Xie Zhifei simply couldn’t believe his own ears.

“What did you just say?”

“…”

“Dare you say it again?”

Yan Sanhe stood up, tilting her chin slightly. “I said: Your Xie family’s officials seem to be just that.”

Xie Zhifei: “…”

Hey, how did things turn unfriendly again!

Wait!

Xie Zhifei’s ears buzzed. His expression changed dramatically. “You, you mean…”

“I don’t mean anything.”

Yan Sanhe walked around him, turning to enter the inner room.

If she had looked back now, she would have seen Third Master Xie’s eyes go completely blank.

The Treasure Jade Pavilion incident wasn’t right—she noticed!

She was subtly reminding him, reminding the Xie family, to be careful!

She, she, she…

Everything before his eyes became illusory. Third Master Xie felt himself once again falling into an exploding crowd of firecrackers, seeing strings of bursting sparks before his eyes.

…

Xie Zhifei didn’t know how he walked out of Quiet Contemplation Residence and back to his own study.

He was jolted back to awareness by Pei Xiao’s shout.

“Sincerity?”

Pei Xiao slammed the table. “Xie Fifty, something’s wrong here. Five hundred taels is sincerity, fifty thousand taels is also sincerity—this is a bottomless pit!”

Third Master Xie’s face had been paralyzed for quite a while. “Uncle Ji, you decide on this matter.”

“What decision is there?”

Ji Lingchuan was extremely agitated. “Even if she wants my old life, I’m willing to give it.”

“Uncle?”

“You don’t understand.”

Ji Lingchuan shouted toward the door, “Someone!”

His trusted aide pushed open the door. “Master?”

“Return to the manor immediately. Bring all the cash silver from the accounting office, plus all land deeds and property deeds.”

“Yes!”

Pei Xiao jumped up. “Uncle, you’re even giving her land and property deeds?”

“Must preserve life before bankruptcy!”

Ji Lingchuan waved his hand, indicating this nephew should stop making noise—it hurt his head.

Pei Xiao’s eyes rolled several times. He grabbed Xie Zhifei’s arm and dragged him outside. When it involved money matters, he had to be extra cautious.

Reaching the outer room, Pei Xiao lowered his voice.

“Xie Chengyu, what exactly is this Yan person to your Xie family?”

“…”

“How did you meet her?”

“…”

“What’s her background?”

“…”

“Why would your father recognize her as a sworn daughter?”

“…”

“Why does she understand these supernatural things at such a young age?”

“…”

Xie Zhifei couldn’t spit out a single word. Some questions he couldn’t answer, some he also wanted to know.

“By the way, could she be a swindler conning money?”

Pei Xiao scratched his face, thinking more and more something was wrong. “Or perhaps…”

“Pei Mingting!”

Third Master Xie was pestered into annoyance. “Your grandmother’s coffin is still cracked. At a time like this you’re still worrying about money—have you burrowed into a money hole?”

“Is this about worrying over money? Look at those master and servant—the master doesn’t seem like a master, the servant doesn’t seem like a servant.

One is cold as a corpse; the other is young yet so skilled in martial arts.

And you said it yourself—what’s this ‘naive fool’?”

Pei Xiao grew anxious. “This young master has lived twenty years and never heard the phrase ‘naive fool.’ Don’t you find it eerie?”

Just as Xie Zhifei was about to speak, Zhu Qing came running hastily. “Young master, the people sent to Yunnan Prefecture have sent word back.”

“Where are they?”

Xie Zhifei couldn’t wait and said to Pei Xiao, “Go inside and keep your uncle company. We’ll talk later about anything else.”

“Are you hiding something from me?”

Hearing “Yunnan Prefecture,” Pei Xiao’s instincts flared.

Was Yunnan Prefecture where that master-servant pair lived?

Why did this fellow send people there?

What was the purpose of sending people there?

“Is it about those two?”

Pei Xiao grabbed Xie Zhifei’s lapels. “Xie Fifty, if you don’t explain today, this young master will curse until your family tomb cracks open.”

“Surname Pei!”

Xie Zhifei was usually good-tempered, but when truly angered, he was like a sleeping lion awakening, opening his mouth to devour people.

Would someone surnamed Pei fear him?

They’d grown up bare-bottomed together since childhood, knowing each other’s worth crystal clear. The lion could bite others, but biting him, Pei Mingting? Still a bit lacking.

Pei Mingting’s eyes rolled. He opened both arms and hugged him tight, holding on for dear life.

Want to shake him off?

No way!

However, this time Pei Mingting miscalculated. Xie Zhifei raised his hand and struck hard at the back of his neck.

Pei Mingting’s eyes struggled and rolled several times before his head drooped and he lost consciousness.

“Hold him!”

Xie Zhifei tossed the person into Zhu Qing’s arms and strode out.

Outside the courtyard.

Ding Yi waited under a tree. Seeing his master approach, he quickly presented the letter.

Xie Zhifei took the letter and asked, “When will they return?”

“Already on their way back, estimated half a month or so.”

“Tell them to hurry!”

“Yes!”

Xie Zhifei walked back to the room, dismissed the servants, and closed the door before unfolding the letter.

With just one glance, his vision darkened and he nearly couldn’t stand steady with a stumble.

The letter’s black words on white paper wrote only one line—

Yan Sanhe is not Yan Hang’s granddaughter, but adopted midway.

Adopted midway?

Adopted midway?

Xie Zhifei’s brow furrowed tightly, his face alternating between ashen and pale, the shock in his heart beyond words.

…

In the study.

Xie Daozhi and his eldest son Xie Erli faced a table of food, neither having any appetite to pick up chopsticks.

Yan Sanhe being beaten like that was one matter.

Yan Sanhe wanting to leave was the second matter.

Yan Sanhe being the one who could perform spirit-pacifying rituals was the third matter.

Each matter related to her, yet everyone was helpless against her.

The door was pushed open.

Xie Zhifei walked in, sprawling carelessly in an empty chair without even greeting them, picking up chopsticks and devouring food in a whirlwind.

Xie Erli’s face darkened. Just as he was about to scold, seeing his old father shake his head at him, he forcefully held back.

Xie Daozhi always gave this youngest son wind but no rain. Only after his son had eaten his fill did he ask, “How’s Uncle Ji’s situation?”

Xie Zhifei rinsed his mouth with tea. “Went back to get his family assets.”

Xie Daozhi was shocked. “How much is he taking?”

Xie Zhifei: “Probably going bankrupt.”

At this, even Xie Erli’s expression changed. “Why so much?”

Xie Zhifei looked at his eldest brother and smiled bitterly. “Turn time back a month—if Yan Sanhe asked our Xie family for sincerity, would Brother give it or not?”

Xie Erli was rendered speechless.

Xie Zhifei thought of the letter in his chest and bit down hard on his back teeth. “She showed mercy to our Xie family.”

Thinking carefully, wasn’t it so? If that girl really wanted to bankrupt the Xie family, it would be as easy as flipping her hand.

The study fell silent again.

“Father, Elder Brother.”

Xie Zhifei leaned back in his chair. “You two come up with a plan.”

He was asking about Yan Sanhe’s plans to leave the Xie manor.

Xie Erli spoke first. “I see she’s determined to leave. Our family probably can’t keep her.”

Everything had signs to follow. From the requests she made, she had actually already prepared to leave at any time.

Xie Daozhi was silent for a long while. “Can the Old Madam bear it?”

“Father.”

Xie Zhifei suddenly straightened. “You’re agreeing to let her leave?”

“What else? At the Ministry of Justice gate, I said she was my sworn daughter. Even you two brothers were surprised—only she remained calm.”

Xie Daozhi looked at his youngest son. “Third, Father also wants to keep her, but heaven wants rain, mother wants to marry—can’t be kept!”

“Can’t keep her, still must keep her!”

Xie Zhifei slammed the table. “This matter is not negotiable.”

Xie Erli was shocked, hesitating for a long time before asking, “Third, could you be…”

“What are you thinking?”

Xie Zhifei’s heart was restless. He kicked the chair and walked out. “I wouldn’t harm other young ladies, would I harm her?”

I’m just curious, curious, curious!

Who exactly is she!