The moment Old Ge poured it out, a sweet fragrance that smelled of pear or grape rose from the cup. It probably was juice, but the color was odd, and there were cloudy bits suspended in it.

It reminded He Lingchuan of that stream he had passed on the way here, the one with that greasy sheen floating on the surface.

“No, thanks.” He had no courage to touch unidentified liquids. “How do we stay in contact after this?” He had no intention of making this trip over and over again.

“That part’s easy.” Old Ge stepped outside and bellowed a couple of times at the nearby trees.

When he came back in, something black and furry sat on his shoulder.

At first, He Lingchuan thought it was a large rat, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be an oversized squirrel with a bushy tail and long hair sprouting from behind its ears.

“Take it to a tree near your residence. If you need something, just call it down.” Old Ge grinned. “From now on, it’s our messenger.”

He Lingchuan nodded, and the squirrel promptly jumped onto his shoulder.

“Oh, right, what do you know about Fang Canran, the chief steward at Dun Garden?”

“Steward Fang?” Old Ge answered without even thinking. “He’s General Golden Horn’s most trusted and most capable chief steward, the one who practically handles all the Golden Horn Clan’s businesses by himself. Outside, too, he’s a very big deal indeed. Why are you asking about him?”

“He resembles a friend of mine.” He Lingchuan said, “Do you know where Steward Fang comes from? I’d like to see whether there’s some connection there.”

“His origins, huh?” Old Ge sucked in a breath. “I think he’s from Lingxu City itself, or at the very least, he’s been here longer than I have. Hm, I’ll ask around. But if the Golden Horn Clan employs him, his family background is probably spotless.”

He Lingchuan could not help but laugh and ask, “When did I say he wasn’t clean?”

Old Ge unceremoniously held out a hand.

He Lingchuan gave him another silver ingot.

The ape weighed it in his palm. “I’ll get word to you as quickly as I can.”

“And one more thing, I want to take a trip to Mount Xu. Still running tour groups?”

“I am. Of course I am.” It did not care where the money came from, and routine business was still business. “There’ll be a group heading to Mount Xu in two days.”

“Put me down for it.” He Lingchuan left another ingot as a deposit, then stood to leave.

The moment his figure vanished from sight, Old Ge tucked the silver away, lifted the wooden cup from the table, and drained it in one go, letting out a blissful sigh.

So refreshing! Humans really have no taste.

A big ape darted in from behind the door.

“Big Brother Ge, I happen to know the two men he described. They live in Hundred Family Village upstream on the Li River to the east. Their surname’s Chen. They make their living fishing, and they really are brothers. Last year, they hauled up a king-sized grass carp from the Li River and sold it for a good price, but the money hadn’t even warmed their hands before they donated the whole lot to the gambling houses.” It scratched its cheek. “They’ve both got fish-scale skin disease too. They scratch all the time, even worse than I do!”

“Then why are you still standing there?” Old Ge swung a slap that sent it flying right back out the window. “Go find out where those brothers are right now! Our guest needs to be able to find them in two days!”

* * *

The next morning, He Lingchuan woke once again in his own three-thousand-square-meter residence.

The first thing he saw upon sitting up was the red maple outside the window, shifting through its autumn colors, and a long-tailed pheasant pecking fallen fruit beneath the tree.

The first time in his life he had ever had an estate this large all to himself... was in Beijia.

Well, not entirely to himself. He also had one shameless, unwanted guest who had insisted on staying here no matter what.

The moment he rose, a servant came in carrying warm water, ready to wash his face.

“No need.” He Lingchuan snatched the towel away himself.

He absolutely refused to let anyone come that close and block his vision.

His injuries were not serious. There was no need to waste the Jade Restoration Pill. He was already capable of walking, jumping, and fighting again.

However, He Lingchuan did not hurry out. Instead, he sent the goshawk off to make another trip for him.

This time, the bird demanded half a west shoal sheep in return. Last time, He Lingchuan had paid promptly, but by now, it was sick of rabbit meat. For the past few nights, one man, one tiger, and one prince had gathered around the fire roasting mutton, and the smell had nearly driven it mad with envy.

“No problem.”

But before the guest he was waiting for arrived, He Lingchuan unexpectedly received another present: treasure armor sent by Nian Zanli.

It was a close-fitting inner armor, meant to be worn beneath other clothing. Four layers had been woven together from fine silk, yet the finished piece weighed no more than an ordinary silk robe. Such craftsmanship alone was already worth a fortune. For someone like He Lingchuan, who used the Swallow’s Return movement technique, the lighter his own load, the better.

The soft armor had been woven from black-gold burrow spider silk.

He Lingchuan knew burrow spider silk too well. The moment his hand touched it, he could tell exactly what grade of material this was. He casually summoned flame to test it, burning it for the span of more than ten breaths, yet the inner armor did not change color in the slightest. Even when he touched it afterward, it was only warm and supple, not at all hot to the hand.

It could ward off blades, weapons, water, and fire.

He Lingchuan had originally asked Songyang Mansion to make him a soft armor from Zhu Erniang’s spider silk. But armor took the longest to weave, and Songyang Mansion’s people here were limited, so the piece had yet to be made.

Who would have thought Nian Zanli would send one first?

He Lingchuan remembered offhandedly mentioning at the Dun Garden auction, while chatting with Fushan Yue, that he wanted a suitable inner armor. He had not expected Nian Zanli to take the remark to heart.

What he had expected even less was that this gift would be made from burrow spider silk, and not just any silk, but Zhu Erniang’s cloud-brocade silk.

In other words, this inner armor had almost certainly come from Songyang Mansion.

Nian Zanli bought an inner armor from Songyang Mansion, then had it sent here to Pan Mountain Residence for him?

Thinking of the favor Li Qingge had asked of him at Dun Garden, the connection between her and Nian Zanli...

Fushan Yue was absent today, but the guards mentioned that Nian Zanli had also sent a gift of concern and condolence to the Crown Prince of Chiyan.

There had originally been no dealings whatsoever between the State of Chiyan and the Provincial Governor of Xun Province. Presumably, after Dun Garden, once the full story of the elixir of youth case finally reached Nian Zanli, and after he heard about the explosion at the post station and the attack on the Chiyan Crown Prince’s party, he promptly put together appropriate gifts and sent them.

Lingxu City was crowded with nobles and magnates. If one wished to accumulate favors, one could not wait until a moment of need before seeking people out. Such ties had to be cultivated in peacetime. In this imperial capital of six hundred years, the rules and scale of social exchange and gift-giving had long since been refined to their peak.

If Nian Zanli wanted to establish himself firmly in Lingxu City, then friends and powerful patrons alike were indispensable. A friendship with the crown prince of a vassal monster state was very much worth cultivating.

Compared with what Fushan Yue received, the gift sent to He Lingchuan was far more modest, as he was still no one of note, despite being the true “victim” of the bombing.

By evening, the honored guest arrived.

When Li Qingge, dressed in splendid robes, passed through the maple grove and entered the back garden, dinner had just been laid out in the Hall of Dew and Rain.

“This residence of yours truly is excellent.” She clicked her tongue in admiration as she looked around. “Elegant everywhere, peace and seclusion amid the bustle.”

“By ‘peace and seclusion amid the bustle,’ you mean it’s small, don’t you?” He Lingchuan said. No one would ever describe Dun Garden that way, after all.

Li Qingge laughed. “Don’t deliberately twist my meaning. Hm? You seem less than delighted to see me?”

This woman’s instincts are absurdly sharp.

He Lingchuan pulled out a chair for her. “Please, take the seat of honor.”

As Li Qingge bent to sit, He Lingchuan did not even need to lower his gaze to see the fiery red coral beads set in her cloudlike coiffure, nor to catch the faint scent of cloud perfume at her throat.

Today, she had painted her lips a deep crimson, richer and more vivid than the autumn maples outside.

And yet she sat with the upright composure of someone attending court. “How are your injuries?”

He Lingchuan poured her some wine. “Minor. I won’t die.”

He knew exactly how powerful the explosion had been. His injuries were mostly across his back. At the time, he had raised his vigorous qi and had the mirror help shield him, so he suffered only superficial wounds, while his internal organs remained more or less unharmed.

He had to be injured. Otherwise, it would all seem too false.

Li Qingge looked at the wine cup. “And you can still drink?”

“The doctor gave instructions.” He Lingchuan picked up another vessel. “So I’m drinking tea.”

“You really were born under a lucky star. Have they caught the culprit yet?”

He Lingchuan shook his head. “The tables and chairs in my room had also been poisoned. One of the constables searching the scene touched them only a few times before immediately collapsing. He nearly died.”

Li Qingge’s eyebrows drew together. “They’d already used poison, and then they blew the room up as well? Why go to the trouble twice?”

“Well, either they were afraid I wasn’t quite dead, or...”

Li Qingge caught on at once. “Or there were two different groups involved?”

“That’s the government office’s current suspicion,” He Lingchuan said with a smile. “At the moment, they still have a traceable lead through the poison, so they’re following it up.”

“The officials are under enormous pressure. The people above them have probably set a deadline for solving the case.” Li Qingge picked up a piece of braised venison. “Meanwhile, while you’ve hidden yourself away in this little retreat, the outside world is in an uproar. This bombing has only thrown oil on the fire. In one sudden rush, you and Fushan Yue have become the hottest names in half of Lingxu City. No one can rival you.”

He Lingchuan only smiled, saying nothing.

With this much publicity wrapped around him, this was the safest moment he could hope for. Anyone wanting to make trouble for him would have to think once, then think again, and then think a third time.

Without waiting for him to ask, Li Qingge continued, “By the way, my people have long since been dispatched. By now, they should already have passed Bailing Valley. In a few more days, they ought to reach the destination.”

She did not say it openly, but He Lingchuan understood exactly what she meant: the people she had sent out would arrive near Wan’ge Swamp in a few days and press the button on that Dragon Punishment Pillar.

This was the news He Lingchuan had been longing for. He could only hope that everything would go smoothly and that nothing strange would crop up again.

“Many thanks, Your Lordship. You’ve truly helped me immensely.” He set the inner armor Nian Zanli had sent onto the table. “By the way, the gift Nian Zanli sent me came from Songyang Mansion, didn’t it?”

Li Qingge only glanced at it once before nodding. “It was finished the night before last. Young Master really is impressive. With only a single encounter, you managed to make Nian Zanli take the initiative to send you a gift and try to draw close.”

When dealing with her, He Lingchuan always chose his words carefully. “How much did you charge him for this inner armor?”

Li Qingge slowly set down her chopsticks, took another sip of wine, and only then said, “Not a single coin.”

“He asked me for it directly, so I gave it to him.”

He Lingchuan waited for her explanation. Since she had come in person, she must already have decided what she wanted to say. Li Qingge glanced at him, bit lightly at her lip, and said, “Songyang Mansion has an important item in his hands. I want to ask you to help me take it back!”

So direct, all of a sudden? No beating around the bush at all? He Lingchuan’s eyebrow rose, somewhat surprised at the other party’s approach. “What is it?”

“It was originally in Sun Fuping’s possession. He used it to blackmail Songyang Mansion for years, squeezing money and goods from us to feed his greed.” Li Qingge’s voice grew heavy. “After Sun Fuping died, I thought Songyang Mansion would finally be freed of that burden. I never imagined the thing would fall into Nian Zanli’s hands instead!”

“The moment he arrived, he opened his mouth like a lion. I truly didn’t want to give in, but...”

At that, she let out a soft sigh.

A flicker passed through He Lingchuan’s eyes. “That multicolored bamboo tube?”