Chapter 49: New Developments

That night, most people in Xiang’an town were sound asleep, but there were always a few who liked to stir up trouble under cover of darkness.

In a small courtyard at the horse gang’s compound, two small figures sat drinking opposite each other.

The summer moonlight descended gently, softly spilling over the stone table.

The refreshing scent of tea and the rich, mellow aroma of wine mingled together. Accompanied by moonlight and the chirping of cicadas, the scene formed a rather strange tableau.

“Hmm… so, Master, after all that talk, what exactly are you trying to say?”

Zhao Yi’an sat by the stone table, wearing only an outer robe to ward off the chill. His expression was a mix of helplessness and calm.

He held a cup in both hands, occasionally taking a sip as he listened.

On any other night, there would be no one else in Zhao Yi’an’s courtyard at this hour.

But tonight was different.

Just a short while ago, Liu Yao—who had been silent for days—suddenly appeared over the wall with a jug of wine, saying she wanted to chat.

Zhao Yi’an had been restless and anxious from not hearing from his master for so long. But the moment he saw her, that restless heat in his heart vanished.

‘Hmm… it’s true that drinking tea calms the heart…’

‘That inexplicable gloom from the past few days has disappeared without a trace. I feel so refreshed…’

‘I’ll have to ask Account Huang for more later.’

The young man took a sip of his tea, attributing the rare peace in his heart to the drink in his hand.

“What do you mean?! I explained it perfectly! You just weren’t listening to your master, were you?”

Liu Yao shot her apprentice a dissatisfied glare.

Then she lifted the wine jug and drank straight from its mouth, her movements utterly bold.

“Gulp, gulp… Ha! So refreshing!”

“You have no idea how hard my life has been these past few days, dear apprentice…” The girl mumbled her complaint.

With that, she flopped both arms onto the stone table and lay sprawled across it.

“Why did I ever agree to investigate the Wang family for you? Every single one of them talks in that irritating, high-and-mighty way. I really hate it…”

She lifted her head, deliberately making a bitter face.

“Master…” Seeing Liu Yao’s deliberately dramatic act, Zhao Yi’an found it a little amusing, but he still put on a guilt-ridden expression. “That really must have been hard on you.”

“I even went to the kitchen just now and secretly made some side dishes to go with the wine. So can you please let me off the hook? Hm?”

“Hmm… Fine! Since you’ve shown a bit of filial piety!”

***

After spending days beside Wang Chengle, constantly maintaining the image of a graceful young gentleman, Liu Yao had felt stifled.

Now that she was in front of her own apprentice, she could finally drop the disguise, and her playful nature came out without any pretense.

Phew—!

It’s so much easier here!

Dealing with that so-called Second Master and Miss Wang was such a pain!

Compared to them, Yi’an felt much more human.

Letting out a long sigh inwardly, the girl picked up her chopsticks, grabbed some side dishes, and began eating in small bites.

“Mmph… wha’ did you say? I was sayin’… mmph! Cough, cough!”

Liu Yao stuffed food into her mouth like a hungry puppy.

In the end, she choked and coughed.

“Slow down. No one’s taking it from you.”

Seeing this, Zhao Yi’an shook his head helplessly, then poured a cup of tea and handed it over.

“Mmph… Ah!”

Liu Yao snatched the cup and downed it in one gulp, then wiped her mouth with her arm and looked at Zhao Yi’an.

“I know, I know! Geez, you made me forget what I was about to say…”

“Oh, I remember now! What I was trying to say is that your master has successfully infiltrated the Wang family! Deep infiltration! Deep!” Liu Yao clapped her hands, her eyes suddenly lighting up. “See? Do you understand now?”

The girl’s voice carried a mix of dissatisfaction and smugness. She tilted her head, crossed her arms, and curled her lips.

After hearing this, Zhao Yi’an’s eyes flickered with a complex emotion—relief, lingering fear, but mostly gratitude.

“This truly… must have been so hard on you.”

“To think you infiltrated the Wang family for someone like me…”

As he spoke, he lowered his head, his voice growing muffled.

“Mmph… cough! It, it wasn’t that hard…”

Seeing her apprentice so moved, Liu Yao suddenly felt a pang of guilt and unease.

After all, she had exaggerated a bit. But that wasn’t the main point. The main point was—

Working for this family was just too profitable!

Originally, she had planned to work a few days for Wang Chengle, earn some travel money, and take care of the task she promised her apprentice.

Just stand around, collect the money nicely—wasn’t that perfect?

As for that Miss Wang’s so-called “find someone” mission, hah…

At first, she refused. The girl just scolded her and then begged for help?

Wasn’t Liu Yao, a renowned hero of the Great Song’s Wulin, supposed to have some dignity?

But what she never expected was…

That bad-tempered young lady directly offered triple the price to hire her!

Triple! Three times!

Now she had no choice but to accept.

Rich people are so annoying!

“Ah, that’s right, Master!” Zhao Yi’an suddenly remembered something, cutting off Liu Yao’s random thoughts. “Do you remember that Cloud Bright Swordsman?”

“Ah, ah? What about him?”

Hearing the young man suddenly mention her male identity, Liu Yao’s heart skipped a beat. She thought her true identity had been exposed.

“Hmm… how should I put it? There’s a rumor going around that Liu Yao, Young Hero Liu, has been seen around our Xiang’an town recently.”

“Master, you’ve been out all this time—did you know?”

Liu Yao’s heart relaxed. She almost laughed out loud but barely held it in.

‘So it’s just baseless rumors. I thought someone figured out who I am.’

‘Indeed, I shouldn’t have such high expectations for this silly apprentice’s intelligence…’

The girl shook her head and waved her hand seriously.

“Relax. This is obviously a rumor. I can guarantee it, okay?”

She put on a dismissive expression.

Zhao Yi’an just shrugged, indicating he didn’t care.

He had only mentioned it because Liu Yao had once told him that the Cloud Bright Swordsman was her idol.

Now that his master had dismissed it, Zhao Yi’an immediately dropped the topic.

“Speaking of which, while you were busy investigating the Wang family these past few days, the horse gang has been very busy too,” he said, taking a light sip of tea.

“Oh? What? A big job?”

Hearing Zhao Yi’an’s words, Liu Yao assumed he was just changing the subject to avoid boredom.

But his next sentence almost made her spit the wine in her mouth right onto his face.

“Probably? Leader Li said it’s to escort a big shot who’s about to come from Lin’an to our Xiang’an town…”

“Huh?! What?!”