On the first day of the twelfth lunar month, snowflakes had begun to fall in the Capital City.
Just as Xie Daoyun had said, it looked exactly like willow catkins rising in the wind.
Walking on the path to Qingfeng Court, Qi Huan gazed at the snowflakes dancing in the sky, lost in thought.
Since she had traveled through time, Shu had been by her side on every snowy day.
She missed him a little.
Lost in her thoughts, she walked straight into the gate of Qingfeng Court with a loud bang, startling Tao Su into swallowing the words of warning on her lips.
Her mother had said that hindsight was useless.
She obediently stood to the side, watching Qi Huan rub her forehead.
The commotion reached the courtyard, and Ximen Ye irritably snorted, "Here we go again!"
Zhu Yan skillfully took out two copper coins, grinning as he said, "I bet it's Elder Madam Song."
Ximen Ye twitched his ears, the corner of his mouth curling into a playful smile: "I bet it's the little troublemaker."
"Impossible. Yesterday, as you ordered, I threw ten mice and five large snakes into the troublemaker's courtyard. She must have been terrified. How could she possibly come to our courtyard?"
After speaking, Zhu Yan cast a greedy glance at the money pouch at his master's waist, thinking to himself: Today I'll earn two more copper coins. Who wouldn't want more money? Hehe.
Noticing his lecherous gaze on his waist, Ximen Ye's phoenix eyes flashed with a cold light: "Keep staring, and I'll gouge out your eyeballs and kick them around like balls!"
"Master, my eyes are a bit small, not very good for kicking. Please reconsider this unwise idea."
In the end, Zhu Yan fled in panic to open the door for Qi Huan, but had no intention of letting her in.
What a joke, did she think she could see their master whenever she wanted?
Thinking about the two copper coins he was about to lose, Zhu Yan's face darkened: "Does Miss Cousin have business here?"
Qi Huan smiled sweetly: "I've come to bring my cousin some nourishing soup."
Zhu Yan sniffed hard; the aroma was quite pleasant.
If Miss Cousin still had the mood to make soup, it seemed they hadn't released enough mice and snakes...
Zhu Yan lowered his head, concealing the gleam in his eyes: "Thank you for your kindness, Miss Cousin. Just give the soup to me, and I'll pass it on to our... sickly young master."
"No need, I'd like to visit my cousin personally."
With that, Qi Huan moved to step forward, but Zhu Yan blocked her path.
Seeing this, Tao Su raised an eyebrow and scolded in a fierce tone: "Xu Nanny always said that there's a distinction between master and servant, and servants should obey their masters. How dare you block my young lady's way?"
"Besides, my mother always said that a good dog doesn't block the road."
"Who are you calling a dog?"
"Whoever blocks the road is one!"
Zhu Yan immediately stepped aside.
Qi Huan took the soup bowl from Tao Su's hands and smoothly slipped into the main room. She smiled gently at the man seriously reading at the table:
"Cousin, last night some kind soul sent me a few snakes. I had the cook stew them with chicken to make a dragon-phoenix soup. I've brought it for you to try, to nourish your body."
The "kind soul" Ximen Ye lifted his eyelids and gave her a cool glance, thinking to himself: What a ruthless little troublemaker.
Snakes are so cute, why eat them?
Seeing his silence, Qi Huan automatically assumed he had agreed.
She gracefully stepped forward, placed the soup bowl on the edge of his desk, and then pretended to accidentally knock over the bowl, using the opportunity to try and pull off his face mask.
Ximen Ye reflexively dodged backward.
Qi Huan's outstretched hand failed to retract in time, inadvertently pulling open his collar and exposing his well-toned chest muscles.
Look at that, how could someone like this possibly be sickly?
At the same time, Ximen Ye was thinking to himself:
Crafty, wicked woman!
Touching and grabbing me again!
She must be coveting my beauty!
At this moment, Qi Huan spread her small hands, her face full of regret: "I'm sorry, cousin. I wasn't careful and spilled the soup. But perhaps the kind soul will send me more snakes tonight. If so, I'll make you another bowl then."
"Snakes need to hibernate, and the kind soul probably doesn't have that many snakes. You needn't come visit me again. I prefer tranquility."
Ximen Ye spoke in a low voice, staring directly at her, intending to warn her to keep her distance from now on.
His gaze was oppressive, overlapping with that of the man in black from the cave earlier. After a moment of distraction, Qi Huan became even more certain that he wasn't as simple as he seemed.
As she crouched down to clean up the broken soup bowl, she casually said, "Cousin, don't you get bored staying in Qingfeng Court all day? Why don't I tell you about some interesting things that happened on my way back to the capital?"
"On my way back, I accidentally wandered into Mi Mountain and was chased and bitten by a huge black dog that seemed to have gone mad."
Ximen Ye gritted his teeth: "Oh? Is that so? I also had a dream recently where I was chased by a small brown mutt. This dog first leered at me lecherously, and now it's tugging at my clothes, harboring evil intentions, causing nothing but trouble..."
Hearing this, Qi Huan had a clear understanding of the situation.
She was self-aware enough to know she couldn't take down this assassin on her own. It would be better to tell Shu and plan carefully.
She stood up and smiled faintly: "I've disturbed you. Rest well, cousin. I'll take my leave now."
"You want to leave?"
Ximen Ye chuckled deep in his chest, suddenly grabbing her wrist and using his other hand to grip her neck, pinning her against the wall.
"Do you know how much trouble you've caused me?"
Ximen Ye pulled out a small notebook from his waist, which he used specifically for keeping grudges. After muttering through the list, he continued: "I had already decided to let you go, but you insisted on delivering yourself to my doorstep."
"Little cousin, didn't your mother ever tell you not to be too curious?"
"You should be grateful that you have half of the Song family's blood; I won't kill you. But..."
Ximen Ye casually tossed aside the notebook and shifted his grip to her chin, forcing her mouth open. His fingers moved towards her tongue: "But cutting out your tongue shouldn't be a problem."
His sinister gaze, like that of a venomous snake, drifted to her pale wrist: "Oh, and I should cut your hand tendons too, to prevent you from writing and revealing my secrets."
"Ouch!"
Suddenly, pain shot through him.
His finger had been bitten hard by Qi Huan.
Ximen Ye tightened his grip on her throat, forcing her to release his finger.
As they struggled, Elder Madam Song's voice came from outside the door.
Qi Huan slowly smiled; her requested backup had arrived.
Knowing that "Song Jingche" might be a dangerous figure lurking in the shadows, she wouldn't have come alone.
To be safe, she had specifically sent Ruo Lan to tell Elder Madam Song that her grandfather had left a prescription for tuberculosis.
As the footsteps drew closer, both she and Ximen Ye simultaneously released their holds.
Catching sight of the finger marks on her neck, a flash of irritation and regret passed through Ximen Ye's eyes. It would be difficult to explain if Elder Madam Song saw them.
She really was such a troublemaker.
Ximen Ye quickly pulled out a high-necked black robe and draped it over her.
After entering the room, Elder Madam Song walked straight towards Qi Huan, her eyes fixed: "Huan'er, can you really cure consumption?"
Qi Huan thought of the medicine she had searched for in her space last night, and finally nodded.
"Wonderful, wonderful! My Che'er can be saved!"
Ximen Ye also gazed at her with a complex expression: "I can be saved?"
