The mansion was very large, with pavilions scattered among green trees and flowers, and houses standing amidst stone carvings and floral bricks. Ashina skillfully bypassed the patrolling guards and quietly entered the black-tiled and gold-painted house. Shi Lan hurriedly followed two steps, wanting to go forward and see what was going on, but then she heard faint footsteps in the distance.

Shi Lan looked around. The sky was already turning white. The long corridor made of white jade was brightly lit from all sides, making it impossible for anyone to hide. Only a lotus pond a few feet away had leaves that stretched out and vines that extended. Even the banks were piled with lush, large leaves.

Shi Lan looked around at herself, not caring about anything else, and quickly crouched down and shrank inside.

The guards were clad in armor, their expressions cold and solemn. Their gait was extremely synchronized, and as they passed by, only a neat 'swish swish' sound could be heard. Shi Lan quietly parted the leaves and looked at their backs. No matter how she looked at them, they exuded a murderous aura.

How could a merchant's family keep so many well-trained guards? This is suspicious no matter how you look at it. Considering that Liu Weng had the original owner steal that item, followed by Yue Zhan's strange disappearance and the riot in Anxi, Liu Weng's identity becomes obvious.

This is a border fortress, surrounded by small kingdoms. Everyone's eyes are fixed on this place. Ashina's appearance is indeed different, but Liu Weng looks like a genuine Tang person. Who dares to say that Shi Weng didn't deliberately find such a subordinate to confuse the public and cover up his true identity?

Shi Lan waited until the guards were far away, then turned to look at the building and the shadowy guards approaching in the distance. She lightly leaped onto the corridor and quickly flew away.

Back at the manor, Shi Lan subconsciously held her breath, tiptoed, and carefully entered the inner room, her eyes fixed on Yue Zhan, who was sleeping peacefully on the couch.

Yue Zhan's sleeping posture was very standard. His long and strong legs were stretched out, almost reaching the edge of the bed. His large, well-defined hands were crossed and placed between his waist and abdomen, rising and falling slightly with his breathing. His lips were slightly pursed, but the corners of his mouth, which were always sharply downturned, turned up. His cheeks were flushed with the rosy hue of deep sleep, which gave him the cuteness and childlike innocence that only a young boy could have.

Shi Lan leaned closer and carefully examined Yue Zhan for a while. Seeing that his eyes were not moving and he seemed to be in a deep sleep, she breathed a sigh of relief, quietly changed her clothes, and slowly climbed into bed.

After a busy night, she was exhausted. As soon as she closed her eyes, the Chaos Technique automatically activated, and Shi Lan instantly fell into darkness.

Unbeknownst to her, the moment she closed her eyes, Yue Zhan, whom she thought was still asleep, suddenly opened his eyes, turned his head and stared at her intently, his dark eyes filled with contemplation and doubt.

After a short nap, Shi Lan lazily opened her eyes, and the bright sunlight spilled onto the ground.

Pearl brought the washing utensils to her side, and when she saw that she had opened her eyes, she quickly pulled back the curtain.

"My lady, Lady Han just sent someone over to tell you to prepare, as she will be coming to give you acupuncture at 9:00 AM."

Shi Lan draped a warm cotton cloth over the edge of the basin and nodded.

She had already arranged this with Lady Han, and soon Lady Han arrived with her apprentice.

The young apprentice put down his medicine box and then followed Zhu'er to decoct the medicine. Han, the female historian, believed that acupuncture alone was not very effective, so she added fumigation to the treatment.

Inside the room, Shi Lan sat upright on a crescent-shaped stool, while Han, the female historian, looked at her with a serious expression.

“My lady, I have carefully studied medical books these past two days. Theoretically, your ailment can be cured by stimulating acupoints, but theory is just theory. No one has ever dared to actually practice it. To be honest, I am not confident that I can completely cure it myself. If you are unwilling now, that is fine too. We can use fumigation, which can also alleviate the symptoms to some extent.”

Shi Lan smiled as she looked at her hesitant expression, understanding her predicament, and said, "The fumigation method is too slow to take effect, and I don't have much time to begin with. Please go ahead and do it, Madam. At worst, you will lose your sense of smell, but I will be fine. If you blame me, I will tell you that it was my idea."

Shi Lan's words relieved Han's concerns. She nodded a little shyly, admiring Shi Lan's fearless attitude. Her slender white fingers held the long gold needle and inserted it into the acupoint.

Shi Lan half-closed her beautiful eyes, a slight stinging pain on her face causing her to furrow her brows slightly.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Lady Han removed the gold needles, and Zhu'er brought over the freshly brewed medicinal soup and placed it on the table. Shi Lan leaned slightly forward, bringing her face close to the bowl, letting the rising steam warm her nostrils.

Once the heat had mostly dissipated, Lady Han packed her things, decided to come back the next day, and then gracefully departed with her apprentice.

Zhu'er helped her change her clothes again to dispel the smell of medicine before serving her the meal.

It was already a bit late for breakfast. Shi Lan had been running around outside all night, and by this time she was starving. As soon as Dou'er brought out the flatbread and other dishes, Shi Lan couldn't wait to start eating.

After finishing her meal, Shi Lan went to the garden to digest her food before returning to continue practicing her physical skills. The scene she witnessed at the mansion that morning made her somewhat nervous. The number of guards at the mansion was beyond her expectations. Shi Lan had no choice but to change her assassination plan to stealing items and using witchcraft to take his life.

However, this would greatly shorten Shi Lan's lifespan, and she didn't know how long she could stay here. She worried that she wouldn't have time to fulfill the original owner's other wish.

Time flies, and it was already the end of the month. The next day, Ms. Han came to give her acupuncture.

During this period, Shi Lan's changes were very obvious. Her nasal sensitivity decreased a lot, and ordinary smells could rarely trigger a strong reaction from her. Even Yue Zhan could tolerate the strangeness and remain normal as long as he didn't come to get close to her while covered in sweat.

Shi Lan was overjoyed. The simplest way to get Shi Weng's personal belongings was to disguise herself as a servant in the mansion and take advantage of the opportunity to tidy the bed or serve him to get a strand of Shi Weng's hair. Previously, her biggest concern was that she would become weak and soft-hearted at the slightest smell of a man's scent. Now that her concern was gone, there was no better news than this.

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