Seeing Changling standing there in a daze, as if she had suffered some kind of blow, Fu Yanyang asked weakly, “Sister Nanxu? Are you… alright?”

Changling came back to her senses and saw that all sorts of gazes were focused on her. Suddenly, weariness occupied her entire being. She simply turned around and left without even a word of response, departing with complete composure.

“Hey, hey, Sister Nanxu, you’re leaving just like that?” Fu Yanyang made a gesture of farewell to Fang Zhuyi. “Zhuyi, I’ll take my leave first. Next time when I’m free, I’ll come find you to hang out.”

With that said, he hurried to catch up, afraid that if she went too far, he wouldn’t be able to catch up to her.

Night erased the last traces of the setting sun. As lanterns were first lit, they illuminated the vast marquis mansion, making it brilliantly lit.

Tonight was the day that the third young master of the He family, He Song, had been eagerly awaiting. Two months ago, Marquis He—that is, his cousin He Yu—had solemnly announced before more than one hundred and twenty members of the He family from both the east and west branches before departing: if he did not return safely after two months, the authority to manage the He family would be assumed by his cousin He Song.

During this period, He Song had been counting the days, staring longingly at that first seat. Finally, hard work paid off for the determined—two months, a total of sixty-one days, and his lovable and respectable cousin had, as initially hoped, vanished without a trace.

He Song set down the heavy stone in his heart and summoned the estate steward, the various elders, and a number of idle brothers and sisters to the meeting hall, preparing to accept the He family’s seal according to family rules after announcing the tragic news.

He Song, seated in the high chair, forcefully pulled down the corners of his upturned mouth. When everyone had arrived, he sighed repeatedly. “Everyone must have heard—younger cousin Yu, in order to stop the Yan Army’s invasion, single-handedly took the risk of entering the tiger’s den. Though he quelled the threat of war, he can never return home…”

Many people in the hall, upon hearing this, could not help but be filled with tears. Some of the younger sisters even cried aloud. He Song stood up, his face full of anguish. “Younger cousin Yu sacrificed his life without wavering, his righteous integrity enduring through the ages. He is truly the glory of our He family. All of us in the He family should take him as our model, keeping this righteousness in our hearts. Only thus can we be worthy of younger cousin Yu’s noble sacrifice!”

The steward wiped his nose and cried out loudly, “Remember the Marquis, be worthy of his noble sacrifice!”

Someone had opened the floodgates, and the tragic atmosphere instantly filled the hall. Seeing that things were about to get out of control, He Song stepped forward and pressed down with his hands. When everyone’s emotions had calmed slightly, he continued, “Before younger cousin Yu departed, he gave me countless instructions that we absolutely must not let the foundation passed down by our ancestors go to waste…” He choked up. “Though I am without talent, younger cousin Yu trusted me, and I will certainly do my utmost to continue protecting the He family…”

As he paused, the He family’s square seal was presented. He Song proclaimed loudly, “Everyone, I now announce that from this moment on, the He family’s seal will officially be held by…”

“Well, well, well! What auspicious day is today that everyone has gathered so completely?”

A familiar laughing voice transmitted into the hall at just the right moment. Everyone turned their heads in disbelief, and saw a figure emerge from the pitch-black night background—white brocade robes standing out conspicuously, with a bright golden belt paired with jade rings of emerald green. Who else could it be but the great Marquis He himself?

“The Marquis! It’s the Marquis!”

“Second cousin!”

“The young master has returned!”

Instantly, all the people and all the voices surged forward. Ye Qi couldn’t greet them all even if he tried to hug each one, so he quickly wriggled out like a loach, laughing. “I never imagined everyone would be so enthusiastic to welcome my return. I’m truly so moved…”

“Brother Hou! It’s so great that you didn’t die!” His eight-year-old cousin rushed forward, wiping her snot all over his clothes. Ye Qi kindly patted her head. “Little sister, how many times have I told you not to call me ‘monkey brother’…”

“Got it, Brother Hou!”

Ye Qi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Seeing that the crowd was about to swarm him again, he quickly gave the steward a meaningful look. The steward immediately stepped forward. “Alright, alright, the Marquis has just returned to the mansion and must be exhausted from his journey. Everyone might as well return first and let the Marquis rest well.”

After everyone had dispersed, he could finally breathe. Ye Qi turned and collapsed into a chair, only then noticing He Song standing in front of him, still holding the square seal in his hands. He let out an “ah” sound. “Big brother, I just got back and you’re already rushing to give me the seal?”

He Song stared at him with a twitching face. “Younger cousin Yu… didn’t you say you had a terminal illness that was beyond cure? Why do I see that you’re still quite spirited…”

“You noticed?” Ye Qi jumped up and clapped He Song on the shoulder. “I’m telling you, you definitely won’t believe it, but on this trip I was struck by a palm and was about to meet the King of Hell. Then suddenly, a master descended from the heavens to heal me with their energy. Not only was I healed, but even my old chronic ailment was cured along with it. Tell me, isn’t that miraculous?”

He Song: “…”

The steward, hearing this, was naturally overjoyed. “That’s wonderful! During this time we’ve all been on edge, afraid something would happen to the Marquis. Now that you’ve returned safely, it’s finally given the eldest young master peace of mind. Isn’t that right, eldest young master?”

He Song forced his mouth into a smile that looked worse than crying. “Indeed, I was afraid you wouldn’t come back and I’d have to shoulder the burden of the He family. As you know, I…”

“I understand, big brother. You love a carefree, worry-free life the most.” Ye Qi pulled the square seal from his hands. “The situation before was truly special. I troubled you, big brother.”

“…It was no trouble.”

He Song’s pent-up resentment probably couldn’t be contained any longer. Without even a few words of small talk, he made an excuse and left. The steward watched his retreating figure and gently shook his head, then turned to ask, “Marquis, since you’re safe, why didn’t you send word for us to come receive you?”

“Seventh Uncle, you know perfectly well that this time I went out to die. I didn’t bring any bodyguards,” Ye Qi stretched lazily. “If word had reached Jinling, who knows how many road bandits I would have encountered along the way.”

“The Marquis was worried about the eldest young master…”

“Not really.” Ye Qi waved his hand casually. “Although big brother hopes for my death, he hopes I’ll die naturally or be killed by someone else. If he had to do it himself, he’d guilt himself to death. Alright, I just got home. Let’s not talk about this. I want to take a nice warm bath, the kind with flower petals scattered in it. Can you prepare that for me?”

When the Marquis said he wanted a flower petal bath, in the blink of an eye, a whole pool of hot water was filled. Ye Qi squinted as he soaked in the steaming hot spring water, his fatigue from recent days instantly dissipating, and he unconsciously began humming a little tune.

Seventh Uncle had someone bring over several more buckets of hot water. Seeing the little item hanging around his lord’s neck, he asked curiously, “Marquis, why are you wearing a ring around your neck?”

Ye Qi reached up to play with it. “This is the Liujin Ring.”

Seventh Uncle was shocked. “The Liujin Ring… but isn’t that a treasure of the Yan Kingdom? How did it come into the Marquis’s possession?”

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you when I have time later.” Ye Qi closed his eyes carelessly, looking extremely “too busy.” Seventh Uncle naturally didn’t continue asking. After adding another round of hot spring water, he hesitated for a moment and was about to withdraw when he heard Ye Qi say, “If you have something to say, just say it. I’m not asleep.”

Seventh Uncle said, “During the Marquis’s absence, Minister Xie, Censor Liu, and High Scholar Gao from the Qingcheng Academy all came by. It’s nothing major—you just need to be aware of it.”

“Good, I understand.”

“Also, this morning the second young master of the Fu family also came by…”

“Fu Yanyang?”

“Yes.”

“He came looking for me? What for? Isn’t he afraid of getting beaten by his brother?”

“Young Master Fu didn’t say. He just left a calling card, and when he heard the Marquis wasn’t in, he left… Oh, right, there was also a very beautiful young lady with him, who also came to see the Marquis.”

“A beautiful young lady?” Ye Qi yawned. “Did she say what her name was?”

“She said she was a miss from the Jing family…”

“The Jing family…” Ye Qi had been somewhat drowsy, but upon hearing this, he opened his eyes. “Which Jing family?”

Seventh Uncle was stumped by the question. “In our Jinling… aside from old General Jing Wuwei, are there any other Jing families?”

Ye Qi turned his head. “I know Jing Wuwei has a son. When did he gain a daughter?”

Seventh Uncle shook his head. “This… this old servant doesn’t know…”

On the tray at the edge of the pool sat warmed wine. Ye Qi casually picked it up and took a few sips. “Didn’t you say they left a calling card? Bring it for me to see.”

Seventh Uncle quickly brought the visiting card over. Ye Qi took it and rubbed his bleary eyes. At first glance, he saw Fu Yanyang’s name on the card. Ye Qi snorted with laughter. “His handwriting is still as ugly as ever…”

His gaze shifted, and he saw the name immediately following on the second page. Suddenly, his smile vanished without a trace.

Jing Nanxu.

The Prime Minister’s Mansion.

After returning to the mansion, Changling shut herself in her room, clutching a wine jug as she sat by the window, gazing at the hazy mist among the flowers and trees in the courtyard.

She was not someone prone to melancholy sentimentality. The Shimo True Scripture inherited Buddhist teachings—martial monks who reached the fourth level could already achieve adaptability and tolerance of what others could not tolerate.

Moreover, she was the only person in the past hundred years to have reached the ninth level.

Buddha said: Great sorrow brings no tears, great laughter makes no sound.

Therefore, even when she witnessed with her own eyes the tragedy at Taixing and learned of her brother’s death in battle, she had not been overcome with grief or filled with bitter resentment.

She raised the wine jug and discovered that there wasn’t a drop of wine left inside. The oppression in her chest seemed to dissipate along with it.

Changling couldn’t help but smile.

Ten thousand sorrows entered her heart, yet she remained undisturbed in mind and untroubled by emotion—she could always achieve this easily.

She simply never forgave easily.

Those who committed all manner of evil deeds—if they could not repent, if they never showed remorse—how could those who suffered release them from blame?

With this thought, she casually tossed the wine jug aside, jumped down from the window ledge, her mind already resolved.

Since Nanxu was Jing Wuwei’s daughter, then using her current identity would be the perfect way to get close to the truth, wouldn’t it?

Anyway, whether it was Jing Wuwei or Shen Yao, she would eliminate those old enemies sooner or later.

However, since entering Jinling, Fu Yangui had never mentioned Jing Wuwei, nor had he ever brought up returning to the Jing mansion with her. How should she broach this topic?

At that moment, Huiyun outside gently knocked twice on the door. “Miss Nanxu, are you awake?”

“What is it?”

Huiyun pushed the door open. “The master has returned and says he has something to discuss with you, Miss.”

Changling walked around the corridor and was about to cross through the hall when she saw Fu Yangui emerge from the corner ahead. He wore his official robes—most likely he had just returned from court—but she didn’t know why he suddenly wanted to see her.

She walked forward and spoke first. “I heard you were looking for me. Coincidentally, I also have something to ask you…”

“Whatever you have to say, we can discuss later.” Fu Yangui directly cut off her words. “I want to introduce you to someone first.”

Changling frowned inexplicably. “Who?”

Fu Yangui stepped aside. Changling turned her head and saw a middle-aged man step out from the shadows.

This man wore a military official’s robes, with a square face half-covered in a thick beard. His build was imposing, though the deep lines covering his face couldn’t hide the marks of time. Changling felt he looked familiar. Before she had time to react, she heard the man call out in a trembling voice, “Xu’er…”

Her heart suddenly leaped.

Fu Yangui introduced him. “This is old General Jing, and also your father.”

Author’s Note:

Target number one has been delivered to the door. Beep—

(So Sister Ling never crying isn’t because she’s heartless, nor because she’s too strong—it’s because the martial arts she practices are too inhumane)