Changling hadn’t expected Jing Wuwei to appear so suddenly.

If this man hadn’t handed the Yue Family Army over to Shen Yao, how could the Shen family alone have seized half the empire?

Back then, who didn’t know of her eldest brother’s two generals, Jing Wuwei and Wei Xingyun? How many years they had shared life and death together, how many years they had stood through hardship side by side—yet in the end, the one to stab him in the back was the comrade he had trusted most.

Changling couldn’t help but clench her fists tightly. Blood gradually seeped through her fingers.

If her internal force hadn’t been sealed, the killing intent of that instant couldn’t have been hidden.

She reacted in time. The moment she met Jing Wuwei’s gaze, she lowered her head, concealing the fury that filled her eyes.

This series of movements, in the eyes of others, made her seem at a loss.

Fu Yangui smiled faintly at Jing Wuwei. “Miss Nanxu suffered some injuries previously and temporarily cannot remember things from the past. However, General need not worry too much. The physician said there’s nothing seriously wrong—perhaps after some time, she’ll be able to remember.”

Jing Wuwei’s gaze didn’t shift. He extended both hands. “Xu’er, do you… still remember your father?”

Changling instinctively took a step back. After the waves of emotion surged through her heart, she instead calmed down—

The real Nanxu had come to Jinling with her mother five years ago but was turned away at Jing Wuwei’s door without even meeting him face to face… Yet now Jing Wuwei was asking if she remembered him. Was this a test, or had Nanxu met this father at an even earlier time?

Changling raised her head and opened her mouth hesitantly. “You… are really my father?”

Hearing her ask this, Jing Wuwei seemed to let out a breath, revealing a smile that was hard to decipher. “Of course I’m your father. Xu’er, I never imagined that after all these years, you could return to your father’s side.”

Changling frowned in confusion.

Nanxu’s skin had been ravaged by poison from an early age, so it was one thing if he couldn’t recognize her. But to see his daughter suffering from memory loss and actually feel relieved—wasn’t that far too abnormal?

Unable to discern the truth, Changling simply directed her gaze toward the other person. Seeing her look of unfamiliarity, Fu Yangui explained, “General Jing has been stationed at West Pass all this time. Upon learning you had arrived at my mansion, he rushed here without stopping to see you… He only just returned to Jinling City.”

“Xu’er…” Jing Wuwei looked at Changling cautiously. “Are you… willing to return home with your father?”

Changling hadn’t expected this old scoundrel to want to take his daughter away immediately without even a transition period. She paused slightly. “Now?”

“General, Miss Nanxu has only recently arrived in Jinling after all. Everything is unfamiliar to her, and she needs some time to adapt…” Fu Yangui said gently. “It’s already late tonight. General, why not return first and have people make some preparations? In a few days, I will personally escort her to the General’s mansion.”

Changling gave Fu Yangui another strange glance.

Seeing this, Jing Wuwei didn’t insist further. “Then, in that case…”

“Let’s leave now.”

Fu Yangui froze. Jing Wuwei also looked at Changling in disbelief. “You… are you serious?”

“I don’t have anything here that needs packing,” Changling said matter-of-factly. “Since I’m going back anyway, what difference does two days earlier or later make?”

Fu Yangui’s expression didn’t change much, only his dark eyes showed a trace of bewilderment. Changling turned her head to look at him. “Or are you saying Prime Minister Fu doesn’t want me to leave tonight?”

“How could that be? General Jing and Miss Nanxu are reunited as father and daughter—I’m too happy for you both to feel otherwise.”

Fu Yangui ultimately had no grounds to ask her to stay. The carriage waited outside. Changling exchanged a few perfunctory pleasantries with him, and without even packing a bundle, left the Prime Minister’s mansion empty-handed, following her “father.”

It wasn’t that she couldn’t wait even a day or two before striking at the Jing family—it was just that judging from this man surnamed Fu’s behavior, everything about him was thoroughly strange. He had brought Jing Wuwei before her without any warning, clearly assuming she would refuse due to the sudden turn of events. He was the one who brought her back to Jinling, and he was also the one dragging his feet about letting her leave. If he was indeed the culprit behind the annihilation of the Five Poisons Sect, what exactly was his aim?

Changling couldn’t figure it out. Purely by instinct, this Prime Minister’s mansion held too many unsolved mysteries. Since she sensed something was wrong, it was better to escape first. Perhaps from a distance, it would be easier to discern the clues.

“About your past…” Inside the carriage, Jing Wuwei, who had been silent for half the journey, suddenly spoke. “Did Prime Minister Fu mention anything to you?”

“The past?” Changling tried to make her tone more similar to the real Nanxu’s. “He said my mother and I were both from the Five Poisons Sect. You didn’t acknowledge us before, but later when you heard my mother had died, you entrusted Prime Minister Fu to bring me back…”

“It wasn’t that I was unwilling to acknowledge you before,” Jing Wuwei said. “It’s just that back then, your mother used poison to harm the son of Marquis Luyu, making a grave mistake. His Majesty ordered a strict investigation of this case, so I had no choice but to…”

“Distance yourself?”

Jing Wuwei was momentarily choked. Changling raised her head to glance at him. “I heard from Second Young Master Fu that the Five Poisons Sect has a notorious reputation in the martial world and many enemies. Aren’t you afraid of inviting trouble by bringing me back?”

“They only know you’re my daughter who was lost for many years. Who would know where you came from?” Jing Wuwei gently patted Changling’s shoulder. “Xu’er, in the past… I’ve owed you and your mother greatly. Rest assured, no matter what happens in the future, your father will certainly protect you completely.”

This “loving father” posture was truly nauseating. She coldly curved her lips. “But Prime Minister Fu knows. There’s no wall that’s completely airtight in this world. What if we encounter some old enemy from the Five Poisons Sect…”

“You need not worry about the Five Poisons Sect matter. Your father has his own considerations. As for Prime Minister Fu…” Jing Wuwei chuckled twice. “He and our Jing family already have a marriage agreement. He was also the one who personally brought you back. Would he undermine his own interests?”

So this was why he didn’t send his own trusted subordinate, but instead commissioned Fu Yangui to go to the Five Poisons Sect.

It seemed that not only was Fu Yangui suspicious, but even Jing Wuwei’s motives were inexplicable.

She couldn’t figure out what value this Nanxu had that was worth such painstaking efforts from these two men.

There wasn’t much to see at the General’s mansion in the dead of night. Jing Wuwei had people tidy up a room in the north wing of the inner residence, then told Changling to retire early to rest. Whatever was lacking could be carefully arranged by sending people over after daybreak.

After saying this, he left without even his front foot touching the eaves, completely unlike a father who had longed for his child’s return and was reunited after a long separation.

Changling had ridden in the carriage with him the whole way, suppressing a bellyful of disgust. As soon as Jing Wuwei left, she closed the door and punched the wall—a small crack appeared in the wall beam.

Indeed, with her internal force sealed, even her tolerance had shrunk to the size of a dipper. Changling sighed and began to survey the room.

Compared to the Prime Minister’s mansion, the furnishings and layout inside the room were much more tedious. The items on the table and hanging on the walls were all present, but everything was rigid and pervaded by gloom. She passed through the partition and heard crows cawing chaotically outside the window. Thinking that she might have to live in Jing Wuwei’s mansion for some time and call him “father,” an inexplicable fire suddenly kindled in her heart.

The window was pushed open. Changling picked up two small pebbles from a potted plant, preparing to aim at the crow on the opposite eave. But then she saw that the originator of the noise, holding a twig in its beak, flew over with flapping wings and landed on the windowsill.

Changling was stunned.

The twig bore several dark pink flower buds. Who knew where this cold crow had plucked the branch from? It dropped it before Changling like presenting a treasure, shook its feathers twice, then flapped away into the infinite darkness of the night.

She picked up the flowering branch and saw the delicate cherry blossoms clustering on the twig. For no reason, she thought of the ostentatious cherry tree outside Marquis He’s mansion, and the tension in her brow unconsciously smoothed.

Since she was here, she might as well make peace with it.

This mountain of revenge was rather steep, but for someone like her who should have returned to the yellow earth long ago, being able to move into an enemy’s home so smoothly was already heaven extending a vine to her. What came next was simply a matter of how to climb up.

Having thought this through, the stagnant energy seemed to flow a bit more smoothly. After tossing about all night, Changling closed the window, flopped onto the bed, and fell asleep shortly after closing her eyes.

A wisp of dark cloud hung at the edge of the sky, like a smear of ink that wouldn’t spread.

While the one who had entered the tiger’s den at the General’s mansion slept peacefully, the young marquis at Marquis He’s mansion tossed and turned all night because of a calling card, unable to sleep. The next day at noon, he appeared with two dark circles under his eyes, nearly scaring He Song into summoning the physician.

“I’m not having an episode, just insomnia…” Ye Qi yawned until tears came out. “I went back to sleep, but it still might not be enough…”

“You seemed quite spirited yesterday. How is it that now you look like you’re about to croak?” No matter how He Song looked at him, he felt uneasy. “I advise you to call a physician to take a look. If anything happens to you, the Emperor will think I did it. Where would I go to argue my case?”

“Give me a break. The Emperor would suspect anyone before suspecting you…” Ye Qi waited for the tea in the pot to steep, then poured it into a cup and held it while blowing on it twice. “But big brother, these past few days, do you know about old General Jing finding his daughter?”

“General Jing?” He Song paced around the hall shaking his head. “I haven’t looked into it. I did hear that Fu Yangui brought a woman back to his mansion. Yesterday, Second Young Master Fu took that woman to appear at Kaiyun Tower, and the matter caused quite a stir at Qingcheng Academy.”

Ye Qi was stunned. “Caused a stir… what does that mean?”

“I’m not clear on the specifics. Something about getting into a quarrel with Miss Fang…” He Song seemed to remember something. “Oh, I heard the woman is extraordinarily beautiful, the kind who could overshadow Miss Fang… I’m quite curious too. You know, Fang Zhuyi is considered a great beauty in Jinling. If someone is even more beautiful than her, just how stunning must she be?”

At this point, Seventh Uncle strode into the hall and stopped before them. “Marquis, we’ve found out. Jing Wuwei returned to Jinling last night. Without even returning home, he went directly to the Prime Minister’s mansion and shortly after brought away a young lady.”

Ye Qi set down his teacup and stood up to ask, “Jing Nanxu?”

“Correct.” Seventh Uncle said, “Word has already begun spreading through Jinling City that General Jing has found his long-lost biological daughter. This morning, Jing Wuwei entered the palace for an audience with the Emperor. Upon hearing of this matter, His Majesty has ordered him to remain temporarily in Jinling to enjoy family reunion with his daughter. Now the city is full of various rumors—some say this daughter was lost on the battlefield years ago, while other rumors claim… she was born to General Jing and another woman. But regardless, the Emperor’s decision not to have him return to West Pass immediately means…”

“I understand!” He Song clapped his hands. “Grand Commandant Dong is gravely ill, and His Majesty already intends to select a new Grand Commandant. To keep Jing Wuwei here at this juncture must have deep significance.”

Seventh Uncle nodded and looked at Ye Qi. “Marquis, what should we do next?”

He Song also followed Seventh Uncle’s gaze. He saw Ye Qi pace thoughtfully to the doorway, silent for a long while, then suddenly say, “Seventh Uncle, send people to investigate again and look carefully at just how beautiful this Jing Nanxu really is.”

Seventh Uncle: “…”

“…” He Song: “…Is that the point?”

Ye Qi turned around. “Big brother, your connections are extensive. See if there’s a way to get someone into the General’s mansion. If we could get a portrait of Jing Nanxu painted, that would be even better.”

“Wait, I’m getting confused here…” He Song looked baffled. “Didn’t you used to despise those men who use women to scheme? What’s gotten into you this time? Did this trip transform you completely?”

“It’s not what you think…”

“Don’t tell me that without even meeting her face, you’re already interested just from hearing the girl has a pretty face?”

Ye Qi wore an expression of “I can’t be bothered to explain to you,” leaned against the doorway to brood for a while, then drifted off to catch up on sleep.

He Song watched him in such a distracted state and found it increasingly strange. Before he had a chance to deploy his “wild connections,” a few days later, the Jing mansion sent over an invitation—saying that General Jing had been reunited with his beloved daughter and was in an excellent mood. He was hosting a banquet at his mansion, inviting Jinling’s nobility to come drink, and would also introduce his daughter to everyone.