Ning Yan was amused by her coaxing tone as if she were talking to a child. The next moment, the door was pushed open, and Zi Dai walked in rubbing her sleepy eyes. Seeing her mistress standing by the window, she instantly became alert and quickly stepped forward to shut it.

  "Miss! The night air is cold! How could you leave the window open? What if you catch a chill?"

  Bai Qingqing grinned at her sheepishly, trying to appease her. Zi Dai, now fully awake, busied herself fussing over her—warming her hands, offering her hot tea, and nagging incessantly. She wouldn’t even let Bai Qingqing continue reading, urging her to get into bed and rest.

  Bai Qingqing kept her ears pricked, listening carefully. Only when she was sure there were no sounds outside did she finally rex and close her eyes. That was close—luckily, no one had discovered anything.

  …

  Ning Yan made his way back to his residence and went straight to find Wen Jiang.

  The moment Wen Jiang saw him, he was shocked. Without hesitation, he took out a set of golden needles and administered a few acupuncture points. "What happened to you? Didn’t Old Mu say it wasn’t serious?"

  A menacing aura surrounded Ning Yan, his entire being exuding bloodthirsty aggression. His eyes were so red that Wen Jiang found them terrifying, not daring to be careless for even a second.

  Once Ning Yan had stabilized a little, Wen Jiang handed him a freshly brewed medicinal decoction. Without even looking at it, Ning Yan downed it in one gulp.

  "Was that incense really as potent as Old Mu cimed? You’ve been exposed to it plenty of times before. I thought it had no effect on you anymore."

  Ning Yan, now looking more like a human being again, responded lightly, "Mm. Originally, it didn’t."

  Wen Jiang’s ears twitched. "Originally?"

  Curiosity fred in him. "Don’t tell me something happened afterward? Whatever could make even you nearly lose control—don’t tell me you ran into a spirit or something?"

  "Heh."

  Ning Yan chuckled lowly and shot him a gnce out of the corner of his eye. Wen Jiang immediately shut his mouth. Fine, if he didn’t want to talk about it, so be it. He was just a little curious, that’s all.

  "Huh? Where’s your jade pendant?"

  Ning Yan adjusted his sleeve. "I gave it away."

  "You gave it away?!"

  Wen Jiang excimed, his eyes widening. "You really did run into a spirit, didn’t you? One so powerful it managed to trick you into parting with something you never take off? What kind of spirit could it be?!"

  Ning Yan suddenly asked him, "What does it mean when someone says I’m impressive?"

  Wen Jiang was caught off guard by the seemingly random question. "Isn’t that a common thing to hear?"

  Noticing the dissatisfaction on Ning Yan’s face, Wen Jiang’s sharp mind quickly got to work. "Ah, well, that depends on who’s saying it. If a man says it, it’s out of admiration and respect. But if a woman…"

  He deliberately paused, and seeing that Ning Yan didn’t interrupt impatiently, he immediately formed a conclusion—so it was a woman who had said it!

  "If a woman says you’re impressive, then… she’s probably developed feelings for you. But really, that’s nothing unusual. Haven’t you heard it plenty of times before?"

  Ning Yan thought to himself, As expected. Did she really think he wouldn’t notice her subtle fttery?

  So much for "settling things"—this was just a different approach. Using the excuse of owing him a favor, she had asked for a token in return… Fine, fine. If the little girl was willing to put in such effort, he might as well py along.

  With a wave of his hand, Ning Yan dismissed Wen Jiang, signaling him to go rest.

  But Wen Jiang was itching with curiosity, like a cat scratching at a door. "My lord, which young dy was it that praised you? And are you really not pnning to take back your jade pendant? That thing is—"

  Ning Yan turned his head slightly and looked at him. Wen Jiang’s voice faltered, and he pouted. "Alright, alright, I won’t ask anymore. But you’ll need to take this medicine for two days. Once Old Mu finds out the origins of that incense—ideally, even gets the recipe—then I can determine whether it has any sting effects on you."

  …

  Bai Qingqing had gone to bed te, and after being startled by Ning Yan the night before, she felt groggy when she woke up in the morning.

  After dressing, she picked a sachet with a refreshing fragrance to clear her mind and headed to the neighboring courtyard to find Madam Qiao.

  Nanny Ruan was speaking in a low voice to Madam Qiao but stepped aside with a smile upon seeing Bai Qingqing. "Eldest Miss, keep the madam company for a while. She didn’t sleep well st night—the wind outside disturbed her."

  Bai Qingqing’s heart tightened, though she kept her expression composed as she sat beside Madam Qiao. "Mother, you didn’t sleep well?"

  Madam Qiao rubbed her temples. "It’s never been like this before when I came to Qinghan Temple. But st night, I kept feeling like there was some movement outside. I woke up repeatedly and even thought about sending someone to check on you."

  As if worried her words might frighten Bai Qingqing, Madam Qiao patted her hand reassuringly. "It was probably just me not being used to a different pce. Don’t let it trouble you. Qinghan Temple has strict security—nothing will happen. Besides…"

  She lowered her voice. "Besides, this time, Grand Princess Huaifu is also here. I heard that His Majesty even sent the Commander of the Embroidered Guards to oversee security, so there’s even less to worry about."

  Bai Qingqing nodded obediently, but internally, she was surprised. No wonder Ning Yan was here. So he actually serves under the Commander of the Embroidered Guards? Well, that certainly expins his arrogance.

  Later, Qinghan Temple had meals prepared for the guests. After eating, the women would go to the main hall to pray for the prosperity of the Xuan Dynasty.

  All the prominent families of Xuancheng who could attend were present. Strangely, Bai Qingqing did not see the Princess Consort of Prince Ping.

  However, she did catch sight of Grand Princess Huaifu.

  She hadn’t expected the princess to look about the same age as herself. With her gentle features and composed demeanor, she radiated an air of good fortune.