After finishing the meal, Lü Zhiming put down his chopsticks and said to Wen Chaoshen:

  "Once you've rested enough, go to the woodshed and chop wood. I have only one requirement: every day, you must split the rge logs in the woodshed into pieces like those small logs stacked over there."

  He pointed, and Wen Chaoshen saw a neat pile of small logs stacked under the eaves.

  "I will pay you fifty coins a day. If you save up, in a year you can buy your own plot of nd in Kuhai County. It may not be rge, but it's enough for one person."

  Wen Chaoshen asked in confusion:

  "With the identity of a Qi Kingdom citizen, wouldn't the Magistrate directly allocate a plot of nd to me?"

  Lü Zhiming patiently expined:

  "Qi Kingdom has such a w, but it has never been well implemented. If you want a pce to live, you have to pay the Magistrate yourself."

  Wen Chaoshen was silent for a while, then slowly took out the hatchet from behind him. Just a few steps out the door, he suddenly stopped and turned to ask Lü Zhiming:

  "Mr. Lü, why is there a loquat tree in the middle of the courtyard?"

  Lü Zhiming was surprised by the question. He gave Wen Chaoshen a serious look, and the white-haired woman tidying up the dishes inside the room paused, her gaze sweeping outside.

  "Isn't it normal to have a tree in the courtyard?"

  "The courtyard is so big, without a tree, it would feel empty."

  Wen Chaoshen asked:

  "Then why not pnt a few more?"

  Lü Zhiming, intrigued, asked:

  "Why do you suddenly ask about a tree?"

  "It's just there, not in your way."

  Wen Chaoshen hesitated for a moment, his eyes a bit bewildered:

  "I don't know, I just feel... it's special."

  Lü Zhiming:

  "How special?"

  Wen Chaoshen pondered the feeling carefully:

  "When I first entered this courtyard, I noticed this tree. I can't expin the feeling, but it seems it shouldn't be a tree, but something else..."

  Saying this, he seemed to find discussing a tree uninteresting and went to the woodshed with the hatchet. Soon, the sound of chopping wood could be heard.

  The white-haired woman resumed tidying up the dishes. As she passed by Lü Zhiming, her tone carried a hint of hidden pride:

  "Did we find a treasure this time?"

  Lü Zhiming stared at the loquat tree in the courtyard and said:

  "This loquat branch came from the far north. Though the Yan people are born in the north, they are used to seeing loquats, and only see loquats."

  "Unexpectedly, in this far southern nd, someone with true eyes can see the true meaning within the branches, the exquisite beauty among the leaves... Such is the whim of fate."

  The white-haired woman asked:

  "Are you going to teach him?"

  Lü Zhiming shook his head.

  "No one in this world can teach me, nor can I teach anyone."

  "However, this loquat tree has always been here. If he comes every day, he will see it every day. How much he can see in that tree is up to his own fate."

  ...

  Magistrate's Residence.

  As evening approached, the snow that had stopped for a while began to fall again.

  Wu Xie stood at the door with his sword, knocked three times, and a gap opened in the door. The constable inside, seeing who was outside, immediately stepped aside.

  Wu Xie hurried to Liu Jinshi's autopsy room. Chun Qiong was still inside, the dim light of many candles illuminating the room and magnifying the seriousness in Chun Qiong's eyes.

  "Why did it take so long?"

  Chun Qiong asked.

  Wu Xie replied in a low voice:

  "The people of Wangchuan were led away st night. There was a period when Liu Jinshi wasn't seen, probably an hour before he committed suicide."

  Chun Qiong frowned:

  "The people of Wangchuan were led away? By whom?"

  Wu Xie:

  "Some were led away by family members released by Liu Jinshi. Just before dawn, a carriage escaped from Liu Jinshi's residence under the cover of lingering darkness. Some of Wangchuan's people, who were supposed to watch Liu Jinshi, followed, thinking it was him escaping, but it turned out to be his wife, children, and steward."

  Chun Qiong asked:

  "Where are they?"

  Wu Xie replied:

  "They've been dealt with. This matter is significant. The bodies of the three are with Lu Chuan. Lu Chuan invites you to meet at the Mandarin Duck Tower tomorrow, as he seems to have something to discuss with you alone."

  Chun Qiong paced the room, stepping on his own shadow, the candlelight flickering as if reflecting his inner turmoil.

  "What about the rest?"

  "The Wangchuan operatives watching Liu Jinshi were professionally trained. They wouldn't all chase after one carriage. If they were that foolish, I might as well write a report to you, and if trouble arises ter, I won't be too involved."

  Wangchuan is a renowned assassin organization in the martial world, spanning four kingdoms and growing stronger over the past century. Not only in the martial world, but even in the court, as long as they're paid, they dare to kill!

  Rumors say that Wangchuan's core members are connected with the royal families of the four kingdoms, and behind the countless souls they've cimed are untold treasures and splendor.

  The professionalism of this group is unquestionable.

  Wu Xie expined:

  "There was supposed to be a group watching."

  "Wangchuan's people are usually meticulous, but that night something unexpected happened..."

  Chun Qiong's eyes were like stars:

  "What unexpected event?"