Three thousand taels of silver was no small sum, so Tan Bajhang bargained: “At most, one thousand.”
Master Liu shook his head. “This information is worth three thousand.”
Tan Bajhang slapped his face with a cold laugh. “Better figure out where you stand. Look whose hands you’ve fallen into.”
Su Wan frowned and shot Liu Xiaolou a look, gesturing that she could cover the silver. But Liu Xiaolou shook his head, refusing.
Tigerhead Dragon simply pulled Liu Xiaolou aside and whispered a suggestion. “Just agree for now. Whether we pay or not, that can be decided later.”
Liu Xiaolou explained, “If we agree too quickly, he’ll get suspicious and might hold something back. On the road, there’s a rule: if someone bothers to haggle, that means they’re serious. This Liu may not be a cultivator, but he seems to know the rules.”
Tigerhead hesitated, then nodded. “There’s really such a rule?”
By the time the two returned, Tan Bajhang had already driven the price down to fifteen hundred taels. Liu Xiaolou gave him a slight nod, so Tan Bajhang agreed. “Done. That’s the price.”
The quilt was unrolled, and Master Liu struggled out, then pulled it back over Concubine Li to cover her again. Tigerhead Dragon muttered, “Cold and unprincipled as she is, what’s the point of keeping her around?”
Master Liu chuckled. “Once she gives me a son, she’ll be more than willing.”
Tan Bajhang turned to Su Wan. “The silver. Five hundred up front.”
Su Wan let out a small gasp. She drew a line across her wrist, then produced three gold ingots worth thirty taels, followed by a handful of gold beans and a piece of jade. Altogether it came to about five hundred taels in silver.
Tiger-Head Jiao rushed to offer his own money, but Su Wan firmly refused. Embarrassed, he stuffed his jade pendants back into his robe.
Tan Bajhang tossed the gold onto the quilt. “Talk.”
Master Liu nodded and began. “You should look for Feng Qiu at the manor. She’ll know. Whenever distinguished guests arrive, she’s usually chosen to warm the bed.”
Tan Bajhang frowned. “Sharing a bed doesn’t mean she hears their secrets.”
Master Liu replied, “But she’s skilled at painting likenesses. Last spring, the master hosted two guests. After they left, I happened to catch her in her room sketching portraits of them. I asked why she was doing it, and she said she meant to paint every honored guest she served. All of them are cultivators. When she grows old and her beauty fades, she’ll still have the paintings to look back on and pass the time.”
Tan Bajang shook his head again. “Too many guests pass through that manor. It’s still not enough to trace.”
“Last year,” Master Liu said, “I was sent to patrol the town twice. Whenever we came across strangers, people not from Xikou Town, we had to question them, and anyone suspicious had to be reported. Situations like that usually meant that the next day, precious or critical spiritual materials were being delivered.”
Tan Bajhang fixed his eyes on him. “Which two days?”
Master Liu answered, “The ninth of the third month, and the twelfth of the seventh.”
“And if she didn’t serve on either of those days?”
“The twelfth of the seventh I can’t say for certain. But on the ninth of the third, she and Jin Xiu definitely attended. No question about it.”
Tan Bajang pressed further. “Where does this Feng Qiu live?”
“Southeast corner of the manor. I’ll draw it for you…” Master Liu snapped off a twig, cleared the weeds at his feet, and began sketching a rough map of the Yin family manor.
He was no artist, just a guard, but he knew the manor inside and out. One hundred seventy-three houses, twelve gates large and small, nine inner paths, seven gardens, and three ponds; They were all marked out with perfect clarity.
He pointed to a house in the southeast corner. “That courtyard. There are five maids like her. The master treats them generously. They’re free to come and go from the manor, and each of them has a small residence in Xikou Town. I can’t say for sure when she’ll be at the manor, so you’d better check the house in town too. I can take you there tonight.”
Tan Bajang asked a few more questions, such as whether the Yin family manor would normally activate its protective formation, and then finally stopped his questioning and looked to Liu Xiaolou.
Liu Xiaolou gave his orders right away. Su Wan was to keep watch over Concubine Li, while the rest would go find this Feng Qiu.
Su Wan’s heart leapt. “I’m going too!” She shot a glance at Tigerhead Dragon. “You stay and guard her.”
Tigerhead was so moved he nearly cried. “I’ll watch her closely. I won’t let even a single hair escape!”
Under cover of night, the group hurried three li to Xikou Town. Guided by Master Liu, they went straight into Feng Qiu’s residence. She wasn’t there that night, which made searching the place even easier.
The house was small, just one courtyard with five rooms. Before long they uncovered a little wooden chest, and inside were indeed portrait after portrait, lifelike and vivid. Among them was even a member of the Su family’s in-laws: Ouyang Yuancheng, a son of the Ouyang clan of Yuezhou, to whom the Second Lady had been married.
When she saw Ouyang Yuancheng’s portrait, Su Wan cursed bitterly. “Acts all upright and proper on the surface, but behind everyone’s back… You men are all the same!” She snatched up the portrait and kept it.
Liu Xiaolou and Tan Bajhang exchanged a look, neither of them agreeing, but neither bothering to argue with her. They simply went on searching.
There were over forty portraits in the box, covering thirteen different men. Some had more than one likeness, showing that Feng Qiu had served them more than once. Though the subjects were the same, each portrait was different. Expressions, clothes, and poses all varied.
Before long, another portrait of Ouyang Yuancheng appeared. Su Wan, furious again, spat more curses and seized that one as well.
All the portraits dated from the previous three years. None were from the past year or the current one. It seemed she hadn’t placed them here yet, most likely keeping them back at the manor. Which meant entering the manor was now unavoidable.
As usual, Liu Xiaolou ordered Master Liu to lead the way. But this time, Master Liu balked. He dared to come into Xikou Town, but not to go back to the manor. Only after Tan Bajhang smacked him twice to stiffen his courage did he finally grit his teeth and agree to guide them inside.
It had to be said: having an insider’s help made everything far easier. Guided in the dark, the group slipped past several traps and ambushes set around the manor and soon reached their destination.
The courtyard was clean and orderly, every lamp extinguished, the stillness of deep night all around.
Master Liu pointed to the two-room house in the center. “That’s the one.”
Su Wan, being a Foundation Establishment cultivator, had exceptionally sharp hearing. She spoke at once. “The people inside are asleep. The two rooms on the left and the second room on the right as well. The first room on the right is empty.”
She placed a hand on Master Liu’s shoulder. Her way of warning him. If he tried any tricks, she could kill him instantly. Master Liu understood perfectly and didn’t dare move a muscle.
Liu Xiaolou and Tan Bajhang were both veterans, skilled in breaking and entering. Without a sound, they slipped the door open and went inside.
This was the inner manor of the Yin family. The danger here was on another level compared to keeping watch outside. Su Wan focused all her senses on her surroundings, tense and nervous yet strangely thrilled, her face flushed red.
Before long, Liu Xiaolou and Tan Bajhang emerged again, quietly closing the door behind them. They gave Su Wan a nod. Mission accomplished. The four of them scaled the wall and slipped out of the manor.