Your name

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The moonlight was faint, the camellias touched with frost.

"Youcao, take some people and guard this inlet. There must be a thieves' boat on the lake waiting to pick them up. If you hear splashing, fire flaming arrows at once and burn it!"

"Yes!"

"Xiangming, take some people and search from the east. Don't overlook a single blade of grass or tree!"

"Yes!"

"Madam's orders: whoever captures the intruders will be rewarded with an estate!"

"Yes!"

The maids clasped their hands around their swords in salute, their responses ringing out.

"They're shutting the door to beat the dogs!"

The two hid among the camellia bushes on the hillside. Through gaps in the leaves, Li Yu could see torchlight stretching like a dragon along the distant shore, reddening a great swath of lake water. Once the lights spread out, they drew steadily closer like a closing net.

"Miss Qin, you certainly know how to pick your enemies. Mantuo Manor, the Wang Clan of Gusu, relatives of the Murongs by marriage-even a single pot of camellias from their household could make many heroes of the martial world bow."

"My surname is Mu."

The girl in black looked at the man's back and spoke softly.

"My name is Mu Wanqing."

Li Yu turned back and looked into those cold, moonlike eyes beneath her black veil. Beneath their frost, another kind of vulnerability seemed to lie hidden. He smiled. "Clear waters and splendid woods, graceful and clear-eyed. A fine name."

Mu Wanqing said in surprise, "You... you saw the words I left on the bottom of the bowl... you don't blame me for deceiving you?"

"A name is only a label. Qin or Mu, you're still you."

"Whatever the case, you know now."

Mu Wanqing lowered her head and spoke softly, a red blush spreading over her cheeks behind the black veil.

"I've never taken the initiative to tell any man my name before..."

They were very close now.

Li Yu caught a faint, delicate fragrance. It was not the scent of camellias, but a natural bodily fragrance that even the colorful flowers all around could not conceal. Looking at the girl who had suddenly let down all her defenses, he slowly reached out toward the veil on her face.

"..."

Mu Wanqing's body stiffened, her breathing quickening. Instinctively, she reached for the saber hilt at her waist, yet slowly closed her eyes. After more than ten years of her master's teachings, having her veil lifted was undoubtedly an immensely important matter to her.

Smack!

A sharp crack rang out.

Li Yu's expression changed as he closed his hand. Two soybean-sized bees, with black abdomens and golden stingers, had round, bulging bellies like wine jars. Once crushed, they immediately gave off wisps of wine fragrance.

His expression grew grave. "They're the Intoxicating Bees raised by Mantuo Manor!"

Mu Wanqing opened her eyes, a flicker of disappointment passing through them. After a moment's daze, she asked, "Have we been discovered?"

"Not yet."

Li Yu shifted his gaze, only to see several other Intoxicating Bees already flying into the darkness on the other side.

"Bzzz..."

Abi had said these little creatures had a keen sense of smell and could remember scents within a three-li radius. They must have gone back to alert their queen. Whoever carried the queen could then follow the vine to the melon and track them down.

"But we will be soon... hurry!"

Mu Wanqing rose. "Where can we go? They've already sealed off the lakeshore."

Li Yu smiled. "They'll never expect us to dare retrace our steps and hide in an empty room in the manor."

The most dangerous place was the safest.

That saying could only fool novices fresh to the martial world. In reality, beneath the lamp was not only far from dark-it was where one was most likely to be burned to death by lamp oil.

But things had come to this, and there was no other way.

Forcing their way out was out of the question. Mantuo Manor had many experts. The two vicious old women they had encountered earlier both possessed martial skills superior to Yan Ruhua's. Even working together, he and Mu Wanqing might not be able to handle either one.

"Once it's past midnight and their guard slackens, we'll look for a chance to leave the island."

"That could work."

Mu Wanqing smiled faintly and followed close behind him, as though they were not in a dragon's pool and tiger's den, but a great garden. Never mind the wound on her shoulder-even life and death had been set aside.

Beneath the moonlight, the camellias, so colorful by day, seemed a little more reserved and restrained, like a woman half hiding her face behind a pipa, possessing a charm all their own.

"What a huge manor!"

They skirted the wooden house and headed toward the manor ahead. There were few people along the way. Even the handful of servants patrolling with lanterns knew no martial arts, so slipping past was easy. Through winding covered corridors and turn after turn, their surroundings gradually grew quiet and secluded.

He spotted a separate little courtyard with its gate tightly shut.

"It's chaos outside, but quite peaceful here."

Camellia groves stood to the east and west, with several parasol trees to the north, making advance and retreat convenient. The courtyard wall was only a person's height and very easy to scale.

"Let's go!"

Mu Wanqing looked at the person-high wall and remained where she was, her slender brows faintly knitted, as though troubled.

Li Yu said, "I forgot. That wicked old woman struck you with her staff. Forgive me."

Mu Wanqing answered softly, "Mm."

Li Yu glanced at her, reached around her waist, and gently drew her close. Warm fragrance and soft jade filled his arms. Planting his left foot, he sprang up, cleared the wall in an instant, and landed soundlessly in the courtyard.

Mu Wanqing kept her head lowered throughout. All she felt was a patch of burning heat against her waist, her body soft and strengthless, limp as mud. Inexperienced in such matters, she could only wonder to herself, Was this also because he practiced the Flame Palm?

Once inside, they concealed themselves in the shadows at the foot of the wall.

Li Yu surveyed their surroundings, somewhat surprised. This was not an unoccupied courtyard. He slowly released the arm around the girl's waist and took half a step forward. "It looks as though someone lives here..."

Mu Wanqing staggered, nearly losing her footing, perhaps because her injuries were too severe.

A swing stood nearby. Beneath the steps to the east were more than a dozen pots of camellias, exquisitely pruned. Each pot had its own charm, and together they formed clearly defined layers, their arrangement carefully considered.

"Someone's coming!"

Li Yu looked toward the tightly shut courtyard gate to the south. He heard several sets of footsteps approaching. They were not passing by, but coming straight here. Could someone have spotted him entering the courtyard?

"Quick, hide."

His gaze shifted. A side room stood nearby.

Bang, bang, bang!

The knocking was urgent.

"Miss, open the gate!"

"Intruders have slipped into the manor to cause trouble. Madam has ordered this old servant to protect you."

"Miss, I know you're inside. Open the gate, quickly..."

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

The western side room held flower hoes, clay pots, and other odds and ends. Various objects sat on several rows of wooden shelves. Though miscellaneous, everything was neatly arranged. It was not a living space, making it just right for hiding.

"It's her..."

Li Yu stood before the window lattice. Through a gap, he had a clear view of the courtyard. The southern gate rattled under the pounding. The main residence to the north was a small two-story building, its doors and windows tightly shut. Its candles had been extinguished early, leaving it pitch-black and seemingly empty.

Mu Wanqing leaned closer to look outside and asked curiously, "You know someone in Mantuo Manor?"

Li Yu had found the voice familiar from its very first words. Now he was completely certain. Through gritted teeth, he said, "An extremely vicious, ugly old woman."

Mu Wanqing had never seen Li Yu look like this before. The newcomer was probably a formidable figure in Mantuo Manor.

Bang!

Someone outside used internal force to snap the arm-thick wooden gate bar in two, and the courtyard gate flew open.

Immediately afterward, several figures stepped into the courtyard.

Carrying her iron snake-headed staff, Yan Ruhua looked toward the small building and said with a smile that never reached her eyes, "Miss, this old servant happened to see an intruder sneak into your courtyard. I've come especially to protect you!"