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

Those thieving eyes across the street haven't stopped for days.

Previously, they would keep an eye on things from a distance across the street, but these days they've started sending people over to Yang's place to keep an eye on things.

They were all there to see a doctor and get medicine. Their pulses were taken, and the medicine was ready, but one pair of eyes kept wandering around the main room, glancing towards the curtain at the inner courtyard. Their mouths, like the shop assistant's, were also busy, bombarding the room with random questions about how many people lived in that courtyard, where the women came from, and what they looked like.

Several patients like this come every few days. After they arrive, they bring back a little bit of the situation here.

Unable to show her face, Qin Ying could only stay in the backyard. But every word they spoke was directed at the inner quarters and the women of the household. Listening from the backyard, her heart sank deeper and deeper.

That day, Yang Hu came to her backyard to talk about this. There was commotion in the front yard again.

It was Lu Rou's voice, a few decibels higher than usual:

"Sir, are you here for a medical appointment? Please come and sit down. This backyard is the inner quarters, not a place for you to wander around."

Yang Hu's eyebrows twitched, and he headed straight for the front yard.

She also subconsciously hid in the shadows of the corner and pulled out the dagger from her waist.

In the front yard, a stranger was acting suspiciously.

Dressed in ordinary short tunics, he claimed to be there to pick up medicine, but his eyes were restless, constantly glancing at the curtain at the inner courtyard. He chatted with the shop assistant about this and that, asking how many people lived in the courtyard, and where the women came from and what they looked like.

Lu Rou, blocking the counter, had already sensed something was wrong; the person coming to get medicine wasn't asking about the medicine, but about the person. She remained calm, but her mouth blocked the person's path in the main room.

Yang Hu sneered inwardly but did not show it on his face, and stepped forward himself.

"What's wrong, sir? Let me take your pulse."

Unable to stammer, the man could only reach for his wrist.

Yang Hu placed three fingers on the pulse, appearing serious, but he already knew what was going on.

His hands were calloused from knives, and his accent wasn't local. When he responded, he looked around furtively, yet there was a wariness that most people didn't possess.

He was a former soldier who used his hand to test the waters.

It was exactly what she said.

Without changing his expression, he immediately started threatening people, saying that this person had too much anger and his foundation was too weak. Although he was fine now, he needed to adjust his breathing properly to avoid developing serious problems.

The man stood there stunned for a long time.

They opened another packet of strong medicine that didn't have much of a smell, and quoted a very reasonable price without adding a single cent.

This person had originally intended to test the waters, but ended up being intimidated. Furthermore, the master of the house was shrewd, and several servants were eyeing him with ill intent. In the end, he reluctantly took the medicine and left.

Lu Yan stayed inside the pharmacy, watching.

She came out after the man did, and she didn't look well.

"Young master, this isn't just ordinary curiosity." She lowered her voice. "I'm used to this in the manor. If you want to manage a household, you first need to draw up a portrait of every woman in the house, inside and out, and put it in front of your master. You'll know exactly what to do and what not to do."

She's from the Duke's mansion!

She knew better than anyone what was hidden from view.

"They're taking the photo album back with them!"

Yang Hu's face darkened.

Back in the backyard, Qin Ying came out from behind the door.

"They're not here for medical treatment." Her voice was cold. "They're peeking through the cracks, all peering into the inner courtyard. They're here to identify people, to have their likenesses drawn."

"I know," Yang Hu said. "His hands are covered in calluses from practicing swordsmanship; he's from the military. Those guys diagonally across the street couldn't get enough of watching from outside, so they sent someone to bring them into the courtyard."

Shadowing?

Those two words are more chilling than a knife.

From a distance on the street, you can only tell when someone will come and how many people there are.

But this kind of depiction is different.

They meticulously identified the appearances of each woman in the courtyard, drew their portraits on paper, and sent them back to their master for comparison. This drawing and identification was in case the master had a discerning eye who could recognize the granddaughter of the Duke of Zhenguo…

Qin Ying paused for a moment.

"It's aimed at me," she suddenly said. "I know."

Yang Hu remained silent.

But this courtyard holds a secret, and the most important one is her.

"I've dragged everyone down with me." Qin Ying turned her head, her voice lowering, and a rare weariness appeared in her usually cold eyes. "You saved me, and you've gotten yourself into immense trouble. A damned person, alive, is the biggest thorn in this whole courtyard."

She had held these words in for a long time.

She wasn't afraid of death; those who had survived the battlefield had a very open-minded view of life and death. What she feared was that this life she had lost on the battlefield would lead her to drag Yang Huzi out of the dead and swallow him piece by piece, thus harming the person in her family who had treated her the best.

A person who is used to protecting others is most afraid of becoming a burden to others.

Yang Hu looked at her.

"What do you mean by being tired?" His voice was low and flat. "Are you the one who's talking nonsense about being tired because you have a festering arrow wound and a fever?"

"Barbarian spies are raiding the city, and with the epidemic raging, who's been shielding me from the elements and letting me through the back door?"

Qin Ying was stunned.

"In this courtyard," Yang Hu said. "Lu Yan administers the medicine, Lu Rou manages the accounts, and Liu Ye guards the garden. Do you think you're just staying here for free? Your eyes and your skills are already enough to support a family. Where is there any loophole?"

Qin Ying didn't say anything.

She bent down to wipe the dagger. She wiped slower and slower until she stopped completely.

After a while, she raised her head.

The fatigue disappeared, and my eyes regained their usual sharpness.

"You still want to check across the street?" Her voice deepened. "I'll help you. I've not only done spies, planted informants, followed people around, I've learned a lot. I've been hiding for over half a year. This time, I'll help you look!"

The sky in the backyard gradually darkened, and no lights were to be lit.

Her tone suddenly changed again, and she said softly.

"Don't you dare say that again!"

Yang Hu laughed. Why didn't she let him say it a second time?

Some things only need to be said once; they should remain a rule in your heart.

If you say it too many times, it won't be as effective.

However, this matter was indeed weighing heavily on his mind.

The people diagonally opposite the gate have already been keeping watch on the street and are already at the gate of the courtyard.

Lu Yan's "tracing the shadow to show the master" also made him unable to wait any longer.

If they are allowed to continue probing into the inner room, sooner or later they will discover the truth that can no longer be hidden. At that time, what they will attract will be a murderous hand hanging over Qin Ying's head...

He told the people in the courtyard to be careful, but there was no way to stop them from arriving.

We need to find a way to turn the tables!

You need to see clearly who the people watching you are. What kind of people are they? Where did they come from? What is the background of the family that runs a small business across the street? Is the hand behind them trying to do something to these pretty women, or does it have another purpose?

To know the appropriate course of action, you need to understand who it is.

He didn't know many people in this city, but the one he did know was quite reliable.

Qin Ying did not rest that night.

She found a corner in the yard with a view from the window that looked diagonally opposite, turned off the light, and watched for a long time.

When she came back, she said, "There are several people taking turns on guard duty across the street. They also have fixed times for night watch. They are the most relaxed during the second half of the night. The people they are keeping watch on have been given orders. The way they are positioned is very particular. It's definitely not just some random people gathered together..."

She asserted this:

"Someone fed them their eyes."

Yang Hu nodded. Qin Ying's keen eye, honed in the army, was even more useful than anything he had figured out himself. This was proven once again.

Tomorrow morning, he still has to make a trip to the south of the city to meet with Scarface. With that, and considering the other man's offer, he should be able to get rid of this guy across the street.