It was quiet in the middle of the night.

Gu Yunxi waited until her roommate Lan Xin fell asleep. She changed into the night suit agilely and then walked out of the side room, being masked with a black veil.

The gate of Chuxiu Palace had been locked up, but Gu Yunxi couldn't be troubled. She tiptoed and jumped onto the wall. Curling up, she carefully studied her surroundings with her bright eyes.

A shadow quivered behind a cypress tree by the palace road, seeming to have spotted Gu Yunxi. It took two steps ahead from behind the trunk and squealed drily like a cat strangled by its neck.

A shudder ran down Gu Yunxi's back as she frowned helplessly.

Was that the signal the Master told her earlier? Was that supposed to be a meow? Sounding like nails scratching on the wall, it was harsh on one's ears.

Jumping off the wall, Gu Yunxi ran to the shadow and whispered hoarsely,

"Master."

It was Leng Qingtang indeed, who was also masked and dressed in the night suit. His delicate eyes were naked, squinting and smiling.

Seeing her approaching, he praised her,

"Good. Your kung fu has improved, and the spinning movement just now was perfect."

Gu Yunxi's eyes moved with delight,

"Your meows are horrible!"

Leng Qingtang disagreed,

"Really? I do understand. So a cat meowing in heat could sound so terrifying."

Embarrassed, Gu Yunxi flushed under the mask and rolled her eyes up in protest.

Leng Qingtang stopped teasing her and sobered down,

"Girl, we'll leave now. Can you keep up with me?"

Gu Yunxi smiled and said proudly, "Of course..."

Before she could finish, he had vanished from before her eyes, leaving a fragrant breeze.

"Tsk!"

Gu Yunxi looked in Leng Qingtang's direction and smiled. She pivoted up and ran on the ridge of the palace wall.

The black sky was lit by stars. Under the full moon, two swift shadows dashed and leaped. From time to time, they overlapped to fight playfully. In a single file, they jumped over roofs and walls and soon disappeared among the high-rise buildings. Finally, the two arrived at a large courtyard built with black bricks and tiles where a carriage parked.

"Girl, your martial arts have really improved much."

Leng Qingtang made his judgment from the small fights just now. Now he sincerely admired her, and his eyes shone with brilliance.

Gu Yunxi didn't say anything. After all, she inherited part of the internal strength of the masked man from Mount Yin, which she didn't want to mention to Leng Qingtang. Looking at the courtyard, she asked in a low voice,

"Master, what is this place?"

"Song's Mansion."

While speaking, Leng Qingtang led Gu Yunxi down the roof. They squatted by the wall of a room.

Suddenly pushed on the back, Gu Yunxi supported herself on the ground with both hands, half-lying. Frowned, she turned her head to look behind, only to meet the Master's smiling eyes.

He was right behind her, leaning lower over her back. His arms were wrapped around her waist, and his hands were climbing up restlessly.

The posture seemed awkward.

Gu Yunxi blushed and hurriedly turned her head.

She didn't know where Master had taken her so that she dared not to protest. Instead, she pinched the back of his hand.

She couldn't see the Master's expression but felt his slender palm twitch and retract away from her waist.

Then his soft voice went through his mask and kissed her ear,

"Hush... Don't be naughty. Listen carefully."

"..."

Aggrieved, Gu Yunxi couldn't tell if she should laugh or cry.

Incredible! Was she naughty or he?

Anyway, they had business to do. She would settle accounts with the foxy man later.

Gu Yunxi calmed down and listened carefully to the dialogue behind the wall.

Through the window paper, she could see the room was brightly lit and full of people.

A wavery old person's voice sounded. He seemed in fear,

"I... I have done what you said. Now Concubine Yu's child has been aborted. Please let my family go."

A middle-aged man spoke with a clear voice that sounded familiar to Gu Yunxi,

"There is one more thing to be done. I have left the stuff on the table. You shall arrange for your people to put it into the 38 wells in the capital as soon as possible. Once the plague is gone, you can reunite with your family."

Horrified and enraged, Gu Yunxi tried to bounce up and was immediately suppressed by Leng Qingtang.

She soon realized the recklessness of her action and turned her head to look at the Master in shame.

Leng Qingtang's eyes remained calm. He shook his head silently and stroke her shoulder to soothe her.

Suddenly, a shadow flashed through the window above their heads. Sharp-eyed, Leng Qingtang pulled Gu Yunxi to avoid the window. Then they jumped back onto the roof, lying on the belly and looking down.

Before long, the door opened and one person left the room.

Spotting the sapphire robe and the black hat, Gu Yunxi was surprised,

"Could it be him?"

Leng Qingtang urged, "Keep up."

Gu Yunxi nodded and walked with him on the roof. When they were out of the strange courtyard, they saw the carriage heading southwest.

The two quietly followed the carriage. It went to Yuyan Ridge in the southwest of the capital. From a distance, they saw a dilapidated pagoda towering under the stars.

The carriage stopped fifty meters away to let the man in the sapphire robe get off. He walked to the door of the broken tower and looked around cautiously.

When he was about to reach out and push the door, wind chimes sounded and alarmed the night birds which flapped their wings and flew away. The man closed his eyes to recompose himself and then opened the unlatched door. He entered the tower and then fastened the door behind him.

Leng Qingtang and Gu Yunxi hid behind a sturdy tree trunk and watched. Seeing the carriage driver was still there, they dared not to rush forward.

Within half an hour, the man reemerged from the tower and left on the carriage.

"Master, I have seen that man. He is an eighth-ranked civil servant in the Palace. But I don't know where he serves."

Gu Yunxi pulled down the black veil from her face. She couldn't wait to tell Leng Qingtang about that day when she returned from the Imperial Ceremonial Service and met that man.

"He has a very special fragrance, like..."

Confused and distressed, Gu Yunxi lowered her head to ponder, not knowing what analogy to use.

Leng Qingtang hinted, "Is it the same smell as that of High Priest? The smell of sandalwood?"

Gu Yunxi's eyes opened wide with sudden realization. She waved her hands in excitement,

"Right. It's sandalwood. In that case, the courtyard you just took me to belongs to Observatory Director Song. He was threatened to deceive the Emperor, saying that Yunyao's baby was demonic!"

She clenched her fists furiously.

Leng Qingtang nodded, "It was the person I investigated in Peng County. Unfortunately, he escaped. His master's name is Lei Huan whom High Priest Yu Xuanji has been looking for."

"Lei Huan..."

Gu Yunxi's eyes widened at his words but soon returned to normal.

High Priest was also looking for Lei Huan. Was he after the Kunhuang Island map?

"What? Do you know Lei Huan?"

Holding his hands behind his back, Leng Qingtang stared at her pale face and asked slowly.

"No, I don't know..."

Gu Yunxi answered cautiously, lowering her eyes to dodge the Master.

Leng Qingtang uttered no word. He stood before her with calm and cold eyes. After a while, he turned around and said,

"Let's go back."

"Let's go inside the tower and have a look." Gu Yunxi suddenly suggested.

Leng Qingtang objected, "I'm afraid there are traps and mechanisms. Our time is running out. We'll leave for the day."

They left fast using the technique of levitation and parted their ways. Leng Qingtang instructed Gu Yunxi not to act rashly before going to the Eastern Depot.

Gu Yunxi had to return to the Palace alone. As soon as she reached the top of the Pavilion of Good Omens, she sensed hostility. She looked closely and was welcomed by a hard kick.

Gu Yunxi raised her elbows to block it and the attacker was thus ejected feet away.

The attacker didn't give up. He swiveled in the air and slashed his hand at Gu Yunxi. Gu Yunxi hit back with all her strength. They fought fiercely in the air until they landed.

"You are not His Highness!"

Meters apart, Gu Yunxi could clearly see the mysterious iron mask and the black cloak. But his slender figure instantly exposed him.

"Humph. Of course, I'm not him."

When he spoke, his voice was the same as that of the masked man. He saw Gu Yunxi was stunned and then he changed his words,

"It's not me that you should worry about, but yourself."

At this time, his accent turned into that of Gu Yunxi.

Gu Yunxi's face paled in an instant. She shouted,

"Who are you? Enough with the games! You are just imitating other people's voices!"

The man raised his arm and threw something. Gu Yunxi caught it and found it was an exquisite rouge box.

It was Hanfu Powder of one month’s fixed amount. He was sent by His Highness!

Gu Yunxi put the box away and looked at him coldly.

The person smirked with chilling eyes piercing through the mask's eyehole. Full of ferocious resentments, he threatened,

"He wants me to remind you that 'Gu Yunxi' is dead and you are 'Tu Muxue' today. If you are still thinking about the past, he doesn't mind bringing 'Gu Yunxi' back to life again."

Gu Yunxi was startled by those emotionless eyes. With her heart frozen in fear, she forgot to breathe or speak.

Before she could come to her senses, the man in black flew into the sky and disappeared with a few agile jumps.

...

In the imperial mausoleum of Mount Yin, a slap sounded in the stone room.

The masked man was wearing a black robe. In great anger, he hit the woman in black. Her slender body was thrown against the wall, and she coughed out blood when she fell on the ground.

The woman managed to stand up with no fear but a stubborn sneer on her face. Nonetheless, tears mounted in her clear eyes.

"You are clearly mad with me. Why don't you just slap my face? Just because it's her face, you can't bear to hurt it the slightest bit, right?"

The masked man was infuriated. His facial features hidden under the mysterious iron mask twitched as he roared,

"Who told you to steal my mask and Hanfu Powder to meet her without my authorization? Do you know that if Leng Qingtang finds you, my whole plan will fall short!"

The woman straightened her back to retort,

"Tu Muxue betrayed you a long time ago! Her heart belongs to the Eastern Depot Master and she has never cared for you at all! But I... I..."

"Shut up!"

Without hesitation, the masked man kicked the woman away like a ball. He pointed at her and announced gloomily,

"Learn your place. You are nothing but a living vessel. Don't ever have improper desires. Take good care of this face. If you dare to damage it a little bit, I will make you wish for a quick death!"