Since the assassins who failed their ambush would need time to trace back to his junior sister, Bai Jinshu decided to stay at the Lin residence for the night. This would also give Lin Ling time to say goodbye to her family before setting out for the martial arts conference.
To avoid being followed, Bai Jinshu didn’t return to the inn to retrieve his unimportant belongings. However, his horse, which was at the inn, needed to be fetched.
The next morning, before heading out, he sent a servant from the Lin family to retrieve his horse while he secretly followed, ensuring that no one was tracking it. After the servant took the horse for a few random laps outside the city, as Bai Jinshu instructed, he emerged to take over.
From a distance, nothing seemed amiss. However, when Bai Jinshu approached his horse, he immediately noticed that someone had slipped a letter inside the saddle. He took out the envelope and opened it, only to find a blank sheet of paper.
Who had left this blank letter? And what was the purpose of doing so? Bai Jinshu frowned in confusion. After a moment of thought, he suddenly remembered the mysterious and strange young master, Ye Lihen.
Back then, Ye Lihen knew Bai Jinshu’s name and had written Li Qingzhao’s poem: “Yun Zhong Shui Ji Jin Shu Lai, Yan Zi Hui Shi, Yue Man Xi Lou.”1Who sends the letter from among the clouds? When the wild geese return, the moon fills the western chamber.
Now, could this blank letter found in the saddle be from Ye Lihen? He hadn’t written anything—was he trying to convey something through the empty page?
Bai Jinshu pondered for a moment and then asked the Lin family servant, “Do you know of any place in Fengcheng related to the phrase, ‘Yun Zhong Shui Ji Jin Shu Lai, Yan Zi Hui Shi, Yue Man Xi Lou’?”
The servant responded without hesitation, “Young Master Bai, I’m not sure if it’s related, but Fengcheng’s most famous brothel is called ‘Yue Man Lou2月满楼 : Full Moon Garden (Brothel).’”
Bai Jinshu’s first instinct was to find this answer amusing, especially when he recalled Ye Lihen’s disdainful expression when he claimed to have no interest in such places. But soon, his thoughts grew serious.
Leaving aside the fact that Ye Lihen would never arrange a meeting at a brothel, his prideful nature meant that after being “dismissed” by Bai Jinshu last time, he wouldn’t reach out unless it was something truly important. For him to direct Bai Jinshu to Yue Man Lou suggested that something unusual was going on.
Deep in thought, Bai Jinshu mounted his horse. After instructing the servant to return to the Lin residence and have Lin Ling wait for his return before setting out, he rode back into the city, heading toward Yue Man Lou.
As Bai Jinshu made his way to Yue Man Lou, he carefully thought over the situation. In an emergency, Ye Lihen wouldn’t play tricks, so this extremely cryptic letter suggested that he was avoiding someone’s attention. And if he was avoiding being noticed, then openly visiting a brothel would be unrealistic.
On the other hand, if Ye Lihen had entered Yue Man Lou through the front door, with his looks, he would have immediately attracted attention. Therefore, it was more likely that Ye Lihen had secretly snuck into the brothel. Hiding in such a bustling place without being discovered—how could that be possible?
With these questions in mind, Bai Jinshu, upon reaching Yue Man Lou, didn’t use the front door either. Instead, he scaled the wall and began searching the quietest areas of the back courtyard.
Though Bai Jinshu wasn’t well-versed in this particular industry, he knew enough to understand the methods brothels used to deal with girls who didn’t willingly sell themselves. So, when he saw some simple wooden huts that didn’t match the style of Yue Man Lou, he wasn’t surprised. Entering the secluded courtyard, Bai Jinshu carefully pushed open each door to check inside.
Soon, he really did find Ye Lihen in one of the small huts. The person who had led him here was now sitting against the wall with his knees drawn up and his head lowered, seemingly fast asleep.
Bai Jinshu approached in confusion. “Ye Lihen?” There was no response. It was then that Bai Jinshu noticed the bloodstains on the wall behind him.
Though he couldn’t rule out the possibility of a trap, Bai Jinshu quickly stepped closer. Gently turning Ye Lihen’s body, he discovered that there was indeed a wound on his shoulder. Ye Lihen wasn’t sleeping—he had passed out.
Bai Jinshu carefully pulled back Ye Lihen’s clothing to examine the injury. It was a deep sword wound. Since it was on his back, it was difficult to bandage.
Earlier, Ye Lihen must have deliberately leaned his shoulder against the wall to stop the bleeding. However, it didn’t seem to have worked, as the wound was still bleeding. Bai Jinshu quickly applied pressure to the acupuncture points around the injury.
As he did so, he couldn’t help but wonder why Ye Lihen hadn’t sealed his own acupuncture points. The possible answer worried Bai Jinshu, and he instinctively checked Ye Lihen’s pulse. Just as he suspected, Ye Lihen not only had a sword wound but also serious internal injuries.
Even with Bai Jinshu’s profound martial arts skills, he couldn’t immediately stabilize Ye Lihen’s chaotic inner energy.
“How long has it been since we parted, and you’ve already managed to get yourself into such a state?” Bai Jinshu mumbled unconsciously as he used his inner energy to help calm Ye Lihen’s breathing.
He wasn’t someone who overthought things, nor did he enjoy using his brain too much, but when faced with a problem, he could at least think things through.
Bai Jinshu began to recall some details he hadn’t paid much attention to before. With Ye Lihen’s personality, was he really the type to give up on his own ideas so easily and listen to others? When the three assassins who had attacked Bai Jinshu escaped, Ye Lihen had been ready to pursue them, yet he had stayed behind just because Bai Jinshu said, “Don’t chase desperate enemies.”
Before that, Ye Lihen had been especially concerned about the assassins, clearly determined to uncover their identities, so why would he suddenly let them go so easily? And later, when Bai Jinshu dismissed him, Ye Lihen might have retaliated a little, but he had really just left. Maybe he left so decisively because he intended to continue tracking the assassins?
Although Ye Lihen’s martial arts were indeed strong, those three assassins were also highly skilled. If Ye Lihen had fought them alone, he would definitely have been at a disadvantage. And considering that Ye Lihen had likely gone straight to their stronghold, it was no surprise that his reckless actions had led to this outcome. Instead of feeling angry, Bai Jinshu was more concerned and filled with fear for what could have happened.
Thanks to Bai Jinshu’s inner energy, Ye Lihen slowly regained consciousness. He blinked weakly and then looked at Bai Jinshu, remaining silent.
Bai Jinshu couldn’t help but chide him, “If I hadn’t come looking for you, you might have died here.”
“That’s my business.” Ye Lihen replied without hesitation.
Even when his voice was so weak, his stubbornness annoyed Bai Jinshu. He couldn’t help but want to scold him further, but Ye Lihen continued in a calm tone, “If you came to save me, that’s your choice. If you didn’t come, that’s my business.”
Though Ye Lihen’s words seemed light, the deeper meaning behind them made Bai Jinshu feel a slight sense of admiration. Most kids Ye Lihen’s age believed that others owe them something and should naturally do things for them. Ye Lihen seemed spoiled, yet he viewed people’s cold indifference as a matter of course. He didn’t see Bai Jinshu as having any obligation to save him.
Bai Jinshu, who usually didn’t like preaching, suddenly felt an urge to correct him. However, after thinking for a moment, he chose to smile lightly instead. “Your words aren’t right. You could say, if I came to save you, that’s because I’m smart. If I didn’t come to save you, that would mean I didn’t understand your hint.”
Ye Lihen lowered his head without replying. Bai Jinshu took the opportunity to ask what was on his mind, “How did you get injured? Was it related to those three assassins?”
“I found their hideout, but unfortunately, they discovered me.”
Bai Jinshu was genuinely curious. “How did you find them?”
Ye Lihen didn’t hide anything. “I planted a scent on them that most people wouldn’t notice, but I can track.”
Bai Jinshu had heard of this method of tracking people. Considering Ye Lihen’s mysterious background, Bai Jinshu wasn’t too surprised by his ability. However, Ye Lihen’s tactics impressed him.
Back then, Ye Lihen had already planted the scent on the assassins, yet he had pretended to want to pursue them and then acted as if Bai Jinshu had stopped him. This ploy had likely lulled the assassins into a false sense of security.
The fact that Ye Lihen had thought through every detail so thoroughly, leaving no loose ends, showed just how meticulous and deep his thinking was. For someone so young to be so calculating, it was hard to say whether that was admirable or pitiable.
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