Pei Ruheng didn’t ask who that “wet-behind-the-ears brat” was. Nor did Chen Baoxiang.

After the gathering dispersed, she went straight to Xun Yuan, found Jiuquan, and asked for paper and brush. She carefully drew out all the positions and layouts of courtyards she had mentally recorded.

“Excellent.” Ningsu’s eyes lit up brightly. “The defenses of his estate are extremely tight — we have never managed to obtain a floor plan.”

“This alone isn’t enough,” Jiuquan said. “We also need to find out his daily routines and movements, and the mechanisms inside the main courtyard.”

“The mechanisms are treacherous. We’d likely need people from Qianjitang to investigate those.” Ningsu’s expression was grave. “And then there’s where the Soul-Returning Pill is hidden — that old villain surely won’t leave it out in plain sight.”

“We need to find a way to make him faint,” Jiuquan said. “Only then will the people around him bring out the Soul-Returning Pill to save him.”

“The logic is sound, but what method would work?” Ningsu was troubled. “Drug him directly? He has a divine physician by his side — they would likely see through it immediately.”

“Would staging a haunting work?” Jiuquan mused. “He’s certainly done no shortage of unconscionable things. If we make it convincing enough, we might be able to frighten him into unconsciousness.”

“That method is too risky with too little certainty.” Ningsu hesitated. “If he’s not frightened, we’ll have simply alarmed him for nothing.”

“If this won’t work and that won’t work, then what should we do?” Jiuquan slapped the table and shot to his feet in agitation. “If we wait a few more days, that old villain will probably use up all the miraculous medicine.”

Chen Baoxiang had been reaching for the snacks on the table and, startled by his sudden slap, nearly lost her grip.

Both men’s gazes turned toward her at precisely that moment. “Miss Chen, what do you think?”

“Me? How would I know…” She pinched a piece of pastry and swallowed nervously. “I’ve already done everything I can.”

“Miss.” Jiuquan said urgently. “You always have so many ideas — please, help our master once more.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to help. It’s just that the Cheng Family’s estate is a dragon’s den and tiger’s lair—”

“If the Soul-Returning Pill can be retrieved, the Zhang Family is willing to present Miss with one thousand taels.”

The moment Ningsu heard Jiuquan say that, he sensed something was off. Who tries to get someone to do something by simply throwing silver at them? Was that not an insult?

He was just about to speak up, but then he saw Chen Baoxiang’s tone shift completely, her eyes lighting up: “—Whether or not there’s silver is beside the point, but I’ve suddenly come up with an idea.”

Ningsu: “……”

Jiuquan immediately asked, “What is your brilliant idea, Miss?”

“Staging a haunting sounds just right,” Chen Baoxiang agreed. “I can go myself. But Ningsu, you must ensure my safety — at the very minimum, I need to be able to retreat safely from the main chamber to somewhere near the cockfighting yard.”

Jiuquan was delighted. “You also think this can work, Miss?”

“It can certainly work.”

She pointed to the stretch of ground on the floor plan between the main chamber and the cockfighting yard — not far, but sure to be well-guarded.

“Jiuquan, you need to help me recruit a large number of fighters. As long as there are enough of them, I can hold off Cheng’an and those soldier thugs.”

“That’s easy to arrange — do you need ten or twenty?”

Chen Baoxiang thought for a moment. “Two hundred should do it.”

“What?!” Jiuquan was stunned. “Miss, do you have any idea how hard it is to recruit fighters these days? Monthly pay has gone up to two taels. We can only recruit two or three a month — where are we supposed to find two hundred?”

“I have a way,” she said. “As long as you convince Zhang Xilai to allow me to set up a recruitment ground outside the city in the name of the Bureau of Works.”

Jiuquan felt this was somewhat ill-advised, but with retrieving the miraculous medicine being so urgent, he couldn’t afford to think too carefully. He turned and headed out the door without a word.

Ningsu also clasped his hands to her in a bow. “I’ll go make preparations as well.”

“Much obliged.”

Chen Baoxiang waved them both out the door, then continued eating snacks in the room by herself. When she had eaten enough, she got up to change clothes.

Skin mottled blue and purple flashed briefly at the collar opening.

Zhang Zhixu, who had been silent throughout, finally couldn’t hold back. “Didn’t they give you medicine? Why don’t you use it?”

“That medicine smells so bitter even from a distance. It doesn’t compare to what Master gives us.” Chen Baoxiang looked at the bronze mirror in front of her. “Besides, don’t you apply medicine for me every night? I don’t need his.”

Zhang Zhixu paused, then turned his head away. “How did you know…?”

“My body is thoroughly scented with medicine fragrance — it would be hard not to notice.”

She adjusted her collar neatly and smiled. “Having you nearby is truly wonderful, Immortal.”

Pressing his knuckle against his philtrum, Zhang Zhixu held back so hard that even the tips of his ears turned red. After a long pause, he finally huffed, “It’s just that your mouth says nice things.”

“So you’re not angry with me anymore?” Chen Baoxiang asked.

Zhang Zhixu kept his sulky expression and didn’t answer.

He really had no right to be angry in the first place. All that running around she did — wasn’t it all to help him? He couldn’t be so ungrateful.

But seeing Pei Ruheng through her eyes made him unsettled no matter what, an irritation he couldn’t suppress.

“Are you really going to the Cheng Family estate yourself?” he said. “Aren’t you afraid you won’t make it out in one piece?”

“Of course I’m afraid,” Chen Baoxiang said openly. “But Jiuquan gave me silver.”

Taking people’s money and doing things on their behalf — only natural and right.

Zhang Zhixu pressed his hand to his forehead.

He had never met anyone who liked money this much. He didn’t know whether he should praise her for being good at earning it, or reproach her for not valuing her own life.

Early the next morning, Jiuquan sent someone with a message saying that Zhang Xilai had approved the plan on her end, and that Chen Baoxiang was authorized to set up a recruitment ground outside the city in the name of the Bureau of Works.

“The Military Affairs Bureau has also been recruiting this whole time,” Zhang Zhixu observed. “With little success.”

“Government offices intimidate people by their very presence. Who would dare just walk up and try?” Chen Baoxiang was brimming with confidence. “Just watch me.”

She didn’t go to the city gates or the official notice boards outside the restricted zones to post recruitment notices. Instead, she went straight to the beggar dens, the docks, and even the drainage channels, banging a copper gong as she shouted: “Free meat pies on the western outskirts! Everyone gets one — come quickly!”

In an instant, countless figures came crawling out of the shadows. Young or old, male or female — anyone who still had strength in their legs ran toward the western outskirts as fast as they could.

Within just half a day, several thousand people had gathered at the western outskirts.

An obstacle course ten li long had already been set up there: steep slopes along the way, river crossings, and military clerks from the Bureau ready to spar with anyone attempting to complete the course.

“You’ve all had your meat pies, yes?” Chen Baoxiang shouted from atop the observation platform. “Next comes the cash prize. Two hundred and forty thousand copper coins in total. Anyone who clears all the obstacles and reaches the finish line gets to draw a lot and share the money. The top prize is one hundred thousand copper coins!”

One hundred thousand!

The crowd — moments ago focused only on eating meat pies — erupted. Especially those with some physical strength; they all rushed immediately toward the starting line.

Some of the elderly and frail tried to push themselves, but couldn’t even get through the first obstacle, and could only sigh and watch from the sidelines.

Those who made it through were all robust individuals. Even some who looked meek and timid on the outside had startling reserves of strength brought out by the competition.

Zhang Zhixu watched in stunned silence. “You actually spent barely over a hundred taels total.”

And yet she had made it into such a grand spectacle. Looking at the people charging toward the finish line, there had to be three or four hundred who made it through.

“‘Barely over a hundred taels’?” Chen Baoxiang took a bite of a meat pie. “Immortal, a hundred-odd taels really is a very large sum of money. If Jiuquan hadn’t been willing to foot the bill, I wouldn’t have wanted to spend it myself.”

That’s what she said — but when all was said and done, when the candidates had been selected and over two hundred people in ragged clothing were looking at her with bright, eager eyes, saying they were willing to work for her, Chen Baoxiang still pulled out her own silver notes and generously paid for all their meals.

She also made a point of commending a few of the most formidable fighters, giving them two legs of lamb each. Then she sat down with them and talked about aspirations and goals, crafting for herself the image of a military officer with grand unfulfilled ambitions desperately in need of capable help.

Even someone as worldly as Pei Ruheng was unable to resist Chen Baoxiang. These people who had seen far less of the world stood no chance at all.

So the two hundred or so people assembled quickly and became entirely obedient to Chen Baoxiang — no one else had any sway over them.

Zhang Zhixu watched, simultaneously stunned and amused. “How do you know these techniques for leading troops?”

“These are techniques?” Chen Baoxiang looked puzzled. “If you want to unite people and have them all listen to you, isn’t this just how you do it?”

Zhang Zhixu was struck speechless. He leaned against his temple and thought: Could this also be natural talent?

The Bureau of Works had initially thought that recruiting a few dozen extra hands would be sufficient — and then Chen Baoxiang went and brought back over two hundred. There was nothing to be done but promote her, and she was given the title of Bureau Clerk. The pay was roughly the same anyway.

With that, Chen Baoxiang had considerably more freedom. She no longer had to follow her former supervisor on rounds through the city outskirts, but could inform her superiors and lead her people out on her own.

The place she led her people to most frequently in recent days was the East and West Markets.

The Zhang Family had numerous storefronts in the East and West Markets, and all of them did substantial business. Ordinarily no one would have dared cause trouble there — but lately, the proprietors had been changing hands frequently, troubles were arising one after another, and even common thugs and ruffians were daring to come and vandalize.

Chen Baoxiang had come with people from the Bureau of Construction to make purchases, but before she even stepped through the doors, a flying chair leg caught her completely off guard.

“Arrest them all!” she roared.

The thugs inside bellowed defiantly: “You dare arrest me? Do you know who’s behind me—”

“I don’t care who you are.” She seized a stool and swung it at them.

The junior clerks behind her shouted louder than the opposition, fiercer than wild animals — they tackled people, punched, and some even bit. The gang of thugs were beaten to tears and wailing, and within moments were dragged out by their ankles.

The proprietor inside bowed to her repeatedly. “Many thanks, officer, many thanks.”

She waved it off coolly and turned to shout at her people behind her: “Move on to the next spot.”

Cheng Huaili was determined to use the Zhang Family to make a show of his power, so he had deployed many underhanded moves in the East and West Markets. As she swaggered through so conspicuously, she quickly drew the other side’s attention.

“Come nightfall, disable her people.”

“Yes, sir.”

Chen Baoxiang had just rented a large compound to house everyone, when men armed with clubs came crashing through her door.

It was Cheng’an leading them again — and the same two hundred or so soldier thugs.

Chen Baoxiang held up an oil lamp and turned to look at them, smiling faintly. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

Even though he couldn’t see her face, Zhang Zhixu’s heart stirred at those words.

He had once believed that women serving as military clerks were generally inferior to men, in both strength and capability.

But now, Zhang Zhixu felt that such bias should be abandoned.

Chen Baoxiang moved like a bolt of lightning, swiftly seizing Cheng’an who stood at the very front. The traps and mechanisms within the courtyard activated simultaneously, and all of the other side’s two hundred or so elite fighters were caught and held fast.

“I — I am one of General Cheng’s men!” The battered and bruised Cheng’an screamed.

Chen Baoxiang blew out the oil lamp in her hand and smiled. “On a dark night like this, I can’t see a thing. All I know is that breaking and entering makes someone a thief, and by law, killing a thief in the act is within one’s rights.”