This was… a cemetery.

And a cemetery that even the master wouldn’t enter.

Life and death separated, yin and yang never meeting.

Tie Ci instantly broke out in cold sweat, realizing she had inadvertently touched upon the master’s taboo. She immediately stood up and backed away step by step.

Recalling how the elderly man had told her to sweep casually earlier without any warnings, and remembering the envy, jealousy, and hatred of those three card partners when they left, she couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

When the old man of Sai gained a horse, how could he know it wasn’t a curse?

The master was already silently punishing her cunning.

Now it seemed that being close and staying might not necessarily be a good thing.

One careless step into the cemetery, and she would lose all opportunities to communicate with the master of this place.

After understanding this point, Tie Ci stopped sweeping and returned. The elderly man was eating dinner, didn’t ask where she had gone, and gestured for her to come eat together. She sat down without ceremony.

During the meal, a set of bowls and chopsticks was placed in front of the seat beside the elderly man, with a bowl of rice already served. As the elderly man ate, he casually picked up dishes and placed them on the plate in front of that seat.

“This honey-glazed roast duck is what you like to eat, have some more.”

“These rouge bamboo shoot slices are good, try them.”

“The soup is a bit hot, drink it later.”

As evening fell, the sunset painted the entire valley like it was shrouded in blood-red gauze. Shadows from distant mountains fell, enveloping all the scenery in the courtyard in dark shadows, indistinct and wavering, with cool mountain breezes.

Wind lanterns under the corridor gave off dim yellow light, casting illusory shadows on the table surface.

In this scene that was beautiful yet faintly eerie, with such mystical behavior, plus the fact that the “mistress” of this seat was now lying in the nearby cemetery, it made one’s whole body break out in goosebumps and chest tighten with fear.

Only now did Tie Ci understand what Young Master Qi meant earlier about staying overnight not necessarily being a good thing. If someone with a smaller courage had to eat this meal, they’d probably wet themselves on the spot.

The lamplight reflected on the elderly man’s face with several parts ghostly atmosphere. He raised his eyes to look at Tie Ci, and at some point his speech had also slowed down: “You… don’t… eat…?”

A cool breeze blew over, and he showed Tie Ci a pale, slow smile. The chopsticks in his hand mechanically dug at the white rice, one motion after another. The rice piled up high with chopsticks standing upright, making one inevitably think of some unpleasant associations.

“I’m eating.” Tie Ci scooped up a big mouthful of rice. Her clear, bright voice instantly dispelled the eerie atmosphere from just now. She casually picked up a duck leg: “Stop talking while you’re chewing candy in your mouth, old sir. Be careful not to stick those few old teeth together.”

The elderly man grunted, chewed a few times, and stopped talking.

Tie Ci, however, began to turn guest into host, picking up a piece of preserved vegetable and putting it on the mistress’s small plate: “Don’t just eat sweet things—it’s bad for your stomach and sticks to your teeth. This is refreshing.”

“The soup has gotten cold, let me get you a fresh bowl.”

“This pastry is savory, quite special. It should suit your taste.”

Across from her, the old man stopped pretending to be a ghost and put down his chopsticks with a dark expression.

“How do you know she likes savory flavors?”

“I don’t know.” Tie Ci continued eating. “I just like savory flavors myself.”

“It’s not your place to be attentive.” The elderly man suddenly became sharp and caustic. “Earlier you nearly disturbed her, and this old man hasn’t settled accounts with you yet, but you’ve become even more presumptuous.”

“Oh, alright.” Tie Ci wasn’t angry and served herself a third bowl of rice.

The elderly man seemed to have lost his appetite. He threw down his chopsticks and returned to his study to fiddle with his brush holder again.

Tie Ci ate slowly and methodically, cleared the dishes, washed the bowls by the small river, then went back to her little thatched hut to sleep.

Though called a little thatched hut, it was solidly built with an exquisite design. Inside, tables, chairs, bed, and curtains were all complete, with various decorations that were fresh and elegant, quite ingenious. But every detail was very feminine, showing that the mistress of this place had originally been someone skilled at managing a household with high taste.

No wonder even someone like this old fellow couldn’t forget her.

Tie Ci lay down and slept. In the middle of the night, she heard the sound of flowing robes passing by. An old man’s figure swept past the small window, with a broad forehead extending forward in solitary pride, wide sleeves fluttering.

In her drowsy state, Tie Ci seemed to see the elderly man treading on moonlight like silver frost, stopping before the Nai He Bridge. His toes always pointed toward the direction where she was buried, yet he always hesitated and couldn’t move forward. The river sparkled under the moonlight, lotus lanterns drifted leisurely downstream toward another realm full of mandala flowers… In the distance, solemn and magnificent ceremonial music faintly sounded. Within the music, scholarly voices rang out as three thousand students performed dances before the great hall, while countless flower petals falling from the sky became snow-like scrolls…

When Tie Ci opened her eyes at dawn, after washing up she took the big broom to sweep again. The elderly man still sat by the window playing with his brush holder, as if he hadn’t slept all night.

Seeing Tie Ci, he said: “Your debt is paid off. You can leave now.”

Tie Ci: “…”

She put down the big broom, rested her chin on it, and settled accounts with the old man: “Wait, old sir, how did you calculate this? I owe you two thousand taels of gold, and it’s settled just because I swept your garden yesterday? What kind of labor is so valuable?”

“Your labor is just that valuable.”

Tie Ci: “…”

Did he know her identity?

“Do you… know me?”

“I don’t know you.”

“Then…”

“Offering attentiveness for no reason,” the elderly man said, “naturally means wanting to recruit this old man. And what significance does this old man have for ordinary people? To invite him to waste food?”

Comrade Old He was quite self-aware.

After one round of tiles, Tie Ci had guessed who this old fellow was—wasn’t this the Confucian Saint He Zi, teacher of all scholars under heaven? Besides him, who else in this Qingyang territory could make people fawn over them like this?

She hadn’t expected Lady Sun to bring her such an opportunity.

“No matter what your identity is, this old man will not agree to whatever you want to say.” The elderly man pointed around the courtyard: “Letting you stay this one night was to let you see clearly what kind of place this is, to see clearly why I will absolutely never leave here. This old man wanted to save us both some words. If you’re smart enough, you should put down that broom and leave right now. If we never meet again in the martial world, we can both save some face.”

Tie Ci followed his gaze to look around. Every plant and tree had been personally created by his deceased wife, and that woman also rested in the back garden. If he left this place, his heart would have no refuge.

No wonder countless people had tried before with no one succeeding.

“Old He.” Tie Ci put down the broom and formally bowed. “Since we’re speaking openly, let me be direct. I’m not leaving. My labor isn’t that valuable.”

“If I say you’re valuable, then you’re valuable.”

“If I say I’m not valuable, then I’m not. I’m five foot seven, one hundred ten pounds. I’m neither extraordinarily strong nor can I sweep ten thousand acres in a day. My labor and skill level at most equals that of men my age. Where’s the value? Could my identity make the places I’ve swept sparkle and drop gold? Old He was once a sage who proposed the great unity of the world and equality of all beings. Now you’re full of the class consciousness you once most despised. Was this influenced by your wife’s teachings?”

“Outrageous!” The good-tempered He Zi flew into a rage. “Who gave you permission to speak recklessly about the deceased!”

“You keep her ashes in a brush holder and play with them daily! Only the magistrate can set fires while the people can’t light lamps?”

“Nonsense! That’s her hair!”

“Hair is also part of the body. You kept her hair but didn’t give her a complete burial. Who’s more excessive?”

“…Nonsense! That hair fell naturally! After she cut her hair, she built the cemetery herself, sealed her own coffin, and made a poisonous oath forbidding anyone from stepping foot in her cemetery. How could I enter!”

“I’ll help you go in to pay respects and fulfill your wish. You agree to come with me!”

“She forbade anyone from stepping foot there! Violators will have the deceased fall into Avici Hell forever! Even if this old man killed you, I wouldn’t let you step one foot in the cemetery!”

“I know, I know. That Nai He Bridge of yours, those water lilies, those fish—which one isn’t a killing trap? I guarantee I won’t step foot there, but I’ll let you pay respects!”

“You’re talking nonsense.”

“You don’t need to worry about whether I’m talking nonsense or not. Just say what happens if I accomplish it?”

“Going with you is impossible!”

“Then let me stay.”

The other side fell silent. After a long while, He Zi flicked his sleeves and left.

“I give you three days. If you can’t do it within three days, you can never come within three li of this old man for the rest of your life.”

“Deal!”

That promise rang with the force of mountains and rivers, but Tie Ci sat down as if drained of strength.

Guessing he was He Zi wasn’t difficult—the hard part was staying. She didn’t hesitate to use provocation, proposing that He Zi come with her, but her goal was just to stay a few more days.

Only by staying would there be opportunities.

He Zi came from a family of Confucian saints and held emperor-like status in scholarly circles. He had once served as Imperial Academy Supervisor under the previous emperor, with students throughout the land. Later he served as Mountain Chief of Yueli Academy, earning even more adoration from scholars nationwide.

Yet he retired at the height of his career to live as a hermit in the deep mountains. Some said he became disheartened and withdrew from court due to grief over his wife’s death. The He couple was indeed famous for their deep marital love, but even in the secret historical records specifically searching for privacy about court officials and celebrities, Tie Ci had found no record of Madam He’s cause of death.

Tie Ci remembered that not long after He Zi went into seclusion, those imperial princes and grandsons began having troubles one after another, until later when the Xiao family supported her father’s ascension to the throne, ending that turbulent period.

She had always believed Lingquan Village was related to Hidden Dragon. Yet Lady Sun brought her to meet He Zi. What was the relationship between He Zi and Lingquan Village? And what was his relationship with Hidden Dragon?

In any case, even setting aside the Hidden Dragon matter, He Zi was already an important target of this journey.

If she gained He Zi, she would gain the hearts of scholars and civil officials throughout the land. Her father’s throne and her own would be half-secured.

Which lord in the world with ambitions wouldn’t want to recruit He Zi? Didn’t you see those few people, openly and secretly, all drooling over the old man?

Now that Tie Ci and He Zi had spoken openly, she stopped making a fuss. The two ignored each other. Today He Zi also didn’t set out his wife’s bowls and chopsticks. He ate silently, and his tile partners came again.

This time the petite young girl brought her brother, with the older one still at the tile table and the younger one squatting with Tie Ci to watch ants.

The cold woman in colorful robes didn’t come. Young Master Qi continued to report for duty.

A tall man replaced that woman in colorful robes. His eyes were slightly blue with distinct features, but he spoke fluent Chinese and understood Central Plains etiquette. He specifically chatted with Tie Ci for a few sentences, but later seeing He Zi’s obvious displeasure with Tie Ci, his deliberate courting and wariness faded considerably, and he stopped paying much attention to Tie Ci. His tile playing was quite smooth, without the careful losing of the others. He lost money with big gestures, and while playing, suddenly ordered: “Hey you, bring some tea up here.”

Tie Ci, who was leaning on the big broom lost in thought, heard this but didn’t register it. After all, she wasn’t someone who served others. It wasn’t until the man looked up and impatiently gave the order again that she reacted.

Huh? Was he ordering her around?

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