“Me?” Zu An was surprised. After all, Qin Wanru had never liked him, and yet she wanted him to accompany her today.

Qin Wanru rolled her eyes at him. “You have close ties to the Wei clan, and besides, you’re the one who helped to facilitate this. Who else would I bring if not you?” 

Chu Huanzhao rushed over when she heard that the two of them were heading out. She proclaimed loudly that she was going with them.

Qin Wanru rejected her straightaway. “We are going out on official business. You need to stay at home.”

Chu Huanzhao pointed at Zu An. “How come even brother-in-law gets to go, but not me?” she said unhappily.

Zu An was stunned for a moment.

What do you mean, even I can go? Do I seem so lowly to you?!

I haven’t spanked this kid in a while. It seems like she’s itching for a beating.

Qin Wanru gave her daughter a hard look. “Be obedient!”

Her statement was delivered with all the power she had accumulated over the years. Chu Huanzhao stuck out her tongue and left unhappily.

The two of them arrived in the Wei clan. When he received news of Qin Wanru’s arrival, the head of the Wei clan came out personally to welcome them.

After exchanging greetings, the two of them headed into the study to discuss the details.

Meanwhile, Wei Hongde showed Zu An around.

However, Zu An was not in the mood for a tour at all. He claimed to be a little tired, and requested for a room where he could get some rest.

Wei Hongde was rather surprised, but acceded to his request in the end. After all, the clan master had important matters to discuss, and there was no way he would be done quickly. As such, he arranged a guest room for Zu An. It just happened to be the one he had used the last time.

Zu An lay down on the bed. Once Wei Hongde left, however, his eyes flew open.

This opportunity was too good to pass up. He might as well go looking for Old Mi’s case again.

However, he suddenly remembered the terrifying cultivation possessed by the mysterious old expert he had met the last time, and quickly grew discouraged. Stealing something from under that old fart’s nose would surely prove too difficult.

Just then, a figure jumped in through the window. Alarmed by this sudden development, Zu An’s whole body tensed. “Show yourself!”

“It’s me!” A captivating figure slowly walked towards him, staring at him with her ever-smiling peach-blossom eyes. Who else could this be but Pei Mianman?

“Big Manman!” Zu An’s eyes brightened. He spread his arms, welcoming her into his embrace. “Long time no see! Come and give this big brother a hug!”

Pei Mianman was not amused.

She easily evaded him. “You’re getting more and more daring! I definitely need to make Chu Chuyan see this side of you someday.”

Zu An seemed unfazed by her threat. “Chu Chuyan doesn’t even care if I do this sort of thing. Who knows, she might even be happy to see the two of us together. That way, the two of you can continue being sisters.”

Pei Mianman finally couldn’t take his teasing anymore. She snorted and said, “Enough already. I wanted to ask you for your help.”

Zu An looked disappointed. “I thought that our meeting today was fate giving us another chance, but it seems you were actually looking for me.” 

Pei Mianman looked around and realized that this was the room the two of them had stayed in the last time. Her face heated up when she recalled what had happened that night. “I only sought you out after learning that you were here.”

“Are you still looking for the same thing?” Zu An let his smile fade. “That terrifying expert is still in the Wei Estate. Are you looking to throw your life away?”

“I was caught off guard the last time because I didn’t know that such an expert was here,” Pei Mianman said. “I came prepared this time, so matters will go much more smoothly. Of course, the odds of success will be higher if you agree to help me.”

“What sort of help do you need?” Zu An asked.

Pei Mianman walked over to the window and gazed towards the distant silhouettes. “I’m going to head towards that courtyard to draw out that mysterious expert. You’ll use that chance to sneak in and find something for me.”

Zu An frowned. The plan was simple—lure the tiger from its den. Simple plans were usually quite effective, but there was a key issue to this one. “The level of that fellow’s cultivation is far above yours. How in the world are you going to get away?”

Pei Mianman said, “You don’t need to worry about that. I have my own way of dealing with it. You just need to help me find what I need.”

Zu An knew how mysterious she was. She might actually have some way of dealing with that expert, just as she claimed. “What are you looking for?” 

A look of hesitation crossed Pei Mianman’s face. However, she knew that there was no way he would be able to find what she needed without knowing what it looked like. “It’s a dark golden tile. It’s this long and this wide…”

She outlined the shape, size, and various other traits of the item.

Zu An couldn’t hide his curiosity. “What is this tile used for? Why would you go through such great risks to get it?”

Pei Mianman remained silent.

“If you don’t want to tell me, you can forget about my help.” Zu An’s mood darkened. He felt really annoyed for some reason.

Pei Mianman bit her lower lip. There was clearly some internal struggle going on within her. In the end, she said, “Whatever. I’ve saved your life before and you’ve saved mine. That makes the two of us close. I’ll let you in on this, then. However, you have to promise me that you won’t tell anyone else what I am about to tell you, including Chuyan. I’m not saying this because I don’t trust you, but because this matter is too important.”

“Sure, I’ll keep this secret for you.” Zu An didn’t dare to joke around when he saw how serious she was.

Pei Mianman lowered her voice and said, “You can enter and exit the imperial palace freely using this tile.”

Zu An leapt in shock. “What the heck are you trying to do, stealing something like that?!”

Pei Mianman shook her head. “That’s not something you need to worry about. I have my reasons.”

Zu An grew serious. After taking a moment to think about it, he nodded. “All right, I’ll help you!”

“Thank you!” Seeing that he was still willing to help her after hearing all that, Pei Mianman beamed gratefully.

Zu An was taken aback by this beautiful sight.

Pei Mianman blushed. She hurriedly said, “Regardless of whether you find that tile or not, you have to leave within the time it takes to burn a stick of incense. Things will go south if that expert rushes back and finds you.”

“I know.” Zu An knew that he was no match for someone that even Old Mi was scared to face. He wouldn’t possibly dare to face that fella head on.

“By the way, regardless of whether you succeed or not, I’ll be waiting for you two hours later by the gazebo outside the academy.” Pei Mianman paused, then added, “That gardener in your clan estate is also dangerous. We might be exposed if we meet in the Chu clan.”

“All right!” Zu An was just about to suggest something similar. Old Mi had even seen him with Pei Mianman previously. Now that they had something so important to discuss, they obviously had to avoid him.

“I’ll be going, then. Get ready.” Pei Mianman walked over to the window.

“Be careful.” Even though she said she had a countermeasure prepared, Zu An was still anxious. After all, that expert was just too formidable.

“Don’t worry!” Pei Mianman smiled. Just as she was about to leave, she abruptly turned around. “I suddenly understand why Chuyan likes you.”

With that, her figure disappeared. Only her fragrance lingered in the air.

Zu An was stunned. 

It took you so long to figure that out?

Isn’t it obviously because I’m handsome, rich, talented, and courageous?

He didn’t have to wait long. There was a loud whoosh, and he vaguely glimpsed two figures rush out.

Zu An shivered inside. He retracted all of his aura and sneaked towards the courtyard.