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Глава 6

A person with such a face should never have blood on their hands!

Knowing that the situation was hopeless, the man in black smiled bitterly: "The young master in green spared me the first time, but he certainly won't spare me a second time, will he?"

Baili Hanyi looked at Baili Qingyi suspiciously, and then said, "Miss, please tell me the name of the person who sent you here."

She smiled bitterly again: "Young Master in blue should know that someone like me wouldn't know the name of the person who sent me here."

"Then, Miss Cui, do you know whether the person who hired you to kill is male or female, how old they are, and what they look like?"

The man in black—that is, Cui Shenghan—struggled in his eyes: "I really don't know if he is a man or a woman, how old he is, or what he looks like."

Baili Qingyi's eyes turned slightly cold: "Then who taught you the acupressure technique you used in the room just now?"

Cui Shenghan stared at him in horror: "It's...it's that person. Young Master in blue...how did you know?"

Baili Tieyi angrily said, "This woman is so talkative. Tell the truth quickly, or you'll suffer."

“Young Master Ironclad, you may simply kill me.” Cui Shenghan raised her beautiful neck, her skin appearing deathly pale in the moonlight.

Baili Qingyi frowned, but suddenly heard a crashing sound coming from the side room. He swiftly rushed into the room like an eagle and saw that Madam Yun was still sleeping peacefully in bed, while someone had punched a hole in the table next to her with something.

In the blink of an eye, a white shadow like a crane flew in from the sky, skimmed over Cui Shenghan, flew over the layers of eaves, and disappeared into the moonlight.

Baili Qingyi turned around, and Baili Hanyi and Baili Tieyi followed him into the house, just as the white-clad figure had hoped.

"Young master in blue, please forgive me!" A hearty laugh echoed from afar.

"We...we actually let her...escape?" Baili Tieyi roared in disbelief.

Baili Qingyi looked out the window thoughtfully: "It was my oversight. I made two mistakes."

Which two?

"First, I lacked confidence. I should have trusted that no one could have entered the room without my knowledge. Second, I misjudged the other person's identity."

"The other person? Isn't he that female assassin's companion?"

"No, he was just a passerby."

"Passerby?"

"That's right. And he's someone who often 'passes by' other people's homes."

While Baili Tieyi was still bewildered, Baili Hanyi frowned and asked, "Is it really alright to let them escape?"

Baili Qingyi ran his long fingers over the hole in the table, pondered for a while, and said, "If we keep her here, we won't get any more information out of her."

"Brother, do you... believe what she just said?" Baili Tieyi asked in surprise.

“Third brother,” Baili Qingyi said gently, “the entire Yin family, including their servants, was murdered. The Qiong Sect has always only opposed those with a reputation in the martial arts world, but they do not kill innocent servants. I believe that the Yin family case was not the work of the Qiong Sect. Since the person behind the scenes specifically ordered Miss Cui to use the Qiong Sect’s unique acupoint striking technique to kill people, it means that this person is not a member of the Qiong Sect, but has a great connection with the Qiong Sect.”

“I understand. I will investigate the connection between the Yin family and the Qiong Sect.” Baili Hanyi’s eyes showed understanding.

"No, second brother, I have other matters to entrust to you. Leave the investigation to third brother."

"What?!" Baili Tieyi roared again, "Big brother dumped an unclaimed little beggar into my care for three months, and he thinks I'm too idle?"

Baili Qingyi smiled and said, "I thought you and You'er got along very well. Besides, You'er has recovered, hasn't he?"

"That noisy brat, who would want to be friends with him?" Baili Tieyi turned his head away and snorted coldly. "It's strange, why hasn't that little beggar's brother shown up yet? Could he have starved to death on the way?"

“Not my younger brother.” Baili Hanyi smiled, meeting Baili Tieyi’s bewildered expression.

Baili Qingyi straightened her clothes, as if speaking to Baili Tieyi, or perhaps to herself: "It won't be long before what is meant to appear will appear."

A moment later, Baili Tieyi slapped his thigh: "No way? He... could he be a woman?"

※ ※ ※

With a face as fair as a peach blossom, a dashing and romantic figure, and a legendary thief with friends all over the world, Bai Can, the master thief, was furious.

The only reaction he received from his righteous act—rescuing the beautiful woman from the clutches of the three young masters of Baili Prefecture at great personal risk and carrying her for five miles like a beast of burden—was a single sentence:

"You shouldn't have offended Baili Prefecture."

Bai Can was furious, but out of a sense of gentlemanly conduct, he couldn't vent his anger at the pale-faced, lifeless Cui Shenghan. So he could only swallow his anger and resentment.

After a long pause, he suddenly sighed: "Do you know that if I hadn't just happened to pass by today, you would have died here?"

Cui Shenghan suddenly sneered: "You've been following me all the way from Luoyang, yet you claim it was just a coincidence?"

Bai Can's face flushed red: "Me... so what? I still saved you."

Cui Shenghan turned her head away: "Actually, Madam Yun hasn't woken up at all, has she? Baili Qingyi deliberately created a false impression, and I walked right into the trap. I can't blame anyone else."

"...I don't understand. I thought you were unwilling to be an assassin, but even without Fangyanzui, why can't you escape?"

Cui Shenghan smiled faintly: "How much do you know about 'Wuhen'?"

"A murder that leaves no trace, a disappearance without a trace?"

She shook her head. "The reason why 'Wuhen' is so powerful and feared is because he has a master."

"master?"

“Yes, Master. I don’t know what kind of man he is, but I know that I must do whatever Master commands.”

"Then who was the murderer who wiped out the Yin family three years ago?"

Cui Shenghan breathed heavily, her strength exhausted from blood loss: "I don't know if it's related to 'Traceless,' but this mission was commissioned by someone, not directly ordered by the master."

"You don't actually know much about 'Traceless'?"

"It's ridiculous, isn't it?"

Bai Can lowered his head to tend to Cui Shenghan's shoulder wound, remaining silent for a moment. Just when Cui Shenghan thought he would never speak again, he muttered:

Why are you telling me so much?

"You saved me."

"Just because I saved you?"

A captivating smile spread across Cui Shenghan's pale face: "...Someone once thanked me for your sake."

"What?" Bai Can was a little confused.

"I just wanted to live up to her gratitude."

Unable to obtain

Where the lights are dim

Gossamer threads ripple across the green landscape, their light flickering intermittently. A white horse with a golden bridle, the east wind carrying the melody of the ancient city. The noble concubine of the ancient city, once reigned supreme in the spring of Weiyang Palace. Since her fragrant bones turned to dust, she has become nothing more than the dust borne by horses' hooves.

Chang'an Avenue was still bustling with traffic. Although the Yunge Poetry Competition, a gathering of talented people, was not held today, it was still as lively and prosperous as ever.

A beggar stood in the crowd.

Most passersby would glance at him and then continue on their way.

A beggar, reeking of foul odor, stood in the crowd.

People only have to walk a few steps before covering their noses and taking a detour.

A beggar, reeking of foul odor, stood at the entrance of Huanyi Study for the full time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

This... this is really quite abnormal.

Not to mention his upright and slender posture, just like... just like a scholar.

Shui Wu'er looked up, and the golden signboard of Huanyi Study reflected the afternoon sun onto his—no, it should be said—her face, causing her to squint slightly.

Yes, she abandoned Shui You'er intentionally. In these times, survival is difficult. Shui You'er had always cared for her like a younger brother, yet she hadn't realized that with his impulsive and naive nature, it was truly remarkable that he had survived to this day. The one who was truly cared for was him. Honestly, when she thought Shui You'er had perished at Yuwen Hongying's hands, amidst her grief, there was also a sense of relief. She no longer needed to go to great lengths to keep him healthy, nor did she need to shield him from the world's cruelty. If Shui You'er had stayed with her, given his injuries, he probably wouldn't have lasted three days. Entrusting him to the kind young masters of the Baili family was better than him suffering with her. Back then, Qin Qiyun was merely a severely injured, amnesiac boy picked up by Baili Qingyi, yet he received care and love from everyone in the Baili household and was now capable of standing on his own.

Indeed, from the moment she left Chuxiu Manor, she was determined never to see him again, and her words to Baili Qingyi were nothing more than an excuse to extricate herself.

However, she herself did not know why, after wandering around, she had involuntarily ended up in the capital.

The capital city, which she hadn't visited in a long time, pletely unfamiliar to her.

The shop assistant at Huanyi Bookstore stared at her for a long time, then finally couldn't resist walking around the counter to approach her.

"What are you looking at for so long?" He followed her gaze to his own shop sign, then looked her up and down. "Can you even read? This is Huanyi Study!"

"Huanyi Study?" She really had unknowingly wandered here. Before… she also loved coming here to read. Mansi loved painting landscapes, and the walls of the east wing of the study were covered with scrolls depicting green water features. She would often linger in the east wing reading folk tales, secretly hiding things among them. She wondered if anyone had discovered her…

"Indeed, Huanyi Study! Little beggar, you should beg for food at inns and taverns; books won't fill your stomach." The waiter kindly patted her shoulder, but unexpectedly, a strange odor filled her nostrils—

"What's that smell on you...?" He hurriedly covered his nose and took a few steps back.

Seeing his reaction, a flicker of interest crossed her eyes. She stepped forward and flashed a big smile at the waiter: "Sir, I'm not here to beg for food."

"No...you're not here to beg for food?" The waiter stared blankly at her. What a joke! What else could a beggar want if not food? But this dark-skinned little beggar's teeth were really...incredibly white when she smiled.

"Then what are you doing standing here?"

She beckoned to him mysteriously with her finger: "I..."

The man, without suspecting anything, leaned in to listen.

Do you have any loose silver here?

"What did you say?" The waiter's mouth dropped open. "Are you a beggar who's gone crazy for money? My monthly wages are only a few coins, and you, a little beggar, dare to ask me for some loose change? Get out of here!"

You little brat... he really dares to say that.

Shui Wu'er cleared her throat: "Hey... Master, wait a minute. Even if you don't have any money, a steamed bun or something to fill your stomach will do. You see, I've been starving for days, and I can't even walk properly."

So pitiful? The waiter, honest and straightforward, felt compassion again. His boss was always kind-hearted; giving this little beggar a few steamed buns wouldn't be difficult for him.

"Alright, wait a moment, I'll have someone go up to the inner room and get it for you."

“Okay.” Shui Wu’er nodded vigorously, then suddenly seemed to remember something and quickly called out to him, “Master, please wait a moment…”

"What?"