Chapter 203| Chapter 204| #watermelon-204Chapter 205
Chapter 203: Inquiry
Lu Yunxi’s face paled with fright. She rushed forward and caught Shen San, easing him down.
To make matters worse, just as Shen San collapsed, the young girl in the next tent was gripped by a sudden nightmare, causing her physical condition to rapidly deteriorate.
Lu Yunxi spent the next few hours frantically running between the two tents, and it took a considerable amount of time before both of her patients finally stabilized.
“Who are you?”
The little girl slowly opened her eyes. Seeing Lu Yunxi step into the tent carrying a steaming bowl of medicine, a flicker of doubt crossed her gaze.
Lu Yunxi blinked, deliberately avoiding any mention of the girl’s leap from the roof. Instead, she offered a warm, reassuring smile. “Drink this medicine first. You’ve sustained a lot of injuries. If you don’t take your medicine, it’s going to be very difficult for your body to recover.”
The girl tried to piece her memories together, but her mind was a blank fog. She simply assumed a kind stranger had found her and saved her life.
“Thank you for saving me,” she murmured. Gazing around the simple, makeshift tent, she lowered her head and quietly drank the medicine.
Lu Yunxi watched her in silence. Though the girl had offered her thanks, her eyes remained entirely hollow. Her movements as she drank were mechanical and rigid, like a puppet stripped of its soul.
Lu Yunxi rolled her eyes inwardly, realizing this approach wasn’t working.
Originally, she had avoided bringing up Shen San because she was worried the girl might overthink during her recovery and worsen her own condition. But seeing the girl completely devoid of any will to live, Lu Yunxi decided a stronger dose of reality was needed—sometimes, you had to fight poison with poison.
Changing her strategy, she asked the question she had previously chosen to hold back.
“That night, why did you suddenly fall from the roof? You happened to land right on my friend… He suffered severe internal injuries and still hasn’t regained consciousness.”
Shen San’s internal organs were indeed damaged. After all, having a whole person plunge onto him from that height was a massive impact; it was a testament to his strength that he hadn’t been forced back to the revival point on the spot. Though Lu Yunxi had already healed his physical trauma, the real reason he hadn’t woken up yet was actually due to a sleeping sedative she had mixed into his remedy.
As expected, her words provoked a reaction. The girl snapped her head up, staring at her in sheer astonishment. “No… there’s no way.”
Lu Yunxi nodded gravely. “It’s true. My friend is lying in the tent right next door.”
Anxiety and guilt instantly flooded the girl’s eyes, leaving her utterly at a loss. “Can I go see him? I’m… I’m so sorry. If I hadn’t hurt your friend…”
“Of course you can, but he’s still asleep. Let’s wait until he wakes up.” Seeing that the girl had finally dropped her death-seeking apathy, Lu Yunxi smoothly shifted the conversation. “By the way, how did you end up falling from the building? Was the roof damaged? Were you trying to fix it?”
She then added with a playful grin, “Though I have to say, you don’t look like much of a handyman. If you need help, you can always ask me. I’ve known how to build houses since I was five years old! Patching up a roof is child’s play to me.”
The girl choked on her breath, looking thoroughly embarrassed.
“No…” She lowered her gaze, her fingers nervously twisting together. After a long, heavy silence, she finally confessed. “I didn’t want to live anymore, so I jumped from the roof. I never intended to hit anyone. I am so terribly sorry.”
She had intentionally chosen the dead of night to climb onto the roof, assuming everyone would be safely tucked away inside their homes. Who could have guessed someone would be walking down the street at that exact moment?
“You didn’t want to live anymore?” Lu Yunxi let out a quiet sigh in her heart, but her expression remained gentle. “Do you mind telling me why?”
“I…” The girl looked up at Lu Yunxi, then lowered her head again as she drifted back into her memories.
The girl’s name was Cui Shishi.
The Cui family had once been an incredibly prominent clan in the imperial capital. The old patriarch, Master Cui, had served as a first-rank official before his retirement. Even after he stepped down, his three sons maintained prestigious positions as third and fourth-rank officials. Furthermore, the family boasted numerous bright descendants who had passed the civil service exams and were climbing the political ranks.
For a clan of such stature, their future should have been golden, provided they didn’t commit any catastrophic blunders.
But without warning, chaos had erupted in the capital. One night, the sound of brutal fighting and slaughter echoed just outside the gates of the Cui Mansion. At the time, the matriarch and the older daughters-in-law had gone to a distant temple to fulfill a religious vow, and the other adult men were away on official business. Only the frail, elderly Lady Cui and three young girls were left behind, huddling together in terror.
Fortunately, that initial wave of violence bypassed their estate, and they survived the night.
Yet just as the Cui family breathed a sigh of relief, a new emperor ascended the throne. His very first decree was to send imperial troops to surround the Cui Mansion.
Panic threw the family into disarray. They reached out to every contact they had, but in the face of royal wrath, no one dared to offer assistance.
After a grueling month under house arrest, the Cui family was slapped with a laundry list of fabricated charges. Their ancestral property was seized, and their wealth was confiscated. As a young lady of the disgraced clan, Cui Shishi was sentenced to forced exile.
“The only reason I ended up in this town was because of my exile,” Cui Shishi explained, looking up with a bittersweet smile. “The house I fell from was assigned to me by the mayor. There are still over a dozen empty properties in town. If you and your friend decide to stay, the mayor would be absolutely thrilled.”
Lu Yunxi returned the smile but offered no promise.
The town was tiny, and a full third of its houses stood empty like a ghost town. Of course the mayor would welcome new residents with open arms.
Still, hearing the story, she finally understood why Cui Shishi had been driven to despair. The three primary officials of the Cui family had been executed, while the rest were dragged off into exile. The only sister who escaped the purge was one who happened to have married into another family beforehand. As for the elderly Master and Lady Cui, both had passed away from grief and shock on the very day the sentences were handed down.
Reflecting on the timeline, Lu Yunxi suddenly noticed a glaring discrepancy. “Wait, what about the rest of your family? Your mother, your aunts, and your brothers?” If she had family left, Cui Shishi wouldn’t be this isolated. Did they all perish on the journey?
“When the guards were marching us toward the border, I developed a terrible stomachache,” Cui Shishi said, her voice cracking as tears began to spill over. “During a lunch break, I slipped into the bushes to relieve myself. But before I could come out, a ferocious beast emerged. The guards panicked, screaming in terror. They immediately forced my mother and the others into the transport carriages and fled!”
She wiped her eyes, her voice trembling with a mix of grief and abandonment. “But I wasn’t even in the carriage yet! I chased after them from the woods, screaming for them to stop and wait for me, but the guards completely ignored me and kept driving.”
Looking at the girl’s profoundly aggrieved face, Lu Yunxi felt a surge of pity.
“After that, I wandered alone until I stumbled into Lengshui Town. The mayor is a kind man and permitted me to stay, but… being the only one left, I just couldn’t bear the isolation any longer.” Perhaps because she had kept these emotions bottled up for so long, the sudden release proved too much, and Cui Shishi broke down into uncontrollable sobs.
Lu Yunxi comforted her for a long time, staying by her side until the exhausted girl finally cried herself to sleep. Only then did she quietly step out of the tent.
Standing on the dark path just outside the town, Lu Yunxi looked up at the stars and let out a heavy sigh.
“Master.”
Hearing the familiar voice, Lu Yunxi blinked in surprise. She looked down to see that the flap of the adjacent tent had been pulled back. Shen San was leaning against the opening, his face still pale.
“Are you feeling alright?” She quickly knelt beside him. When he remained silent, a sudden realization struck her. “Did you hear everything she just said?”
Once Cui Shishi woke up later that morning, she offered a deep, heartfelt apology to Shen San. To make amends, she tried to give him the only personal item she possessed that hadn’t been confiscated during the family asset seizure.
Ultimately, Shen San refused to accept it. It wasn’t because the item lacked value, but because he realized the piece of jewelry was a betrothal gift from Cui Shishi’s fiancé. If her fiancé ever showed up in the future and saw him holding it, it would cause a massive, unnecessary misunderstanding.
Feeling immensely guilty, Cui Shishi poured all her energy into playing the doting caretaker, constantly fetching tea and water for Shen San to make herself useful.
Shen San, however, didn’t need that kind of looking after. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Tell you what—if you really want to make it up to me, go help Miss Lu instead. Whatever errands or chores she needs done, you handle them.”
Cui Shishi hesitated briefly, but she agreed. Since she was the one seeking forgiveness, she should naturally defer to the victim’s wishes. From then on, she obediently followed Lu Yunxi’s every instruction.
A few days later.
“Miss Cui, would you like to travel with us?” Lu Yunxi asked gently. “Perhaps we can look for your mother and the others along the way.” While Cui Shishi didn’t know the exact destination of her family’s exile, they were bound to turn up some clues if they searched along the border.
The suggestion struck Cui Shishi like a bolt of lightning. The ceramic plate she was holding slipped from her fingers, shattering to pieces against the floorboards. Her eyes went wide, and tears instantly flooded her face.
In a bustling border town nearby.
The streets were alive with activity. Women carrying market baskets hurried past, while burly laborers shouldered heavy sacks, sharing jokes and smiles.
Lu Yunxi walked up to a stall run by an elderly woman and pulled a few copper coins from her pocket.
“Excuse me, ma’am. I was hoping to ask if you’ve ever seen these people?”
The moment she spoke, Cui Shishi stepped up from behind her, quickly unrolling a painted parchment scroll.
The old woman took the copper coins, her eyes brightening at the currency. However, after staring intently at the portraits for a long time, she simply shook her head, completely drawing a blank.
Chapter 204: In Broad Daylight
“This… I’ve never seen the person in this portrait. I’m sorry, young lady,” the old woman said, scratching her head embarrassedly.
“Then, ma’am, do you know anyone around here who is particularly well-informed?”
The old woman’s eyes instantly lit up. “Oh, I know exactly who you need! Have you seen the old beggar who hangs around the north side of town? There isn’t a single thing happening in this town that he doesn’t know about.”
The old woman patted her chest as she made the promise, injecting a fresh wave of confidence into Lu Yunxi and her companion. They immediately hurried off to find the old beggar.
When they located him, they found him wearing heavily patched clothes, his long, matted hair completely covering his face. If one looked closely, they could even see lice jumping through the strands.
Lu Yunxi stuck to her usual approach. “Hello, I’d like to ask if you’ve ever seen these people?”
Cui Shishi skillfully pulled out the scroll, unfurling the portraits one by one.
The old beggar looked at the pair. In Lu Yunxi’s clean, delicate hands, a few copper coins were being rolled around, rubbed until they took on a smooth, moist luster.
He glanced at the faces on the parchment, and his expression turned subtle.
“Are you looking for the Cui family?” his tone carried a distinct, loaded weight.
Lu Yunxi could tell something was off about his demeanor. However, after searching through more than a dozen towns without a single lead, she was already growing irritable. She didn’t bother trying to decipher the beggar’s hidden meaning and immediately pressed, excitement bleeding into her voice, “Do you know where they are?”
The old beggar’s eyes flicked imperceptibly toward her hands.
Understanding the hint instantly, she dropped the copper coins into his waiting palm.
To her surprise, he immediately snapped his hand back, crossed his arms, and scoffed with deep resistance, “Are you kidding me?! You want to buy information from me, and this pittance is all you’re offering?!”
Lu Yunxi raised her eyebrows, genuinely caught off guard.
In these border regions—with the sole exception of Dragon Village—if you dared to flash silver in public, you would be robbed instantly. If you flashed gold… it was practically a death sentence; thieves and bandits would take turns targeting you twenty-four hours a day without a single break. Because of this, everyone used copper coins, which usually held more than enough purchasing power.
Glancing at her surroundings, she murmured, “It’s not safe to talk here… shall we step outside?”
The old beggar shook his head. He led them a few paces away, turned a sharp corner, and ducked into a completely deserted alleyway.
Lu Yunxi’s eye twitched.
She had wondered why a beggar would sit so quietly in a spot where absolutely no foot traffic passed by; how could he possibly expect to beg for money? It turned out he usually conducted his real business in this secluded alley!
Reaching into her pouch, she pulled out a solid silver ingot.
The old beggar snatched it, bit down on the metal to verify its authenticity, and tucked it away with a satisfied grin.
“If you’re looking for the Cui family, you need to head over to Wuzhou next door.”
“Wuzhou?” Lu Yunxi murmured. Where was that? She had never heard of it.
“Yes. Once you leave town, just keep heading in this direction. Follow it straight to the end, and you’ll hit Wuzhou City. It’s a single road with no forks, so you can’t miss it.” Perhaps because of the silver, the old beggar was in an exceptionally good mood and pointed out the path with grand gestures.
Lu Yunxi produced a pen and paper, quickly jotting down his directions.
Just as they thanked him and turned to leave, his meaningful voice drifted from behind them.
“Take my advice: unless it’s absolutely necessary, don’t get involved with the Cui family, and don’t go to Wuzhou… Otherwise, you’ll regret it.”
Startled, the group spun around, only to find the old beggar squatting quietly back in his corner exactly as before, as if he hadn’t been the one who just spoke.
The companions walked down the path the old beggar had indicated, lost in their own thoughts. A heavy, ominous premonition settled deep in their chests.
“What did he mean by that?” Cui Shishi asked, her voice tight with anxiety. She turned her head to look at Lu Yunxi. “Miss Lu, why don’t we just skip Wuzhou entirely?”
From the beggar’s warning, Wuzhou sounded incredibly dangerous! And getting close to the Cui family was supposed to be even worse… Could it be that the emperor still refused to let her family go?
The more she overthought it, the more panicked she became. Cui Shishi couldn’t bear the thought of dragging Miss Lu and Master Shen into her family’s mess, so she suddenly dug her heels in, refusing to take another step forward.
Lu Yunxi and Shen San exchanged a swift look.
“Well, it’s fine if you don’t want to go,” Lu Yunxi said gently. “You can stay right here, and the two of us will head into Wuzhou to take a look.”
While she was confident she could protect Cui Shishi, if things truly went sideways, it would be much safer to leave the girl behind. If she accompanied them, they would constantly worry about her getting caught in the crossfire.
Cui Shishi froze, her eyes widening.
She had said that in the hopes that Miss Lu and Mr. Shen would abandon the matter entirely, not so they would march into Wuzhou all by themselves! If they ran into mortal danger because of the Cui family’s troubles, she wouldn’t be able to atone for it even if she died a thousand deaths.
“No, that’s not what I meant…” Panic seized her, leaving her stuttering, unsure of how to stop them.
Lu Yunxi knew exactly what she was worried about, but she remained firm. “I’m an excellent runner. Even if a thousand people chase me, I can escape with ease. Besides, I need to visit a major city anyway. Even if your family had nothing to do with this, I would still be heading to Wuzhou.”
Cui Shishi tried frantically to argue her point, but in the end, she was the one who was soundly defeated by Lu Yunxi’s logic.
It wasn’t until Lu Yunxi and her disciple had vanished into the distance, leaving only a single pitch tent behind, that she finally snapped out of her daze.
After placing a protective barrier around Cui Shishi’s tent, Lu Yunxi felt a weight lift from her shoulders. She immediately grabbed Shen San, and the two channeled their Qinggong to sprint down the road.
In a remarkably short time, the gates of Wuzhou loomed ahead.
Wuzhou was a massive city, but it felt entirely different from a place like Jinzhou. While both cities were heavily populated, the citizens of Jinzhou always looked cheerful, whereas the people here bore the heavy, weathered lines of hardship on their faces. Furthermore, while Jinzhou featured buildings adorned with intricately carved beams and painted rafters, Wuzhou’s architecture was completely utilitarian. However, its city walls were exceptionally tall and heavily fortified.
Lu Yunxi and Shen San observed the checkpoint from a distance for a moment before blending into the crowd and entering the city.
The two went straight to the local beggars’ network, hoping to enlist their help in tracking down the family. It was the same familiar routine and the same request, though this time, it was Shen San who held and unrolled the scroll.
Yet, after questioning beggars across the entirety of Wuzhou City, they failed to uncover a single clue.
By the time they finished, the afternoon sun was already beginning to wane.
Lu Yunxi rubbed her aching temples, a wave of confusion washing over her.
The portraits had been painted by her own hand, based entirely on Cui Shishi’s meticulous descriptions. According to the girl, the likenesses were an eighty percent match to her relatives. If anyone had encountered them, they should have recognized them instantly, or at the very least found the faces familiar. But to find nothing… Had the old beggar back in the border town lied to them?
“Master, let’s get something to eat first and think this through afterward,” Shen San said, looking at her tight frown with concern.
Lu Yunxi wiped the sweat from her brow and was about to decline, but just as she turned around, a loud rumble echoed from Shen San’s stomach. She smiled faintly and nodded.
They picked a random restaurant nearby, walked in, and ordered a few dishes.
However, the exact moment the food was laid out on the table, Lu Yunxi slammed her chopsticks down with a sharp clack.
“Master?” Shen San jumped at the sudden noise. “What’s wrong?”
“Shopkeeper, get over here right now! How dare you drug your customers in broad daylight!” Lu Yunxi’s voice rang out, deep and dripping with fury. “I never expected to run into a black-hearted establishment like this!”
Hearing her words, Shen San instantly dropped his own chopsticks, secretly thanking his stars that he hadn’t taken a bite yet.
The surrounding patrons gasped, terrified by the accusation, and hurriedly abandoned their meals.
The shopkeeper came rushing over, sweat breaking out on his forehead. “Ai ya, young lady, surely there’s been a misunderstanding! Our establishment runs a completely honest business. How could we possibly drug our guests?! Please, do not slander us falsely!”
As he spoke, he caught sight of the surrounding customers pointing and whispering, and his voice grew defensively louder. “Dear patrons, our tavern has been open for years. You all know what kind of people we are! This young lady claims I drugged her, but I think she’s just trying to blackmail me!”
“Whether you drugged this food or not is something I know best!” she sneered, pinning the shopkeeper with a cold stare. “Since you think I’m blackmailing you, why don’t we call the local authorities over and let them settle it?”
The shopkeeper choked on his words, clearly completely unprepared for her to be this unyielding.
He lowered his head and hurriedly gestured to a nearby waiter. After a tense, whispered huddle, the shopkeeper’s expression shifted drastically. He forced a strained, apologetic smile playing across his lips. “My good lady, I am terribly sorry. I just spoke with the waiter—it turns out he accidentally mixed up the orders and put a special medicinal herb meant for an esteemed guest into your dish…”
The shopkeeper laughed sheepishly, his words turning slick and placating.
“We have an esteemed guest staying with us these days who requires a specific medicinal diet delivered on time. The waiter simply grabbed the wrong plate by mistake…” He looked thoroughly guilt-ridden and anxious, bowing repeatedly. “I am so deeply sorry for the fright…”
Noticing the lingering anger on the faces of the other diners, he quickly raised his voice to reassure the room. “Please, rest assured, everyone! That esteemed guest isn’t suffering from an illness. The medicinal herbs are purely for nourishing the body and boosting vitality. Anyone can eat them safely!”
Chapter 205: Mrs. Cui
Hearing the shopkeeper’s explanation, the surrounding patrons finally cooled their anger.
“This mix-up was entirely our tavern’s fault. To make amends, all of your bills today are completely waived,” the shopkeeper added, bowing deeply once more.
With that final gesture, the customers calmed down completely. Since the drugged food wasn’t dangerous and they were getting a free meal out of the ordeal, they found no reason to remain upset.
A cold gleam flickered in Lu Yunxi’s eyes. She eyed the fresh dishes brought to their table but chose to keep her thoughts to herself.
Once they finished eating and stepped out of the tavern, the master and disciple began brainstorming their next move to find the family. However, they quickly realized they were being targeted.
As they walked down the street, they encountered a relentless barrage of covert attacks, from sudden ambushes to poisoned darts. The most absurd incident involved a massive, concealed pit trap right in the middle of the road, bristling with razor-sharp spikes. If their reflexes hadn’t been razor-sharp, they would have been turned into human pincushions on the spot.
The endless string of “accidents” wore heavily on their patience, leaving both Lu Yunxi and Shen San thoroughly exhausted.
By the time the thirty-ninth attempt on their lives rolled around, Lu Yunxi finally snapped.
“Shen San, go grab the guy ducking behind that corner. I want to ask him exactly why he’s making life so difficult for us.” Her tone was ice-cold, though a sharp, dangerous smile curled the corners of her lips.
Shen San nodded and vanished, silently lunging to seize the watcher hiding in the shadows.
“Ahhh! What do you think you’re doing?! Let me go!” the man shrieked in terror, thrashing wildly in an attempt to break free.
But Shen San’s strength was immense, far beyond anything the young scout could hope to overpower. The captive writhed like a fish flopping on a cutting board, panting and gasping for air until he finally ran out of energy and slumped in defeat.
Lu Yunxi approached him, her expression freezing over. “Are you the one who’s been poisoning us this whole time?”
The man’s face twisted with fear. “What are you talking about?! Of course not! I am a proud, honorable man. How could I ever stoop to such underhanded, petty tactics?!”
“Master, don’t buy into his garbage,” Shen San sneered, rolling his eyes. “This rat has been tailing us since we arrived. If he isn’t the one orchestrating the poisonings, why else would he be stalking us?”
“I’m being framed! I swear on my life I’m not lying to you!” the man cried out miserably.
Lu Yunxi’s expression remained unreadable. “Keep talking. Shut up only when you have something useful to say.”
The man choked on his words before stammering out, “I… I only followed you out of pure curiosity! I couldn’t believe you guys kept surviving… Look, you clearly don’t know that the Prefect of Wuzhou issued a secret decree. No one is allowed to assist the Cui family. Anyone who lends them a hand is declaring themselves an enemy of the Prefect.”
He swallowed hard, looking desperate. “When the Prefect throws a tantrum, the local authorities suffer the fallout. Naturally, the guards and hired hands have been trying to drive you off or take you out to keep their own heads.”
“Oh?” Lu Yunxi raised an eyebrow. “Is the Prefect of Wuzhou truly that omnipotent? He can control every single soul within his jurisdiction?”
“A distant emperor is no match for a local tyrant! The Prefect holds absolute power here; who would dare cross him?” The man shook his head frantically. “The second you two entered the gates asking about the Cui family, a massive target was painted on your backs!”
Lu Yunxi and Shen San exchanged a swift look, a hint of confusion passing between them.
“Why does the Prefect of Wuzhou harbor such a vicious grudge against the Cui family? Are they even still alive?” What kind of deep-seated hatred drove a man to relentlessly kick a disgraced family while they were down, even after they had already been stripped of everything and exiled?
“I have no idea why the Prefect despises them so much, but the Cui family is definitely still breathing,” the man muttered, a bizarre expression crossing his features. “Though the Prefect wants to make their lives a living hell, he doesn’t actually want them dead. I heard they were marched off to Beizhen.”
“Beizhen?”
The scout clearly possessed only a surface-level understanding of the situation. Once they realized they couldn’t squeeze any more actionable intelligence out of him, the master and disciple tossed him aside and departed.
Later that evening, a sudden, violent fire erupted from a secluded corner of Wuzhou City. The blaze was so massive and fierce that panic rippled through the nearby residents.
Fortunately, a few agile locals reacted quickly, rushing toward the inferno with buckets of water. Working together frantically, the crowd spent a grueling half hour battling the human-sized flames until they finally managed to douse the fire, leaving nothing behind but billowing plumes of thick, black smoke.
In the chaos, no one noticed a figure standing in the shadows, watching the embers die down to reveal two heavily charred corpses. A smug smile crept onto his face.
Turning to his hidden subordinates, he whispered, “Inform the Lord that the task is complete. Remind him to transfer the promised funds to the designated location.”
The henchmen nodded silently and vanished into the night.
With nearly half the city’s guards mobilized to handle the fire, absolutely no one noticed two figures slipping over the high city walls and leaping into the dense woods outside Wuzhou.
“Cough! Cough! That smoke is brutal! Oh my god!” Shen San clutched his chest, coughing violently for several minutes until his lungs finally cleared. “Master, did we really have to stage our deaths just to escape? We could have just run for it.”
Lu Yunxi stood by, waiting patiently for his coughing fit to end. Once he caught his breath, she offered a small smile. “If we didn’t fake our deaths, the Prefect’s hounds would have hunted us across the entire province. It’s impossible to track anyone down with an army constantly breathing down your neck.”
Shen San considered her words and sighed, forced to admit her logic was sound.
After a brief discussion, the two picked up their pace and sprinted directly toward Beizhen.
Wuzhou’s Beizhen was the desolate northern town where all the female members of the Cui family had allegedly been sent. As for the young boys of the clan, their whereabouts remained entirely unknown.
They passed several small villages along the route, stopping briefly to check their bearings. Moving at breakneck speed, they soon arrived at the outskirts of Beizhen.
To their surprise, it was a fairly large, bustling town, though its layout was incredibly chaotic. Houses were scattered at random throughout a labyrinth of twisting streets and alleys. Unlike standard settlements, the structures in Beizhen faced entirely different directions and boasted bizarre architecture; hexagonal and triangular buildings crowded every corner, choking the town’s perimeter.
“Master, this town actually has defensive walls!” Shen San noted. “At least the Cui family doesn’t have to worry about foreign raiders dragging them off.” Unlike the open border settlements they had visited earlier, this place was heavily fortified.
Lu Yunxi frowned as she surveyed the chaotic architecture. The layout was a complete mess; if they weren’t careful, it would be incredibly easy to skip a house during their search.
After a quick strategy session, they sketched out a rough map of the town, divided the sectors between them, and split up to locate their targets.
Mindful of the cutthroat environment they had encountered in Wuzhou, the master and disciple exercised extreme caution. Instead of knocking on doors and asking questions, they moved like ghosts, observing each household from the shadows.
“You miserable old coot! Still sniffing around young girls at your age? You think anyone would actually look twice at a pathetic loser like you?!”
“Why did I ever marry into this godforsaken family? What did I do to deserve this living hell?!”
“I hate this place! I hate all of you! I wish we were all dead…”
As Lu Yunxi slipped past the residences, the toxic environment began to weigh heavily on her spirits. While domestic disputes were normal, the pure misery permeating this town was overwhelming. Out of the sixty-five households she had observed so far, every single one was locked in a vicious cycle of screaming matches and physical brawls. The entire atmosphere felt suffocatingly tense.
Worse still, she hadn’t spotted a single face matching the portraits, nor had she caught anyone whispering the name ‘Cui.’
That was until she reached the very last house on her perimeter.
“Ugh… Mother, please hold on! Don’t leave me! I’ll… I’ll find a doctor right now!” A young girl was thrown across a woman’s limp form, sobbing hysterically.
Lu Yunxi darted forward, peering over the low courtyard wall. The woman sprawled on the dirt floor was deathly pale, her breathing so shallow she looked to be on the very precipice of death.
Lu Yunxi’s heart skipped a beat. This was bad!
“Get away from her! Give her some space to breathe! She’s suffocating!” she yelled instinctively.
The weeping girl bolted upright, looking around in utter bewilderment. “How… how do I help her breathe?”
With no time to explain, Lu Yunxi vaulted over the wall in a single fluid motion. She pushed the panicked girl aside, took control of the patient, and immediately began administering emergency resuscitation.
The girl froze, her initial confusion instantly flaring into sheer panic and rage. She lunged forward to intervene. “What do you think you’re doing?! My mother is dying! Don’t torture her in her final moments!” Fury burned in her tear-filled eyes as she tried to shove Lu Yunxi away.
However, against Lu Yunxi’s master-level strength, the girl’s efforts were entirely useless. Lu Yunxi remained completely unmovable, her hands steady as she systematically worked to revive the woman.
Seconds ticked away like agonizing hours.
Finally, after a violent bout of gasping and hacking, the unconscious woman drew a ragged, deep breath. Her eyelids fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.
“Thank you… thank you for saving my life,” the woman rasped, her voice incredibly soft and full of a gentle grace as she struggled to push herself upright. “May I ask for your name, kind traveler? And where do you reside? We have only just arrived in this town, but once we settle our affairs, we will formally visit to repay your kindness.”
Beside her, the young girl wept tears of profound relief. She babbled her own frantic thanks while carefully supporting her mother’s frail shoulders.
Lu Yunxi barely processed their gratitude. Her entire focus was locked onto their faces.
The older woman’s eyes were an absolute, undeniable match—they were identical to Cui Shishi’s.
“Ma’am,” Lu Yunxi asked softly, her heart hammering against her ribs. “How should I address you?”
“Oh,” the woman replied with a weary but elegant smile. “My husband’s family is the Cui clan. You may call me Mrs. Cui.”
