Slender willows sway in the breeze

Chapter 8: Drug Residue
Steward Zhou: "...What the Third Miss says is true. We will definitely send the indentures for the two of them tomorrow."

Liu Sijun: "That's excellent."

After Butler Zhou left, Liu Sijun remained lying there lazily, neither instructing them to do any work nor letting them leave.

Xiaolian and Xiaocui exchanged several glances secretly.

Finally, with a "thump," he knelt down.

"Third Miss, now that we have come to Qingqiu Courtyard, we are now members of Qingqiu Courtyard. Please give us new names."

The rules of wealthy families.

When a maidservant changes masters, she must be given a new name, as this symbolizes a change in status. Although Liu Sijun doesn't believe in this, she can't do without it.

It's smart of them to bring it up now.

"You should remember your birth dates and times and tell me so I can take a look."

Xiao Lian: "This servant was born in the year of Bing Shen, the month of Jia Yin, and the hour of Chou."

Xiao Cui: "This servant was born in the year of Xin Chou, the month of Yi Chou, and the hour of Hai."

Bing (丙) belongs to the Fire element, Shen (申) represents the Monkey, and the person's destiny lacks Wood. Xin (辛) belongs to the Earth element, Chou (丑) represents the Ox. In the theory of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, Xin belongs to Yin Metal, and Chou belongs to Yin Earth, which is the relationship of Earth generating Metal.

Liu Sijun pointed at Xiaolian: "Your name will be Zhuliu."

"As for you, I will call you Cong'an."

The two kowtowed: "Zhu Liu, Cong An thanks the Third Miss for bestowing this name upon us."

Liu Sijun waved his hand, signaling the two to leave.

But Zhu Liu stood there without moving.

"If you have something to say, just say it!"

"Yes." Zhu Liu curtsied and said, "Before noon, Steward Zhou took us to Liushuang Courtyard. While waiting, I overheard some things that may be helpful to you, Miss."

Liu Sijun nodded, signaling her to continue.

"This time, the old man went out not only to take the disciples of the clan to participate in the selection competition held by Yaohua Palace, but also to win the qualification for the Liu family to go to the Frozen Domain for training. However, the Liu family only has two spots."

The Frosty Domain is located to the north of the Great Yu Kingdom, surrounded by the Wind and Thunder Kingdom and the Holy Profound Kingdom.

Every year on the tenth day of the ninth lunar month, cultivation sects and aristocratic families from various countries send their outstanding disciples to the Frozen Domain for training.

Not only these three countries, but also several smaller countries further away would send people.

It's a feast for the younger generation.

Young cultivators consider it an honor to participate in the trials of the Frozen Domain.

Through this experience, outstanding disciples will be selected to join the sect, where they will have a bright future.

Liu Sijun slowly sat up.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Liu learned such important news in just half a day at Liushuang Courtyard.

"I understand. You did a great job. I won't make any other promises to you, but as long as you don't betray me, I will always be your support."

Zhu Liu's heart skipped a beat: "This servant understands, thank you, young lady."

The Liu family has three branches, with a total of eleven children. The first branch has two, the second branch has five, and the third branch has four. Among them, the most outstanding is Liu Siqin.

However, Liu Mingyan from the second wife's family has already reached the ninth level of Qi Gathering, and is only one step away from Foundation Establishment.

The master said that Liu Mingyan has exceptional talent.

However, since the Second Master was born out of wedlock and had limited resources, it was already quite remarkable that he was able to get to this point through his own abilities.

Liu Siqin will definitely go, and the other most likely candidate is Liu Mingyan.

She is going.

The only option is to steal it.

...Under the bright moonlight, Liu Sijun arrived at the Qin family's residence without a sound.

The Qin family had a guard at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage. After passing the guard, they found Qin Suwei's room.

"You finally came."

They had already exchanged messages during the day, so Qin Suwei spent the entire afternoon catching up on sleep, just to wait for Liu Sijun to arrive.

Liu Sijun casually set up a barrier before asking, "After you returned from Wuji Tower, have your parents shown any unusual behavior?"

"Yes, I took a bath tonight. My mother gave me a different kind of herbal bath."

Qin Suwei said, "I secretly left some dregs of the medicine. After leaving Wuji Tower this morning, I went to the pharmacy to see the alchemist. He said that this prescription is to help women refine their skin and does not cause any other harm. But I still feel that there is a problem!"

“I also kept the dregs from the medicine at night.”

Liu Sijun took the handkerchief Qin Suwei handed him and asked the question that had been bothering him: "Miss Qin, when you went out with your parents last night, didn't your family's guard notice you?"

Qin Suwei nodded: "Yes."

“I cultivated under his guidance. Strictly speaking, he is my master, but I didn’t formally become his disciple.”

"Can you be sure he didn't tell your parents about last night?"

"will not."

Qin Suwei replied decisively.

"I have another question. Since you trust him so much, why don't you ask him for help instead of going to Wuji Tower?"

Not everyone can produce three hundred high-grade crystals at once.

Even someone as favored as Liu Siqin couldn't afford it.

She was actually willing to go to such great lengths to seek help from Wuji Tower.

Most importantly, all of this is just Qin Suwei's speculation. What if it's a misunderstanding?
Little did Liu Sijun know that Qin Suwei had never paid such a huge reward.

That's why this misunderstanding occurred.

"Miss Jun, this is my private matter, and I don't want to go into details with you. You just need to find out what my parents did last night, what the medicinal herbs they used to bathe me were, and what their purpose was. Also, you are not allowed to harm them!"

"I have no intention of prying into Miss Qin's privacy; I am merely ruling out some possibilities."

Liu Sijun said, "Since you are so sure, I won't ask any more questions. I will find out as soon as possible and will keep you informed if there are any problems."

Based on the clues provided by Qin Suwei, Liu Sijun first went to the courtyard of Qin's parents. As midnight approached, only the sound of even breathing could be heard in the bedroom. The two then went to Qin's father's study.

Qin Suwei often came to the study. Once, she clearly heard a sound coming from inside the study, but she did not see her father.

The study was indeed equipped with a formation, but Qin Suwei frequently entered and exited the study and was very familiar with it, so she concluded that there were other mechanisms in her father's study.

Liu Sijun searched carefully, his every move methodical. After a quarter of an hour, he found a mechanism, which, when turned, revealed a secret room.

It's not big; it can only fit a desk and a few people.

There were several unsigned letters on the desk, all written in coded language. In the drawer, there was a palm-sized square box, which appeared to be made of red bamboo.

Red bamboo is tough, resistant to insects and ants, and can be stored for a long time, making it a commonly used material for making niche boxes.

The box wasn't locked, but it was protected by a restriction.

This restriction was not difficult for Liu Sijun. She closed her eyes, made a hand seal, and five-colored spirits swirled around her fingertips.

"Clap."

It's the sound of the restriction being lifted, very similar to the sound of a lock being opened.

Surprisingly, what was inside was not some rare treasure, but a very simple piece of paper. However, the contents of the paper made Liu Sijun's eyes darken. No wonder the Qin family elders were like this.

She used a talisman to make a copy, restored the paper, and left the study.

It was exactly midnight. Following the directions provided by Qin Suwei, Liu Sijun quickly left the city. With her cultivation level, she arrived at the barrier Qin Suwei had mentioned in about a quarter of an hour.

(End of this chapter)