The cold from the remaining wind and snow had not yet faded from their bodies. In the flickering light of the oil lamp, the visitor’s features were clearly illuminated.

Yin Zheng said in surprise, “Captain Pei?”

Lu Tong paused, her tense body gradually relaxing. The person behind her released his restraining grip, and Lu Tong turned around to look at the person before her.

It was actually Pei Yunying.

In the narrow clinic back room, he wore all black arrow-sleeved clothing, almost blending into the darkness. His expression was composed and at ease, as if the one who had broken into a civilian residence at night was someone else.

A very faint scent of blood emanated from the person before her.

Pei Yunying glanced at the hairpin in Lu Tong’s hand, his gaze flickering as he joked, “Good thing I moved quickly. This thing isn’t poisoned, is it?”

Lu Tong tucked the hairpin back into her sleeve and spoke calmly, “What is the Captain doing?”

Running to the medical clinic to knock on doors in the middle of the night, dressed like this—it was really hard not to overthink the situation.

“A bit of trouble.” Pei Yunying sighed, “I want to borrow your place to take temporary shelter.”

His tone was overly natural, as if he and Lu Tong were old friends of many years. Making such a request without the slightest hesitation or uncertainty shocked Yin Zheng into widening her eyes slightly.

“That’s not good.”

Lu Tong spoke indifferently, “The Captain and I are neither relatives nor old friends. Helping the Captain would mean offending others. Those mad dogs in the capital are very troublesome, and I never look for trouble myself.”

Pei Yunying’s gaze paused slightly.

These familiar words—weren’t they exactly what he had said before in Immortal Encounter Tower when Qi Yutai came looking for trouble and Lu Tong asked him to help resolve the situation?

Lu Tong was now returning his own words to him.

Pei Yunying lowered his head and smiled, “Doctor Lu truly holds grudges.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

He nodded, “What you said is very reasonable. However, if I’m discovered here, it wouldn’t be good to implicate you either.”

Lu Tong raised her eyes.

He smiled brilliantly, without the slightest awareness of facing danger, speaking leisurely, “What if others think you and I are in this together? That way, Doctor Lu would also be implicated.”

“I don’t mind,” he shrugged indifferently, “but if Doctor Lu is investigated, and they dig deeper and uncover some secrets… delaying what you want to accomplish, wouldn’t that be very troublesome?”

Lu Tong looked at him coldly.

He had an air of not caring much about anything.

She didn’t know what this person was trying to do or whom he had offended. But right now she wanted to enter the palace, and if Pei Yunying was really discovered here and implicated her, all her previous schemes would be ruined.

Pei Yunying was counting on exactly this, which was why he was so bold.

The lamp oil was running low, and the wick in the oil lamp flickered, casting the expressions of everyone in the room in vague shadows.

After a long while, Lu Tong turned around and spoke coldly, “Follow me.”

…

The wind and snow outside had grown stronger.

The small courtyard ground was covered with a layer of silver white. Under the window eaves, a row of orange lanterns cast weak light, illuminating the heavy snow drifting down from the sky.

As soon as Lu Tong emerged from the small kitchen, violent knocking sounded at the medical clinic’s entrance.

Yin Zheng stood in the courtyard holding an oil lamp, looking nervously toward Lu Tong.

Lu Tong remained silent for a moment, took the oil lamp, lifted the felt curtain, and walked toward the clinic entrance.

“Bang bang bang—”

The knocking was urgent, particularly jarring in the dark winter night. As soon as Lu Tong pushed open the door, bright torches immediately illuminated the entire street in front of the entrance.

A group of patrol soldiers from the Military Patrol Office stood at the clinic entrance. They aggressively pushed through the door and all surged into the medical clinic.

Yin Zheng said “Ah” but before she could speak, the group of patrol soldiers rushed into the clinic like hungry wolves, searching and rummaging everywhere.

“Who is it?” Yin Zheng called out.

The leading patrol officer stepped forward and, by the dim lamplight, saw Lu Tong’s face clearly. He was startled for a moment, then called out, “Doctor Lu?”

Lu Tong looked at this person and nodded slightly, “Lord Shen.”

This person was actually Shen Fengying from the Military Patrol Office.

Shen Fengying seemed to just realize where he was. He stepped back two paces, looked at the clinic’s signboard, and slapped his thigh, “I didn’t even notice we’d come to your place!” He turned to call to those behind him, “Be careful, don’t break anything!” Then he looked at Lu Tong, “Sorry Doctor Lu, we have to trouble you again.”

“It’s fine.” Lu Tong asked, “However, what is Lord Shen doing? Don’t tell me you’ve received another report about Renxin Medical Clinic killing and burying bodies?”

This group of patrol soldiers had barged in aggressively, and in terms of the force and formation, it exceeded the previous occasion.

Hearing this, as if remembering the previous misunderstanding of breaking into the clinic at night, Shen Fengying showed some embarrassment on his face.

Shen Fengying coughed lightly, “That’s not it. Tonight there was an assassin who escaped from the palace, and the entire city is searching for him. Our patrol office was also called up.”

He held up his torch and walked further into the clinic, asking Lu Tong, “Doctor Lu, have you seen any suspicious people here?”

“No.”

“That’s strange.” Shen Fengying pondered, “Just now our men were chasing the assassin this way, and we seemed to see a figure at your clinic entrance.”

Yin Zheng’s gaze trembled.

Lu Tong said flatly, “Is that so? I didn’t see anyone. There’s a snowman A’Cheng built at the clinic entrance—perhaps you gentlemen mistook the snowman for something else.”

Shen Fengying nodded, “Maybe so.” Though he said this, his actions directing the patrol soldiers to search didn’t relax at all. Shen Fengying himself also carried his blade into the back room, patrolling everywhere.

The courtyard was very cold. Red silk lanterns hung from the plum tree branches, casting the snow-covered ground in a faint red glow.

Yin Zheng twisted the handkerchief in her hands, glancing uneasily toward the small kitchen.

This glance was immediately caught by Shen Fengying.

He spoke alertly, “What’s over there?”

Lu Tong answered, “It’s the kitchen.”

Shen Fengying glanced at Lu Tong and waved his hand, calling to the patrol soldiers behind him, “Search the kitchen carefully!”

Yin Zheng’s expression changed.

Lu Tong’s hand holding the oil lamp trembled slightly.

The patrol soldiers received their orders and swarmed into the kitchen, immediately making the reasonably spacious kitchen feel cramped. Shen Fengying quickly walked in.

This kitchen was plain to the point of being called shabby—mud walls, earthen pots and stove, some leftover vegetables and fruits on the stone counter, and some eggs and sweet potatoes in grass baskets under the stove. The fire had already died out, leaving only scattered ashes on the ground.

Shen Fengying cautiously walked a few steps inside. Seeing nothing suspicious, he was about to leave when his gaze suddenly fixed.

In the corner of the kitchen was a pile of thick dried grass.

It was common for ordinary people to pile dried grass at home to save on fuel. However, Renxin Medical Clinic didn’t raise livestock, and if it was for cooking fires, piling dried grass in the kitchen could cause fires—there was clearly an empty room in the courtyard.

Moreover, this grass pile was really too big.

Thick layers piled in the corner like a small mountain. If there were thieves hiding, concealing themselves here would be difficult to detect.

A wave flickered in Shen Fengying’s eyes. He walked to the grass pile and suddenly drew his blade and swung!

Instantly, there was a “crash—”

The grass pile collapsed and disintegrated like a shattered earthen mountain. Among the slowly sliding grass debris, a dark corner gradually emerged from within.

“This is…”

Shen Fengying’s expression changed instantly.

Like treasure buried deep underground being cleared of thick soil, revealing secrets that saw daylight again.

Under those thick grass piles, several half-person-high black ceramic jars were hidden.

The ceramic jars were extremely large, completely capable of containing a person hiding inside, like several abruptly protruding black earthen mounds, strange and abnormal.

Shen Fengying remembered clearly that when he came to search Renxin Medical Clinic last time, there hadn’t been these several large black ceramic jars in the kitchen.

He swallowed and his tone turned cold, “Doctor Lu, what are these?”

“Some medicinal materials used for making medicine,” Lu Tong answered.

As soon as she finished speaking, a light sound suddenly came from the black ceramic jar. This movement wasn’t loud, but in the silent night, it clearly reached everyone’s ears.

The patrol soldier closest changed expression, “My lord! There’s something inside.”

Shen Fengying squinted and instinctively looked toward Lu Tong.

Lu Tong stood at the kitchen entrance, neither too far nor too close. The oil lamp in her hand was blown by the cold wind as if it would extinguish at any moment, making her gaze appear blurred as well.

Shen Fengying’s expression gradually grew serious. He drew the blade from his waist, signaled the surrounding patrol soldiers to step back, walked to the ceramic jar himself, and the torchlight illuminated him as well as the sweat beads rolling down from his forehead.

All around was dead silent.

Shen Fengying slowly approached the ceramic jar. With one hand gripping the jar’s lid and the other holding his blade horizontally in front of him, he suddenly lifted—

“Hiss hiss—”

Rustling sounds came from the ceramic jar, accompanied by the startled cries of surrounding patrol soldiers. Shen Fengying stared blankly at the contents of the ceramic jar. After a long while, somewhat shaken, he turned to Lu Tong, “This… this is… snakes?”

In this ceramic jar were actually dozens of pitch-black long snakes!

The long snakes’ scales were black and glistened with damp coldness, intertwined together making friction sounds. Shen Fengying only looked once before quickly replacing the lid.

“Doctor Lu, why do you have snakes in this jar?”

These venomous creatures were sinister and terrifying, all tangled together, rustling—even listening to them was quite frightening.

Lu Tong approached carrying the oil lamp, her tone flat, “Sometimes the medical clinic needs fresh snake skins and snake blood for making medicine. These were bought with silver from snake catchers—they’re medicinal materials.”

Shen Fengying pointed to the other several ceramic jars, “These too?”

Lu Tong handed the oil lamp to Yin Zheng, walked to the other ceramic jars herself, lifted the lids, and invited Shen Fengying to look closer.

The other ceramic jars contained scorpions, centipedes, and toads respectively.

Shen Fengying stared at Lu Tong with an indescribable expression. After a long while, he finally spoke, “Doctor Lu, are you practicing witchcraft?”

He, a grown man, felt his heart racing and short of breath looking at these things, yet Lu Tong, a delicate woman, showed no emotion whatsoever, as if she quite enjoyed dealing with these creatures.

If he weren’t fairly familiar with West Street, Shen Fengying would almost suspect he’d entered an underworld clinic.

“Lord Shen doesn’t know—medicines have seven relationships: those that act alone, those that assist each other, those that enhance each other, those that oppose each other, those that counteract each other, and those that destroy each other.”

“Those that destroy each other control each other’s toxicity. When these poisonous creatures are used properly, they can also be life-saving remedies.”

Shen Fengying listened in confusion. Looking around the kitchen once more and seeing nothing else suspicious, he called for the patrol soldiers behind him to withdraw first.

The patrol soldiers followed Shen Fengying out of the kitchen into the small courtyard, where the north wind was strong and snow flakes fell on people like fluff.

As Shen Fengying passed the plum tree in the small courtyard, thinking of how he had come last time in the same manner, aggressively turning the clinic upside down only to find nothing in the end, he inexplicably felt somewhat guilty and a bit ashamed.

Reasonably speaking, he actually had no ill feelings toward Lu Tong.

Last time, this Doctor Lu had cooperated with Palace Command Captain Pei Yunying to stage a good show in front of the Military Patrol Office, aimed at dragging the Prince of Wen’s mansion into the water. Shen Fengying later learned what happened—Pei Yunying’s sister, the Princess Consort of Wen, successfully divorced and moved out of the Prince of Wen’s mansion, while that side consort who hired assassins, along with the palace lady, both suffered greatly.

Shen Fengying was clear that Pei Yunying had used him as a target, and he was prepared to offend the Prince of Wen and eventually be kicked out of the Military Patrol Office. Who knew that after this incident, his superior personally sought him out for a talk, showing concern for his wellbeing and reasonably expressing that while he was in a difficult position, he had handled things extremely well and would inevitably be promoted in the future.

Whether this promise could actually fill his stomach remained unknown, but at least it let Shen Fengying’s heart temporarily settle.

He also understood that Pei Yunying must have spoken with the Military Patrol Office to prevent him from being made difficult by the Prince of Wen afterward.

Shen Fengying’s ill feelings toward Pei Yunying had dissipated considerably at that time.

If not for orders from the city garrison tonight, he wouldn’t have come to trouble Lu Tong in the middle of the night.

Just as he was thinking this, Lu Tong, walking ahead, suddenly paused and coughed twice.

Shen Fengying startled and quickly looked toward her.

Because she had come out hurriedly at night, Lu Tong had only thrown on a thin outer garment over a plain white inner robe. Her hairpins had been removed, her black hair hanging to her chest. She was very thin and frail, her expression innocent and bewildered. Standing in the lamplight under the wind and snow, she was like a snow-white magnolia blooming in the wind, too delicate to withstand the winter cold.

The beautiful woman’s frailty immediately stirred some pity and self-reproach in Shen Fengying, who quickly spoke, “Disturbing Doctor Lu so abruptly tonight was truly wrong of me.”

“There’s nothing more here. I’m sorry, Doctor Lu, please go back inside and rest quickly.” He waved his hand and called to his subordinates, “Let’s go!”

This group of patrol soldiers left as they had come, in a rush, leaving messy footprints in the snow of the small courtyard.

Lu Tong tightened the outer garment around her, holding the lamp as she watched the last patrol soldier leave the clinic. She waited at the clinic entrance for a long while until there was no more movement outside, then finally returned to the small courtyard carrying the oil lamp.

Yin Zheng stood at the bedroom door, glancing inside, then looking worriedly at Lu Tong, “Miss…”

“It’s fine. You go guard the front room and be careful in case anyone comes back.”

After hesitating, still worried about people returning, Yin Zheng left carrying a lantern.

Orange lamplight glowed faintly through the gaps in the flower window at the bedroom door.

Wind and snow versus charcoal brazier, cold versus warmth—separated by just a door, like two different worlds.

Lu Tong stood at the door for a moment, then pushed it open and walked in.

Upon entering, a warm breeze hit her face.

A warming stove burned in the corner of the room. The flower window was half-open, with craggy plum branches perfectly framed in the window view, standing unmoved in the cold wind.

In the boudoir, Pei Yunying had his back to Lu Tong, standing before the small Buddhist shrine.

Lu Tong entered and closed the door, looking at his back as she said, “Captain Pei, the people have left.”

Pei Yunying turned around.

Incense candles were lit before the small Buddhist shrine, and the room’s dim candlelight flickered. He wore all black, his features handsome, like a spirit that had suddenly appeared before the Guanyin statue on this snowy night—uninvited, presumptuous, and dangerous.

Seeing Lu Tong looking at him, he smiled and spoke with a somewhat teasing tone.

“So easily fooled by you—no wonder the capital’s security keeps getting worse.”