During curfew, Chi Yan and Yuan Zhao weaved through the streets and alleys, carefully avoiding the patrolling guards.
Yuan Zhao was inevitably surprised. He knew that Chi Yan was skilled in martial arts, but he did not expect him to be so good at lightness skills. While he could not compare with him, his speed was not inferior.
Yuan Zhao cautiously communicated with Chi Yan: "Although I used to be an assassin, I still have my bottom line. I find stealing extremely shameful, and if word gets out, my colleagues will laugh at me!"
Chi Yan was adjusting the cloth covering her face when she heard this and glanced at him: "Who said you were allowed to steal anything?"
Yuan Zhao pondered for a moment, then his expression changed, and he said righteously, "Stealing people is even more unacceptable!"
"..."
Chi Yan laughed in exasperation, glaring at him irritably: "Even if you're willing, I still won't!"
Yuan Zhao felt relieved, and the two of them landed in the courtyard one after the other.
Liu Yifu's courtyard was pitifully small, with an old and dilapidated gate. It looked as if the family was destitute. Even rats would leave a couple of grains of rice if they came, let alone thieves.
Chi Yan silently made a couple of complaints before heading straight to his destination.
In the imperial prison, his conversation with Liu Yifu was certainly more than just an exchange of vegetable-growing tips. Fearing that their conversation might be overheard, Liu Yifu had to speak in riddles with him.
“My plot of land grows exceptionally well, and the soil there is particularly fertile. If you’re interested, I can share some with you later.”
Seeing Liu Yifu's serious expression, Chi Yan's lips twitched, and he quickly declined, "Good soil should not go to outsiders, you should keep it for yourself!"
Liu Yifu ignored him and continued his analysis: "Of course, it's also related to my frequent watering. There's a well in my backyard, and the water inside is exceptionally sweet. When you come again, I'll definitely make you some tea."
Chi Yan finally realized something was wrong and chimed in with a few words.
...
He went to the backyard and sure enough, he saw a well next to the vegetable garden.
Chi Yan came to the well and looked down. The well opening was dark in the night, and he could vaguely see his reflection in the water.
There was a hemp rope nearby. Chi Yan had an idea and pulled on the rope, which was quite heavy.
The wooden bucket was retrieved from the bottom of the well. Chi Yan was about to lift the bucket and empty the water when he suddenly noticed a thin rope tied to the bottom of the bucket, which was hard to notice unless you looked closely.
Chi Yan grabbed the rope and pulled upwards, revealing a roll of something wrapped in oil paper.
Yuan Zhao's attention was also drawn, but suddenly, he sensed something and exclaimed in a stern voice, "Someone's coming!"
Chi Yan snapped out of his daze and quickly stuffed the oil paper into his robes. Just as the two were about to leave, another figure appeared in the courtyard.
Under the cover of night, the mask with its blue face and fangs gleamed coldly. If one didn't look closely, they would think they had seen a ghost. A look of surprise flashed across the man in black's eyes. He hadn't expected there to be someone inside.
Yuan Zhao and Chi Yan were also taken aback, feeling the shock of seeing the mask for the first time.
The two sides met face to face and started fighting without saying a word.
Yuan Zhao leaped forward and engaged the man in combat. The two fought fiercely, leaving Chi Yan with no opportunity to use his skills. He could only secretly observe the black-clad man's martial arts style.
The other person was slender and agile, and was covered up completely, with only their eyes showing.
Chi Yan could tell at a glance that she was no match for Yuan Zhao, but the opponent had the advantage of being agile and extremely fast, and knew how to use softness to overcome hardness, so for a time it was hard to tell who was better.
Chi Yan narrowed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought:
The other person seemed to be a woman?
Although the man in black did not reveal anything, his habitual movements and advantages were hard to conceal.
Clearly, she was well aware of her advantages and was very cautious. Once she realized she was no match for Yuan Zhao, she quickly retreated without lingering in the fight.
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