Deep night.

A dilapidated temple.

Two people sat around a fire—none other than Yan Sanhe and Han Xu.

Han Xu handed over the toasted bread, “Eat.”

Yan Sanhe took it and ate silently. After finishing several pieces and wiping her mouth, she looked up at Han Xu.

Han Xu was still toasting his bread, his plain face showing no expression.

“Take it off. There’s no one around now.”

She said, “Your own face should at least come out for air.”

“I’m used to it.”

Han Xu ate a few bites of bread and said, “Half a month more and we’ll reach Yunnan Prefecture. There are still five Han Family Fort courier stations along the way.”

“Can we go any faster?”

“Even faster?”

Han Xu’s eyes were utterly helpless, “Look at yourself, then look at me. What have we become? Even beggars are cleaner than us.”

Yan Sanhe looked and couldn’t help but smile self-consciously, passing him the leather water flask at hand.

Han Xu took it and brought it to his lips, then paused, “I suddenly remembered something. That day you came down from the third floor of Ancient Moon Tower.”

“Right.”

“The third floor of Ancient Moon Tower—without official backing, you can’t even get up there. Who was the man following you?”

“Behind me?”

“Quite a handsome face, tall and imposing.”

Han Xu, as an escort, was most skilled at observing in all directions and listening in all ways. That man—he’d only glanced once, but the appearance was already imprinted in his mind.

Yan Sanhe thought to herself that he had followed her out after all, “This person is the Commander-in-Chief of the Five Cities Military Police, named…”

“Xie Zhifei, the third son of Xie Daozhi.”

Yan Sanhe frowned, “You’re familiar with him?”

Han Xu shook his head and held up one palm, “Our courier station sends silver to the Five Cities Office every year—this much.”

“Five hundred taels?”

“Five thousand taels.”

“Really corrupt.”

“Who says otherwise?”

Han Xu: “How do you know him?”

Aside from Li Buyan, Yan Sanhe never discussed her connection to the Xie family with anyone, but Han Xu had an innate air of steadiness that inspired inexplicable trust.

“His father was once my grandfather Yan Xing’s adopted son.”

So that’s how it was.

“He seems to have feelings for you.”

Give me a break!

Yan Sanhe shook her head, “He has no feelings for me.”

Han Xu looked at her, “Then you have feelings for him?”

Yan Sanhe immediately looked up.

Han Xu took a sip of water, his voice carrying a smile, “We left in such a hurry, yet you still wrote a few words for him. Clearly…”

“Don’t speak.” Yan Sanhe’s expression suddenly changed.

Han Xu thought he’d touched on her feelings and made her angry with embarrassment. He quickly said, “Xie Zhifei in our circles…”

“I told you not to speak.”

Yan Sanhe’s voice suddenly turned shrill.

Han Xu’s eyes tightened. He immediately grabbed his blade from the ground and walked outside the dilapidated temple to look around. Apart from two resting horses, there wasn’t a living thing outside.

He breathed a sigh of relief. Turning around, he found Yan Sanhe with her hand covering her heart, her face deathly pale.

“What’s wrong?”

He rushed over and reached out to feel her forehead, “Where don’t you feel well?”

Yan Sanhe raised her head. In the firelight, Han Xu clearly saw blood flooding her eyes.

“Yan Sanhe, you…”

“I’ve sensed it. It’s coming.”

Han Xu was made somewhat uneasy by her words, “What’s coming?”

“The next heart demon is coming soon.”

Yan Sanhe said in a very weak voice again: “Very dangerous. Extremely dangerous.”

Han Xu only knew his father’s heart demon had been quite dangerous, to the point where Han Family Fort had been in chaos for months and nearly lost lives.

“Then… what will happen?”

“People will die. People will die one after another.”

Yan Sanhe clutched Han Xu’s clothes and borrowed the strength to stand, “We need to leave. Leave right away.”

Han Xu reached out to stop her, “Not going to Yunnan Prefecture anymore?”

“We’re going to Yunnan Prefecture. The faster we go, the better. The farther, the better.”

“Why?”

“It’s too dangerous.”

The blood in Yan Sanhe’s eyes was so concentrated it looked ready to flow out, “If we’re not careful… I could die!”

Just at that moment.

Outside the dilapidated temple came a crow’s startled cry, cutting unexpectedly through the night sky.

Han Xu felt cold rising from his heart, goosebumps covering his entire body.

…

In the Four-Nine City, the autumn weather was perfect.

During the day, the streets bustled with crowds. At night, wine shops and pleasure houses flowed with guests—a picture of prosperous times.

Since the He and Du families’ marriage alliance fell through, the burden on Xie Zhifei’s shoulders had lightened considerably, and he returned to his “life of debauchery.”

Third Master Xie’s “debauchery” now included not only gathering intelligence for the Grand Prince but also matters concerning the Zheng family.

But he wasn’t anxious. He took things steadily, like a fish in a deep lake—occasionally surfacing, but mostly remaining submerged.

With Yan Sanhe returning to Yunnan Prefecture, even at the fastest, a round trip would take nearly three months. This time was enough to complete the tasks she’d assigned.

What gave him a headache was that over the past ten-plus days, no matter where he appeared, he’d run into that fellow He Yun.

He Yun was an only son with three older sisters above him.

This person had been doted on by his parents and pampered by his three sisters since childhood, growing up to become a scoundrel.

But his scoundrel nature was different from Xu Sheng’s.

Xu Sheng was a lowlife scoundrel.

He was a scoundrel with class, willing to throw around silver, and had even secretly paid for Xie Zhifei’s entertainment expenses several times.

Xie Zhifei was too lazy to deal with him. Finding an opportunity, he cornered the man and gave him a warning, but that fellow He had the audacity to say with a thick face:

You ruined my chance at a wife, Third Master. You owe me one. Of course… I wouldn’t mind being the wife either.

Xie Zhifei’s face turned cold as he replied with five words: Go to hell, you bastard.

On this day, he treated Cai Si and others from the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s Northern Bastion Office to a meal at the capital’s finest restaurant.

After they dispersed, he headed straight for the Pei residence.

Having been forced by him to run to various temples these days, and with temples all in the outskirts—quite far away—Pei Mingting hadn’t been seen in quite some time.

Arriving at the Pei residence and inquiring, he learned the young master had followed his father that afternoon to Imperial Physician Shen’s home for a condolence visit.

Imperial Physician Shen?

Xie Zhifei’s brow furrowed tightly. How had he not heard that someone in the Shen family had died?

“Who are they mourning?”

“Imperial Physician Shen’s daughter.”

Xie Zhifei was stunned, “Imperial Physician Shen only has four sons total. Where did a daughter come from?”

The steward shook his head: “The master left in a hurry and didn’t leave any message. This servant doesn’t know the specifics either.”

“Let’s go to the Shen residence and have a look.”

Zhu Qing looked at the night sky and advised, “My lord, we don’t have much connection with Imperial Physician Shen’s household. By rights…”

“By what rights?”

Xie Zhifei mounted his horse, “Imperial Physician Shen treated Yan Sanhe’s foot just a few months ago.”

Just for this alone, he should go show his face.

Moreover, he wanted to ask that Mingting fellow whether he’d learned anything from the monks and Daoists.

The Shen residence wasn’t too far—half an hour on horseback.

Several red lanterns hung at the entrance, swaying chaotically in the night wind.

Xie Zhifei dismounted and glanced at the carriage parked by the roadside.

Strange—why was there only the lone Pei residence carriage?

Also.

Clearly someone had died in the household—why were red lanterns still hanging?