When Wen Lisheng woke up, she felt herself lying on a cold, hard floor, her bones aching from the pressure.
Her head was still dizzy, and her forehead throbbed with pain. As she struggled to sit up, she cursed inwardly, wondering who had ambushed her. Had someone struck her forehead with a blunt weapon while she was unconscious?
Why did it hurt so much?
Wen Lisheng felt something beside her and jumped in surprise. Cautiously, she reached out to explore, feeling a warm presence—it was a person.
Just as her fingers brushed against the person’s arm, a low, sharp voice came from beside her, “Don’t touch me!”
Startled, she withdrew her hand, recognizing the voice as the pickpocket’s. She chuckled awkwardly, “You’re still alive?”
“Aren’t you still breathing too?” he retorted.
Wen Lisheng groaned, clutching her forehead. “I think I’m about to die. Someone must have hit my forehead with a stick while I was unconscious—it hurts terribly.”
Xie Xiaonan glanced at her, thinking she was utterly brainless. “You bumped into it yourself.”
Wen Lisheng was about to argue that she wasn’t blind—how could she have bumped her forehead for no reason? But before she could speak, she remembered the earlier scuffle with the pickpocket. Her wrist had been gripped so tightly that she couldn’t break free, and in desperation, she had resorted to headbutting him.
Gently massaging her forehead, she looked around. The room was pitch black, with only faint light seeping through the window, insufficient to illuminate the space. Blinking repeatedly, she still couldn’t see anything.
“Where is this place?” Wen Lisheng asked, touching the still-painful needle mark on her neck. She knew she had been knocked out by that needle.
Xie Xiaonan had woken up earlier, but upon regaining consciousness, he found himself weak all over, unable to stand or walk more than a few steps. He had been leaning against the wall, resting with his eyes closed. His vision was sharp, quickly adapting to the darkness. He could vaguely make out that this was a semi-underground room, with the window positioned high up. The surroundings were eerily quiet, devoid of any noise.
His mood had just begun to settle when this fool beside him woke up and started groping around recklessly. He recalled how her earlier commotion had caused him to let his guard down, leading to the ambush.
Anger crept back into his expression, and his tone turned harsh. “Shut up.”
Wen Lisheng wasn’t pleased. She thought to herself, This pickpocket stole recklessly, causing me to be chased by dogs all day. Now he’s daring enough to provoke Xie Xiaonan. If something goes wrong, everyone at Old Tree Hall will be implicated, and even my prefect father will suffer.
So she muttered discontentedly, “You little pickpocket have quite the temper. What’s with the attitude?”
Though her voice was soft, Xie Xiaonan’s sharp ears caught every word. His teeth clenched audibly. “What did you say?”
Seeing how furious he looked, Wen Lisheng shifted away slightly. Suddenly, she remembered the purple jade and hurriedly felt inside the sleeve of her right hand.
Earlier, when the pickpocket had been chasing her closely, she knew she would be caught. In a hurry, she had stuffed the purple jade into a small hidden pocket inside her sleeve—a place where she usually hid her silver notes.
The purple jade was still safely tucked inside the pocket, warmed by her body heat.She turned her back, holding the purple jade up to her eyes to check for any damage. Unexpectedly, while she was examining it, a sudden force pressed down on her back—the pickpocket had lunged at her.
Startled, she immediately pushed against him. “What are you doing? I thought you were just a pickpocket, but it turns out you’re also a lecher?!”
Xie Xiaonan pressed his chest against her shoulder, reaching out an arm to pin her wrist, trying to snatch the purple jade from her hand.
But the drug on the silver needle hadn’t worn off yet, and he could muster only very limited strength, unable even to support his own weight. He had no choice but to lean heavily on her back. Hearing her startled cry, he pressed down even harder out of a sense of retaliation.
Wen Lisheng couldn’t hold up under the weight and was forced to drop forward, propping herself up on her elbows on the ground. She clutched the purple jade tightly in her hand and threw a punch at the side of his face.
However, pinned down as she was, her arm had very little room to move. The punch carried almost no force, as if she had merely brushed the side of his face lightly.
Xie Xiaonan gritted his teeth and said, “Give me back the jade!”
Even while being pinned down, Wen Lisheng remained defiant. “Don’t even think about it! I’m going to return this to the young master!”
As the two were arguing, the door suddenly swung open, and the light of a lantern flooded into the room. Caught off guard, Wen Lisheng was startled, and her grip loosened slightly. In that moment of distraction, Xie Xiaonan pried open her hand and snatched back the purple jade.
Finally reclaiming his possession, Xie Xiaonan struggled to sit up, leaning back against the wall. This simple series of actions drained him of immense energy, leaving him panting heavily from exhaustion. He tucked the protective jade back into his lapel as if it were a precious treasure.
Although Wen Lisheng was annoyed at losing the purple jade, she wasn’t in a hurry to snatch it back again, as there were more pressing matters at hand.
She straightened her clothes and sat up, only to see two attendants enter with lanterns, followed by a woman dressed in elegant robes. She wasn’t very old and wore a kindly smile on her face. “Young people are so full of energy. Even under the effects of a strength-draining drug, you still have the enthusiasm for such activities.”
Xie Xiaonan gave her a cold glance but said nothing.
Wen Lisheng studied her carefully and suddenly said, “I’ve seen you before.”
The woman paused for a moment but didn’t respond, waiting for her to continue.
It took Wen Lisheng only a moment to recall where she had seen her. “You’re from the Mei family.”
“Young Lady Wen has a good memory,” the woman said with a smile, clapping in admiration. “I never thought someone as insignificant as me would be remembered.”
“Why did you capture me?” Wen Lisheng asked, puzzled.
In her memory, the relationship between the Wen family and the Mei family was quite good. During festivals, the Mei family would send wine to Wen Manor, and lending venues like this wasn’t the first time. Mei Xing’an also had a good friendship with her father.
“I heard that Young Lady Wen passed by my sister-in-law’s courtyard during the day and provoked the guard dog?” The woman had her attendants bring a chair and sat down leisurely. “I wonder if Young Lady Wen would be generous enough to show me what you took?”
Wen Lisheng thought briefly. Clearly, her identity still held some weight in front of this woman, otherwise she wouldn’t have addressed her as “Young Lady Wen” repeatedly.
Moreover, it was still unclear what this pickpocket had stolen during the day, and he was now holding Xie Xiaonan’s jade. If she could stall this woman and keep the pickpocket’s actions hidden, she might even be able to persuade him to return Xie Xiaonan’s belongings.So she deliberately adopted an air of mystery and asked, “May I ask what this lady intends to use that item for?”
The woman chuckled softly, “Why ask when you already know? It’s all for that Frost Blossom Sword.”
Wen Lisheng suddenly recalled what Shen Jiaqing had mentioned during the day—rumors were circulating that the Mei family possessed a map to the treasure vault of Wind Spirit Manor. Could it be that the thief had stolen that very thing?
Was the map from Shen Jiaqing’s family truly in the hands of the Mei family?
Wen Lisheng replied, “To be honest, I was merely passing by during the day when that black dog took notice of me. I am not part of the martial world—I have no skill in martial arts, nor any interest in swords.”
The woman covered her mouth and laughed, but after a few moments, her expression cooled slightly as she looked at Wen Lisheng. “If you hadn’t entered that courtyard, why would the dog have come out? Could it have opened the door itself? Miss Wen, if you don’t want to bring trouble upon yourself, it would be better to be honest.”
Wen Lisheng frowned, disliking nothing more than being threatened. “And what if I’m not honest?”
The woman waved her hand, and one of her attendants immediately stepped forward, drawing a thin whip from his waist and swinging it toward Wen Lisheng with a sharp, whistling sound.
Wen Lisheng’s eyes widened in alarm, and she hastily dodged to the side. In her panic, she ended up pressing Xie Xiaonan against the wall, squeezing him tightly.
She hadn’t expected this woman to show no regard for her status as the daughter of a prefectural governor. A whip strike like that would be no small matter.
At this point, thoughts of purple jade or white jade were forgotten. She immediately pointed at the person beside her and shouted, “It was this person who stole it! It has nothing to do with me—I really was just passing by!”
Xie Xiaonan, pinned against the wall and unable to move, instinctively tried to push her away with a swing of his arm, but found himself powerless. He growled angrily, “Get off!”
“Miss Wen, do you think I’m easily fooled?” the woman asked with a smile.
Wen Lisheng glanced at the whip beside her and, seeing the thief’s defiant attitude, decided to sell him out completely. “I’m telling the truth. This thief’s skills are extraordinary—he even managed to steal something from Lord Xie! The item your sister-in-law lost is on him.”
Hearing this, the woman became intrigued. “What did he steal from Lord Xie?”
Wen Lisheng turned to Xie Xiaonan and snapped, “Hand over the item and show it to this lady.”
Xie Xiaonan’s eyes burned with anger. He glared at her but said nothing.
The whip behind them was raised again, as if it were about to strike at any moment. Wen Lisheng rolled up her sleeves and lunged forward, grabbing the front of his robe and scolding, “You reckless little thief, let go!”
Xie Xiaonan was so furious he felt as though he might cough up blood. He clutched his robe tightly, his voice as cold as shards of ice. “I advise you not to court death.”
“It’s you who’s courting death!” she retorted fiercely. With a forceful tug, she tore open his robe, revealing a broad expanse of his chest. His skin was as flawless as jade, his muscles taut, with the faint outline of abdominal muscles visible.
Xie Xiaonan had never in his life been stripped of his clothing like this, and due to the effects of the drug, he was powerless to resist. His temples throbbed with rage, his face darkening completely. He wished he could fling Wen Lisheng eight zhang away in an instant.
However, when he raised his hand, Wen Lisheng brushed it aside impatiently, as if it were an annoyance. She rummaged through his robe, found the purple jade, and pulled it out, presenting it like a treasure. “Please take a look, madam.”
The moment the woman took the jade, she exclaimed in admiration, “Oh, this truly is a piece of exceptional jade.”She then took the lantern to examine it closely. “The carving on the jade is also top-notch. This might truly be the young master’s possession.”
Wen Lisheng turned to look at the young man who was panting heavily with anger. Meeting his fierce gaze, she saw that he was so enraged he had lost his senses, even forgetting to close his open collar. Feeling somewhat apologetic, she helped him fasten his robe.
The woman then spoke up, “This young man truly has some skill, to have gotten hold of Young Master Xie’s possession. Pull open his robe and let me take a look.”
Wen Lisheng was taken aback. She glanced at the woman and hesitated, “That doesn’t seem quite appropriate. You’re quite a bit older than him…”
The woman’s eyes sharpened, and the whip behind Wen Lisheng began to crackle again.
“If the lady wishes to see, then see she shall!” Wen Lisheng moved swiftly. Before Xie Xiaonan could even resist, she tore open his robe, leaving his chest exposed to the cold air once more.
He nearly exploded with rage on the spot, unable to utter a word. He simply tilted his head back against the wall, closing his eyes to calm himself, lest he be angered to death by Wen Lisheng. He thought to himself that when Qiao Ling came looking for him, he might just find a corpse to carry away.
The woman clicked her tongue in admiration after looking. “The young man has an excellent physique, likely skilled in martial arts. No wonder he hasn’t recovered even after being drugged for so long.”
The drug was designed to be more potent against stronger individuals—the higher one’s martial prowess, the stronger and longer-lasting the effects. That was why Wen Lisheng had woken up full of energy, while Xie Xiaonan remained powerless.
“What you’re looking for is on this pickpocket. Just torture him a bit—preferably whip him hard—and no matter how tight-lipped he is, he’ll talk. As for that piece of jade…” Wen Lisheng stared at the purple jade in the woman’s hand and said with a smile, “After all, this belongs to that person. If it goes missing, it will surely cause a lot of trouble, and the Mei family might get dragged into it. It’s better to let me return it to him.”
However, the very person Wen Lisheng was referring to was currently pressed against the corner by her, his robe wide open, eyes closed, unwilling to speak.
But the woman tucked the jade into her sleeve. “Such a rare treasure could easily be exchanged for several Laoshutangs. How could the Mei family’s gold and silver compare to this?”
Wen Lisheng cursed inwardly—another greedy fool with no regard for her life.
As they were at a standoff, a loud crash suddenly erupted. Everyone turned to look and saw a leg kick through the high window, shattering it.
Wen Lisheng immediately recognized the shoe embroidered with a golden toad as Shen Jiaqing’s. Overjoyed, she thought Shen Jiaqing had brought people to rescue her.
Wen Lisheng sprang up from the ground in an instant, hands on her hips, abandoning her earlier submissive demeanor. She lifted her chin proudly and declared, “You venomous-hearted, greedy, and lustful old hag! My brother is here now. If you know what’s good for you, kneel and kowtow to me immediately. I’ll ask my brother to go easy on you later.”
The woman’s face twisted with anger at this outburst. She stood up furiously. “What a sharp tongue! Let’s see who this brother of yours is!”
No sooner had she spoken than Shen Jiaqing’s foot retracted, and a second kick followed, completely shattering the window. He tumbled down, landing on his backside with a thud, howling like a slaughtered pig.
Wen Lisheng was shocked. She looked left and right, but no one else came down. She cried out in disbelief, “Shen Jiaqing, where are the people you brought?”
“What people?” Shen Jiaqing rubbed his backside as he stood up. “I came to find you to have some fun. Bringing others would be too inconvenient.”
Wen Lisheng felt as though she had died on the spot.She knelt down, smiling very obediently, “Madam, it was just a small misunderstanding earlier, please don’t mind.”
The woman curled her lips into a cold smile.
Wen Lisheng swallowed nervously in fear, reaching out to grab the pants of the young man beside her, and tentatively suggested, “How about I pull his pants down for you to admire too?”
Upon hearing this, Xie Xiaonan instinctively tightened his belt.