Infiltration is an art. While some self-proclaimed assassins have developed the "just kill everyone you see and you won't be discovered" style of infiltration, that is purely a cult. True infiltration is the feeling of stealthily slipping through the night breeze, deftly avoiding anyone who might discover you and reaching your target.

Aya vaulted over a two-meter-tall wall, leaping into the backyard of the Qiao Family's residence and concealing herself behind a patch of low bushes, silently observing from the shadows.

Since she had already decided to go in directly, it was better to act sooner rather than later. Aya's goal was clear: to find Xingjian for help in removing the mark that Yuan had placed on her. In theory, this thing was somewhat similar to what Xiaofeizi had imprinted on Tiran back then, both being of Holy Rank should be able to be deciphered.

After that, by informing Xingjian of Yuan's underhanded dealings in the city, Aya felt that she would have fulfilled her duty and could slip away after reporting. After all, Aya was not even of Eastern descent, in fact, not even human.

"Phew... it seems that the guards are patrolling the perimeter..."

The situation seemed similar to what she had investigated before - prior to her mission, Aya had spent a full day wandering around the estate posing as a guest. Apart from the backyard, even if she announced herself to the household servants, she could enter Qiao Sida's study, basically gaining a good understanding of the movements of the household servants and guards in the residence.

Judging by the frequency of the guards' patrols, Qiao Qiao's father seemed to place great importance on the gifts sent by West Land. From her observation outside the estate, the number and equipment of the guards could almost match those of the city guards she had seen at the city gate.

Tsk tsk, indeed from a wealthy household, where private guards could compare to regular military forces.

However, ordinary human soldiers were not even worth a glance in Aya's eyes, but since she was currently without her Chi Magic, she had to be cautious. With her identity as a guest staying within the estate, sneaking into the backyard from the inside would be much easier.

After crouching behind the low bushes for a while, holding her breath, Aya quietly listened to the footsteps of the guards outside the wall. Once she confirmed that they had all moved away, she swiftly slapped a mosquito that had been buzzing around her face for the past minute, still perplexed as to why it couldn't pierce her scales for air, and turned it into a small mosaic lump to be blown away.

In the backyard, there were a total of six carriages, all uniform wooden carriages of large cargo capacity, indicating that there were quite a few items in store.

The rest was simple, just pick any carriage to hide in; based on the previous wooden barrel's volume, it should be enough to fit in. As for the liquor inside, she could just drink it and be done with it - a single barrel of liquor wouldn't topple a dragon.

However, just as Aya was about to step forward, a soft call suddenly came from above her head behind her, "Hey, Aya! What are you doing here?"

This one call almost made Aya break into a cold sweat. Turning around, she saw Qiao Qiao floating down lightly from the top of the wall, landing gracefully.

"What in the world? No, why are you here?" Aya exclaimed.

"Shouldn't that be my question to ask?" Qiao Qiao said, hands on hips, "In these past few days, Dad has been forbidding me from going near the backyard. Your sneaking in here is quite suspicious, come clean, what are you up to?"

Just as Aya was about to explain, she heard the footsteps of the guards outside the wall getting closer. Acting quickly, she moved forward, one hand holding Qiao Qiao close and the other covering her mouth.

"Mmm?!"

Completely caught off guard by Aya's actions, the usually feisty Qiao Qiao froze for a moment. Despite her somewhat wild temperament, being a diplomat's daughter, she hadn't really experienced such direct physical contact before, showing a mix of embarrassment and indignation on her face.

With a dull thud, Aya felt a sudden violent blow to her abdomen without any warning. The armor on her body vibrated fiercely, and some of the force also acted on her body through the armor, causing her to cough softly twice involuntarily.

The guards outside the wall seemed to hear it as well, as their footsteps hastened immediately, circling the wall towards the gate leading to the backyard.

Fortunately, it seemed that only the guards on the outer gate were on high alert. They must have assumed that no one would enter the mansion. Once the outer gate guards confirmed that there was no one trying to infiltrate, they opened the gate and several guards came in to recheck the carriage, carefully examining the surrounding bushes and other potential hiding spots before preparing to leave.

“Wait a moment.”

One of them suddenly raised his right hand to signal the others to wait, then turned back, bending down to shine his lantern under the carriage, making Aya break out in a cold sweat.

After confirming there was no one, the guards closed the gate once again.

"I thought we were going to be discovered..."

Carefully sticking half of her head out to confirm that all the guards had left, Aya breathed a sigh of relief, her tense body relaxing.

Tap, tap.

Aya's body stiffened, and she slowly turned her head back to see Jojo, whom she had been holding close and covering her mouth, looking at her disapprovingly, constantly elbowing her ribs.

Even if Aya was slow, she realized it was not a good idea to be holding a girl like this.

"Um... sorry..." Aya tried to let go, "But could you promise not to shout? I'll explain everything."

After hearing two low "Mm-hmm" sounds from Jojo in her embrace, Aya rolled over and jumped down from the top of the hiding carriage, then let go of Jojo.

"Gasp..."

Just now, out of fear of being discovered, she had acted swiftly and seamlessly. She hadn't had time to really look at Jojo, but now she found that Miss Jojo's attire was a bit messy.

Probably just got out of bed, she was still wearing pajamas that resembled a loose robe. The neckline in front was already low, and with her recent actions, it had slipped even lower. Adding to the fact that she wasn't wearing anything underneath her sleepwear, one wrong move could spell trouble.

However, Miss Jojo seemed completely oblivious, arms crossed, waiting for Aya's explanation.

"Um, before I explain, could you maybe pay a little attention to your appearance..."

"Ah?" Miss Jojo slowly lowered her head, then swiftly pulled up her shirt collar at lightning speed, glaring at Aya with eyes that could kill, squeezing out a sentence through gritted teeth, "Speak."

"Simply put... I want to go to the palace to see Star," Aya shrugged, "I just can't wait."

"...?" Jojo stared at Aya skeptically, showing no emotion.

"I'm serious, and I simply want to enter the palace, no ulterior motives," Aya tried to emphasize once again.

"I won't report you to Father, after all, Aya, you've helped me a lot," Jojo lowered her crossed arms, a sly smile suddenly appearing on her face, "But as a condition, you have to take me with you."

"What?" Aya suddenly felt like she was being played.

"Hmph, kidding. Why should I obediently copy books as my father wants!" Jojo clenched her fists, indignant, "It's about protecting the people from harm, why should I be punished!"

Grown-ups are looking out for your best interests too, Aya wanted to say, but considering the time constraints, she seemed to have no better option at the moment and reluctantly agreed.

"But let's set some ground rules first. Once we're in the imperial palace, we'll go our separate ways. I'll look for Xingjian, and you can do whatever you want on your own." Aya outlined her terms clearly.

"No problem!" Jojo readily agreed, casually untying a ribbon from her wrist to tie up her disheveled hair, "Even if I get caught again, my godfather will protect my father, so nothing too serious will happen to me."

"Godfather...?"

"Oh, it's His Majesty the Emperor."

...Truly an extraordinary young lady.

"By the way, is your plan to sneak into the palace by hiding in these carriages?"

"Yeah." Responding as she climbed onto a carriage, Aya found herself surrounded by large wooden barrels she had seen the palace servants transporting before, each able to easily conceal a person.

"What's inside here?" Jojo asked, stepping closer to knock on one of the barrels.

"Your father said they are wines sent as diplomatic gifts from a country in the western continent."

"Wine? Wait, didn't you say we should hide inside? How are we going to do that with these barrels?"

Jojo realized the situation.

"Don't worry, leave it to me." Aya approached the barrel at the back and began feeling around to open the top lid. The barrel was sealed quite tightly, requiring some effort to open it without damaging it.

Jojo would probably be shocked to see her easily downing a whole barrel of wine without breaking a sweat...

As she pondered this, Aya lifted the lid of the barrel.

"Huh?!"

The contents inside made Aya involuntarily let out a short exclamation of surprise.

"What's wrong, what's wrong?"

Jojo came over and also looked inside the barrel, freezing momentarily.

The two exchanged a glance, seeing shock and suspicion reflected in each other's eyes.

Instead of amber-colored wine overflowing in the barrel and emanating a tempting aroma, what they actually saw were gleaming cold blades and layers of cotton filling the space to prevent clinking.

"This... might just be a serendipitous discovery."