A Nighttime Investigation

"Brother Nan, when it comes to the best temper in the Tang Household," Tang Yao said, giving him a thumbs-up, "no one beats you!"

Tang Nan smiled faintly at her words, looking every bit the gentle elder brother.

"Naturally."

Watching this bizarre scene from a distance, Tang Yi'an all but gouged his own eyes out.

What even was all this? He should never have gotten up early today...

With Tang Yao in the limelight lately, the news that "the Tang Household's young master denied being a cut-sleeve" spread like wildfire in less than half a day. But as it spread, it became distorted.

When the three left the restaurant that evening, they passed a liquor stall and heard-

"Hey, have you heard? To prove he wasn't a cut-sleeve, the Tang Household's young master actually beat up his older clansman! Good grief, just look at that! How absurd!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Nan finally showed his first genuine smile of the day, but that smile soon vanished.

"The thing is! After the Tang Household's young master beat up Young Master Nan, Young Master Nan actually enjoyed it?!"

"Could it be... Young Master Nan is, you know? Someone who likes getting beaten?"

Tang Nan trembled all over with rage. His vision went black, and he lost his balance, nearly falling to the ground before a pair of hands reached over to steady him.

Those hands belonged to Tang Yi'an. He chuckled, showing his white teeth. "Brother Nan, are you all right?"

Tang Nan shot him a glance and ignored him.

"Ah, but the most unexpected thing was that the cut-sleeve was someone else! It turned out to be Young Master An. I heard a male courtesan was dancing right beside him!"

Tang Yi'an's grin froze on the spot. This time, it was Tang Nan's turn to steady him. He returned the exact same question: "Little An, are you all right?"

Tang Yi'an: "..."

Along the way, only Tang Yao's expression remained normal.

Honestly, this little bit hardly mattered to her reputation. Her resistance to pressure had long since been maxed out.

The other two, however, looked rather forlorn. Clearly, they had yet to be tempered.

After they arrived at the Tang Household, the three were walking along a corridor when Tang Yi'an's voice suddenly rang out beside her.

"Hey! Tang Xin, why aren't you coming over to greet us when you've seen us?"

Tang Yao: ?

"Don't think you can strut around with your nose in the air just because you joined the Azure Cloud Sect. Our Brother Yao is the Azure Cloud Sect's head disci-mmph...!"

Tang Yao hurriedly clamped a hand over Tang Yi'an's mouth, pressing down hard. Then she gave Tang Xin an awkward smile and pointed at Tang Yi'an's head. "Something's wrong with his brain." She finished with a helpless gesture.

Looking at the inexplicable group, Tang Xin's refined face remained expressionless. She murmured, "If you're sick, get treatment."

Then, without paying them any further attention, she turned and took the long way around.

She had thought Tang Yao had changed. Why was she still hanging around with them?

Watching Tang Xin's departing figure, Tang Yao wanted to cry but had no tears. She released Tang Yi'an's mouth and lectured him, "Be nicer to Tang Xin next time you see her. We get along pretty well at the sect!"

Tang Yi'an now knew he had caused trouble, but hadn't Tang Xin been the person Tang Yao disliked most before? Had times changed?

His attempt to pat the horse's rump had truly landed on its back instead!

Again, he should never have gotten up early today!

Dusk closed in on all sides, and moonlight lay like silk. Only after night fell did Tang Yao return to her courtyard.

The courtyard's pear tree swayed in the wind, while silhouettes of slender bamboo fell across the bluestone. Tang Yao settled into the reclining chair beneath the tree, closed her eyes, and rocked slowly as she recalled the Third Elder's residence from her memories.

She had better investigate this Third Elder.

A moment later, she opened her eyes.

Found it.

Tang Yao immediately took an all-black outfit from her Storage Bag and changed into it. With a leap, she landed lightly on a branch of the courtyard's pear tree. The branch quivered slightly, but not a single fallen leaf stirred.

Looking up, she saw that the Third Elder's courtyard lay at the easternmost side. Its lights were already out.

"Little Red."

As her words fell, a streak of red light flashed past. Vermilion Bird floated in the air and said knowingly, "I'll help conceal your presence!"

A crimson halo enveloped Tang Yao, silently concealing her presence in the night.

Tang Yao pushed off lightly with her toes, her figure sweeping swiftly over row upon row of rooftops. The night breeze brushed past her ears with a hint of chill, and before long, she arrived outside the wall of the Third Elder's courtyard.

But she encountered resistance-

A transparent wall blocked her outside.

Feeling it, she judged that it should be a barrier.

Tang Yao gathered spiritual power at her fingertips and pressed two fingers against it, but the barrier did not budge. "The barrier's owner has a higher cultivation than you. You'll have trouble finding a weakness," Vermilion Bird said, moving forward and placing his hand against the barrier.

Before long, a small opening actually rippled open like water at the barrier's weakest point.

Vermilion Bird lifted his little face proudly. To avoid exposing them, he deliberately spoke through Divine Sense.

Well? I'm your most capable contracted companion!

Tang Yao gave Vermilion Bird a thumbs-up. Well done.

He really was her worthy helpmate! The kind where one buried the bodies and the other dug the pits!

Tang Yao flipped into the courtyard, landing without disturbing even a single fallen leaf.

The courtyard was utterly silent. Tang Yao crept carefully along the foot of the wall, then suddenly heard a faint sound from the direction of the study and stopped.

Holding her breath, she peered inside through a gap in the window by the moonlight.

She saw the Third Elder standing with his back to the window, holding a diagram in his hands and examining it over and over.