Qin He pursed her lips, surprised by her master's sharp intuition.
Seeing her silence, Liu Xing'an let out a cold laugh, "If you don't want to say, then don't. However, your mistress and I are living quite comfortably here in Qingcheng and have no intention of going on vacation to some Country L. We appreciate your filial piety, but the trip is out of the question."
Qin He's heart ached. "Master—"
Liu Xing'an stared at her for a few seconds, then sighed, "You two wait here."
He got up and went into the main building of the courtyard.
A few minutes later, he returned, holding a box.
Qin He recognized it immediately as the treasure chest her master had taught her to make.
But one made by Liu Xing'an himself was more exquisite and simple.
Liu Xing'an placed the treasure chest on the table, opened it, and took out a plain-looking small iron box.
He placed it in front of Qin He, "See if it can solve your trouble."
Qin He sighed and opened the box.
The small iron box was ordinary, but what was inside was priceless.
Qin He stared at the bankbooks, checks, and safe deposit box keys in silence.
The check placed on top had a series of zeros that made one's eyes swim.
After a few seconds, Qin He spoke, "Master, you are truly wealthy!"
Liu Xing'an scoffed, "It's all yours. See if it's enough to solve the problem."
A warmth surged through Qin He's heart. "Master, you've taken out your retirement savings, haven't you?"
Liu Xing'an raised an eyebrow, looking as if he were difficult to provoke. "My retirement depends on you. What retirement savings?"
His words were harsh, but his actions were heartwarming.
Qin He smiled, put Liu Xing'an's things back, and then slowly closed the treasure chest again.
"Master, it's not about money. I just want you and mistress to go on vacation and relax."
Liu Xing'an's expression turned serious. "Not about money? Then it's an even bigger problem?"
Qin He rubbed her forehead. Her master usually wasn't this astute!
"Master, I really can't tell you the specifics for now, but I promise to tell you everything in detail after I've resolved it, okay?" Qin He blinked her eyes, trying to charm her way out of it.
Liu Xing'an narrowed his eyes. "The Qin family fire some time ago wasn't an accident?"
Qin He froze.
The fire at the Qin family was common knowledge in Qingcheng. At the time, she had told her master and mistress that it was an accident to comfort them.
She hadn't expected her master to connect the dots so quickly.
Qin He's moment of stunned silence was enough for Liu Xing'an to understand.
He sneered, "Your master is quite happy living in Qingcheng and isn't going anywhere. You can forget about trying to trick me and your mistress into going abroad. No way!"
Qin He lowered her head in silence. She had initially thought it would be easy to get past him, but she hadn't expected her master to see through it at a glance.
"Why aren't you talking anymore?" Liu Xing'an asked.
Qin He slumped dejectedly, "What else can I say? Old ginger is spicier."
"Tell me, what exactly is going on?"
Qin He glanced at Gu Qichen. Seeing him nod, she knew she couldn't hide it anymore. She had no choice but to speak, omitting some of the more gruesome details.
"In short, someone has been targeting the Qin family for that book, the Wan Fang Lun. Fortunately, no casualties have occurred so far, but I'm worried they might target you, Master."
Seeing Liu Xing'an's grave expression, Qin He reassured him, "Master, I told you, these people, for some reason, aren't attacking me directly. So, you can go abroad with peace of mind. You and mistress can have a good time for a while, and I'll bring you back once I've sorted things out, okay?"
"If they aren't attacking you, it's likely because of someone by your side."
Liu Xing'an pondered, "He'er, where is your Wan Fang Lun? Bring it to me, let Master have a look."
Qin He was startled. "That's absolutely not possible. The Wan Fang Lun is a bomb right now. Whoever gets their hands on it will be targeted by those people."
Seeing Qin He's firm stance, Liu Xing'an didn't press further to see the Wan Fang Lun.
After some thought, he said, "Since this group is after the book, why don't you just hand it over?"
"No, I can't trust that," Qin He pursed her lips.
She only dared to tell her master some superficial details, but she didn't dare to tell him how massive an international terrorist organization was behind this.
Furthermore, the absence of casualties was a lie.
She wanted revenge for Qi Yang!
As the three of them chatted, there was a sound at the main gate. Qin He knew it was her mistress returning.
She whispered to Liu Xing'an, "Master, please don't tell mistress about this. She's already worried about us, and her health isn't good—"
Liu Xing'an let out a cold laugh and leaned closer to Qin He and Gu Qichen, "You two can forget about making me move."
Qin He was helpless. Liu Furen had already walked in through the gate. "He'er, come help me pick some vegetables."
Liu Furen didn't actually need Qin He's help. She simply missed her. She and Liu Xing'an had no children, and during their time together, she had come to regard Qin He as her own daughter.
Qin He stood up. "Coming."
Gu Qichen followed closely. As they walked to the middle of the courtyard, Qin He asked in a low voice, "What do we do? Master refuses to leave."
"If he refuses to leave, so be it. I'll send more people to protect the surroundings and try not to disturb Master and Mistress."
Gu Qichen's eyes were deep. "If it comes to a truly dangerous moment, we'll find a way to knock them out and take them away."
Qin He clicked her tongue. "With Master's personality, he might never forgive us two."
The two of them ate lunch at the courtyard. Liu Furen went to the kitchen to tidy up.
In the courtyard, the three of them sat.
Liu Xing'an looked at Qin He. "Since you can't let me see the book, describe the shape of the burned silk. Draw it for me."
Qin He had some memory of this. She picked up a brush used for drawing wood and roughly sketched a shape on a discarded piece of wood.
"It's roughly like this. However, that Wan Fang Lun is an ancient book, and I can't burn it all. But I suspect there should be many more such golden silk patterns inside."
Liu Xing'an stared at the pattern, falling into silence.
Seeing him like this, Qin He became curious. "Master, do you recognize it?"
"I don't recognize it, but it's not entirely unfamiliar." Liu Xing'an narrowed his eyes. "This pattern is very familiar. I can't quite recall where I've seen it."
Qin He's spirits lifted. Although Liu Xing'an made mortise and tenon joints, he was widely knowledgeable.
She said in a low voice, "Master, I'll keep this drawing. If you remember, please contact me."
"En," Liu Xing'an looked at the drawing, lost in thought.
Qin He added, "You and Mistress should go out less recently. For your safety, I'll hire a nanny for you."
Liu Furen was an industrious person, and Liu Xing'an had always disliked outsiders in their home, so they hadn't hired any servants before.
Now, Liu Xing'an also realized the danger of the situation.
"Alright, you two can arrange things as you see fit, but I'm definitely not going abroad."