Chapter 496: Gift for the Young Mistress

Lou Xiu was secretly pleased to see his words had the desired effect. The process was so smooth that he hadn't even needed to use some of his carefully prepared follow-up arguments, which surprised him slightly. Since he could achieve his goal without wasting words, he naturally bowed and accepted the order, saying, "Your subordinate obeys."

"Go," Li Xianghong said. After dismissing him, she beckoned the maid standing outside the pavilion to enter. Raising her chin towards Lou Xiu’s retreating figure, she added, "Let him have his way. Let’s see what he intends to do." Without a word, the maid immediately understood and departed.

Once they were alone, Bai Qiru asked, "Do you intend to test him with this?"

Li Xianghong replied, "What else can I do? Without any concrete evidence, I can’t just seize him and interrogate him based on a random letter accusing my subordinate of wrongdoing, can I? Would he even confess? If I were that easily manipulated, a few more letters like this could destabilize my entire city." She then looked in the direction Lou Xiu had departed. "I hope it’s merely a coincidence that he also brought up A Xun’s remains," she mused. She then retrieved the letter, opened it, and re-read its contents, muttering to herself, "What exactly is the sender’s motive? Who stands to gain if Lou Xiu falls…?"

Outside the row of storage chambers carved into the mountainside, guards from the City Lord’s residence stood watch. Lou Xiu arrived with a contingent from the tax office, where the City Lord’s personal maid was already waiting. Noticing the maid’s slightly surprised gaze, Lou Xiu immediately gestured towards Mei You’s group and explained, "Most of our people are already out conducting inspections in the city, and those currently on duty couldn’t be reassigned. The tax officials, however, had nothing pressing, so I’ve brought them along to assist for now."

The maid nodded slightly. "Supervisor Lou, let’s begin the handover," she said. She then personally led the group to inspect the designated stone chambers. Inside, they found about ten true forms of deceased humans or demons. After discreetly counting them, Lou Xiu noticed the absence of the one he cared about most. He immediately asked, "Why isn’t Lord A Xun’s body among these?"

The maid explained, "Lord A Xun’s status is paramount. We need to provide a full account to the Divine Mountain, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to keep his remains mixed with the others. They have been placed separately in the adjacent room." She then gestured for him to follow. Lou Xiu followed her through the corridors, entering and exiting, until they arrived at the adjacent stone chamber. Inside, on a raised platform, lay the five-foot-long, charred corpse of a ‘red-eyed black cloud marten,’ its fur completely burned off and its body scorched.

Lou Xiu circled the body, sighing in dismay. "How could this have happened?" he murmured. His gaze then settled on several items laid beside the corpse: accessories and a Qiankun bag, all blackened by fire. Pointing at the items, he asked, "Are these all Lord A Xun’s personal effects?" The maid nodded. "Yes," she confirmed. Lou Xiu then asked, "Have all items been fully collected?" The maid gestured. "Everything found at the scene has been laid out here," she replied.

The rest of the process was straightforward. Personnel from both sides proceeded with a comprehensive handover of the remains and all associated personal effects. Once the area was secured by his own men, Lou Xiu, having personally seen off the City Lord’s personal maid, finally breathed a sigh of relief. From this point forward, he could move in and out of the premises freely.

After exchanging a glance with Mei You, he quickly re-entered the room where A Xun’s remains were kept. He did nothing else but meticulously examine A Xun’s personal effects, primarily emptying the contents of the Qiankun bag and scrutinizing each item, hoping to discover what the hidden manipulator was truly after. He doubted the other party was interested in *all* of A Xun’s belongings. He was convinced there was something specific among A Xun’s effects that the individual wanted, but what could it be?

However, he meticulously cataloged every item, even opening bottles and jars, and personally inspecting every single pill. Despite his thoroughness, his doubts remained unresolved. He had no idea what secret was concealed within A Xun’s personal effects, nor what the hidden individual was plotting. After repeated examination, he had no choice but to return everything to its original position and secure it properly.

He did not remove the personal effects. Instead, he memorized the appearance of each item, then quickly returned to his residence to fabricate replicas, imitating what he had just observed. The process was quite simple, actually. A Xun’s items were not unique artifacts; many were common, and for him, at least, acquiring a set was not difficult. It simply involved charring them with fire. As for the contents of the Qiankun bag, he roughly filled it with items corresponding to the types he had noted. He then covertly carried the items back to the location of the remains and swiftly swapped out A Xun’s personal effects.

This flurry of activity was executed with great haste and no delay. He had no other option. Agents from the Divine Mountain were bound to arrive, and if Dazhi City couldn't provide a prompt explanation, the Divine Mountain would surely intervene. He had to resolve the current predicament before their involvement. The entire swap proceeded remarkably smoothly, but after a night of such intense activity, the sky was already beginning to lighten.

After standing at the mountain’s edge and taking a deep breath, gazing at the brightening sky, he turned and returned to his residence. Once inside, he closed the door, retrieved the pair of linked talismans gifted by the mysterious individual, and sent a message asking: "Are those ten tax officials still alive?"

Deep within the pavilions atop the mountain, Bai Qiru puffed on his pipe with one hand while playing chess against Li Xianghong, who sat opposite him. Until the matter was resolved, neither of them could truly rest. A maid arrived, her footsteps hurried. Leaning in, she whispered to Li Xianghong, "Supervisor Lou has completely replaced Lord A Xun’s personal effects."

The two women, engaged in their game, both looked up, startled. Li Xianghong frowned. "Were there any unique items among A Xun’s personal effects?" she asked. The maid replied, slightly embarrassed, "We did examine them previously. Since the assassin didn’t take Lord A Xun’s personal effects after the deed, it suggested they weren’t interested in them. Consequently, we didn’t pay much heed to those items and didn’t notice anything particularly special."

Li Xianghong pressed, "Did he replace *all* the personal effects, or just a specific item?" "Not a specific item," the maid confirmed, "but everything." Li Xianghong looked across at Bai Qiru. "If there’s truly a transaction with the kidnappers," she pondered, "could it be that A Xun’s personal effects are what they demand?" Bai Qiru countered, "Then what does Lou Xiu intend to gain from the kidnappers? It can’t possibly be to rescue my spouse, can it?" Li Xianghong scoffed. "If that were truly his intention, he wouldn’t be acting so clandestinely," she said.

At the back door of the library’s front hall, Shi Chun half-concealed himself, observing the light spilling from the kitchen in the corner of the courtyard. He knew Dong Liangyi was, as usual, up early preparing breakfast for the family. He had no interest in Dong Liangyi’s breakfast; it simply wasn’t good. Suddenly, he produced a linked talisman, then ducked behind the door to read the message on it. He immediately replied: "All dead." He wasn’t deceiving the other party; he knew without asking that Wu Jinliang had killed them all. There was no way such witnesses would have been left alive.

Lou Xiu’s face twitched. This was not good news for him; the sudden disappearance of the tax officials at this particular moment would inevitably arouse suspicion. But what could he do? Should he terminate the transaction with the other party simply because of this? The disappearance of the ten tax officials could still be explained away. However, if the current transaction fell through, he would have no room for recourse whatsoever. Dazhi City was completely sealed, and he couldn't escape now.

Setting this thought aside for the moment, he sent another message inquiring, "If I give you the items, what guarantee can I expect?" Shi Chun replied: "I cannot offer you any guarantees. I also do not wish for you to expose this transaction; I wonder if that serves as a guarantee? As for whether you wish to proceed with this transaction, it is entirely up to you. I will not compel you."

Lou Xiu’s face twisted in frustration again. After clenching his fists tightly for a moment, he ultimately had no other option. Gritting his teeth, he asked, "I have the items. How shall we make the exchange?" Shi Chun: "Please deactivate the grand formation sealing Dazhi City. The exchange will take place outside the city." Lou Xiu: "The City Lord ordered the city sealed. Do you think I can simply open it at my discretion?" Shi Chun: "Sir, you oversee the inner court. Since you were able to easily obtain A Xun’s personal effects, I presume you hold considerable sway with the City Lord. It probably wouldn’t be difficult to persuade the City Lord to lift the seal; perhaps you should try. If we conduct the transaction within the city and you harbor ill intentions, it would be difficult for me to escape. The exchange must take place outside the city. Once you’ve found a way to open the city, we can discuss further." Their communication ended there.

Lou Xiu’s face was dark and grim. After a long period of contemplation, he retrieved the blackened Qiankun bag, his gaze uncertain for a moment. He then pulled out another linked talisman, a tracking type, and dropped it inside the Qiankun bag. He then gathered the items and departed.

Shi Chun also put away the linked talisman in his hand. He lifted and lowered one foot several times, before finally stepping into the backyard and heading towards the kitchen. He walked carefully and quietly, constantly observing his surroundings. Upon reaching the kitchen door, he deliberately made his footsteps heavier. The slender figure, busy under the kitchen light, turned around. Seeing it was him, the two — one inside, one outside the door — met each other’s gaze. Shi Chun finally stepped inside, holding out the plate that had contained fruit. "I’m here to return the plate," he said. "Thank you for the fruit, Young Mistress."

Dong Liangyi gestured toward a nearby table. "Just place it there," she said. For Shi Chun, the test had yielded its result, providing final confirmation that the fruit platter had indeed been sent by this woman. He immediately expressed his gratitude. "I did go out during the Hour of the Dog," he said, "Thank you for helping me conceal it, Young Mistress." Dong Liangyi immediately turned back to her work, responding with her back to him, "You’re welcome. The Divine Mountain envoy is an extremely powerful figure; I know it couldn’t possibly have been you who killed him. I also know you generally don’t go out, and when you do, it’s usually because Gao He calls you. Your wages aren’t high, and it’s not easy to save money, so I think it would be better if you went to those sorts of places with him less often."

"What sorts of places?" Shi Chun paused, then quickly realized he was being implicated by Wu Jinliang. How could he accept such slander? Moreover, he had come prepared. He immediately produced a beautiful hairpin from his sleeve and offered it. "Gao He didn’t call me out; I went out on my own," he said. "I bought a small trinket, and I’m not sure if you’ll like it, Young Mistress." The item, of course, hadn’t been purchased. He himself didn’t even know where Elder Xia Fuli from Wukang Mountain had acquired it.

Dong Liangyi looked back, her gaze falling on the hairpin. She froze, her eyes widening with surprise and disbelief. Shi Chun presented it with both hands. "I hope you won’t find it beneath you, Young Mistress," he said. Putting down her work and turning around, Dong Liangyi quickly waved her hands in a fluster. "No, no, no, it’s not appropriate," she stammered. "I don’t need it. Keep it to give to someone else." She was a little incoherent.

Shi Chun didn’t argue with her, fearing he might alert others in the courtyard. He simply placed the hairpin on a nearby shelf. "If you don’t care for it, Young Mistress, just discard it," he said. With that, he turned and left. Reaching the doorway, fearing his gesture wasn’t impactful enough, he turned back and added, "In my eyes, Young Mistress, you are the most beautiful woman in the world." Dong Liangyi’s face immediately flushed crimson. Shi Chun didn’t see her reaction, as he had delivered his words and quickly departed.

He had no other option. He feared this woman might waver on keeping his secret, and silencing her wasn't an appropriate solution at the moment. After much consideration, this tactic seemed most suitable: if she dared to expose him, she would also expose the fact that he had bought her a hairpin. Based on his understanding of her character, she would likely be too embarrassed to reveal the truth unless absolutely forced, which should be enough to keep her compliant.