Lord Xie Yang first went to the study. It was close to the back garden. Also, he didn't need to waste time asking the servants for directions as he knew the way. So, he reached it in a couple of minutes.
Once inside, he went up to the table, which had an inkpot, a brush, and many sheets. There were two types of sheets, brownish and white. The first was of a cheaper quality, and the latter was of the highest quality. The brush, on the other hand, seemed exquisite. With a single glance, Lord Xie Yang could tell that an expert craftsman had used jade to make its handle and used the most delicate hair to make its brushy tip.
He sat behind the table, picked up a paper and brush. After soaking its tip with black ink, he used it to jot down the ingredients necessary to make the purifying powder on the brownish paper.
The purifying powder followed a simple rule–the more ingredients an alchemist uses to make it, the better quality powder he will get. The ingredients needed to make the highest grade purifying powder were many. But he would need an astronomical amount to get them all. If he aimed for that, then he would end up crippling his father and the Xie Family crippled financially. He didn't want to do that, not at all.
Thus, Lord Xie Yang settled for the cheapest version of the purifying powder, which he could create using only five cheap ingredients.
Lord Xie Yang went out and asked the servants where he could find his father. Everyone knew that since the sun was up, Lord Yong would be busy working in his home office. So, they directed him there.
After reaching there, he knocked on the door and asked, "Father, I need to talk to you about something. Can I come in?"
"Is it important?"
The city lord was a busy man. He had a lot of work piled up, and he needed to complete all of it within this week, or things would become troublesome for him.
Lord Xie Yang replied, "Very important."
"Then, come inside."
It seems like his youngest son was more important than his work. Lord Xie Yang entered the room and met with his father's bright smile. City Lord Yong was pleased to see his son walking here and there on his two feet. He felt good to see that his frail son had gained the vitality of a dark horse who couldn't sit still and rest all day long. Lord Xie Yang also noticed the papers piled before his poor father. They were so many that their momentum was crushing his father's. His father was such a hard-working man, ah.
"Why did you come all the way here instead of resting?" Lord Xie Yong asked after his son sat down opposite him.
"Father, I've come here to ask for a favor."
"Be direct."
Since his father had said so, he stopped beating around the bush. Lord Xie Yang took out a piece of paper and handed it to his father before saying, "I hope you can get the ingredients on this list for me."
City Lord Yong opened the folded paper, read through it, and the expression on his face deepened. The first three things were easy to get, but the last two things would give him a lot of trouble to bring back home. "Must you get them?"
"It's a matter related to my life and death." Lord Xie Yang said in a voice tinged with seriousness. His father could see no laziness on his white face. It was clear that his son wasn't joking.
"Xie Ye!"
City Lord Yong just said these words when a shadow leaped into the room through the window, producing no sound as his feet touched the wooden floor. Lord Xie Yang looked towards him and saw that the man wore a black outfit covering his entire body, only leaving his sword-like eyebrows and manly eyes exposed. He had six daggers on his back and a ring on both of his middle fingers.
"Yes, my lord? How can I help you?" Xie Ye asked.
City Lord Xie Yong hurled the paper with the names of the ingredients on it towards him, and Xie Ye caught it.
"Use as many funds as necessary to bring back the ingredients mentioned in this paper."
"As you command, my lord." Xie Ye respectfully bowed to the man who gave him his current life. Then, he turned around and whisked out of the window. To Lord Xie Yang, it seemed that the concept of using a door to come into a room and go out of one seemed foreign to Xie Ye.
"Father, who was that guy?" He asked.
"The leader of the shadow guards." Replied City Lord Xie Yong.
The shadow guards were loyal to the head of the Xie Family. Rumors have it that they would not blink an eye before giving up their life to protect the City Lord or kill anyone who disrespects him. They were the most lethal weapons of the Xie Family and also the strongest.
Lord Xie Yang took his leave and returned to his courtyard. After entering his room, he looked for his pretty wife as he wanted to have fun with her, make her experience what it means to be loved excessively by her husband in bed. His many ideas, however, crumbled into pieces as he saw that his wife was sleeping soundly.
Her tiny feet were poking out of the blanket and were exposed to the wind.
Lord Xie Yang was worried that they might be cold, so he went up to the bed. He made not a single sound as he reached the end of the bed.
Then, He grabbed her pale feet and realized that they were indeed freezing. A typical person would've woken up by now and covered their feet, but Lin Hua, who could not feel her legs, much less her feet, failed to notice it.
Lord Xie Yang lovingly rubbed her feet, using strenuous efforts to make her warm and away from sickness. He used the warmth of his hands to heat the feet of his sweet wife. Once they were warm, he kissed them goodbye and covered them under the blanket.
He went up to the bed, laid by her side, and admired her beauty with smiling eyes. He took in her pleasant scent and moved his face closer to her, so close that he buried his face in the crook of her swan-like neck. He licked it and kissed it once and then stopped as not to wake her up.