Why did you provoke me?

The old butler looked at Jing Ancheng, who had been out for a while and returned looking sullen. "Young Master, what's wrong?"

"Uncle, it's nothing." Jing Ancheng didn't tell him what he knew. First, what Yu Meng mentioned hadn't happened yet. Second, after all, his uncle was just a butler; he couldn't decide the fate of the Jing family.

The old butler could tell that Jing Ancheng was hiding something from him, but he didn't press him for details.

Ten days passed in this way, and Jing Ancheng silently watched as the old steward dealt with the probing and difficulties from various forces.

Yes, the head of the Jing family is gone, and less than a month later, people are already coming to cause trouble.

Today, this force cut off the supplies they'd been maintaining for so long. Tomorrow, someone else will come demanding resources, saying they've already agreed and are coming to collect them now. The old steward demands proper paperwork, but the other party refuses to produce any documents, only persisting in their nagging.

……

Jing Ancheng saw this, but he was a nobody, and even as the current head of the Jing family, it was useless; the other party simply didn't listen to him.

The situation escalated rapidly, with several factions nearly coming to blows over the mountain range where the Jing family resided. The worst-case scenario Yu Meng had predicted had unfolded. Jing Ancheng knew the tide had turned against him.

Finally, Jing Ancheng found the old butler; he was leaving.

The old housekeeper was in tears. "I was born here, grew up here, and spent my whole life here. I never imagined that in the end, I wouldn't even have a place to stay."

Jing Ancheng was also heartbroken; he had no home left. He used to talk about going home, but now he had nowhere to go back to.

Jing An originally planned to take the old butler with him, but the old butler refused.

He wanted to stay within the Jing family's territory and keep an eye on everything. Jing Ancheng tried to dissuade him, but the old man insisted. Left with no other option, Jing Ancheng bought him a house with a yard in the small town. It wasn't very big, but it could accommodate three or four people.

The old housekeeper even reserved a room for Jing Ancheng, hoping that he could come back and visit the old man when he had time.

Jing Ancheng agreed.

Everything settled down, and Yu Meng saw the secret shadow again.

It was still in Jingchuan when Mi Ying arrived at night.

The night patrolmen in Jingchuan discovered him, and a fight broke out.

Having no other choice, Mi Ying had to reveal her identity, which is how she finally met Yu Meng.

"Lord, they are very strong. Did you train them?"

"Well, I only taught her a little bit; I practiced the rest on my own," Yu Meng replied casually. "Coming over so late, is there something urgent?"

"It's about the Jing family. What would you like to know, Palace Master?" Secret Shadow's eyes gleamed; this time, he was well-prepared.

Unexpectedly, Yu Meng waved her hand, "Jing Ancheng is back. He brought up some things about the Jing family, but I'm not interested in those."

Secret Shadow's eyelids drooped, and she stood to the side, seemingly unsure of what to say.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Yu Meng asked, "You came so late just for this?"

Mi Ying lowered her head and answered in a low voice, "I didn't do well on the task the Palace Master gave me last time, so I checked it again after I got back."

"Is there anything special?" Yu Meng finally gave Mi Ying face and asked softly.

"We discovered something special that was being fought over by several factions, but we didn't take it because we didn't have the Palace Master's orders," Shadow said directly.

Yu Meng was taken aback. "Good stuff?"

Secret Shadow paused for a moment before saying, "I don't think so. When I got close, it felt alive and very dangerous. Later, some people took it into the Jing family's laboratory, and many people were carried out. It was terrifying."

"So you've found out?"

"We know its name is the Alien Mother, but we haven't found out anything else. We just heard them say that something seems off about this thing. The Jing family has raised it for so many years, it shouldn't be like this, but they didn't say anything specific."

Mi Ying lowered his head. He knew that the Palace Master would be dissatisfied with what he said, but he had really tried his best and just couldn't find a result.

Yu Meng nodded. "Shall we leave it at that? Did you find anything else?"

"There's one more thing; the research institute at the front lines was also involved. They gave some people a drink and suggested that those people feed that thing."

"How to feed them? By using people?"

Secret Shadow nodded. "They are fed by humans, and they are bone painters at that."

Yu Meng sat up straight. "How did you find out? Did you see it with your own eyes?"

"Yes, the Jing family has a special place to raise children. They have several venues, each more advanced than the last. I saw their feeding list."

"You mean the research institute on the front lines was involved, and the method they provided was to feed people?" Yu Meng exclaimed in surprise.

"I heard it with my own ears, it should be true."

Yu Meng's heart was in turmoil. No wonder the Jing family provided guards for the Bone Painters free of charge, and those rows of houses housed highly talented children. There were even rumors that the Bone Painters had been sent to the front lines to fight against the alien army. So this was all for this purpose.

Yu Meng's body trembled slightly. Was she on that list back then?

If it weren't for her strength and good luck, she would probably be that thing's food by now. No, why do I have this urge to kill it?

Yu Meng's expression was rather unpleasant. "What did you do?"

The Shadow still didn't look up. "Nothing much. Those bone painters are being watched very closely, and it seems they've been given drugs so they can't move freely."

"Do you know anyone?"

To everyone's surprise, Mi Ying raised her head and said, "Palace Master, I recognize two more."

"You saved us."

"No, we just know each other."

Yu Meng looked into his eyes. "You want to save me?"

Mi Ying stared at Yu Meng for a long while before slowly lowering her head. "I will obey the Palace Master's orders."

"That's why you came to see me so late, isn't it?"

Yu Mengzhen was a little curious. The cripple had said that the rules of the secret department were very strict, and no one dared to act on their own without being summoned.

"Do you have any connection with them?"

Without pausing, Mi Ying answered immediately, "She is my sister who I lost contact with five years ago."

"Both of them?"

Secret Shadow nodded. "One is my older sister, and the other is my second uncle's younger sister."

"Oh, they're quite close. Is there really no hope?"

Secret Shadow knelt down, "This subordinate dares not make decisions on his own."

"Did someone stay over there?" Yu Meng asked another question that seemed unrelated.

"Yes. I joined the Secret Service in the first place because I wanted to use its power to find my family. But I haven't heard anything for years and I was about to give up. I never expected to encounter them on this mission."

Yu Meng hummed in agreement, then asked, "Does Old Man Cripple know about these things?"

"I know. I told you about my situation when I first joined." Mi Ying looked up at Yu Meng. "Palace Master, I beg you, let me go and save them. Once this matter is settled, my life will belong to you."

Yu Meng chuckled, "What would I do with your life? Are you sure you can handle it? Do you need me to find someone to help you?"

"This is my private matter, how could I trouble you, Lord? But I thank you in advance for your kindness."

When Yu Meng heard the first half of the sentence, she thought he had refused, but she didn't expect there to be a second half.

Yu Meng waved her hand, "Get up, go save people, just don't bring trouble back."

Mi Ying kowtowed deeply to Yu Meng, "Thank you, Palace Master."

He got up, turned around in one swift motion, and then disappeared into the night.