Lin Hao obtained the address from Uncle Liu.

Uncle Liu was somewhat worried. “Second Miss, if you have any tasks, entrust them to me. You mustn’t put yourself in danger.”

Thinking of Du Qing, his expression grew grave. “That fortune-teller is just an ordinary person, but the young man following him is a master who has seen blood. Second Miss should stay far away from this person.”

“I understand. Uncle Liu, don’t worry.”

Several days later, Uncle Liu brought more news. “That fortune-teller sets up his stall daily under an old locust tree outside Stone Plate Alley. He opens for business at the hour of the snake, closes at the end of the hour of the monkey. Sometimes he goes straight home, sometimes he buys a pot of wine to drink before returning. That young man keeps watch in the shadows the whole time—”

At this point, Uncle Liu’s expression became peculiar. “Second Miss, just who is this fortune-teller that he has a master secretly protecting him?”

“This… I can’t tell Uncle Liu for now.” Lin Hao’s face showed regret.

Uncle Liu smiled. “If Second Miss can’t say, then forget it. But I still must add one thing—stay far away from that young man.”

Lin Hao nodded in agreement, then quietly left the mansion the next day.

This time, she didn’t ride Lin Xiaohua. She had applied powder slightly darker than her skin tone to her face, and her eyebrows were much thicker. At a glance, she looked like a modest young lady from an ordinary family.

She didn’t head straight for Daoist Mingxin’s new residence, but made a detour near Stone Plate Alley.

The area near Stone Plate Alley was lively, with vendors selling needles and thread, selling flatbread, selling fried dough sticks and tofu pudding. Hawking cries mingled with laughter, sketching out a rich atmosphere of daily life.

Under a thick old locust tree, the white-haired and bearded fortune-teller dozed, his stall cold and deserted.

Lin Hao glanced from afar. Confirming that Daoist Mingxin had set up his stall, she went to his new lodging.

The grayish-white alley was deep and narrow. Walking from one end to the other didn’t lead to a dead end, but rather to another street. Such an alley would undoubtedly facilitate escape at certain times.

Lin Hao stopped before an ordinary courtyard gate. A rust-spotted lock hung on the door, making it look no different from several other households.

This was Daoist Mingxin’s new residence.

Lin Hao pulled out an iron wire from her sleeve, bent it, and after some fumbling the lock opened. She slipped inside and closed the door carefully, cautiously surveying her surroundings.

Based on Lin Hao’s understanding of Daoist Mingxin, from the moment she stepped through the courtyard gate, danger lurked at every step. For instance, this seemingly ordinary bluestone path leading directly to the house entrance—if one walked along it normally, one would be injured by mechanisms.

Daoist Mingxin was extremely skilled in the art of mechanisms.

Lin Hao observed carefully, then tentatively took her first step, paused and waited before taking her second step. Proceeding this way, the short distance from the courtyard gate to the house entrance actually took a quarter hour.

There were three steps in total. Lin Hao stepped onto the second one, pushed open the door, and directly crossed the threshold.

The light inside wasn’t very good. The small main room contained a dining table and four broken chairs. Through observation, she could determine that the east room was Daoist Mingxin’s living quarters, while the west room was Du Qing’s.

Lin Hao searched the east room first.

Under the bed, in the pillow and bedding, in trunks and wardrobes—after a thorough search, she found nothing.

She went to the west room next.

The west room had far fewer items than the east room. Aside from the bed and bedding, there was only one clothing trunk. After checking, she still hadn’t discovered those letters.

Lin Hao returned to the east room and began searching a second time.

Time passed bit by bit. Before she knew it, afternoon had arrived.

Lin Hao pounded her aching waist, feeling somewhat dejected.

Though she could avoid those mechanisms and hidden weapons, she had no confidence in evading her teacher’s eyes. After her teacher returned, he would certainly detect that someone had been here.

It could be said that she only had one chance.

Where could they be?

Lin Hao’s gaze swept over the furnishings in the room one by one.

Her teacher wouldn’t keep the letters on his person. A small fortune-teller in a place like the capital where nobles and dignitaries gathered might encounter any number of situations—carrying the letters on his person would be too unsafe.

Those letters must be somewhere in these three rooms.

Wait!

A flash of inspiration struck Lin Hao. She walked quickly into the main room.

She had searched the east and west rooms four or five times, but hadn’t checked the main room.

The main room truly had little to search. Apart from one table and four chairs, there wasn’t even a side table. Lin Hao felt over the table inch by inch, getting her hands greasy.

There was no hidden compartment—this was just an ordinary dining table. Because it was too worn, one table leg was short and propped up with a brick underneath.

She examined the four chairs with the same care, then her gaze fell on that brick.

Could it be—

A thought flashed through her mind. Lin Hao lifted the table leg and pulled out the brick. The ground beneath the brick showed no signs of having been pried open. She tapped it lightly—it wasn’t hollow.

Perhaps she was overthinking.

Lin Hao sighed, preparing to lower the lifted table leg. Her movement suddenly paused.

She hooked her finger upward and pulled out a roll of oiled paper from inside the table leg.

Opening the oiled paper, several letters lay within.

It turned out that this shortened table leg had a section hollowed out at the bottom, and these letters had been wrapped in oiled paper and stuffed inside the table leg.

Lin Hao quickly opened one letter and scanned it, revealing a smile.

These were the right letters!

She placed the letters in her bosom, took the brick and propped it back under the table leg. After confirming everything was restored, she walked out of the room with light steps.

The autumn wind rushed toward her, dispersing the stuffy air from staying indoors so long.

Lin Hao stretched her limbs, skipped over the first step and stood on the second, walking to the courtyard gate following the reverse pattern from when she entered.

She reached out her hand to pull the door, but the door slowly pushed open from outside.

Lin Hao’s entire body tensed, every hair standing on end. Her back pressed tightly against the wall, completely motionless.

Had her teacher and Du Qing returned early?

With Du Qing’s skills, escaping wouldn’t be easy!

Countless thoughts flashed through Lin Hao’s mind in an instant. She held her breath, waiting for an opportunity.

A person cautiously poked their head inside.

Lin Hao almost instinctively breathed a sigh of relief.

Not Du Qing!

Because of this, though she had planned to forcefully rush out the moment the door was pushed open, at this moment she didn’t move.

The person who entered walked a few steps. Before they could make out the courtyard layout, a hidden arrow flew from some unknown direction and pierced their buttocks.

The expected scream rang out.

That person reached to clutch their rear, their body swayed, and they collapsed to the ground.

Lin Hao glanced at the person lying on the ground unconscious, pulled open the door, and slipped out.

The alley was even darker now, yet her footsteps were incomparably light.

What good fortune—she had successfully obtained the letters, and there was even a petty thief to create a diversion.

Lin Hao returned to the General’s Mansion. After examining the several letters over and over, her heart completely settled.

Daoist Mingxin closed his stall on time, bought several flatbreads, and carried them home.

The door was ajar.

He stopped at the courtyard gate, his expression turning ice-cold.

Du Qing made a hand signal indicating that Daoist Mingxin should move aside, then slowly pushed open the courtyard gate.

The courtyard was clear at a glance—one person lay collapsed there.

Du Qing walked over and kicked them with his foot, then squatted down to examine them. “Unconscious from poison on the arrow. This subordinate will go check inside the house.”

Before long he emerged from the house and shook his head at Daoist Mingxin. “There’s no one in the house.”