Xikou lies about a hundred and fifty li west of Shenwu Mountain, which should still count as the eastern Xian region. Another two hundred li farther west brings you close to Dongting Lake. If you keep heading west from there, you can pass through Mount Tianmu and circle back to Wulong Mountain in western Xiang.

Although he had never been to Xikou before, at that moment Liu Xiaolou suddenly felt a little homesick. He thought of that shabby little courtyard, of the unremarkable bamboo grove, of the rushing Wuchao River, of the village at the foot of the mountain with its rising cooking smoke.

And of Big White flapping its wings and darting about.

When would he go back and bring that goose over? He wanted it to taste dragon-whisker golden carp and river prawns, and the fragrant spirit rice, and then wash it all down with a few gulps of osmanthus wine.

Instead of going straight into Xikou Town, Su Jiuniang led Liu Xiaolou northeast and stopped at the edge of a dense forest.

“Stay here. Don’t move around. Find a tree and hide behind it. Don’t let anyone see you,” she instructed.

Obediently, Liu Xiaolou did as he was told. He leaned against a tree and sat down. She, meanwhile, leapt up into the tallest tree with the thickest crown and peered through the shifting leaves, staring toward the northeast.

There stood a manor, large in scale, with layered roofs and carved eaves, half-hidden among trees and flowers, yet still showing a hint of luxury.

A manor like that usually belonged to a great family.

“Ninth Lady, whose manor is that?” Liu Xiaolou asked from the ground, looking up.

“The Yin family,” she answered casually, her eyes fixed on the manor.

“The Yin family? Are they powerful?” he asked again.

“They’re decent enough. They’ve been attached to the Qingyu Sect for two hundred years.”

“Who are you trying to deal with, Ninth Lady?”

“What? Don’t talk nonsense, I’m not trying to deal with anyone.”

“Alright then. Are you planning to raid the manor?”

“Even worse nonsense. Why would I raid it? Hey, that incident at the Zhou family’s manor last year, did you do it or not?”

Liu Xiaolou quickly denied it a couple of times, then curled his lip and said nothing more.

Su Jiuniang kept watching Yin Manor from the treetop for a long while. Then she landed lightly, pacing back and forth in front of Liu Xiaolou.

After circling who knows how many times, she finally settled down by a tree, sat cross-legged, took out a spirit stone, and closed her eyes to cultivate.

That was too much for Liu Xiaolou. He had traveled all night from far away, only to sit out here in the wild watching her cultivate? She might be beautiful, but this wasn’t exactly the view he had in mind.

“Ninth Lady? Ninth Lady”

“What is it?”

“What are we going to do next?”

“Nothing. We wait.”

“Wait until when?”

“Until the person comes out.”

“Who are you waiting for, Ninth Lady?”

“A person.”

“From the Yin family?”

“Yes. Enough chatter!”

“How long will that take?”

“Until he comes out.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“Will you shut up!”

“Alright…” Liu Xiaolou agreed, but he kept talking anyway. “Back on Wulong Mountain, when we needed to find someone, there were plenty of ways. No need to just sit and wait like this. You never know when they’ll show up. It could be three or five days, and by then the chance might be gone.”

Su Jiuniang opened her eyes and glared at him with obvious disdain, but she didn’t silence him again.

So he went on. “Everyone has friends or family. All we need to do is find someone close to him. Whether we ask for help, trick them, threaten them, or even use force, there’s always a way to draw him out. This person you’re looking for, does he have any friends or family?”

She frowned. “Why drag the innocent into it?”

“As long as no one’s killed, it’s fine,” he replied. “Of course, if it’s something serious and the guy’s too stubborn, then sometimes you have to use harsher methods. How else will he learn?”

After a brief silence, Su Jiuniang suddenly stood up. “Let’s go.”

Liu Xiaolou followed her out of the forest. They circled around to the southeast of Xikou, where there were a few small manors, each with only a dozen or so rooms, nothing that could compare to the Yin family estate.

She pointed to one of them. “This is where Yin Centipede keeps a concubine. He couldn’t bring her into the main household, so he built this place outside.”

“Yin Centipede?”

“The direct heir of the Yin family. His given name is Gong, meaning ‘respectful,’ but the man himself is arrogant. People started calling him ‘Disrespectful,’ and later it turned into a play on words, ‘Centipede.’ It suits him well enough. He looks gentle on the outside, but inside he’s full of poison, no different from a venomous insect.”

“So how does the Ninth Lady plan to deal with him?” asked Liu Xiaolou.

She shook her head. “Just make him back off.”

He nodded. “Got it. That brat’s rotten to the core, and he even dared to set his sights on you? That’s outrageous. Let’s take him down!”

Su Jiuniang bit her lip. “We can’t be reckless. The Yin clan is tied to the Qingyu Sect, and their standing is even higher than the Zhou family’s around Dongting Lake. My family can’t afford to turn openly against them.”

“But the Su clan is the main branch of the Danxia Sect,” Liu Xiaolou said, “and Danxia is a Grotto-heaven sect. Its rank is above Qingyu’s. So what if we do turn against them?”

She shook her head. “That may be true, but the Yin clan is very important to the Qingyu Sect. The incense they use for their spirit-summoning arts is a secret product of the Yin family. And that same incense is also essential for raising the spirit beasts on Shenwu Mountain. These past two years the Yin clan has already cut back heavily on their supply to us. If we fall out with them completely and they cut it off altogether, it would be a serious problem.”

Liu Xiaolou finally understood. “So that centipede is using this to hold Shenwu Mountain hostage, trying to force you into submission? What a cunning little scheme.”

He tried again. “Do you know any of the Qingyu Sect elders? Maybe we could speak through the Zhou family or someone like that? I remember you had good ties with the Zhous. Or what about Jingzhao? Do you know him? If he spoke up, it would surely carry weight.”

Su Jiuniang gave him an impatient look. “How could I say such things openly? Besides, they’re all from the same sect. I’m an outsider in the end. As for this Jingzhao you mention, I don’t know him!”

Was that true, or just an excuse? Liu Xiaolou wondered silently. He couldn’t untangle all the hidden twists and turns, so he let it drop and simply said, “So you don’t want open conflict, but you still need the Yin clan to back off? That won’t be easy.”

“That’s why we need to think of a way to draw out Yin Centipede’s concubine.”

Liu Xiaolou considered it. “Abduction? That’s easy enough. But once we’ve taken her, then what?”

Su Jiuniang shot him a glare. “Put away those underhanded Wulong Mountain tricks of yours. All we need is to draw her out of this little hideaway. Once you and I show our faces in front of her, that should be enough.”

“Will that really work?” Liu Xiaolou sounded doubtful.

“It will,” she said, “but we’ll have to wait until evening.”

“Why evening?”

“Because it’s harder to see clearly then.”

“Harder to see? Don’t tell me you mean letting that Yin woman take a good look at me?”

“Enough. Hurry up and think of a way to lure her out.”

“That’s simple.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Set a fire.”

Su Jiuniang frowned. “Didn’t I tell you not to use those shady tricks?”

He explained, “After the fire starts, we pretend to be passing by. Then we step in and put it out. Problem solved, right?”

She shook her head again. “No. That’s far too low.”

Liu Xiaolou sighed helplessly. “Then what other method do you suggest, Ninth Lady?”

Su Jiuniang grew thoughtful. “I’ll think of something.”

....

First 100 chapters!!

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