Wei Zhong walked with his hands clasped in front of his lower abdomen, taking small steps as he led a man wearing a bamboo hat closer and closer. The Bai family’s hearts rose higher and higher with each step, until they were stuck in their throats.

The man in the bamboo hat stopped beside Bai Qingjue and removed his hat…

Bai Qingyu, wearing his mask, clenched his palms.

Bai Qingjue’s eyes widened as he looked at the man who had lost one eye and had white hair at his temples: “Third Brother!”

“Third Brother!”

“Third Brother!”

Bai Jinhua and Bai Jinzhao cried out again.

He had returned, truly returned!

Elder Sister’s edict, proclaimed to the four seas, had truly worked.

Behind his mask, Bai Qingyu couldn’t hold back his tears. His hands hidden behind his back, clenched tightly—his Third Brother had also returned!

Normally, Third Brother spoke the least and was the most stern…

Once, Grandfather had jokingly said that Third Brother didn’t resemble the easygoing and cheerful child of Fifth Uncle at all, that he was so serious he was almost catching up to the old folks, and was too harsh in his demands on his younger brothers.

But it was precisely this Third Brother who risked his life to protect his brothers on the battlefield, cold-faced but warm-hearted, who would punish him with military rods for his reckless advances in battle.

Third Brother… was also the earliest among all the brothers to lead troops independently.

It could be said that Elder Sister and the Bai family’s Third Son, Bai Qingqi, had once been the targets that all the Bai children aspired to surpass.

Compared to when he first left, Bai Qingqi’s features had hardened considerably. Already naturally taciturn, whether it was because of his graying hair or not, Bai Qingqi looked even more serious and aged than before.

Perhaps due to traveling day and night to return, Bai Qingqi was covered in dust, with stubble growing on his jaw.

He handed the bamboo hat to Wei Zhong, lifted the hem of his coarse cloth robe, knelt on one knee, cupped his fists, and shouted: “Tiger Eagle Battalion, Third Son of the Bai family… Bai Qingqi safely returned to the capital!”

Bai Qingyan’s tears could no longer be contained, streaming down like rain…

How wonderful… A’Qi had also returned! If Fifth Aunt could see A’Qi, she would be overjoyed beyond measure!

Bai Qingqi’s bloodshot eyes were red. He had originally joined the Yan army, planning to use Yan’s power… to destroy Jin and avenge the entire Bai family.

But he hadn’t expected that Elder Sister would beat him to it, accomplishing what he had wanted to do.

Later, he had planned to remain in the Yan army to prepare for the future, waiting until he climbed to a high position in the Yan army before finding ways to contact the Bai Family Army… to contact Elder Sister.

However, when he saw Elder Sister’s proclamation to the four seas, calling for surviving Bai family children and Bai Family Army soldiers from the battle in the Xuanjia years to return to the capital to witness the enthronement ceremony, he finally couldn’t hold back and resolutely left the Yan army to return to the capital.

He wanted to stand together with his Bai family brothers and sisters, fighting openly and honorably for the unification of the realm.

Now that Elder Sister had ascended the throne, she would surely complete the Bai family ancestors’ generational aspiration of unifying the realm. If Elder Sister had capable people to use, it would certainly accelerate the process of unifying the realm. Bai Qingqi was willing to be Elder Sister’s blade…

Bai Qingyan’s throat ached as she raised her hand to signal Bai Qingqi to rise.

Chancellor Lu finally understood what Bai Qingyan had been waiting for…

So she had been waiting here for the Bai family children to return!

Just as her edict proclaimed to the four seas, she wanted the Bai family children to witness the enthronement ceremony together.

Bai Qingqi stood up, turned to look deeply at Bai Qingjue and Bai Qingyun, his gaze also falling on Bai Jinhua and Bai Jinzhao, who had grown considerably taller. He raised his hand to pat the heads of the two young women in military dress, then stepped up from the side of the high steps, looking at Bai Qingyan… and walking toward her.

Xiao Ruojiang and Xiao Ruohai helped Bai Qingyun sit back in his wheelchair, lifting the wooden wheelchair and following behind Bai Qingqi together with Bai Qingjue, Bai Jinhua, and Bai Jinzhao, who were protecting Bai Qingyun.

Bai Qingqi knew that Elder Sister still wanted to wait a little longer for the Bai family children who hadn’t returned.

But Bai Qingqi knew in his heart that there would be no more waiting…

He had personally buried the corpses of the Bai children with his tears. It was precisely because he had seen the tragic state of the Bai family members that Bai Qingqi had sworn to exhaust all his strength to destroy the entire Jin imperial family, leaving none alive!

Even Bai Qingqiong—he had buried her with his own hands…

He had pursued them to the old territory of the former Shu state, but was still a step too late, unable to save Bai Qingqiong.

To this day, Bai Qingqi could still clearly recall the appearance of every Bai family child he had buried. As he buried them… he cried with hoarse, heart-wrenching sobs, like a madman, cursing heaven for treating the Bai family so cruelly. The Bai family’s loyalty had never held anything back—how could such loyalty end up in such a state?

It was then that he understood that his usually most rebellious Ninth Brother A’Yun had been right—if the Bai family wanted to complete their aspiration of unifying the realm, they absolutely could not place their hopes in others.

Burying all the Bai family members… had almost exhausted all of Bai Qingqi’s strength. He had grown gray hair in a single night, determined to join the Yan state, overthrow the Jin state, and live his entire life for revenge.

Bai Qingqi stood before Bai Qingyan, performing a deep bow to her, choking as he spoke: “Elder Sister!”

“It’s good that you’ve returned!” Her voice was hoarse as she helped Bai Qingqi up. “It’s good that you’ve returned!”

Bai Qingqi looked up, his eyes wet and red, speaking with difficulty: “Elder Sister, there’s no need to wait anymore. There won’t be… anyone else coming back.”

“Third Brother?” Bai Jinxiu looked at the composed Bai Qingqi with considerable surprise.

Bai Jinxiu knew that her Third Brother Bai Qingqi would never speak without basis, but if his words were true… then their Bai family’s last hope would be gone.

Bai Qingqi’s throat worked, and after a long while, he spoke in a hoarse voice: “The others… I buried them all with my own hands, so Elder Sister… there’s no need to wait anymore. No one else will return. It was I… I who failed to protect our elder and younger brothers! I couldn’t even… I couldn’t even protect little Seventeen, letting him suffer such torment at such a young age, dying so tragically…”

Bai Qingyan’s spine stiffened. Her eyelashes trembled just slightly, and tears could no longer be controlled.

She looked at the gray hair at Bai Qingqi’s temples, at his one bloodshot red eye, biting down hard on her back teeth, her heart filled with heartache.

She had only read the military records and was already in agony, nearly wanting to tear out her heart to stop the pain.

But Third Brother A’Qi had personally buried them all—how much must his heart have ached? How heart-wrenching must it have been?

Bai Qingyan raised her hand and gripped Bai Qingqi’s shoulder forcefully, biting her teeth tightly, her broken sobs nearly bursting forth as she choked out: “You’ve worked hard. It doesn’t matter that you couldn’t protect our elder and younger brothers. Just having you return home safely is the greatest news for Elder Sister… for everyone in the Bai family!”

Bai Qingqi, who had been controlling his emotions with a tense face, immediately burst into tears. His throat worked—Bai Qingyan’s words weighed a thousand gold. He had always taken protecting the Bai children as his responsibility.

On the battlefield, he was the earliest to lead troops independently. Father had once instructed… that this expedition included many young Bai children, telling him to take good care of them, but he… had failed to do so!

He had thought that when he returned, he would be blamed.

He felt guilty, and this guilt tormented him daily, giving him no release.