The Old Manor Lord had been taking medicine all along—Feng Jiu had learned this from Long Yan the very first time she came to see him.

But in truth, an illness of the heart needed no medicine at all. As long as one’s spirits lifted, the body would gradually recover on its own.

As for troubles of the mind, no medicine in the world could resolve them—only a remedy of the heart could heal them.

Hearing this, Lanyue’s expression darkened at once, and Long Yan hurried to say, “Physician, the old master… his health has never been good.”

“No medicine, I won’t take medicine!” The Old Manor Lord dragged his chair closer to Feng Jiu, glancing at Long Yan with displeasure. “Long’er told me not to take medicine, so I won’t!”

“Don’t be unreasonable.” Lanyue glanced at Feng Jiu, a chill hidden in his eyes, but when he turned back to look at the Old Manor Lord, his gaze instantly softened. “Your health isn’t good, you need to take your medicine.”

It seemed that though Mister Lanyue appeared cold on the surface, he treated his father with real warmth.

Feng Jiu was about to say something when the Old Manor Lord spoke first, displeased. “She is your sister, how dare you glare at your own sister like that! You ungrateful child, your sister only went out for a while, and already you don’t love her anymore?”

“I—” Lanyue found himself at a loss for words. Glancing once more at Feng Jiu, he said, “Father, she isn’t—”

“Just try saying she isn’t again! She is my Long’er, she is your sister!”

The Old Manor Lord, thoroughly provoked, grabbed whatever was nearest and swung it at Lanyue’s head. “You wretch, how dare you bully your own sister, I’ll beat you!”

Everyone took a closer look and realized what the Old Manor Lord was holding was the cushion he usually liked to hug—soft, and unable to cause much pain even striking someone’s head.

Still, for the Manor Lord of the renowned Number One Manor Under Heaven to be beaten like this was honestly rather… shocking, almost unbelievable to witness.

Especially with servants and outsiders present—the Manor Lord truly had nowhere to hide his dignity.

Long Yan, naturally concerned for his Manor Lord’s reputation, hurried over to placate the old man. “Old Master, Old Master, please don’t be angry. The Manor Lord didn’t mean it that way. The Manor Lord hasn’t bullied Physician Feng Jiu.”

Though last time he truly had bullied her, this time he hadn’t—wasn’t that right?

“What Physician Feng Jiu? She’s my granddaughter—daughter, what’s wrong with you? Even you want to bully my Long’er now!”

The Old Manor Lord shifted targets, swinging the soft cushion forcefully at Long Yan’s head instead.

Poor Long Yan, who had only meant to come over and mediate, ended up caught in the crossfire himself, struck by the Old Manor Lord, not daring to fight back, and certainly not daring to flee—which was, in fact, the most miserable part of it all.

Because if he fled, the Old Manor Lord would only grow angrier, and if he grew angrier, his health would suffer for it.

Were it not for that, the Manor Lord himself would not have stood there enduring this humiliation without retreating—it was only out of fear that if the Old Manor Lord did not vent his frustration, his body would suffer.

None of the servants had ever imagined that their usually dignified Manor Lord and Steward could end up in such an undignified state.

Feng Jiu, too, found it hard to watch any longer—this was simply too embarrassing.

She waved a hand. “All of you, leave us for now.”

Who would dare disobey Feng Jiu’s words? The Steward and the Manor Lord had only said a few words about Physician Feng Jiu and had already been beaten like this. If the servants failed to listen to her, who knew what fate awaited them.

So the servants hurried out without daring to so much as glance back at them.

Zhan Qingcheng, however, had been standing behind Feng Jiu the entire time, watching the farce before him with an expressionless face.

This Old Manor Lord was, without doubt, the unrivaled authority of this estate in ordinary times. Watching Lanyue—this cold, iron-willed man—endure being beaten and scolded without protest…

Though it looked like a farce, the more Feng Jiu watched, the more envious she grew.

This was what a real father and son looked like—a real family.

Lanyue truly loved his father deeply. For a man this cold to allow his father to beat him like this—how much reverence and love did that take?

She truly envied them. If only she, too, had been born into a family like this—how wonderful would that be?

In the end, unable to bear watching any longer, she stepped forward and said gently, “They weren’t bullying me, please stop hitting them.”

“No, these two said you weren’t Long’er. I’ll beat them until they admit it!”

The Old Manor Lord, still fuming, kept swinging the cushion without pause, striking the two men over and over. It didn’t hurt much, but it certainly hurt their pride!

Feng Jiu’s lips curved upward as she said with a smile, “Alright, that’s enough. If you keep hitting them, I… Long’er is going to get upset.”

These words made the Old Manor Lord stop at once. He turned to stare at her, his face flushed red with excitement.

“You… you admit you’re Long’er, you’ve finally admitted it!”

The Old Manor Lord was so overcome with emotion that it was heartbreaking to watch.

Feng Jiu let out a soft sigh, about to say a few words to comfort this dear old man.

But unexpectedly, the man behind her spoke coldly, “She’s so young—how could she possibly be your Long’er?”

“Ninth—” Feng Jiu spun around and glared at him. How could he undermine her at a moment like this?

What if this set the Old Manor Lord off again?

It was all a lie anyway—did it matter whether she looked young or not? Wasn’t it enough just to keep the Old Manor Lord calm?

What was the Ninth Imperial Uncle even trying to do? How could he be so thoughtless!

“She… how could she not be Long’er?” The flush faded from the Old Manor Lord’s face as he looked at Feng Jiu again—she truly was very young, looking no older than perhaps ten-some years.

Then he looked again at Lanyue… ah! His son was already grown, nearly thirty—could it be that she truly wasn’t Long’er after all? Could it be that his Long’er truly wasn’t coming back?

The Old Manor Lord’s face gradually turned pale. Lanyue and Long Yan ached with pity at the sight, and even Feng Jiu felt a pang of sorrow.

How could anyone be so cruel as to expose the truth like that, leaving the old man in such pain?

Lanyue stared at the hooded man behind Feng Jiu, his palm clenched tight, his gaze growing colder by the moment.

Feng Jiu had no idea what to say either. The way the Old Manor Lord studied her, she could clearly see the disappointment in his eyes—even despair.

She truly was still very young, and to insist now that she was his Long’er no longer seemed fitting.

Though the Old Manor Lord’s mind was somewhat disturbed, he was not entirely incapable of reason.

He had just studied her for a moment, then studied Lanyue, and could likely already tell that she was far too young compared to his son.

“Old Master, I—”

“You… you’re not Long’er! You’re not my Long’er!” The Old Manor Lord suddenly let out a great cry, panic rising. “You’re not Long’er! Where is my Long’er? Where is my Long’er?”

Lanyue rushed forward at once, pulling him into an embrace. “Father, Sister, she’s already—”

“Manor Lord.” Long Yan looked anxious—such words could not be spoken so carelessly to the Old Manor Lord; it would surely provoke him further!

Just as everyone stood there, hearts racing with worry, the black-robed man behind Feng Jiu spoke calmly. “She is not your Long’er. She is Long’er’s daughter—your granddaughter.”