Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

Situ Qin’s eyes widened. ’The space under the bed is so small; how could two people possibly fit?’ Still, there was no other choice. She watched as Xie Yuan dropped and rolled underneath, then yanked her in after him.

Just at that moment, a pair of boots came around the screen and entered the inner room.

Xie Yuan and Situ Qin held each other tightly, huddled under the bed, not daring to even breathe.

Their eyes met. Situ Qin’s face flushed red, and she looked away.

The position was simply too intimate. Their skin touched, they could feel each other’s breath, and their chests were pressed so tightly together they could clearly feel the other’s heartbeat.

But they could only hold this position, unable to move a muscle. Situ Qin’s heart began to beat faster and faster. She wasn’t sure if it was because of Peng Yue outside, or the man right in front of her.

Xie Yuan felt a strange sensation as well. ’In this position, I can feel everything.’ The girl in his arms was fragrant and soft, making it very difficult for him to remain calm.

’I never would have guessed... She’s so young...’

Peng Yue walked into the inner room and began rummaging through a cabinet, not noticing anything out of the ordinary.

The two under the bed breathed a silent sigh of relief, glad they hadn’t hidden in the cabinet. Xie Yuan had suspected that Peng Yue would be looking for something upon entering.

They held their breath, watching the pair of boots pace back and forth.

Suddenly, Peng Yue stopped and abruptly crouched down.

Their scalps tingled with fear. Thankfully, Peng Yue had his back to them, kneeling in front of the screen and feeling for something with his hand.

A faint CLICK sounded, as if a mechanism had been triggered.

Peng Yue stood up. The boots walked back to the cabinet and stopped.

After what felt like an eternity, the sound of the mechanism closing was heard. Peng Yue’s boots turned and faced the outer room.

Xie Yuan and Situ Qin felt as if they’d been granted a pardon, desperately wanting to let out a long breath. They watched the boots take one step, then another, and another, slowly walking out and away.

But just then, Peng Yue let out a soft sound of surprise. He spun around and walked quickly to the window.

Xie Yuan looked in that direction, and his heart skipped a beat.

’The window latch!’

’The latch was broken by the vibration!’

"Who’s there?"

Peng Yue bellowed, spinning around quickly.

The hearts of Xie Yuan and Situ Qin nearly stopped. They instinctively reached for the blades at their waists.

Peng Yue shouted, his eyes darting around the room, but he didn’t find anything.

The room wasn’t that big. His gaze instinctively fell upon the space beneath the bed, his eyes sharp and cold.

Xie Yuan watched the tips of the boots turn toward them. Time seemed to freeze as he gripped his blade, holding his breath in anticipation.

Just then, a series of frantic knocks landed on the study door. BANG BANG BANG! The steward’s anxious voice called out:

"Master, there’s a thief in the pharmacy!"

A commotion could be heard faintly in the distance. A cold glint flashed in Peng Yue’s eyes. He turned and rushed outside, shouting:

"Go now! You must catch this thief!"

CLICK. The study door was locked from the outside, and silence fell within the room.

Two figures crawled out silently from under the bed, stood up, and gently brushed the dust from their clothes.

Even with only the moonlight filtering through the window, Xie Yuan could see a blush like a sunset painting both of Situ Qin’s cheeks.

He cleared his throat.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures..."

"Don’t say another word!"

Situ Qin’s face was flushed as she hastily cut him off.

She felt dizzy and weak, stammering:

"We’re safe now. Let’s go."

"Wait a moment."

Xie Yuan crouched by the screen and felt around for a moment. Just as he expected, he found a movable trigger on the wooden frame at the bottom edge of the screen.

He gave it a light twist and heard a faint CLICK from the cabinet. He stood up in one smooth motion, opened the cabinet, and found a secret compartment in the wall.

The compartment had two shelves. On the top shelf sat a square box, and on the bottom was a thick ledger.

Xie Yuan picked up the ledger and flipped through it briefly. He discovered it was filled with all sorts of financial transactions!

Even with a quick glance, he saw the names of many important figures, including the fathers of the young masters from the banquet.

Xie Yuan frowned, hesitating. This thing was a hot potato.

"Miss Qin, any thoughts?"

Situ Qin let out a small "Ah," as if snapping out of a daze.

She took the account book, glanced through it, and frowned as well.

"This is dangerous to take... Hmm, I see the two pages about Yunzhao County. And this last page—the ink is still wet. He must have just written this."

"We should tear these pages out. But leaving the rest is as good as a confession... I know. Let’s just take the whole thing for now."

They tucked the account book away and then looked at the box.

The box was perfectly square and had a lock, but they didn’t know where the key was. They couldn’t open it or figure out what it was, but they reasoned that since Peng Yue had hidden it here, it must be valuable. So, they decided to take it along.

’Might as well, since we’re already here.’

Xie Yuan and Situ Qin did one last quick sweep to make sure they hadn’t left any traces, then quietly slipped out the window again, heading away from the pharmacy. All the guards had been drawn to the pharmacy, so their escape from the Inspector General’s residence was uneventful.

Once they were clear of the residence, they both let out a huge sigh of relief.

Xie Yuan tore out the few pages of draft prescriptions and the ledger pages with Yu Chunsheng’s name on them and put them away safely. Holding the thick book, he asked:

"What should we do with this?"

"Tear out a few more random pages. Then we’ll toss it into another residence."

Situ Qin’s eyes twinkled as a smile appeared on her face.

Xie Yuan did as she said, tearing out a few more pages at random. Situ Qin then led him, hugging the walls, until they arrived at another large residence not far away.

Guards were also posted at the entrance of this mansion. The sky was just beginning to lighten in the east—the time when people are at their most drowsy. A guard’s eyelids drooped. He suddenly felt a light breeze brush past and his eyes flew open, but he saw nothing.

As he was muttering to himself, his gaze suddenly froze. He had discovered a thick book at his feet.

From a street corner, Xie Yuan and Situ Qin watched the guard pick up the book, flip through it, and then jolt as if struck by lightning before rushing into the mansion.

He asked:

"Which of Peng Yue’s rivals lives here?"

"The Deputy Inspector General, of course."

Situ Qin said with a cunning smile.

The account book was dangerous for them to keep and difficult to use. It was best to give it to the person most suited for it.

The realization dawned on Xie Yuan. He shook his head and said:

"At the banquet today, I saw the deputy’s son being awfully friendly with Peng Wei."

"Among that crowd, people as simple-minded as Peng Wei are rare."

Situ Qin gave a noncommittal response.

The two made their way back to Situ Qin’s home. Just as they were about to rest, the housekeeper brought in two bowls of ginger soup.

"The wind is cold and the dew is heavy. Miss, and you, Master Xie, please drink this ginger soup to warm yourselves."

Situ Qin let out a small "Ah," her expression uncomfortable.

"How did you know to prepare this?"

"Lord Li gave the order when he returned just now."

Xie Yuan and Situ Qin suddenly felt like children caught misbehaving by an adult, their faces full of embarrassment.

Just as they had suspected, the perfectly timed discovery of the "theft" at the pharmacy was no coincidence.

They exchanged a look. Xie Yuan watched Situ Qin, her pretty face flushed, as she stuck out her tongue playfully. She looked absolutely adorable, and his heart couldn’t help but beat faster.

Noticing Xie Yuan staring at her, Situ Qin lowered her head slightly. A blush crept up her face, her expression shifting between shyness and annoyance before she finally let out a soft huff and broke into a smile.

"Master Xie, it was a pleasure working with you on tonight’s little adventure!"

Xie Yuan smiled and nodded.

"Thanks to you, Miss Qin, the rewards exceeded my expectations."

"Don’t bother guessing about that prescription. When morning comes, I’ll ask Mr. Qingyang to take a look; he’ll know what it’s for. Right, give the medicinal herbs to the housekeeper and have her decoct them for you. I’ll hold onto the box for now and find someone to open it."

Situ Qin gave her instructions one by one, then fixed her gaze on Xie Yuan and said with a mock pout:

"You’re so frivolous! And here I thought Master Xie was a perfect gentleman. But as it turns out... Hmph."

She spun around and left as quickly as a gust of wind.

Xie Yuan was completely bewildered. ’Didn’t we just move past that?’ He had no idea what he had done now to earn her scolding.

But her complaint sounded less like genuine anger and more like playful teasing.

Remembering the soft, warm feeling of her in his arms, Xie Yuan’s heart stirred. He went back to his room, gulped down some cold water, and let out a long breath.

He took the few pages of paper from his tunic, a glint in his eyes.

’This infiltration was a huge success. Not only did I accomplish all my goals, but there were unexpected gains, too!’

’Of course, the unexpected gain I’m talking about wasn’t being pressed up against Situ Qin all night... or at least, not *just* that.’

’That mysterious box was hidden with the account book, so it must be valuable. I wonder when Situ Qin will be able to open it.’

’And that bag of rare medicinal herbs is already simmering in the medicine room. It’ll be ready to take by morning.’

’When the time comes, I’ll see for myself just how it benefits one’s Inner Power.’