“No, you’re not my brother. You’re Lian Yu’s enemy! Who exactly are you?”

Su Zhen said sternly, suddenly retreating backward, glaring fiercely at the person before her.

The man laughed, his tone both arrogant and extremely cold: “For Lian Yu’s sake, you won’t even acknowledge your brother? If I weren’t your brother, how could I know your childish words and do exactly as you said? How could I spare Lian Yu in that broken shrine? Even if you chopped off your head, I wouldn’t care, let alone a mere finger? In my heart, as long as I can get revenge, it’s fine if everyone in the world dies, but I can’t bear for you to die.”

“Feng Suzhen, is this how you repay your brother? When you told me to come find you at the Ministry of Justice, was that a lie?”

This person’s voice, her words before leaving Huai County, the scene in the shrine… Su Zhen trembled all over but slowly stopped backing away. The brother who had previously refused to acknowledge her had finally appeared to see her. This should have been cause for wild joy, but instead she felt tormented, her whole being in agony.

“Brother, why do you cover your face? Let me see your face.” Finally, she spoke with a trembling voice, wanting to prove something, to shatter what he had just said.

Hearing this, the black-clothed man laughed even louder: “Zhen’er, what exactly are you trying to escape? I didn’t even deliberately change my voice to speak with you like that day at the shrine. Can’t you still recognize it?”

“My face frightens even me to look at. I once fell into the vast sea, my face slashed to ribbons by jagged rocks.”

As he spoke, he didn’t remove the veil from his face but slowly rolled up his right sleeve.

On his right arm was a crescent-shaped scar. The mark wasn’t new – clearly from long ago. Su Zhen’s heart pounded wildly, tears streaming down as she no longer hesitated, running forward and throwing herself into his arms.

Feng Shaoying reached out to hold her, his cold, emotionless eyes finally reddening slightly.

“Brother, you’re really alive, you didn’t die…” Su Zhen sobbed uncontrollably. “Why didn’t you come find me sooner?”

“I’ve always been by your side, just… in corners you couldn’t see. What was the point of finding you? I wanted revenge, and that would implicate you.”

“Are you… mistaken? I’ve seen the Ministry of Justice records. Our family… it was the Late Emperor’s order! If you were being hunted, that shouldn’t have been Lian Yu.” Su Zhen held Feng Shaoying tightly, speaking in a low voice, clarifying for him word by word again.

If Lian Yu had truly slaughtered her entire family, how would he dare keep her by his side! How would he dare treat her thus? How would he dare approve her retrial three years later?

As soon as she finished speaking, Feng Shaoying forcefully threw her to the ground.

His eyes showed an extremely terrifying light, his voice cold as snow: “You can be even more shameless! At worst, I’ll consider you dead too.”

“That day, I escaped with Hong Xiao disguised as you, but the soldiers pursued us all the way. We were both wounded. Hong Xiao had no martial arts and didn’t want to burden me. While I was fighting them, she threw herself onto their swords, making them believe Miss Feng was dead. Though I escaped, I was immediately caught up to by Lian Yu leading men personally. His subordinates stabbed me six times, then he thrust a sword into my chest and kicked me into the vast sea.”

“The current Son of Heaven, with Marquis Murong Jing and Lian Qi and Lian Jiu’s men beside him – I might misidentify one person, but could I misidentify so many?”

“You always thought I loved Hong Xiao… No, I didn’t love her, but she died for me out of love, because of her years of affection for you, willingly sacrificing her life!”

“This is what our Feng family owes her. Even if not for our parents, just for this young lady who grew up playing with us, don’t you feel guilty?”

As he spoke, he removed the sword from his waist and threw it before her.

The red tassel on the sword swayed gently in the wind. Su Zhen felt as if she’d fallen into an ice cave.

“Open your eyes wide and see what this is!” Another object also fell before her with a “snap.”

Su Zhen’s hands shook uncontrollably. She couldn’t care about getting up, trembling as she reached out to pick up the object and roughly tore it open.

This thing – she had seen it before. The contents were all too familiar. She stared blankly at Feng Shaoying, not understanding.

“You went to the Ministry of Justice to see these records, didn’t you? This is your so-called Late Emperor’s order. But actually, this was forged by Li Zhaoting, who switched it with the real edict before you entered, because he hoped you would leave the capital, leave this place of trouble.”

Those seemingly affectionate yet heartless words stripped Su Zhen of all strength. Her mind was almost numb. She sat on the ground, only retaining the instinct to question him: “Why, why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

She murmured repeatedly, as if asking questions, as if merely talking to herself.

Feng Shaoying furrowed his brow, the endless hatred in his eyes gradually awed by her seemingly mad expression. The words of reproach he’d intended to speak could no longer be uttered.

“I’m asking you, why!”

But Su Zhen became even more agitated. She raised her head high and roared hysterically: “Tell me, Feng Shaoying, why the hell is this? What right did you and Li Zhaoting have to decide my life!”

Seeing her eyes blood-red, the surging hatred in them seemingly thousands of times stronger than his own toward Lian Yu, Feng Shaoying felt his heart being cruelly squeezed. All his pain and anger surged to his throat. But at the peak of his fury, he laughed instead: “If I had told you, could you have stayed peacefully by Lian Yu’s side for so long? Would you not have wanted to kill him? But could you have killed him?”

“No, brother, it’s not just that. You also wanted to use me for revenge.” Su Zhen cried.

“Zhen’er, brother did indeed harbor such selfish thoughts. If you had also witnessed our parents and the girl who was like a sister dying miserably before your eyes, if you had also been surrounded and pierced by several long swords and kicked into the deep sea.”

“But Zhen’er, if brother hadn’t been thinking of you, could I have spared Lian Yu that time?”

“Your brother has never in this life thought of rising high in the world, only wanting to be a wild man of the mountains and forests, staying by our parents’ side, watching my sister live happily. I had only this small wish – was I wrong? But Lian Yu destroyed my tiny wish without mercy!”

Brother never cried. Seeing her formerly gentle, loving, laughing brother who was as mischievous as herself with reddened eyes, the coldness and grief warring within, Su Zhen’s heart ached so much she could barely breathe.

“I don’t blame you anymore, brother. I know you love me. In this world, only we two can depend on each other now. I only blame myself. Brother, I only blame myself.” She said softly in her heart, saying it again and again.

Seeing Su Zhen’s tears like a broken kite, her beautiful, clever eyes now only empty, Feng Shaoying felt great anguish. He stepped forward and held his sister from the ground in his arms: “Silly Zhen’er, Li Zhaoting had already agreed then – as long as you were willing to leave, he would honor the marriage contract from back then. Why were you so stubborn in choosing to stay? He… though not someone from our Feng family, but by serving Quan Feitong, he might be able to bring down Lian Yu!”

“Brother, he’s no longer my beloved. I don’t need him to avenge me – I don’t want what he bestows out of charity. Though I’m only a woman, an insignificant person, no one has the right to decide my life! No one can.”

Su Zhen laughed softly.

“Zhen’er, listen to brother. If you’re truly tired, take this opportunity to leave. Brother will handle this revenge. If brother doesn’t succeed, then find Leng Xue and hide far away together. He’ll protect you. In the future, if… if Quan Feitong overthrows Lian Yu, that would mean… Li Zhaoting’s great success. You can go to him – he’ll take care of you. This childhood affection isn’t just talk.”

“Brother, you’re wrong. He’s no longer my Young Master Li. You don’t understand – from the Qixi Festival that day, Lian Yu became my Young Master Li.” Su Zhen still smiled, no longer any crying in her voice.

Feng Shaoying slowly released her, gripping her shoulders tightly: “You’re still thinking of Lian Yu?”

“No, I no longer think of him. This revenge, our Feng family’s revenge – I’ll find a way to exact it. Brother, in Lian Yu’s heart, though I’m not as important as Gu Xiluo, I’m still someone who moved his heart. If I make the move, the chances are much greater. If something happens to me, don’t take risks lightly. The Feng family cannot die out completely. As long as the green mountains remain, even without firewood to burn.”

She spoke slowly, her eyes completely calm.

That was a kind of determination that made people’s hearts tremble. Feng Shaoying’s heart shook, gripping her shoulders even tighter: “Zhen’er, don’t be foolish. Brother told you this not to have you take this risk, but hoping you’d no longer grieve for—”

“Huaisu, are you asleep…”

Little Zhou’s voice came from outside the courtyard. Su Zhen pushed Feng Shaoying: “Leave quickly. You know where to find me.”

“You mustn’t act rashly!” Feng Shaoying’s eyes showed worry, but with footsteps approaching outside, he forcefully smoothed Su Zhen’s hair, leaped up, and was already on the rooftop without making any sound, showing his exceptional martial arts.

When Little Zhou appeared before Su Zhen, Feng Shaoying had completely disappeared.

She saw Su Zhen’s face covered with tear tracks, her eyes terrifyingly red, yet her complexion white as paper, her eyes seemingly hollowed out, showing no emotion at all. She couldn’t help but be alarmed: “Don’t scare me.”

She spoke while checking Su Zhen’s pulse, but Su Zhen grasped her hand instead: “Little Zhou, help me send a message to the palace. I want to see Lian Yu. I must see him.”