Li Jiniao was flushed with excitement, having repeatedly reflected and convinced himself that no answer could be more fitting. "There are no thieves in the world—ownership and residence are key. Once established, they cannot be moved or transferred, which makes it quite limiting, yet truly practical and real in use. While the master is present, everything functions normally. But as soon as the master departs, the house seems to be enveloped in a thin, colorless, odorless film—invisible, yet present. Whenever someone intrudes, this film gradually gathers and constricts around them. Think about it: you believe the house is empty, yet from the very moment you step inside, that invisible film has already silently encroached upon you, beginning to wrap around you. By the time you realize what’s happening, you can no longer breathe. And it doesn’t stop there—it continues to compress, squeezing the person smaller and smaller… It spreads everywhere, omnipresent, effective as long as the master is absent. No even the most skilled thief can escape it." "Ye Luoxi made him speak until his fingertips grew cold: 'And then?' Li Jinao extended his thumb and index finger, indicating a distance of an inch. 'Then, of course, it would die—shrinking down to this size, like a finely carved plastic figure, either standing upright or slanting on the ground. The master might even fail to notice it, and one single step could crush it into powder.' Chang Dong remained composed: 'This thing is indeed practical, yet so easily injurious. What if a relative or friend accidentally enters? Wouldn't that be a great loss?' Li Jinao nodded: 'That's absolutely true. But because it's so safe, people still use it. The user must be extremely cautious—making sure to lock the door when leaving, preventing accidental entry, and clearly explaining the rules to others, so that entry is only granted upon explicit invitation. Honestly, once you've explained it all, if someone still insists on entering, that's simply their own fault. After much thought, I believe this is the very question that fits best... Miss Luoxi, you mentioned three questions—what are the other two?' "Ye Liuxi said: 'I'm not particularly interested in Bo Gu's elaborate pretenses. Honestly, I'm already lucky to remember just one thing. How about this—sometime soon, I'll ask on your behalf. Either I personally request a favor from Zhao Guanshou, or just drop in to see him. It won't take much time, and I won't lose a single bite of meat.' Li Jinao was overjoyed: 'That's exactly what I thought!'... After Li Jinao left, Ye Liuxi looked at Chang Dong, and they both burst out laughing at the same time. Such a cleverly intricate scheme—no wonder it's said that there's never been a thief in the world. As they laughed, Ye Liuxi sighed: 'Doesn't Zhao Guanshou's path seem to have fallen through?' All the efforts he's made, with maps alone wasted several times over—seems like all of it has been in vain. Chang Dong replied: 'Not necessarily.' He paused and thought: 'Just find an excuse and go back to Zhao Guanshou again. Observe who comes and goes in his house, check the condition of the locks on his study door—gather as much Changdong didn’t look at her. The sky might lack stars, but someone with a thick skin would never lack an excuse. —— Indeed. The next morning, Ye Liuxi came to Zhao Guanshou as energetic and composed as ever. Still, she couldn’t get into the study and had to wait in the living room, where there was someone dedicated solely to serving tea. But that person’s bearing and demeanor didn’t seem like those of a mere attendant. Ye Liuxi deliberately missed the cup of tea offered to her; as soon as she let out an “Ooh!” the person had already reached out and caught the cup. Only a small patch of tea stain spread on the floor. The person said, “I’ll bring you a fresh one.” While changing the cup, he casually pressed the call bell beside him. Suddenly, at the foot of the staircase leading up to the second floor, someone emerged, holding a mop and a cloth, moving with remarkable efficiency, and in just a few moments, neatly cleaned up the area before retreating. At that moment, Zhao Guanshou stepped out, his brows slightly furrowed, “Do you have something important to discuss with me?” "Yexiaoshi said, 'Yes, have you met the girl who came with me? Her name is Ding Liu?' She recounted the incident where Ding Liu had been cut: 'It was only hastily bandaged back then, and we didn't know if there were any long-term complications. I hear the best medical facilities are all in Heishi City. I don't have any connections, so could Mr. Zhao help arrange for her treatment? It's a matter of life and death.' How could this be such a simple matter? Mr. Zhao was deeply annoyed, yet he had to maintain a composed and courteous demeanor. 'Understood,' he said, 'You go back now. I'll take care of it.' Yexiaoshi nodded and turned to leave. After taking a few steps, she turned back—only to find Mr. Zhao had already entered the room, and the two doors were closing in on each other. Suddenly, an idea struck her. She rushed forward, grabbed the door handle, and forcefully pulled it open halfway. Now she could see everything inside. A breeze brushed past her back—she had already noticed the tea boy approaching from behind. But she didn't seem to notice him at all Zhao Guanshou was puzzled: "What's going on?" Ye Liuxi said: "Actually, I..." She leaned against the doorframe, her hand moving restlessly over the latch, then lowered her head, hesitating, using the gesture to conceal her words. Her gaze shifted from side to side. When she looked up again, her eyes were glistening with tears. "Mr. Zhao, I just wanted to say that I misunderstood you earlier. When I first arrived in Heishi City, I always felt something was off, as though you had some ulterior motive..." The tea attendant, unmoved, quietly stepped back, adhering to the principle of 'not concerned with what's unrelated, listen only when it's proper.' Ye Liuxi lifted her head, as if afraid to cry, then reached out to wipe her eyes. The gap between her fingers was wide enough not to impair her vision. "Over these past few days, I've realized I've been overly sensitive. I know that asking you for a promise letter is rather domestic, rather unrefined—something that doesn't quite match the tone of a person of your standing. Please don't take it to heart." Zhao Gu Ye Liuxi nodded, as if only now realizing her own awkwardness: "Then, I'll just leave you to your work." She carefully closed the door. The latch clicked as the leaf sprung into place. Like the locks in their residence, this one featured a slanted tongue that could be retracted or spring-loaded, with an additional square tongue beneath for easier relocking. Good thing Ahuo kept talking—“Mr. Zhao knows it's a pity for them to be assigned to such duties, so it's a rotating system: two people per shift, serving for a full month before rotating to the next team. Right now he seems just pouring tea and serving water; you never know, soon enough he might be the head of the Swift-Feather Guard.” Ye Liuxi suddenly recalled something: “The Yulin Guard is known for its martial prowess, isn’t it? Does Mr. Zhao also have a strong fighting background?” Ahuo nodded: “I’ve heard that when Mr. Zhao was younger, he could wield a single eagle-headed iron staff so skillfully that no more than a dozen people could even approach him—exactly the one he now uses as a walking stick. Now that he’s older, and especially after the sandstorm incident in Huyang City, which affected both his hearing and vision, no one has seen him engage in combat lately. But as the saying goes, ‘even a lean camel is bigger than a horse’—if you underestimate him, you’ll surely regret it.” Ye Liuxi smiled: “Who would dare underestimate him—clearly, he’s a man of enduring vigor.” "Ding Liu had always been annoyed by Ah Ho's deception, and now seeing Ye Liuxi speaking with Ah Ho more and more lately, she felt deeply overlooked, growing increasingly displeased. Pushing her bowl aside, she said in a flat tone, "Why go on talking about people who don't matter? Isn't the most important thing right now Fu Tang? It's been several days now—why hasn't Jiang Zhan sent any word? How can someone so meticulous be so slow about things?" Ah Ho replied, "Little Liu, if you think about it from a different angle, Jiang Zhan is actually in a difficult position. He's remained undetected in Black Stone City for so long, which shows both his caution and his solid concealment. Now, if he wants to step out and make a change, he risks exposure. The Fei Lin Guard will surely get involved. Where should he choose to make the exchange? After all, it's our Fei Lin Guard's territory." Gao Shen nodded casually, "I thought the same thing." Gao Shen, who rarely spoke for eight hundred years, had only just agreed with Ah Ho—this simple affirmation stirred a sudden, unnamed anger in Ding Liu's heart. When did the Yulin Guard start treating you as one of their own? I’ve always noticed your background and surname—your case seems like that of an outsider. They even cut off your tongue; how could you bear that? You’ve just endured everything quietly, but now you keep insisting, “We, the Yulin Guard”—doesn’t that sound ridiculous? Ah, Huo’s face turned instantly crimson. The atmosphere felt a bit awkward. Ye Liuxi wanted to change the subject, but Chang Dong had already guessed—she gently squeezed her hand under the table and then subtly shook her head. "Chang Dong didn't look up: "Xiao Liu is absolutely right—the Yulin Guard has been entirely exploiting Ah He. It's like slowly warming the frog in water; she's grown used to it and doesn't even realize it. If only she could be awakened by Xiao Liu, that would be wonderful. If we could win her over, you'd have more Yulin Guards at your side, and things would be much more convenient." Ye Liuxi had nothing to add, her fingers tapping rhythmically on the turtle shell. At first, the turtle had been startled, stretching its head repeatedly, but eventually it seemed to have gotten used to the tapping and no longer responded. Chang Dong was meticulous—he truly had a compulsion to be precise, often erasing and redrawing when a line went slightly crooked. Ye Liuxi couldn't help but say: "After all, we can't even enter his study, so no matter how perfectly the drawing matches, it won't matter." Chang Dong replied: "That's not necessarily true." Ye Liuxi stared at him: "Don't start spinning your wheels—there's no way we can force our way in. Compared to these trained, agile bird guards, Gao Shen is just "Chang Dong said, 'Who said we have to force our way in?' He handed her the drawn section to show her, 'Like this, right?' Ye Liuxi recalled, 'The desk should be even taller and longer, with an open space in the middle beneath it. There are two chairs in front of the desk—here’s a hanger, yes. A bit further out, behind it, the entire wall is bookshelves, extending all the way to the ceiling.' Chang Dong said, 'This office layout is poor—there are too many blind spots in the view.' Ye Liuxi couldn't contain his impatience anymore and reached out to press the book against him, stopping him from continuing, 'Why do you keep drawing it if you already know we can't get in?' 'Why can't we get in?' This wasn't obvious at all—Ye Liuxi almost laughed, 'There's no thief in the land!' 'Skilled thieves are the ones who steal while you're looking.' Ye Liuxi stammered, 'What do you mean?' Chang Dong replied, 'When Zhao Guanshou is not there, there's no thief. But when he is there, isn't there a thief?' Either she misunderstood, or Changdong has gone mad. "Are you going to go in and look around while Zhao Guanshou is still here?" Changdong actually nodded. "Yes." Ye Liuxi really wanted to reach out and twist his ears. "Doesn't Zhao senior go blind?" Changdong said nothing, just smiled at her. Moment by moment, Ye Liuxi remembered—he had just mentioned that the layout of this study was poor, with too many blind spots. Ye Liuxi felt her words stumbling out. "Don't go crazy now! Blind spots like that take only a moment. If you can't see something while sitting, shouldn't you be able to see it when you stand up?" When you stand up, you can see it after just a few steps. Changdong spoke softly. "I'm not dead. Once I enter, I won't just stand there motionless." Ye Liuxi felt there was no room for negotiation: "It's simply impossible. You have to hide yourself while constantly monitoring every move of Old Zhao, shift positions on the go without making a sound, and still keep up with everything—your mind will simply fall behind." "Ah, Hé already mentioned that Old Zhao's hearing and vision are both declining, so he's not as alert. Besides, someone's covering my back." "Who?" "You. You're the only person who could possibly reach that study room. While I'm searching, you'll have to be there to shield me." That means: three people squeezed into one study room—she's quietly covering her own movements, seamlessly placing Changdong inside, all while ensuring Old Zhao doesn't see Changdong, so that Changdong can go about searching inside… without being noticed. Ye Liuxi's head felt like a drum—this idea alone was already wildly outlandish, and when it came to reality, it seemed utterly absurd: "Changdong is in serious danger. You simply can't imagine. As soon as I try to picture the scene, my palms start sweating." “Li Liuxi…” “Impossible, Changdong. There are too many uncertainties. Just one second off, and everything’s ruined.” Changdong said. “You should know that to enter that study, you must go in with Zhao Guanshou.” To the study, Ye Liuxi felt his breath growing labored: “It’s not guaranteed that we’ll find what we’re looking for there. The risk is too high. Let’s try other ways.” Changdong said: “Li Jinao only mentioned that Jiang Zhan was born into slavery. From that, we’ve already deduced so much. I’m certain that Zhao Guanshou’s study holds even more valuable things. You’ve already forced the door open today—this is known as ‘guests at the threshold.’ By custom, even if Zhao Guanshou is reluctant, he should invite you in to speak. Yet he hasn’t. I don’t know what’s inside, but I believe that as long as we find even a single clue, it will be worth something.” Yexiaoxi shook her head continuously: "It really doesn't work in practice..." Changdong reached out, gently touched the back of her head, and kissed her cheek. "When everyone believes we can't possibly succeed this way, we've already achieved half our goal." Indeed, going against the conventional wisdom—she was familiar with this strategy—but upon closer reflection, every step seemed like an insurmountable obstacle: "There are so many guards outside the residence, the living room is directly connected to the study, there's the tea boy, and the housekeeping staff—each of them is highly skilled. How could we possibly keep them all unaware, and yet emerge unscathed and undisturbed? Isn't that pure fantasy?" Even in her dreams, she'd be on edge. Changdong said: "Therefore, it's not just us two doing this—it requires the cooperation of many people. The more intricate the plan, the more we need: Gao Shen, Xiao Liu, Li Jin'ao, Ah He—perhaps even the entire mountain and the four seas will have to be mobilized." Ye Liuxi wanted to crush his idea from the very roots: "I simply can't get into Zhao Guanshou's study..." "Soon, Jiang Zhan has invited you to meet—this is the perfect moment. You'll go to consult with Zhao Guanshou on strategy. For such an important matter, he will surely make room for you in his study." Ye Liuxi wanted to speak, yet found nothing to say. In the end, she murmured, "How can you be so wildly enthusiastic?" Chang Dong smiled, habitually stroking the back of her hand, his gaze fixed on the plum branches nearby. The branches were already blooming—only a few days until full bloom. Was he crazy? Yes, once upon a time. But now, it was rare. When the tea plant was in bloom, he had once been sharp and resolute, full of bold, unorthodox actions that seemed utterly unconventional—those had long since been tempered. Yet perhaps a few traces of that wildness still lingered within him. At the right moment, they would always surface.