The first watch of the night had begun; outside, the autumn chill lingered, but inside, a warm mist hung in the air, refusing to dissipate.
The hot soup, infused with flower petals, filled the room with fragrance. Wei Shuwan submerged herself in the water, and instantly felt incredibly refreshed. She slowly exhaled, all the fatigue of the day vanishing.
"A refined and elegant demeanor, skin as smooth as jade, and even martial arts skills... Where in the world could there be a fisherman like this?" Her soft voice drifted out, almost as if she were talking to herself.
Zi Qiao, who was scooping water to wash her back, paused. "This servant also feels that he is not an ordinary person."
"Then tell me, what kind of person does he resemble?" Wei Shuwan turned her head with great interest.
Having just learned her lesson about speaking ill of her benefactor earlier that day, Zi Qiao was much more astute now. She playfully said, "Only if you forgive me, Miss, will I dare to speak!"
“Innocent, innocent~” Wei Shuwan murmured as she turned back, pricking up her ears to wait for Zi Qiao’s analysis.
This time, Zi Qiao could confidently make her guess: "If you only look at his appearance, this benefactor is indeed handsome and extraordinary, but if you examine his eyebrows and eyes closely, you will find that he has a sharp and decisive look! Wearing a straw raincoat should have given him a simple and honest appearance, but it could not suppress the cold and sharp aura of his whole body."
"Although we don't know the exact extent of his kung fu skills yet, judging from the swift movements he made when rescuing the girl on the boat, he is definitely not simple."
"And on top of that, he's mute..."
"What's the result?" Wei Shuwan's urging tone was tinged with anxiety.
"Have you ever heard of a type of person, young lady, who is highly skilled in martial arts and appears and disappears without a trace, and is hired by certain secret organizations to carry out various missions? When they want to leave the profession, they must either cut off their own eyes and ears or poison themselves to make themselves mute in order to leave. Since most of these people are wanted by the government, after leaving the profession, they can only find a remote place to live in seclusion."
"You mean he's... an assassin?" The last two words were uttered barely.
In fact, this kind of conjecture had flashed through Wei Shuwan's mind before, but she couldn't bear to doubt her benefactor in that way. Now that Zi Qiao had pointed it out, she could no longer avoid the issue.
"People say that one can become a Buddha by laying down the butcher's knife. Even if he really had such an experience, I will not look down on him. And I believe that he is definitely not someone who kills innocent people indiscriminately."
Zi Qiao sighed softly, then advised with a hint of heartache, "But if that's really the case, it would be better for you to have less contact with him in the future, for your own good and for his own good as well."
"It's too late."
Zi Qiao was taken aback. "What do you mean, late?"
"He has already offended the Prince Jing's mansion for my sake today. The assassin will surely report back to me. Princess Yun'an, who is so petty, will probably not let him off the hook. She might even send more people to teach him a lesson tomorrow."
As she said this, Wei Shuwan felt a pang of worry. "No, we still have to go find him tomorrow. We can't stay in that place anymore."
...
The next day, as dawn broke, the Wei family's carriage left the capital at the exact moment the city gates opened.
Although Wei Shuwan found his benefactor yesterday, he still doesn't know his name or where he lives, so finding him today will be quite a hassle.
In addition to Zi Qiao and Miao Xiang, Wei Shuwan also brought a team of guards today and equipped them with weapons, thinking that if they encountered assassins again, they would not be as embarrassed as yesterday.
The appearance of such a large group of people in a remote farm naturally terrified the farmers, and soon everyone closed their doors and windows, not daring to have any contact with them.
Looking at the tightly closed doors of the small courtyards, Zi Qiao said with worry, "Miss, how can we inquire about this?"
"No need to ask." Wei Shuwan was not flustered at all. She led her people through the courtyards, carefully observing the layout of each courtyard and occasionally craning her neck to sniff around.
Although the guards following behind her did not understand what she meant, they still followed suit.
Most of the farmers in the small farm secretly hid under the windows, peeking through the cracks at the group of uninvited guests. Seeing their extremely strange behavior, they felt even more that they had seen a ghost in broad daylight!
...
Inside a farmhouse in a secluded corner, Li Qingchen was inspecting the newly arrived weapons. Every month, a batch of goods like this would be delivered. To avoid attracting attention, his men would take several days to transport these items into the manor, inspecting them until they passed and then sending the rest to the mountain stronghold.
Therefore, Li Qingchen has been staying here during the day for the past few days.
He was placing the inspected rifles back on the ground, nodding in satisfaction: "Pack them up, this batch will be sunk tonight."
Yuan Que replied "Yes," and before he could finish speaking, he heard a knock at the door. Yuan Que listened intently, his brows furrowing. "It's not a matter of life and death, Young Prince, it's not one of ours!"
Li Qingchen's face was ashen. He glanced at the wooden door, which looked dilapidated but was actually very well repaired, and ordered, "Take your things away, and you all leave."
The group, dressed as farmers and hunters, quickly gathered up all the weapons laid out on the table and the ground, and split into several groups to hide in the inner room, kitchen, woodshed, and secret passages.
The room, which was full just a moment ago, was now empty, with only Li Qingchen remaining.
He walked steadily to the door, assuming it would be one of the well-meaning aunties from the neighborhood, since matchmakers had been coming every few days since he settled there. But to his surprise, the moment he opened the door, a bright and beautiful face came into view.
Wei Shuwan smiled as she looked at the person inside the door, seemingly making a bet with someone: "See, I told you our benefactor would stay in this room!"
Zi Qiao quickly smiled apologetically, "Yes, yes, yes, Miss has the most sensitive nose. She could smell the fishy smell from far away!"
Li Qingchen glanced at the two salted fish hanging on the doorframe and then understood how she had found him. Everyone else's door was decorated with corn and dried meat, but only his, a fisherman's, door had these.
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