Pei Ruheng didn’t ask who that “wet-behind-the-ears brat” was. Nor did Chen Baoxiang.
After the gathering dispersed, she went straight to Xun Yuan, found Jiuquan, and asked for paper and brush. She carefully drew out all the positions and layouts of courtyards she had mentally recorded.
“Excellent.” Ningsu’s eyes lit up brightly. “The defenses of his estate are extremely tight — we have never managed to obtain a floor plan.”
“This alone isn’t enough,” Jiuquan said. “We also need to find out his daily routines and movements, and the mechanisms inside the main courtyard.”
“The mechanisms are treacherous. We’d likely need people from Qianjitang to investigate those.” Ningsu’s expression was grave. “And then there’s where the Soul-Returning Pill is hidden — that old villain surely won’t leave it out in plain sight.”
“We need to find a way to make him faint,” Jiuquan said. “Only then will the people around him bring out the Soul-Returning Pill to save him.”
“The logic is sound, but what method would work?” Ningsu was troubled. “Drug him directly? He has a divine physician by his side — they would likely see through it immediately.”
“Would staging a haunting work?” Jiuquan mused. “He’s certainly done no shortage of unconscionable things. If we make it convincing enough, we might be able to frighten him into unconsciousness.”
“That method is too risky with too little certainty.” Ningsu hesitated. “If he’s not frightened, we’ll have simply alarmed him for nothing.”
“If this won’t work and that won’t work, then what should we do?” Jiuquan slapped the table and shot to his feet in agitation. “If we wait a few more days, that old villain will probably use up all the miraculous medicine.”
Chen Baoxiang had been reaching for the snacks on the table and, startled by his sudden slap, nearly lost her grip.
Both men’s gazes turned toward her at precisely that moment. “Miss Chen, what do you think?”
“Me? How would I know…” She pinched a piece of pastry and swallowed nervously. “I’ve already done everything I can.”
“Miss.” Jiuquan said urgently. “You always have so many ideas — please, help our master once more.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to help. It’s just that the Cheng Family’s estate is a dragon’s den and tiger’s lair—”
“If the Soul-Returning Pill can be retrieved, the Zhang Family is willing to present Miss with one thousand taels.”
The moment Ningsu heard Jiuquan say that, he sensed something was off. Who tries to get someone to do something by simply throwing silver at them? Was that not an insult?
He was just about to speak up, but then he saw Chen Baoxiang’s tone shift completely, her eyes lighting up: “—Whether or not there’s silver is beside the point, but I’ve suddenly come up with an idea.”
Ningsu: “……”
Jiuquan immediately asked, “What is your brilliant idea, Miss?”
“Staging a haunting sounds just right,” Chen Baoxiang agreed. “I can go myself. But Ningsu, you must ensure my safety — at the very minimum, I need to be able to retreat safely from the main chamber to somewhere near the cockfighting yard.”
Jiuquan was delighted. “You also think this can work, Miss?”
“It can certainly work.”
She pointed to the stretch of ground on the floor plan between the main chamber and the cockfighting yard — not far, but sure to be well-guarded.
“Jiuquan, you need to help me recruit a large number of fighters. As long as there are enough of them, I can hold off Cheng’an and those soldier thugs.”
“That’s easy to arrange — do you need ten or twenty?”
Chen Baoxiang thought for a moment. “Two hundred should do it.”
“What?!” Jiuquan was stunned. “Miss, do you have any idea how hard it is to recruit fighters these days? Monthly pay has gone up to two taels. We can only recruit two or three a month — where are we supposed to find two hundred?”
“I have a way,” she said. “As long as you convince Zhang Xilai to allow me to set up a recruitment ground outside the city in the name of the Bureau of Works.”
Jiuquan felt this was somewhat ill-advised, but with retrieving the miraculous medicine being so urgent, he couldn’t afford to think too carefully. He turned and headed out the door without a word.
Ningsu also clasped his hands to her in a bow. “I’ll go make preparations as well.”
“Much obliged.”
Chen Baoxiang waved them both out the door, then continued eating snacks in the room by herself. When she had eaten enough, she got up to change clothes.
Skin mottled blue and purple flashed briefly at the collar opening.
Zhang Zhixu, who had been silent throughout, finally couldn’t hold back. “Didn’t they give you medicine? Why don’t you use it?”
“That medicine smells so bitter even from a distance. It doesn’t compare to what Master gives us.” Chen Baoxiang looked at the bronze mirror in front of her. “Besides, don’t you apply medicine for me every night? I don’t need his.”
Zhang Zhixu paused, then turned his head away. “How did you know…?”
“My body is thoroughly scented with medicine fragrance — it would be hard not to notice.”
She adjusted her collar neatly and smiled. “Having you nearby is truly wonderful, Immortal.”
Pressing his knuckle against his philtrum, Zhang Zhixu held back so hard that even the tips of his ears turned red. After a long pause, he finally huffed, “It’s just that your mouth says nice things.”
“So you’re not angry with me anymore?” Chen Baoxiang asked.
Zhang Zhixu kept his sulky expression and didn’t answer.
He really had no right to be angry in the first place. All that running around she did — wasn’t it all to help him? He couldn’t be so ungrateful.
But seeing Pei Ruheng through her eyes made him unsettled no matter what, an irritation he couldn’t suppress.
“Are you really going to the Cheng Family estate yourself?” he said. “Aren’t you afraid you won’t make it out in one piece?”
“Of course I’m afraid,” Chen Baoxiang said openly. “But Jiuquan gave me silver.”
Taking people’s money and doing things on their behalf — only natural and right.
Zhang Zhixu pressed his hand to his forehead.
He had never met anyone who liked money this much. He didn’t know whether he should praise her for being good at earning it, or reproach her for not valuing her own life.
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