Third Master Xie’s illness came quickly and left quickly.

That night after the seven people conferred, he seemed to have taken some miraculous elixir and suddenly came back to life.

The revived Third Master moved back to the Xie residence and resumed his life of leaving early and returning late as a debauched dandy.

As for Lord Pei, everyone with eyes at the Bureau of Buddhist Registry noticed that Lord Pei, who used to muddle through his work, had begun to love his position. He constantly ran to temples, becoming thick as thieves with those bald monks.

Upon inquiry, they learned that Lord Pei had recently suffered heartbreak and was contemplating entering monastic life.

So what was Yan Sanhe doing?

She put on patched clothes, disguised herself as a man, and prepared to find work as an assistant at a coffin shop.

In this world, any business could change hands midway, except for coffin shops, which rarely did.

Anyone doing business with the dead had to have a sufficiently strong birth chart to suppress evil spirits, otherwise they’d be seeking wealth at the cost of their life.

So coffin shops were mostly passed down from generation to generation.

The Zheng family had one hundred eighty corpses, which meant one hundred eighty coffins. No single coffin shop could handle such a large order in a short time.

All the coffin shops in the Four-Nine City combined might not even be enough.

Moreover, coffin shops didn’t just sell coffins—they had connections to a whole network of people who specialized in funeral arrangements.

There were specialists in preparing corpses for burial,

Those who cleaned and dressed the bodies,

Musicians who played and sang…

These people would always investigate the deceased’s circumstances before taking on a funeral. Though they did the lowest of work, they were the ones who most directly handled the Zheng family corpses.

Yan Sanhe calculated that she would work three to five days at each coffin shop, then use the excuse that her constitution couldn’t suppress the evil spirits to move to the next one.

First, this wouldn’t arouse suspicion; second, the proprietors would be happy to have free labor.

But plans couldn’t keep up with changes.

At this moment, Yan Sanhe had just come out of the first shop when Zhu Qing blocked her path.

“Third Master is waiting for Miss at Ancient Moon Tower. It’s urgent.”

“What matter?”

Zhu Qing gritted his teeth and lowered his voice: “The Grand Prince has run into trouble in the south.”

Yan Sanhe: “…”

…

Ancient Moon Tower was bustling with guests coming and going.

In the private room at the end of the third floor, the door was pushed open from outside.

Xie Zhifei stood up, “You’re here. Sit quickly.”

Yan Sanhe’s gaze swept around, “Where’s Young Master Pei?”

“He’ll be here shortly.”

Just as the words left his mouth, the door was pushed open from outside.

Li Buyan entered carrying a bundle, looking puzzled: “Why did Third Master summon me? And tell me to bring half a month’s worth of clothes? Eh, Sanhe, you’re here too?”

Yan Sanhe looked directly at Xie Zhifei, “Why do you want Buyan to bring half a month’s worth of clothes?”

Xie Zhifei poured tea while saying, “Let’s eat first. The vegetarian dishes here…”

“Let’s talk first.”

Yan Sanhe interrupted, “At a time like this, who has the appetite to eat?”

Xie Zhifei was silent for a moment.

“We just received news that Huairen was attacked. The physicians in the south aren’t comfortable with the situation and need someone we trust sent from the capital. They’d like to ask Miss Li to escort him there.”

Attacked?

Yan Sanhe and Li Buyan exchanged glances and asked, “Why Buyan?”

Xie Zhifei held up three fingers, “First, Huairen doesn’t want to make a big deal of it.”

“The reason for not making it public?”

“Once it becomes public, His Majesty will surely summon him back to the capital to recuperate. With the Crown Prince’s leg condition, the southern matters will likely fall into someone else’s hands, and his arrangements will all come to nothing.”

“Wanting power over life!”

Yan Sanhe gave a cold laugh: “And the second?”

“Huairen has no shortage of experts by his side, both openly and secretly, yet he still encountered danger. To be safe, I want to plant a hidden piece around Huairen.”

Xie Zhifei glanced at Li Buyan: “Her identity is concealed, her martial skills are excellent, and she’s also a pretty girl who can…”

“Can pose as the Grand Prince’s maidservant, or as the Grand Prince’s lover, and is easily overlooked and underestimated.”

Li Buyan raised an eyebrow: “Isn’t that right, Third Master Xie?”

At this point, Xie Zhifei had nothing to hide or conceal.

“Yes.”

Yan Sanhe: “Who is the physician being escorted?”

Xie Zhifei: “Mingting is busy with this matter right now—his concubine-born younger brother, Pei Jing.”

Yan Sanhe: “This person’s medical skills?”

Xie Zhifei: “Taught personally by Uncle Pei, extremely talented.”

Yan Sanhe: “What reason does Pei Jing have for leaving the capital?”

Xie Zhifei: “The Pei family has a medicine shop in Lin’an Prefecture. Pei Jing will be there for a month-long consultation.”

What excellent calculations.

A Li Buyan whom no one knew,

A concubine-born son of the Pei family, Pei Jing, who kept a low profile—

The former had excellent martial skills, the latter had excellent medical skills. Both were the most useful people to the Imperial Grand Prince.

Yan Sanhe asked again: “How was he attacked? Who was the assassin?”

“If I knew who it was, I definitely wouldn’t hide it from you.”

Xie Zhifei paused, then continued: “The distance is vast, the road is long. He only sent one sentence via carrier pigeon, and I’m anxious here too.”

Yan Sanhe lowered her eyes, her heart churning like stormy seas.

She was unwilling to let Li Buyan get involved in these matters, but with Xie Zhifei asking…

“I can’t make this decision. Let Buyan decide for herself. If she says she won’t go, please find someone else, Third Master.”

Xie Zhifei’s gaze shifted, “Miss Li…”

“Oh, when you need me it’s Miss Li, when you don’t it’s Li Buyan.”

Li Buyan crossed her arms, “Third Master, your face changes fast enough.”

Still holding a grudge?

Xie Zhifei gritted his teeth, and after a long while said: “I’ve known Huairen for so many years, and I’ve never seen him send anyone mooncakes, especially sent from such a great distance.”

“So what? It’s just a box of mooncakes.”

Xie Zhifei, seeing her so stubborn, felt his heart sinking, but he couldn’t force anyone’s hand.

“In that case, let’s consider this matter closed. I’ll think of another way. Let’s eat.”

“Did I say I wouldn’t go?”

Li Buyan’s two eyebrows shot up high.

“I have only one condition: not a single hair on my Sanhe’s head can be harmed. If even one is, you, Third Master Xie, will kowtow to me once.”

Even if you didn’t say it, I couldn’t let her lose a single hair.

Xie Zhifei declared firmly: “It’s a deal.”

Having agreed, Li Buyan acted decisively, “When do we leave?”

“Mingting and his concubine-born brother should be on their way here now. As soon as they arrive, you leave.”

That meant immediately.

Yan Sanhe’s expression changed slightly.

Li Buyan glanced at Yan Sanhe’s face, feeling somewhat guilty as she blustered:

“Third Master, bring up all the good food and drink this tower has. I need to eat and drink my fill before I can set out.”

Xie Zhifei’s gaze shifted between the two, roughly guessing what was happening.

“I’ll go make arrangements. You two have some tea first.”

Once he left, only Yan Sanhe and Li Buyan remained in the private room.

This was the second separation they faced since meeting.

The first time was after Yan Xing’s death.

“Li Buyan.”

“Yan Sanhe.”

Their voices rang out almost simultaneously.

This synchronicity somehow lightened the mood of parting.

Yan Sanhe: “If you want to go, I won’t stop you. Just be careful about everything. Don’t just charge forward recklessly when there’s danger.”

Li Buyan: “Same goes for you. When something comes up, let Third Master and Young Master Pei charge forward—you hide behind them. Also…”

She leaned her head closer: “Keep your distance from that Xie fellow.”

Yan Sanhe looked at her and slowly countered, “You keep your distance from that Zhao fellow too.”