Both of them had their faces covered with black cloth. Zhu Yu closely followed Lu Qing’s steps as they wound east and west, avoiding all the main roads where people might pass by, and wandered through various twisting alleyways for a while.

The further they went, the more Zhu Yu felt that the surrounding buildings became increasingly low, with courtyard walls that were both low and dilapidated. Occasionally they could hear dogs barking in the yards as they passed by certain paths.

Even the road surface became pitted and uneven, and walking on it felt somewhat slick beneath their feet, completely different from the smooth bluestone roads of the grand courtyards on the other side.

In the pitch-black surroundings, Zhu Yu couldn’t distinguish directions very well, so she followed closely in Lu Qing’s steps.

Fortunately, she wasn’t in particularly poor shape to begin with, and since she started learning self-defense techniques with Lu Qing, she practiced diligently every day. This also made her much more resilient than before, allowing her to keep up quickly without feeling much strain.

Finally, when they turned into a narrow alleyway, Lu Qing slowed his pace, holding onto Zhu Yu’s hand, as they slowly moved forward, carefully observing the surrounding environment.

When they reached the end of the alley, it was completely sealed off by a wall, forming a dead-end. Zhu Yu wondered if they had taken the wrong path, but at that moment, Lu Qing gently squeezed her hand.

"It’s just behind this wall," he whispered into Zhu Yu’s ear, pointing to the top of the wall ahead, indicating how they would get over.

In the darkness, Zhu Yu nodded, fearing that Lu Qing wouldn’t see, so she squeezed his hand in return.

Lu Qing chuckled silently and didn’t waste any more time. He bent his legs slightly and sprang up, his long arms reaching for the top of the wall. In the blink of an eye, he gracefully leaped onto the wall.

He leaned down and extended his hand to Zhu Yu.

Zhu Yu quickly stood on her tiptoes to grab his hand, and with Lu Qing’s help, she quickly climbed up the wall, using her feet against the wall for leverage, without making Lu Qing exert much effort.

This was her first time climbing a wall, and it went so smoothly that she couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional.

In her past life, although she didn’t need to undergo various physical tests, she had out of curiosity watched her colleagues in other departments train, to see how they swiftly climbed over a two-meter-high wall.

The impression left in her mind back then unexpectedly came in handy today.

It truly proves that having many skills never burdens you, and nothing learned is ever wasted.

Once Lu Qing ensured Zhu Yu had secured her balance on the wall, he jumped down first.

Despite his tall, robust figure, he landed lightly and nimbly, almost without a sound.

He steadied himself, looked up at Zhu Yu on the wall, and gestured, spreading his arms open.

Without hesitation, Zhu Yu jumped down, and in an instant, she landed in Lu Qing’s prepared embrace. He twisted his body to absorb her force, allowing Zhu Yu to land solidly on the ground.

Lu Qing’s arm around her waist didn’t immediately release. His eyes seemed unusually bright in the darkness, as if he was in an excellent mood.

Without asking, Zhu Yu knew what made him so happy.

It was simply that when faced with such a high wall, he merely gestured, and she jumped down without hesitation, that complete trust, leaving him feeling elated.

Zhu Yu’s heart couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy.

All these years, Lu Qing must have longed for a real family, a bond closer than that of mentor and ally, with mutual trust.

But that ordinary thing, for Lu Qing over the past twenty-plus years, was indeed something he rarely dared to hope for.

However, she quickly dismissed these thoughts because a faint yet familiar scent wafted into her nose with the slight evening breeze.

She signaled to Lu Qing, and the two quietly crept into the yard, heading toward the only room in the small courtyard.

On the way here, Zhu Yu had pondered for a moment whether someone had deliberately revealed Gu Lingyun’s hiding place to Liu Yueyao’s informant, leading Lu Qing and herself here, where a trap might already have been set for them.

But upon further reflection, she dismissed the thought.

Whether it was Lu Qing’s past as Prince Xiaoyao or as the Golden-faced Imperial Censor, he’d done a lot for Emperor Jin, making enemies in his stead. Now, having been caught in the wrong, he not only had his fellow disciples beheaded but was himself demoted to a commoner.

At this point, setting Lu Qing up again might at most result in his execution, but the current Lu Qing couldn’t threaten any particular power anymore.

If Lu Qing stayed alive, Emperor Jin would have one more enemy in the world. Even if Lu Qing did nothing, he could later be used as a "tool" for scapegoating, bearing the blame for conspiracies against the emperor.

Moreover, the mastermind behind the Fake Castle Master had initially intended to incite Lu Qing’s hatred against Emperor Jin, hoping he’d impulsively assassinate the emperor, removing him and plunging the world into chaos, creating opportunities for those in the shadows.

Of course, this plan was futile, as Lu Qing never fell for it.

The impostor, realizing this, had long since been devoured to the bone by Yishaen’s meddling from the Fan Country’s High Priest.

Therefore, they probably couldn’t grasp Lu Qing’s true intentions.

In this case, a living Lu Qing was more valuable than a dead one.

Having figured this out, Zhu Yu was no longer worried, her heart at ease.

Arriving at the entrance of the small house, they found the door closed, but the window was left open, wide enough for a cat to easily slip in.

Bear in mind that after the Double Ninth Festival, the night air had grown chilly, and one needed to wrap up tightly to sleep, so leaving a window open was asking for trouble and catching a cold.

Moreover, at the window, the faint decay stench became more pronounced.

Zhu Yu reached out and gently, bit by bit, opened the window a little more.

The old hinges creaked slightly in the silent night, and Zhu Yu paused her movements, alert and listening.

The room remained completely silent.

Encouraged, Zhu Yu felt more certain of her earlier assumptions. Her actions lost the previous hesitancy, gaining decisiveness as she fully pushed open the once slightly ajar windows.

A wave of stench poured out from the room in an instant.