In the back hall of Grandma's bedroom in the Soul Snatcher's house, a man with a clear and distinct peony tattoo on his neck handed over a small silk scroll to Hong Gu.
Hong Gu opened it by the candlelight and took a look, then closed it again. After whispering a few words to the tattooed man, they parted ways.
"This is Grandma's secret order, don't mention it to anyone. Now hurry up and go to the Chu King's palace to handle this matter, no mistakes allowed."
"Yes."
After the tattooed man left, Hongyu turned around and walked out of the main hall into a connected side hall.
The side room was a bathroom, and in the large camphor wood bathtub, the reddish-brown medicinal liquid was emitting a bitter medicinal smell, and Grandma closed her eyes and soaked in it.
Hong Gu came to the corner cabinet, picked up a small porcelain bottle, poured a few drops of medicine into the water, and then began to massage her grandmother's shoulders.
"Are you done with your shift?"
"Yes, I've instructed them according to your wishes."
Grandma nodded and stopped talking, while Hong Gu continued to massage her shoulders.
Suddenly, Grandma stretched out her hand and grasped Hong Gu's hand, slightly turning to look at her: "You say, if the poisonous house becomes even stronger again, is it a good thing?"
Hong Gu smiled and said, "Of course it's a good thing. The Poison House was once so powerful and awe-inspiring. If the Poison House is still a major force in our Tang Sect, who would dare to bully us?"
"Ah, yes... you're right... but what about Xiao'er?"
Hong Gu was taken aback by the words and just as she was about to speak, a commotion came from outside.
Hong Gu hastily wiped her hands and went out.
"What's all the commotion about?"
Hong Gu had just spoken, the disciples guarding the Mitiange had already come forward, handing over the token in their hands and saying in a low voice: "Someone broke in at night and attacked the master of the pavilion."
"What? Is he unharmed? Are there any casualties? Has someone been caught?"
The disciple shook his head and remained silent.
Hong Gu's expression was serious: "Wait, I'll go and inform Grandma right away."
Hong Gu quickly walked back into the house, just as she took out the token, Nai Nai had already said: "Let's go."
"But you just..."
Grandma pressed down on Hong Gu's arm: "Things have their own weight and urgency, I can bear it."
Hong Gu was helpless and quickly wiped off the medicinal water from her grandmother's body and put on a set of clothes.
"If you can't take it then..."
"No way, let's go!" Grandma stepped out with a gloomy face, and Hong Gu hurriedly followed behind her.
The Secret Pavilion is where the Tang Sect stores various secret skill manuals. The value of the Secret Pavilion goes without saying, but what truly worries Grandmaster is the object stored at the very top of the pavilion.
These guys, dare to be tough?
Grandma arrived at the secret pavilion with a burning anxiety, Tang Xiu led the guards to kneel down immediately, and the two of them described the situation at that time in turns.
Grandma didn't say a word, she just raised her head and glanced at the eaves for a moment before starting to look around.
"So, you don't even know who knocked you out?" Hong Gu anxiously asked. Tang Xiu looked down in shame: "Yes, I... wasn't on guard."
"What's missing in the house?" Grandma finally spoke up and asked.
"There are many classics hidden in the hall, and it's unlikely that they can be found within a month..."
"A month?" Grandma's eyes widened: "I'm afraid that before you even find out, the thief will have copied all the stolen books and returned."
Tang Xiu prostrated himself on the ground, his head and face pressed against the earth: "It was my mistake, I beg the master to punish me."
"Hong Gu, quickly summon my personal guard to investigate, within three days, I want to know the result."
"Yes." Hongyu responded and retreated out of the room.
"What happened here tonight is not allowed to be mentioned to anyone else, keep it all in your belly."
Tang Xiu and two guards immediately responded in unison.
Grandma shook her sleeve and stepped up onto the stairs, heading all the way to the top.
"Out, watch out." Tang Xiu waved his hand and drove the two guards on duty away.
Grandma went up along the stairs and stopped suddenly after about twenty steps.
She glanced sideways at the bookshelf: "Tang Xiu!"
Tang Xiu immediately got up and crawled up the stairs with his hands and feet, coming to Grandma's side: "Master."
"Didn't you come according to the rules?" said grandma, pointing at the bookshelf in front of her.
Tang Xiu immediately went to look at the bookshelf. After a few moments, his face turned pale: "Master, I have been diligent for ten years, never sloppy."
"Your grandmother's hand suddenly clenched into a fist: 'You're not careless, but you're useless.'"
Tang Xiuli knelt on the stairs, her body trembling uncontrollably, yet she couldn't utter a single word.
"Whatever! How can unintentional care compare to intentional care? Since I've already raised you, I might as well spoil you rotten!"
Grandma finished speaking and continued to walk up, while Tang Xiu wiped the sweat from his neck with his hand and quickly got up and went down the stairs to a ordinary bookcase on the ground floor, turning one of the cabinet legs.
The bookshelf retreated backward, revealing a dark groove and exposing three rusty iron boxes.
Tang Xiu laboriously carried out a few books from inside, hugged them in his arms, climbed up the stairs, and came to the bookshelves along the way, exchanging several books.
Yes, exchange.
These few books have the same cover and font, but as for their content... only a part of it is the same.
At the time of Tang Xiu's book exchange, Grandma stood at the top of the stairs, looking far away at the stone gate, her eyes dim.
A moment later, Tang Xiu had slowly replaced the books and restored the bookshelf. At this time, Hong Gu also brought ten personal guards from the Soul Snatching Chamber to the Secret Pavilion.
Grandma glanced at Tang Ji, who was in charge, and whispered: "Investigate carefully, don't make a sound."
"Yes."
Grandma supported Hong Gu and left, Tang Ji took over the book list from Tang Xiu's hand and began to check it one by one.
All the way, Grandma was silent and didn't say a word. Hong Gu also didn't speak, and the two returned to the side hall of the Soul-snatching Room. Hong Gu glanced at the bathtub, frowned and whispered: "You've delayed for so long, I'm afraid the medicine won't work..."
"Then let's have another."
"But then you will..."
Grandma waved her hand.
Hong Guo sighed helplessly: "I'll go re-boil the medicine..."
"It's all right, just make do!" Granny said, taking off her clothes. At this moment, her skin was actually a purplish color and looked somewhat eerie.
Grandma sat in the bathtub, and Hong Gu added a few more drops of medicinal water to the wooden bucket.
"Master of the house, this is no small matter tonight. Why didn't you thoroughly investigate inside the door and not let us mention it?" Hong Gu asked softly while massaging her grandmother's shoulders.
"If so, the disciples of the Tang Sect will surely be in chaos. In the chaos, wouldn't the thief who stole the book have an easier time muddying the waters?"
Hong Gu suddenly realized: "It was me who was confused, I didn't think of this layer..."
"This move, I'm not sure what tricks the other side wants to play. But we can't afford to mess up our formation first, otherwise it would be a waste of all these years of endurance."
"You're right."
"Just watch and see! These evil spirits, thinking they can swallow my Tang Gate...” Granny's words were left unspoken, her face suddenly turned ferocious, she gritted her teeth, enduring the intense pain in her body, both hands tightly grasping the edge of the bathtub.
Hong Gu saw this and had a worried and heart-aching expression on her face, but she couldn't do anything.
