Heroine, don't turn back, I'm just a farmer.

"This Lady Snow..."

Once they were some distance apart, Lu Guo found a place to sit down, his mind still replaying the brief exchange he had just had.

From being discovered to escaping, only a few breaths passed, but in those few breaths, with the master thief's understanding of movement techniques, he was able to confirm one thing—Liu Shi, also known as Madam Xue, was definitely more skilled than the swordsman.

That grab to the back of her neck was so fast and accurate, it was beyond the level of an ordinary martial artist. What was even more terrifying was that she used only one hand throughout the entire move.

"If she wants to pursue me, I might not be able to escape."

Why didn't she pursue him?

Lu Guo recalled that Lady Liu, or more precisely, Lady Xue, and the image of her standing by the window appeared in his mind, along with the gesture of touching her lips with her finger and then waving it out—

What does that mean?

Thinking it over, he examined each of the clues he had gathered that night:

Stealth operation successful, no alarms triggered.

[Information obtained: Ming Suxue's true identity.]

[Information obtained: Clues to the Wuji Demonic Sect.]

[Information obtained: Qin Sanlang and Ming Suxue's exploitative relationship.]

[Information obtained: The truth behind the Hidden Blade of Heaven.]

[The progress of the quest "Investigate Lady Liu's True Nature" has been updated.]

"Good heavens..."

The amount of information overheard that night was enormous.

First of all, Madam Liu is Ming Suxue, also known as Madam Xue. She has something called the "Tianluo Scripture". She was responsible for Shen Wansan's death. The two used each other, but in the end, she struck first.

Shen Wansan's real name was Shen Henian. He was the junior brother of his master, Tiandao, and Tiandao's secret was inextricably linked to him.

Not a distant uncle, but a senior martial uncle.

Secondly, the relic sounds like a treasure that Qin Sanlang wants—Ming Suxue wants it too, and the Demonic Sect and Tianluoxiang want it even more. Of course, it's also possible that the relic and those two cultivation techniques complement each other.

Third, a picture, this picture is at Jingmiao Nunnery.

Finally, the ultimate reward from this serendipitous encounter will most likely be the two cultivation techniques, the "Heavenly Net Scripture" and the "Heavenly Demon Scripture," which are fought over by several factions.

This tutorial is actually quite well-structured.

What should I do now?

Judging from Madam Snow's gesture, she knew from the beginning that someone was watching her, and it's even possible that she deliberately left the window open for him to see.

This speculation sent a chill down Lu Guo's spine.

If she had noticed earlier, she would have known every step of the entire spying process, from sneaking in and spying to her blowing out the candle, changing clothes, and opening the window to check... She just didn't expose her.

Let him know about Qin Sanlang.

Let him overhear their conversation.

Let him get away unscathed.

Why?

"Because she wanted me to see these things?"

If that's the case, then he wasn't spying on the other party tonight.

It was that Lady Xue who was spying on me.

Lu Guo rubbed his temples. This Madam Xue's identity was far more complicated than he had imagined.

We need to test the waters first.

Instead of returning to Yuelai Inn, he randomly found another inn and also obtained paper and ink.

Based on what I had heard before, I wrote a letter.

However, he didn't rush to send the message. During the day, he first wandered around the city, found a suitable location, and whiled away the time until night. After checking that he was in good condition, he then sneaked into the night and entered Qingluo Manor.

As before, he bypassed the servants in the manor and sneaked into the Buddhist hall, gently knocking on the door.

"Who?"

The sounds in the room were not sleepy; the tone was languid.

"Someone asked me to deliver a letter to the lady."

silence.

Three breaths.

Five breaths.

A cold, clear voice came from inside the room again.

"What letter?"

"I don't know, they just sent me to deliver the message."

As he spoke, Lu Guo slipped the letter through the crack in the door.

This time the silence lasted even longer.

Lady Snow seemed to have finished reading the letter.

She placed the letter on the table very quietly, then looked up and gazed towards the door.

"What did the messenger look like?"

Her voice remained calm as she asked.

"Reporting to Madam, it was... a man dressed in black, quite thin, speaking with a smile, and didn't look like a respectable person..."

Lu Guo thought for a moment and then answered.

"He doesn't seem like a respectable person." Madam Xue repeated, a slight smile suddenly curving her lips. "Did he say why he didn't come himself?"

"He did," Lu Guo continued. "He said he's not used to dealing with very beautiful women face-to-face, because he's afraid of getting distracted."

Madam Xue smiled—though the curve of her lips was not large, she was indeed smiling.

"I will keep my promise."

……

Night was falling.

Lu Guo arrived at an abandoned house in the south of the city half an hour early. He had already scouted the area during the day. After entering the house, he chose a secluded rooftop to hide on.

From his vantage point, he could overlook the entire courtyard, with a wide-open view. The moonlight shone perfectly on the open ground in front of the house, making it impossible for anyone to hide. He wanted to see just how many people would come tonight.

The moonlight moved slowly, and the shadows of the stone lions in the courtyard shifted from east to west.

At midnight, a white figure appeared on the courtyard wall.

It is Lady Snow.

She changed her clothes—not the plain white undergarment she wore before, but a moon-white, narrow-sleeved outfit, with a matching shawl over it, and a silver sash tied around her waist. This outfit was both practical and feminine, clearly carefully chosen.

It didn't feel like stepping into a crisis; it felt more like going on a date.

She walked slowly, each step light and silent, her gaze casually sweeping across the courtyard—rooftops, windowsills, behind doors, tree canopies—her right hand hanging naturally at her side, her sleeve slightly tucked in.

Then, she stopped in the middle of the courtyard.

Look around.

"I'm here." Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly through the night. "Come out."

Lu Guo did not respond.

She waited for ten breaths.

"Since you invited me here, why don't you show up?"

Still silent.

Lady Snow waited a moment longer, then sighed softly.

"Fine."

She turned around, seemingly intending to leave.

Then--

Lu Guo then saw her suddenly look up, her gaze shooting straight at the roof where he was hiding.

"Hey you on the roof, how long are you planning to keep watching?"

"Madam has a good eye."

Seeing that he had been discovered, Lu Guo stopped hiding and jumped off the roof, landing three zhang away from Madam Xue. When he landed, his knees were slightly bent to dissipate the force, and he was almost silent.

"I wouldn't call it keen observation," Madam Xue said calmly. "It's just that the place where you're hiding happens to be in the direction I usually observe. The wind is blowing differently tonight, and your scent is drifting over here."

odor.

Lu Guo felt a chill run down his spine and quickly realized what was happening.

He had washed himself before coming, so he probably still smelled of sandalwood from the inn's rooms.

That cheap sandalwood wasn't made from pure materials, so it had a strong scent. But in this small courtyard, there was only the smell of grass, trees, and earth. That little bit of sandalwood scent could indeed be caught when the wind was blowing down.

But this requires an extremely keen sense of smell and a conscious habit of "smelling," which a pampered landowner's wife would not have.

Only those who live in special environments year-round can develop the ability to "smell and distinguish" into an instinct.

"Madam, you have quite the skills," Lu Guo said. "It seems the rumors in the martial arts world are true."

"What rumor?"

"Heavenly Fragrance".

He uttered those three words while staring intently into Madam Xue's eyes.

Madam Xue did not evade the question.

The pupils did not even contract.

She merely tilted her head slightly to look at him, as if examining an object that piqued her interest.

"Since you know this name, you should know one thing."

"What is it?"

"You're very smart," she said, "but you made a mistake."

"What's wrong?"

"You shouldn't be the only one asking me these questions."

The moment the words left his mouth, the hairs on the back of Lu Guo's neck suddenly stood on end.

There was wind on the roof behind me.

But it's not natural wind—it's the wind created by people moving at high speed on the roof tiles.

More than one person.

He suddenly placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword and used his left hand to block Madam Xue.

"Don't be nervous," she said calmly. "They're not my people."

"Who is that?"

"The Boundless Demonic Sect," Madam Xue said calmly. "While you were gathering information during the day, you were probably being watched. Do you think they really wouldn't recognize you?"

"There are four people: one on the roof of the east wing, two behind the screen wall on the south side, and one—" She tilted her head, "directly behind your head."

Before he finished speaking, Lu Guo had already drawn his sword and leaped backward with a light touch of his toes.

At the same time, the roof exploded.

Tiles, splinters of wood, and dust rained down on him. A dark figure shot down from the roof, a long blade in his hand flashing coldly in the moonlight, aimed straight for his throat.