In a moment of Bairan's awkward silence and Hanyue's speechlessness,
Hanyue's men returned. They first clasped their hands respectfully toward the cold man, then turned to Hanyue and said,
"Master, we've returned."
Hanyue gave a small nod, then looked toward Bairan.
"Miss Bairan, I'll have my men investigate the Lin family's daughters—whether any of them have gone missing or if there have been any recent changes in the family. I'll keep you informed."
Bairan nodded with a gentle smile.
"Thank you, Master Pei. I'll leave this matter in your hands."
She then stood and gave a polite bow.
"We'll ask the innkeeper to show us our rooms."
She turned to Baian, who had just finished the last of the meat on his plate.
"Baian."
Baian quickly stood up.
"Yes, Bairan-jie?"
Bairan gave him a subtle signal with her eyes.
"After eating so many good things, what should you say to Master Pei?"
Baian bowed, then said shyly,
"Th–thank you, Master Pei."
Hanyue smiled.
"It's quite alright."
Bairan and Baian left, allowing Hanyue and his men to speak in private. At the end of the corridor, Hanyue could hear Bairan teasing Baian:
"You're shy in everything, but if your chopsticks had been a little longer and thicker, you would've ended up eating Master Pei too."
Hanyue shook his head and chuckled softly.
Having practised martial arts from a young age, his hearing was incredibly sharp.
A young servant came to clear the table and refilled the teapots with hot tea.
Now, sitting at the cold man's table, Hanyue poured tea for him respectfully.
Then he turned to one of his men—sweaty and dusty from the chase earlier.
"Did you catch him?"
The man nodded.
"Yes, Master. We've arrested him. He's with the others now. We beat him, but he keeps saying he has no idea who the traitor Shen Yueran is. He claims someone just paid him to buy food and herbs. We showed him Shen Yueran's portrait, but he denied knowing him. He said the one who gave the orders was a monk."
Hanyue's eyes narrowed slightly.
"A Monk..!Then why did he run?"
The man replied,
"Master, he said when he heard soldiers were coming to town to arrest a traitor, and he panicked. The herbs he was asked to buy were rare and expensive—used for treating serious injuries. He feared he might be dragged into something dangerous."
Hanyue nodded.
"Keep an eye on him for now. I'll question him myself tonight."
Then, he looked at the other man.
"What did you find?"
The man responded respectfully,
"Master, we took Master Tong and his men to the Yamen, then went to arrest the innkeeper and the teahouse owner. We found them both nearby. They were breathless, as if searching for something. When we revealed our identities, they were terrified. The teahouse owner—a fat man—collapsed on the ground without resistance. But the innkeeper tried to run. We caught him quickly, and during his escape, this fell from his sleeve."
He held out a shiny hairstick toward Hanyue.
"Master, I believe this is the hairstick the young girl mentioned."
Hanyue took the hairstick and examined it closely.
"It's a fine piece. It could be considered expensive."
The cold man gave it a glance and said,
"It's bruised… and one edge is broken."
Hanyue nodded.
"Yes. That young miss said she fell from a cliff, and the only valuable thing she had with her was this. So, the story about waking up in a cave… might be true."
Pei Hanyue looked at his men.
"Go rest for now—and investigate the Lin family's affairs, especially the two daughters. Inform me of any new information about Master Tong's case. I also want a portrait of that monk."
They clasped their hands and withdrew.
The cold man spoke again.
"Which cave is nearest to this town?"
Hanyue thought for a moment before replying,
"There's only the cave we suspected Shen Yueran might be hiding in. But when we arrived, no one was there. Just a blanket on the stone bed and some leftovers. That means someone had definitely been there. Dongpo said the blanket smelled like a woman—could it have been this girl?"
The cold man traced his finger along the edge of his teacup.
Hanyue continued,
"She's the only person we saw this morning near the town gate. And now she says she woke up in the cave, and the one who saved her told her to come to this town—her hometown. So, it must be close enough for her to have walked here. Most likely, it was the same cave."
He paused, then added,
"But what about the grave at the foot of the mountain? Who does it belong to?"
Hanyue looked at the cold man.
"Your Highness, what do you think? Could she be related to Shen Yueran?"
The cold man withdrew his finger and raised his head in the direction Bairan had gone. He said slowly,
"We can't be certain yet... but—"
He set down his teacup, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes.
"Shen Yueran isn't the type of person who would bother saving someone's life."
On Bairan's side, after they went to ask Uncle Fang, she moved to the room that had been prepared for her. Since Baian was a twelve-year-old boy, Uncle Fang said he could stay with them instead—Baian himself was happy with that.
She washed herself and changed into a green wide-sleeved robe that Uncle Fang's wife had given her. It had belonged to their daughter, who had married far away. Fortunately, the size fits Bairan very well.
Madam Fang had also offered her some hair sticks, but Bairan politely declined and thanked her for the kindness.
Her long black hair was still untied. She dried part of it with a towel but was too lazy to finish. She looked at the bed and smiled, murmuring to herself, "Finally, I have time to sleep."
She lay down, her half-wet hair spreading over the pillow. Her injury was fine, but after running around all day, she was truly exhausted. Her thoughts drifted to the events of the day, and she narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. Hanyue had shown his green jade to everyone in the road. Was he just trying to help me and Baian? Or was it to reveal their true identity, to let the whole town know they were here?
What's more, this morning they had seemed in a hurry, and later, when she saw them again, they were chasing someone. She recalled the conversation between the three men in the teahouse about the Emperor's order to capture the traitor Shen Yueran.
And lastly, the cold man's identity and his martial arts… he wasn't simple at all.
Her eyelids grew heavy, her eyes closing from time to time. She whispered under her breath,
"He is truly a mysterious man."
That mysterious man Bairan had been thinking about was in the room on the other side of her wall.
He sat at a table, his long hair completely untied, the red ribbon resting between his fingers. He caressed it gently, as if the entire world had lost its color and only this ribbon still held any hue. His eyes, cold and fractured like broken glass, were filled with a sorrow that seemed carved deep into his bones.
His voice, laced with cracks and trembling chords, broke the silence.
"Xin Yi… I was so close to capturing him this time. I won't let him escape until I avenge you."
He stroked the red ribbon even more tenderly, a broken smile tugging at his lips.
"If I do that… will you come to my dreams? Just once… I—" His words faltered.
Closing his eyes, his lips trembled.
"I truly… miss you."