In the courtyard, Bailong sat calmly, a tea set before him. A silver teapot simmered slowly on a small red clay stove, as if he were enjoying tea with a few friends around a warm fire.

Baoho, wearing a wooden monkey mask, sat cross-legged on the ground nearby, meticulously making a kite, a sight that looked somewhat comical.

But Lady Lu would not find it comical.

The names of the Twelve Zodiacs of the Miedie Si were like twelve towering mountains. The shadows cast by these mountains alone were enough to suffocate the people of the jianghu.

To be targeted by Yang and Tu meant one wouldn’t dare to close their eyes even when sleeping. Falling into the hands of Mengji meant all secrets would be thoroughly extracted. Baoho seized people’s faces, his moods unpredictable. Those on Xuan She’s list, even if they hid at the ends of the earth, would be captured and brought back to Zhaoyu…

Yet, all these people combined were no match for two words.

Bailong.

At this moment, steam rose from the teacup on the stone table, and the aroma of tea wafted and lingered under the gray tiled eaves.

Bailong still had the gesture of pushing the teacup, and Lady Lu still maintained the posture she had taken when she first emerged from the secret passage. When Baoho turned to look at them, he almost thought the world had stopped.

A high-pitched voice from under the wooden monkey mask said, “Who is this woman? She’s not on the Yingtuminglu of the Jiefanlou. I’m certain.”

A hoarse voice said, “Never mind her, hurry up and finish that paper kite. Otherwise, that boy will start crying again, and his crying gives me a headache.”

A high-pitched voice complained, “Doesn’t it also give me a headache?”

“Me too!”

“Me too!”

It was as if several noisy spirits were hidden beneath that wooden monkey mask; if it were removed, they would all be unleashed to wreak havoc upon the world.

Hearing the clamor, Bailong casually said, “Enough.”

The voices from under the wooden monkey mask instantly vanished, leaving only Baoho dutifully making the kite.

Bailong looked at Lady Lu and said with a smile, “Pardon me, I’m making a fool of myself.”

Lady Lu remained silent, still poised to strike at any moment.

Bailong paid no attention to her wariness and showed no signs of defensiveness. “Shall your friends in the secret passage come out? There’s no turning back anyway.”

Lady Lu pondered for a moment, then moved aside from the secret passage, allowing Hu Sanye, carrying Shisan, to leap out of the tunnel.

Bailong pointed to the table opposite them and politely said, “Please, sit and have some tea.”

Hu Sanye looked at Lady Lu. Lady Lu remained silent for two breaths, then actually sat down across from him. “Lord Bailong has quite the elegant taste. Outside, the world is being turned upside down by killings, yet you find the leisure to hide here and drink tea.”

Bailong gestured to the two cups of tea on the table and teased, “Do I need to taste-test for poison?”

Lady Lu picked up a teacup and brought it to her lips. Hu Sanye warned her to be careful, but she calmly drank it all. “No need. Though jianghu rumors say Bailong is malicious and ruthless, I’ve never heard of Bailong poisoning anyone. Because when Bailong kills, there’s no need for poison.”

Bailong praised, “What courage. I was worried this excellent Yuqian Longjing tea would go to waste. Enough small talk. I specifically came here today just to ask you two a few questions.”

Lady Lu put down her teacup. “What does Lord Bailong wish to ask?”

Bailong picked up the teapot and refilled Lady Lu’s cup halfway. “My first question, I’d like to ask why you two are helping Chen Ji? This question is very important. If the answer is not satisfactory, you two might die here today.”

Hu Sanye sneered, “With a single understated sentence, you decide people’s lives and deaths. The Miedie Si truly has immense power.”

Bailong hummed, “That is the Miedie Si.”

Lady Lu’s expression remained unchanged as she drank the second cup of tea. “Is Lord Bailong so certain he can keep our lives here? I doubt it.”

The moment her words fell, Baoho, who had been focused on making the kite, suddenly looked up.

From beneath that wooden monkey mask, an unknown number of voices layered together—women’s, men’s, hoarse, high-pitched—all mixed indistinguishably, as if gods and demons coexisted, and heaven and earth resonated:

“Presumptuous!”

With these two words, even the tiles on the roof trembled, showering down dust.

Lady Lu and Hu Sanye’s pupils contracted slightly, but Bailong was completely unaffected, picking up the teapot to pour another cup of tea for Lady Lu.

He said with interest, “Shall we try?”

The roar of gods and demons erupted again from under Baoho’s mask, “Shall we try!”

The courtyard fell into silence, the qi between them pulling so tightly that the air seemed to freeze into ice shards. Lady Lu picked up her teacup, took a sip nonchalantly, and calmly said, “Lord Bailong came here specifically, surely not just to fight with me. Instead of posturing and threatening, why don’t you tell us what you truly want?”

Bailong laughed heartily, “I ask with sincerity, you only need to answer with sincerity.”

Lady Lu tapped her fingers on the table. “Pour tea.”

“What courage, truly a heroine among women,” Bailong praised, lifting his left sleeve and picking up the teapot with his right hand to refill her cup. “It seems you are thirsty.”

Lady Lu drank the tea for the third time and answered the first question. “Chen Ji was framed by the Crown Prince. As his friend, I naturally must help clear his name.”

Bailong placed the teapot back on the small red clay stove. “Friends, jianghu, truly wonderful.”

Lady Lu said nonchalantly, “Lord Bailong probably has no friends.”

Bailong shook his head, pointing at Baoho on the ground. “I have a friend, it’s just that this friend is a bit simple-minded.”

From beneath the wooden monkey mask, a high-pitched voice exclaimed in surprise, “He says we’re his friends, heh…”

The woman said, “He must be talking about me, not you all.”

“He’s talking about me!”

“It’s me!”

A hoarse voice said solemnly, “Don’t believe him. Who beats their friends every day?”

“But he doesn’t beat us now.”

Baoho angrily said, “You all shut up first!”

Bailong helplessly looked at Lady Lu. “My second question…”

Lady Lu and Hu Sanye instinctively exchanged glances. This time, it was their turn to be confused.

They had originally thought Bailong was here to question them about Chen Ji, but they never expected Bailong to simply move past the matter after receiving an answer.

Strange, did Bailong not want to capture Chen Ji in the first place?

They were not privy to the inner workings, so they were somewhat bewildered.

Bailong said with a smile, “My second question, I wonder if Deng Huo is willing to submit to my Miedie Si?”

Lady Lu calmly said, “What Deng Huo?”

Bailong pointed to the secret passage. “My Miedie Si knows more than you two imagine, such as this secret passage.”

He then pointed to Hu Sanye. “And for example, this rebellious son of the Hu family, Hu Junyuan, and also the Longmen Kezhan… Deng Huo has never been much of a secret, even the Caobang knows about you all, and my Miedie Si is not foolish. It’s just that you all were solely dedicated to redressing General Wentao’s grievances, and the Prime Minister appreciated your sincere hearts as ambitious individuals, so he simply didn’t bother with you.”

Bailong tapped on the table. “You two, you must also be aware that the framing of General Wentao had nothing to do with my Miedie Si. It was the Chen family colluding with Jing Dynasty spies. Therefore, there is no blood feud between us.”

Lady Lu and Hu Sanye couldn’t help but exchange glances again. The Miedie Si knew too much, even about their intention to redress Qing Wentao’s grievances. There must be an extremely important figure within Deng Huo who had sided with the eunuch faction.

But what was strange was that the Poison Prime Minister in the Jiefanlou had genuinely ignored them for all these years.

Why?

The answer was definitely not as simple as Bailong had stated.

Bailong continued to praise, “Deng Huo has done many things over the years, transporting grain and supplies for the border army, opening up trade routes between the Western Regions and the Jing Dynasty… Impressive. Things that even the Miedie Si couldn’t do, you all accomplished.”

Lady Lu asked in a low voice, “What does the Miedie Si want?”

Bailong corrected her, “It’s not what the Miedie Si wants to do, but what I want to do. You all should know that the Jing Dynasty’s Junqing Si has been infiltrating our dynasty. Among their spies, there are many in high positions, and also many ordinary merchants and porters. But the Miedie agents we sent to the north were always discovered by Lu Jin and killed one by one.”

Lady Lu calmly asked, “What does Lord Bailong want my Deng Huo to do?”

Bailong smiled. “Naturally, I want to use Deng Huo’s hands to infiltrate agents into the north. I already have some suitable candidates here. Deng Huo only needs to mix them into the caravans and take them to the Jing Dynasty. Once in the Jing Dynasty, find them suitable household registrations… just like what you do for wealthy Ning Dynasty merchants and absconding officials.”

Forging household registrations was a delicate task, not something that could be done by simply counterfeiting a similar document. The Jing Dynasty’s household registration system was far stricter than Ning Dynasty’s. One could only find some solitary and destitute individuals and have others impersonate them.

However, this could only infiltrate some isolated rural counties. To infiltrate high positions, even more energy, material resources, and manpower would be required.

Now, with Lu Jin’s strict defense, it was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Lady Lu calmly said, “What will my Deng Huo gain?”

Bailong pondered for a moment and pointed to the secret passage. “Later, Xuan She will emerge from this secret passage. I will kill him. How about you become the next snake among the Twelve Zodiacs? You don’t have to be called Xuan She, you can be called Heishe, Baishe… whatever you like.”

Lady Lu was thoughtful. Bailong could actually offer her a position among the Twelve Zodiacs?

But after much deliberation, she shook her head. “I will not be one of the Twelve Zodiacs.”

Bailong asked curiously, “Why, do you dislike the name?”

Lady Lu raised her eyebrows. Was it about the name?

Why were all the people in the Miedie Si such inexplicable madmen?

She took a deep breath. “Another condition.”

Bailong smiled. “The Twelve Zodiacs that others vie for can’t attract you. Then I’ll think again… How about I open up the trade routes in Annan, Jiaozhi, and Siam in the south for you?”

Lady Lu shook her head. “Not enough.”

Bailong pondered for a long time again. “If you find clues and evidence, how about I help you redress General Wentao’s grievances?”

Lady Lu fell silent.

Bailong tapped on the stone table. “Agree quickly, otherwise I will start killing your Deng Huo people. First the caravans, then those who pick up the leaves, killing them one by one. I’m sure you’ll eventually agree.”

Lady Lu smiled. “Lord Bailong, the household registrations of the spies infiltrating the north all pass through my hands. Aren’t you afraid I’ll betray all the Miedie Si spies?”

Bailong was silent for a moment. “You all are from Guyuan. People from Guyuan, I trust them.”

The courtyard fell into a long silence once more.

Until Baoho suddenly joyfully held up the paper kite. “It’s finished!”

Bailong turned to look, only to see the monkey-shaped paper kite was crooked and lopsided. “Make it again.”

Baoho said “Oh,” crumpled the paper kite, and retrieved new bamboo strips and bamboo paper.

Lady Lu suddenly said, “Deal. The next caravan departs in seven days. Send your Miedie agents to await at Pianyi Fang. No more than three people each time.”

Bailong clapped his hands with delight. “Excellent, excellent! It’s a pity there’s no wine here, otherwise, we should have a good drink!”

Lady Lu stood up. “No need for a good drink. I only drink with friends.”

Bailong laughed loudly. “No matter, no matter. The heroine might discover in the future that being friends with me is a very pleasant experience. Alright, I won’t waste any more time. I still have some Miedie Si internal affairs to handle.”

Lady Lu walked out. “Farewell.”

She pushed open the courtyard door, only to find the outside empty. There were no Miedie agents, nor Jiefan Guards.

Bailong and Baoho came alone, either with absolute confidence in their strength or absolute confidence in people’s hearts.

Lady Lu stood at the courtyard gate. Although she had just escaped danger, she wasn’t in a hurry to leave.

She suddenly turned back to look at Bailong. “I also have a question for Lord Bailong.”

Bailong said nonchalantly, “Please ask.”

Lady Lu looked directly at the dragon-patterned mask. “Why does Lord Bailong want to help Chen Ji?”

Bailong calmly said, “Chen Ji was framed by the Crown Prince. As his friend, I naturally must help clear his name.”

This was Lady Lu’s original answer to Bailong, which Bailong returned to her word for word.

Lady Lu turned and left. “Until we meet again.”