In the dead of night in the capital, Meng the Fifth wandered the small alleyways with his daughter.

This father and daughter pair were rather puzzling at times — supposedly out looking for someone, yet they only ever went out in the dead of night.

Meng Duo’er, her face full of weariness, yawned as she trailed behind her father, occasionally popping out with all sorts of questions.

“Daddy, when are we finally going to find Fourth Aunt?”

“Aren’t we looking right now?”

“Daddy, you don’t have a single clue, and yet you go out strolling every single night — are you sure you’re actually looking for someone?”

At this, Meng the Fifth finally stopped and turned to look at his daughter. This daughter of his was, frankly, simple-minded by nature — to put it plainly, a bit dim — but fortunately not entirely foolish. Unfortunately, she was born rather mediocre in talent, and wasn’t much favored within the clan.

He hesitated, wondering whether he should tell her something or not.

Bringing her along this time, though a last resort, was also meant as a chance for her to gain some experience, broaden her horizons, and sharpen her wits a little.

With this thought, Meng the Fifth pulled his daughter down to sit on the stone steps along the street, gently patting her hand, hesitant to speak.

“Daddy, what important thing do you want to tell me?” Meng Duo’er asked, puzzled.

Meng the Fifth sighed helplessly, rolling his eyes. “Duo’er, you know that barrier masters have a certain sense of perception between one another.”

Meng Duo’er shook her head repeatedly — though born into the Meng clan, she genuinely knew nothing at all about the art of barriers.

“Let me put it this way. Both your fourth aunt and I are top-tier in barrier arts within the Meng clan. As long as your fourth aunt is within a hundred li, I’m bound to sense her aura, and this sort of aura is most noticeable at night,” Meng the Fifth explained earnestly.

Who would have thought Meng Duo’er would look utterly astonished and ask, “Daddy, since when did your barrier arts become top-tier?”

At this, Meng the Fifth nearly coughed up blood. “That’s not the point!”

“But… that’s the crux of the issue…” Meng Duo’er answered timidly.

Meng the Fifth was exasperated, not knowing whether this daughter of his was genuinely dim or just playing dumb.

“Daddy, aren’t the top-tier barrier masters in our Meng clan the Eldest Uncle, Second Uncle, and Third Uncle? And besides, how do you know Fourth Aunt’s barrier arts are top-tier? Fourth Aunt left so long ago…”

Meng Duo’er genuinely didn’t understand. Within the Meng clan, what mattered most, first and foremost, was seniority, and second was the level of one’s barrier arts — these two factors directly determined one’s status and standing.

Someone as untalented as her — if she weren’t the Old Patriarch’s own granddaughter — would likely have been kicked out of the Meng clan estate long ago!

Meng the Fifth looked at his daughter’s innocent, curious eyes, hesitated for a moment, then drew closer and lowered his voice. “Daughter, do you know just how astonishing your fourth aunt’s talent was back in the day?”

“How astonishing…” Meng Duo’er asked timidly.

“When your fourth aunt left the Meng clan, her barrier arts were already the highest among our generation. Otherwise, how could I have possibly found the secret of the dead barrier among her belongings!”

Hearing her father’s words, Meng Duo’er blurted out immediately, “Daddy, there’s some kind of conspiracy involved, isn’t there!”

This girl, Meng Duo’er, wasn’t actually stupid at all — her instincts were quite sharp — it was just that she always spoke bluntly, which made her seem a bit dim.

Meng the Fifth nodded, and continued in a low voice, “Back then, her marriage — Eldest Brother, Second Brother, even Third Brother — none of them held back from meddling, forcing her to marry someone she didn’t love!”

“So she was driven away!” Meng Duo’er exclaimed.

“Shh… If she hadn’t left, your grandfather would long ago have passed the position of Patriarch to her — it wouldn’t have dragged on hesitantly all these years like this!”

Hearing this, Meng Duo’er said hurriedly, “Daddy, if you flattered Grandpa the way the three uncles do, the position of Patriarch might well be yours!”

Meng the Fifth looked at his daughter, a flash of sorrow crossing his eyes, and merely nodded without explaining further.

In terms of actual barrier arts skill, Meng the Fifth wouldn’t lose to his three elder brothers at all — it was just that, unlike those three, he wasn’t one for flattery and toadying.

However, though the Patriarch of the Meng clan enjoyed being flattered, when it came to something as important as the succession of the Patriarchy, how could he possibly be careless about it, how could he truly favor someone just because they flattered him well?

Meng the Fifth’s greatest disadvantage was that his branch had no heir — he had only this one daughter, Meng Duo’er, and she was, moreover, considered talentless.

As for his three elder brothers before him — to say nothing else, his Third Brother alone had five sons and three daughters!

Orthodox succession was a formidable thing — if Meng the Fifth were chosen as Patriarch, then down the line, the other descendants would gradually be relegated to the status of a lesser branch, and having a lesser branch’s strength fall short of even a daughter of a concubine would be a truly terrible thing.

The succession of the Patriarchy had to consider not only the heir’s own strength, but also the prosperity of descendants and the continuation of the bloodline.

Of course, none of this was something Meng the Fifth would tell Meng Duo’er — it was all too heavy a matter for a young girl like her.

However, Meng Wanyue was a special case. Meng the Fifth was certain that, as long as Fourth Sister had continued cultivating her barrier arts after leaving the Meng clan, her current ability would surely surpass even their father’s.

With such strength, she could rely on “strength” alone to claim the position of Patriarch.

Seeing that Meng Duo’er didn’t press further, Meng the Fifth said quickly, “Let’s go, let’s keep moving. We’re not the only ones looking for her, you know!”

At this, Meng Duo’er was dumbfounded again. “Who else is looking for Fourth Aunt?”

“The very people who drove her away.”

Meng the Fifth said this with disdain, stopping to gaze far off toward the imperial palace, his heart filled with mixed feelings. Though the Meng clan was but a small tribe compared to the royal houses of the various kingdoms, the scheming and rivalry within a great clan was no less than that within royalty!

As far as he knew, his three elder brothers often seized opportunities, under the pretext of “training,” to send people to the continent of Longyuan to search for Fourth Sister. Unfortunately, he himself took no disciples and had only this one daughter who depended on him — he’d had no real chance to get away. This time, he had hesitated for a long while before finally deciding, under the pretext of secluded cultivation, to slip out secretly!

“Daddy means the uncles?” Meng Duo’er asked, a bit timidly. She had personally experienced just how formidable her uncles’ schemes could be — even her own father had suffered several setbacks at their hands.

“Let’s hurry and go. We’ll search the whole capital — if we don’t find her, we’ll go elsewhere. As long as she’s alive, we’ll find her eventually. She always did love lively places.”

As Meng the Fifth walked, he mused to himself — as long as his elder brothers didn’t come personally to search, he could still handle whatever underlings they sent!

Father and daughter hurried off together. But Meng the Fifth failed to notice that, up on a rooftop, a pair of clear yet coldly gleaming eyes had been watching them for a long, long time!

“Old fool, what a small world, heh heh…” Baili Weisheng narrowed his eyes, looking wickedly demonic in the hazy moonlight!