Just as the ox cart turned the corner, another guard came to report that Zhuang Mu had entered a gambling house and was already deep in a game. From his demeanor, it seemed he wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon. However, they had stationed men at both the front and back doors of the gambling house – they would receive word as soon as he emerged.

This was Teng Yu Yi’s first time conducting surveillance, and though it was taxing, she found it thoroughly exciting. As luck would have it, the ink shop was situated diagonally across from the gambling house. She decided to bring Jue Sheng inside to wait, asking the shopkeeper to display all their wares for them to browse while they waited.

The shop had a narrow layout with only one reception room for customers, furnished with four large desk tables separated by screens. This arrangement allowed multiple customers, both men and women, to browse without disturbing one another.

The shop wasn’t busy today, with only Teng Yu Yi and Jue Sheng in the quiet reception room. Soon enough, Qi Zhi was brought back by the guards, and as he sat down, he said, “I’ve already had A-Meng send word. Senior Brother should arrive shortly.”

“No rush. My people are all around – he won’t escape,” Teng Yu Yi said, pointing to the items on the tray. “While that rascal hasn’t emerged yet, why not choose something your Senior Brother would like?”

“Writing implements?” Jue Sheng and Qi Zhi craned their necks in unison.

The shop assistant enthusiastically asked, “Daoist Master, are you looking to give a gift?”

Qi Zhi, not skilled at lying, blushed and said, “We want to choose a birthday gift for our Senior Brother.”

“Then would the Daoist Master like to look at this purple brush?”

Suddenly, a woman’s voice came from outside: “We’ve come to the wrong place. This is an ink shop – the spice shop you mentioned moved across the street. Sister, you haven’t been to Chang’an in so long, it’s no wonder you didn’t know.”

The shop assistant hurried out to greet them.

Another voice sighed in the corridor: “Indeed, I haven’t been to Chang’an for almost ten years. I wanted to buy some spices, not knowing all the shops in this area had moved. Thankfully, Lady Tang accompanied me out today, or I would have returned empty-handed.”

Teng Yu Yi’s face instantly turned pale. That voice was clear and gentle, more melodious than the finest zither strings. About ten years ago, she had heard this voice singing “Su Mu Zhe” in her father’s study. That tone, filled with tender affection, was something she would never forget until death.

Wu Ying Ying?! Hadn’t she married and gone to Nanzhao? Why was she in Chang’an? Teng Yu Yi’s teacup trembled slightly in her hand as she stared outside with wide eyes. She saw a group of noble ladies wearing veiled hats pass by the door, surrounded by servants – quite an impressive entourage.

Among them, the leading lady in a misty purple dress particularly caught the eye. The woman had a full bosom but a waist so slim one could encircle it with one hand. Her hair was adorned with pearls and jewels, her entire bearing speaking of unspeakable nobility. Though she wore a face veil, Teng Yu Yi recognized her at once.

Without question, it was Wu Ying Ying.

Teng Yu Yi’s nails nearly dug into her palm. Very well – while her mother had long since turned to yellow earth, Wu Ying Ying was living well, not only maintaining her beauty from years past but returning to Chang’an in grand style!

Nanzhao was beyond her reach, but what was there to fear now that she was in Chang’an? She must stay calm and think carefully about her next move.

Jue Sheng and Qi Zhi had never seen such an expression on Teng Yu Yi’s face and became somewhat alarmed. “Young Master Wang, what’s wrong?”

Teng Yu Yi’s full attention was fixed on the sound of Wu Ying Ying’s footsteps. Seeing that Wu Ying Ying was about to leave the shop, she quickly turned to look out the window on the other side. Sure enough, the next moment Wu Ying Ying’s figure appeared outside the shop.

Wu Ying Ying entered the spice shop across the street with her companions. The Lady Tang beside her was none other than the wife of Tang Jia Yan, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial who was responsible for receiving foreign guests.

Teng Yu Yi stared unblinkingly at Wu Ying Ying’s retreating figure.

“Young Master Wang.” Jue Sheng and Qi Zhi’s anxious voices sounded in her ears.

Suddenly Jue Sheng said, “Ah, Senior Brother is here. I’ll go out to welcome him.”

Teng Yu Yi unconsciously shifted her gaze and saw a tall figure dismounting at the shop entrance.

Qi Zhi looked over as well. Senior Brother had changed out of his conspicuous official robes, presumably to make surveillance of the criminal easier. He had a jade flute tucked at his waist – at first glance, he looked exactly like a young nobleman idly browsing the West Market.

But Teng Yu Yi’s thoughts remained on the previous scene. When had Wu Ying Ying returned to Chang’an? How had she not received any word of it?

She should know – almost all her information came from Uncle Cheng.

Heh, she should have realized earlier. When it came to Wu Ying Ying, her intelligence became delayed.

Uncle Cheng handled everything for her, yet never revealed any news about Wu Ying Ying in her presence.

Uncle Cheng was utterly loyal, always following Father’s lead.

All of this could only have been on Father’s instructions.

She silently gritted her teeth. It seemed that to investigate Wu Ying Ying, she would first need to circumvent Uncle Cheng and Father.

But besides Uncle Cheng, the most useful person at her disposal was only Duan Fu. Duan Fu had also been Father’s death-sworn warrior but had been assigned to her side by Mother during her illness. She vaguely felt that Duan Fu’s reverence for Mother even exceeded that for Father.

After Mother’s death, Duan Fu had guarded her day and night. While Uncle Cheng swore loyalty to Father until death, in Duan Fu’s eyes there was only her, the young mistress.

Teng Yu Yi had once asked her aunt why Mother had specifically chosen Duan Fu from among the many capable people around Father. Her aunt wasn’t entirely sure either, only vaguely remembering that when her mother left Chang’an years ago, she had saved a guard along the way. As for whether that person was Duan Fu or not, her aunt couldn’t be certain.

Perhaps it was because she sensed that bone-deep sincerity in Duan Fu, but from childhood, Teng Yu Yi had always preferred to have Duan Fu help her with matters. Now, thinking of how Duan Fu had sacrificed his life to protect her in her previous life, she trusted him even more.

If she didn’t want Father to know about today’s events, she would have to rely on Duan Fu. But Duan Fu was just one person – how could he split his attention to also watch Wu Ying Ying? Moreover, Wu Ying Ying had lived in the Teng residence for quite some time and would recognize Duan Fu at a glance.

Teng Yu Yi considered – the beard could only hide the lower half of her face, leaving her eyebrows and eyes exposed.

She casually picked up an ink stick from the table and felt her way as she drew several strokes on her face. A pair of curved moth-wing eyebrows transformed into two thick, black caterpillars. Then she drew a thumb-sized black mole below each eye and on the bridge of her nose. Finally, she grabbed some dust from the table and added it around her eyes.

Qi Zhi’s mouth fell open. Young Lady Teng had only made a few marks on her face, yet she had become a completely different person.

“This is-” Qi Zhi couldn’t help but lean his round face close to Teng Yu Yi’s eyes. What exactly was different? While acquaintances might have recognized Young Lady Teng before, now they wouldn’t know her even face to face.

Looking at Qi Zhi’s curious face, Teng Yu Yi couldn’t force even a hint of a smile, only managing to say, “I need to go out for something.”

Qi Zhi quickly glanced outside – Zhuang Mu hadn’t emerged yet. “Young Master Wang, weren’t you also watching that rascal? Are you not watching anymore?”

“I’ll go out for a while and come back to watch later.”

As Teng Yu Yi stood up, they heard a shop assistant in the corridor say, “The inkstone the lady wanted has long been prepared by the owner, who was just waiting for you to come to collect it today. Please wait here a moment, I’ll bring it right away.”

A familiar voice sounded at the door: “Oh, isn’t this little Daoist Qi Zhi from Azure Cloud Temple?”

Teng Yu Yi looked up to see the speaker lift her veil. Looking closely, she realized it was Wu Ji, Li Huai Gu, Zheng Shuang Yin, Peng Hua Yue, Peng Jin Xiu, and other noble ladies.

Wu Ji had spoken. Li Huai Gu and the others were behind her, all curiously looking at her and Qi Zhi.

Additionally, there were several young masters from the Wu and Zheng families, evidently accompanying their sisters in shopping.

Qi Zhi couldn’t quite recall the names of these young men and women, but he knew that, having traveled around Chang’an with his Grand Master since childhood, quite a few people recognized him and Jue Sheng.

He solemnly performed a greeting: “This humble monk pays his respects.”

Peng Hua Yue and Peng Jin Xiu, new to Chang’an, didn’t understand why Wu Ji showed such respect to a young Daoist priest. After asking quietly, they learned he was Daoist Master Qing Xu’s disciple.

The ladies’ expressions changed slightly – Qing Xu was the current Emperor’s honored teacher, whom His Majesty regarded as a father. No wonder Wu Ji treated him differently, being Qing Xu’s disciple.

Wu Ji looked kindly at Qi Zhi: “Has the venerable master returned? My mother was saying she wanted to visit the temple to thank the master for his medicinal pills.”

Qi Zhi respectfully replied, “Grand Master hasn’t returned yet.”

“Lady Wu, your inkstone has been brought out. Please come inside to examine it,” the shop assistant came over carrying a tray.

“Is the little Daoist here to buy something?”

The shop assistant smiled, “The little Daoist is choosing a birthday gift for his Senior Brother.”

The Wu family’s sixth young master, the youngest, walked into the room upon hearing this: “Perfect timing! My elder brothers were also saying they wanted to give gifts to the Crown Prince. What does your Senior Brother like?”

Unable to stop her brother, Wu Ji had no choice but to enter the room with Li Huai Gu and the others.

Teng Yu Yi gave Qi Zhi a meaningful look and took the opportunity to walk outside. Seeing only an earth-complexioned youth, the others assumed he was just a friend Jue Sheng and Qi Zhi knew from outside, and paid little attention.

Just then, Jue Sheng and Lin Chengyou came down the corridor. Jue Sheng asked, “Senior Brother, how did you know we were here?”

Lin Chengyou said, “The temple’s carriage is right outside the shop – how could I miss it?”

Teng Yu Yi, her mind full of Wu Ying Ying, hadn’t anticipated someone entering and nearly collided with them. Fortunately, having practiced some internal martial arts these past few days and always being quicker than others in reactions, she instinctively stopped. Even so, her head almost touched the other person’s chest.

The other person moved even faster than her. Before her hair could make contact, a jade flute pressed against her front, with just the right amount of force to keep them apart.

Teng Yu Yi looked up and met those familiar black eyes. Though Lin Chengyou wore a smile, his gaze was extremely cold.

He was used to handling such situations, more experienced than her.

Lin Chengyou held the jade flute steady, his expression disdainful. His gaze was about to move away when he suddenly froze, then quickly returned. Although her face was messily painted, he was far too familiar with those bright eyes.

Teng Yu Yi?

Jue Sheng also stared in astonishment.

Lin Chengyou examined Teng Yu Yi with slight surprise. Was it necessary to disguise herself like this just to visit the West Market? Glancing at the roomful of people behind her, he swallowed his words, but his gaze clearly said: Teng Yu Yi, what mischief are you up to now?

Teng Yu Yi never imagined that even with such a disguise, Lin Chengyou would recognize her at a glance. She quickly blinked at him, indicating she was busy and asking him not to expose her.

Lin Chengyou smiled and lowered his jade flute – you’re being secretive, and I’m supposed to play along?

With Wu Ying Ying on her mind, Teng Yu Yi didn’t wait for Lin Chengyou to speak, but walked past him and hurried down the corridor.

Lin Chengyou frowned slightly. Seeing how disturbed Teng Yu Yi looked, it was as if she’d seen a ghost.

Young Master Wu peered curiously from inside: “Crown Prince, what’s wrong?”

Wu Ji and the others rose to bow: “Crown Prince.”

Lin Chengyou smiled and returned their greeting: “Young Master Wu, Young Master Zheng, what brings you here?”

While speaking, his eyes gazed through the open window into the room, catching a glimpse of Teng Yu Yi’s figure flashing at the entrance before disappearing into the spice shop across the street.

The Wu family’s sixth young master and the Zheng family’s fourth young master said, “We’re here helping our sisters choose inkstones.”

Qi Zhi said from inside, “Senior Brother, come look at this.”

He desperately tried to signal Lin Chengyou with his eyes – the murder suspect was in the gambling house diagonally across, visible from the window where they’d been watching for a long time, just waiting for Senior Brother to arrive.

His eye signals were so forceful that his eye muscles were nearly cramping.

Lin Chengyou mentally cursed “foolish boy” – if that rascal Zhuang Mu truly wanted to escape, what use was sitting by the window staring?

Teng Yu Yi’s guards were new to Chang’an and might not know that the gambling house had four hidden doors. Watching just the front and back doors was useless; only by guarding all the secret exits would it be reliable.

However, he had already sent people to find the Military Commissioner and the Sabao. Soon he would take some of the Military Commissioner’s men to conduct surveillance inside, and as for the Sabao – since he was responsible for managing all foreigners in both markets and Zhuang Mu claimed to be Uyghur, the Sabao would surely know something of Zhuang Mu’s background.

Without waiting for Qi Zhi to come to welcome him, Lin Chengyou sat by the window with Jue Sheng.

After greeting Lin Chengyou, Young Master Zheng, Young Master Wu, and the others sat at another table behind the screen, having the shopkeeper bring items over to help their sisters make choices.

The tables were separated by several feet and divided by gauze screens. Wu Ji, Li Huai Gu, and the others chose items behind the screen, not disturbing each other.

Jue Sheng and Qi Zhi exchanged worried glances – with the room full of people, how could they discuss the case with Senior Brother? But the Wu young masters had come happily shopping, and they couldn’t ask them to leave. Seeing their Senior Brother calmly pouring himself tea, they could only sit in silence.

Lin Chengyou waited patiently for the Sabao, occasionally glancing at the spice shop. Teng Yu Yi hadn’t emerged since entering, and even her guard Duan Fu only stood at a distance at the street corner. What could be hidden in that spice shop that made her so anxious she didn’t even bring Duan Fu along?

It was exactly noon, and golden sunlight streamed through the window, falling on Lin Chengyou’s jet-black temples, high straight nose, and clear skin. As he caressed his teacup while observing the spice shop, he didn’t even notice his tea had gone cold.

Just then, the owner came in with assistants to serve hot tea, and couldn’t help but privately admire how this young gentleman was not merely handsome, but possessed an extraordinary grace.

Lin Chengyou glanced at the spice shop, then secretly observed the gambling house entrance. Suddenly feeling two gazes on his face, his keen senses made him look directly over. Shadowy female figures moved behind the screen, quickly averting their gaze.

***

The Powder Butterfly House was long renowned. Besides high-grade spices from Jiangnan and other regions, they also carried exotic fragrances from Persia, India, Linyi, and other foreign lands. Ladies who came to buy spices could freely mix their combinations, each creating unique scents, making it particularly popular among noble ladies of both capitals.

After entering the shop, Teng Yu Yi looked around but didn’t see Wu Ying Ying. Upon asking, she learned that the most precious spices were all kept on the second floor.

She hurried upstairs, finding the second floor even busier than the first, with three reception rooms arranged around the staircase in a triangle.

Teng Yu Yi decided to check the room on the right first, but just as she reached the doorway, an elderly woman called out, “Young master, be careful! Our lady is with child!”

A group emerged from the room, led by an old nurse who spread her arms to block Teng Yu Yi at the door. Behind her, maids surrounded a beautiful young woman in fine silk-like stars around the moon.

Quite an impressive entourage. Though separated from Teng Yu Yi by a wall of people, the young woman still felt offended, protectively covering her slightly swollen belly while glaring at Teng Yu Yi disapprovingly.

Teng Yu Yi exclaimed, “Pardon my offense – I didn’t see the lady coming out.”

She voluntarily stepped aside, smiling, “Please, take care, my lady.”

The young woman finally showed a slight smile and slowly walked into the corridor, extending both hands to the nurses on either side: “My lord said he would come for me, but he still hasn’t appeared. I’m tired – have them prepare the quiet room downstairs. I’ll go rest for a while.”

The shop assistant hurriedly said, “We know the Young Lady’s preferences – the downstairs quiet room is reserved for you as always.”

“Then let’s go downstairs.”

Teng Yu Yi smiled outwardly but felt contempt inside. She gave the woman and her servants a cool glance before entering the room when she suddenly heard people discussing in low voices:

“Just pregnant, and wanting all of Chang’an to know about it. Has she forgotten that the Rong’an Baron’s heir already has a pair of precious children, beloved by both the Baron and the heir? As a second wife, no matter how many children she bears, she shouldn’t hope to inherit the title.”

Another said, “This young Miss Jiang seemed fine when she was unmarried, but after marrying her brother-in-law as his second wife, she’s become so frivolous. In my view, besides her face, she can’t compare to her sister, the elder Miss Jiang, in any way.”

“Alas, what use was elder Miss Jiang’s goodness? Death extinguishes all, like a blown-out lamp. I heard she was even pregnant when she died, but the child was never born. Most pitiful are elder Miss Jiang’s young children. One would think an aunt would be better than a stranger, but now it seems young Miss Jiang’s heart is quite small. Once she has her child, there’s even less hope she’ll treat her niece and nephew well.”

“At least they still have the Baron and the heir.”

“The Baron is already so old – how many more years can he live? And the Rong’an heir is hard to say. Men are often fickle – back then he was inseparable from elder Miss Jiang, but now isn’t he attentive to young Miss Jiang in every way?”

“Shh-“

The ladies in the room all wore veiled hats and stopped talking when Teng Yu Yi entered.

Not seeing Wu Ying Ying, Teng Yu Yi retreated and glanced at the group of mistress and servants heading downstairs. So this was the Rong’an Baron’s heir’s wife – no wonder she looked familiar. She remembered seeing her from afar at the old Madame of the Zhen Guo Duke’s birthday celebration.

She strolled into the middle reception room and immediately spotted Wu Ying Ying sitting by the window. Wu Ying Ying had removed her veil and was selecting spices with Lady Tang. On the table sat a gold-lacquered box with peony branch patterns, each compartment containing differently colored spices.

The shop assistant turned to see Teng Yu Yi and hurried over: “Young master, would you like to buy some spices?”

Though privately wondering why this young master, despite his fine clothes, hat, and shoes, had such a dusty face.

Teng Yu Yi scratched her head and said gruffly, “I’m buying spices for my sister. Do you have that… that what’s-it-called jade-something flower fragrance?”

The assistant smiled, “You mean ‘Jade Stamen Yellow’? That’s the finest osmanthus fragrance we have.”

Teng Yu Yi impatiently waved her hand: “How should I remember all that? Just measure out two qian for me first.”

The assistant led Teng Yu Yi to sit at another spot, smiling: “Please wait a moment, young master.”

Wu Ying Ying and the others, seeing just a clumsy young gentleman, paid little attention.

Lady Tang patted Wu Ying Ying’s hand and sighed, “Last year when I heard the Prince of Xinchang had passed away, I thought you would immediately return to the Central Plains. Who knew you’d wait half a year before departing? Now that you’re back in Chang’an, don’t rush to return to Nanzhao. As the Prince of Xinchang’s widow, the Court of State Ceremonial had prepared guest quarters for you, but since the Prince had an old residence in the capital, that’s even better. What a coincidence that our residence is also in Jinggong Ward, just two main streets away from your Huayang Lane.”

Teng Yu Yi’s ears perked up high. Nanzhao was thousands of miles away, and over these years, Uncle Cheng and Father had deliberately kept news of Wu Ying Ying from her. She only knew Wu Ying Ying had married Nanzhao, but not that her husband was the Prince of Xinchang.

The Prince of Xinchang was the youngest brother of Nanzhao’s king, reportedly brave and skilled in warfare. After injuring his leg in battle with Tibet, he never returned to the Central Plains. No wonder Wu Ying Ying had vanished from Chang’an all these years – she had married the Prince of Xinchang.

Wu Ying Ying sighed, “The Prince treasured me like a pearl all these years. Now that he’s gone, I often feel rootless and adrift. I regret that we never had any children together – not even that comfort in times of sorrow. Now I only hope to reunite with the Prince soon. No matter where I am, I’m just passing time.”

Lady Tang said, “Don’t speak such depressing words. You married into Nanzhao at seventeen, and you’re not yet thirty. You still have more than half your life ahead of you – why be like this? The Prince wouldn’t rest easy knowing this in the afterlife.”

Wu Ying Ying smiled self-mockingly, “I’m not usually so self-pitying, but I’ve let my guard down today. Seeing all your old friends since returning to the capital has already eased my heart considerably. I came today to buy spices – let’s not speak of these things.”

She picked up a piece of spice to smell, her wide silk sleeves falling to her elbows, making her jade-like arms appear even more luminous.

Lady Tang said, “Night-blooming jasmine is one thing, but banana leaves for fragrance?”

Teng Yu Yi startled – that was one of Mother’s favorite spice recipes, containing night-blooming jasmine, cloves, banana leaves, and other ingredients. Named “Rain Eaves Falling Flowers,” it came from the poem line “Before the lamp, in fine rain, eaves-flowers fall.”

Back then, when Father frequently led troops to battle in pursuit of merit, Mother would hold little her while standing in the rain-swept corridor, gazing into the distance, missing Father.

She remembered it was then that Mother made Father a fragrance sachet with “Rain Eaves Falling Flowers” – a clear but slightly bitter scent representing infinite longing. After Mother’s death, Father never removed that sachet.

Thinking of this, Teng Yu Yi felt slightly nauseated. Only intimate people would know what spices were used in another’s sachet. Perhaps Wu Ying Ying’s interactions with Father had been more frequent than she imagined.

She heard Wu Ying Ying say, “Please wrap up all of these.”

Teng Yu Yi clenched her teeth, struggling not to turn around. Just then, someone came up from downstairs saying, “The Crown Prince has heard of the Princess Consort’s arrival in the capital and has brought several envoys to receive her.”

Teng Yu Yi looked downstairs, just in time to see Gu Xian, the Nanzhao Crown Prince, dismounting at the door.

Soon after, Wu Ying Ying and her group descended. First, she nodded to Gu Xian through her veil, then took her attendants’ hands to board the ox cart. A gentle breeze outlined the graceful curves of her full figure.

Gu Xian kept his eyes straight ahead, stepping aside with a formal bow.

Teng Yu Yi considered – since Gu Xian was the Nanzhao Crown Prince, Wu Ying Ying was his aunt by marriage. It was proper for a junior to welcome his aunt to the capital.

The carriages soon set off, and Teng Yu Yi watched Wu Ying Ying’s departing ox cart. Living in Huayang Lane in Jinggong Ward? If not for today’s chance encounter, she might have taken quite a while to learn of Wu Ying Ying’s return to Chang’an.

Just then, the assistant brought over Teng Yu Yi’s wrapped spices: “Would young master like anything else?”

As Teng Yu Yi turned to speak, a baby’s cry came from somewhere. Not too loud or soft, it cried briefly before suddenly stopping.

Teng Yu Yi thought nothing of it, asked the assistant about the price of the spices, and reached into her bosom for her money pouch. Instead of the pouch, she first touched the burning hot Little Cliff sword.

Teng Yu Yi was startled. There was no fine wine present to make Little Cliff crave it – could it be warning her? Yet outside the window, the sky was clear and the market bustling with carriages and horses, showing no signs of anything suspicious.

Despite these thoughts, she still felt uneasy. Little Cliff never gave warnings without cause. Remembering Lin Chengyou was in the ink shop across the street, she quickly paid and headed downstairs.

Just reaching the main hall, she heard two more infant cries. The assistant clearly heard them too, stopping to look around.

Teng Yu Yi didn’t see any women carrying babies in the crowd, but she did notice the quiet room at the end of the east corridor. The door was closed, with several stools outside where the Rong’an Baron’s heir’s wife’s servants sat dozing.

Teng Yu Yi looked away and moved through the crowd toward the exit. Strange – the faster she walked, the hotter Little Cliff became. In just moments, it burned like coal, forcing her to draw out the sword.

Teng Yu Yi glared at the small sword: What’s wrong with you? Are you trying to burn me?

But Little Cliff persisted, cooling only briefly before starting to burn her palm again.

Teng Yu Yi knew something was wrong. From her observation, Little Cliff consumed its spiritual power with each warning. Such frequent and intense warnings could only mean extraordinarily strange events were occurring nearby.

This made it even more peculiar – she was running precisely because she suspected danger, so why wouldn’t Little Cliff let her run?

She decided to ignore it, but every time she took a step, Little Cliff felt ready to ignite in her palm. Teng Yu Yi had no choice but to take some coins from her purse and hand them to the assistant behind her: “Go to the ink shop across the street and find the Crown Prince of Cheng. Tell him Young Master Wang says something’s not right here and requests him to come immediately. If you don’t see the Crown Prince, tell this to the two young Daoists from Azure Cloud Temple and ask them to come quickly.”

After she said this, Little Cliff finally stopped burning. The assistant, though confused, took the money and left.

Teng Yu Yi turned to look at the side room at the end of the passage. If she remembered correctly, Little Cliff had reacted strongly just as she passed by.

Could something have happened to the Rong’an Baron’s heir’s wife?

She secretly gripped the sword hilt and reluctantly walked over, but another assistant stopped her: “Young master, a lady is resting in the quiet room. The owner instructed us not to allow any disturbance.”

“I know the young lady – I’ll just say a few words and leave.”

The assistant believed her and stopped blocking the way.

The passage was narrower than the main hall, filled with various fragrances. As she walked forward, the air seemed increasingly strange, as if mixed with a hint of… blood!

Cold sweat broke out on Teng Yu Yi’s forehead. She rushed to the servant women: “Where is your lady?”

But the servant women slept like dead pigs. When Teng Yu Yi pushed them, they all tumbled to the ground, their bodies hitting the door, which didn’t budge – apparently locked from inside.

The assistant heard the commotion and came running, but seeing the situation, turned and fled in fright.

Teng Yu Yi’s heart pounded heavily. Something must have happened. What to do? This was Lin Chengyou’s job – if a great demon lurked inside, her amateur skills wouldn’t be enough.

She considered retreating but then remembered the Rong’an Baron’s heir’s wife’s swollen belly. This woman was pregnant – if something happened, two lives would be lost.

Any more hesitation would be too late. She gathered her internal energy to push the door, but just then, it creaked open by itself. A nauseating smell of blood rushed out.

Teng Yu Yi’s scalp tingled: “Young Lady?”

The room was deathly quiet.

Teng Yu Yi swiftly drew her sword hilt, thinking: Old fellow, you made me stay to save someone, so show some spirit.

Little Cliff silently burned hot, its blade gleaming with a faint red light that instantly dispersed the surrounding cold air.

Teng Yu Yi bit her lip and stepped through the doorway.