“What happened to my master?”

If he didn’t know his master’s personality, he would have suspected that some heartless man had wronged him.

The expression of humiliation on his master’s face was truly shocking.

“The woman next door?”

Could it be that while he was away, his master had been taken advantage of?

“Yes,”

Without hesitation, Xuan Tian leaped out of the window and went to the room next door.

However, after searching thoroughly, he found no trace of the woman his master had mentioned.

Did his master remember incorrectly?

“Master, there’s no one next door,”

Xuan Tian returned and respectfully reported.

Bei Chen Yuan took a deep breath and, in the end, was so furious that he laughed.

Good, very good.

That woman had really disappeared quickly.

Either she was lying, or she never lived next door in the first place.

“Forget it, leave her for now. Did you find anything?”

Suppressing his anger, Bei Chenyuan shifted his focus back to the important matters at hand.

“Master, the plague is real. Ji City was sealed off because of the outbreak. Wu Bai has also confirmed that Lan Ye was ambushed on his way back with the Tiger Talisman. The attackers were likely under Prince Huainan’s command. However, what they stole was a fake Tiger Talisman.

Lan Ye had anticipated a potential robbery, so he created a counterfeit as a decoy. The real talisman was hidden on his person. After Lan Ye and his men were killed, they were looted by refugees. Later, Prince Liang’s men arrived and slaughtered many of the refugees, but they couldn’t find the Tiger Talisman. It’s likely that the talisman ended up in the hands of those refugees.”

Lan Ye had been undercover in Prince Liang’s Iron Guard for years. He risked exposing himself to deliver the military seal to his master, only to meet his demise en route.

The black-clad assassins Shen Qingwan had encountered earlier belonged to Prince Huainan, while the heavily armored troops that followed were Prince Liang’s men.

Those who were killed were Bei Chen Yuan’s subordinates. It appeared to be a clash between two factions, but in reality, it involved three.

The emperor was critically ill, and his sons were scheming to seize the throne, attempting to strip him of power.

In response, the emperor secretly ordered his Shadow Guards to deliver the Tiger Talisman to the border so Bei Chen Yuan could return to the capital and restore order.

However, the talisman was intercepted before it even reached Suzhou.

To retrieve it, Bei Chen Yuan had to expose his long-planted spy within Prince Liang’s ranks, only for the talisman to be stolen once again.

He hadn’t expected Prince Huainan to get involved as well.

Regardless of whether the talisman was in Prince Huainan’s or Prince Liang’s hands, their goal was the same: to delay Bei Chen Yuan’s return to the capital and prevent him from interfering in the imperial struggle.

They all sought to take advantage of the chaos.

What they didn’t anticipate was that the Tiger Talisman would end up in the hands of an outsider—Shen Qingwan.

..

To avoid facing the consequences of her actions from the previous night, Shen Qingwan disguised herself and booked a new room under a different name.

Fortunately, Bei Chen Yuan was too preoccupied with pressing matters to have Xuan Tian continue searching for her. Otherwise, she would have surely been found.

Early the next morning, Shen Qingwan was awakened by the commotion in the inn.

Even from her room, she could hear the heated arguments downstairs. It seemed that some guests wanted to leave, but the city was still under lockdown, preventing anyone from going outside.

The confirmed news of the plague spread panic throughout the inn.

After getting ready, Shen Qingwan went downstairs to assess the situation. Just as she reached the staircase, she ran into Bei Chen Yuan.

Although half of his face was concealed by a mask, his commanding presence made it easy for Shen Qingwan to recognize him instantly.

This was the same man she had slapped and stripped of his clothes the previous night.

She calmly flicked open her folding fan, exuding the elegance of a noble young master.

With an air of composure, she walked past Bei Chen Yuan without a hint of recognition.

As she passed, a faint but familiar scent wafted to Bei Chen Yuan’s nose.

He frowned slightly and glanced at the refined young man walking down the stairs.

..

“Shopkeeper, can’t you think of a way? I need to get home urgently!”

“I need to leave too! I have goods that must be transported!”

“I promised my family I’d be back today. If I don’t, they’ll be worried sick!”

The shopkeeper, surrounded by anxious guests, was at a loss.

“Dear guests, I’m even more anxious than you. But the city is under strict lockdown—no one is allowed to leave! Besides, there’s a plague outside. Staying here is the safest option. The lockdown is temporary; it might be lifted soon. Please be patient and return to your rooms.”

Although frustrated, the guests had no choice but to wait. Just as they were about to leave, a group of soldiers stormed into the inn to conduct an inspection.

Shen Qingwan discreetly turned around and retreated upstairs.

“Everyone, present your travel permits and household registration papers for identity verification!”

The leading officer, a stern-looking man with a large saber at his waist, barked the order. The shopkeeper, alarmed, quickly urged the guests to cooperate.

“Officer, what’s the reason for this large-scale inspection?”

He discreetly slipped the officer five taels of silver, adopting a humble and respectful tone. The officer weighed the silver in his hand, his expression softening.

“We’re searching for refugees. Some of them carry the plague, so the magistrate has ordered a strict inspection. All refugees must be located and taken to the quarantine area outside the city for treatment.”

“Understood, Officer. We will fully cooperate,”

The shopkeeper, realizing the severity of the plague, quickly instructed his staff to assist with the identity checks.

Listening from the second-floor corridor, Shen Qingwan grasped the gravity of the situation.

She had no travel permit, and her household registration would immediately reveal her status as a refugee.

If caught, she would be taken away, making it impossible for her to rescue anyone.

She swiftly retreated to her room, narrowly avoiding the soldiers’ search.

..

Meanwhile, in the western part of the city, the villagers of Dahe Village were surrounded by armed soldiers.

They had initially entered the city to wait for Shen Qingwan and fetch water.

Upon learning of a refugee shelter with a food station, they had gone to seek aid.

However, before they could receive any porridge, the city went into lockdown, and they found themselves detained.

As news spread that some refugees were infected with the plague, fear spread among them.

The village elder instructed the Dahe villagers to stay together, wear masks, and avoid close contact with others.

The porridge station was temporarily shut down.

Soldiers monitored the refugees closely, removing anyone displaying symptoms such as coughing, fever, or skin lesions.

Those taken away never returned, fueling fear and uncertainty.

“The magistrate has decreed that all refugees must undergo a health inspection.

Healthy individuals will be sent to a ruined temple outside the city for overnight observation.

If they show no symptoms the next day, they may leave Ji City.

Those infected will be quarantined for treatment and released only after recovery.”

The official overseeing the refugee camp announced the decision.

With thousands of refugees present, the inspection would be an arduous task.

Fortunately, the magistrate of Ji City was a just man.

He refused to abandon the sick to their fate, recognizing that allowing infected refugees to spread further would only lead to more deaths.

Yet, no one knew what fate awaited those already infected…