"My Empress is quite interesting."
Seeing the line of comments above Xiao Che's head that were a mix of teasing and admiration, Lin Wanwan's heart, which had almost stopped beating from shock, finally slowly, slowly returned to its place.
She knew she was safe tonight.
Not only was it safe, but it also seemed that, by some strange twist of fate, they stumbled upon a tremendous secret.
She looked at the man in front of her, who was also dressed in black and was incredibly agile, and then recalled his usual "sickly" appearance, where he would pant after walking a few steps and complain that even drinking a bowl of medicine was bitter...
An extremely absurd yet perfectly reasonable guess instantly took shape in her mind.
This guy...
He was faking illness from beginning to end!
He's not some weakling who can't even kill a chicken! He's been using the perfect cover of "physical weakness" to deceive everyone and hide his true strength!
This realization, while shocking Lin Wanwan, also evoked a sense of... sympathy and mutual understanding.
Goodness, it turns out I wasn't the only "actor".
You are the real movie star!
Neither of them spoke.
In this silent, ever-present darkness, any words are superfluous and dangerous.
But a wonderful, unspoken understanding quietly grew between them.
They didn't even need to exchange a glance.
After making the "shush" gesture, Xiao Che immediately turned around, ignoring Lin Wanwan, and walked straight and purposefully into the depths of the Imperial Pharmacy pavilion.
His movements were as light as a weightless cat, landing silently.
His familiarity with this place was clearly far beyond Lin Wanwan's imagination.
Lin Wanwan hesitated for only half a second before immediately following.
She knew that their goals for tonight were surprisingly aligned.
Inside the attic, rows of tall medicine cabinets stood silently in the darkness, like giants. The air was thick with the mingled aromas of various herbs, almost tangible.
Xiao Che didn't go to the display cabinets containing precious medicinal herbs such as ginseng and lingzhi. Instead, he went directly to the innermost part of the attic, to a row of the most inconspicuous and even somewhat old medicine cabinets.
These medicine cabinets are all fitted with exquisite brass locks.
If it were Lin Wanwan, she might have to go through a lot of trouble to pick the lock.
Xiao Che simply took out a thin, long silver needle of unknown material from his pocket. He inserted the needle into the keyhole, and with a slight turn of his wrist, a barely audible "click" was heard, and the seemingly sturdy copper lock opened.
The whole process was incredibly smooth and fast.
Lin Wanwan's eyelids twitched as she watched.
This guy is not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also... knows how to pick locks?!
How many more "hidden skills" does he still have that are unknown to others?
After unlocking the first medicine cabinet, Xiao Che didn't immediately start searching. He simply turned to the side and made a very subtle "please" gesture to Lin Wanwan behind him.
Lin Wanwan instantly understood what he meant.
He was responsible for cracking the mechanisms and keeping watch.
She, on the other hand, was responsible for using her unknown yet seemingly highly professional "knowledge" to identify and find their common goal!
A perfect, unspoken division of labor was thus formed.
Lin Wanwan no longer hesitated.
She immediately stepped forward and, using the faint moonlight filtering in from the window, began to quickly rummage through the open medicine cabinet.
The medicine cabinet was filled with various medicinal herbs wrapped in oil paper and labeled.
Lin Wanwan moved quickly, her fingers swiftly brushing over the paper packages, while her nose twitched subtly in the air, trying to discern the unique "bitter almond" scent amidst the mixed medicinal smells.
Xiao Che stood behind her, like a most loyal and reliable guardian deity.
One of his hands remained resting on the hilt of his sword at his waist. His ears, like radar, were constantly alert to any movement outside the attic.
One medicine cabinet after another was opened silently.
Lin Wanwan shook her head in disappointment time and time again.
The two worked together more and more seamlessly, as if they had teamed up a thousand times.
He was in charge of unlocking the door, and she was in charge of searching.
He was in charge of guarding, and she was in charge of identification.
In this tense and exciting search, a race against time, a bond that transcends ordinary couples and even the formalities between ruler and subject, a bond unique to "comrades-in-arms," quietly blossoms in silence.
During this process, Lin Wanwan gained a deeper understanding of how "terrifying" Xiao Che was.
His seemingly slender body contained astonishing explosive power. His senses were incredibly acute. Once, he reacted immediately to the faint sound of a leaf falling outside, pulling her into the shadows and not continuing until he was sure it was safe.
This man is by no means a sickly "sheep".
He is a tiger that knows best how to endure, best how to disguise himself, and lurks in the darkness... a fierce tiger!
And she herself seemed to have gained his silent approval in this collaboration. He no longer looked at her with the scrutinizing and suspicious gaze he had before. Instead, he looked at her with an equal, inquisitive, and appreciative gaze... of a kindred spirit.
Time passed, second by second.
They had searched almost the entire medicine cabinet on the first floor of the attic, but still found nothing.
Lin Wanwan's heart sank.
Could it be... that she guessed wrong?
The withered heart grass is not hidden here?
Just as she was about to give up, Xiao Che's gaze fell on a low cabinet next to the stairs, which was the most inconspicuous item used to store miscellaneous items.
That cabinet was short and old, covered in dust, and looked as if it had been forgotten for countless years.
Xiao Che stepped forward, tapped lightly on the cabinet door with his finger, and frowned slightly.
He used the silver needle again to easily open the rusty copper lock and pull open the cabinet door.
A musty smell, a mixture of dust and mold, hit me.
Inside the cabinet, there were some discarded medicine grinders and old medicine packets piled up haphazardly; it looked like an ordinary storage cabinet.
Lin Wanwan had already given up all hope.
But she still went over and, by the moonlight, looked down to the bottom of the cabinet.
Then, her breath hitched!
She saw it!
In the deepest, most inconspicuous corner of that pile of junk, lay a square package wrapped tightly in thick, dark brown oil paper!
That package looked completely out of place among the other carelessly discarded items around it!
Lin Wanwan's heart started pounding wildly!
She immediately reached in and pulled the package out from deep inside the cabinet.
The package felt heavy in my hand.
With trembling hands, she untied the hemp rope binding the outside, and peeled away the thick, oil-soaked, waterproof paper layer by layer.
When the last layer of oil paper was peeled off, an extremely strong, irrepressible, and strangely sweet bitter almond aroma instantly filled the air!
Found it!
A gleam of wild joy flashed in Lin Wanwan's eyes!
Inside the oil paper, a large bundle of dried herbs with slender leaves was neatly stacked!
And next to that bundle of herbs, there lay quietly a small ledger wrapped in a black cover!
The evidence is irrefutable!
Lin Wanwan was so excited she almost cried out! She suddenly looked up at Xiao Che beside her, about to share this immense joy.
However, the instant she opened her mouth—
Xiao Che's expression suddenly changed!
His ears, which had been constantly alert to his surroundings, suddenly twitched!
"Shh!"
Before he could explain, he flashed forward and appeared in front of Lin Wanwan.
He reached out his large, well-defined hand and covered Lin Wanwan's mouth, preventing her from letting out a cry of surprise.
Then, he used his other arm to tightly embrace her waist, pulling her into his arms.
Immediately afterwards, he picked her up, spun around, and like a weightless leaf, silently disappeared into the shadow of the tall medicine cabinet next to them.
Almost the instant they concealed themselves.
"Squeak—"
The heavy door of the Imperial Pharmacy, which should have been locked from the outside, was actually... slowly opened from the outside!
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