The sound of the night watchman's drum echoed through the spring night, a perfect time for mischief.

A dark figure descended from the back wall of the Fan residence as lightly as a leaf, landing without a sound. After dusting off the dirt, he disappeared into the darkness. This person was naturally Fan Xian. As he moved through the night, he wondered why there wasn't a true lightness skill that could cover ten zhang in a single leap. It always left him covered in dust after climbing walls.

Although Kyoto was prosperous, only a few places were still lit up at night. Places like Walnut Alley, with its night markets and street performers, or the crystal clear river water pool, which had some lights along the riverbank in the first half of the night to welcome guests onto boats. Most other streets were dark, with only faint lights from the houses on either side, occasionally casting a thin, dim line onto the bluestone-paved streets.

Fan Xian weaved through these faint lines, running in the darkness. The cool night breeze felt comfortable against his slightly flushed face. It didn't take long for him to reach the small alley next to the royal courtyard he had visited during the day. Looking at the small building in the courtyard from afar, he frowned. There must be imperial guards around. With his internal strength at most at the seventh rank, according to Uncle Wu Zhu, and his control at the third rank, he would have to be very careful to break in without alerting these experts.

He needed to see Miss Lin, although he didn't yet know her full name. He needed to tell her who he was, whom she would marry in the future, and, most importantly, about her illness.

The night was quiet. The watchman's clapper had sounded not long ago, so it wouldn't be heard again for a while. The occasional out-of-season croaking of frogs could be heard. Fan Xian stood quietly behind the wall at the entrance of the alley, regulating his internal energy. He slowly spread his domineering qi throughout his body, using the snow mountain at his lower back as a control center, perfectly controlling every muscle and consciousness in his body.

He didn't know if Uncle Wu Zhu was nearby, but he knew he couldn't rely on him forever. Even if Uncle Wu Zhu was strong, there would be times when he couldn't protect him. Otherwise, his mother wouldn't have died so tragically. He vigorously wiped his hands on his clothes to ensure they weren't too sweaty. Then, finding an inconspicuous spot on the back wall of the royal courtyard, he slowly released his qi from his palms, subtly retracting it from the edge of his palms to form a small depression. Just like when he was climbing cliffs outside Danzhou Port, he easily attached himself to the wall and slowly climbed up.

The wall was two zhang high, and ordinary experts would find it difficult to jump over. The wall's surface was also smooth, so the imperial guards' defense here was the weakest. No one would have guessed that the person sneaking in tonight was a spider-man.

Reaching the top of the wall, Fan Xian held on with one hand and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He wondered why he had to take such a risk to see his future wife. But now was not the time for regrets. He looked up at the sky and saw that the crescent moon was about to disappear into the clouds, which made him happy.

The silver light dimmed suddenly. With a whoosh, Fan Xian landed silently in the garden, like a cat darting into the dense bushes. Using the trees to conceal his presence, this whole series of movements, from falling straight down to rushing forward, didn't make too much noise, all thanks to Wu Zhu's rigorous training in Danzhou.

In fact, there weren't many guards in the courtyard. It was almost midnight, so they were even more lax. He could hear people still awake at the front gate, but no one was patrolling the garden. Fan Xian breathed a sigh of relief and cautiously walked to the bottom of the small building. Looking up, he saw that the lights on the second floor were long extinguished, and everything was dark. He wondered if she was asleep.

The door downstairs was closed, and he didn't know if the old nanny's residual poison had cleared up and she might get up in the middle of the night to relieve herself, so Fan Xian gave up on this path with a wry smile. He turned to the outside of the building, slowly releasing his true power in both hands, firmly grasping the wooden pillars of the corridor, and climbing up. Reaching the top, the second-floor wooden pavilion protruded a bit, about two chi in length. Fan Xian took a light breath, reached out, felt a small crack, hooked it with his index and middle fingers, swung his body, and hung in the air. Using the strength of his waist and abdomen, he swung himself up, like a bat lunging upwards, sticking tightly to the outside of the window.

Fan Xian believed that the girl inside the window would understand the meaning of the last sentence he said during their meeting in the daytime, so he confidently smiled and gently pulled the window... it didn't move. He used a little more force and pulled the window again... it still wouldn't open!

……

……

Lin Wan'er had gone to bed early, but she couldn't fall asleep. Lying under the soft blanket, she clutched the corners of the blanket with both hands, her large eyes wide open in the darkness, looking at the top of the bed, not knowing what she was thinking.

She immediately heard the movement outside the window, her heart tightening. She didn't know what to do. She never imagined that the young man would be so bold as to sneak into the royal courtyard in the middle of the night. She should have called for help, but when she thought about how the beautiful young man might face a death sentence if the guards came, she felt a little unbearable. She bit her lip tightly, not knowing what to do.

"Fortunately, the window is closed." She comforted herself in her heart, thinking that as long as he couldn't get in, he would naturally retreat when he realized it was hopeless. That way, she wouldn't have to face a situation she didn't want to think about, and the young man wouldn't be charged with such a serious crime.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as she wished. She heard a soft hiss from the window, and it was pushed open. A young man in black clothing, holding a slender dagger painted with black lacquer, climbed in from the outside. Lin Wan'er saw this scene through the gauze curtains. She was about to shout instinctively, but when she saw that face, that clean and otherworldly face she had seen outside the curtain in the Qing Temple, she didn't know why, but she swallowed the shout.

Fan Xian moved quickly, without a trace of the shyness that a young man in love should have. He turned around and closed the window, then walked to the bed and lifted the gauze curtains. A faint fragrance began to spread in the room.

Lin Wan'er felt a little dizzy, but after smelling a faint fragrance, her spirit immediately woke up. Only then did she realize that the young man had already released a sleeping incense. She was startled. Could this person be... the legendary lecherous thief?

Endless regret began to flood Lin Wan'er's heart. She opened her mouth and prepared to shout for help!

Fan Xian was completely unaware of this, and was just happily preparing to wake the girl up. He didn't expect to see that the girl was still awake. There was horror in her originally confused eyes, and she opened her mouth wide. Was she preparing to shout for help? He immediately woke up, and his figure floated. He knelt on the bed on one knee and covered Lin Wan'er's mouth with one hand.

His palm touched her soft lips, tickling.

"Don't shout, don't shout." Fan Xian was entering a girl's boudoir for the first time in his life, so he inevitably lacked experience. He said with a distressed expression, "It's me, it's me, it's me."

Seeming to realize that the young man meant no harm, Lin Wan'er gradually calmed down. Fan Xian moved his palm away and said helplessly, "Don't shout."

Lin Wan'er suddenly thought of the two strange fragrances just now and asked anxiously, "What did you do to my maid?" Because the maid was sleeping on the cage bed next to her, she should have woken up long ago after all the commotion just now. Fan Xian explained softly, "It's okay. This incense has a calming effect and won't harm the body. It just makes her sleep for a while."

Lin Wan'er felt a little more at ease, looking at the clean smiling face in front of her. She felt a bit of joy, but also three parts of fear. Who exactly was this person? What was his identity? Seeing the fear in her eyes, Fan Xian said with heartache, "Don't be afraid. I'm the doctor from the daytime. Didn't we agree to come tonight before I left?"

Lin Wan'er suddenly smiled sweetly and said, "Didn't you tell me to close the window tightly?" Seeing this beautiful woman smile suddenly, Fan Xian's heart fluttered. Looking at her lips again, he had other thoughts. Just then, his neck suddenly felt a chill.

A short sword, shining with a cold light, with the hilt held in Lin Wan'er's hand, and the blade resting on Fan Xian's neck!

Lin Wan'er looked at him for a moment, then suddenly softened and said, "No matter who you are, as long as you leave now, I promise not to pursue this matter."

Although Fan Xian had a cold sword on his neck, he still smiled on his face, looking at her gently and saying, "I'll leave in a moment. I just came to see you today." After saying this, he took out a paper packet from his arms on his own initiative, completely ignoring the sharp blade on his neck. Instead, Lin Wan'er was afraid of accidentally cutting him, so she subconsciously moved the sword outwards.

Fan Xian tore open the oil paper, took out a fragrant chicken leg from inside, brought it to her lips, and said with a grin, "I ate a chicken leg from you at the Qing Temple that day. I knew you craved this, so I specially brought it to you."

Lin Wan'er didn't know whether to laugh or cry, thinking, what time is it? How could this young man still be so mischievous? If the guards discovered a strange man in her room, both of them would be finished. She said with a trembling voice, "Please, please leave quickly."

Fan Xian was originally prepared to tease the other party according to the young adult novel routine, but seeing Miss Lin so flustered, his heart softened. He coaxed, "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you." As soon as he said these words, he felt something was wrong. Why did it sound so much like the lines often spoken by lecherous thieves in previous-life martial arts novels?

As expected, Lin Wan'er's expression changed drastically. She placed the sword on his neck and said in a trembling voice, "I don't care who you are, if you want to make frivolous remarks to me, I will stab you with my sword."

Only then did Fan Xian realize that his sneaking into a woman's boudoir was indeed a very disgraceful thing for the other party's reputation. But seeing the determined expression on Miss Lin's face, he couldn't help but think, were you planning to murder your husband?