Xie Zhi linked arms with Qingyi as they made their way back.
Qingyi cautiously glanced over her shoulder at the guard following them all the way, then nodded absentmindedly.
“L-Lichun… what does the heir mean by this? Is he having us watched?”
she whispered.
“No,” Xie Zhi explained. “Didn’t I tell you earlier? There was a murder outside the manor. The heir is only worried about our safety.”
“But we’re just maids. Could it be that he’s taken a liking to—”
Seeing Xie Zhi’s expression change, Qingyi’s voice grew quieter and quieter until she finished in a breathy whisper.
“Still… it’s a good thing the guard didn’t follow us into Huizhen Studio earlier. If the heir found out you’re earning extra money on the side, he’d probably be angry.”
“What right does he have to be angry?” Xie Zhi snorted. “Wasn’t he the one who suspended my monthly wages?”
Fortunately, the owner of Huizhen Studio had been extremely pleased with her paintings and had even raised her payment per illustration.
The reason Xie Zhi had personally come to see him today was that, now that she had been transferred to Pei Du’s courtyard, leaving the manor had become increasingly difficult. She had therefore negotiated to change their arrangement from delivering artwork every seven days to once a month.
Although the owner had been somewhat displeased, Xie Zhi promised to produce no fewer paintings than before. Only then did he reluctantly agree.
As they walked, several squads of government soldiers appeared along the roadside, carrying portraits and questioning passersby one by one.
By chance, Xie Zhi caught sight of the drawing.
It depicted a gaunt man with lips so thin they looked like a single straight line.
Originally, the two had planned to go south of the city to watch the foreign Hu dancers perform the Tuozhi Dance. But when the guard behind them noticed the soldiers, he stepped forward.
“Young ladies, I think we’d better return to the manor early.”
Before Xie Zhi could reply, Qingyi suddenly spotted something.
“Just a moment, sir. Lichun, look!”
Following her gaze, Xie Zhi saw the capital’s most famous clothing shop, one renowned throughout the city.
“Didn’t you say all your clothes were ruined? And you don’t like the new ones the manor is making. You just got paid today—why not go take a look?”
The moment Xie Zhi saw the rows of beautiful garments inside, she couldn’t tear her eyes away.
“Brother Guard, please wait for us a little longer.”
Before he could answer, the two women had already disappeared into the shop.
Xie Zhi wandered among the exquisite clothes while Qingyi’s excited voice rang out from time to time.
“Lichun, look! Isn’t this Green Ravine Skirt gorgeous?”
“It is. I’ve got money today—I’ll buy it for you later.”
“How generous! I like you more and more!”
Xie Zhi laughed.
“Help me pick out some fabric too. The stitching on this sachet is coming loose, and the powder inside keeps leaking out.”
“Of course!”
The two chatted and laughed until, unexpectedly, Xie Zhi bumped into someone.
Turning around, she saw an elderly woman well past seventy.
“Grandmother, are you alright?” Xie Zhi hurriedly asked.
“I’m fine. These old bones are still sturdy.”
Qingyi stepped forward to help the old woman up, and the elderly lady slowly shuffled toward the small back door of the clothing shop.
Seeing she was heading the wrong way, Xie Zhi called after her.
“Grandmother.”
The old woman smiled at her.
But her lips were frighteningly thin. From a distance, it almost looked as though only two rows of teeth were opening and closing.
“Miss, my legs aren’t what they used to be. I thought I’d take the shortcut home through the shop’s back door.”
There were many customers inside the shop, and no one paid attention to that corner.
“I see.”
Xie Zhi glanced toward the back door and indeed saw a row of residential houses beyond it.
“There are too many people inside. Someone might bump into you again. Let me help you out.”
Kind-hearted as always, Qingyi supported the old woman.
“I’ll take her outside.”
“Come back quickly,” Xie Zhi called after her.
“Got it!”
Xie Zhi resumed looking through the fabrics.
Then, in the next instant…
She thought she heard a faint chuckle.
It was light and crisp—like the soft laugh of a young man.
Yet, inexplicably, it reminded her of the old woman.
In a flash, Xie Zhi remembered the murderer in the wanted portrait.
Those impossibly thin lips.
“Qingyi! Come back!”
Dropping the fabric in her hands, she sprinted toward the back door as fast as she could.
Qingyi had just reached the doorway with the old woman when she saw Xie Zhi rushing toward them like the wind.
“Lichun? What’s wrong?”
Xie Zhi grabbed Qingyi by the arm and pulled her back.
“My dear, what’s gotten into you?” the old woman asked, staggering a few steps where she stood.
“Lichun, what are you doing?” Qingyi asked in confusion.
“It’s nothing, Grandmother. We suddenly have something else to do. You’ll have to make your way home yourself.”
As she tugged Qingyi away, Xie Zhi urged,
“Don’t ask questions. Hurry! Let’s find the guard!”
The words had barely left her lips when she heard that eerie chuckle again.
“Since you’ve come…”
“…don’t leave.”
The next moment, a cloud of white mist drifted before her eyes, enveloping her whole body.
In the blink of an eye…
She lost consciousness.
That night, a heavy rain suddenly began to fall.
The steady drizzle scattered the golden leaves covering the ground and washed away the enthusiasm of the evening crowds.
“It’s getting late. Time to head home.”
“This rain came out of nowhere. What a disappointment.”
Not long after the rain began, more than half the pedestrians had disappeared from the streets.
Many shopkeepers started closing for the night, hurriedly bringing in the goods displayed outside.
Gradually, the bustling marketplace grew deserted.
Apart from a few drunken men lingering by the roadside, there were hardly any travelers left.
In the darkness, several groups of horsemen converged at a crossroads.
The commander of the Imperial Guard, clad in armor, addressed the man opposite him.
“My lord, we’ve searched both Chang’an County and Wannian County. There is still no trace of the culprit!”
“Keep searching!” Pei Du ordered sharply. “By his usual pattern, he kills once every three days. If we don’t catch him before midnight, there will be a fifth victim tonight.”
Rain streamed down his sharply defined face, every droplet lending him an even colder, more murderous aura.
“Yes, sir!”
The squads of Imperial Guards acknowledged the order and scattered once more.
He Liu, the Commandant of the Imperial Guard, circled his horse impatiently.
“Pei San, do you have any leads?”
“This man never stays in one place. He’s cunning and unpredictable. We still haven’t found his hideout, and every body has been discovered in a different location. His motives are impossible to read.”
As Pei Du spoke, he was about to spur his horse onward when Changming suddenly called out behind him.
“Young Master, isn’t that Xue Ci from our manor? Why is he supporting a young lady?”
With thousands of servants in the Pei household, Pei Du naturally couldn’t remember every name. But seeing the man dressed in a Pei Manor guard’s uniform, he frowned.
“Since when has discipline in this manor become so lax? Why is a guard wandering the streets so late at night?”
“Young Master… I assigned him today to protect Miss Lichun,” Changming answered weakly.
While He Liu was still asking Changming who “Lichun” was, Pei Du had already ridden forward.
His voice was icy and severe as he addressed the woman in Xue Ci’s arms.
“Lichun, you truly are—”
Before he could finish, the woman slowly raised her head.
It was a face he had never seen before.
The moment she recognized him, panic filled her voice.
“Your Heir… please… please save Lichun!”
“She… she’s been abducted!”