Clever!

So clever he could ascend to heaven!

Yan Sanhe gave a flat “mm.”

“A ‘mm’ isn’t enough. You need to praise me!”

Xie Zhifei pouted, looking quite aggrieved—no different from a child who couldn’t get candy.

Yan Sanhe ground her back teeth and looked toward Pei Xiao.

Based on his rich past experience, Pei Xiao vigorously nodded several times. Not enough—nodded several more times: Quickly praise him, praise him to death, otherwise this drunk will make trouble—big trouble!

Yan Sanhe thought for a moment, reached out her hand, and patted the drunk’s head.

“The old saying goes that clever heads don’t grow hair. I’m just puzzled—how come you have so much hair?”

Ha!

She’d returned those exact words to him!

Xie Zhifei was satisfied, content. He smacked his lips contentedly, closed his eyes, and obediently went to sleep without making more trouble.

The remaining three looked at each other—all feeling like they’d survived a calamity.

Who could have imagined that tall and imposing, dignified and majestic Xie Sanye, when drunk, behaved like this?

“Does he always act coquettish when drunk?” Li Buyan asked, covering her mouth, afraid of waking the drunk again.

Pei Xiao covered his mouth to answer. “This is mild. The worse cases… tsk, shameful to hear, shameful to see.”

Yan Sanhe snorted coldly.

Truly spectacular indeed!

When the fourth watch drum sounded, someone knocked “bang bang bang” on the courtyard gate.

Li Buyan went to open it. A stern face appeared.

“Miss, an assassin entered the office. Be extra careful.”

“What? Quick, send people to protect our young master!”

“Miss, rest assured. We’ve already increased manpower outside the courtyard.”

“Thank you, thank you. I’ll immediately go wake our young master.”

The door closed, the bolt latched.

Li Buyan walked to the flower bed, picked up a small stone, and hurled it forcefully into the distance.

“Sounds like there’s something over there.”

“Go check it out.”

As footsteps receded, two black shadows leaped into the courtyard.

Li Buyan quickly stepped forward. “Hurry inside. Young mistress has been waiting in the room for your return.”

Zhu Qing pulled down the black cloth covering his face. “How’s my master?”

Li Buyan laughed coldly. “Doing just fine!”

…

Inside the room, a single lamp flickered like a bean.

Yan Sanhe held a teacup, staring blankly.

Pei Xiao had half a cucumber in his mouth, crunching away.

Xie Sanye sprawled on the table with Pei Daren’s official robe draped over him, sleeping soundly.

Seeing Zhu Qing and the others enter, Pei Xiao tossed aside the cucumber. Not caring that his mouth wasn’t finished chewing, he asked unclearly, “How was it? Did you find out?”

Zhu Qing wasn’t in a hurry to speak. Instead, he glanced at his master. “Should we wake him?”

Wake him so I have to coax him again?

Yan Sanhe refused. “You speak first!”

Zhu Qing was drafting what to say when Pei Xiao, unable to wait, grabbed half a cucumber from the table and hurled it at him.

“I’ll call you Grandfather Zhu—just speak already!”

Grandfather Zhu caught the cucumber and said three sentences in succession. Each sentence was like a firecracker exploding in the room.

“He knows martial arts!”

“And he’s a master!”

“In that small grove in Great Qi, I should have crossed swords with him. Besides the familiar attack moves, that black-clothed person also had three deep vertical lines between his brows.”

Dead silence!

Dead silence!

Still dead silence!

Zhu Qing replayed that recent scene, still shocked.

When he landed in the courtyard, he was still hesitating whether to use killing moves. If Zhou Ye didn’t know martial arts and he couldn’t pull back in time, things would get troublesome.

So when he broke through the window, his first sword thrust wasn’t at full strength—he was holding back some force.

Who knew Zhou Ye not only evaded that sword but immediately grabbed a blade from beside his desk and engaged him in combat.

Flickering candlelight.

Sharp blade and sword.

Two figures faster than swift wind.

The more Zhu Qing fought, the more alarmed he became. This person’s every move was a killing move, without a trace of sloppiness.

When blade and sword clashed in mid-air, Zhu Qing swiftly glanced at Zhou Ye.

Normally at this point, a person’s expression would show either shock, anger, or desperation.

But Zhou Ye’s face showed nothing.

As if encountering assassins, killing or being killed, were all extremely ordinary matters to him.

Zhu Qing immediately made a decision—use his ultimate move to test exactly how formidable his martial skills were.

However, just then, Zhou Ye struck first. His blade flashed like lightning.

In his panic, Zhu Qing was forced to retreat a large step backward.

Familiar moves, familiar retreat—Zhu Qing swiftly glanced at Zhou Ye again. His heart shook violently.

Three vertical lines between the brows. He vaguely remembered the masked man’s face also had them.

Where would he dare linger another moment? He leaped through the window to flee.

“Miss Yan.”

Zhu Qing spoke with difficulty. “What should we do next?”

Yan Sanhe was caught completely off guard by the question.

She’d only grown suspicious of Zhou Ye and wanted to test him. She hadn’t thought further ahead at all. Who could have predicted…

“Young mistress.”

Li Buyan’s face held not a trace of smile. “Make a decision quickly. This is Zhou Ye’s territory. We’re in great danger right now.”

With Li Buyan’s reminder, everyone in the room except that still-collapsed drunk changed expressions completely.

That’s right.

Since he was one of the black-clothed people, then those assassins should currently be hiding in the office. If something really happened, wouldn’t it be like closing the door to beat the dog, catching the turtle in the jar?

And they…

Absolutely could not escape even with wings!

Yan Sanhe’s lips had just moved when she heard someone pounding on the door outside.

“Bang bang bang—”

Huang Qi, frightened, retreated half a step. “Miss Yan, could it be Zhou Ye and the others discovered us and came to kill us?”

Yan Sanhe hadn’t had time to speak when Li Buyan snorted coldly. “If it really comes to that, we’ll fight our way out too.”

Zhu Qing: “I’ll hold the rear. Huang Qi and Miss Li take the vanguard.”

“Everyone shut up!”

At the critical moment, Pei Xiao was exceptionally calm. “Don’t act rashly. I’ll go out first to assess the situation.”

“You’re the lord. How can a lord personally open the door?”

At some unknown point, the drunk’s peach blossom eyes had opened. They held a layer of moisture, as if the alcohol hadn’t yet worn off.

He yawned. “I’ll go look.”

“Third Master!”

“Xie Wushi.”

Xie Zhifei braced himself against the table corner to stand. His finger tapped on a teacup. “Having drunk a cup of tea Miss Yan poured, I can’t do nothing!”

Yan Sanhe quickly looked up, only to see Xie Zhifei smile at her.

“Stay inside properly and think of a plan. Without my order, no one comes outside. Zhu Qing, let’s go.”

Yan Sanhe ground her back teeth again.

This time, she wanted to genuinely praise that drunk.

Well done!

…

Xie Zhifei opened the bolt, pulled open the door, putting on a shocked expression.

“Oh, Magistrate Zhou, how is it you?”

“Where’s your lord?” Zhou Ye stood with hands behind his back, his face very grim.

Behind him followed several bailiffs, all unfamiliar faces.

Zhu Qing looked at the blades in their hands. His heart trembled violently—weren’t these exactly the weapons those black-clothed people used to attack in the small grove?

This time they’re done for!