The Black Goat quietly gazed at Chen Changsheng, then suddenly lowered its head and lightly pressed it against Chen Changsheng's forehead.

Chen Changsheng thought he understood what it wanted and felt his clothes in search of something it could eat. However, he realized that he didn't bring any, and raised his head to look around. He saw that on his right-hand side was a tree bearing several fire loquats that seemed to have just ripened. He gestured at the Black Goat to keep silent, stood on his tiptoes and picked one, and then offered it to the Black Goat.

The Black Goat tilted its head and continued to calmly watch him. This made him feel rather embarrassed, as if he was just a joke in its eyes, which in turn caused him to feel at a loss for what to do. Right then, the Black Goat lowered its head, took the fire loquat in his hands, and began to slowly chew on it.

Chen Changsheng exhaled, feeling like he had accomplished a most extraordinary feat.

Once the Black Goat finished the fruit, it nudged Chen Changsheng on the knee and then walked into the forest. In the Imperial Palace, it had done the same thing when it was showing Chen Changsheng the way to Weiyang Palace. Chen Changsheng followed it, thinking, where are you taking me? The moment he thought this, he saw the light shining from the forest.

It was still that stone table, that oil lamp, that teapot, those two teacups, and that mute middle-aged woman.

Chen Changsheng bowed to the middle-aged woman, his expression calm but his heart nervous. He knew that the Black Goat had a very special status within the Great Zhou Imperial Palace. It was rumored that only Mo Yu was able to be intimate with it. Tonight, however, the Black Goat had followed the middle-aged woman to the Hundred Herb Garden, so just who was she?

In the past, he had believed the middle-aged woman to be a female official of the Imperial Palace, even the extremely powerful leader of them all. Now it seemed that her status might even higher.

He thought of another possibility but immediately rejected it. After all, the entire world knew that that Saint's radiant beauty dazzled the world. In Taizong's era, she was already known as the most renowned beauty of the continent. If this middle-aged woman really was that Saint, why would she deliberately change her appearance to meet such a minor character like him?

Upon discovering that her visitor was Chen Changsheng, the middle-aged woman did not show any surprise. She only slightly raised her brows at the Black Goat as if disapproving of its bringing him here. The Black Goat, perhaps guessing that she did not want to be disturbed, departed immediately after bringing Chen Changsheng, not even meeting her gaze.

Tap, tap. The middle-aged woman lightly rapped her finger on the stone table.

Chen Changsheng sat down and used the teapot to fill the teacups, then respectfully placed one in front of the middle-aged woman.

The middle-aged woman used two of her fingers to pick up the teacup as if it was some rock by a stream, and slowly took a sip.

Chen Changsheng used his two hands to raise the teacup as if he was carrying a Night Pearl, and lightly blew on it.

Seeing his appearance, the middle-aged woman silently laughed. Her expression showed an indescribable ease and naturalness, and she seemed to be laughing at his extreme caution.

"It's too hot, it's not for any other reason."

Chen Changsheng explained, feeling rather embarrassed. Then he remembered that she couldn't speak and didn't seem to be able to hear either. He put down the teacup and made a few gestures.

After that, they drank tea.

On their first meeting in the Hundred Herb Garden, the woman and youth did not engage in much conversation. They only drank tea, with even their gazes rarely falling on each other.

Chen Changsheng was very used to this sort of atmosphere, as it reminded him of his senior brother. He didn't know how his senior brother was doing in Xining Village's old temple, nor when he would be willing to come to the capital.

He had no idea that Mo Yu had already sent people to Xining Village and that the temple there was vacant. Daoist Ji had brought Senior Yu Ren and left for parts unknown.

Chen Changsheng's gaze fell on the middle-aged woman and paused for a few moments.

He needed to get into the Imperial Palace to see the Black Dragon, but he didn't know the way, and he could not entrust this matter to the Black Goat.. Tonight, seeing as he had guessed that the middle-aged woman's status in the Imperial Palace was unusual, he suddenly came up with the idea of consulting with her. How does one sneak into the Imperial Palace? Has my lady ever heard of a black dragon?

No matter how he thought about it, this was seeking his own death. To speak with an enigmatic noble of the Imperial Palace on how to sneak into the Imperial Palace, and to even ask about a taboo like the Black Dragon—if this wasn't seeking death, what was?

For some reason, he had this feeling that she was willing to tell him, and that she wouldn't harm him.

He had grown up together with Senior Yu Ren and so always felt that those who were deaf or mute were kind and good people. When he saw this middle-aged woman, he very easily thought of his senior brother and felt close to her, felt that he could trust her. It was just like the feeling many people had when they first saw him. In addition, that night when she had gently caressed his face with her hand had made him recall a person, or perhaps a word, that he had not thought about for a very long time.

He was an orphan, and those two people, those words, had never existed in his life. It was naturally difficult for him to think of them, naturally easy for him to not think of them for a very long time.

The hot tea within the teapot was endless, and the steam rising from the cups would never completely disperse. In the night breeze, however, the steam would drift about somewhat.

Chen Changsheng's hands quickly gestured in front of his body, expressing his intentions.

The middle-aged woman expressionlessly watched his movements, the previous tranquility replaced by a cold atmosphere. It was evident that she was somewhat unhappy at Chen Changsheng's question.

When Chen Changsheng asked about the Black Dragon, she raised her right hand and used three of her fingers to cryptically trace a few lines in the air.

The movement of her fingers was as unfathomable as that of a clear breeze. If Chen Changsheng's eyesight had not been sharp and his mind incredibly focused, it would have been utterly impossible for him to understand her meaning.

Of course, there was no reason to be happy about understanding her meaning.

She asked Chen Changsheng, "Are you not afraid of death?"

Chen Changsheng gestured in reply, "I don't want to die, but a promise is a very important thing, and I also will have to face some rather troublesome problems soon. If I don't resolve them properly, I might never have another chance to enter the Imperial Palace, never have another chance to meet the Black Dragon, so I've taken the risk of asking my lady."

The forest was dark and cold as the woman calmly stared at him, examining him for a very long time. Suddenly, she gave a noiseless laugh and gestured, "It seems that you really aren't afraid of death."

Her question about whether he was afraid of death or not represented her displeasure and threat towards him, while this statement about how he wasn't afraid of death represented her judgment of him.

And this was also the aspect she most appreciated about him.

The woman dipped her hand in the teacup and wrote a single word on the table. She then rose and walked back to the Imperial Palace.

The Black Goat sauntered out from some place in the garden and followed her into the forest, turning its head to glance at Chen Changsheng one final time.

Chen Changsheng had originally intended to escort her to the secret gate in the walls of the Imperial Palace as he had done last time, but he was worried that the word on the table would disappear, so he remained behind.

The tea was dark tea, a dark red that left vivid words on the slightly gray table.

It was the word 'ice'.

Chen Changsheng was somewhat confused. He raised his head, but both the woman and the Black Goat had disappeared.

He could not speak with the woman, only use sign language (哑�