139: Do you miss her?

"Everyone, to the backyard, immediately!"

Following Jiang Hanwen's command, even Xia Dong, who had difficulty walking, was carried into the courtyard by Xia Zhijie.

Three tea masters, six servants, plus Xia Zhijie and his three companions, a total of thirteen people, sat around Jiang Hanwen, their brows furrowed with worry.

"Shopkeeper Jiang, one escaped from the backyard, taking a few Cultivation Techniques," Xia Zhijie said with a bitter expression. The one who escaped was one of his subordinates.

"It's fine, just take good care of your grandfather," Jiang Hanwen said coldly, jumping onto his own roof to put out the fire.

He looked at the large ball of fire still burning next door, a fleeting murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

From the looks of it, the other party not only wanted to blow up Zhuang Kongming's medicine shop but also his own place, but because they were discovered, they acted prematurely and failed to blow it up.

Even so, the fire still spread.

Moreover, the servant who ran away and managed to take the Cultivation Techniques certainly didn't leave suddenly; he had prepared in advance.

Scheming against the Zhuang family was one thing, but scheming against him was another matter entirely.

Jiang Hanwen was very petty; he always got his revenge!

At dawn, dense guards surrounded the medicine shop, allowing no one to enter.

In the afternoon, a rumor reached Jiang Hanwen's ears through Li Minzhong, warning him to maintain a distance from the Bai family.

Last night, all three of the Zhuang family's medicine shops were attacked, and eighty thousand taels of medicinal ingredients were stolen in one go, which was a severe blow to their Face.

It was said that when tracking the assassins, they vanished near the Bai family's residence.

For a time, there were many rumors, and the Bai family became the biggest suspect.

Jiang Hanwen sat in the study, continuing to research Go, neither inquiring about the whereabouts of his runaway servant nor asking about the Zhuang family's situation.

The Bai family robbed the Zhuang family?

Others might not know, but how could Jiang Hanwen not know?

It was impossible for them to create more trouble for a few tens of thousands of taels of silver.

This was a blatant frame-up!

But in fact, the assassins did disappear near the Bai residence, and the Zhuang family currently only had this clue; could they let it go?

Whether for Face or for money, there would surely be a confrontation between the Zhuang family and the Bai family.

In the evening, Jiang Hanwen had just finished reading a newly purchased Cultivation Technique.

Bai Youlan walked up to him:

"I want to go home and take a look."

The worry in the Xiaogirl's eyes was like a candle under high heat, almost overflowing from her eyes.

"Go," Jiang Hanwen said with a smile, sending the Xiaogirl off. "The second floor will always be reserved for you to clean."

Being needed and recognized is a manifestation of a person's value, but on the other hand, giving love and caring for others is even more a part of one's existence.

Humans are inherently the sum of relationships; detached from connections, they inevitably fall into the state of a "beast."

The darkness would not last forever; dawn broke.

When she told herself to leave and headed to that place that caused her pain, Bai Youlan had completely moved on.

Even if she couldn't Cultivate in the future, the Xiaogirl would at least not have to walk such a difficult path in life.

After Bai Youlan left, the shop remained calm.

Jiang Hanwen acted as if nothing had happened, not caring about being schemed against by the servant, nor about the "accidental damage" to the roof that needed repairs.

He simply replaced the stolen Cultivation Techniques and continued to Cultivate and play Go.

Seven days later, the Zhuang family's matter was left unresolved, as if it had never happened.

Reconstruction, reopening, everything as usual.

With a prepared mind against an unprepared one, the assassin was never found.

Rumors spread outside that the Zhuang family couldn't contend with the Bai family and voluntarily conceded, causing the Zhuang family's Face to be severely slapped for seven days.

"Oh, I thought the Zhuang family would make a move."

"Keep your voice down, that's the Bai family after all. So many Qi Induction Realm experts died; how dare the Zhuang family act?"

"In my opinion, the Zhuang family is just hogging the latrine without defecating. Before, when there were no Tigers in the mountains, the monkeys became kings. Now that several other families have come, the Zhuang family is just so-so."

...Jiang Hanwen sat on the second floor, the casual conversations downstairs reaching his ears.

This time, the Zhuang family's Face, along with their accumulated prestige over generations, was shattered, falling from their pedestal.

Zhuang Kongming must have already visited the Bai family. With no movement at all, it meant his previous intuition was correct: there was a Condensing Spring Realm expert in the Bai family!

The Xiaogirl hadn't returned yet, and Jiang Hanwen had no intention of inquiring about her.

He had clear clues for some traces, but whether this incident was directed at the Bai family or the Zhuang family was still unclear.

He had the geographical advantage, lacked human harmony, and lacked the opportune moment, so he would wait.

Time would help him filter out all false information and reveal the mastermind.

In the backyard, the lotus flowers, which should have withered in autumn, bloomed freely, with faint, undetectable white threads swimming in the lotus pods, greedily absorbing the chilly crispness.

Jiang Hanwen was certain that his lotus flowers had changed.

With a Spirit Rain Technique, the lotus flowers opened their petals in the rain, bathing in the wisps of spiritual essence... A month passed in a flash, and a bonfire burned in the room for warmth.

"Click!"

Zheng Yunxu placed a white stone, raised her head, and through the round holes of her mask, two lines of helplessness shot out.

It was as if she was saying, I seem to have won again.

Jiang Hanwen calculated the next seven moves in his mind; he had three stones captured, no support, the opponent's Dragon was alive, while he himself was cut into two sections. The difference in skill was immediately apparent.

"You won," Jiang Hanwen said, reaching to clear the board. Zheng Yunxu gently pressed down on a stone, looking directly into Jiang Hanwen's eyes.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Hanwen asked. This Xiaogirl had never made such a gesture before.

After waiting for three breaths, Zheng Yunxu slowly said, "Are you thinking about Bai Youlan?"

"Huh?"

Jiang Hanwen looked bewildered. Thinking about Bai Youlan?

Hadn't that identity not appeared for several months?

That Xiaogirl didn't even use her real name when she came to the shop; she shouldn't know, he thought.

"Appearance can change, and voice can change, but habits cannot, nor can temperament.

We lived together for several months; I am very sure that she is Bai Youlan," Zheng Yunxu said, pointing to the teacup beside her. "Also, the way she makes tea is very similar to yours."

Jiang Hanwen asked suspiciously, "Then why did you previously—"

"I was pretending," Zheng Yunxu said with a hint of resentment in her tone. "I dislike her, that's my business.

You care about her, and I don't want to make things difficult for you."

After a pause, Zheng Yunxu continued to ask:

"Ever since she left, you haven't gone out much. You've always had something on your mind. Whenever the Bai family and the Zhuang family are mentioned, you always ask about it.

Now, you're not as energetic as before.

Are you—are you missing her?"