"I see that little lady is not a timid person."
After landing, Bai Erye placed Song Qingchao down and moved his hands behind his back. "Why the big fuss over bumping into a wall?"
Song Qingchao rolled her eyes. "This young lady thinks Second Master has poor eyesight." Kuai Shu Ge
Bai Erye nodded. "Indeed, I am blind in sight and heart."
Song Qingchao ignored him and walked forward, pulling a blueprint from her怀 and burying herself in it.
Before she had taken a few steps, the blueprint in her hand was suddenly snatched away.
She frowned and looked at the person holding the blueprint high beside her. "Stop messing around. Time is of the essence. The sooner you take me back, the sooner you'll get the Forget Worry."
"You speak with reason." Bai Erye turned his head and squinted with a smile. "But..."
He put down the blueprint and swept his hand in a circle around the dense mountain forest. "Can you tell east from west?"
Song Qingchao stared at his face, her expression strange.
This made Bai Erye frown and touch his face. "What? Is there something on my face?"
Song Qingchao tutted. "Uncultured, truly terrifying."
"You are such an interesting little lady," Bai Erye raised an eyebrow and pointed at the sun. "The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. It's morning..."
Song Qingchao interrupted him, snatched the blueprint back, and pulled out a modified compass from behind her back.
She glanced at the direction and then slipped away on her own, ignoring Bai Erye, who was grandly pontificating behind her.
After turning a few corners, she looked up and found Bai Erye standing in front of her.
"Second Master's legs are quite nimble."
"Oh, really?" Bai Erye, with his hands behind his back, leaned down to look at the compass in her hand. "This Sinan is indeed convenient."
Song Qingchao blinked her eyes, grabbed his hand, placed the compass in it, and even patted it fondly. "If Second Master likes it, you can have it."
Bai Erye was almost amused to the point of laughter. "You're trying to dismiss me with this?"
He pushed the compass back. "What I want is Forget Worry."
Song Qingchao sighed regretfully. "Alright."
She decisively broke off a small spike of Forget Worry from her space and handed it to him. "Here, can I leave now? Second Master?"
Bai Erye accepted it without hesitation. "Since you are so true to your word, I shall escort you back."
He looked up, but Song Qingchao's shadow was nowhere to be seen.
"She runs quite fast."
"Second Master, the Fang family members have all been dealt with."
A man in a black, form-fitting outfit jumped down from a tree and knelt respectfully on the ground.
Bai You'an grunted and, putting away his smile, turned around and handed the Forget Worry grass to the man. "Send this back to Chang'an. He'll know what to do with it."
He took out a handkerchief embroidered with plum blossoms from his robes and carefully wiped his hands. "Have you found Master's wife's remains?"
The man in black knelt on the ground, burying his head very low. "Not yet. Your subordinate suspects they are in the Imperial Palace."
"The Imperial Palace." Bai You'an savored these words and cast his gaze eastward. "Spare no expense, investigate."
"Yes." The man in black hesitated before speaking again. "The Grand Princess is also investigating this matter."
"Is that so?" Bai You'an put the handkerchief back into his robes. "Then let us help her."
He took the clothes handed to him by the man in black and changed out of his dark robes with red trim.
The man in black also got up to help him tidy his clothes and re-tie his hair.
"Second Master, this is too risky."
After Bai You'an put on the human skin mask, "Lin Zhong, trust me."
He closed his eyes, feeling Lin Zhong tie the white silk band over his eyes, and distinctly felt the person behind him pause.
"Don't worry."
Bai You'an turned around, drew the fan from his waist, and rubbed it with his fingertips. "When we return, you will stay in Chang'an. With Ying Zhong accompanying you, you need not worry."
"Ying Zhong is unruly. Your subordinate is still not at ease."
"Then who will I entrust my plans in Chang'an to?" Bai You'an placed a hand on his shoulder. "Zhong Chun is impetuous and rash, while Meng Qiu is mild and soft. Only you can do it."
He patted Lin Zhong's shoulder meaningfully. "Go."
Bai You'an stood in place, watching the direction Lin Zhong disappeared, the smile on his lips falling.
In his past life, you blamed me for not trusting you, for burying your brilliance, which is why you chose betrayal.
Lin Zhong, I'm giving you this one chance.
Bai You'an put away his fan and exerted himself to rush back.
He wasn't anxious; Qing Mu's poison had been brought under control.
Ying Zhong also understood medicine, and taking care of the recovering Qing Mu was more than enough.
This Forget Worry was to treat his hidden ailment.
And by sending Song Qingchao to find this medicine, he wanted to see what this little lady was thinking.
And whether she truly had Qing Mu's best interests at heart.
In his past life, Qing Mu's already weak foundation was further depleted trying to find and save her, leaving him with only a breath to sustain him.
When he finally went to pick her up, she was unwilling, almost making Qing Mu rush to the true King of Hell.
It wasn't that he was suspicious; Song Qingchao's impression on him in his past life was indeed not good.
Hypocritical, fawning; national hatred and family revenge were probably less important to her than her own prosperity.
Originally, everything was unfolding as he remembered it; only Song Qingchao was the sole variable.
Rather than letting her potentially run into unexpected trouble at some unknown time, it was better to keep her by his side, to be prepared for anything.
If she were not his master's daughter, Qing Mu's sister, he wouldn't have minded killing her to eliminate future trouble.
Song Qingchao, don't disappoint me.
Bai You'an traveled for two days before he saw the tail end of the convoy.
As he tidied his clothes and prepared to step forward, he was startled by Ying Zhong, who suddenly leaped out.
Ying Zhong was disheveled, his right cheek was swollen, and there was a bright red slap mark on it.
He hiccupped and sobbed incoherently, saying many things.
But Bai You'an didn't understand a single word...
Bai You'an used his fan to inspect his head. "Why are you crying? Speak slower."
"Second Master." Ying Zhong cried even harder but still used his arm to wipe his eyes and sniff back his snot. "Please discipline the eldest daughter of the Song family. She's gone too far."
He pawed at his hair, revealing his right cheek, and leaned towards Bai You'an. "I said I was your little disciple, and she didn't believe me."
Ying Zhong pointed at his face, becoming more aggrieved as he spoke. "Later, I tried every way I could and said that Second Master had a mole on his backside, and then she slapped me."
Bai You'an clenched his fan after hearing this and took several deep breaths. "Did she believe it then?"
Ying Zhong nodded. "She did, and then I took a little Forget Worry grass to make medicine for Young Master Song, and he spat up blood..."
"Well, why aren't you taking care of him? Why did you run out?"
Ying Zhong scratched his hair, cautiously observing Bai You'an's expression. "Miss Song said I was trying to rob and murder him, that both master and disciple were liars. If I didn't run, I might already be a wandering soul under her blade."
He cleared his throat. "Second Master, when I ran out, she also asked me to bring you a message. She said if she sees one, she'll kill one; if she sees a pair, she'll kill a pair..."
Bai You'an listened without a ripple of emotion, then "slapped" Ying Zhong's left cheek with his fan.
Ying Zhong covered his face and cried, "Second Master! What are you doing!"
Bai You'an raised an eyebrow. "This way, it's symmetrical."
Ying Zhong looked at Bai You'an's receding back and hurried after him. "You did that on purpose!"