Chapter 28: I’ll Accompany You

Chapter 28: I'll Accompany You

"Grandmother, don't worry."

Xie Erli understood the old lady's concerns and grasped her hand instead.

"I'll take care of everything. Leave it to me."

The two elders were practically carried away, leaving only the two brothers in the inn.

The brothers looked at each other in silence for a long while.

What could they say?

No matter how wrong their actions were, they were still their elders.

Finally, the older brother spoke up, "Tell me, what's going on with the Ji family?"

"Do I even need to explain? Big Brother, you already know, don't you?"

"Is this what I inquired about?"

Xie Erli's face darkened. "What do you mean by 'a lesson from the past'?"

"On that day, I left the city to visit Pei family's Hundred Herbs Hall to prepare some remedies for my fellow brothers' injuries. It was there that I encountered this young lady."

Old Third Xie slapped his forehead, "Right, I was the one who showed her the way to our house!"

"Four Lanes?"

Xie Erli replied with irritation, "You're suggesting a fine solution indeed."

Old Third Xie's eyes flickered, and he steeled himself to fabricate an excuse.

"I only mentioned opening the coffin because she talked about not opening it, and I thought this young lady had quite the courage. I wanted to intimidate her!"

Xie Erli instantly grew tense.

"What's this about opening the coffin?"

Old Third Xie rubbed his nose.

"The shop assistants were discussing the misfortunes befalling the Ji family, and that girl suggested inviting an expert to check if their coffin had cracked."

Xie Erli's brow twitched. "Could it be that the Ji family also…?"

"I don't know about that," Old Third Xie replied.

His chest rose and fell a few times before he continued, "In any case, she said it was a lesson from the past, so let's take it as such."

Xie Erli was well aware of the Ji family's troubles. Frowning deeply, he thought to himself that this situation was severely unfavorable.

"Big Brother!"

Old Third Xie sat down in his chair, his expression earnest.

"Everything else can wait. Right now, our priority is to find the source of her grandfather's inner demon. This matter involves our Xie family, so I must help her."

Xie Erli's jawline was taut, but he remained silent.

"In the bureaucracy, my presence doesn't make much of a difference, nor does my absence. Besides, who am I? I'm Third Master Xie. Nobody would bother to argue with me about attending court or not."

Third Master's expression was unusually serious.

"You didn't hear her? She's the last of the Yan family. It wouldn't be convenient for a young lady like her to investigate all these matters. Moreover, time is of the essence."

Xie Erli still remained silent.

"Considering the current situation, if anything unfortunate were to happen to her, our ancestors and Father would be so ashamed that they'd likely take their own lives."

A faint flutter of Third Master's long lashes was the only response.

"Right, she mentioned that her grandfather's haunting obsession was a letter. Who was the wise one who said this? How did they know? I must meet this sage, just in case there's been a misunderstanding."

Though he wasn't exactly an upright person, his words carried genuine concern.

Xie Erli's resolve softened.

"For such a significant matter, I need to discuss it with Father…"

"What is there to discuss? It's already good enough that Father managed to save himself from drowning."

Third Master Xie shot up abruptly.

"That girl knows some martial arts. If she hasn't gone too far yet, I can still catch up. But if we wait too long..."

He sighed. "I won't even be able to get close to her."

"Alright then. Take more people with you, and make sure you have enough medicine and money. Take care of yourself, don't overexert yourself. Send word to the family if anything happens."

This was his father's way of giving permission.

Xie Zhifei walked over and patted his older brother on the shoulder, his peach blossom eyes curving into a smile that reached his temples.

"You're getting sentimental again, aren't you!"

"..."

Xie Erli choked.

Truly, this young master needs a scolding every third day, or he gets restless.

...

As Third Master Xie, with his itchy skin, watched his elder brother depart, a frost settled upon his brows and eyes when he turned around.

Seeing this, Zhu Qing hurried forward. "Master?"

Third Master Xie replied, "The city gates won't open until the appointed time. She won't be able to leave now."

Zhu Qing responded, "I'll send someone to keep watch immediately."

Third Master Xie added, "Also, bring the silver and the medicine. We'll meet at the South City Gate after dawn."

"Master!"

Zhu Qing was greatly alarmed. "Where are you going, Master?"

"Nowhere!"

Third Master Xie spoke leisurely, "Some matters are too overwhelming; your Lord needs time to digest and ponder... alone, in silence."

Zhu Qing replied, "..."

Her master had always enjoyed bustling activities and despised being alone. Yet now, he wanted quiet?

"What are you daydreaming about? Hurry up!"

With a swift kick, Third Master Xie sent Zhu Qing scurrying several yards away. Just as she was about to mount her horse, she heard, "Come back."

"Master?"

"In which alley did she go?"

"Ding Yi is following her, he went that way."

Third Master Xie raised his eyebrows, pondered for a moment, and then said to Zhu Qing, "Wait a moment, there's one more thing I need you to do for me."

"Your orders, Master!"

...

Yan Sanhe hadn't taken many steps when she sensed someone trailing behind her.

It was someone from the Xie family.

She ignored them.

There were still two hours until the city gates would open, and she didn't bother searching for another inn. Instead, she went straight to the southern gate and waited.

The alleys in the dead of night were pitch black, as if they stretched on endlessly.

She walked briskly.

Suddenly, two figures approached from the opposite direction. As they brushed past Yan Sanhe, one of them deliberately bumped into her.

"Excuse me, my brother had a bit too much to drink."

A bit too much to drink?

Why no scent of alcohol?

Upon noticing the frown on Yan Sanhe's face, the two men bolted away.

"Thud!"

The provisions fell to the ground, and only then did Yan Sanhe realize that someone had secretly slashed a hole in her pack, making her silver notes vanish.

Yan Sanhe cursed inwardly and hastily pursued them.

After just a few steps, she saw the man trailing behind suddenly extend his leg, tripping one of the thieves.

The other thief glanced back at his accomplice, debating whether to go back and help or save himself first. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his lower back, and he was knocked to the ground.

"You want to escape?"

Xie Zhifei crouched down, extracting the silver notes from the thief's embrace. He counted them and clicked his tongue in disapproval.

"I didn't expect Miss Yan to be carrying such a substantial amount of money. Quite the wealthy family!"

Yan Sanhe stood in silence for a while before stepping forward and offering his hand.

Xie Zhifei didn't take it, instead crossing his arms with a faint smile playing on his lips.

Unperturbed by the expression on Xie's face, Yan Sanhe's gaze turned resolute and deep.

Heh!

Not even a word, and you think you can just take something from Third Master?

Xie Zhifei's demeanor was dismissive, but inwardly, he wondered, Who here will cave first?

After a moment, he found himself losing confidence in those dark, piercing eyes. He pondered, Should I be the one to bow my head first?

His lips curled into a charming curve, and with unashamed audacity, he said, "Miss Yan, though Third Master has thick skin, he can't withstand such scrutiny from you—it makes him blush."

"Many thanks!"

Yan Sanhe expressed his gratitude with the precise number of words needed, carrying an unspoken message:

"Scram!"

Third Master Xie's smile remained unwavered. Lifting his foot, he allowed the man on the ground to seize the opportunity and scramble away, crawling and rolling.

On the other side, Ding Yi, seeing that their master had let the man go, also barked, "Scram!"

After the man had disappeared from sight, Third Master Xie chuckled softly. "I can give it to you, but there's a condition. Let's discuss it."

Yan Sanhe's face was devoid of emotion.

It seemed that Third Master Xie didn't quite grasp the concept of an awkward silence.

"You see, we haven't even left the capital, yet there are thieves and robbers around. It's rather perilous. How about..."

He suddenly lowered his head, "I accompany the lady back?"