The night dew was heavy, the crescent moon lit the night.

Inside the bed curtains, the palace maid Xuan Ying, who had been lightly dozing with her eyes closed, suddenly opened them.

The distant sound of strings and flutes had stopped.

Had the princess succeeded in what she set out to do?

Could she manage it alone? Would she run into trouble? What if someone caught her?

How could she have believed the princess’s promise—believed she was capable of protecting herself—and let her go alone into this danger-ridden mansion to look for evidence?

Xuan Ying rose, pacing anxiously, uneasy and restless.

There was one thing that worried her even more.

If the princess refused to escape by herself and insisted on coming back to save her, that would truly be…

There seemed to be a strange sound from the tiles above her head.

Xuan Ying suddenly looked up, but the lights in the inner room were dim, too faint to make out what was on the beams.

Just as she wondered whether she was being overly jumpy, a dark shadow glided through the air like a swallow, landing with a sound so soft it was nearly inaudible.

The man slowly straightened up. Over eight chi tall, his figure was imposing, the tight lines of his shoulders and arms filled with the tension of a beast ready to spring.

Xuan Ying reacted at once.

It was him!

Before leaving, the princess had said: if she saw a man whose hair brushed just past his collarbones, very tall, handsome, and fond of smiling—that would be Pei Zhaoye, the mountain lord of Yushan Hongye Stronghold. She could trust him.

But—

This man didn’t look like he smiled often at all. His presence was so intimidating that it was hard to trust him.

He made a gesture for Xuan Ying, who had covered her mouth in fright, to stay silent.

His gaze shifted slightly. Outside the door came the sound of hurried, disordered footsteps.

Pei Conglu said, “…Lord Tan instructed that if the princess is found, we must have the death warriors take action tonight and finish it. There must be no delay, and absolutely no chance for her to escape, so…”

Tan Xun said, “Second Uncle sent me here precisely for this. You’ve already received your reward. Leave the rest of this matter to me.”

Pei Conglu said, “Yes, yes, since Young Master comes under Lord Tan’s orders, we’ve seen your token as well. It’s just… you said you want to take her outside to kill her, why bother? Our Pei residence keeps things discreet. Does Young Master still doubt our ability to handle it properly?”

Xuan Ying recognized Tan Xun’s voice too.

“This Pei… Pei Mountain Lord, that young man outside—he’s our princess’s fiancé. He’s not like the rest of the Tan family. Maybe… maybe he’s here to save her…”

“I know.”

Xuan Ying saw him smile.

That smile was cold as frost, carrying no trace of warmth. He asked:

“The people of the Tan clan from Wan Commandery—I may not know them all, but I do recognize most of them. Yet this Young Master Tan looks unfamiliar. Which son of the Tan family is he?”

Xuan Ying glanced at him with some surprise.

The Tan clan of Wan Commandery was a great family, with countless descendants. How could this man, far away in Yiling, be so well informed about the Tan clan’s members?

Outside, the voices of argument continued.

“—So is it that we doubt you, or that you doubt our young master?”

The officer beside Tan Xun spoke harshly:

“A mere commoner dares question the young master’s word? You were told to release the person, so release her! Keep running your mouth like this, delaying the Tan family’s affairs—can you bear the consequences?”

Pei Conglu, who had been bowing and scraping, stiffened in defiance:

“Of course we wouldn’t dare treat a young master of the Tan clan with disrespect, but this matter is grave—there can be no mistakes. We follow only Lord Tan Rong’s orders! As for the rest, no matter which Tan you are, we don’t recognize your command!”

“Presumptuous! Open your dog eyes wide! This is the son of the current Minister of State Affairs, Tan Jing—he is the future head of the Tan clan! How dare a lowly servant block his way!”

The night wind suddenly rose, beating against the tightly shut doors before them.

It sounded like some imprisoned beast inside was throwing itself against the barrier, about to burst forth.

Tan Xun’s face remained calm as still water, yet his gaze kept darting anxiously toward the door, as if wishing he could rush in to rescue her that instant.

So Second Uncle truly intended to kill Lizhu!

Utter madness!

Was it Father’s idea? Or Aunt’s?

Right now, the southern noble families held great power. It was the perfect time for the Tan clan to aid Emperor Mingzhao in counterbalancing those southern clans and thereby rise even higher, how could they strike at Lizhu now?

If even a whisper of this leaked, and Emperor Mingzhao grew wary of them, even if he didn’t act now, he would surely one day turn against the Tan clan to avenge Lizhu.

Doing such a thing—aside from pleasing Aunt—brought absolutely no benefit to the Tan clan!

They were all going mad with her!

No. He must save Lizhu tonight—

“Jie Yun, stop them for me!”

Tan Xun ordered coldly. Pei Conglu, seeing him stride quickly toward the door, was alarmed.

“Stop him! Don’t let him take her away!”

The torches flickered wildly, and the courtyard descended into sudden chaos.

The more than twenty men Tan Xun had brought were all elite guards, but the Pei family’s retainers were greater in number; in an instant, the two sides were entangled, the situation impossible to tell apart.

Tan Xun pushed open the door latch.

“Lizhu! Are you all right, Lizhu! Don’t be afraid, I—”

The words stopped abruptly.

As Tan Xun pushed the door open and entered, he saw only Xuan Ying and a stranger. Before he could even ask who the man was, that cold-faced man suddenly raised his leg and kicked straight at Tan Xun’s chest with lightning speed!

“Young Master Xun!” cried Xuan Ying.

Even though Tan Xun was skilled in all the Six Gentlemanly Arts, the combat skills trained in hunting grounds could never compare to the killing aura forged through life-and-death battles.

He crashed heavily onto the courtyard’s stone pavement, pain tearing through his organs as though they had been ripped apart.

This man…

That kick, was meant to kill him!

The men fighting in the courtyard all turned their gazes toward them.

“Young Master!”

Jie Yun rushed forward, helping his master up.

Pei Conglu shouted, “You… Pei Zhaoye? Why are you here!”

The man said nothing, stepping through the dim, chaotic courtyard, advancing toward Tan Xun one step at a time.

“What are you going to do?”

A guard blocked Tan Xun’s front, teeth clenched tight. “How dare you raise a hand against the only son of the Minister of State Affairs and the daughter of the Marquis Within the Passes—are you courting death—”

“I kicked him because he’s that son.”

The blazing torches reflected in his eyes.

Those eyes were black, thick and shadowed. When they locked onto him, Tan Xun felt a chill, sharp and reeking of blood, sweep over him.

Pei Zhaoye gazed at him quietly. His tongue began to throb faintly again.

It had been a night just like this, torches burning bright.

His face had been pressed against the stone ground, his jaw pried open with a blade. The blood was metallic, and the edge of the knife against his tongue was as cold as ice.

It hurt—

Hurt so much it felt like his brain was being crushed. Hurt so much that he’d thrashed and howled like an animal on the ground, wishing only for death.

Compared to that, what was a few broken ribs to this pampered young master?

“—Who are you?”

Tan Xun, enduring the agony, stared up at the man towering over him.

Pei Zhaoye smiled slightly.

“I’m your grandfather, you little bastard.”

·•—–٠✤٠—–•·

“Don’t move!”

The young man in the wheelchair was just about to speak when the short sword carved a bloody streak across his neck.

He immediately panicked and shouted:

“Everyone stay away! If anyone dares to move and kills me, my father and mother will have you buried with me!”

The maids and servants in the courtyard gathered around, and at his words they did not dare come closer.

After he finished speaking, the youth slightly turned his head and, trembling, asked Lizhu behind him:

“What do you want, wandering swordsman? Gold? Or jewels? As long as you don’t take my life, my whole family will hand them over with both hands—”

Lizhu trembled even more than he did.

“Shut up! Make them all step back. You come with me. If you try any tricks, I’ll—I’ll castrate you with one sword!”

Those words sounded more terrifying than killing; the life-loving, cowardly youth truly changed color.

He drove his servants away and pushed his wheelchair forward with force, but did not dare ask Lizhu where she was taking him.

Not until he saw the door to his father’s study.

The house guard standing at the door was astonished.

“Roll away from here if you don’t want your young master to die!”

Seeing them hesitate, the wheelchair youth angrily tore the longevity lock from his neck and smashed it at people.

“Do you want me dead or what! Hurry up and get out!”

Lizhu looked at the study she had been to before; as she walked in, her legs were so weak she almost stumbled on the threshold.

She had originally intended to hide somewhere inconspicuous.

Once the Pei household descended into chaos, the Pei brothers would certainly take time to check the family’s confidential files; hiding in this study would be walking straight into a trap.

But then Lizhu suddenly thought—

What if the Pei brothers tonight discovered they could not defeat Pei Zhaoye and, fearing a calamity for the whole family, destroyed these secret volumes?

She had to guard them and wait for someone to come to meet them.

Lizhu grabbed the collar of the wheelchair youth, pulling the lame boy into the study, and shut the big door.

Youth: “Wandering swordsman, spare my life!”

Lizhu: “You scared me to death.”

Both of them fell into seats on the floor, staring at each other.

Lizhu held the short sword pointed at him: “Put your hands on your head, go squat by the inner wall!”

The boy had already been scared witless by the cut on his neck and dared not disobey Lizhu in the slightest.

“…What’s your name?” Lizhu suddenly asked.

The boy stammered, “Pei… Pei Shao.”

“Courtesy name?”

“…Yinzhi?”

Lizhu stared at that pale, sickly face like a ghost’s, her head spinning for a moment.