Hearing about Yun Ya splitting open the tortoise’s skull to extract the dragon pearl, he remained silent for a long while before asking: “Did you observe if he swallowed the pearl?”

“Yes.”

“What did the pearl look like?”

“I was too far away to see clearly. After being washed by the rain for a while, it became bright amidst the grayness, somewhat like a pearl.” She thought for a moment, then gestured with her hand, “About this big.”

She had not only seen and touched the object but had even consumed it, so her description matched exactly what he knew. Mo Tizhun’s shoulders immediately slumped. Though his expression remained unchanged, Feng Miaojun could sense the disappointment emanating from him.

His eyes stared blankly as he casually asked: “How did you leave the Rising Dragon Pool?”

“I jumped into the pool. Though the Rising Dragon Pool appears enclosed, the underwater passages connect to the outside world.” She had already prepared this answer, so she responded without blinking, “The large fish in the pool were all circling the dragon-headed monster, with no time to bother with me. My swimming skills are decent, so I escaped through the waterway.”

Though Mo Tizhun was meticulous, as a powerful figure who traveled freely across mountains and valleys as if walking on flat ground, why would he need to navigate wet underground waterways? Therefore, he had no idea how complex and winding the passages below the water pool were. Not to mention the half-mile-long, pitch-black waterway that a pampered young lady could never have survived.

However, at this moment, he was distracted and didn’t think in that direction at all. He merely pointed to the ant nest on the table: “Swear.”

Feng Miaojun immediately swore an oath before the fierce-looking red ants: “I, Feng Miaojun, swear to heaven that everything I just told the great Imperial Tutor Mo is true, without a single false word. If I violate this oath, may my heart be devoured.”

After speaking, she stared at the ants without blinking.

As soon as her words fell, the Heart-Devouring Ants moved their long legs, frantically rushing toward her. The previous ones standing outside the nest were just sentinels; now they poured out in full force, immediately covering the dark tabletop like a layer of blood-red velvet.

Feng Miaojun’s blood nearly froze solid!

Fortunately, the swarm of ants stopped after moving just two feet. Feng Miaojun could still see them grooming their antennae, before lazily turning around and filing back into their nest. Their attack had been as swift as lightning, but their return was slower than a turtle’s, listless as if knowing they had no chance for an extra meal today.

What madness had seized these ants? Feng Miaojun couldn’t help but sigh in relief. Looking at Mo Tizhun’s equally puzzled face, she saw he was too immersed in his thoughts to care further.

In his eyes, her life probably mattered less than that of a Heart-Devouring Ant.

But regardless, the fact that the ants hadn’t rushed to her body indicated she hadn’t lied.

In truth, what she had just told Mo Tizhun was indeed true word for word, except she had concealed the stories of the tortoise spirit and the second dragon pearl. Mo Tizhun had never even considered the existence of these two things, so how could he investigate their presence? As for her method of leaving the deep pool, she truly had “escaped through the waterway,” though at the time she had clung to a large fish controlled by the tortoise spirit to swim out.

Just a small wordplay—heaven couldn’t judge her as having lied.

After she had sworn her oath, the last glimmer of hope in Mo Tizhun’s eyes dimmed as he straightened up. Feng Miaojun suddenly understood: “So you wanted to confirm whether the pearl was swallowed by the handsome brother?”

Mo Tizhun didn’t deny it. His determination to obtain the dragon pearl had led him to invest heavily in setting up the Mountain-Moving Formation, only to find that he couldn’t use it himself, as it had been accidentally triggered by a rural girl. When he arrived at the Rising Dragon Pool the next morning, he only saw the tortoise’s corpse, with no sign of the dragon pearl. From the wound left on the tortoise’s body, he could deduce who had arrived first, and after seeing Yun Ya in Juping Village, his heart grew colder—though he still harbored a one-in-ten-thousand hope.

What if Yun Ya had just been passing by and hadn’t killed the tortoise to take the pearl? Wouldn’t Mo Tizhun still have a chance to recover the treasure? With this thought, he had traced his way to Feng Manor, only to have Feng Miaojun give him the answer he least wanted to hear yet had to accept.

Yun Ya had already swallowed the dragon pearl; he had no chance left.

Mo Tizhun muttered: “Why did he come back?” Once Yun Ya had consumed the dragon pearl, his mission should have been accomplished. Why did he return to Juping Village, and why did he go to the trouble of digging up the Mountain-Moving Formation buried on the embankment slope?

Was Yun Ya still searching for something? Was it related to the dragon pearl?

Feng Miaojun suddenly spoke up, interrupting his train of thought: “So you’re afraid of the handsome brother and don’t dare confront him, which is why you came to trouble me instead!” Seeing Mo Tizhun’s concentrated expression, she was truly somewhat nervous. After all, she was also guilty and didn’t want him to think deeply while here, so she spoke up to distract him.

Mo Tizhun indeed glared fiercely: “I don’t dare confront Yun Ya? Who told you that!”

Feng Miaojun sneered: “You were both here a few days ago. Why didn’t you directly ask him for confirmation, instead of secretly killing my cook, injuring my guard, and coercing me to uncover the truth?”

Mo Tizhun was immediately choked for words.

He truly was deeply wary of Yun Ya. Moreover, even as a powerful Imperial Tutor, openly challenging such a formidable enemy on Wei Kingdom’s territory wasn’t a wise move, and might even spark conflict between the two countries.

But how could he explain these extremely complex matters of interest to an eleven-year-old girl?

Was it worth it?

Mo Tizhun’s face showed complete disinterest: “Why bother wasting words with you?” Just as he was about to stride away, a clear voice suddenly sounded from outside:

“Since Brother Mo has come to visit our country, why not inform Yun Ya? You’re being too formal.”

This voice was sometimes distant, sometimes near. At first hearing, it seemed right by the ear, but upon careful listening, it seemed to echo throughout the entire Juping Village.

The speaker had a good voice—pleasant, languid, and magnetic, possessing a magical quality that made one want to keep listening. In Feng Miaojun’s words, it could make ears pregnant. However, at this moment, both she and Mo Tizhun felt a chill in their hearts.

Yun Ya’s voice was distinctive; she had heard it once at the county magistrate’s office and would never forget it. Whenever Yun Ya appeared, he would affect her sensitive nerves; Mo Tizhun, however, was alarmed that this powerful enemy, who had supposedly left Zi County, had suddenly returned with precision timing, catching him red-handed.

Was this deliberate?

Mo Tizhun chuckled twice and strode out.

Though unwilling to directly confront Yun Ya, when the other party came looking for him, he showed no fear!

As Mo Tizhun walked away, Feng Miaojun in the small courtyard immediately heaved a long sigh of relief, collapsing to the ground, feeling her back soaked through.

Whatever a sparrow feels before an eagle was exactly what she had felt before Mo Tizhun. Facing such a boss-level character, she wasn’t even sure if she could live or die as she wished; she could only summon all her wits to deal with him while carefully avoiding any slip-ups.