The gentle breeze rustled through the flower branches, scattering a few pink petals into Ying Xiaoman's hair.
She struggled to recover from the shocking number "thirty-six."
"You really do know a lot about the Capital City," she sincerely marveled. "The tea master by Dongming Bridge is also very knowledgeable, but when I asked him about the Yan Family in Changle Alley, he hemmed and hawed, afraid to say much for fear of causing trouble."
"There's not much to say, really. All the great families in the Capital City are more or less the same," the Young Master of the West Room said, brushing off some petals from his shoulder. "The door's open. Shall we go in?"
Ying Xiaoman put away the key and took back the peach blossom branch.
"By the way, I heard your home isn't far from this place in Seven Scholars Lane?" she asked as she entered first, walking and talking. "Can it be seen from the entrance of the lane? What if the villains who tried to harm you spot you?"
As they entered the courtyard one after another, the Young Master of the West Room said, "It can be seen, but it's far enough. It won't be a problem."
The new residence had already been cleaned and was ready for moving in.
Ying Xiaoman led him to see the bright and clean tiled-roof house, the neat stone brick floor, and the lush osmanthus tree that had been growing in the courtyard for many years.
The Young Master of the West Room walked around twice and praised, "A peaceful and quiet courtyard indeed. The osmanthus tree is the finishing touch. Two taels of silver for monthly rent is well worth it."
"Isn't it? I love this old osmanthus tree too. It must fill the entire courtyard with fragrance in autumn."
Ying Xiaoman was delighted and placed the peach blossom branch by the window of the tiled-roof house.
"The three-room main house facing north and south is for Mother to live in. Youngest will live on Mother's east side, and I'll live in the east wing. How about you live in the west wing in the future?" She pointed towards the west wing. "Oh, by the way, I haven't asked you yet, how long do you plan to stay?"
The Young Master of the West Room smiled, "Until we root out the mastermind behind the attempt on my life. It won't be too long."
His tone was extremely calm, but there was a hidden killing intent beneath his words. The phrase "won't be too long" was enunciated clearly and emphatically, making Ying Xiaoman's heart skip a beat. She stopped under the osmanthus tree and turned to glance at him.
The young master with his refined and elegant demeanor, whose smile was as gentle as a spring breeze, looked like a scholar. Surely when he found the enemy who tried to harm him, he wouldn't— go in with a white blade and come out with a red one, causing a bloody scene?
With an elderly mother and a young sibling in the household, and him being a guest she had decided to take in, she felt she needed to make things clear face to face.
"How you and your friend search for your enemy, and how you exact your revenge once you find them, is none of my business. But let me make this clear in advance: you are not allowed to take action in my house. Don't let my mother and Youngest see any frightening scenes."
The Young Master of the West Room laughed at her words.
"I'm not a ruthless bandit who would hack and chop at my enemies, spilling blood everywhere."
He turned back to look at her, his amber eyes soft in the sunlight. "If we find out that the mastermind behind the attempt on my life is indeed from within the family, we'll simply clean house. Don't worry, Miss Ying, I won't take action in your new residence."
Ying Xiaoman's worry subsided, but her curiosity rose.
"Cleaning house... that still involves killing, doesn't it? Mother always says 'a life for a life.' Is killing not against the law here in the Capital City?"
The Young Master of the West Room strolled leisurely, calmly appreciating the scenery of the small courtyard.
"Killing without reason is certainly punishable by death. But in our dynasty, there are laws. For blood relatives seeking revenge, the punishment is reduced by two degrees. If someone intends to harm but hasn't caused injury, and the victim kills the attacker in self-defense, the punishment is reduced by two degrees. If someone intends to harm and has caused injury, and the victim kills the attacker in self-defense, they are acquitted without charge. In my case, it falls under 'intent to harm with injury caused'... In short, our dynasty's laws are appropriately strict and lenient, as long as there's justification and evidence."
This statement brought up three related laws. He spoke effortlessly, leaving Ying Xiaoman feeling lost in a fog. Apart from "cleaning house," she only grasped the phrase "blood relatives seeking revenge."
"Blood relatives seeking revenge, does that mean children avenging their fathers? So in the Capital City, revenge killing doesn't necessarily mean paying with one's own life?"
"Not necessarily."
Ying Xiaoman's eyes immediately lit up. "That's wonderful."
"...Hmm?"
The direction of the conversation suddenly felt a bit dangerous, as if something wasn't quite right. The Young Master of the West Room's gaze instantly turned towards her.
Sunlight filtered through the green leaves, casting shadows on the young woman opposite him. The tree's shadows danced, light and shadow intertwining.
Ying Xiaoman was rummaging through her bag for flatbread. She tore the bread in half, taking the smaller piece for herself and offering the larger half to the young master across from her.
"It's homemade flatbread. Try my mother's cooking. It's very tasty."
The dappled sunlight from above fell on the young woman's picturesque brows and eyes, her porcelain-white skin seeming to glow. After making her remark, Ying Xiaoman lowered her head and focused on eating her bread.
The Young Master of the West Room felt he might have overthought things. Perhaps the young lady was just curious and merely expressing her thoughts casually...?
The two sat opposite each other, eating bread. The Young Master of the West Room elegantly tore his half of the bread into small pieces to eat, occasionally glancing at the person across from him.
Ying Xiaoman finished her mother's flatbread completely. Feeling thirsty, she got up to fetch her water pouch and began to drink, holding it with both hands. Her pink lips quickly became moist with a watery sheen, and she casually licked away the crumbs at the corners of her mouth.
The watching gaze from across quickly averted.
But in the next moment, the averted gaze discreetly returned.
The scene of the rosy tongue darting out to lick away the bread crumbs seemed to have taken root in his mind, refusing to leave. The Young Master of the West Room felt a bit thirsty himself, his Adam's apple bobbing a few times.
"Do you want some water too?" Ying Xiaoman noticed his prolonged stare at the water pouch and generously offered it to him. "It's water we brought from home, very clean."
The Young Master of the West Room took the water pouch, raised it, and tilted his head back to drink.
As he drank, he didn't touch the edge of the pouch, instead letting a thin stream of water pour directly into his mouth. When he handed the pouch back, his expression had returned to its usual composure.
"You seem to know a lot about the law," Ying Xiaoman casually remarked as she took back the water pouch.
"I wouldn't dare say I'm an expert," the Young Master of the West Room replied modestly. "I've been reading law books since childhood and often visit the courts."
"You people from the Capital City know so much."
"...Well, not everyone knows these things."
It was still early in the day.
A gentle breeze rustled through the newly grown green leaves of the osmanthus tree.
Tired from walking, Ying Xiaoman wanted to rest, and the young master sitting opposite naturally agreed.
Under the tree, the two ate flatbread bite by bite, drank water, and casually looked around. Ying Xiaoman untied her bulging leather bag and took out her newly acquired grappling hook. She unfolded the mechanism and began polishing the claws one by one.
As she polished, she chatted idly, "Was my price of ten taels of silver for that fan too low? From Third Son Mo's tone, it seemed like the price was so low it aroused suspicion."
"The quality of an ivory fan depends on its craftsmanship and condition," said the Young Master of the West Room, taking a delicate bite of his pastry.
"An ordinary ivory fan with ivory ribs and a silk paper surface can be priced at 10 to 20 guan. If both the ribs and the surface are made entirely of ivory, it's common to see prices of 30 to 50 guan. Should the fan surface feature calligraphy by a renowned artist or exquisite carvings by a master craftsman, the price could easily double."
"I didn't realize you were such an expert. Why didn't you say so earlier?" Ying Xiaoman immediately retrieved the ivory fan from her bundle. "This fan of mine has a full ivory surface. Could you give me an estimate of its value?"
"It's a small matter, hardly worth calling a favor," the Young Master of the West Room walked back under the tree, carefully examining the ivory fan in the sunlight.
With a soft click, his fingertips gently unfolded the delicate ivory fan in the sunlight. As he inspected it, he casually remarked, "Miss Ying, you saved my life. You can ask me for much greater favors if you wish."
Ying Xiaoman paused in her cleaning of the flying claw. Of course, there were bigger matters, but she hadn't decided whether to bring them up yet.
She pondered for a while, feeling a bit troubled, then switched to another claw and continued polishing.
"My mother has mentioned this several times – we can't keep calling you 'the one from the West Room.' What did your mother call you at home?"
The Young Master of the West Room held the fan up to the light, closely examining the openwork carving. "I'm the seventh child in my family. My mother calls me Seventh Young Master."
"Then my mother will call you Seventh Young Master from now on."
"That would be fine," he said, skillfully folding the fan closed with a light tap against his palm. He added nonchalantly, "Miss Xiaoman, you may call me Seventh Young Master as well."
Ying Xiaoman nodded at first, continuing to polish the iron claw. Suddenly, she realized what he'd said, and her dark eyes widened in surprise. "How did you know my name is Xiaoman? Did my mother tell you that too?!"
The Young Master of the West Room – or rather, Seventh Young Master as he should now be called – neither confirmed nor denied. He calmly explained, "The courtyard is small. Things tend to drift into one's ears unintentionally."
He placed the ivory fan on the table and picked up a cloth, offering to help Ying Xiaoman clean the flying claws.
Working together, they soon had both the new pair of flying claws and the old iron claws from home polished to a bright shine.
Ying Xiaoman picked up the flying claws and wandered around, stopping by the courtyard wall covered in lush green vines. Under the watchful gaze of the young master behind her, she raised her hand, and the flying claw hooked securely onto the high part of the wall. With a slight flick of her wrist, the claw fell back into her hand.
Seventh Young Master applauded in admiration. "Impressive skills. Clearly a family tradition, passed down from father to daughter."
"My father was truly exceptional when he entered the forest," Ying Xiaoman said modestly.
Revenge was a big matter, and she hadn't decided whether to ask Seventh Young Master for help. But for now, she felt comfortable asking for his assistance with smaller tasks.
She gestured to indicate a height and beckoned him over to help.
"Give me a hand."
"Drive two nails into the wall here. Yes, that's where we'll hang the flying claws from now on."
Seventh Young Master found an iron hammer in the room and drove the nails into the wall, causing bits of plaster to fall. He pressed against them with his uninjured right hand to ensure they were secure.
"You can hang them now. These flying claws will be a great asset in the mountains, useful for climbing rocks, traversing trees, and setting traps. They're invaluable for hunting fierce beasts."
Ying Xiaoman remained silent, her eyes gleaming as she stared at the newly hung flying claws. Exciting scenes flashed through her mind—
Using the flying claws to scale this courtyard wall, cross the street into Changle Alley, then use them again to climb over the opposite wall of the Yan Family compound.
If she had a reliable lookout, she could successfully evade the thirty-five brothers of her enemy, find her target, confront him about the great revenge her father had entrusted to her on his deathbed, and then give him a taste of her gun...
The whole affair would take no longer than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
"I might need your help again in the future," Ying Xiaoman said, touching the flying claws and expressing her gratitude in advance.
Seventh Young Master felt deeply gratified and promised with pleasure, "Feel free to ask. I'll do my utmost to assist you."