An hour later.

The two went to where Bai Yin was being held!

At this moment, Bai Yin was tightly bound to a pillar.

His head hung low, his hair disheveled, his body’s entire weight drooping forward.

Like a dead man!

Jingrong held a basin of water in his hands and without hesitation splashed it over him.

The ice-cold water flowed from Bai Yin’s head to his face, his body, the ground…

Utterly wretched!

After a long while, Bai Yin moved slightly, slowly lifting his weakened head. A pair of bloodshot eyes filled with stubbornness looked coldly at the two people before him.

His parched lips were covered with water droplets and blood seeping from the cracks in his lips.

Having been thirsty for nearly a day and night, he instinctively stuck out his tongue and licked.

The water droplets mixed with the bloody taste, spreading wantonly on his tongue.

Jingrong met his gaze: “I’ll ask you one more time—where exactly did you get that portrait?”

“…”

“If you still don’t speak, you’ll only die.”

Bai Yin laughed weakly and palely, the stubbornness in his eyes dissipating: “Fine, I can tell you.”

His voice was thick and hoarse!

“But… you must release me first.”

Making conditions!

Jingrong deliberated, weighing the feasibility of this condition.

Finally—

“Alright.”

He agreed.

He then drew a dagger from his person and cut the ropes binding Bai Yin.

The moment the ropes loosened, Bai Yin completely lost his center of gravity and collapsed heavily to the ground.

Like a puddle of mud!

The clothing on his back had already been worn through, and his back was covered in blood—hardly a patch of good skin visible.

After being dragged by a horse for so long, this was to be expected!

He used his elbows to prop himself up on the water-soaked ground, his head hanging as he said: “I need food… and water.”

Jingrong agreed to all of it.

Muruo gave orders and had mutton and water brought to him.

He grabbed the water jug and drained it in one gulp, then grabbed the mutton legs and wolfed them down.

After eating and drinking his fill, he regained some strength. Looking at Jingrong who was quietly waiting for an answer, he squinted slightly and said: “I still need to rest one night. Tomorrow… tomorrow I’ll definitely tell you.”

Having come this far, Jingrong didn’t need to rush for the moment!

So he readily agreed.

He warned him, “There will be many people watching you outside. If you want to escape, it won’t be that easy.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t run. But tomorrow… you must bring me to see that young lady. I’ll tell her as well.”

Jingrong looked down at him.

In the end, he said nothing and pulled Muruo out with him.

After leaving, he headed straight for Ji Yunshu’s tent.

At this moment, Tang Si was still in her tent.

The two had been talking for quite a while.

When Jingrong entered, Muruo pulled Tang Si up.

“What’s wrong?” Tang Si asked.

Muruo said gently: “It’s so late now. Go rest quickly.”

“But I still have so much to say to A’Ji!”

“Tomorrow.”

“I…”

Muruo carefully escorted her out.

Inside the tent, Ji Yunshu looked at the grave-faced Jingrong with confusion.

“What’s this about?”

Jingrong sat down cross-legged beside her.

He let out a heavy sigh!

Looking at her worried eyes, he then took out that portrait.

He handed it over.

“What is this?”

With misgivings, she accepted it and slowly opened it.

What met her eyes was a face identical to her own.

Although the styling was different, undeniably, the person in the portrait was herself!

Her hands trembled, and the portrait nearly fell.

Her crimson lips parted slightly: “This… is the portrait Bai Yin mentioned?”

Jingrong was surprised: “You know about this portrait?”

She nodded: “Bai Yin said the reason he captured me was because of a portrait! As for the reason why, he refused to say more. So this portrait really was obtained from Bai Yin?”

“That’s right!”

Then she could understand why Jingrong had insisted on the rapid-pace torture of Bai Yin today—so this was the reason.

Jingrong said: “This paper is at least over twenty years old, but twenty years ago, you weren’t even born yet.”

“Someone who resembles me so closely absolutely cannot be unrelated to me, unless…”

A terrifying guess flashed through her mind.

Jingrong directly completed her thought: “Unless this person is your mother!”

“Uh!” He had spoken the thought in her heart.

“Based on this person’s clothing, she’s a Huyi person?”

Ji Yunshu looked carefully—from the woman’s headdress, silver ornaments, and clothing.

Indeed!

She was a Huyi person.

Her hand gripping the paper tightened.

Her fingertips turned slightly pale.

She asked nervously: “Then what did Bai Yin say? Where did this portrait come from? Who exactly is the person in the portrait? And who is he?”

A string of questions.

Jingrong said: “The answers you want to know, he’ll tell us tomorrow.”

Ji Yunshu’s heart was uneasy.

Was the person in this portrait really her mother?

Was her mother a Huyi person?

Then how did she come to Da Lin?

And what did that wooden plaque represent?

That entire night, she barely slept at all.

The next day.

Third Master took his people to find Muzha’er.

To discuss how to attack Yuedan.

Bai Yin had also eaten his fill, drunk his fill, and rested for a night. His complexion looked much better.

Jingrong ordered Lang Bo to drag him to his tent.

Ji Yunshu, Muruo, and Tang Si were all there.

Pairs of eyes watched him.

Jingrong furrowed his brows: “Bai Yin, speak.”

Bai Yin prostrated on the ground, lifting his slightly more spirited eyes.

After laughing a few times.

His expression darkened.

He said: “This portrait—I’ve carried it with me since I was small.”

No one spoke, waiting for him to finish.

“I don’t remember how old I was that year. I only remember that twenty-one years ago when I woke up, I was in a forest. There was no one around me, only trees. I don’t remember who I am. I don’t remember my name. I have no idea why I was in that forest. At the time, I had this portrait in my clothing. I thought the person in the portrait must be related to me somehow, so all these years, I’ve been searching. Until I came to these Western Sai Grasslands, I gave up and decided to follow Huhehaote to conquer the world.”

As he spoke, he looked at Ji Yunshu—those familiar features were identical to the person in the portrait. He continued: “Until that day I saw you in the forest. I was very shocked at the time, but twenty years have passed—why hasn’t your appearance changed? I wanted to know the truth, wanted to know who I am, so I abducted you. But later I discovered you might not be the person I’m looking for at all. But in this world, how can there be people who look exactly alike?”

He too was deeply confused!

Twenty-one years ago!

That was the year of the Huyi civil war.

The woman in the portrait was also a Huyi person!

Ji Yunshu remembered that previously in the capital, Third Master had said he was a Huyi person who had been separated from an old friend and thus came to Houliao.

Perhaps… he knew something?

Just as she was pondering this—

Bai Yin pulled out another object from his person.

The thing gradually unfolded from his palm.

The moment Ji Yunshu saw it clearly, her eyes froze and her entire body tensed.

That was…