Chapter 3

"My lord, we have arrived at the West Garden." The three tuberose trees in the northern corner were in full bloom, their rich fragrance bursting from their pistils and hitting the roof beams, exploding into visible pale purple mist particles. This guest courtyard of the Marquis's mansion was indeed so elegant.

Xiangmo suddenly took three steps back, her jade steps halting abruptly as she bent her knees: "The young lady brought by the nobleman is waiting for you in the West Garden. The young master instructed that if you need anything later, you can come to Qihe Residence to find him at any time." After saying this, she quietly asked to leave.

Xi Xiao nodded in satisfaction, but then suddenly thought that this eldest son of the Pei family was also only twenty years old, yet he died so young. Comparing the two, it was impossible to tell which one had a more tragic fate.

Her heart skipped a beat, and the incense-scented beams lost their earlier appeal.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw a ghost with a pale face sitting on a round stool, motionless, as if he were being haunted by something.

Xi Xiao walked over quickly, removed the water plants from her head, and prepared to pull her to change her clothes. When she couldn't pull her, she scolded, "You fell into the water without paying attention, and now you're throwing a tantrum and refusing to change your clothes."

Yunwu rolled her eyes, but didn't refute, just stared at the door without saying a word.

Xi Xiao sighed, took a towel and gently dried her hair, "It's still chilly today. If you get wet clothes and shoes, you'll catch a cold and suffer."

As Yunwu was led along by her in a daze, she explained, "Just now, I went around the artificial hill to look for the young master. Suddenly, a strong force pushed me into the pool beside me. I turned around to look, but I didn't see anyone. I was frightened and thought I would climb up first and then investigate, but my clothes were too heavy and I couldn't swim up no matter what I did. I thought I was entangled by something, so I went to check, but there was nothing there."

Her eyes were red. She was still young, and having just experienced this inexplicable brush with death, she was understandably afraid.

Xi Xiao paused, pulled her around to look her over, and seeing that she wasn't injured, she relaxed and asked, "Who saved you?"

"It's that big man who led us into the mansion just now." This time she answered quickly and confidently.

absurd!

Xi Xiao felt a chill run through her body. The crane's shadow had clearly never appeared before. How could she possibly save Yunwu?

She composed herself and asked her again, "Are you sure you didn't see it wrong?"

Now it was Yunwu's turn to panic. She nodded vigorously, "It's absolutely true! He pulled me up and muttered 'useless'!" Her face was puffed out, as if she was very angry, seemingly having forgotten that she had almost drowned just now.

Xi Xiao tossed her a dress, her face devoid of any smile, looking quite frightening. "I was reckless today. I thought that with your skills, coming and going to this Marquis's mansion wouldn't be a problem, but there are many experts in the capital. We should be more careful in the future." After saying this, she said she was going to check on the pool. Yunwu couldn't stop her, so she pulled her aside and said a few more words.

At the edge of the pool, Xi Xiao parted the dragon's beard grass, and suddenly a nine-square grid pattern appeared on the pebbles by the pool. Upon closer inspection: a jade mortar lay in the Kan position, holding half a pool of moonlight, frozen like milk. At the bottom of the mortar were three ghost-eye coins, which were amulets from the previous dynasty. Where the holes of the coins were pierced, the reflection in the pool was shattered into the shape of a snake.

This is clearly a death trap!

Her eyes blazed with fury. Had it not been for someone's intervention, Yunwu would surely have perished. Who had she angered to commit such a ruthless act? Did someone in the manor not want Pei Yun to live? Then why not attack her directly, instead of expending so much effort to set up an array to kill a mere maid?

Just as Xi Xiao was racking her brains, a black bird landed in front of her. Her originally wise and calm face instantly cracked, and she looked guilty as she carefully took off the bamboo tube.

"Linshui Dream." Her lips parted slightly. The most famous restaurant in the capital was famous for its braised chicken, which was considered the best. Whenever her senior brother returned, she would order this dish, but she wondered what it would taste like when it was freshly cooked.

She swallowed hard, inwardly cursing herself for still thinking about this at a time like this. The most urgent thing now was to find the person who set up the formation. She clenched the bamboo tube and turned back to the West Garden.

*

At the Linshui Dream Pavilion, a whole roasted lamb danced on a red clay stove, its fat sizzling and popping as it dripped into the embers, the flying incense sparks forming the Big Dipper constellation between the beams. Xi Xiao, inhaling the aroma, looked on with a dazed expression.

Yunwu had been uneasy ever since she learned that Xi Yu had come to the capital. She trembled at the thought of facing Qingfeng's harsh words, and she was even more furious when she saw Xi Xiao's nonchalant attitude.

"Miss, don't worry about the sheep or chicken for now. You should think about how to explain things to the young master later." She said coolly. Her mood improved slightly when she saw Xi Xiao's troubled expression. But as they got closer to the room, she lost interest in watching the commotion. In the end, the two of them went in together, shivering.

As twilight crept over his brow, the man suddenly raised his chin towards her, his neck forming a proud, aloof curve, his Adam's apple bobbing like a white jade bodhi seed sliding across a sandalwood bracelet. A hint of tenderness flickered between his brows, but vanished in an instant.

"Senior brother." Her voice was soft and delicate, with a hint of coquetry and pleading.

Xi Yu looked at her but did not respond.

Xi Xiao felt a little flustered by the stare from the person in front of her. She didn't dare to act cute or play tricks, and stood obediently in place, like a naughty child who had messed up and was being scolded by an adult.

"Come and eat, the braised chicken is getting cold." The voice was light and ethereal, seemingly carrying an unspeakable bitterness. In the end, the person did not scold her. At that time, Xi Xiao did not understand how heavy Xi Yu's sigh was.

She happily leaned over, just as she picked up a piece of chicken, when she suddenly smelled a faint scent of blood. She sniffed, her face showing undisguised worry. She put down her clothes and pulled on the leather belt around Xi Yu's waist to take a look.

"It's just a scratch, it's nothing serious." Xi Yu took her hand, his face showing a mixture of restraint and indulgence: "You're over seventeen, you can't just pull on a man's clothes like that."

Xi Xiao remained silent. Years of war had left countless people starving. When gathering wild spiritual roots, it was inevitable that they would attract jealousy and theft. Scratches and abrasions were insignificant; even if bloodstains snaked along the elbow, a few drops of artemisia leaves and three days of hemp bandage would eventually turn them into shallow scabs. However, the bloody smell emanating from the tattered cloth wrapped around her brother's wound indicated it was definitely not a mere scratch.

She sighed, unwilling to ruin this rare meeting. She tore off a piece of meat and put it in her mouth, tentatively asking indistinctly, "Anyway, my senior brother will marry me in the future, so what does it matter?"

The man in front of her did not agree as solemnly as he had when they were children. He simply poured her a cup of tea, placed it beside her, and told her to eat slowly.

A bittersweet feeling welled up in Xi Xiao's eyes. She recalled their childhood, when a perfect couple arrived in the Medicine Valley, their delicate pink hues on their brocade shoes enough to buy the entire Green Cliff. They were holding hands with an eight-year-old child, the crimson gold longevity threads on their wrists burning her eyes. Back then, she could still playfully pluck his jade hairpin, but now, with the passing years, the medicinal fragrance on his clothes had become an insurmountable barrier.

She wasn't unaware of her senior brother's deliberate aloofness, so whenever he brought up gathering herbs, she never questioned the reason, simply assuming it was true.

A tear slid down her cheek. Xi Xiao wiped her mouth and said in a low voice, "Senior brother, Young Master Pei promised me sixty-four taels of gold. Now that I have the money, I can buy medicine myself and won't be a burden to you. I can even support you. Can you come back to Medicine Valley with me and never come down the mountain again?"

"Xiaoxiao is amazing." Xi Yu's back was stiff, and she didn't look at her.

Xi Xiao's lips trembled, and her eyes instantly filled with tears. She didn't say anything more, threw down the bowl, and ran outside.

The person behind him had bulging veins on the back of his hands and no color in his face. He looked as if he had been pulled out of the water. He turned his head in a panic and stared at her back as if torturing himself. He did not change his posture until she disappeared from sight.

Qingfeng entered from outside, feeling distressed: "Why don't you tell the young lady the truth, young master?"

"And what will she do when she finds out?" The man's voice was slightly hoarse. "Why should we mislead a dying woman? If we do it this way, she won't be sad when that day comes."

Qingfeng pouted, her voice trembling: "Young Master Mingming hid the young lady very well."

There was no response. The wind blowing through the window was like a judge's pen, piercing through his stubbornly sturdy back.

Steam rose like pythons from the wonton stand, and the cedar stretcher, weathered by time, gleamed with a dark, oily sheen. Xi Xiao, her eyes red, scooped up a wonton and put it in her mouth, tears welling in her eyes, and whispered, "Not a drop of oil in it, it's awful."

Upon hearing this, the stall owner strode over aggressively and retorted loudly, "Young lady, you can't talk nonsense. I've been making wontons for many years. If I were cheating customers, I wouldn't be able to continue. Are you here to cause trouble for me?"

Yunwu picked up the silver from her purse and was about to say a few kind words when Xi Xiao burst into tears. Her wailing was so sharp and shrill that it seemed to shatter one's eardrums. "You lied to me, you despise me, yet I still shamelessly came here."

The stall owner was completely bewildered by her outburst. Just as he was about to say something, he heard her sobbing softly, "Why don't you keep lying to me? I would have believed anything you said..."

"This bowl of wontons is yours for the taking, it's really bad luck," the man muttered to himself, then turned and went to the roadside to solicit customers.

On the way back, Xi Xiao was much calmer. She rubbed her stomach and seemed to be in a good mood: "Although I didn't taste much of the braised chicken today, the wontons were really delicious. Although they are street food, they suit my taste very well." It was unclear whether she was talking about the food or saying goodbye to something else.

Yunwu paused for a moment, then hesitated before saying, "Why don't we ask the Marquis's residence for permission to resign?"

"How can we turn down money?" Xi Xiao blinked, trying to suppress the desolation in her eyes. "Even if my senior brother doesn't come back, we still have to live." She looked at the Hou Mansion getting closer and closer, and pondered to herself. The person who set up the formation was still nowhere to be found. Even if it wasn't for the consultation fee, she had to find that person.

“Young Master would never abandon Miss!” Yunwu tugged at her sleeve, explaining urgently, “Miss is the person Young Master cherishes most.” Her eyes were firm, as if this was her faith.

Xi Xiao patted her hand to comfort her, and after a few back and forth, the two had reached the edge of the pool.

There were many figures moving around, and it seemed that there were two servants over there. She pulled Yunwu along, and the two of them squatted down together behind the rocks near the pool.

"Fuzi, it's your turn to serve tea at the study today." A round-faced boy looked aggrieved, as if he had been bullied.

The girl named Fu Zi had upturned eyes and looked very fierce when her face was expressionless. "You're the one who always tries to get close to the Marquis. But these past two days, the Marquis has been humiliated by Lord Qin, and you can't get a reward from him, so you're using me. You're really good at this."

"You're the ones who usually make me serve you, so how come I'm the one who likes to fawn over you?" The round-faced boy muttered, pinching his fingers.

Xi Xiao's face showed displeasure. She didn't want to meddle in the private affairs of the Marquis's mansion, but when the servant named Fu Zi mentioned the Qin family, she suddenly remembered that her master always talked about the Qin family when she was a child. Perhaps there was some connection.

She emerged from behind the rock, and the two servants stopped talking and hurriedly greeted her. She nodded in agreement, then said to the round-faced boy, "May I borrow some paper and pen from your residence? I would like to write some medicinal recipes to send to the eldest young master."

Just as Fu Zi was about to stop him, he saw the nobleman staring at him expressionlessly. Although there was no threat in his eyes, he still managed to shrug and remain speechless.

After the two men left, Xi Xiao brushed aside the dragon beard grass. The nine-square grid pattern on the broken stones by the pool had disappeared, and the three ghost-eye coins that had been sitting at the bottom of the mortar were nowhere to be found. A chill ran down her spine, and she felt that her every move was under that person's control.