Bi Lianyi didn’t turn around, but nodded.

“He knows I want to kill him?” Lady Hongchan stood holding the qin. “Yet he sent you?”

Bi Lianyi nodded.

“If I said that I actually admire Wanyu Yuedan ten times more than you, what would you do?” she said flatly. “Would you be jealous?”

Bi Lianyi turned around. Lady Hongchan, dressed in snow-white robes, stood holding the qin like an ethereal fairy. He answered flatly, “No.”

Her face showed frost as she said coldly, “Since you wouldn’t be jealous, why did you come?”

“You love Liu Yan ten thousand times more than the Palace Master,” Bi Lianyi said. “Why should I be jealous of the Palace Master?” He said slowly, “I’m jealous of Liu Yan.”

Lady Hongchan bit her lip, looking at Bi Lianyi with contained anger. Bi Lianyi turned and left without stopping even for a step. She swept her sleeve and struck the qin strings, creating discordant sounds that matched her mood. After a while, the music stopped and her mind gradually cleared. She swept the strings once, producing thirteen clear notes, then sighed deeply.

Bi Lianyi was a good man—unfortunately, she could never love good men.

However, meeting a clean-hearted good man who loved her wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Eastern Mountain.

Shumei Residence.

Fang Pingzhai wandered through the forest outside Shumei Residence, shaking his head and swaying about. This wasn’t a remote place—people often passed by. His yellow robes and red fan were very conspicuous, and his erratic movements through the forest inevitably drew curious glances from some passersby. Naturally, he didn’t care. With an “ai” sound, his red fan fluttered. “Master wants me to find a drum, but times are hard now with ongoing wars. Where would common people have leisure to beat gongs and drums? I don’t want to oppose the government by stealing the grievance drum from the yamen gate, nor do I want to rob someone’s wedding procession. Even with money, I can’t buy a drum. Sigh… I’m becoming more and more conscientious—so conscientious I’m about to be bitten by dogs.”

Suddenly two horses thundered through the forest, their hoofbeats like thunder. The horses were very strong, and perhaps seeing Fang Pingzhai’s swaying figure, they turned around and came back. A man and woman dismounted. “Seeing your dress, you must also be a martial world person. Meeting across a thousand li is fate—may we ask which direction leads to Ling Yuan Temple?”

Fang Pingzhai turned around. The two before him wore tight-fitting clothes and swords—typical martial world attire. “Ling Yuan Temple? It seems to be eastward.”

The two leaped back onto their horses and cupped their fists. “Our thanks.” They were about to ride away when Fang Pingzhai, having observed their jumping technique, felt moved. He waved his red fan to block their horses. “Wait. I helped you with a favor—would you help me with one too? Fair and reasonable, mutually beneficial.”

The two reined in their horses. “What difficulty does brother have?”

“Uh… I just want to know where I can buy a drum,” Fang Pingzhai said. “Big drums, small drums, flower drums, waist drums, flat drums, fat drums, tall drums, thin drums—as long as it’s a drum, anything will do.”

The two looked at each other, seeming somewhat amused, as if seeing a strange person. “So brother needs a drum. In a moment, we’ll have someone deliver a drum to you. Would that be acceptable?”

Fang Pingzhai exclaimed, “Do you two carry a large drum while traveling?”

The two smiled slightly. “That’s not for you to worry about. In any case, someone will deliver a drum within half an hour.”

“Oh…” Fang Pingzhai covered his head with his red fan and lightly tapped his forehead. “The world is truly strange—drums can fall from the sky mid-journey. I thought that in places with green mountains, clear waters, and cranes, one would either meet immortals or ghosts. Who knew—when luck comes, even drums can be picked up along the way.” The two pulled their reins and rode away with smiles.

These two aren’t simple. Their martial arts being extraordinary is one thing, but people who can produce a drum within half an hour are very extraordinary indeed! Fang Pingzhai watched the two ride away for some distance, then slung his red fan on his back and followed their hoofprints. He started walking slowly but grew faster and faster, until in moments he was like a yellow shadow streaking past, swifter than galloping horses.

The man and woman rode east and dismounted outside Ling Yuan Temple, entering the abbot’s meditation room. Fang Pingzhai leaped onto the roof and sat cross-legged by the skylight, hearing the man below say, “Master Wanfang, have you been well?”

Ling Yuan Temple’s Abbot Wanfang replied respectfully, “This humble monk is well. I wonder if Your Excellency comes to Ling Yuan Temple to worship Buddha or taste tea?”

Hearing the monk call himself “this humble monk,” Fang Pingzhai grinned and waved his red fan twice. Two monks emerged from the side rooms. Looking up and seeing him in yellow robes with a red fan sitting on the roof, they opened their mouths to call out when suddenly their breathing stopped, their chests hurt, their bodies stiffened, and they froze in place like wooden men.

Fang Pingzhai remained seated on the roof. The autumn air was crisp with yellow leaves falling—sitting on the roof observing the scenery inside and outside Ling Yuan Temple was refreshing. He listened to the casual conversation below, noting that Abbot Wanfang’s tone became increasingly humble and polite. These two had extraordinary status.

After listening for a while, he learned that these two had heard about a bloody incident in the back mountains of Ling Yuan Temple a few days ago, where a group of bandits had died. They came to show concern and inquire with Abbot Wanfang whether a single woman—beautiful in appearance but melancholy in expression—had come to worship Buddha.

Fang Pingzhai paused his red fan. From this description, could these two be looking for that purple-robed young woman who had repaid kindness with enmity by stabbing Lin Bu? Abbot Wanfang repeatedly shook his head, emphasizing that no such woman had come to worship. The two seemed very disappointed and stood to take their leave.

“This humble monk, though inadequate, hasn’t seen such a female benefactor come to offer incense, but a few days ago I heard disciples chatting about what seemed to be such a purple-robed female benefactor heading toward the back mountains. If Your Excellency seeks someone, perhaps inquiring in the nearby mountain forests might yield results,” Abbot Wanfang said with joined palms.

The two showed delight and immediately took their leave. Hearing this, Fang Pingzhai swept his red fan, and the two Ling Yuan Temple disciples fell backward. Just as they collapsed, the man and woman emerged from the meditation room. The woman frowned slightly. “Did you hear any sound?”

The man said, “Hmm? No. Sigh, I’m very vexed. Every time we’re close to news of little sister, it always slips away.” The woman comforted him, “Don’t worry. Since someone has seen her traces, we’ll find her eventually.”

So these two were seeking family. Fang Pingzhai retreated quietly, returning along the route to the forest outside Shumei Residence. Before long, over twenty fine horses came galloping, their riders all strong and imposing. One dismounted. “May I ask if the gentleman is waiting for someone to deliver a drum?”

Fang Pingzhai exclaimed, “Correct.”

The man took down a large drum painted with gold lacquer from his horse. “My master requests the gentleman to accept this.”

Fang Pingzhai said, “Uh… put it on the ground. I’ll drag it home slowly later. I must really thank your master. I think there are countless people with difficulties in this world. If they could all encounter your master as I did, with such responsiveness to requests, there would be no more famine, poverty, or disease in the world. Everyone could take what they needed, and there would never be wars.”

He spoke eloquently while the dismounted man simply smiled, placed the golden drum on the ground, shouted once, and led the team away on horseback.

Hmm—government soldiers! This matter is becoming more and more interesting. Fang Pingzhai stood there watching the cavalry disappear, waving his red fan. And—not ordinary soldiers, but more like bodyguards of some high official or noble.

“Thousand-li sunset illuminates the great river, full autumn colors on the river, yellow leaves filling the mountains, wind and rain throughout the city.” Fang Pingzhai lifted the golden lacquer drum. “Aiya, I’m getting better and better at composing poetry.”

Returning to Shumei Residence, a woman in purple dress opened the door. Seeing him return carrying a large drum, she was first startled. “Where did you get a big drum?”

Fang Pingzhai lightly brushed his red fan behind him. “Buddha said: It cannot be spoken.”

The woman had black hair and white face, with fine lines at the corners of her eyes and brows and slightly loose skin at the corners of her mouth. However, her bright eyes were lively and her features regular—she looked like a young woman. Though she appeared older than her actual age, she no longer had the strange face covered with wrinkles and spots. This was naturally Yu Tuan’er. In recent days, the effects of Liu Yan’s medicinal water had gradually shown, and she was changing rapidly, no longer the ugly woman with an old crone’s face.

“Every time I see you, I feel my master truly possesses heaven-and-earth-transforming abilities, actually able to change you into such an appearance. If you keep changing, you might become a beauty, and then perhaps you’ll have romantic encounters!” Fang Pingzhai set down the large drum and deflected Yu Tuan’er’s punch. “Tsk—you mustn’t lay hands on your senior. It’s very impolite.”

Yu Tuan’er snorted. “You’re becoming more and more annoying.”

“Where is my gloomy, terrifying, mysterious, creation-manipulating master whose mood is always bad enough to jump into the sea?” Fang Pingzhai asked.

Yu Tuan’er pointed toward the alchemy room. “Still inside.”

Fang Pingzhai said, “Mm, I have something important to discuss with my dear master. Guard the door—you can eavesdrop but preferably don’t come in.” With that, he entered the alchemy room, his figure disappearing into its dim lighting.

Fang Pingzhai was never serious—was what he wanted to discuss truly important, or just nonsense? Yu Tuan’er walked to the alchemy room door and lowered the door curtain.

Liu Yan still faced the wall, sitting quietly motionless in the alchemy room’s shadows.

“Hey, too bad the sea is far from here and you can’t walk anyway. No matter how much you think about it, you can’t jump in, so relax.” Fang Pingzhai walked behind him. “Still in a bad mood? Actually, life is like a play—if this act goes badly, change to another. Nothing is insurmountable. In these few short decades of life, will you remain gloomy forever? How boring!”

Liu Yan said nothing, eyes closed.

“Hey! Are you sleeping yourself unconscious?” Fang Pingzhai patted Liu Yan’s back. “I found a drum. When will you start teaching me to play it?”

Liu Yan said flatly, “When I feel like teaching.”

Fang Pingzhai sighed. “So not now then. Very well. I just went out and encountered a group of people—two men and women of peculiar status with twenty or thirty strong followers skilled in martial arts, moving within a fifty or sixty li radius. From their words, they came seeking someone. Though—” He tapped Liu Yan with his red fan, “they seek a beautiful, melancholy young woman, but it’s hard to say whether they might search Shumei Residence. Moreover, they’re investigating the true culprit of the bloody incident in Ling Yuan Temple’s back mountains—namely your devoted good disciple me—which I find very ominous.”

Liu Yan’s face trembled slightly. “Who are they?”

Fang Pingzhai said, “From appearances, very much like government soldiers. The leaders, a man and woman, have distinguished status—perhaps royalty or nobility.”

Liu Yan pondered for a while. “What do you suggest?”

Fang Pingzhai said, “Best if you and I leave Shumei Residence to avoid their attention. Your appearance is distinctive—once it draws notice, it would be very troublesome.”

Liu Yan opened his eyes. “No. The medicine isn’t finished. Leaving now would waste all previous efforts.”

Fang Pingzhai said, “Sigh—I knew you’d say that. You’re always partial. If this vat of medicine were for me, your decision would certainly be different.”

Liu Yan said “heh.” “State your other plans.”

Fang Pingzhai hummed. “Master truly understands me. If we can’t leave this place, first Master must find somewhere to hide to avoid discovery by outsiders. Then this disciple will go out and lead those soldiers away.”

Liu Yan waved his sleeve and closed his eyes. “Very good.”

“Truly heartless—not even worried about this disciple’s safety. Sigh… I’m just so unfortunate, meeting a heartless person yet treasuring him like a jewel.” Fang Pingzhai covered his head with his red fan and shook his head. “I’m leaving. Hide well. Don’t be discovered before I lead people away.”

Liu Yan said, “I won’t be.”

Yu Tuan’er heard everything. Seeing Fang Pingzhai emerge, she suddenly said, “Hey!”

“What?” Fang Pingzhai moved the golden drum aside. “Suddenly discovered I’m great, kind, and self-sacrificing?”

Yu Tuan’er’s face reddened slightly. “I used to think you were a bad person.”

Fang Pingzhai laughed heartily. “Really? That’s the first time I’ve heard such words in my life. Maybe I look too much like a bad person, with a face too ill-intentioned. No one has ever considered me a good person.” He patted Yu Tuan’er’s shoulder. “Those words sound very fresh.” With that, he walked out leisurely.

Outside Shumei Residence, cranes called as the setting sun painted everything crimson like a painting. Fang Pingzhai’s yellow robes fluttered lightly. Yu Tuan’er watched him pass through the forest and disappear from sight.

Outside Ling Yuan Temple, those twenty or thirty men split into ten groups of two or three, searching along country roads and inquiring whether anyone had seen a purple-dressed, beautiful, melancholy single woman. Using his lightness skill, Fang Pingzhai circled around these soldiers. Sure enough, not far behind the searching troops, that man and woman had tied their horses to a tree and sat resting under a large tree.

Fang Pingzhai approached from behind. The tree had thick foliage, and he silently leaped to its crown, hiding among the branches to listen to the conversation below.

“Little sister has been missing for years and may still not know her own background,” the woman said. “I heard that when mother gave birth, little sister was weak and the imperial physicians considered her stillborn. On the third day after burial, expert tomb robbers entered the mausoleum and discovered little sister wasn’t dead. They took her away to raise, causing her to be lost among commoners. I’ve investigated for years and only know that the tomb robber died of illness, and little sister was once given to a famous scholarly family nearby for upbringing. But which prestigious family exactly remains unclear.”

The man said, “I’ve had the local magistrate secretly investigate nearby prestigious families. There are no women resembling little sister. Your investigation is probably wrong.”

The woman said, “Big brother, I’ve checked repeatedly several times. Perhaps little sister, though sent here for upbringing, didn’t stay long and left early?”

The man sighed. “If that’s true, finding her becomes even more difficult. How… how could she know her own background?”

The woman said, “Finding little sister was mother’s lifelong wish…”

The man said, “Before little sister was born, the late emperor once joked that when mother married him, she was enfeoffed as ‘Lady of Langya Commandery,’ so little sister could be called ‘Langya Princess.’ Unfortunately, both the late emperor and mother have passed away, little sister’s whereabouts remain mysterious, and the title of Langya Princess remains distant.”

Fang Pingzhai squinted as he listened in the tree. This was a major matter—these two were actually imperial relatives! The purple-robed woman they sought was actually a princess of the late Emperor Taizu—Langya Princess!