He smiled bitterly, “Even someone as clever as the Queen couldn’t have predicted that Feng Ruishan would suddenly fall ill and pass away.”

Indeed, human calculations can’t compare to heavenly plans. Feng Miaojun nodded, then asked, “What did the Queen leave for me?”

Peng Bai hesitated slightly: “Various shops and farmlands, located in both Wei Kingdom and Jin Kingdom. They were originally used as covers for spies sent abroad, managed by the Imperial Uncle. The Queen claimed them and gave them to you.” He paused, carefully reminding her, “These all have dedicated managers. The Queen said these would only be turned over to your control after your marriage or when you come of age…”

Feng Miaojun interrupted him: “What if I don’t live until I come of age?”

“This…”

“You saw the recent incident yourself. Your subordinates’ mishandling of Madam Wang not only caused the Feng family legal trouble but also attracted the Wei Kingdom prince. This happened right under your nose, not with the distant properties in Wei and Jin, showing flaws in your ‘dedicated management.’ And then there’s that formation—I still don’t know whom I’ve accidentally offended. At this rate, I’m not confident I’ll live to fifteen.” She snorted coldly, “It’s better to keep one’s life in one’s own hands.” To live well, one must keep power in one’s grasp.

Peng Bai’s face darkened. Wasn’t this trouble caused by the little ancestor herself? Still, she made sense. The power the Queen had arranged for her was temporarily under his management but hadn’t been well utilized. The poor handling of the aftermath was just one example.

“Besides, we need to relocate soon, and my foster mother’s modest means are far from sufficient.”

Peng Bai was slightly startled: “You want to leave Zi County?”

“Would you have me stay in this rural place forever? I’ve used that formation, and its master will find this place sooner or later. If we don’t move, are we just waiting to be dealt with?” In truth, she had also considered that Yun Ya had seen through her disguise and knew that the dispute between Feng Manor and Madam Wang happened on the same day he collected the Dragon Pearl. If he ever detected any clues while she remained in Juping Village, wouldn’t she be an easy target for this dangerous figure?

While the crisis had temporarily passed, the best strategy was to flee!

Hmm, speaking of which, she still needed to persuade her foster mother. Madam Xu wanted to safeguard the Feng family property and probably wouldn’t easily leave Zi County. After several days together, Feng Miaojun could see she genuinely cared for her, so she couldn’t leave her to face unknown future dangers.

Having been assigned to Feng Miaojun, Peng Bai was loyal but not rigid. Now understanding the situation’s gravity, he nodded: “Young Miss is right.” He handed over a fish-shaped jade token, “This is your credential, keep it safe. The personnel registry is committed to my memory, not written down.” With that, he began explaining everything in detail.

Their conversation lasted until the sun was high overhead, and Feng Miaojun got what she wanted, feeling quite satisfied. Just as Peng Bai was about to take his leave, the space before them suddenly darkened as a strong gust of wind blew toward them.

Peng Bai stepped in front of her as a shield, shouting sternly: “Be careful!”

Her view blocked by Peng Bai, she couldn’t see what was ahead, only vaguely sensing it was a person. Then came two loud bangs, and Peng Bai urgently called out: “Young Miss, quickly…!”

Before he could finish, a muffled groan escaped him.

Without looking back, Feng Miaojun ran straight for the courtyard gate. What use would she be against someone even Peng Bai couldn’t handle? Though the danger arose unexpectedly, she immediately realized the intruder was after her.

If she didn’t escape, her life would be forfeit!

Her speed wasn’t slow, but before she reached the courtyard gate, the guard’s massive body flew horizontally from behind, landing heavily against the courtyard wall ahead of her. As he slid down, he shattered a large number of flower pots and blocked most of the doorway.

Feng Miaojun’s vision blurred, and suddenly an uninvited guest appeared before the door, letting out a deep chuckle: “Where are you going?”

The man wore tight-fitting clothes, terrifyingly tall, with his slightly open collar revealing bulging bronze-colored chest muscles. He had a square face, and was about thirty years old, with sideburns on both cheeks.

His eyes were bright. As soon as Feng Miaojun’s gaze met his, she felt a cold sensation invading his eyes, piercing her mind with pain, causing her to let out a sharp cry and bend over.

She didn’t know this was the suppression of aura and strength, but she felt his undisguised malice!

The man’s advancing footsteps suddenly halted. He grabbed Peng Bai from the ground and tossed him at her feet: “Feng Miaojun?”

Peng Bai struggled several times but couldn’t stand up, clearly severely injured. Feng Miaojun’s face turned pale as she glared at the muscular man: “Who are you!” With the stranger already in her courtyard, denying her identity would be useless.

Feng Manor had few people, and the unusual sounds from the courtyard hadn’t alarmed anyone else.

The muscular man’s gaze was ferocious, but no longer caused the heart-piercing pain: “Was it you who used my Mountain-Moving Formation?”

These words were like a sharp blade, piercing directly into Feng Miaojun’s heart!

It was truly a case of fearing what would come—she had just been worrying about the hidden enemy, and he had found her. The speed was terrifyingly fast as if he had heard her thoughts.

Even with her usual composure, she was now frightened badly, her heart rising high, ready to beat frantically. But she suppressed her tumultuous thoughts, putting on a bewildered expression: “What?”

The muscular man had seized the initiative, intending to force her to lose composure, but now he was secretly amazed that her heart rate remained steady. Nevertheless, he continued: “Stop pretending. Eleven days ago, after pushing down that old woman, you ran out of your home, followed the river to the abandoned embankment, and were transported by the Mountain-Moving Formation to Rising Dragon Pool four hundred miles away.”

“What Rising Dragon Pool? Why would I go there?” she said with a trembling voice, “Who are you, why have you broken into my residence! Do you want money? My mother has money and can give you some. Please don’t hurt me!”

The muscular man’s face darkened, and with a “crack,” he broke Peng Bai’s arm bone. The latter was caught off guard and screamed in agony!

Feng Miaojun’s small body trembled in response. Her previous experiences hadn’t been entirely smooth, but no one had ever been hurt like this in front of her.

Peng Bai was her guard who had protected her journey home from the deep mountains. She couldn’t bear to see him suffer such torture.

The muscular man then saw the little girl burst into tears: “Don’t hurt him, I’ll give you whatever you want!”

For someone of his status, intimidating a little girl was also a first, making him uncomfortable: “I want the truth!”

Feng Miaojun cried between gasps: “But I don’t understand what you’re saying.” So that deep pool was called Rising Dragon Pool—quite fitting. What happened in the pool was taboo; she was unwilling to mention it to anyone, including Peng Bai.

The muscular man said coldly: “That day, people in the fields saw you running along the downstream river.”

She defended herself: “But I returned to the manor after I finished crying.”

“Is that so?” The muscular man glanced at her sideways, his voice gathering frost, “Why did I hear that you didn’t return for several days?”

She suddenly forgot to cry, staring blankly: “Who told you that?”

“Your family’s cook, Hu Ping.”