Upon returning to the Feng estate, the strange expression on Peng Bai’s face had not yet faded: “Young Miss, that was a formation array.”

“What was it used for?”

“I’m not certain.” Peng Bai was somewhat embarrassed. “I’ve used many formation arrays, but this is the first time I’ve seen one so complex. With my abilities, I cannot decipher it. The one who laid this array must be a master among masters.”

Feng Miao Jun made a sound of acknowledgment, immersed in her thoughts. That section of embankment seemed somewhat familiar to her. In the original owner’s memories, after pushing and cursing at Old Wang, she had walked along the river, running to that very spot. The slope was slippery and steep, difficult to traverse, with wild grass obstructing visibility. Her eyes had been filled with tears, blurring her vision, so she had only managed a few steps before slipping.

It seemed possible that she had fallen into that strange pattern.

Hmm, she vaguely understood why Feng Miao Jun had appeared in the cold pool—it was almost certainly because of this formation array. The girl had fallen directly, losing consciousness without knowing what had happened. By the time this body changed owners, it had already been transported to the cold pool.

Understanding gradually dawned in Peng Bai’s eyes, and he exclaimed in shock: “Young Miss, that day… could it be that you…”

Feng Miao Jun had mysteriously appeared in the mountains four hundred li away, and he had personally gone to retrieve her. How could a young girl without any strength suddenly appear in such a place? He had pondered this for days without resolution, but after seeing the formation array today, everything suddenly became clear!

“Shh, be quiet!” Feng Miao Jun was in the midst of rapid thoughts and found his outburst distracting.

Peng Bai closed his mouth, becoming quiet as a chicken. He hadn’t even realized that Feng Miao Jun’s commands carried increasingly more weight with him, and he now executed them without a second thought.

Feng Miao Jun, however, felt a headache coming on. She had already found it strange how this body had appeared at the cold pool, but now the mystery was growing even larger. The most important question was:

Who had drawn the formation array?

First, she ruled out Yun Ya. The reason was simple: if he had been responsible, why would he need to have people specifically clear it out?

Someone else had created the array, and judging by the level of skill, it was another expert.

This brought both good news and bad news.

The good news was that after Yun Ya saw the array, he would likely think that the person transported to the cold pool was also another powerful figure, not a commoner like her with a combat ability of less than 0.1.

In other words, even if she had been slightly suspicious in his eyes before, now she should be completely cleared.

If it weren’t for the bad news that followed, she would have been ready to jump for joy:

The troubling thing was that she seemed to have hijacked someone else’s shortcut!

From the moment she woke up in the cold pool until she left the waterway clinging to the fish’s back, she hadn’t seen a second person besides Yun Ya. The person who had set up the array had gone to great lengths but never appeared—there could only be one reason:

She had fallen down the embankment and inadvertently used the transport array ahead of him, and this thing was probably a one-time use.

So, this unfortunate expert couldn’t make it to the night of the Giant Turtle’s ascension, allowing Yun Ya to get there first?

If this was true, this person must now be extremely, extremely angry!

If he knew that Feng Miao Jun had ruined his plans, he would probably cut her into pieces!

Thinking of this, a chill immediately ran up her back.

Unlike Yun Ya, this person remained hidden in the shadows. She didn’t even know what he looked like or his identity, yet she had deeply offended him.

Haha, to whom could she pour out these grievances?

Feng Miao Jun suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the room. She really couldn’t stay in Juping Village any longer.

Before this unknown enemy found her, she had to leave this place first.

The next morning, mother and daughter sat down to eat together.

Feng Miao Jun hadn’t slept well all night. Her mouth felt dry, and she craved something sweet and refreshing. Looking at the simple two or three dishes on the table, she pouted: “Why isn’t there any red bean cold cake?” Being a child was nice—she could be willful without guilt.

Madam Xu patted her head: “Hu Ping didn’t come this morning, so make do with what we have for now. When she comes to work, I’ll have her make you some cold cake.” Red bean cold cake was a dessert made with red beans, cool, sweet, and refreshing. After the Grain Rain season, the weather grew increasingly hot, and children loved appetizing snacks.

Feng Miao Jun responded obediently and ate properly. So Hu Ping was skilled at making cold cake. This cook had previously corroborated her story—she was one of the people the An Xia Queen Consort had left for her.

But before she could finish a bowl of barley porridge, the results of Old Wang’s case investigation arrived.

As expected, Zhao Da Zhao had filed the complaint under someone’s guidance. This person had told him through Auntie Wu that if he won the case against the Feng family, he could receive a sum of money several times or even dozens of times greater than fifty taels. The gambling-addicted and financially strapped Zhao Da Zhao was tempted. This person also told him that he needed to file the complaint at the county level for it to be effective, and coincidentally, a noble was passing through the county these days. If this noble spoke up to help, he would win the lawsuit.

This person was the local wealthy landowner, Master Zheng.

The Zheng family had originally been local wealthy merchants, dealing in grain trading like the Feng family, with shops spread across five villages—quite a substantial operation. But Old Master Feng had managed his business well, taking away much of their trade, and the Zheng family, as local powers, naturally resented this. In the year since Old Master Feng’s death, they had frequently created trouble for the Feng business. This time, they wanted to use Zhao Da Zhao to deliver a severe blow, hoping to knock the Feng family down permanently.

Regarding the drowning of his mother, Zhao Da Zhao had consistently denied it until he finally broke under torture and stamped his confession. His character was flawed, and he had recently lost a significant amount of money gambling. Neighbors dug up many old grievances, with more than one person hearing him beating and cursing Old Wang after losing at gambling, as well as forcibly taking his mother’s hard-earned money. Even Old Wang had complained to her close friends, thus establishing a motive for murder. The matricide case was firmly established against him, and he could no longer deny it.

Magistrate Xu followed the trail and uncovered Master Zheng’s involvement. Due to the “concern” previously shown by Xiao Yan, the case had to be thoroughly investigated. Therefore, Master Zheng’s instigation and false accusations were irrefutable. After a beating and a sentence of two years in prison, the Zheng family lost much of their reputation and strength, while the Feng family gained an opportunity to recover and prosper.

After hearing this, Madam Xu was both happy and relieved. But Feng Miao Jun had no interest in Master Zheng’s fate, as she no longer planned to stay in Juping Village or even in Zi County.

After the meal, she called Peng Bai to her small courtyard: “How did the Queen Consort entrust me to the Feng family back then?”

When her birth mother became Queen Consort, her maternal family should have been elevated. Any family she chose would have had more power, money, and influence than the Feng family. Why had the Queen Consort ultimately chosen the distantly connected Feng couple? Entrusting a child required forethought and planning, indicating that the An Xia Queen Consort had investigated the Feng family for a long time before feeling secure enough to entrust her precious daughter to them.

Peng Bai said: “The Queen Consort did not directly bestow rewards but secretly directed several business opportunities to the Feng family, who understood the implicit arrangement. The Queen Consort said that the Feng Rui Shan couple was rare in being both pragmatic and kind-hearted yet still worldly wise. Under their care, you would be able to grow up safely and respectably, eventually marrying well. Unfortunately—”