Finally, Fang Muyang chose Thousand Faces and a human skin mask.
Li Xuan put away the other human skin masks and then asked Fang Muyang:
"Can you handle it alone?"
"Do you need any other help?"
Fang Muyang shook his head, his gaze exceptionally firm.
Li Xuan knew he couldn't force him, so he nodded, leaving a final line of text.
"Then I wish you good luck."
After that, Li Xuan jumped onto the window, looked back deeply at Fang Muyang, and seeing him rise to bow in gratitude, Li Xuan only sighed in his heart before turning and leaving.
Li Xuan passed through the alleyways, returning all the way to Hu Yu House, and silently slipped through the window into the embrace of Princess Ankang.
In the private room on the second floor, there were far fewer people than before.
Princess Yuan'an was nowhere to be seen, and more than half of the Flower-Clothed Eunuchs responsible for guarding were also gone; only the eunuch responsible for recording Princess Ankang's words and actions remained.
"Li Xuan, you're back."
Princess Ankang smiled slightly, casually stroking Li Xuan's fur.
Li Xuan nodded, then his tail restlessly gestured on Princess Ankang's palm, describing what had happened earlier at Fang Muyang's medical clinic.
Princess Ankang's face was stern, but a tempest was brewing in her heart.
Imperial Physician Xue, Aymu, and the story between Fang Muyang and Xi Xi.
After a long while, Princess Ankang couldn't help but sigh deeply.
Although many things were unexpected, Princess Ankang had guessed most of the feelings between Fang Muyang and Xi Xi.
Behind Princess Ankang, Yu'er was craning her neck to watch Li Xuan write characters on Princess Ankang's palm with his tail, but she still missed a lot.
She could only piece it together haphazardly, thus still feeling somewhat confused.
At this moment, with the eunuch responsible for recording their every word and action by their side, they couldn't be as casual as they usually were.
Going out of the palace these past few days had really stifled Yu'er.
Even Li Xuan, she hadn't touched him much these past few days, and her craving for petting cats was almost unbearable.
And Princess Ankang, after Li Xuan finished describing the situation there, began writing on Li Xuan's backside, telling him the situation at Hu Yu House.
Earlier, Aymu went to the secret room in the cellar to check Zhou Mama's body and was, of course, discovered by the Flower-Clothed Eunuchs guarding the place.
Although Aymu was seriously injured, she still successfully escaped from the Flower-Clothed Eunuchs.
This made Princess Yuan'an very curious, and she took half of the Flower-Clothed Eunuchs to pursue her.
Both Princess Ankang and Princess Yuan'an had always thought that Fang Muyang was acting alone behind the scenes, but they hadn't expected there to be an expert assisting him.
Princess Yuan'an still didn't know that it was Aymu, the courtesan queen of Hu Yu House.
"They won't go to Dr. Fang's, will they?"
Princess Ankang wrote on Li Xuan's backside with some worry.
At this moment, with the eunuch responsible for recording nearby, many things were inconvenient to say aloud.
Since they decided to help Dr. Fang, this matter could only proceed in secret.
"I hope not."
Li Xuan could only write this.
Li Xuan had no doubts about the abilities of the Flower-Clothed Eunuchs.
Now it depended on how cautious Aymu was.
If she made even a slight oversight, Fang Muyang might not even live to seek revenge.
But the facts proved that Aymu's light footwork was indeed very powerful.
As night fell, Princess Yuan'an returned with the Flower-Clothed Eunuchs, having accomplished nothing.
The Three Little Ones also breathed a sigh of relief.
Taking advantage of the gong signaling the imminent closing of the East Market, the group left the East Market and headed towards Xingqing Palace.
With a series of incidents, Hu Yu House had closed for business starting today.
Zhou Mama was missing, and the Hou family temporarily took over Hu Yu House, thoroughly investigating both inside and out, searching for Zhou Mama's whereabouts.
Without Zhou Mama to take the blame, Steward Fan would become the unlucky one.
Therefore, he was exceptionally anxious.
Princess Ankang had lost interest in these matters, and even began to dislike the bustling night scenery of the East Market.
Previously, she didn't understand why, only seeing the flourishing side.
Now that she knew of the decay within, she naturally no longer found it novel or interesting.
The false prosperity of Flower Street only deceived Princess Ankang for one night.
Moreover, their overnight stay had to be reported to the Internal Affairs Bureau personnel at Xingqing Palace.
Princess Ankang and Princess Yuan'an, having lost interest in Flower Street, were too lazy to go through such trouble again, so they returned directly to Xingqing Palace to rest that night.
After returning to Xingqing Palace, Li Xuan, after eating dinner, greeted Princess Ankang and then secretly slipped out again.
After leaving Xingqing Palace, he headed directly towards Zhao Manor.
Li Xuan believed that Fang Muyang would not want to wait a single moment.
If he left now, he might still make it in time.
But when Li Xuan arrived at Xuan Yang Ward, he saw from a distance that a green fire had already ignited in Zhao Manor, raging fiercely.
Li Xuan rushed over to investigate and found that Zhao Four's room had been engulfed by the blaze.
The servants and guards of Zhao Manor were busy fighting the fire, but just like last night at Hu Yu House, this green fire intensified with water, and its intensity showed no signs of weakening.
Seeing this scene, Li Xuan knew that Zhao Four should be gone.
"He moves quite fast."
Li Xuan looked around, scanning the high points near Zhao Manor.
Fang Muyang probably wouldn't want to miss this final scene of revenge.
Li Xuan left Zhao Manor and began searching nearby using his sense of smell.
He had memorized Fang Muyang's scent when he went to the medical clinic during the day.
After searching for a long time, Li Xuan found Fang Muyang's scent in a restaurant.
In a window seat on the third floor sat a handsome young master with a feminine appearance.
Through the scent, Li Xuan determined this was Fang Muyang.
Fang Muyang was wearing a human skin mask at this moment, pouring and drinking for himself, gazing at the raging fire at Zhao Manor, lost in thought.
Li Xuan noticed that although he was alone at the table, he had set out two sets of bowls, chopsticks, and wine cups.
He would drink a cup, then pour a cup onto the ground.
Li Xuan appeared silently on the window ledge, walking like a cat. Fang Muyang merely glanced at him, then turned his gaze back to the green fire within Zhao Manor.
"You're here."
Fang Muyang greeted casually.
Li Xuan silently looked at the human skin mask on Fang Muyang's face.
This face was not the one he had given Fang Muyang earlier, which meant he was wearing "Thousand Faces" at this moment.
Li Xuan carefully observed Fang Muyang's current face and found it to be a girl's face.
The girl's appearance was delicate and pretty, belonging to the very cute type.
However, it was completely out of place with Fang Muyang's current gloomy demeanor.
Seeing Li Xuan scrutinizing his face, Fang Muyang smiled and asked:
"Isn't she very cute?"
Li Xuan nodded.
"She is indeed the cutest girl in this world."
Fang Muyang raised his gaze, looking at the stars in the night sky.
"Did you know?"
"I wore two human skin masks when I went in just now."
Fang Muyang drank his wine, talking to himself.
He just needed someone to confide in at this moment.
Li Xuan stood on the window ledge, listening silently.
"When I tore off the top one, revealing this face, he was actually scared to death."
Fang Muyang couldn't help but sneer.
"Why should he die so easily?"
Fang Muyang gritted his teeth, his gaze turning dark as he looked back at the green fire in the distance.
He said nothing more, continuing to drink his wine in silence, talking nonsense, all while looking at the distant green fire.
But Fang Muyang's alcohol tolerance seemed extremely good; no matter how much he drank, he couldn't get drunk.
He just wanted to temporarily forget everything, yet the more he drank, the more he couldn't forget.
"Xi Xi, Xi Xi..."
"I miss you so much..."
Li Xuan sighed, looking at Fang Muyang, who was slumped on the table, still gazing at the distant green fire.
The green fire had begun to gradually extinguish.
Lacking fuel, even the difficult-to-extinguish green fire could not be sustained.
It wasn't until the green fire completely died out that Fang Muyang slowly closed his eyes, tears continuously flowing from his tightly shut eyes.
On this floor of the restaurant, Fang Muyang was the only customer at a table.
There weren't many customers who simply drank all night; most went for drinks with courtesans.
Li Xuan stood on the window ledge, accompanying Fang Muyang, looking at the capital at night, feeling a sense of bewilderment.
He had previously thought of taking Princess Ankang to travel the world, but this time, having just set foot in the capital, he encountered such things.
Li Xuan wanted to show Princess Ankang the world, but he also feared that Princess Ankang would be disappointed by this world.
To be honest, even Li Xuan couldn't help but feel disappointed.
What happened in Great Xing seemed not much different from his previous world.
Although the historical background was completely different, human desires were the same.
These desires, if indulged even slightly, created one identical tragedy after another.
Li Xuan finally understood the meaning of "there is nothing new under the sun" at this moment.
Calamity arises from evil hearts, and evil hearts are tempted by desires.
"Do I really want to show Ankang these dark sides?"
If possible, Li Xuan wanted to forever protect Princess Ankang's innocence.
At least, not let her be disappointed by this world.
Li Xuan looked at the night sky and thought all night, but ultimately found no answer.
He knew that these matters would ultimately have to be decided by Princess Ankang herself.
When the sky began to lighten slightly, Li Xuan patted Fang Muyang with his tail, waking him up.
Fang Muyang opened his bloodshot eyes, watching the horizon turn a fish-belly white in the distance.
He still couldn't help but glance in the direction of Zhao Manor.
Where the green fire had burned last night, there was now only a charred ruin.
Seeing Fang Muyang about to zone out again, Li Xuan patted his hand, signaling him to open his palm.
Fang Muyang groggily complied, then felt an itch on his palm; it turned out Li Xuan was writing on his palm with his tail.
"What exactly was that green fire?"
Fang Muyang smiled slightly and took out a pre-written note from his Pregnant.
"It was an inspiration I got from an alchemical formula. After a slight improvement, I obtained this Phosphorus Sulfur Fire."
"Sulfur-concealed method: one liang of sulfur, one liang of saltpeter, half a liang of sal ammoniac. The above three ingredients are ground into a powder, then made into a paste with a crucible. Pour it into the trough, and the concealment is complete."
Below that were Fang Muyang's thoughts on improving the formula and the new, improved formula.
The purpose of each added ingredient and its effect were all recorded in relatively detailed notes.
"Meow, this guy is doing chemistry in a fantasy world!"
Li Xuan was greatly surprised after reading the Phosphorus Sulfur Fire formula.
It seemed that doctors who treated illnesses and saved lives were not only responsible for healing the wounded and rescuing the dying.
As he spoke, Fang Muyang took out two small yellow iron pellets.
"These are the Phosphorus Sulfur Thunderbolt Fire I made. When thrown, they explode and ignite the Phosphorus Sulfur Fire."
"Phosphorus Sulfur Fire explodes violently upon contact with water and needs to be extinguished with sand and soil. Experts can also extinguish it with true qi."
Fang Muyang explained the usage of Phosphorus Sulfur Thunderbolt Fire and methods to deal with Phosphorus Sulfur Fire.
"This formula and the Phosphorus Sulfur Thunderbolt Fire are for you, as a token of my gratitude for this occasion."
"But I will remember your kindness in helping me. If there's ever a place where you need me, just command me."
Fang Muyang made his promise.
Li Xuan was not polite; with a flick of his tail, he swept everything into the di hong bone ring.
Fang Muyang watched Li Xuan collect the items with magical means, wisely not asking or looking too much.
Li Xuan then continued to ask him:
"What are your plans next?"
Fang Muyang looked at the distant sky, dazed for a moment.
He suddenly realized that his life had become meaningless after losing Xi Xi.
For so many years, they had endured so much hardship, all for the sake of a happy life together in the future.
But all of it had turned into an illusion.
For Fang Muyang now, even becoming an imperial physician held no meaning for him.
After a long while, Fang Muyang merely shook his head.
Li Xuan could understand his current feelings, but still hoped he could live well.
"As Aymu said, live well."
"After you're gone, your relationship will come to its final end."
"At least, you can still remember Xi Xi, and remember the love you shared."
Li Xuan knew his persuasion was weak, but he still tried his best.
Fang Muyang felt somewhat magical to be comforted by a cat.
He stroked Li Xuan's fur, feeling the soft touch, remaining silent for a long time.
After the drumbeats signaling the opening of the four gates of the market sounded, Li Xuan and Fang Muyang left Xuan Yang Ward.
However, on their way back, Li Xuan saw several familiar places and couldn't help but pull out the alchemical formula Fang Muyang had given him from the di hong bone ring, then carefully compared the ingredients on it.
The more Li Xuan looked, the more familiar it seemed. He stood on Fang Muyang's shoulder and then wrote and drew on his face with his tail.
Fang Muyang felt helpless about Li Xuan, this cat with no sense of boundaries.
But Li Xuan had just helped him complete his revenge, so he couldn't say much at this moment.
"Are the ingredients on your formula stolen?"
"You visited that one, and that one, right?"
Li Xuan pointed to the pharmacies and pawn shops he had visited with Princess Ankang.
"Huh?"
"How did you know?"
Fang Muyang looked a little surprised.
He had been very careful about this matter, and he shouldn't have left any clues.
Fang Muyang then explained to Li Xuan:
"The ingredients in the Dan Fang are all a bit sensitive and easily lead to suspicion."
"I often treat patients at those few places, so I took the opportunity while treating them to borrow these ingredients."
Li Xuan hadn't expected that Fang Muyang was also a kindred spirit, fond of borrowing things from people.
He then wrote on Fang Muyang's face:
"What about those gold, silver, and jewels, antique vases, and the Four Treasures of the Study?"
Fang Muyang said helplessly:
"If I only borrowed the ingredients from the Dan Fang, my intentions would easily be figured out, so I borrowed some more valuables and pretended to be a thief."
"All those things are still in the medical hall. After this period of scrutiny passes, I will return them, and the used ingredients will be converted into silver and returned as well."
"Even when I, Fang Muyang, was at my poorest, I never engaged in deception, swindling, or theft."
"My mother used to teach me..."
Fang Muyang suddenly froze as he spoke, then his tone sank:
"But I still stole, and even killed someone."
"My mother must be very disappointed in me..."
Fang Muyang couldn't help but force a bitter smile.
Li Xuan had never expected that the culprit behind the serial theft case Princess Ankang was investigating was Fang Muyang.
No wonder there were no signs of forced entry at those places; it turned out he had openly walked into people's homes and then casually taken things.
Only then did Li Xuan realize that their target had been Fang Muyang from the start.
This made him frown deeply.
"Was this mission to investigate the case outside the palace also pre-arranged?"
Li Xuan began to suspect that their involvement in this matter might have been an inevitable outcome.
"What exactly does Emperor Yongyuan want to achieve?"
"Is the target those two, the Zhao family and the Hou family?"
Li Xuan was somewhat eager to return and ask Chief Steward Shang and Zhao Feng.
Next, one person and one cat fell silent, lost in their own thoughts.
Back at Fang Muyang's medical hall, Aymu was sound asleep on the bed, and Imperial Physician Xue was no longer there.
Li Xuan jumped down from Fang Muyang's shoulder and asked him:
"Is that all over now?"
Fang Muyang shook his head at Li Xuan.
"I haven't had time to arrange Qianqian's funeral yet."
"We had actually found a burial ground earlier."
"But now, it seems Qianqian will have to wait for me there for a while."
Hearing that the suicidal intent in Fang Muyang's words had diminished considerably, Li Xuan also breathed a sigh of relief.
"Actually, there's still one more person."
Fang Muyang suddenly said something startling.
"But I don't need to do it anymore."
Fang Muyang let out a long, turbid breath, then continued:
"Back then, Qianqian's family was implicated by mine all because of her uncle's betrayal."
"After that, her uncle even personally sold her into Hu Yu House."
"Now that Zhao Four and Third Young Master Hou are dead, the authorities must provide an explanation to their families."
"Qianqian's uncle is her only living relative in this world, so the authorities will deal with him then."
Fang Muyang said with certainty.
Li Xuan's eyes widened; he hadn't expected this fellow to have calculated this far.
"Oh, right."
As Fang Muyang spoke, he walked to the bed, and despite Aymu's messy sleeping posture, he retrieved a rather large bundle from under the bed.
He brought the bundle to the table and opened it, revealing its contents.
It was precisely the stolen items Li Xuan had mentioned earlier.
And sure enough, the medicinal herbs and ores were gone, leaving only the valuables.
"Would you mind making a trip?"
Fang Muyang had taken a liking to Li Xuan's miraculous ability to store items, and thus shamelessly used an honorific when addressing the cat.
Li Xuan couldn't help but roll his eyes at Fang Muyang, not expecting this kid to be so thick-skinned.
Fang Muyang, seeing Li Xuan roll his eyes, cleared his throat twice to cover his embarrassment.
"If it's too much trouble, then forget it."
But Li Xuan then reconsidered: if all these lost items were returned to their rightful owners, wouldn't Princess Ankang's case also be closed?
After some thought, Li Xuan agreed to the matter.
If Fang Muyang went to return them himself, he could only do so under the guise of practicing medicine, which would be time-consuming and laborious, and would definitely exceed the seven-day deadline.
"I have one request: for the two families you're compensating with money, you need to explain the reason, so they know what the money is for."
Fang Muyang readily agreed.
"No problem, I'll just write with my left hand."
Fang Muyang fetched paper and brush, and was about to write when Aymu on the bed suddenly scrambled up.
"Oh, you can't do things this way."
Aymu quickly stepped forward to advise.
It turned out this fellow had been pretending to sleep all along.
After several interactions, Li Xuan's opinion of Aymu had greatly changed.
"She still looks better when she's just dancing and not talking."
Aymu first gave Li Xuan a fawning grin, full of ingratiation.
Although she couldn't see what Li Xuan had written earlier, she had guessed most of the situation through Fang Muyang's reactions and answers.
"Fang Muyang, go get some charcoal and some scrap paper. Don't use the paper you usually write prescriptions on."
Aymu commanded casually.
This fellow still had the silver needles Imperial Physician Xue had left in her, and she had no power to resist, but she didn't seem to care too much.
Fang Muyang first looked at Li Xuan.
Compared to Aymu, Fang Muyang trusted Li Xuan more.
Li Xuan nodded, and only then did Fang Muyang go to find those things as Aymu instructed.
After Fang Muyang left, Aymu sat at the table, resting her chin in her hands, then stared intently at Li Xuan, her eyes full of anticipation.
"What is she doing?"
Li Xuan felt uncomfortable and quietly averted his gaze, turning his small face to the side.
But Aymu, keeping her upper body still, only moved her perky backside and came back in front of Li Xuan.
A drop of cold sweat silently hung on Li Xuan's face.
"This guy wasn't hit in the head by the Flower-Clothed Eunuchs, was she?"
Just as Li Xuan was about to explode from Aymu's scorching gaze, Fang Muyang returned with the items.
Li Xuan clearly saw Aymu give Fang Muyang an annoyed roll of her eyes, leaving Fang Muyang bewildered.
"Here, the things you wanted."
Aymu took the charcoal and scrap paper, then looked at Fang Muyang expressionlessly and said:
"You speak, I write."
Fang Muyang nodded, then carefully considered his words, explaining that he urgently needed those items and was now compensating for the other party's losses.
Fang Muyang even deliberately overpaid the pharmacy and the blacksmith shop with some extra silver.
Many of those medicinal herbs and ores were regulated.
If Fang Muyang were to buy them himself, one person couldn't purchase such a large quantity.
And these two shops, having lost these essential stocks, would inevitably need to restock temporarily.
Considering this, Fang Muyang gave these two shops some extra compensation.
Aymu held the charcoal, swiftly waving it, and soon released her hand, pushing several pieces of scrap paper forward.
The scrap papers all contained the same content, but neither Li Xuan nor Fang Muyang could understand it.
"What kind of writing is this?"
Fang Muyang frowned, looking at the scribbles on the paper.
"This is a common language in the Western Regions. If we pretend to be from the Western Regions, wouldn't it be even less likely for them to suspect you?"
Aymu explained unhurriedly.
Li Xuan wrote on Fang Muyang's face:
"Aren't you afraid she'll trick you?"
Fang Muyang shook his head and said:
"We're in this together. Harming me wouldn't benefit her."
"Besides, if she wanted to harm me, she could just report me."
Li Xuan heard this and realized it was indeed true.
Logically speaking, from the moment Fang Muyang abducted Aymu, Aymu, with her cultivation, could have easily killed Fang Muyang.
Fang Muyang categorized and organized the items, then affixed labels to prevent Li Xuan from forgetting where each item needed to be returned.
After Li Xuan stored all the items in the di hong bone ring, he went to return them.
Li Xuan was familiar with this kind of task; aside from being somewhat unfamiliar with the area, which took him a little extra time, everything else went smoothly.
After the items were returned to their rightful owners, these owners should report it to the authorities, right?
If there's no movement, Princess Ankang can investigate again, and closing the case shouldn't be difficult then.
"In that case, this month's competition can be considered handled."
When Li Xuan returned, Fang Muyang and Aymu were waiting for him.
Seeing Li Xuan return after finishing the task, Fang Muyang also breathed a sigh of relief; having things weighing on his mind was always unpleasant.
At this moment, Aymu spoke:
"Fang Muyang, I've already helped you with your task."
"What about my task, what do you say?"
Fang Muyang said unhurriedly:
"When I wanted to kill Zhou Mama, you agreed to join in to get Hu Yu House."
"Now that Zhou Mama is dead, how will you get Hu Yu House?"
"Those land deeds and property titles couldn't possibly be left to you, could they?"
Seeing that Fang Muyang didn't turn hostile, Aymu also didn't rush him.
"Zhou Mama is dead; this step was completed without a problem."
"Before I went to the cellar secret room that day, I went to her room, but I didn't find those documents. There were many signs of searching, though, so I'm afraid people from the Hou family also looked for those documents."
"Now I'm just afraid those documents were burned along with Zhou Mama."
"If that's the case, I'll have to go through more trouble."
Aymu said with some annoyance.
Upon hearing Aymu's words, Li Xuan's heart stirred.
He had previously stolen that small wooden box from Zhou Mama, and it seemed to contain some very important things.
Before Zhou Mama escaped through the secret passage, she was frantically searching her room.
Li Xuan planned to thoroughly examine that small wooden box after returning, to see what was hidden inside.
That night, he had only clearly seen Zhou Mama hide many banknotes inside; as for other things, he hadn't seen them clearly.
If it contained the land deeds and property titles of Hu Yu House, he might be able to use it to leverage this girl.
Aymu, possessing cultivation, came from the Western Regions. On the surface, she was a courtesan skilled in dance, but secretly, she coveted the properties of Hu Yu House.
Li Xuan found it hard not to suspect she was a spy from the Western Regions, with ulterior motives for coming to the capital.
Li Xuan guessed that Aymu definitely had her own secrets, and these secrets were most likely unspeakable.
Listening to their conversation, Li Xuan smiled slightly from the side.
"Forget it, just remember, don't die before you help me acquire Hu Yu House, otherwise I'll kill..."
Aymu stopped halfway, realizing something was wrong, and after a thought, changed her words:
"I'll dig you out alone and not let you be buried with Qianqian."
Fang Muyang gave a bitter laugh and reluctantly replied:
"I understand."
Then, he asked again:
"Oh, right, how are you going to go back? If the authorities ask about your disappearance, you'll need a reasonable explanation."
Aymu smiled faintly, saying confidently:
"Aren't you trying to frame Qianqian's uncle?"
"How about I help you one more time?"
Aymu had pretended to sleep earlier and had overheard all of Fang Muyang's words.
Fang Muyang was stunned and bowed solemnly to Aymu.
"Hmph, don't think a mere bow will erase this favor of mine. You have to do something substantial for me."
Aymu said, then climbed back onto the bed, but before burrowing under the covers, she tossed something out, throwing it into Fang Muyang's hand.
It was a beautiful pebble, with some words carved on it.
"First, may my lord live a thousand years; second, may I, your humble servant, always be healthy; third, may we be like swallows on the beam, meeting year after year."
"To my husband, Muyang."
"Liu Qianqian."
Fang Muyang stared blankly at the pebble in his hand, at the familiar handwriting, his chest feeling as if it were being squeezed, unable to breathe.
His vision instantly blurred, and he asked Aymu in a trembling voice:
"Why is this stone with you?"
Aymu turned her back and huddled under the covers.
"Qianqian asked me to give it to you.".