A divine healer, a general, a young marquis! Who can rival them!

Liu Ye returned home the next morning.

"I've found out everything about the Sun family in the west of the city!" He put down his shopping basket and said in a low voice, "The old master's illness is really something! The whole Sun family is in a panic, and the fact that they called a doctor in the middle of the night is also true! That steward surnamed He has been working for the Sun family for over twenty years. He's an honest and simple servant, with a clean record. Where are the suspicious points? The fact that they asked you to come to the mansion this time is really something! They're just grasping at straws in desperation, with no other intentions!"

Yang Hu finally felt relieved.

"I was wrong," he said slowly. "It's good to be under a big tree, and the west side of the city is that hand's territory, so it's understandable that I was apprehensive. This trip, however, was a real favor!"

"Young Master is right," Liu Ye said, then changed the subject, her face slightly pale. "I wandered around the west side of the city and actually discovered something. The area around the Prefectural Magistrate's residence has quieted down these past few days; they don't seem to be searching as frantically as before. But secretly, many unfamiliar faces have appeared. Some carry loads on their shoulders, seemingly posing as peddlers wandering the streets. Others are perched on walls, pretending to beg, but their eyes are scanning the crowds coming and going from the Prefectural Magistrate's residence. That hand hasn't given up; it's secretly monitoring and investigating!"

"I put my mind at ease and went around them, not daring to let them see through my disguise." Liu Ye paused for a moment, then continued, "It's true that the old steward surnamed He pretended to be sick and kept the doors and windows tightly shut, but carriages and horses were secretly going out and coming in the mansion in the middle of the night. On the surface, he stopped, but in reality, he was still moving around and hiding in secret."

The backyard fell silent.

"It's waiting!" Qin Ying sat on the windowsill, wiping the knife in her hand, her eyes icy cold. "If it can't find any evidence, and we don't have any real proof, it will back down and bide its time. It'll wait for us to make a mistake, wait for that box of letters to resurface. It's in a hurry, but we're not."

"We can't just sit here and wait!" Yang Hu chimed in, his expression calm. "They've sent their own eyes and ears; we'll send ours. Liu Ye, go out and buy things every day. Keep a close eye on what's happening in the west of the city, and on the comings and goings at the Prefectural Magistrate's office. That box of irrefutable evidence is our lifeline. Every now and then, someone needs to sneak over to check on things outside the city. We absolutely cannot afford any mistakes!"

"Don't worry, young master!" Liu Ye said readily. "That place is very secluded, and the people who are keeping an eye on it are very reliable. I go out to gather information every three to five days."

"Oh?" Qin Ying put down the knife in her hand.

"What it wants to investigate is nothing more than a box of things and who's hiding in this yard! Not to mention the things it can't touch, as for who's hiding in this yard... as long as I don't reveal myself, it will never be able to guess! The more it can't guess, the more anxious it gets, and the more anxious it gets, the more likely it is to crash and burn."

These words, though simple, brought a sense of peace to everyone in the room.

This confidence comes from the accumulation of one achievement after another over the past six months.

From a small village on the border, they treated dehydration, barbarian spies, and willow leaves, then entered this border town, investigated Zhou Ji's spies, burned three carts of stolen evidence, and seized a box of ironclad evidence... Then they cured Old Master Zhou's insect drum, Old Master Chen's heart ached, and Old Master Sun's gate... One after another, they performed acts of kindness that made them famous, and one after another, they conducted earth-shattering investigations... Only then did they gain a foothold and settle down in this corner of the border town.

Looking back now, those extremely dangerous situations have actually been overcome with remarkable composure.

It wasn't luck that mattered, but rather Yang Hu's composure in the face of adversity, his steady and methodical approach, and the concerted efforts of his entire family!

It was this medical skill and this heart that saved lives that, step by step, helped them carve out a place for themselves in this icy and snowy land.

And now, Yang Ji's voice in the east of the city has truly become popular.

The two incidents involving Old Master Chen and Old Master Sun, one in the east of the city and the other in the west, spread the young doctor's reputation and abilities throughout the entire city. People sought his treatment from morning till night, regardless of city or village, social status or wealth; they all wanted to see this renowned doctor. Even people from nearby towns, having heard that there was a young doctor in the east of the city who could literally bring the dead back to life, came with their children to consult him.

The street in front of Yang's restaurant in the east of the city is becoming more and more lively every day.

In restaurants, teahouses, and on the streets, everyone who talked about this young miracle doctor gave him a thumbs up: some said he saved Wang Er, the man with a swollen face and no eyes, from the docks; others said he saved the child with a choked throat from an old charcoal carrier with a single needle; still others said he could save Guan Ge, a critically ill patient whom even the city's famous doctors had deemed incurable... They recounted these stories one by one, embellishing them to make them sound incredibly miraculous! Some who initially didn't believe him scoffed, saying that a young man in his twenties with no hair on his head couldn't possibly have such abilities, but one after another, these vivid stories proved them wrong, leaving them speechless!

After each treatment, Yang Hu would always set aside most of the money to buy rice porridge and traditional Chinese medicine to help the poor in the city, whether they celebrated the New Year or not.

Every little bit helps build a network of connections.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name 12199.99]

night.

backyard.

The charcoal brazier was burning very brightly.

The whole family gathered around the stove. Lu Yan poured hot tea for everyone, while Lu Rou calculated the day's accounts, a hint of smugness on her face: the money earned today was enough to help a few more families...

Liu Ye was wiping her short dagger, occasionally recounting some of the city's happenings that morning. Qin Ying, while tidying up her dagger, didn't say much, but one could easily see that her downturned eyes showed she was much more relaxed than before. The warm lamplight illuminated several peaceful and serene faces.

All this warmth was slowly warmed by Yang Hu's own hands, one by one, in this icy and snowy border town.

"Hmm." Lu Yan poured another pot of hot water for everyone. "Today, that man from the south of the city brought us another basket of homemade pickled vegetables. He insisted on thanking you for saving his child."

"Hehe, just take it back."

Yang Hu smiled and said, "Actually, the people's hearts in this city are the most precious thing, more valuable than any amount of gold and silver..."

Looking at the faces around him, Yang Hu felt a surge of happiness. He had been here for so long, starting from nothing, to gain a foothold in this city, to settle down, to have a family he wanted to protect, and to have a path he was determined to follow no matter what!

Although the snowmelt from the early spring has not completely melted, spring has already arrived.

And the hand hidden in the prefectural governor's mansion at the highest point of the city; the power and influence hidden in the capital that could even make the prefectural governor bow down; and the blood that weighed on the Qin family and the old case of the Duke of Lu's family, a seemingly insignificant but huge injustice, still stood there quietly...

It will melt little by little in the snowmelt as spring arrives in this city, revealing its true form.

We've stopped, we've mustered all our strength.

This is the first time in the game that the most solid move has been made.

There's still a long way to go.