Luo Cheng was naturally quick-witted. He hurried forward to take the items from my hands, but I smiled and told him there was no need. Instead, I asked him to hold back the crowd that had already begun to swarm us and organize them into a rough line so we could distribute the goods. A burly man like Brother Luo only had to bark a few orders for the crowd to shrink back, no longer daring to jostle before me. They obediently formed two rows, waiting in front of Xuesu and me.
At first, Xuesu’s expression was cold and angry, and no one dared to look her in the eye. They simply took the clothes, bowed their heads, and knelt to offer their thanks. This continued until a mother and daughter received a set of cotton robes. The mother gave the little girl a gentle nudge. "Quick, thank the older sister."
The clothes were adult-sized. Though the material was simple, the stuffing was high-quality cotton, thick and fluffy, filling the little girl’s arms to the brim. She squinted her eyes in a smile and was about to take a step toward Xuesu to offer her thanks when her old, worn-out boots caught on something. She stumbled, but fortunately, Xuesu was quick-handed and caught her as she lunged forward.
The little girl looked up from Xuesu’s arms and chirped sweetly, "Thank you, Sister! Sister, you’re such a good person!"
Xuesu’s eyes widened even further, and she looked utterly at a loss. Before she could respond, the people waiting behind them began to clamor impatiently, and the mother hurriedly led her daughter away.
Xuesu squeezed the soft fabric in her hands as she handed it to the next person, but her gaze remained fixed on the direction where the mother and daughter had disappeared.
"Teaching an assassin how to be close to people," Wei Qingming said, having finished her brief report from her subordinates and returned to my side. "A-Zhi, you have truly put much thought into this."
I entrusted the remaining carriage of donations to Luo Cheng, instructing him to stay and watch over Xuesu. Then, I tucked my arm into Wei Qingming’s and patted her cheek with a smile. "I’m accumulating merit for you and her. That way, Master Wei won't have to feel so much guilt over the past."
Though neither of us believed in ghosts, gods, karmic retribution, or the afterlife, she understood my heart. She blinked, a faint smile touching her lips as she shook her head slightly. Though she said nothing, she squeezed my hand tighter beneath her sleeve.
We walked straight through the shantytown. This area, spanning nearly ten miles and serving as a gathering place for refugees, had been built at the end of last autumn after the floods. The Ministry of Revenue had allocated funds, the Ministry of Works had provided timber and stone, and the refugees themselves had provided the labor in exchange for a small pittance and a few measures of rice. Yet, in less than half a year, many of the thatched huts had already collapsed. This was to say nothing of the open-sided sheds intended to provide meager shelter for the poorest and most helpless; most had been broken by the wind and were now teetering precariously in the cold. It seemed the materials provided by the Ministry of Works were none too sturdy—one could easily imagine the corruption involved.
The roadsides, however, were clean and tidy, likely because the officials were arriving and the runners had cleared the way. No one dared to loiter outside. Aside from the groups of refugees at the entrances who still had the strength to beg, the elderly, weak, and sick huddled behind broken walls. Only their eyes peered out from beneath filth-matted hair and brows. There were humans and there were demons; there were gazes of jealousy, resentment, and greed, as well as looks of sickly pleading. Most, however, were clouded and numb. Their glances were fleeting; they were clearly accustomed to the arrival of high officials and only wished for the nobles to leave quickly so as not to disturb their already difficult lives.
From a distance, I spotted the short, stout figure of Li Shuanglin. He stood with legs braced at a path's corner. Seeing us, he gave a distant nod and continued his conversation with another official. Standing around them were officers in the familiar black robes of the Yingzhao Temple, as well as others in green robes—likely bailiffs and constables under the Governor of the Capital. Li Shuanglin’s own domestic servants were there in plain clothes, including the man who had brought the news to the Orange Garden half an hour ago. He looked to be Li Shuanglin’s most trusted confidant; sending him to deliver the message showed great respect for Wei Qingming. There were also several disheveled men standing or squatting nearby. One look told me they were local thugs and ruffians—likely the "local snakes" of the northern suburbs. Surprisingly, they showed no fear of the officials, chatting and laughing openly with Li Shuanglin’s servants.
The official was Xi Kang, the Vice Governor of the Capital. He likely hadn't had a full night's sleep since taking charge of the search for the two missing young ladies. His long, sallow face looked as though the skin was sagging toward his chin. Now that a great weight had been lifted from his chest, the sickly green tint of his complexion had faded slightly. He clearly knew Wei Qingming. After they exchanged greetings, they wasted no words. Li Shuanglin personally led us into a thatched hut and brought us before Miss Zhou.
The Zhou family had also sent people upon receiving the news; they had arrived just before us. A young maidservant was currently busy feeding Zhou Jihong a medicinal tonic to restore her qi, while two others rubbed her limbs to warm her. An elderly wet nurse sat dejectedly to the side, wanting to cry but not daring to, merely sobbing and dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. The female elders of a high-ranking family could not easily travel here, so the one who came was Zhou Jihong’s third brother, Zhou Yicheng. His two elder brothers were already serving as officials elsewhere, making him the current head of the generation within the Zhou manor.
Upon seeing our group, Zhou Yicheng, despite his grief over his sister’s plight, very seasonedly cupped his hands in greeting to everyone. The men gathered to talk. I lifted my skirts and walked over to Zhou Jihong. I offered a graceful bow and introduced myself before softly asking about her condition.
It turned out that in the early hours of the nineteenth, Miss Zhou had been forcibly stripped of her belongings and dressed in coarse commoner's clothing. In her shock and rage, she had tried to take her own life, only to be knocked unconscious by a spell. When she woke, she had been dumped here. As for how she reached the northern suburbs, she naturally couldn't say. What she knew was identical to Miss He’s account: they had been abducted that night by a group of four. Fortunately, it was a woman among them who had handled her, which had preserved Miss Zhou’s chastity.
Zhou Jihong leaned in her maid’s arms. Though she was a delicate lady of a high house, she had endured such humiliation and been trapped in this freezing shantytown for three whole days without food or water. Despite her tattered clothes, she managed to remain conscious and composed, answering my questions concisely and logically. I felt both pity and admiration for her. In addition to the precious "Dream-Entering" medicine I had prepared, I also gave her several high-grade pills gifted by the Wujing Sect. To soothe her emotions, I quietly cast a few minor illusions to fade her traumatic memories and calm her mind, preventing her from falling into deep depression.
As I was detailing how to best use the medicine, a commotion broke out outside. Someone burst into the hut, crying as she threw herself before Zhou Jihong. "Sister, I have failed you!"
The newcomer was He Huan, the one who had made the wager with Zhou Jihong to sleep out in the backyard in the snow. She was also ill and had barely recovered after resting at home for a day or two. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to her knees, only to be caught by her and Zhou Jihong’s maids.
Though weak, Zhou Jihong had remained strong and silent. Seeing He Huan, she finally showed a relieved smile, tears streaming down her face. "Sister, I have been thinking I failed you as well. If I hadn't suggested we shouldn't return to our rooms, how could I have caused you to suffer this calamity..."
"It was my fault! I shouldn't have... I shouldn't have challenged you..." He Huan sobbed uncontrollably, her breath hitching. "If you... if anything had happened to you... I could never atone for it, even with ten thousand deaths! How could I have lived with myself!"
"It’s alright, I’m perfectly fine. Don't cry..."
After the two of them had embraced and wept for a while, they finally calmed down. I glanced back at Master Wei, who gave a slight nod. I then smiled and explained the situation to the ladies, taking their memories in the name of the Yingzhao Temple. Zhou Jihong and He Huan naturally consented, saying that if anything else was needed to catch the villains, we should send word to their manors at any time.
In front of the Zhou manor, there was another scene of a "lost swallow returning to the nest" as the family reunited. The illness of the old Master Zhou, the Vice Minister of Works, would finally take a turn for the better. Master Wei and Li Shuanglin received the profuse thanks of the Zhou family. Xi Kang, knowing he hadn't contributed much and feeling he had lost face, had long since taken the men from the Governor’s office and left on some pretext.
"Now the Ministry of Works can return to its normal routine, right?" Before bed, Wei Qingming and I sat on the edge of the bed. I chatted idly while brushing her hair.
Her freshly washed hair was as smooth and cool as black jade, emitting a rich, ethereal fragrance. Even Master Wei’s bath supplies were unique, formulated from precious flowers and spices, used since her childhood. At first, I had teased these pampered scions for being so fastidious about unnecessary things, but after living together for so long, I had grown to love it myself...
She looked down at me as I leaned against her shoulder, sniffing her hair and smiling with a look of infatuation and mischief. She narrowed her eyes and smiled back. "Mmhmm. The memories you took—make a copy for me tomorrow."
I agreed with a smile, then my eyes darted around as I pretended to suddenly remember something crucial. I clapped my hands and cried out, "The bandits who took the two ladies were incredibly skilled! The strangest thing is that one of them used a Buddhist technique—the Dragon-Elephant Palm of the Great Compassion Temple!"
"Oh?" She was indeed interested and followed the lead. "The Dragon-Elephant Palm is not taught unless one is a direct disciple of the elite and has reached the mid-Cloud-Swallowing stage. There are not many in the world who possess this skill. If that is the case, it will greatly save us the trouble of investigating."
I mused, "Hmm, but it was different from the palm techniques of the monks we saw at the Tianshan Meeting. Something was... off." As I spoke, I couldn't help but start gesturing. "For example, this move, 'Ten Temples Wind-Walking'—he struck like this..."
The Champion indeed tilted her body slightly, raising a hand to meet my forceful palm. Seeing her take the bait, I was overjoyed, but I kept my face serious, my brows furrowed as I struck again. "His second palm was like this. Commander Gao from the Temple didn't dare take it head-on. At the critical moment, he retreated to dodge..."
Master Wei was incredibly cooperative. Hearing this, she also made a show of leaning back to dodge, acting out a sense of haste. As we went through the moves palm for palm and punch for punch, I shouted, "Just then, that wicked monk gave a great roar, unleashing all his power, and Commander Gao fell to the ground!"
Master Wei tumbled backward nimbly, even letting out a convincing grunt as she pretended to be knocked unconscious, her eyes rolling back slightly. In a flash, I pounced on her with great triumph. I seized both her wrists, pinning them firmly to the pillow, my legs already positioned to lock her down.
"Heh heh!" I laughed wickedly. "Beauty, you’ve fallen for it! Now, be a good girl and listen to me!"
For a long while, there was no reaction from her; she was still pretending to be unconscious. However, I could feel her body trembling with suppressed laughter. Finally, she couldn't hold it in and laughed out loud. She blinked her lashes and looked at me playfully. "All this brilliant scheming... just for this?"
My chin was tucked against her chest, so I had to look up to glare at her. Her open, fearless expression was truly frustrating. I cried out in mock rage, lifting her wrists high and pinning them back into the soft brocade quilt. "This is for your nonsense in the carriage today! I’m going to collect my due, with interest!"
"Fine... why go to such trouble?" She kissed the tip of my ear while drawing me into the crook of her neck. She whispered, "You should know—whatever you ask for, I will give."
My face turned scarlet once again.
***
**Glossary**
