The first rays of morning light spilled down from the mountain peaks, shrouded in swirling mist. Violet radiance shimmered, casting thousands of colorful sunbeams as the entire Purple Mountain was enveloped in clouds and glowing haze, resembling a celestial paradise on earth.
While remaining cautious of Xiao Changqing, Shen Xihe did not neglect her own affairs. Early the next morning, she brought Zhenzhu and Moyu to Laojun Mountain.
The Old Man with White Hair resided here, surrounded by all sorts of martial artists and wanderers. Shen Xihe handed a scroll to Moyu: "Give this painting to the elder. No need for additional words."
This place was a mixed bag of respectable and dubious characters, so Shen Xihe naturally couldn't bring the actual Fairy Ribbon. She had painted it the previous night, waiting for the Old Man with White Hair to seek her out himself.
While waiting for Moyu, Shen Xihe encountered an acquaintance.
The man wore plain blue robes like coarse tea leaves—the poorest quality fabric without any embroidery or decoration. His black hair was simply tied up with a wooden hairpin. He approached through the morning glow, his handsome and elegant features appearing gentle and soft in the dawn light.
"Lady Shen." Xie Yunhuai walked directly toward her, offering a slight bow.
His form of address caused those nearby who were watching or harboring ill intentions to change their expressions.
Unmarried women were typically addressed as "guniang" (miss), while only refined noblewomen from official families were called "nülang" (lady).
Commoners knew better than to challenge officials, so these people assumed she was some official's family member passing through by chance.
Shen Xihe, wearing a veil hat, nodded slightly to Xie Yunhuai: "Doctor Qi, you've come too."
"To see some excitement," Xie Yunhuai replied with an open smile.
"Please have a seat, Doctor Qi." Shen Xihe gestured beside her.
"Thank you." Xie Yunhuai didn't refuse. His presence here would make others think twice.
One couldn't help but admire this duchess's courage. Even veiled, her graceful figure and that clear, captivating voice like clashing jade beads suggested extraordinary beauty beneath.
To come here with just one maid—if she encountered someone truly bold...
"Doctor Qi need not worry. I know my limits," Shen Xihe could read Xie Yunhuai's thoughts at a glance. "If I obtain the Bone Shedding Pill, may I request Doctor Qi to examine it?"
"Your Grace..." Xie Yunhuai nearly blurted out and exposed Shen Xihe's identity in his excitement, but caught himself just in time. "You would truly let me examine it?"
The Bone Shedding Pill was likely genuine—Xie Yunhuai had confirmed this just days ago. No physician would refuse to study such near-miraculous medicine.
"Of course. I trust Doctor Qi's medical skills. One cannot take pills recklessly. If the elder is unwilling to explain, I'll need to trouble Doctor Qi to investigate further." Shen Xihe offered a faint smile.
Just then, a breeze lifted her veil, allowing Xie Yunhuai to glimpse that subtle smile.
Her smile was as light as sea spray dancing over emerald waters, like a wisp of silk-like cloud drifting across blue skies—pure, gentle, ethereal, yet vanishing in an instant.
Xie Yunhuai came from a prominent family and had traveled extensively. As a physician, he had met countless people and seen many beauties, but never had he encountered such a breathtaking smile.
Zhenzhu lowered her gaze, inwardly admiring her mistress's skill in winning people over. Examining the pill wouldn't take just a day or two—Doctor Qi would inevitably have to accompany them.
With this interaction established, how could Doctor Qi refuse any future requests for assistance?
Yet even fully aware of the trap, Doctor Qi seemed willing to walk right into it.
Though she didn't understand why this particular doctor had gained her mistress's favor or what capabilities he possessed, she had learned to observe more and speak less.Initially thinking Moyu would surely return within two or three hours, they hadn't expected to wait at the tea shack until sunset after finishing their dry rations, with Moyu still nowhere in sight.
"Young mistress, we must return now," Zhenzhu urged, growing anxious about Moyu as darkness would make travel difficult.
"No signal was sent—Moyu isn't in danger." Shen Xihe remained unperturbed. "Let us depart."
"I shall escort Lady Shen partway," offered Xie Yunhuai, concerned that pursuers might target her.
Shen Xihe knew someone had moved against her.
Moyu must have been delayed, and she didn’t wish to involve Xie Yunhuai: "Doctor Qi, there’s no need to worry. A motley crew poses no threat."
"Unless I see Lady Shen safely back to the inn, I shall have no peace of mind," insisted Xie Yunhuai, assuming Shen Xihe was sparing him trouble. As someone accustomed to roaming abroad, he felt compelled to act.
Shen Xihe paused briefly before accepting: "Thank you, Doctor Qi."
Telling him the full truth would only make him more determined to intervene.
She and Zhenzhu boarded the carriage while Xie Yunhuai sat outside with the coachman. The carriage jostled along, gradually distancing itself under the fading sunset glow.
As the last vestiges of twilight vanished, they reached a secluded official road. With the city gates due to close in half an hour and no villages in sight, the path lay deserted.
The horse suddenly whinnied, refusing to advance. Steadying herself against the lurch, Shen Xihe lifted the curtain to see dense, straight trees on either side, their branches swaying in the night wind. "A dark night with howling winds—truly an ideal time for killing."
She slapped the seat cushion, triggering bronze panels that rose from three sides and locked into the roof. Simultaneously, volleys of cold arrows shot from the shadowy woods, thudding into the carriage.
"Doctor Qi!" Shen Xihe tossed two exquisitely wrapped silk cotton balls to Xie Yunhuai.
Catching them, he turned to see the coachman—now brandishing a gleaming sword—stuffing his nostrils with identical balls. Without questioning, Xie Yunhuai swiftly followed suit, detecting a medicinal fragrance.
Figures wielding assorted weapons emerged from the woods—not clad in stealth attire but representing a motley mix of genders and backgrounds, a true gathering of rogues.
The coachman threw a sword to Xie Yunhuai before leaping into battle. Xie Yunhuai seized it and joined the fray.
Outside, clashing blades rang through the air, occasional gusts lifting the curtain to reveal flashes of cold steel.
"Your Highness, they’re mere bandits," Zhenzhu remarked after glancing at their attire.
"Bandits are preferable." Shen Xihe tilted slightly, wielding a bamboo fan woven with cicada-wing-thin slats, swaying it gently.
Beside the fan sat an elegant brown-cloud-patterned incense burner, from which cotton-like smoke curled upward. Guided by Shen Xihe’s fanning, it drifted through intentionally left gaps.
Though they couldn’t smell the incense, Zhenzhu noticed the smoke was denser than usual.
By the light of night pearls embedded in the carriage corners, she stole a glance at Shen Xihe. Frail and unable to practice martial arts, the princess had devoted herself to arts like music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and particularly enjoyed perfumery and brewing.
Until now, Zhenzhu never realized her mistress had such profound skill in perfumery—nor that incense could be deployed so ingeniously against foes.
Meeting Shen Xihe’s gaze, Zhenzhu quickly averted her eyes: "Why did you say bandits are preferable, Your Highness?""First, deal with the bandits using local forces; if they prove insufficient, then mobilize government troops to suppress them." If one plan fails, devise another.
Such was Xiao Changqing's way of doing things.
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