“Is that so?” Her little face fell as if seeing her bleak future. Peng Bai said that dragonkin couldn’t be dealt with by a single human, yet in the heavenly pit she had watched the entire livestream of Yun Ya single-handedly battling the Ao Fish!

The Ao Fish, though chained and possibly somewhat weakened in battle prowess, was not a thousand-year-old great demon. But regardless, it was of dragon lineage! What did this indicate? Yun Ya’s combat index was off the charts, and the power left to her by the An Xia King and Queen was completely insufficient to contend with him. If he wanted to crush her with one finger, he absolutely wouldn’t need to use two!

She had originally thought that if Yun Ya’s abilities were similar to Peng Bai’s, she wouldn’t need to live in fear. Now it seemed she had been too naive.

Only the ignorant are fearless. Now that she could eat and dress well, she began to worry about her future freedom.

Alas, why did she have to encounter such a formidable being as soon as she arrived?

She wasn’t foolish enough to believe that being life-and-death connected to such a powerful figure was a good thing. If Yun Ya discovered the truth, he certainly wouldn’t take her life, but he might confine her, not allowing her to go anywhere, ensuring both of them lived long lives—the Ao Fish locked in the deep pool was a cautionary example for her.

This was the best-case scenario. If his heart was even more ruthless, it wasn’t impossible that he might turn her into a vegetative state. Then she would truly be like a plant, rooted in one place, convenient for him to manage.

The more she thought about it, the more chilled she felt.

She could only pray that this powerful figure would never discover that another person was linked to his fate, sharing life and death. This way, he could live his unrestrained life, and she could enjoy her peaceful days, like two parallel lines that would never intersect!

Peng Bai, sensing the depressed aura surrounding his young mistress, withdrew with a bewildered expression.

Fortunately, Feng Miaojun’s dejection came quickly and departed just as swiftly. By early the next morning, she had temporarily pushed these worries aside. She summoned the kitchen maid and had a brief, detailed conversation.

The Feng family didn’t usually live here, and it was now the busy farming season. On the estate, apart from the accountant and the kitchen staff, there were only two or three temporary workers. Feng Miaojun’s identity couldn’t be revealed to outsiders. To avoid risks, she used her foster mother’s most loyal maid in the city but brought only Peng Bai to the estate. As she didn’t like to move about much, even after so many days, surprisingly few people knew of her disappearance and reappearance.

The next two days passed peacefully. Madam Xu, anxious about Feng Miaojun’s ordeal and wishing to make amends, set aside urgent matters and stayed at the estate for two days, devoted to accompanying her.

After this unexpected incident, her foster daughter seemed to have suddenly awakened in just a few days. Her conversation was orderly and logical, she had become clever and resourceful, and she had grown much closer to her foster mother, all of which delighted Madam Xu beyond measure.

For Feng Miaojun, this was the familial affection she hadn’t enjoyed since reaching adulthood in her previous life, so she cherished it deeply. However, her eyelids had been twitching for these two days, giving her a constant feeling that these smooth days wouldn’t continue indefinitely.

￥￥￥￥￥

At dusk, scarlet clouds filled the sky. On the official road to Zi County, more than ten riders escorted a carriage moving slowly forward.

This was a large black ebony carriage. Its exterior was unremarkable, without even a single bell decoration. It was merely slightly spacious, and how could outsiders know the wonders within?

The carriage’s four walls were lined with soft leather, and the floor was covered with a large cloud of silk velvet carpet. This was a rare item exclusively supplied from foreign territories, made from the fine wool that snow sheep shed during the first twenty days of spring. Each fiber was only one-tenth the thickness of human hair, with tips faintly showing golden light, resembling sunlight on white clouds—hence the name “cloud silk.” Laying it anywhere would display luxury. In ordinary noble houses, decorative items might include at most one or two square feet of this material, yet in this carriage, it was used as an ordinary mat. Every step on it felt like walking on clouds.

Besides this, the carriage also contained antique shelves, a five-drawer cabinet, and a small wine rack—all necessities for living, traveling, and daily use were present. Inside the carriage was a soft couch with a low table, on which sat a pixiu incense burner and a jade stone chessboard. Two people were engaged in a game.

One of them, a scholar in cyan robes, had a handsome appearance with eyes radiating brilliance. He was now staring at the chessboard, caught in a dilemma. While his opponent moved effortlessly, he frowned, playing more and more slowly, until finally he threw his chess piece back into the bowl and sighed deeply: “If I had known this would happen, why would I have started?”

The person opposite him laughed softly: “You shouldn’t be here. You’ve been on the wrong path from the beginning.” His voice was like jade stone chess pieces striking each other—clear and lingering, indescribably pleasant, seeming to echo gently in the confined carriage.

“That’s not necessarily true.” The cyan-robed scholar leaned back with his arms folded. “I came here to meet you with my royal father’s gracious permission.”

“Oh? He let you come?” This person seemed somewhat surprised. “That’s a rare occurrence.”

The cyan-robed scholar smiled and was about to say something when suddenly a “thud” came from outside, followed by the horses’ shrill neighing. The entire carriage came to an abrupt halt.

The jolt was violent. The person opposite him couldn’t help but cough lightly. The cyan-robed scholar had already angrily exclaimed: “Has the driver lost his eyesight?”

Then they heard what seemed to be someone calling out, followed by the rebukes of their guards. The attendant leaned toward the outer window and quickly reported: “Young Master, someone is blocking the carriage and crying for justice, claiming An Xia Kingdom remnants have committed murder.”

An Xia Kingdom remnants? The cyan-robed scholar’s eyes brightened slightly. He glanced at the person opposite him but scolded loudly: “If you have a grievance, report it to the county office. How dare you obstruct nobility here? This cannot be forgiven!”

However, the person opposite him raised his hand in a gentle gesture: “It’s alright. I also wish to linger in Zi County for a few more days.”

He wanted to involve himself in this mundane matter. The cyan-robed scholar’s eyes were immediately filled with disbelief as if seeing someone using a large hammer to crush ants. But he quickly recovered and called out loudly: “Summon him.”

Soon, chaotic footsteps sounded outside, and someone knelt before the carriage with a thud, trembling as he said: “This humble one is Zhao Dazhao. My old mother was killed by An Xia Kingdom remnants. With nowhere to seek justice, I had no choice but to block your carriage and cry for help. I beg the noble one to obtain justice for my family!”

The cyan-robed scholar snorted: “What do you mean by ‘nowhere to seek justice’?”

“The family that harmed my mother are wealthy gentry in Ziping Village. The local officials are all friendly with them and won’t give me justice!”

The cyan-robed scholar saw the person opposite him nod, then let out a light snort: “Then send the case to the county for trial. I accept your case. However, you dared to block our carriage and offend my noble guest…”

Before he could finish, his “noble guest” continued for him: “According to the law, you should receive the ten-cut punishment.”

The villager outside gasped in shock, evidently unaware that blocking a carriage to plead a case carried such consequences. However, the Great Wei Kingdom indeed had laws stating that those who dared to privately obstruct royalty to appeal for justice would first be subjected to severe punishment.

“…” The cyan-robed scholar spoke sternly: “Do you still wish to make your accusation?”

The villager stammered, losing his nerve: “Th-then this humble one will not…”

“You want to accuse, then accuse; you want to withdraw, then withdraw? How could there be such a convenient arrangement?” The person opposite the cyan-robed scholar spoke unhurriedly, yet somehow managed to interrupt his words. “This case has been accepted, and punishment cannot be avoided. Considering you are about to go to court, I’ll reduce it to twenty lashes.” His voice was languid, yet carried an undeniable authority.