Chapter 105: He Is Who He Is

An Yi silently counted to sixty. Not even a minute had passed when Madame Huang spoke, “Doctor Luo, please sit and speak.”

An Yi returned to her seat, placed the token back into her bosom, and quietly regarded her.

Madame Huang unclasped her intertwined hands and slowly said, “I am willing to follow the princess’s orders. Doctor Luo, please ensure that the rustic peasant woman quietly departs from this world.”

“Very well.” An Yi’s eyes grew icy cold as she achieved her purpose.

That afternoon, An Yi did not perform acupuncture on Lady Luo, for Lady Luo did not require it; the act was merely to intimidate Madame Huang.

Madame Huang’s misunderstanding deepened, and she smugly believed that Lady Luo’s days were numbered, unaware that she had fallen into An Yi’s trap. She sent someone back to the Huang residence, instructing her mother to submit a petition to the palace seeking an audience with the Imperial Noble Consort.

At the hour of Shen, An Yi left the An residence and went to Yongping Street to buy fresh oysters. Unlike the outer city, the inner city was bustling with shops, mainly concentrated along Yongping Street and Yongan Street. The inner city was laid out in a grid of nine latitudes and nine longitudes, totaling eighteen streets, with Yongping and Yongan Streets being the busiest and most crowded.

The Jihuai Hall had shops in both the inner and outer cities. That morning, An Yi had visited the one on Yongan Street; the seafood vendors in the inner city were clustered in Crystal Alley on Yongping Street.

The carriage stopped at the entrance to Yongping Street. An Yi dismissed the coachman and, accompanied by Fang Rong, walked toward Crystal Alley.

Mid-September, near dusk, the sun’s midday strength had waned, and many chose this time to stroll the streets. Yongping Street teemed with people, while street vendors vociferously hawked their goods.

Upon reaching the entrance to Crystal Alley, a strong fishy and metallic scent filled the air. Along the bluestone-paved road, bright red blood flowed. Vendors slaughtered various live fish at their doorsteps, leaving the alley soggy and wet.

An Yi paused, her brow furrowed slightly. She wore embroidered shoes with soft soles, which must not be soiled.

“Miss, allow me to go in and buy. Please wait here,” Fang Rong said.

“Let’s go together,” An Yi replied, stepping into Crystal Alley.

Without prompting, Fang Rong inquired from the first to the sixth shop. As the shops prepared to close, most seafood had been sold. Only the sixth shop still had about two pounds of oysters, but they had just been purchased.

The buyer was Young Master Han Qi. Sitting in the shop, expressionless, he looked at An Yi and asked, “Do you want to buy them?”

An Yi lifted her veil to meet his gaze, her bright eyes sparkling. She smiled softly and said, “Deliver them to the Luo residence on Liushun Alley. There are two gatekeepers, one male and one female.”

With that, An Yi turned and left.

Fang Rong glanced at Young Master Han Qi in confusion and followed An Yi.

That night, after bathing and changing, An Yi administered a mild sedative to Fang Rong, rendering her unconscious. There were some matters she preferred to keep from her. She left the room and sat on a stone bench in the backyard, gazing up at the night sky.

About half an hour later, Bai Wuming arrived, dressed still in his pure white brocade robes, not yet changed into night attire despite traveling by night.

“Nineteen Sister,” Bai Wuming landed lightly before An Yi, teasingly calling out.

“Who exactly are you?” An Yi asked him gravely.

Bai Wuming placed a bundle on the stone table and grinned, “Han Xuanye is me, Bai Wuming is also me—one person, two identities.”

“Why confess without being caught? This morning, I did not recognize you,” An Yi asked curiously.

“Because being Han Xuanye is exhausting. I cannot speak and must maintain a blank expression,” Bai Wuming sat opposite her, sighing in mock frustration.

“It is indeed difficult for a naturally talkative person to remain silent all day,” An Yi nodded knowingly. “The contrast is too great.”

“I initially wanted to play the refined, gentle type, but my Fourth Brother is just such a person. If I imitated him, it would be unoriginal. Besides, playing the cold, disabled role has three great advantages. Nineteen Sister, do you want to know them?”

“No,” An Yi shook her head, unwilling.

“You don’t want to know, but I’m going to tell you anyway,” Bai Wuming pouted.

An Yi gave him a sidelong, amused glance.

“First, it keeps idle people at a distance, preventing them from discovering my martial prowess; second, I can live long-term at Dianmei Villa and not return to the Han family, making it easier to roam the martial world; third, the contrast is so stark that no one suspects it’s the same person.”

“Why tell me?”

“Because you are Nineteen Sister.”

An Yi scoffed, “I don’t believe that excuse. Aren’t you afraid I’ll expose your secret?”

“You won’t,” Bai Wuming said confidently.

“If someone pays handsomely, I will,” An Yi stated seriously.

“You won’t,” Bai Wuming smiled broadly, utterly unconcerned and self-assured.

An Yi pouted, unwilling to engage in such a pointless dispute. “How did you avoid those two people?”

“I used some sedatives,” Bai Wuming’s gaze shifted. “Why isn’t the maid who’s been following you here?”

“I sedated her to sleep.”

Bai Wuming smiled mischievously, leaned in close, and lowered his voice, “Nineteen Sister, isn’t this what they call a tacit understanding?”

An Yi spat lightly at him and turned her head away.

“Nineteen Sister, why have you come to the capital?” Bai Wuming asked.

“Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be at Taihu participating in the Sword Discussion Conference?” An Yi countered.

Bai Wuming replied seriously, “Bai Wuming is not a knight-errant.”

“Oh?” An Yi regarded him.

“Bai Wuming is a wanderer, enjoying a carefree life, unwilling to be bound. It’s better not to attend the Sword Discussion Conference.”

An Yi snorted coldly, “I don’t believe that excuse.”

Bai Wuming sighed, shaking his head, “Nineteen Sister, women should play dumb at the appropriate times.”

“I’m not of age yet. I’m not a woman, just a girl. I don’t need to play dumb,” An Yi raised an eyebrow.

“Knowing you don’t believe me, I’ll tell the truth. I want to attend but can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because the martial alliance leader disappeared, and of the seven top judges, five are missing. The Sword Discussion Conference was canceled; now the martial world is in chaos.”

“You don’t want to meddle in martial affairs, so you returned to the capital as Young Master Han Qi.”

“That’s half the reason. The other half is my Fourth Brother asked me to come back to help someone with an illness.”

“You have a good relationship with your Fourth Brother?” An Yi probed.

A flicker of pain crossed Bai Wuming’s eyes. “Since Grandfather passed away two years ago, he’s been the only family member I’m willing to speak a few words to.”

“Sorry.”

“No need to apologize. Life and death, birth and sickness are natural,” Bai Wuming displayed a carefree attitude toward mortality.

An Yi looked up at the night sky, deep blue and clear, the moon shining like a mirror.

Bai Wuming also looked up, snapping open a fan with a flourish and laughing aloud, “Moon viewing and drinking, the joys of life.”

“There is no wine here; please help yourself, Young Hero Bai.”

“Nineteen Sister, we’ve known each other so long, yet you remain so distant. Last time you called me Brother Bai; now you revert to Young Hero Bai? If you treat me like this, I will be very sad,” Bai Wuming cupped his chest like a lovesick suitor.

“It’s late. You may leave now,” An Yi dismissed him, picking up her bundle and rising to return to her room.

Bai Wuming laughed behind her, “I’ll bring wine and food to visit tomorrow night.”

“I’m busy tomorrow night; I won’t accompany you.”

“I’ll drink alone,” Bai Wuming shamelessly said.

An Yi pushed open the half-closed side door without responding and went inside.

Bai Wuming lingered a moment longer before leaving on his own.

Early the next morning, An Yi carried a medicine box, and Fang Rong held two bundles as they left. Cai Ping was startled and hurried forward to ask, “Miss, where are you going?”

“I’m going to the home of General An Qinghe to treat Lady An’s eye disease. I have informed the princess. I will return in a few days,” An Yi said smoothly, using Princess Lanyi’s name with ease.

Cai Ping stepped aside, “Miss, walk safely.”

The two departed, but outside the An residence, the carriage had not yet arrived. An Yi frowned, wondering if Madame Huang had changed her mind.

After waiting nearly half an hour at the gate with no carriage, An Yi grew impatient. “Fang Rong, let’s go.”

An Yi hurriedly used lightness skill in a secluded area, and soon they arrived outside the An mansion.

This time, they did not enter through the main gate but knocked on the side gate. Lv Tiao had been waiting for some time. “Doctor Luo, why are you only arriving now?”

“The carriage from your residence did not come to fetch me,” An Yi said.

“Come with me quickly to the Jingli Garden. Second Lady is waiting there for you.” Lv Tiao grabbed An Yi’s hand and began to pull her forward.

An Yi frowned and shook off her hand. “Lead the way, but don’t pull me.”

Lv Tiao glared and, pouting, waved her handkerchief vigorously as she led the way in a huff.

Before entering the Jingli Garden’s gate, An Yi heard a cold voice from inside, “My mother’s illness does not require Second Lady’s concern. Even if that doctor arrives, I will immediately send her away.”

An Yi smiled slightly, removed her veil, and called out loudly, “Big Brother, are you sure you want to send me away immediately?”

That voice—

An Kang and Han Songyan stared in shock toward the door, seeing a young girl clad in green and white robes step in gracefully.

More than two years apart had seen An Yi grow taller, her features more defined, and her youthful charm enhanced. Yet An Kang and Han Songyan recognized her at once, both calling out, “Xi’er!”

“Sister!”

An Qinghe was stunned, as was Madame Huang.

In a wheelchair, Bai Wuming furrowed his brows. Xi’er? Sister? How did Fourth Brother know Nineteen Sister? What was Nineteen Sister’s relationship with the An family? Who exactly was Nineteen Sister?

“Fourth Young Master.” An Yi nodded to Han Songyan and walked directly to An Kang, looking up at him with bright, smiling eyes. “Big Brother, I’ve returned. I’m not dead.”

An Kang stared at the flower-like smile before him, eyes glistening with tears. “Sister, where have you been all these years? Why did you only come to find us now?”

“We’ll talk about that later. First, I want to see Mother. I’ve been treating her these past days but haven’t told her who I am yet,” An Yi said.

An Kang looked even more surprised and glanced at Madame Huang. “Sister, first come to see Father.”