Tracking

The next morning, when Li Nuo woke up, he found the bedding on the floor by the bed had been put away, and Song Jiaren was nowhere to be seen.

After a simple wash, Li Nuo sat in front of the mirror and skillfully styled his hair. He also took note of the steps. Styling hair was much simpler for men than for women. He was confident that even if his ability expired tomorrow, he wouldn't need to trouble the maids at home.

Another day passed, and the lifespan on the Codex showed only twenty-four days remaining.

Li Nuo looked unwell, with dark circles under his eyes. He had to admit, you couldn't judge a book by its cover. Song Qian's seemingly frail husband had been quite strong last night.

Li Nuo mentally called him "Strong Man Brother."

As he walked out of the room, he saw two figures emerging from the neighboring room.

Song Qian glanced at Li Nuo with a complex expression and left without a word.

Li Nuo gave Strong Man Brother an appreciative look. Although Song Qian's husband was confused about the source of Li Nuo's admiration, he politely nodded in return and then followed Song Qian.

Li Nuo stood in the courtyard, stretching his body. Just as he was about to leave the Song Manor for the Chang'an County Office, a figure ran in from outside.

Song Mu'er grabbed Li Nuo's hand and said, "Brother Li Nuo, my hair is messy. Can you style it for me again?"

After a night, the Flying Immortal Hairpin Li Nuo had styled for her was a mess. Styling hair wouldn't take long. As Song Mu'er sat down on the stone bench in the courtyard, another figure ran in.

Seeing Li Nuo styling Song Mu'er's hair, Song Ninger immediately said, "I want one too!"

"I was first!"

"No, you were first yesterday, today it's my turn!"

"I'm first!"

"I'm first!"

The two identical young girls argued endlessly over who should go first. Li Nuo got a headache and had them play rock-paper-scissors. Song Mu'er won in the end. Although Song Ninger was young, she was a good sport and accepted defeat, sitting aside and saying, "I'll definitely win next time!"

Two maids from the Song Manor stood behind Li Nuo, diligently learning his hairstyling techniques.

Once they learned, they could style the hair for the two young ladies themselves. They couldn't always ask the young lady's son-in-law to do it.

The two maids chatted occasionally. From their conversation, Li Nuo learned that the Song Manor had been investigating the thief who stole the birthday gifts last night, but it seemed they hadn't found anyone.

Li Nuo had a way to almost certainly find the culprit, but this wasn't a murder case. It was impossible to lock up everyone present last night in the county jail for the sake of two Jade Ruyis.

After styling the two sisters' hair in order, one of them ran off excitedly without a word. The other stayed behind and sweetly said to Li Nuo, "Thank you, Brother Li Nuo."

Unsurprisingly, the one who stayed was Song Mu'er.

Although Li Nuo couldn't tell them apart by appearance, he could easily distinguish them by personality.

The sisters were the same age, looked identical, and even dressed the same, but their personalities were quite different.

Song Mu'er was well-behaved, cute, sensible, and polite. Song Ninger, on the other hand, was a bit spoiled and willful. This was Li Nuo's initial impression of the two sisters after a brief interaction.

Song Mu'er took a sweet and soft pastry from her small bag and personally fed it to Li Nuo as a thank you. Then, she took out a small box from her bag and used its contents to apply to her face.

Li Nuo curiously asked, "What are you doing?"

Song Mu'er put up her index finger and whispered, "Shh, keep your voice down. This is rouge I managed to steal from Mother..."

Beauty was a woman's nature, and it knew no age limit.

However, makeup was a skill, and she quickly turned herself into a little cat with smudges.

Watching the young girl's actions as she applied makeup to her face, Li Nuo felt a strange sensation again.

He had felt this sensation when they were playing shuttlecock and when he styled her hair.

To verify his guess, Li Nuo picked up the rouge box and said, "Let me help you."

Song Mu'er now had absolute trust in Brother Li Nuo. She sat beside him, tilted her face up, and looked at him, saying, "You have to make me prettier than Song Ninger..."

Li Nuo's hands applied the makeup here and there on her face. He borrowed lip rouge and floral ornaments from a maid. In a short while, a completely new Song Mu'er appeared before him.

No wonder women used so much makeup. The difference between wearing makeup and not wearing it was significant.

With just a simple application of rouge, lip gloss, and a floral ornament on her forehead, she transformed from a pretty young girl into a beautiful little princess.

Of course, from the astonished, wide-open mouths of the two maids beside them, Li Nuo could tell that his seemingly simple application of makeup wasn't something just anyone could do.

This made him very curious about Steward Zheng's concubine.

What else did this woman know?

Not only was she proficient in several arts, but she also possessed master-level skill in each one. The maids in the Song Manor were certainly not ordinary people, yet they still looked at him with such awe-inspiring expressions.

No, when he went to the county office today, he had to ask her thoroughly what other talents she possessed that he didn't know about.

Not just her, but in the future, whenever he encountered a prisoner whose portrait could be illuminated in the Codex, he would have to ask them on the spot.

"Young Master."

Steward Wu's figure walked in from outside.

It was getting late, and Li Nuo needed to go to the county office to earn his living.

With only a little over twenty days of lifespan left, he couldn't just stay here playing with young girls.

Song Jiaren had gone somewhere, and Li Nuo asked a maid from the Song Manor to tell her that he had left due to an urgent matter.

After waving goodbye to Song Mu'er, Li Nuo and Steward Wu left the Song Manor.

As soon as he left, Song Mu'er ran to a courtyard. Song Ninger, who was swinging in the courtyard, looked at her blankly. Although the two looked identical, wore identical clothes, had identical accessories, and identical hair, she still felt that Song Mu'er was infinitely more beautiful than her...

Song Mu'er looked at her with a smile and said, "Isn't it pretty? Li Nuo gege drew it for me..."

At the entrance of the Song Manor, the Li Manor's carriage was parked there. Steward Wu sat in the carriage, and four old men stood around it.

As Li Nuo walked out of the Song Manor, he looked back.

He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he thought he heard someone crying just now. When he listened carefully, he couldn't hear it anymore.

Shaking his head and dismissing the thought, Li Nuo jumped into the carriage and said to Steward Wu, "To the County Office!"

Steward Wu, who was about to return to the Li Manor, was stunned. "Ah, to the County Office again?"

The Young Master had been acting very strange these past two days. Instead of staying home, he ran to the County Office every day. Did he still want to study the Legalist school?

Despite his confusion, he turned the carriage around, preparing to head to the Chang'an County Office.

As the carriage turned, Li Nuo felt something and suddenly lifted the curtain, looking back.

In his gaze was the bustling crowd on the streets of Chang'an.

Seeing him daze, Steward Wu asked, "Young Master, what's wrong?"

Li Nuo shook his head and said, "Nothing, let's go."

The series of assassination attempts had made Li Nuo somewhat sensitive, always feeling like a pair of eyes were watching him from behind.

However, even a master like Steward Wu hadn't detected anything unusual, so it was more likely that he was just nervous.

Since the first two assassination attempts, his security had been strengthened. Don't be fooled by the fact that only Steward Wu and four other old men were visible; there were likely many more hidden personnel. Anyone walking past the carriage could be a disguised guard.

Steward Wu flicked the reins, and the carriage slowly pulled away.

Meanwhile, at a street corner not far from the Song Manor, a figure wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with lingering fear, muttering, "I almost got discovered by him. Damn it, how is this kid's perception so strong? It's almost as good as a butterfly. Tracking a butterfly wouldn't be much different..."

Beside him, a voice asked, "What should we do? Should we keep following?"

The person waved his hand and said, "Forget it. This kid is too strange. If he catches me and I fall into Li Xuanjing's hands, I'll wish for death but won't get it. That incident was just an accident. Blame the butterfly for its bad luck. Let's go back..."