Su Cen quietly lowered his head and said, “I didn’t mean those words intentionally.”
“I know,” Qi Lin nodded slightly. “The reason I told you all this today is to let you know that the Lord understands your situation and your thoughts. If he doesn’t let you get involved, it’s because he has his own considerations. The Lord rarely has someone he truly cares about, so don’t blame him.”
“Cares about?” Su Cen looked up. “Does he really care about me?”
Instead of answering directly, Qi Lin asked, “Have you ever heard any rumors about the Lord?”
Su Cen paused for a moment, thought about it, and then shook his head.
“Let me put it this way: No one has ever stayed in Xingqing Palace, and the Lord has never taken off that ring.”
Su Cen felt a part of his heart gently collapse, softening the sharp edges and dulling the pain he had been carrying.
“Thank you, Guard Qi, for telling me all this today,” Su Cen said, slightly bowing his head. He lifted the curtain and prepared to leave the carriage. “I will reconsider what is right and wrong. He has his reasons, and I have my convictions. If we truly cannot find common ground, then we will have to go our separate ways.”
Outside the carriage, someone had already lit a lamp and held up an umbrella. Qi Lin followed closely behind, taking the umbrella from the attendant and escorting Su Cen back to the Su residence.
The threshold at Su’s residence wasn’t high, but as Su Cen lifted his leg, it pulled on the wounds on his body. He winced in pain and was lightly steadied by Qi Lin.
It was a small gesture, but Su Cen’s frail figure contrasted with Qi Lin’s tall stature, and in the dim light of night, it looked as if someone had attacked Su Cen.
“Stop!” A shout rang out as Qu Ling’er dropped the melon seeds in his hand and flipped over from the veranda to where they stood. Seeing Su Cen’s pale face, he became furious. “What did you do to my Brother Su?”
When Qi Lin came to fetch Su Cen in the rain, Qu Ling’er had already felt something was off. Seeing Su Cen’s serious expression as he left, his unease grew. Now, everything looked like a confrontation. he thought, “All officials are corrupt except for my Brother Su, especially those of Li Shi’s rank.” With teary eyes, he looked at Su Cen. “Did they torture you? Whipping? Beating?” Then he turned to Qi Lin with a stern glare. “I was the one who broke into the dungeon and questioned the prisoner. If you have any grievances, come at me! Bullying my Brother Su, a delicate scholar, is nothing to be proud of!”
“Ling’er…” Su Cen was at a loss for how Qu Ling’er’s mind had wandered so far off track. “It was raining, the road was slippery, and I fell. Guard Qi escorted me back.”
“…,” Qu Ling’er faltered under Qi Lin’s cold gaze and sheepishly hid behind Su Cen, still trying to justify himself. “Well, it happened on the way to Xingqing Palace, so they’re still partly responsible.”
He carefully took Su Cen back from Qi Lin, full of concern. “Where did you fall?”
“…On my backside.”
“Good, good. At least your butt has some padding. I saw some Sichuan cyperus in the backyard. Later, I’ll have you take off your pants, and I’ll apply it. You’ll be fine by tomorrow.”
Su Cen sighed, “…It’s an internal injury. I’ll handle it myself.”
Qu Ling’er scratched his head. “How did you manage to fall and get an internal injury?”
After bidding farewell to Qi Lin, Qu Ling’er supported Su Cen back to his room, staring at Su Cen’s outer robe the whole way.
It was the same robe draped over him that day, and although Qu Ling’er initially thought it looked nice, for some reason, the more he looked at it now, the more it became an eyesore.
“What’s wrong?” Su Cen, unnerved by Qu Ling’er’s gaze, genuinely worried that Qu Ling’er was still thinking about removing his pants to apply medicine. He pulled his clothes tighter and shrank away.
“Your robe…” Qu Ling’er frowned and shook his head. “It’s ugly.”
Only then did Su Cen realize he was still wearing Qi Lin’s robe. He quickly took it off and handed it to Qu Ling’er. “This belongs to Guard Qi. Take it back to him before he gets too far.”
Feigning reluctance, Qu Ling’er took the robe, clicked his tongue twice, and dashed into the rain.
“Hey,” Su Cen called after him as his figure quickly disappeared into the darkness. “At least take an umbrella…”
Just after Qi Lin left Changle Ward, he sensed a rush of wind behind him. Waving for the carriage to go on ahead, he stopped in his tracks.
Turning around, he found a nimble figure already standing before him.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m just here to return your robe—Brother Su asked me to.” Qu Ling’er held out the robe, realizing under the lanterns of nearby doorways that it was already soaked from the rain.
Qi Lin didn’t take it and raised an eyebrow. “Seems like you’re more eager than your Brother Su.”
He stepped forward, bringing both of them under the same umbrella.
Qu Ling’er paused for a moment. Only after realizing that Qi Lin had no further intentions did he quietly exhale, pretending to remain calm as he brushed the wet hair from his forehead. “Didn’t expect this rain to be so heavy…”
Qi Lin handed the umbrella to Qu Ling’er and took back his robe. Just as he shook it out, Qu Ling’er quickly stopped him, “It’s already wet, don’t wear it.”
Qi Lin glanced at him but didn’t stop. He wrapped the robe around Qu Ling’er. “Wet or not, wash it and return it to me.”
He took the umbrella from Qu Ling’er’s hand, turned around, and slowly disappeared into the night.
Qu Ling’er stood there for quite a while before snapping out of it. Looking at the robe draped over his shoulders and felt happy for no reason. No longer needing his Qinggong, he leisurely hummed a tune as he made his way back.
The moment he entered the Su residence, he saw Su Cen standing under the eaves, staring into the dark courtyard, his face still pale and his expression somber.
Qu Ling’er immediately straightened his steps, freezing for a second before cautiously approaching. “Brother Su, aren’t you going to rest?”
“Come with me,” Su Cen turned and walked back inside.
Qu Ling’er blinked in confusion, watching him enter the room before following.
In Su Cen’s room, the tea had already been brewed. When Qu Ling’er entered, Su Cen said, “Close the door,” then poured Qu Ling’er a cup of tea.
It was the same Biluochun from the other day.
“Brother Su…” Qu Ling’er took the tea from Su Cen’s hand, clearly feeling flattered, holding the cup for a long time without daring to drink.
Only when he saw Su Cen take a sip did he cautiously take a small sip himself.
Su Cen set down his cup and said, “I promised you before that I wouldn’t ask about your background, but now this involves several lives. I hope that, for what you can answer, you will tell me truthfully.”
“Qi Lin told you everything?” Qu Ling’er set the cup down, feeling dejected. He knew the tea wasn’t going to taste that good. Lowering his head, his long eyelashes drooped like a small, obedient animal. “Brother Su, I really didn’t expect this to involve you.”
“I know,” Su Cen nodded. “You saved me that day, so I trust you don’t have ill intentions. I just want to know who that man in black is—or rather, who your people are.”
Qu Ling’er bit his lip, and after some hesitation, finally raised his head with determination. “Brother Su, have you ever heard of the ‘Secret Door’?”
“Secret Door?” Su Cen frowned.
“The Secret Door is divided into eight branches, corresponding to the eight trigrams and mystical gates of Taoism1Open (开门, Kāimén): Opportunities and success. Rest (休门, Xiūmén): Rest, recuperation, and peace. Life (生门, Shēngmén): Growth, wealth, and vitality. Harm (伤门, Shāngmén): Injury, illness, or obstacles. Fear (杜门, Dùmén): Blockage, prevention, and secrecy. Delusion (景门, Jǐngmén): Illusion, beauty, or confusion. Death (死门, Sǐmén): Endings, danger, or destruction. Surprise (惊门, Jīngmén): Sudden changes, shock, or ambush. . The Rest Gate manages internal affairs, including operations and personnel recruitment across local chapters. The Life Gate is responsible for wealth, with agents among merchants everywhere, providing financial support to the Secret Door while smoothing over unnecessary troubles for their business partners. The Wound Gate handles weapon manufacturing, the Shock Gate deals with assassinations and ambushes, and the Closed Gate infiltrates the imperial bureaucracy, from regional borders to the central court. The View Gate consists of strategists who serve as advisors, handling paperwork. The Death Gate oversees military affairs, often provoking conflicts. And finally, the Open Gate consists of the core members, controlling the Secret Door’s most sensitive secrets.” Qu Ling’er paused before continuing, “I used to be the Left Envoy of the Wound Gate, responsible for crafting hidden weapons. The man in black who attacked you was likely from the Shock Gate. However, my master, Han Qi, leads both the Wound Gate and the Shock Gate, so the lines between the two can be blurry. Some members of the Wound Gate also handle assassinations, while the Shock Gate members sometimes request convenient weapons.”
“Merchants, officials, military affairs…” Su Cen frowned deeply, only recovering after a long pause. “How can they be so rampant? Doesn’t the court do anything?”
“They do. Take Li Shi, for example—he’s led several raids. But the enemy operates in the shadows, while his forces are out in the open, so each time, the results are minimal.”
“Li Shi knows?” Su Cen bit his lip. No wonder Li Shi had stopped him from investigating once that man in black was involved. He had known all along. But did Li Shi forbid him from investigating to protect him, or to prevent more people from being implicated?
“The Secret Door is highly specialized and incredibly secretive. I’ve met that man in black before but couldn’t recognize him. If he hadn’t identified me in the dungeon last time, I wouldn’t have known he was from the Secret Door.”
“Brother Su, let me give you some advice—the Secret Door’s influence is vast. If this case is tied to them, it won’t be simple. You’d better leave it alone.”
“I have one last question.” Su Cen looked at Qu Ling’er, his expression serious and determined. “Is there anyone in the Secret Door who is an expert in disguise?”