Xiang Yang said nothing more. After a moment's thought, he cast his gaze toward the courtyard below, then signaled Nan Fenglan with his eyes. With a flick of his lightness skill, he drifted down like a wisp of smoke, landing in the courtyard without leaving a trace. Nan Fenglan followed close behind.
The two reached the outer gate of the courtyard, avoiding the servants' eyes and ears as they slipped along the repaired, narrow stone path. Before long, they arrived before a row of antique wooden houses, where they could vaguely hear a child wailing and a woman's gentle voice soothing it.
Xiang Yang and Nan Fenglan knew that this courtyard extended three layers deep, both inside and out. Even within the North Courtyard, it was one of the rare broad and elegant residences. Because Bai Tianxiong especially favored and doted on Lady Ruyu, he had bestowed this place upon her as her residence.
At this time and in this place, no outsiders would come. The child had to be Bai Tianxiong's, and the woman was either Lady Ruyu or some servant such as the child's wet nurse.
Xiang Yang and Nan Fenglan stealthily approached the room from which the sounds were coming. Soon, they reached the outside of the house and pressed their ears to the hemp paper pasted over the wooden window. Then they exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with surprise and confusion.
There were three sets of breathing inside. One was short and tender, surely belonging to a very young child. The other two were long and steady, belonging to people with no shallow attainments in internal cultivation.
Yes, there were actually two people inside who knew martial arts. One of them seemed to be Lady Ruyu herself. This came as a surprise to Xiang Yang