“Brothers, keep your eyes sharp—don’t miss a single spot.”

The retainer called Brother Liu shouted loudly.

“If we let them escape, it won’t just be us who suffer—the Xu family will be in deep trouble too. Did you all hear?”

“Yes!”

“Check every tree carefully.”

“Yes!”

Now even Xie Zhifei didn’t dare breathe heavily, his heart rising straight to his throat.

Whether by heaven’s help or sheer luck, suddenly the sound of birds flapping their wings came from the distance.

“Brother Liu, there’s movement over there.”

“Chase!”

The retainers all rushed off in that direction.

Xie Zhifei exhaled heavily. Looking down, he found his clothes completely soaked with cold sweat.

Looking again, Yan Sanhe wasn’t much better—her black hair was drenched, perspiring even more than him.

At this moment, their positions were like two cicadas clinging tightly to the tree trunk.

Yan Sanhe stood on one branch, hands gripping the trunk tightly.

Xie Zhifei stood on another branch, arms raised high like a hanged ghost, hooking onto the branch above his head.

“Actually…”

Xie Zhifei decided to explain some things. “It’s just the two of us at this estate.”

I already guessed that.

Otherwise, Third Master Xie wouldn’t be so pathetically playing the hanged ghost.

Yan Sanhe: “Where are they?”

Xie Zhifei: “I was also abducted.”

“What?”

Yan Sanhe’s teeth slipped, nearly biting her own tongue.

Just how many world-class masters had that eunuch Xu Sheng hired?

“What about you? How did you get caught? Where’s the boastful Great Hero Li?”

Yan Sanhe told the truth. “I was on the ground, she was underwater.”

This time it was Xie Zhifei’s turn to be shocked.

“What was she doing underwater?”

“Retrieving something.”

“What thing?”

“The clothes Jing Chen wore when she died.”

What a coincidence.

Xie Zhifei looked at Yan Sanhe’s face and said slowly, “How’s the heart demon breaking going? Any progress?”

Yan Sanhe looked at him expressionlessly: Is now really the time to discuss this? Think about escaping, Third Master.

Third Master fell silent, then softly said three words: “Concerned about you!”

Yan Sanhe nodded magnanimously with an “mm,” but her ears and the half of her face exposed turned completely red.

Damn that playboy Xie—when he wasn’t frequenting pleasure houses listening to music, he was seducing decent women.

Couldn’t he do something proper for once?!

Playboy Xie had no intention of doing anything proper. Instead, he shamelessly asked another question.

“Climbing trees together, escaping together—Yan Sanhe, doesn’t this count as fate between us?”

Yan Sanhe couldn’t have a proper conversation with this man.

Playboy Xie: “That…”

Yan Sanhe was furious, suppressing her voice to hiss: “Are you done?”

Not done!

Playboy Xie smiled. “Guess what—I used to know a girl who couldn’t do anything else well, but she was especially good at climbing trees.”

Yan Sanhe couldn’t help wanting to jab at him. “Third Master certainly knows plenty of girls!”

Third Master nodded seriously. “Mm, but not many I keep in my heart.”

Yan Sanhe: “…”

She snorted. “You’ve ruined quite a few though.”

Third Master: “Not many I actually succeeded with.”

Yan Sanhe: “…”

Third Master flashed a meaningful smile. “Got more? Continue!”

Yan Sanhe: “If you’re sick, get treatment, Third Master.”

Third Master’s lips curved upward as he looked down at her, replying lazily: “Lovesickness—who can cure it?”

Yan Sanhe: “…”

Something wasn’t quite right. A few months ago, I was the one who left him speechless. How is it now that I can’t counter him?

Xie Zhifei’s eyes and brows were about to fly with triumph: Men with thick skin are indeed invincible.

All right, enough teasing you.

“Though I’m here alone, many people must be worried about the disappearance of the Xie family’s Third Master.”

Xie Zhifei suddenly straightened his expression.

“They’re definitely on their way here now. In a bit, you should circle around the estate heading south—you might run into them.”

Yan Sanhe found his words baffling. “What about you?”

“I obviously can’t leave with you.”

Xie Zhifei said leisurely, “A man and woman alone together—it would be hard to explain later. Third Master has principles in how he conducts himself.”

Yan Sanhe ground her back molars. “What principles?”

Xie Zhifei pressed his lips together in a light smile. “Never ruin girls who can climb trees.”

Can I kick this bastard down from here?

Yan Sanhe looked ready to fight to the death.

Just then, a shout came from the front of the estate: “This is bad—the master has returned.”

Xie Zhifei’s smiling eyes turned cold, and his right hand suddenly released.

Yan Sanhe shuddered. “What are you doing?”

“Getting you something good.”

You really know how to pick your timing.

“Don’t move around—be careful not to fall.”

“Don’t worry!”

Xie Zhifei slowly reached into his robe and pulled out a small paper packet, then tucked it behind Yan Sanhe’s neck.

“This is poison powder. When you’re in danger, cover your mouth and nose and throw a handful at the bad guys.”

Yan Sanhe instantly froze. “Why didn’t you take it out earlier? When they were climbing the wall, you could have thrown a handful and we wouldn’t need to be squeezed in here!”

“I just… didn’t think of it.”

If looks could kill, Xie Zhifei would have died countless times by now. Yet he still had the nerve to smile.

This smile shook the branch beneath his feet with a crack.

“Not good—this branch is breaking.”

His expression changed. “Yan Sanhe, I need to find another tree to hide in. Don’t move—absolutely don’t move.”

“Hurry up then.” Yan Sanhe wanted to kill him again with her eyes.

Xie Zhifei released his hands and his body slid downward.

He slid too fast. When he landed, he somehow failed to steady himself. His body fell backward, and he tumbled down.

A dead branch behind him snapped with an enormously loud crack.

A chill ran from Yan Sanhe’s feet to her head, raising every hair on her body.

How could Xie Zhifei be so careless?

“There’s movement over there!”

“Brother Liu, it’s a person.”

“Chase him!”

Xie Zhifei quickly scrambled up, glanced deeply at the tree, then took off running.

“He’s running!”

“Chase…”

“Quick, quick, cut him off, cut him off…”

The turn of events came so suddenly.

Yan Sanhe’s mouth fell slightly open as she stared in shock at the figures racing below. Just as she was about to climb down the tree trunk to rescue him, a phrase suddenly flashed through her mind:

*If we’re discovered, don’t move. Remember that.*

We’re discovered?

Don’t move?

All the blood in her body froze. A thought struck Yan Sanhe’s mind like lightning—so he had deliberately lured those retainers away to save her.

Why would he do that?

Yan Sanhe bit down hard on her lip, feeling lost and uncertain for the first time.

Just then, sounds of fighting came from the distance, followed by someone shouting: “Got him! Quick, go tell our master.”

“What about that woman!”

“She must still be in the woods!”

“Damn it, this bastard has a blade—quick, hold him down.”

“Son of a bitch, he got away again…”

“Block him up ahead, quick, quick…”