Li Buyan pressed forward a step.

“Let me ask you, originally everything could have been brought to light, right?”

Huang Qi: “Right.”

Li Buyan: “Now Yan Xi is dead. Whether what he said was true or false, no one knows. The lead has been cut off, right?”

Huang Qi: “Right.”

Li Buyan: “This way, the war horses can’t be healed, the heart demon can’t be resolved, right?”

Huang Qi: “Right.”

Li Buyan: “But the incense in my room is almost burned out, right?”

Huang Qi: “Right.”

Li Buyan: “The incense burns down a bit, Yan Sanhe’s memory decreases a bit. When it’s completely burned, she’ll have forgotten us all completely, right?”

Huang Qi: “…”

Li Buyan shouted, “Right or not?”

Huang Qi nodded hastily. “Right!”

“She won’t even remember me—what’s the point of me living? She won’t even remember Third Master—what’s the point of Third Master living?”

Li Buyan snorted coldly. “If Third Master can’t live, Young Master Pei won’t fare well either. One by one, aren’t you all not far from death?”

Huang Qi scratched his scalp.

What kind of logic was this? Did it even make sense?

Just then, Li Buyan pressed even closer, so close that her face was only three inches from Huang Qi’s face.

“Yan Sanhe is the only living person from the Zheng family. If the heart demon can’t be resolved, she’s definitely doomed. Without her memories, even if Third Master, Young Master Pei, and I have the audacity to cling to her, what if…”

“What if what?”

“What if that incense reflects her life…”

Li Buyan spoke word by word, “When that incense finishes burning, won’t her life also…”

Huang Qi’s pupils trembled violently. “Li Buyan, don’t talk nonsense.”

“I’m talking nonsense?”

Li Buyan suddenly deflated like a punctured ball.

“I’d rather be talking nonsense than have anything happen to her. Otherwise, I really won’t be able to go on living!”

As the last word fell, tears suddenly poured from her eyes.

This usually fierce and tough girl, whose personality was even more unyielding than a man’s, suddenly breaking into tears—that scene was comparable to mountains collapsing and the earth splitting.

Huang Qi was at a complete loss.

Ding Yi was irritable and troubled.

Zhu Qing’s brows knitted tightly.

The door creaked open with a squeak. Xie Zhifei and Pei Mingting walked out, but Yan Sanhe was notably absent.

Li Buyan couldn’t be bothered to wipe her tears and rushed over. “What did Sanhe say to you?”

Xie Zhifei’s gaze rippled slightly. “She said she’s a bit tired and asked Mingting and me to investigate first.”

“Wipe your tears first.”

Pei Xiao pulled out a handkerchief and stuffed it into Li Buyan’s hand. “She also said that with Yan Xi’s death, the only lead is cut off. It seems like we’ve reached a dead end.”

“How could it be a dead end? We can think of other ways.”

Li Buyan used the handkerchief to wipe her tears, then stuffed it back into Pei Xiao’s hand. “I’m going to persuade her.”

“Don’t go. She said she wants to be alone for a while.”

Xie Zhifei blocked her path. “Daxia, go check on that incense in your room and see how much is left now.”

Li Daxia rushed away like a gust of wind.

Moments later, her shrill voice, tinged with sobs, rang in everyone’s ears.

“This is bad! It’s almost burned out! Almost burned out!”

Everyone’s hearts trembled violently.

…

Night fell, and Yan Sanhe still hadn’t emerged from the study.

At the dinner table without her, Third Master ate a few bites of rice, then clutched his chest claiming it hurt and went back to his room to rest.

Seeing his good brother unable to eat, Pei Xiao threw down his chopsticks and stopped eating too.

Li Buyan just drank a bowl of soup, wiped her mouth, and went to the outer room to practice swordplay.

The sword wind whooshed.

Lu Da listened quietly for a while, then shook his head.

Huang Qi, sharp-eyed, asked, “What’s wrong?”

Lu Da sighed. “Her heart is in chaos. How can she practice swordplay well like this? If she’s not careful, she’ll hurt herself. What’s the point?”

Just then, Xie Zhifei returned.

“Zhu Qing.”

“Master.”

“I haven’t been to the magistrate’s office for two days. Go there for me in a bit and see if there’s anything urgent.”

“Yes!”

“Ding Yi.”

“Master.”

“Go back to the manor to check on things, and while you’re at it, pay my respects to the old ancestor.”

“Yes!”

“Huang Qi.”

“Third Master.”

“You go back and check on things for your master too.”

Xie Zhifei paused. “If Imperial Physician Pei gives you a hard time, just say you came back to report that all is well.”

“Yes!”

Xie Zhifei’s gaze turned to Lu Da. “After you finish eating, keep Miss Li company in practice. Feed her some moves.”

Lu Da: “What does ‘feed moves’ mean?”

Xie Zhifei: “It means go easy on her, humor her.”

Lu Da: “…” Him, an old bachelor, humor her?

“Humoring her is the same as humoring your young mistress.”

Xie Zhifei wore an expression of “can’t you understand the situation, you little old man?” His brows furrowed tightly as he walked away.

…

In the summer courtyard, night insects chirped softly.

After a busy day, Xie Xiaohua sat leisurely on a bamboo couch, fanning himself and contemplating the several matters he needed to handle tomorrow.

As he pondered, his thoughts somehow drifted to Third Master.

That day at the old madam’s birthday celebration, the young master had publicly declared before everyone in the manor that he would marry no one but Miss Yan. Originally, he’d thought that given Miss Yan’s relationship with the Xie family, the master and madam would agree no matter what.

Who could have expected that neither the master nor the madam had nodded in agreement? The master had even secretly begun helping the young master look at young ladies from prestigious families.

Xie Xiaohua was worried.

If the master truly took a liking to someone, the young master’s marriage would proceed step by step with formal matchmaking and all the ceremonies.

The young master seemed to have grown wings, but compared to the master, he was still far behind. When that day came, even if the master had to tie him up, he’d tie him into the bridal chamber.

What would become of Miss Yan then?

Thinking of Miss Yan, Xie Xiaohua grew even more worried.

She was a good person, but her temperament wasn’t so good.

The master and madam’s unwillingness to match her with Third Master was mostly due to her temperament—she appeared too cold, too proud, too difficult to get along with.

But she was cold on the outside and warm on the inside!

In all his years, Xie Xiaohua had never seen anyone more perceptive and straightforward than Miss Yan.

Sigh—

How could he act as a go-between in this matter, to help this pair of lovers finally unite, unlike himself with his lifetime of regrets?

Oh right, today the master was resting in his study.

Xie Xiaohua tossed aside his fan. Time to go probe the master’s intentions again.

…

By this moment, the night was already very deep.

Having left in a hurry, Xie Xiaohua forgot to bring a lantern and could only rely on the moonlight, groping his way in the dark toward the master’s study.

As he walked, he divided his worry for the young master in half, giving it to the master.

For some reason, the master had been sleeping in his study these past few days. Concubine Liu had sent people to invite him several times, but the master had declined.

This was extremely rare in the past.

Could it be… they’d had some kind of quarrel?

Lost in thought, he arrived at the courtyard. The gate wasn’t locked—the vermillion door was left with a gap—and there wasn’t a single gate-keeping servant in sight.

Xie Xiaohua cursed inwardly. Which blind fool was slacking off right under the master’s nose? Tomorrow, once he found out who it was, he’d skin them alive.

Xie Xiaohua poked half his head through the door gap, his gaze falling on the study window. He froze in shock.