In the days that followed, Chen Yi darted through the mountains and forests, hiding and evading. Occasionally, he would enter the town to deliberately spread misleading traces and create diversions, but he always returned to the woods by nightfall.

He intentionally left behind numerous tracks, all to confuse and mislead his pursuers, buying as much time as possible.

The time required wasn't too long nor too short—roughly five days.

Within the radius of these dozen or so miles, it was as if a game of cat and mouse had begun.

Chen Yi pulled out a stack of silver notes from his chest. Silver notes couldn't be directly used for trade. Even if one could trade them, banks differ in their designs, and local shopkeepers in this area might not recognize them.

"Better find a place to exchange them first," he muttered to himself.

............…

Night had fully descended when a group of riders arrived at an inn in Xinxi Town.

They were dressed plainly, appearing as if they were escorting a carriage like loyal attendants. They were polite in their dealings with others, yet their movements faintly exuded a silent and deadly aura warning others to stay away.

Xiao Pelican, fingering a money pouch, approached the inn's shopkeeper and asked,

"Did someone in black rent a room here earlier this morning? He's a… friend of mine. Could I trouble you to tell me about him?"

"Sir, that's… not something we can…" The shopkeeper hesitated, unwilling to divulge any information.

With a sly smile, Xiao Pelican tapped his finger on the money pouch, causing a piece of broken silver to flip out and land on the counter.

The shopkeeper swallowed nervously and said,

"We… don't usually reveal guests' information, but if…"

"So he *does* stay here." Before the shopkeeper could finish, Xiao Pelican scooped the silver back into the pouch and patted the man on the shoulder, saying, "Oops, I dropped this silver earlier—my mistake. I've picked it back up now."

The shopkeeper froze before realizing he had inadvertently revealed the truth. He slapped himself in frustration.

When greed slips through unguarded lips, the words spoken are often the truest.

Xiao Pelican's gaze shifted upstairs, giving a covert hand signal to those in the shadows.

The next moment, the gleam of cold steel streaked through the corridor.

The wooden door was instantly sliced in half by Wuchang Eagle's blade.

A woman's shriek echoed from within: "Ah! You scoundrel!"

Xiao Pelican squinted and saw no one of importance—just a courtesan clutching her bare arms, standing there disheveled. A piece of black men's clothing was strewn on the floor…

He stood there for a moment, then turned back to the shopkeeper and said,

"Bring it out."

"W-what…" Before the shopkeeper could respond, a blade was already pressed against his neck.

"He must've bribed you—otherwise, you wouldn't go out of your way to hide him. Hand it over. Maybe it holds something we need."

......

Not long after, Guihun Sparrow, having completed her investigation, lowered her head near the carriage. She had just reported all the intelligence gathered so far.

From inside the carriage came a voice, commanding and firm:

"So, you're saying… he intentionally left behind that courtesan to stage an illusion of debauchery, but in reality, he fled through the window already? Pretending to head east, when in fact he's gone north?"

Guihun Sparrow kept her head firmly bowed. The Pavilion Master of Xique Pavilion was unconditionally loyal to the Family Head of the An Clan.

"Your Grace, that's correct. Moreover, the broken silver held by the shopkeeper bears the inscription of the character 'Xin,' which can only be pieced together from silver exchanged at Beixin Bank in Qiaoshui County. It aligns with the divination symbol and corroborates our prior investigation."

"Then pursue him northward. He hasn't managed to leave the capital region and is still playing games with you all."

The woman inside the carriage spoke with an unhurried and calm tone.

"If you can apprehend him alive, do so. If not, killing him will suffice."

"Understood."

Guihun Sparrow responded in a subdued voice.

The night's silence deepened. The winds that followed the Lantern Festival cut even sharper. While the assassins of Xique Pavilion had undergone over a hundred types of training—including against the cold—the chill tonight felt unusually biting to her for reasons she couldn't comprehend.

From within the carriage, the woman, cloaked in unparalleled luxury, fell silent. No one knew what she was thinking.

....................

....................

Throughout Great Yu, from high-ranking officials to humble peddlers, the love of tea ran deep. Because of this, not only were the towns and counties brimming with tea houses, but even roadside stalls served tea for travelers on the main roads.

A lone figure wearing a conical hat approached, his appearance dusty and travel-worn. His face was smeared with dirt, and a blade hung at his waist.

The blade was wrapped in a long cloth, seemingly to obscure its shape.

The tea stall hosted a scattered handful of patrons—all people bound for Qiaoshui County. Two bare-chested boatmen were playing a drinking game with tea, while a medicine merchant busily counted his copper coins, and three scholars, their book baskets set on the ground, enthusiastically discussed the great poets, Li Bai and Du Fu.

The tea stall's owner eagerly greeted him and asked,

"What tea would you like, sir?"

"Brewed tea. Just give me whatever you have," the man replied.

The owner hesitated, a flicker of doubt on his face, perhaps because Great Yu preferred tea prepared using the point-tea method, which involved grinding and whisking, and this request was unusual.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, not at all."

The owner complied and turned away to prepare the tea.

In no time, he brought over a pot of hot water, an empty porcelain bowl, and a pinch of loose tea leaves. He lifted his hand to pour the tea for the man.

The man raised a hand to stop him. "I'll do it myself."

Saying this, a silver needle slid out of the man's sleeve, dipping into the hot water. After some time, seeing no abnormalities, he pinched and inspected the tea leaves in the same manner. Only after ensuring everything was safe did he pour the hot water over the tea leaves, brewing himself a cup.

The owner couldn't help but comment upon seeing this: "Sir, you're being overly cautious, aren't you?"

"When wandering the Jianghu, caution is a necessity."

As the brewed tea's delicate fragrance filled the air, even the two boatmen and the scholars turned their heads, intrigued by the uncommon sight of someone brewing tea in Great Yu.

The man swirled the tea in his cup thoughtfully but didn't drink it.

The owner, thinking his gaze might be making the man uncomfortable, turned away and left.

"Shopkeeper." The man called out to him.

The owner turned back, inwardly grumbling at what he deemed a troublesome customer. Impatiently, he asked, "What now? Is there something wrong with the tea?"

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