Xie Zhifei shrugged, indicating his complete innocence.

Seeing him like this, Cai Si’s anger flared up from nowhere, his voice sharpening: “Your badge—hand it over!”

Xie Zhifei glanced at Pei Xiao, who quickly reached into his robe, pulled out the badge, and handed it to Cai Si.

Cai Si pocketed the badge and was about to step forward when Xie Zhifei shifted his foot, blocking his path.

“What are you doing?”

“Lend me a courtyard so my sworn sister can rest for the night.”

Still pushing his luck?

Cai Si was so angry he nearly coughed up blood. “Where did you get a sworn sister from?”

“My father acknowledged her!”

His tone was completely righteous and confident.

Cai Si thought about the silver, thought about the Crown Prince’s grandson, then thought about Xie Daozhi, and pointed his finger at him again.

“You’re really a huge pain in the ass.”

With that, he turned his head. “Someone come!”

The steward came forward: “Master?”

“Arrange a clean courtyard for Third Master.”

“Yes!”

Cai Si turned his head back. “Get lost first thing tomorrow morning!”

“That won’t do.”

Xie Zhifei smiled roguishly. “If I don’t wait for Fourth Master to return, I couldn’t bear to leave!”

Cai Si couldn’t even be bothered to roll his eyes.

This brat was trying to dig information out of him.

How could he be so shrewd!

The more he looked at the person before him, the more annoyed he became. Cai Si pushed him aside and mounted his horse.

Xie Zhifei exchanged glances with Pei Xiao and Li Buyan, and the three nimbly entered Cai Si’s residence.

The courtyard was indeed clean, with new bedding and everything.

Li Buyan quickly made the bed, helped Yan Sanhe lie down, and lowered the bed curtains.

“You two gentlemen should also go rest. I’ll watch over Miss.”

Xie Zhifei was anxious about Zhao Yishi’s situation, and Pei Xiao was anxious about whether Ji Twelve was alive. The two exchanged glances and left the room one after the other.

The room was stuffy. Li Buyan opened the window and drew up a bucket of water from the courtyard well.

She dampened a cloth with the well water, wrung it out, loosened Yan Sanhe’s collar, and gently wiped her face and neck bit by bit.

“Sanhe, Old Lady Ji’s heart demon has been resolved. You resolved it so well—I was listening outside the door and cried. I thought of my mother.”

Li Buyan’s fingers stroked Yan Sanhe’s features, letting out a soft sigh.

“Sleep now. I’m watching over you. No one will disturb your dreams. Sleep more, and you can dream more.

People who are alive need to find their roots, don’t they? Living without roots or foundation—that’s being a lonely ghost too.”

Yan Sanhe heard every word Li Buyan said clearly, but at this moment she was both exhausted and weary. Her eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand pounds, and she fell into a deep sleep.

She didn’t know how long she’d slept when Yan Sanhe suddenly sat up, gasped twice for breath, then raised her head to look around.

This was a young lady’s boudoir.

Pink-yellow bed curtains with layers of tassels swayed gently in the night breeze.

A guqin stood in the corner, a bronze mirror sat on the dressing table, and dots of red light filtered through the carved lattice window.

On her body was a thin brocade quilt—the fabric felt silky and smooth to the touch, with a texture similar to the quilts at the Xie residence.

Yan Sanhe threw off the thin quilt and walked to the window. Just as she was about to push it open, her gaze was drawn to a small writing desk nearby.

On the desk were a stack of books, an inkstone, a writing brush, and several sheets of paper held down by a paperweight.

Yan Sanhe wanted to see clearly what was written on those papers, but strangely couldn’t make out a single character, which made her break out in anxious sweat.

Just then, she suddenly felt a scorching heat rushing toward her face.

Yan Sanhe abruptly pushed open the window and couldn’t help but turn pale with shock.

In the distance, a massive fire burned fiercely across the sky.

It’s on fire!

She quickly moved over a chair, stepped up on it, and nimbly jumped out through the window.

When she landed, she didn’t stand steady and tumbled in a somersault. Her embroidered shoes flew off, but she scrambled up on hands and feet and ran barefoot to open the courtyard gate.

The gate was barred. She had to stand on tiptoe to reach it.

The bolt slid open and the gate swung wide.

Yan Sanhe’s gaze swept the scene, and she felt as if an icy dagger had been plunged into her heart, which abruptly stopped beating.

So many black-clad men, with gleaming blades in their hands.

With each swing of blade, a head would fall.

Yan Sanhe was so frightened her legs shook violently. She pressed both hands tightly over her mouth, not daring to make the slightest sound.

Just then, one large and one small figure came running toward her.

“Quick, quickly go wake your sister and your mother.”

“Father, what about you!”

“Don’t worry about me, hurry, go now!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, several black-clad men descended from above. The man gripped his long sword and engaged them in combat.

The youth ran a few steps, looked back, then ran back again.

“Father, let me help you!”

“You…”

The man blocked a black-clad attacker’s blade with his sword and roared: “Flee quickly, run, son…”

But where could he flee to?

The black-clad men had already blocked the youth’s escape route. The youth raised his sword and faced them fearlessly in battle.

Yan Sanhe’s heart surged with overwhelming despair.

They were no match at all!

Those black-clad men’s blade techniques were utterly unpredictable. In just a few exchanges, a blade pierced through the youth’s thin chest, and blood gushed out.

“Son—”

The man’s roar tore at his heart and lungs.

Yan Sanhe’s pupils contracted in shock as she screamed with all her might: “Brother—”

Her voice was completely muffled by a large palm.

“Miss, quickly go to the secret passage, quickly…”

Having said this, that person dragged Yan Sanhe toward the secret passage.

I won’t go!

I don’t want to go!

Go save them, quickly go save them, I beg you to save them…

Yan Sanhe struggled desperately, tears streaming down her face. The enormous pain in her body nearly ground her into powder.

“What did you dream about to cry like this?”

Li Buyan quickly picked up the damp cloth nearby, brushed aside Yan Sanhe’s hair, and wiped her tears.

Just then, the curtain lifted.

“Li Buyan…”

Xie Zhifei rushed in and froze. “What’s wrong with her?”

“It’s nothing!” Li Buyan quickly lowered the curtain.

“What do you mean nothing? She’s crying!”

Xie Zhifei walked over wanting to see for himself, but Li Buyan blocked his way.

“Third Master, the so-called resolving demons through transformation means experiencing all of Hu Third Sister’s joys and sorrows throughout her life. Miss is feeling sad on behalf of Hu Third Sister!”

Li Buyan’s excuse came very naturally. “Did Third Master rush over in such a hurry because there’s something urgent?”

Reminded of the actual matter at hand, Xie Zhifei said hastily: “Mingting and I need to go out for a bit. You and Yan Sanhe just rest here in this courtyard and wait for us to return.”

“Don’t worry!”

Li Buyan’s assurance didn’t actually reassure Third Master Xie at all, so he instructed once more:

“Don’t go anywhere, and don’t run around.”

“You can set your heart completely at ease!”

Li Buyan patted her chest with a firm expression of “trust me, no mistake.”

Only then did Xie Zhifei turn to leave.

One foot across the threshold, he turned back again.

Li Buyan started. “Is there something else?”

Xie Zhifei’s face was solemn, his expression profoundly deep. “When she wakes up, tell her something.”

“What?”

“Excessive anger harms the body, excessive grief harms the heart. The heart is only as big as a fist—don’t fill it with too many things.”

The bead curtain swayed, and Third Master’s figure had already disappeared.

Li Buyan folded her arms, shook her head, and smiled faintly.

To tell the truth, when this Third Master gets serious, he’s quite impressive.

Handsome!