, about to close in the blink of an eye.

Dan Shuang and Chi Xue had both fallen in the front of the passage. The closest to Tie Ci was Feiyu. Tie Ci had used great force earlier, causing severe pain in her wound and stiffening her entire body. She struggled to extend her fingers toward Feiyu’s outstretched hand.

The dirt walls rapidly closed. The fire starter went out. Some faint light reflected from somewhere, forming a pale shadow between the two walls.

Two snow-white hands were about to clasp when one suddenly drooped slightly.

Tie Ci’s fingers grasped empty air. Looking up in surprise, she saw between the faint light and shadow that Feiyu’s face was unclear, but her eyes shone like stars—bright, penetrating, and meaningful.

Dan Shuang and Chi Xue’s alarmed calls and urgent prompting came through.

The dirt wall’s mountain-like shadow descended before her. The passage was reduced to a thin line.

Behind her came pain—her back wound had already touched the dirt wall.

Tie Ci groaned softly.

Those star-like eyes across from her flashed again.

Those stars hung in the high heavens, hiding cosmic secrets of millions of years, having witnessed the rise and fall of mortal worlds and life and death, yet occasionally responding with faint glimmers to the shifting moon and clouds and human prayers.

In that faint light, those fingers rose again.

Very nimbly clasping Tie Ci’s wrist, turning at an ingenious angle, Tie Ci’s body smoothly squeezed through that final narrow gap, sliding like a fish into Feiyu’s embrace.

With a bang, both shook. Each other’s breath in the darkness and this moment of unclear mood struck with particular aggression.

Behind them came a rumbling crash as the two walls closed.

Only then did Dan Shuang and Chi Xue relax. Though it sounded dangerous, it was actually just an instant. The dirt walls moved too fast, and this passage was narrow. If not for Feiyu being closest to pull her, even with their longest arms, they couldn’t have reached.

Chi Xue couldn’t help exclaiming: “This brothel actually has such dangerous yet ingenious mechanisms underground!”

Feiyu said nothing, thinking it was quite a coincidence. When initially choosing this small building, it was because it was relatively remote and offered a distant view of Cangsheng Tower, making it convenient. Now it seemed this Fuchun Tower, as one of Lao’er’s secret strongholds in Haiyou, had been connected to under Cangsheng Tower from the beginning, with one entrance in this courtesan’s boudoir.

Who could have imagined that a brothel and Buddhist tower were actually one building?

The passage was narrow, long, and dark, only allowing single file. Several people could only form a long line. Dan Shuang and Chi Xue intended to sandwich Tie Ci between them, but Tie Ci said: “Those without martial arts can’t take point or rear guard. We don’t know if there are still ambushes on both sides of this passage. With the situation unclear, the person behind should place their hand on the shoulder of the person in front, maintaining constant communication.”

So Dan Shuang went first, Chi Xue second, Feiyu third, Tie Ci fourth.

The passage was long and dark, without the faintest light. Darkness was thick as substance. If not for hearing faint breathing and feeling the warmth of human bodies under their hands, walking in such a passage would create the illusion that one’s existence had ceased. It might even generate strange feelings, as if being carried by darkness toward eternal unknown.

The earthy smell was heavy on all sides, mixed with slight decay. Occasionally a star of green light would flicker—phosphorus hidden in the soil, but to modern eyes, probably just ghost fire.

Everyone walked silently, footsteps rustling by their ears in a rhythm approaching numbness. Listening long, their hearts inexplicably tightened slightly.

Feiyu suddenly said eerily: “At a time like this, ghost stories are usually needed for atmosphere…”

She spoke suddenly in a light tone, each word echoing in the deep passage. Even Chi Xue, steady as she was, was startled into a low gasp.

Dan Shuang angrily said: “Will you die if you don’t speak!”

The result was “die die die” echoing continuously throughout the passage, sounding even more eerie.

Tie Ci sighed and laughingly smoothed things over: “Since walking is boring anyway, and there seem to be no mechanisms in this tunnel, then let’s talk. I’ll start respectfully. Once a team went exploring in a mountain cave, also like this cave, also one holding onto another. One was timid, taking a few steps then feeling for the hand on his shoulder, always feeling it there, always feeling it there…”

As she spoke, Feiyu suddenly reached out to touch Tie Ci’s hand resting on her shoulder. Tie Ci’s hair stood on end from the touch, then couldn’t help but burst out laughing, unable to continue the ghost story.

“Then what?” Dan Shuang, unaware of the hanky-panky behind her, couldn’t help asking.

“Then, he kept feeling it all the way to the cave mouth. He breathed a sigh of relief. At this time, his companion outside the cave called to him, shouting: Old Yu! Hurry up, you’re the only one left!”

Dan Shuang: “…”

Your ghost story telling is really good.

Feiyu said: “Young Master, your story suddenly gave me a ghost story too.”

“Upgraded version? Then let’s hear it.”

“The beginning is the same,” Feiyu said. “Only that coward didn’t touch hands—he called out. With each step, he asked: Shiba, are you there? Shiba, are you there? Shiba would answer: I’m here. I’m here. I’m here.”

Chi Xue said quietly: “I suspect you’re alluding to our young master.”

Feiyu glanced at her strangely, didn’t respond, and continued: “Also asking all the way, nothing happening all the way, until reaching the cave mouth. The coward saw bright light, breathed a sigh of relief, and said to the back: Finally made it out. Once outside, we’ll eat roasted whole lamb. Remember when we were small, we also went through a mountain cave. The stalactites inside were so beautiful, but we almost got lost and went hungry for several days…”

She spoke dryly, ending without suspense. Dan Shuang listened in confusion, finding it neither ghostly nor funny, frowning: “Then what? That’s it?”

Feiyu suddenly said in a flat tone: “…Then, the person behind him said: I’m here.”

Dan Shuang: “…”

Your ghost story level isn’t low either.

After the two ghost stories, somehow everyone felt the temperature had dropped considerably. That chill seemed to seep from the dirt walls, threading into people’s bones. Chi Xue unconsciously hugged her arms.

Feiyu suddenly seemed to trip on her skirt, tumbling forward and taking Chi Xue with her. Tie Ci’s hand fell empty and immediately stopped, reaching out to help them up. Fortunately, the other person stood up quickly. Tie Ci placed her hand on her shoulder as usual, about to say be careful walking, when suddenly a ghostly cold wind blew, and faint light flashed ahead. Tie Ci immediately fell silent.

The people in the passage resumed silence, still walking forward with hands on shoulders, footsteps regular and hollow.

Fortunately, there were still no incidents behind, only the continuous faint tinkling sounds. Until the faint light became increasingly obvious, the wind grew stronger and hotter, and everyone broke into light sweat. After a while, things returned to normal.

Dan Shuang suddenly stopped. From the wind, she could feel the exit ahead was reached, but at the end there was no more path. Tie Ci felt around the walls, finding wet edges. With a gentle push, an iron door opened to the side. This passage was perpendicular to the previous one, even narrower, requiring crawling on hands and knees. Fortunately, after crawling just two steps, Dan Shuang signaled all clear.

The person ahead bent down to crawl. When Tie Ci bent down, she touched the other person’s hem.

She suddenly froze, reaching out to grab that hem and feeling it, then said: “Chi Xue!”

Chi Xue’s voice came from directly ahead. Hearing her voice crack slightly, she also became inexplicably nervous: “Young Master, I’m here!”

Saying this, suddenly remembering the earlier ghost story, she shivered.

Tie Ci, hearing the direction of her voice, changed color: “Where’s Feiyu!”

Now even Dan Shuang, who had already emerged and was preparing to pull Chi Xue out, froze.

On this March spring night, her hair stood on end as she pulled Chi Xue out and peered into the tunnel.

She met Tie Ci’s face.

The three stood dazed at the tunnel mouth.

The ghost story had come true.

A straight path—pulling and pulling, the person behind disappeared.

The one saying “I’m here” had been switched.

Tie Ci crawled out of the opening and saw a well nearby. Water rippled in the well, but she knew this well water had been poured in—just a little bit. Below the well water lay another world.

But the current problem was: where was Feiyu?