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The stench of blood from Danzhou City still seemed to linger in the air. Han Yan walked barefoot on the gleaming bluestone ground of the farmhouse, the coldness biting to the bone.

But as she looked down at her reflection in the water, the tattered fishing village girl had vanished, replaced by a young woman in a dark red outfit.

Only the brand-like rune on her left wrist reminded her of the soul deal she made with the demon.

"Third Miss? Is it really your mother, Third Miss?" A round-faced maidservant exclaimed as she ran over, then stopped in her tracks as if she had seen a ghost. "You...you weren't already..."

"Hmph! Dead, is that it?" Han Yan's lips curled into a cold smile, and the runes on her wrist were faintly burning.

Jiang Si stood three steps behind her in the void, while Chai Jing leaned against a secluded spot with his arms crossed, observing the ornately decorated mansion with great interest.

An elderly nanny stumbled and ran to report.

Before long, the entire dealer group was in an uproar, like a hornet's nest that had been stirred up.

Zhuang Hanyan coldly observed the faces that were either surprised or frightened.

Twelve years of abandonment is enough for a child to remember every indifferent face.

"Yan'er!" A woman dressed in a lake-green ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) hurried over, her eyes filled with strangely tearful eyes. "I am Aunt Zhou, do you still remember me?"

Han Yan squinted.

Deep in her memory, there was indeed a gentle voice that secretly slipped her a packet of osmanthus sugar before she was sent away.

But Han Yan is no longer the little girl who would be overjoyed by sweets.

"Hello, Aunt Zhou."

Seeing that Han Yan was dressed in thin clothes, Aunt Zhou quickly took off her cloak and draped it over her shoulders: "Poor thing! Why did you come back barefoot? Come with me to see the old lady and your mother."

"Thank you, Aunt Zhou."

Aunt Zhou's cloak was scented with precious agarwood, but Zhuang Hanyan detected a deliberate scent.

However, Zhuang Hanyan let Aunt Zhou hold her hand, feeling the slight dampness of the other's palm.

"What's the rush, Aunt Zhou?" A cool voice came from the end of the corridor.

A man dressed in a dark blue official robe walked slowly closer, the gold badge at his waist gleaming coldly in the sunlight. "This is a case handled by the Dali Temple, please excuse us."

Aunt Zhou's expression changed, and she quickly stepped aside.

Han Yan looked up and met a pair of eyes as deep and unfathomable as an ancient well.

There was no surprise, no pity, only scrutiny and inquiry.

"I am Fu Yunxi, Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review." The man's voice and expression were very calm, and he looked at Zhuang Hanyan without any fluctuation. "I am in charge of the Danzhou pirate case. It is really unexpected that the Third Miss was able to survive that massacre."

"Does Lord Fu mean I shouldn't be alive?"

"Of course not! I just want to know how you escaped, Miss."

Han Yan sensed that Jiang Si had always been hiding behind her.

Then she lowered her eyes, her voice deliberately trembling slightly: "When the pirates came... I was collecting seashells on the beach... My uncle and aunt... couldn't escape..."

Fu Yunxi's gaze lingered for a moment on the blood-stained hem of her clothes: "Third Miss, do you know that all 374 ports in Danzhou Port were destroyed?"

He suddenly leaned down and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Everyone except you, of course."

"..." Han Yan's heart skipped a beat, and the runes on her wrist suddenly became hot.

Just as she was barely able to control the restless power within her, a maidservant rushed in, flustered: "Young Master! Something has happened at Lord Huang's residence!"

Fu Yunxi straightened up and gave Han Yan a meaningful look: "Let's talk another day, Miss."

As he turned around, the hem of his official robe brushed against Han Yan's hand, feeling as cold as a knife.

"Son-in-law?" Han Yan repeated softly, her face full of doubt.

Aunt Zhou leaned closer and whispered, "Lord Fu is Miss Han Shuang's husband. They got married last year."

A hint of envy flashed in her eyes, "Being appointed as the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review at the age of twenty, how many noble ladies in the capital would be envious."

Han Yan gazed thoughtfully at Fu Yunxi's departing figure.

Jiang Si, who had been hiding in the void, suddenly whispered in her ear: "Master said that this person is a key figure in this world, possessing purple energy. If Master and I don't appear, you and him will be a couple."

"Master? Purple Qi?" Han Yan frowned.

Jiang Si smiled mysteriously: "The Demon Lord's real name is Su Ning. He travels through countless worlds, collecting fortune and origins. And in this world, he has chosen you as his medium."

"..."

Before Han Yan could process these words, Aunt Zhou pulled her along through the winding corridors.

The maids and servants along the way whispered among themselves, occasionally casting curious or hostile glances their way.

"The old lady hasn't been feeling well lately, so please don't say too much when you pay your respects later," Aunt Zhou whispered. "As for your mother..."

She hesitated, then finally just sighed.

The air inside Songhetang was filled with the aroma of herbs. The old lady leaned against the couch, dozing off, her eyelids trembling slightly.

Han Yan respectfully kowtowed three times, but only received the words, "I understand, you may leave."

"What happened to Mother?" Han Yan finally couldn't help but ask as they walked out of Songhe Hall.

Aunt Zhou looked troubled: "The mistress's temperament has changed drastically over the years. Ever since the eldest young lady got married, she has locked herself in Qiwu Courtyard and refuses to see anyone."

Outside Qiwu Courtyard, Han Yan's hand hovered in mid-air, unable to knock on the tightly closed vermilion gate.

The "mother" she had been calling out for in her dreams for twelve years was now within reach, yet she suddenly felt timid.

"Third Miss, please return." A burly old woman blocked the doorway. "The mistress does not receive guests."

Suddenly, the sound of porcelain shattering came from inside the courtyard, followed by a woman's hysterical scream.

Han Yan's heart tightened, and she looked at the nanny, asking, "What's wrong with Mother?"

The old woman's expression changed drastically: "Hmph! It's none of your business!"

Saying that, he was about to close the door.

Han Yan instinctively reached out to block, but was shoved hard and stumbled.

Jiang reached out and caught her with lightning speed, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.

Han Yan shook her head, suppressing the doubts and disappointment in her heart.

At the corner of the corridor, several maids huddled together whispering, but immediately fell silent upon seeing them.

Han Yan, with her sharp ears, caught the words "barefoot ghost" and "cursed to death by the whole family".

Aunt Zhou cleared her throat awkwardly, and the maids scattered like birds.

"Don't take it to heart," Aunt Zhou comforted her. "The servants are always gossiping. Your courtyard is all ready, I'll take you..."

"No need," Han Yan interrupted coldly. "Aunt Zhou, I want to take a walk by myself."

A hint of annoyance flashed in Aunt Zhou's eyes, but she quickly replaced it with a concerned expression: "Alright, I'll have someone invite you to dinner."

After Aunt Zhou had gone some distance, Jiang Sicai muttered to herself, "It seems this house is more dangerous than the fishing village in Danzhou."

Han Yan stroked the runes on her wrist and suddenly smiled: "But at least my 'family' here won't whip me with vines."

She turned to Chai Jing, who had reappeared and remained silent, and asked, "What do you think?"

Chai Jing fiddled with the jade pendant at his waist and said casually, "I'm wondering how much profit that Lord Fu made when he confiscated his property."

"Chai Jing, I hope you can cooperate with my plan from now on."

"No problem! It's just that I still feel that all this scheming and infighting is meaningless. It would be better to come with me to the sea and become pirates."

"No! I already have an owner, and my owner wants me to follow the plan."

Zhuang Hanyan's answer, however, made Chai Jing feel frustrated. "Hmph! What the hell is your master anyway?"

At this moment, Jiang Si, standing to the side, retorted meaningfully, "Tch! Chai Jing, do you really want to see our master?"

"What? I'm not qualified?" Chai Jing's face was full of resentment and stubbornness.

"How could that be! You are quite attractive; perhaps the master is interested in you."

"What the hell! What does your owner want to do?"

"Hey, what do you think?"

As night fell, Han Yan sat alone by the window.

Suddenly, Aunt Zhou's voice came from outside the courtyard, scolding the servants: "...If I hear anyone talking about the Third Miss again, I'll sell them off to a brothel!"

Han Yan raised an eyebrow. This Aunt Zhou certainly knew how to maintain appearances.

"The Fourth Young Master is back!" a servant suddenly announced from outside the door.

A young man in brocade robes barged in aggressively, followed by several maids with mocking faces.

Han Yan recognized them as the same people who had been gossiping about her in the corridor during the day.

"So you're that 'Barefoot Ghost'?" Young Zhuang Yuchi looked Zhuang Hanyan up and down with disdain, finding an outlet for all his frustrations and annoyances. "Do you know that because of your return, the Liu family called off the marriage? They said my Zhuang family raised a jinx!"

Han Yan calmly put down her teacup: "Fourth Brother, you came to visit so late at night just to say this?"

"Who's your fourth brother!" Zhuang Yuchi roared, overturning the table. "Get out! There's no place for you in the Zhuang family!"

The teapot shattered, and hot water splashed onto Han Yan's hand, instantly turning it red.

Looking at the redness and swelling, she suddenly remembered the scene on her twelfth birthday when her aunt poured scalding hot porridge onto her hand.

"What? Have you lost your mind?" Seeing that she didn't move, Zhuang Yuchi grabbed her clothes and threw them out the door. "Take your bad luck and get back to Danzhou! Why didn't those pirates kill you?"

"..." Han Yan slowly stood up, and the runes on her wrist began to heat up.

A glint of red light flashed in Han Yan's eyes.

At this moment, Zhuang Yuchi felt provoked and, in a fit of rage, shoved Zhuang Hanyan, yelling, "This is outrageous!"

Han Yan was prepared, but deliberately leaned backward with his force, behind her was a bottomless lotus pond.

The moment the icy water submerged her head, Han Yan heard a commotion on the shore.

She let herself sink, the runes on her wrists emitting an eerie red glow in the water.

Countless fragments of memories flashed through my mind: my uncle's stench of alcohol, my aunt's fingernails, the pirate's knife...

Zhuang Hanyan constantly thought about returning to the Zhuang family and longed for her parents' warm embrace, but she never imagined that reality would be so cold and cruel.

On the shore, Aunt Zhou was grabbing Zhuang Yuchi's ear and yelling, "You wretched child! She's still the legitimate third young lady! You..."

"Young lady!" Zhuang Yuchi cried out in grievance, "She was the one who started it..."

"Shut up!" Aunt Zhou slapped him across the face, then turned to Han Yan, who had been rescued, and smiled apologetically, "Yan'er, don't take it to heart, Chi'er is just being immature..."

Han Yan stood on the shore, soaking wet, her black hair plastered to her pale cheeks.

She watched the mother and son's clumsy performance and suddenly found it ridiculous.

Twelve years of abuse taught her one thing: every act of kindness comes with a price.

"I'm tired," Han Yan said softly, turning and walking towards her courtyard.

Behind them, Aunt Zhou's voice scolding Zhuang Yuchi gradually faded into the distance.

……

At midnight, Han Yan brought the herbal medicine she had personally prepared to the outside of Songhe Hall.

Strangely, the old women who were supposed to keep watch at night were nowhere to be seen.

She gently pushed open the door, and a strange, sweet fragrance wafted out.

"Grandmother?" Han Yan called out tentatively, when she suddenly heard a slight struggle coming from the inner room.

As she rushed in, she saw a man in black raising a knife to stab at the bed.

Without hesitation, Han Yan smashed the medicine bowl, splashing the scalding medicine all over the assassin's face.

"Help! There's an assassin!" Han Yan shouted as she shielded the old woman.

The assassin roared and swung his blade at her.

At the critical moment, a sword flash pierced through the window and precisely pierced the assassin's shoulder.

Fu Yunxi appeared in the room like a ghost, blood dripping from the tip of her sword.

Seeing that things were going badly, the assassin smashed open the window and escaped.

Fu Yunxi did not pursue them, but looked at Han Yan thoughtfully: "The Third Miss's visit late at night is truly... a coincidence."

"..." Zhuang Hanyan naturally couldn't be bothered to pay attention to this annoying Fu Yunxi.

The old lady was already terrified, her face ashen, and she clung tightly to Han Yan's hand, completely oblivious to the sarcasm in Fu Yunxi's words.

Soon, the entire bookmaker was alarmed.

When Zhuang Yuchi arrived with his servants, he was visibly taken aback when he saw Fu Yunxi there.

"Why is Lord Fu here?" he asked, trying to remain calm.

Fu Yunxi slowly wiped her sword: "Couldn't sleep! Just happened to be passing by."

This absurd explanation almost made Han Yan burst out laughing.

Before Zhuang Yuchi could say anything more, Aunt Zhou suddenly knelt down with a thud: "Lord Fu, please understand! Although Chi'er had some disagreements with the Third Miss during the day, she would never do such a heinous thing as patricide!"

"Young lady!" Zhuang Yuchi's face flushed red. "How could I possibly harm my grandmother!"

Fu Yunxi remained noncommittal, her gaze sweeping across everyone's faces before finally settling on Han Yan: "What does Third Miss think?"

Han Yan felt that everyone's eyes were on her.

She glanced down at the faintly glowing runes on her wrist and said softly, "The assassin is burly, unlike Fourth Brother."

Zhuang Yuchi visibly breathed a sigh of relief, but then Fu Yunxi changed the subject: "However, Fourth Young Master Zhuang is suspected of plotting against an official of the imperial court, and he needs to come with me to the Dali Temple for questioning."

"What?!" Aunt Zhou shrieked. "Lord Fu, this must be a misunderstanding!"

Fu Yunxi took out a jade pendant from her sleeve: "This was found at the scene of Lord Huang's assassination. Fourth Young Master Zhuang, does it look familiar?"

Zhuang Yuchi's face was ashen.

Han Yan noticed that the jade pendant had appeared in Chai Jing's hands, and realized that it was possible that Chai Jing had orchestrated this.

Amid the chaos, a dignified female voice suddenly rang out: "What kind of behavior is this in the middle of the night!"

The crowd parted automatically, and a middle-aged woman dressed in a deep purple gown walked slowly towards them.

Han Yan's breath caught in her throat, because this face had appeared in her dreams for twelve years.

“Mother…” she called out unconsciously.

Ruan Xiwen didn't even glance at Zhuang Hanyan, but instead walked straight to Fu Yunxi: "Lord Fu, family scandals should not be aired in public. Whatever it is, let's talk about it when the master returns."

Fu Yunxi nodded slightly: "My mother-in-law has given the order, and I should not disobey. But the law of the land is as firm as a mountain..."

"Thirty strokes of the cane." Ruan Xiwen suddenly turned her attention to Zhuang Hanyan, who was standing to the side. "Zhuang Hanyan broke into Songhe Hall at night and disturbed the old lady's rest. According to family law, she should be given thirty strokes of the cane."

Han Yan couldn't believe her ears: "Mother? I saved Grandmother!"

Ruan Xiwen finally looked at her, her eyes as cold as if she were looking at a stranger: "Disrespecting the mistress, add ten more strokes of the cane."

When the first blow landed on her back, Han Yan bit her lip until it bled.

She stared intently at Ruan Xiwen's retreating figure, the runes on her wrist burning so intensely they felt like they were about to scorch her flesh.

After forty strokes, she was covered in blood, but she didn't utter a sound.

"Stop hitting her! Are you trying to kill the Third Miss?" Aunt Zhou cried and rushed over to help her up.

However, she was kicked away by the old woman next to Ruan Xiwen: "You lowly servant! Who gives you the right to speak here?"

The absurd and inexplicable situation left Zhuang Hanyan completely bewildered, unable to understand what was going on for a moment.

Through Han Yan's blurred vision, she saw the old lady rushing over and then leaving under the pretext of feeling unwell; she saw Zhuang Yushan sneaking over and then hurriedly kneeling down to admit his mistake; she saw Chai Jing watching coldly from the rooftop; she saw Jiang Si's hand, always resting on the hilt of her knife, in the void...

Finally, what came into view was Fu Yunxi's unfathomable gaze.

He bent down and whispered in Zhuang Hanyan's ear, "Third Miss, you played this game of chess too hastily."

Before Han Yan fainted, she heard the voice of a demon... no! Her master Su Ning's voice echoing in her heart: "Han Yan, are you angry? Do you hate? This is only the beginning..."

"Master, trust me! I can handle the dealer's affairs."

"The affairs of the bookmakers are very complicated! Your mother is trying to protect you and doesn't want you to get involved in their mess."

"Protection? Is this how it's done?"

"The dealers are about to be wiped out! Your mother doesn't want you to be implicated."

"what?"

...(End of chapter)