Lin Sui’an sat on the folding couch, with two lovely ladies nestled — ahem, that is to say, seated — one on either side of her. Hua Yitang sat at the lower position, fanning himself so furiously he was practically generating sparks, his beautiful eyes brimming with watery, wounded resentment and unspoken accusation.

Xiao Yan brought tea. Hua Yitang snatched a bowl and drained it in one go — his face turned even greener.

That was almost certainly Yita’s tea.

Lin Sui’an suppressed her laughter and cleared her throat. “Ladies, it is pleasantly cool beneath the canopy. Rest your feet, take some tea — and if you’re not in a rush, perhaps you’d like to chat with me for a while.”

“Tales of Lin Niangzi’s deeds have spread far and wide throughout Yangdu. The chance to exchange words with Lin Niangzi is something this humble woman has long been hoping for.” You Jiuniang laughed with charming delight, and she and the blue-skirted woman both removed their veils.

The blue-skirted woman had fair skin, almond eyes, and thin lips — she looked to be a girl of about ten years of age. Her features were pretty enough, but beside You Jiuniang’s vivid, striking face they seemed rather plain. She appeared somewhat shy, keeping her head lowered. Lin Sui’an gave her a passing glance and turned her attention fully to You Jiuniang.

You Jiuniang had dressed her hair today in the most fashionable spherical bun — also known as the flower-bud chignon — celebrated for its neat, clean lines and its ability to accentuate the beautiful curve of a woman’s neck. Three pearl hairpins were set in the bun: two ornate and lavish, one delicate and refined.

Hua Yitang’s gaze paused briefly on the pearl hairpins. The green had finally drained from his face, returning to its normal color. He glanced imperceptibly toward Lin Sui’an, and Lin Sui’an gave a barely perceptible nod.

You Jiuniang — sharp-eyed and perceptive — had of course noticed the look that passed between Lin Sui’an and Hua Yitang. Her smile grew more beguiling as she drew a hairpin from her hair and turned it between her fingers. “I have heard that Fourth Young Master, to win a smile from his beloved, is offering a handsome price for pearl ornaments. I wonder whether my few pearl hairpins might find favor in Lin Niangzi’s eyes?”

Lin Sui’an nodded. “Might I examine them more closely?”

“These three pearl hairpins are my most cherished possessions. I wouldn’t sell them for less than twenty times their value.” You Jiuniang sent Lin Sui’an a coquettish glance.

“I offer fifty times.” Hua Yitang produced a bulging pouch of gold leaf and flung it over. The windfall struck You Jiuniang from nowhere with such force that her composure nearly shattered entirely — her eyes nearly leaped from their sockets. Fortunately she possessed the backbone of a celebrated courtesan, and she recovered herself in an instant, hurriedly pressing the hairpins into Lin Sui’an’s hands. “Deal!”

At last Lin Sui’an held in her hands the actual hairpin she had seen in the golden finger’s memory. Hua Yitang’s draftsmanship was nothing short of miraculous — the size and decorative pattern were nearly identical to the real object.

This was a silver hairpin, with satisfying weight to it in the palm — it had been made with generous materials. According to Hua Yitang, the style dated from ten or more years ago, an older design, but the craftsmanship was quite refined. The pearl set into it in particular — though visibly imperfect — fit the decorative pattern so seamlessly they seemed as though they had grown together, and it was clear that Lu Shi had lavished considerable time and care upon it.

Lin Sui’an could not help but feel curious. Why had he made this hairpin?

“You Jiuniang, where did you obtain this hairpin?” Hua Yitang asked, pointing to Lu Shi’s hairpin.

You Jiuniang’s eyes were nearly swimming in the gold-leaf pouch. The question startled her out of her reverie, and she thought for a long moment, her expression growing uncertain. “This hairpin — I believe it was—” Just as she was speaking, the blue-skirted girl who sat across from her abruptly stood up, stepped quickly to her side, and gave her sleeve a tug, murmuring something in her ear.

You Jiuniang’s smile faltered. “This doesn’t seem quite right, does it?”

The blue-skirted girl tugged again.

You Jiuniang looked embarrassed. “My little sister here also has something she’d like to sell to Fourth Young Master, if that would be—”

“Not at all.” Hua Yitang beckoned Xiao Yan over. “Bring this young lady to the counter. Whatever ornament she brings, pay fifteen times the price.”

Xiao Yan sucked in a sharp breath, then led the blue-skirted girl away to jump the queue. The two stewards, upon hearing the price, each went a shade darker.

You Jiuniang gave a graceful bow. “Many thanks to Lin Niangzi. Many thanks to Fourth Young Master. I feel rather — rather embarrassed about all of this.”

Lin Sui’an: “You Jiuniang need not trouble yourself over that. Please do try to remember where this hairpin came from.”

You Jiuniang tucked a loose tendril of hair behind her ear. “I do have rather a great many ornaments, and this pearl hairpin is so plain I hardly ever think to wear it. If it hadn’t been for the Precious Treasures Pavilion’s notice today, I wouldn’t have dug it out—” Then all at once her gaze snapped upward. “I remember now. I bought this hairpin — Ji the doctor sold it to me, said it was part of his wife’s dowry.”

Lin Sui’an and Hua Yitang’s expressions shifted subtly. They spoke in perfect unison:

“Ji the doctor from the Ji Family clinic in Qihe Ward?!”

“Ji Gaoyang?!”

“The very one,” You Jiuniang confirmed with a nod. “I often go to the Ji Family clinic to purchase Grape Tears, so we became acquainted over time. To be honest, this hairpin is old-fashioned in style and the pearl isn’t particularly round or large, but Dr. Ji’s family isn’t well-off, so I thought — if I can help even a little, I should—”

“Pig person!” Yita suddenly shouted from his station. He burst into a long string of incomprehensible foreign words, his hands gripping the blue-skirted girl’s wrist with both hands, agitated enough that his eyes had shifted to a deep blue color. The blue-skirted girl was terrified, pulling away desperately, letting out whimpering cries. Jin Ruo slapped rapidly at the back of Yita’s hand. “Hey, what’s gotten into you, you little — if you like the girl, say so properly, what’s the rush?!”

Mu Xia was sweating profusely. “Yita, what language are you even speaking?! Don’t mix all your languages together at once!”

Yita: “Pig person! Pig person! %%¥¥#¥%%!”

Lin Sui’an shot Hua Yitang a look, signaling him to keep a close eye on You Jiuniang, and strode quickly over.

The back of Yita’s hand had been slapped red by Jin Ruo, yet he still refused to release the blue-skirted girl’s wrist. The girl’s hand was hidden beneath a wide sleeve — one could only see that her fist was clenched tight, struggling with all her might. She wept so pitifully she looked like a pear blossom in the rain.

When Yita spotted Lin Sui’an, he was overjoyed. He yanked the blue-skirted girl’s wrist forcefully toward Lin Sui’an. “Pig person! Hand! Hand!”

“Let go of me! I don’t want to sell anymore! I’m scared!” The blue-skirted girl cried out.

The surrounding townspeople murmured and pointed, eyeing Yita with considerable disdain.

“In broad daylight — how utterly disgraceful.”

“Look how pitiably that poor girl is crying.”

“Truly a barbarian, no sense of decorum.”

“How is this any different from those ruffians just now?”

Lin Sui’an frowned, her eyes narrowing. Her gaze swept to the girl’s sleeve cuff and then stopped sharply. She reached out without further hesitation and seized the blue-skirted girl’s wrist with one swift motion. Everyone stared in shock as Lin Sui’an gave a gentle twist — the girl’s fist opened involuntarily, and a single pearl dropped to the ground with a soft click.

“The Precious Treasures Pavilion’s spider!” Yita shouted. “Tooth specimen, true specimen — this is it!”

Mu Xia’s translation functions finally came online properly. “It’s a pearl from the Precious Treasures Pavilion — not a replica — it’s a real pearl from the missing set!”

The two stewards’ expressions changed drastically. Jin Ruo immediately stepped forward, scrutinizing the blue-skirted girl’s figure carefully.

Lin Sui’an: “Young lady, where did you get this pearl?”

The blue-skirted girl sobbed and hiccupped. “Someone gave it to me — boo hoo hoo…”

“Who gave it to you? Man or woman? How old? When was it given? What is their name?”

“It hurts — boo hoo hoo — let go — boo hoo hoo…”

The girl cried with great feeling, but Lin Sui’an turned a deaf ear, instead pressing her fingers just slightly tighter and slowly drawing the blue-skirted girl’s wrist upward. The wide sleeve slid down past the elbow, revealing a fair forearm and slender fingers — but with thick arm bones and clearly visible tendons on the back of the hand. Unmistakably, those were the arms of a man.

Lin Sui’an smiled. “It seems the young lady likes physical training.”

The blue-skirted girl’s eyes snapped up. Through the curtain of tears on her face, a flash of cunning appeared with jarring incongruity. The wrist twisted — and like an eel the figure slipped free from Lin Sui’an’s grip in an instant. Lin Sui’an lunged to grab again, but once that hold was lost, there was no catching it. The blue-skirted figure contracted backward sharply — the entire body seeming to shed its outer shell like a snake — with tiptoes tapping the ground in a rapid, light staccato. The footwork followed some method Lin Sui’an couldn’t begin to decipher, and the figure blurred into a streak in the blink of an eye, already twenty paces away. A turn of the waist, and the figure bolted — vanished like smoke.

Such movement and speed, Lin Sui’an had only seen in martial arts films. Her spirits surged instantly — good heavens, after being in this world so long, she’d finally laid eyes on the legendary lightness technique in the flesh! Lin Sui’an’s foot drove against the ground, and she shot forward like an arrow, the target being that “blue-skirted girl” — she was determined to catch him — catch… she’d catch absolutely nothing!

The blue-skirted figure’s retreating form could no longer be called remotely “girlish” at this point, and Lin Sui’an wasn’t sure whether her eyes were playing tricks on her, but as he ran faster and faster, his skeleton seemed to expand. His half-sleeves were stretched tight across his upper body. He leaped and sprinted, arms pumping hard — his posture bore a striking resemblance to an Olympic hurdler, and his speed was nothing to scoff at. The street was crowded with townspeople who had queued and gathered, and he used them as a natural barrier — turning, weaving, vaulting, jumping, ducking — occasionally throwing in a beautiful airborne somersault. His escape route was fluid silk, and he was often long past before the people around him had even registered his presence.

Lin Sui’an, by contrast, was ferociously capable in combat but entirely direct — her skills were all hacking and cutting, and she clearly had no experience chasing someone through a crowded marketplace. Her speed would barely pick up before she nearly crashed into a heavily pregnant woman and had to brake sharply — then turn — then build speed again. Good grief, a snotty-nosed child — emergency stop, stagger around the toddler’s bubble of snot. Oh no, a handcart on the left, an old man materializing on the right — she lurched backward, the muscle of her lower leg nearly seizing — it was a mad, lurching, hurtling chase from start to finish, with a constant soundtrack of startled cries and colorful curses.

That boy was doing it on purpose, deliberately picking the elderly, the pregnant, and small children as shields. Lin Sui’an’s teeth itched with fury. That flash of blue skirt darting through the crowd ahead was like a goldfish tail, taunting her — there but unreachable, I’ll make you burn with frustration.

He has some skill!

Lin Sui’an narrowed her eyes, shifted two steps sideways, planted her foot against a wall, thrust Qian Jing’s scabbard into the wall with a crack to brace herself, and vaulted upward onto the rooftop. That was better — no people up here, a clear line of sight. The heights were uneven and the tiles somewhat slippery, but for Lin Sui’an it was a minor inconvenience at most — every time she landed, she simply ground her soles into the tiles to shatter them, which prevented slipping. She climbed where it was high, leaped where it was low, cut corners freely. She was unimpeded as she pursued him across three streets. Peering down, she spotted the blue-skirted figure below — and better yet, the alley beneath was sparsely populated. Lin Sui’an was delighted, dropped down, and brought Qian Jing swinging with full force.

That blow carried the weight of a thousand jun, rending the air and splitting the sky. The blue-skirted figure looked up and paled with horror. Tiptoes hadat-hadat-hadat-hadat-hadat in five rapid beats, the skirt hem fluttering out into five overlapping afterimages — fairly eerie and disorienting. But Lin Sui’an paid it not the slightest mind. Whether a hundred ghosts or a host of demons — a single decisive strike — Qian Jing’s heavy scabbard drove through the wind and thunder into all five afterimages at once, sending them merging back into a single parabolic arc in midair: “thud — whoosh — smack!” He hit the ground. The skirt was shredded to rags. The man lay spread-eagled.

Lin Sui’an stepped forward triumphantly, Qian Jing slung over her shoulder, and grabbed the blue-skirted figure by the collar to peel him up from the ground — but at that very instant, his body slithered downward. The entire figure slipped out of the clothing like a snake shedding its skin. Lin Sui’an was left holding nothing but a tattered skirt and a wig.

Well, what in the world?!

Lin Sui’an was thunderstruck. In that split second of bewilderment, she saw a shadow slide along the base of the wall and out the end of the alley. She left the discarded clothing and wig behind and sprinted after — and then stood there, dumbfounded.

This alley opened directly onto the Qingyue River market, where pedestrians came and went in dense, jostling streams. A figure diving into that crowd was like a carp entering a great river, a tadpole slipping into a muddy pond — gone.

“Is this person human or ghost?” Lin Sui’an half-laughed, half-groaned. “How can someone just shed their skin? Don’t tell me it’s one of those demons who paints themselves a human face?”

“Cough cough cough — in this world there are no — cough cough cough — ghosts, only humans — cough — who play at being ghosts — cough cough cough—” Jin Ruo wheezed and panted his way to Lin Sui’an’s side, bent double with both hands on his knees, drenched in sweat.

Lin Sui’an looked at him with disdain. “What took you so long?”

Jin Ruo was so winded he could barely produce one word between gasps. “You people — hah — you’re not human—”

“Follow me — cough — follow me—”

Lin Sui’an had no idea what he had up his sleeve, so she followed Jin Ruo into the market.

By now it was past the hour of You, and the Qingyue River market was preparing to close for the day. The stall vendors, seizing these final moments, were calling out discounts on their remaining stock, their hawking voices competing with each other in enthusiasm. Passersby hurried past with little interest; the occasional few who paused were there to pick up a bargain. Jin Ruo walked through without his gaze lingering on a single person — instead, he kept his eyes fixed on the ground, his expression focused, as though the earth might blossom at any moment.

Lin Sui’an understood. Jin Ruo was tracking the trail left by the blue-skirted figure.

But with the footprints on the street this jumbled and overlapping — could he really find anything?

Just as she was thinking this, Jin Ruo’s step halted. He crouched down and studied the chaotic array of footprints on the ground for a moment, then stood up and began walking back. After two steps, he stopped again. His gaze shifted sideways. Lin Sui’an followed it.

There was a swarthy-faced vegetable farmer crouching by the river, several empty bamboo baskets arranged before him, the outermost basket holding half a load of wilted cabbage. The farmer was smoking a water pipe with an air of indifference. A stooped old woman crouched by the basket, picking through the cabbage with stubborn care.

Farmer: “All right, all right, enough sorting — you’ll have them falling to pieces.”

The old woman kept her head down, ignoring him entirely, and continued her obstinate sorting.

Jin Ruo drew a long breath, walked directly to the old woman’s side, and crouched down to sort through the cabbage leaves himself.

An old woman? Interesting.

Lin Sui’an thought of the replica ornament at the Precious Treasures Pavilion, and thought too of the maternal aunt’s sister mentioned by Yuan Family’s Fifth Young Lady — the one who had since passed away. She crouched down on the old woman’s other side.

Jin Ruo: “Who would have thought I’d encounter the long-lost technique of bone-shrinking and the lotus-petal step today — what a truly eye-opening experience.”

Lin Sui’an: Well, well!

The old woman kept her head bowed and ignored Jin Ruo.

Jin Ruo: “Bone-shrinking, thousand-face transformation; lotus steps, ten-thousand-shadow illusion — if I am not mistaken, these are the signature techniques of Yun Zhong Yue, the greatest thief under heaven.”

The old woman: “…”

“Yun Zhong Yue retired from the martial world thirty years ago. By my calculations of his age, the old gentleman should be approaching ninety.”

The old woman finally looked up. “What?”

Jin Ruo raised an eyebrow: “To think that once upon a time, Yun Zhong Yue acted alone, stealing the greatest treasures in the land — he trod moonlight into palace courtyards, danced clouds before the Imperial Guards, a legend without equal, free and magnificent. Yet who could have imagined that his successor would be reduced to this — skulking about just to steal two hairpins, hunted through the streets and beaten, tsk tsk. Truly: a weasel spawns a rat, each generation more disappointing than the last.”

Old woman: “What are you saying? This old woman is hard of hearing — I can’t hear you—”

The farmer had had enough. “Are you buying or not? If not, clear off!”

“Brother,” Lin Sui’an fished out a string of copper coins, “I’ll take the lot.”

The farmer was delighted. “Oh, what a generous young lady! Here — I’ll even throw in the baskets!” He reached out for the coins. Fast as lightning, Lin Sui’an and Jin Ruo each seized one of the farmer’s wrists simultaneously — and blocked the old woman on both sides.

Lin Sui’an smiled pleasantly: “Water pipe smoke can’t quite cover the smell of blood on you. Broken leg, is it?”

Jin Ruo bared his teeth: “The bone-shrinking technique can change one’s shape but not one’s weight. The lotus-petal step never uses the heel. And you’re limping on one foot, what’s more.”

The farmer paused — and then, gradually, a smile spread across his dark-tanned face. His eyes were clear and sharp, lively and cunning, his teeth flashing white as shells. “Holder of Qian Jing, Sect Master of the Pure Gate — I have long admired you from afar. Now that I see you in person, your reputation does not disappoint. Would you not agree, Grandmother?”

Not good!

Lin Sui’an’s heart sank. She felt gusts of fierce wind erupt from behind her, saturated with killing intent. Her alarm spiked — she threw Jin Ruo aside and rolled clear herself. More than a dozen iron barbs drove into the ground a full inch deep, missing the two of them being pierced like cushions by a hair’s breadth.

Lin Sui’an and Jin Ruo rolled to their feet covered in dust. When they looked up, both farmer and old woman had vanished. Only a scattering of wilted cabbage leaves remained on the ground, their arrangement looking uncannily like a leering face with its tongue stuck out.

Lin Sui’an: “…”

Damn it!

Jin Ruo’s gaze swept rapidly in all directions, his expression settling into a grim cast. He picked up one of the iron barbs from the ground and studied it, his eyes narrowing to fine slits. He drew a long breath, pursed his lips, and blew a clear, resonant whistle. Lin Sui’an felt countless sharp gazes converge upon her from every direction — yet when she swept her eyes around, she could detect nothing out of the ordinary. The street was as it always was, the pedestrians as they always were, and even the birdsong from the locust trees by the river remained unchanged.

Jin Ruo said through gritted teeth: “Yun Zhong Yue has returned to the martial world. Any Pure Gate disciple who obtains intelligence regarding this person shall report it with all haste.”

The hidden gazes in the darkness showed no reaction whatsoever. The wind stirred the river’s surface, setting the water sparkling.

Jin Ruo elbowed Lin Sui’an. She understood at once. She raised Qian Jing high overhead. “Qian Jing is here. Pure Gate disciples, hear my command!”

The wind moved through the locust leaves, rustling softly. Still no response.

Lin Sui’an felt somewhat awkward. “…It seems no one’s listening to us.”

Jin Ruo’s face had gone as black as the bottom of an iron pot. He whipped out a gold leaf. “Information on Yun Zhong Yue — one gold leaf per item!”

The wind abruptly picked up. The river murmured, the leaves rustled like rain, and countless tiny sounds wove themselves into the water’s voice, into the wind — fine and soft as whispered breath:

【Ten thousand rivers, ten thousand mountains, still I hold you dear—】

Those sounds seemed to transform into a multitude of eyeballs, floating all around Lin Sui’an, surrounding her, examining her — making her skin break out in gooseflesh.

Jin Ruo rolled a gold leaf between index finger and thumb, and smiled. “A smile among the flowers — scatters all the dust of this mortal world.”

These words were like a signal. The dense tangle of gazes receded like a tide. The wind fell silent. Everything returned to what it was.

Lin Sui’an rubbed her arms. “Who’s paying?”

“This is catching a thief on behalf of the Hua Clan — naturally the fellow with the surname Hua covers the bill.” Jin Ruo let out a dismissive snort. “Six Pockmarks — come out.”

A head peeked out from beneath a bridge arch — it was that pockmarked food stall vendor who sold flat noodles. He shuffled over to the two of them at a trot, bowing to each in turn. “Greetings, Deputy Sect Master. Greetings, Lin Niangzi.”

Jin Ruo: “What did you see?”

Six Pockmarks: “I saw the Deputy Sect Master’s keen eyes see through Yun Zhong Yue’s disguise at a single glance. I saw Lin Niangzi’s bladework flash like lightning, her martial arts without peer. And I saw that cunning Yun Zhong Yue—”

“Enough with the drivel!”

“Heh heh, truth be told, the three of you were moving too fast — I couldn’t make out anything clearly.” Seeing Jin Ruo’s expression darken, Six Pockmarks hastened to add: “But I heard that you two have been investigating Lu Shi’s case these past few days, so I came especially to report some news.”

Lin Sui’an: “What news?”

Six Pockmarks: “On the thirteenth day of the tenth month, at the second quarter of the hour of Xu — just before the ward gates closed — one of our brothers saw a person creep over the wall into Lu Shi’s rear courtyard.”

Skit:

Hua Yitang: Suddenly feels a chill run down his spine.