“I advise you to behave. Blades and weapons have no eyes.”

The voice was as cold as the blade at his throat. Xie Erli immediately abandoned the thought of fighting back.

They quickly reached the gate, where a brown horse was shaking its head just beyond the threshold.

Yan Sanhe grabbed the back of Xie Erli’s clothing and, using all her strength, flung him backward.

Then she leaped over the threshold, jumped down several steps, and threw herself onto the horse’s back. With a squeeze of her legs, the horse neighed and galloped away.

“Young Master—”

“Young Master—”

“All of you get out of my way!”

Xie Erli roared, pushing himself up from the ground and rushing out like a madman.

Where was any trace of Yan Sanhe?

Xie Erli stamped his foot in frustration. Just as he was about to call for people to give chase, he heard someone shout: “Look quickly! The old lady has returned!”

Xie Erli froze.

Why was she returning at this time?

He shot several meaningful glances at the guards surging up behind him, then turned around and forced a smile onto his face.

The carriage slowly came to a halt.

The curtain lifted, and several servants helped an elegant and dignified elderly woman step down.

The old woman saw her eldest grandson waiting at the gate with attendants and glared at her daughter-in-law, Lady Wu, behind her.

“I told you not to send word, but you insisted on sending a message home. On such a cold day, why make the eldest young master wait outside? Even if you don’t feel sorry for your son, I still feel sorry for my grandson!”

Lady Wu was also puzzled. Her gaze shifted and she said in astonishment: “Son, what happened to your face?”

Only then did Xie Erli feel a burning pain on his right cheek. When he touched it, his hand came away covered in blood.

He was just thinking about how to explain without arousing the old lady’s suspicions when he heard his father’s furious roar from inside the gate: “Where is that demon woman? Has she been caught?”

This is bad!

Now nothing could be concealed!

…

In the small hall, lights blazed brightly.

The Xie residence’s matriarch, Old Lady Yang, looked at her son, her face darkening. “So Master is determined to keep this from these old bones?”

“Mother, it was just a thief who entered the residence…”

“Do you really think I’m senile?”

The old lady pounded her cane on the stone floor—”thump, thump, thump.” “Even a female thief is worth my eldest grandson personally taking action? Have all the servants died?”

Whether Xie Daozhi spoke or remained silent, his head ached terribly.

Seeing her son still keeping his mouth firmly shut, the old lady laughed angrily.

“Fine, fine, fine. I won’t ask anymore. Someone come—pack my things. Since there’s no place for this old woman in this residence, I’ll go live at the manor.”

“Mother!”

How could Xie Daozhi bear such words? He dropped to his knees with a thump, gritting his teeth. “Is it not enough if your son tells you everything?”

“Father?” Xie Erli cried out in alarm.

“Things have reached this point. What shouldn’t be said must be said anyway.”

Upon hearing this, Xie Erli understood everything.

That woman’s words were a mixture of truth and falsehood—impossible to sort out. For the sake of caution, they still needed to ask the old lady about the divorce letter.

Xie Daozhi stood up and personally offered the old lady a cup of tea. “Mother, don’t get agitated when you hear this.”

The old lady accepted the tea with a reproachful look. “You keeping secrets from me—that’s what makes me agitated.”

You’ll be even more agitated when you hear it!

Xie Daozhi sighed inwardly. “Two nights ago, a woman came to our residence. This person claims to be Yan Xing’s granddaughter. She…”

“Crash—”

The teacup fell to the ground, splattering shards everywhere.

“What, what did you say? Whose granddaughter?”

Xie Daozhi steeled himself and continued: “Yan Xing’s granddaughter, named Yan Sanhe. She…”

“Where is she?”

The old lady grabbed her son’s hand in a fierce grip. “Where is she? Where?”

“Mother, let me finish speaking.”

“I don’t want to hear you speak.”

The old lady suddenly shrieked hoarsely: “I want to see her! You find her for me!”

“Grandmother, don’t get agitated.”

Seeing something was wrong with the old lady, Xie Erli hurried forward to comfort her. “She came to announce a death. After delivering the news, she went back.”

The old lady froze, her eyes turning to her grandson. “Yan Xing… is… dead?”

Xie Erli nodded.

“He’s dead, he’s actually dead…”

The old lady’s eyes rolled back and she fell straight backward, stiff as a board.

“Mother!”

“Grandmother!”

Father and son—one catching her body, one pressing her philtrum—moved in panicked confusion.

After some time, the old lady revived slowly, her gaze falling on Xie Daozhi as two lines of turbid tears slid from the corners of her eyes.

“Quickly go find her and bring her back… quickly!”

Xie Daozhi was beside himself with fury.

“Mother, that person…”

“If I don’t see that person…”

The old lady’s lips trembled violently. After a long while, she finally ground out one sentence from between her teeth.

“I will never close my eyes in death!”

Boom!

Father and son felt as if their insides had been incinerated.