Xiao Li's primary objective was far more dangerous than a simple errand. She carried a sealed letter addressed to Great General Bai, Bai Xifeng's biological father. He had been stationed at the borders of the Liuyin Kingdom for years, a titan guarding the realm, unaware that his only legitimate daughter was being treated like a prisoner in her own home. Bai Xifeng was no fool, she knew that for her to truly survive the vipers in the mansion, she needed her father's formidable shadow as a shield.
Once the letter was safely dispatched into the hands of a trusted courier, Xiao Li moved on to her second task, the acquisition of medicinal ingredients. Having rarely left the confines of the Bai estate, she was forced to stop several strangers, her voice small and trembling, to ask for directions to the city's most reputable apothecary.
Armed with the gold Bai Xifeng had practically extorted from the Old Madam, Xiao Li finally located a shop. She clutched a crumpled slip of paper, a list of ingredients so obscure she couldn't even pronounce their names. She had no idea what her mistress intended to do with them, but the urgency in Xifeng's eyes had been enough to propel her forward.
The bell chimed as Xiao Li stepped into the herb shop, the air thick with the pungent, earthy aroma of dried roots and bitter barks. Behind the counter sat a solitary shopkeeper, an old man with skin like parchment and eyes that seemed to see through skin and bone.
"What is it you seek, little girl?" The old man asked, his voice rasping. He noticed the way she fidgeted, her eyes darting toward the door as if she expected the Imperial Guard to burst in at any moment.
"I... I need these. All of them," Xiao Li stammered, handing over the list with a shaking hand.
The shopkeeper adjusted his spectacles and peered at the ink. As his eyes traveled down the parchment, his brows shot up toward his receding hairline. His heart skipped a beat. 'This isn't a recipe for a common cold,' he thought, his blood running cold. 'These are potent catalysts used to neutralize the most lethal toxins in the empire. Who on earth is walking around with this much death in their system?'
He looked up, his gaze sharpening. "Young Miss, for whom are you purchasing these rare materials?"
"They are for my mistress," Xiao Li answered, trying to keep her voice steady.
"And to which noble house does this mistress of yours belong?" The old man pressed, his curiosity now bordering on suspicion.
Xiao Li hesitated. She remembered Bai Xifeng's warning: 'Tell no one who I am. If they pry, leave.' She took a half-step back toward the door. "Sir, I am only here to buy. Can you provide these herbs or not?"
The old man sensed her readiness to flee. He held up a placating hand, though the gleam in his eyes didn't fade. "Peace, child. I can provide them. Stay your feet. I shall go to the inner stores to gather them for you."
Xiao Li waited in a tense silence for fifteen minutes, the ticking of a clock on the wall sounding like a hammer against her nerves. Finally, the old man returned, placing several neatly wrapped bundles upon the polished wooden counter.
"Here are your requests. Every item is of the highest quality," the old man stated, before leaning in. "The total comes to ten thousand taels."
"Ten thousand taels?!" Xiao Li gasped, her face draining of color. She knew the herbs were rare, but that amount of money could buy a small house in the outer city.
The shopkeeper's expression soured, a sneer curling his lip. He had pegged her for a servant of a wealthy house, but perhaps he was mistaken. "What? Is the price too steep for your 'mysterious' mistress?" He leaned over the counter, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Tell you what... I'll give you a discount. A deep one. You just need to tell me the name of the lady who wrote this list."
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