After dinner, Mo Xuetong was told her presence was requested in the hall beside the meditation garden, alone. The night was dark enough to make it hard to see who approached her, but it looked like a guard. They gave Mo Lan a sheet of paper with the same symbol. The paper seemed brittle and old.

Mo Lan had not wanted to let Mo Xuetong go alone, but Mo Xuetong was insistant. She couldn't risk offending whoever she was meeting. She needed those guards. Mo Yu dragged Shuang Ye and Qiu Ling back to Mo Xuetong's rooms to work on their embroidery.

Mo Xuetong walked the quiet path alone. In both her lives, she had always been hidden in the back courtyards. She had never gone out secretly to meet anyone in the dark night. She looked calm, but her fingers were clenched tightly and her hands were cold.

The Buddhist hall was not too far away. It cast enough light to keep Mo Xuetong from getting lost, but there was no moonlight to light her way tonight. Silence filled the meditation garden. Even the sounds of the wooden bells was absent. It made the garden almost dreamlike. Only Mo Xuetong's soft footsteps broke through the silence. Mo Xuetong bit her lip, trying to hold back her fear. Glancing over towards her rooms, she could see Mo Lan's lone silhouette in the distance, dimly illuminated by the light of a lantern.

It felt as if she was walking into an endless darkness. She closed her eyes, willing herself forward. .

There was a sudden flicker of light. In that light, she saw her own broken, bleeding body, her death. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't forget her death. That pain would follow her to the afterlife. She could be reborn again, even become a ghost, and that pain would still haunt her. But this life, she would hunt down those that caused it and drag them to hell with her.

She breathed in again and pulled out a hairpin from her hair, holding it in her hand. The sharp end of the hairpin dug into in her palms. It hurt, but she didn't let go. The sharp pain focused her and helped distract her from her confusion and fear.

The path wasn't long but, Mo Xuetong felt as if she'd walked a great distance. Her pink lips were bitten to a pale white, and she could hear her own heart beating wildly in the still night.

Finally, she reached the doors to the hall, but she hesitated. Instead of going right in, she found herself peering through the crack in the door without thinking.

There was a soft voice by her ear.

"Oh, a noble lady can be so impolite as to spy on others through the crack of a door?"

Mo Xuetong raised her hand in surprise, plunging wildly with her hairpin.

"Oh, it's you!"

The man laughed in surprise, catching her hand easily and holding her back with strong hands.

The doors of the Buddhist hall pushed open, and light shone from inside the hall and onto the man's face.

For an instant, Mo Xuetong felt like the world was spinning around her. She collapsed against the door, sending a muffled bang across the hall.

“Come in.”

The man held out a hand, guiding her inside. The doors of the hall closed soundlessly behind them. The light of the hall washed over her, bringing he back into her body. Regaining her senses, Mo Xuetong shook the hand off her violently. She took a few steps back and looked up again.

Mo Xuetong looked at the handsome face in front of her in shock. She'd met him before. Mo Xuetong was once again mesmerized by his appearance. She could barely breath.

His eyes sparkled like diamonds. His elegant posture and the way his long, narrow eyes rose slightly gave him an air of gentleness and intense emotion. She couldn't help blushing, her heart beating wildly. Any woman would drown in those eyes. His long black hair was held up by a wooden pin, falling loosely over his shoulders, but he still looked noble and distinguished.

"What is it? Do you think that I'm handsome? My offer from last time still stands. You're quite lovely." he said with a low laugh. "You're not pretending to be a maid now? You're not afraid that your mistress will come?" He deliberately drew out the word "mistress", looking at her with a vague smirk. He didn't seem to mind that she'd shrugged off her hand.

So he'd known she wasn't really a maid from the start.

Mo Xuetong knew that he was talking about the alley in front of the inn. She backed away and curtsied politely while her mind spun quickly.

When they'd met in the secret passage, she'd noticed he didn't look like he was from Cloud City, but she hadn't expected to meet him again. Even in plain clothing, he would have looked noble. He was still dressed in the flamboyant purple robe, but only the intricate embroidery at his collar and sleeves spoke to his true wealth. But now she also knew he was involved in the secrets she'd come here to investigate.

This man wasn't just noble, he was very dangerous. If she did not want to get burnt, then she should stay as far away from him as possible. His eyes seemed full of emotion, but his hands were cold. Everything in his eyes was hidden deep in the dark.

"Sir, why are you here?" Mo Xuetong backed away, her back pressing against the door. She wanted to put a distance between them. Carefully, she took the sheet of paper from her sleeves and handed it to him.

The man seemed surprised by Mo Xuetong's reaction. There was a devilish smile on his handsome face. He didn't reach out to accept the piece of paper. Instead, he took the hairpin in from her other hand and flipped it in his hands. Rather than returning it, he slipped it into his own sleeve.

"I'll take that as payment for lying to me last time we met."

"Sir, look..." Mo Xuetong did not care about a single hairpin. None of the accessories she'd brought with her bore her seal. Shed asked Mother Xu to buy them from the shops last night. The're was no way to trace them back to her. She lifted the paper in her hands again, gesturing for the man to focus on it.

"You're a delicate child sequestered inside your family's estate. What kind of danger do you expect to encounter? Do you need secret guards for matters of the inner courtyards?" He finally asked, reaching out to accept the piece of paper. He gave the paper a casual wave, not even bothering to read it.

Mo Xuetong did not dare to let her guards down. A person like this had come to meet her in the dead of night. That alone was suspicious. Besides, she didn't know where the sheet of paper she had came from either. Why did this sheet of paper allow her to ask for two highly trained secret guards? And what was involved in this matter?

This man seemed to have a lot of questions, and he could ruin everything if he didn't like her answers. She needed those helpers.

"Sir, how do you know there is not any danger in the inner courtyards? Those in the inner courtyards are even better at hiding their scheming than the front courtyard. It is easy to avoid direct attacks, but hard to defend against hidden swords," Mo Xuetong said coldly, gritting her teeth. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes. Her mother had been such a good person, but she'd died in the struggles of the inner courtyard.

"Oh, so you're saying that the situation inside the inner courtyard of Mo Manor is even more exciting than the killings between men?" the man asked with a smile, a hint of laughter flashing in his eyes.

"Sir, I came today for the secret guards. Is the item I brought correct?" Mo Xuetong reminded him. She wanted nothing to do with this strange and dangerous man.

"It is not wrong. If someone else had come, I would have allowed them to take two of the guards as long as I saw the sheet of paper. But if it's you..." The handsome man stroked his chin playfully. "Third Miss Mo, Mo Xuetong, is it? I am willing to make a gesture of goodwill towards you again."

Mo Xuetong bit her lip.

"I don't know what sir means..."

She was not surprised that someone like him would know her identity.

The man stepped towards her, breath warm against her ear.

"If you are willing to become my maid, I won't just give you two secret guards. I'll give you a team of them. How about it?"

"Sir, please respect yourself." Mo Xuetong lowered her head and looked down. Her expression was cold and distant. "I came only for the two secret guards."

"What are you so nervous about? I won't eat you up. If you're not willing, I won't force you into anything. If you extended your sharp fangs and claws, I'd be the one on the losing end."

The steady breaths moved away from her slightly, and she heaved a sigh of relief. Still, she didnt understand why he would say that.

The man in purple clapped his hands lightly, and a man and a woman immediately stepped into the hall. They went up to the man in purple and knelt down...

"The woman will be called Mo Ye and the man, Mo Feng. One of them will guard you by your side, the other in secret. Will this do?"

Mo Xuetong finally heaved a sigh of relief.

“Thank you, sir.” The matter had been resolved successfully.

"Go and greet your new lady. She will be your mistress from now on."

The two stepped forward, then knelt on one knee in front of Mo Xuetong

"Greetings, mistress."

Mo Feng was a young man in his twenties. He had a sharp gaze and a body toned for fighting. Mo Ye looked like a weak and gentle woman, beautiful and harmless. Looking at her, no one would guess she knew any martial arts at all.

Mo Xuetong reached out and gestured for them to stand, then turned to the man in purple and said.

"Many thanks for your help, Sir. I am in your debt."

"As long as you are willing, there will be opportunities for you to repay this in the future."

Mo Xuetong was a little annoyed at how casually he spoke to her, but she hid it.

"If there is nothing else, I'll leave first."

"Don't be in such a hurry!" The man's denouement grew more serious. There was a light dancing in his eyes. He waved his hand and Mo Feng and Mo Ye disappeared. "Third Young Miss Mo, I trust that our conversation earlier will not spread. Right?"

"Yes. I have never seen you and have never spoken with you," Mo Xuetong answered steadily.

"Go!" He waved his hand and gestured for her to leave, making no effort to stop her this time.

Mo Xuetong walked out of the door. She was covered in cold sweat. Mo Ye was waiting at the door. She went up to help Mo Xuetong and the two started on the path back.

A guard emerged from the shadows from deep inside the hall.

"Your Highness, there were a few people who barged in earlier and are circling around where you're staying. They are hiding under the large tree outside your room. What should we do?" he asked respectfully.

The man in the purple robes raised his handsome brows.

"They're here again! Since they're here, lead them on a nice long walk and have them admire the night scenery of the Repayment Temple," he said lazily. His face was filled with a cold, sinister aura. The faint mocking look in his eyes shone under the light.

"Yes, I'll get people to lead them in circles."

"The night is looking good. Take them on a few extra."

"Yes sir."