The atmosphere had been quite harmonious, so Cai Zhao was very puzzled when Lei Xiuming suddenly flew into a rage.

Chang Ning leaned his slender body against a porch pillar, "Didn't you see the bows tied on the heads of those little ducklings? Those are Martial Uncle Lei's beloved pets."

"Who keeps ducks as beloved pets!" Cai Zhao was incredulous.

"If you can raise cats and dogs, why not ducks? Martial Uncle Lei's ducks are never to be eaten; they're all to be raised until they die of old age." Chang Ning shook his head. "It's a good thing your aunt took robes and a jade crown without asking back then. If she'd taken the ducks, Martial Uncle Lei would have hated your Falling Blossoms Valley until the end of time."

A wave of fear washed over Cai Zhao. In fact, just a moment ago, she had considered snatching a few ducklings when no one was looking.

That afternoon, Cai Zhao had originally planned to stretch her muscles and practice her weaponry as scheduled. Who would have thought that upon returning to the Pure Abode, she would see Dai Fengchi with his lackey Cui Sheng, coming to inform them, 'The Sect Master's wife requests the presence of you two.'

Chang Ning's brow furrowed, but Cai Zhao had a smile on her face. "Come, let me guess, has Master left the mountain?" She might not understand ducks, but she definitely understood Yin Sulian.

"Whether Master is here or not, you should heed our Mistress's summons," Dai Fengchi said, his gaze evasive.

In Chang Ning's opinion, he didn't care about any Mistress or Master; they should just beat these two dogs out. Who would have thought that Cai Zhao would be unusually pleasant, agreeing with a broad smile? Chang Ning had no choice but to follow.

On the way to the Twin Lotus Splendor Pool Palace, Chang Ning said softly, "Madam Sulian is definitely not looking for you for anything good. We should avoid her for now and wait for Sect Master Qi to return."

Cai Zhao asked back in surprise, "Have you never taught a spoiled brat a lesson before? Someone like Senior Sister Lingbo, from the very first time I offended her, I knew Madam Sulian would come looking for trouble with me sooner or later."

"Then why are you walking right into it to suffer?"

Cai Zhao wore a profound expression. "How do you know it's not Madam Sulian walking right into my trap?"

Chang Ning didn't believe her nonsense at all. Instead, he said, "If you want to make a move in Yin Sulian's territory, you'd best find a proper excuse first. Otherwise, the crime of disrespecting your elders alone will be enough to make you suffer. Even if Sect Master Qi protects you then, your reputation will be ruined."

Cai Zhao waved her hand. "Aiya, what are you thinking, Senior Brother Chang? How can we of the orthodox sects raise a hand against our elders? You make me sound so belligerent. Go ask around three hundred li from Falling Blossoms Town. Who doesn't say that I have a peaceful disposition, am kind to others, and always smiling, a first-class gentle and delicate young lady?"

"..." Chang Ning said, "Did you drink during lunch just now?"

"Anyway, rest assured, I will absolutely not fight with our Mistress. I'm not crazy."

Chang Ning's eyes were full of doubt.

Ahead, clear ponds rippled with jade-green waves, a riot of magnificent colors. All sorts of rare and beautiful lotuses and water lilies dotted the surface. Several white cranes danced gracefully beneath the flowering trees, and kingfishers circled among the gilded and carved painted beams. It was like a paradise on earth.

This was the Twin Lotus Splendor Pool Palace, where the Twin Beauties of the Yin Clan had lived since childhood.

Cai Zhao exclaimed in admiration, "Tsk tsk tsk, look at this grandeur, this exquisiteness. Compared to this place, our Falling Blossoms Valley is like the home of a country bumpkin landlord who's just had a couple of full meals." She suddenly thought of something. "Is the Qingque Sect very rich?"

Chang Ning: "Yes, very rich."

"How do you know?"

"I knew it when I saw that even the corners of the eaves on this palace are gold."

Cai Zhao looked at him with admiration. "Brother Chang, what a sharp insight."

"You flatter me, you flatter me. With everything glittering with gold here, it's impossible for me not to know."

In truth, although the Twin Lotus Splendor Pool Palace was lavishly decorated, it did not lack elegance and grace, showing considerable taste. But the two of them, playing off each other, still made Dai Fengchi's face turn green.

Entering the palace, they saw Yin Sulian seated high above on a golden lotus-shaped throne, with Qi Lingbo sitting smugly to one side. On either side of the mother-daughter pair stood a line of female martial servants with swords at their waists, all with hostile expressions. Behind them stood another row of sturdy male servants holding Eighteen-foot Serpent Spears. When they saw Cai Zhao and Chang Ning enter, all the lackeys turned to glare at them, their demeanor menacing.

Although the formation was laughable, Cai Zhao still noticed that a few of these lackeys had extraordinary skills.

Seeing them arrive, Yin Sulian said coldly, "Yo, you've finally arrived. What distinguished guests gracing my door."

Cai Zhao wore a bright smile. "You're too kind, Mistress, don't be so polite. The weather is so lovely today. Did Mistress summon this disciple to admire the flowers and drink tea together?"

Yin Sulian slammed her hand on the armrest of the golden lotus chair. "Stop playing dumb! From the moment you set foot on Myriad Waters Thousand Mountains Cliff, you've been spouting arrogant words and showing no respect for your elders, bullying my daughter time and again! Today, I will punish you properly in my capacity as your Mistress, to punish you for the crime of disrespecting your elders and your Senior Sister!"

"Isn't Mistress saying things backward? The one who has been bullying others time and again is clearly Senior Sister herself," Cai Zhao smiled. "As for disrespecting elders, that's even more baseless. Am I not looking at you right now, Mistress? Where is the disrespect?"

Yin Sulian sneered, "I know you have a sharp tongue and your skills aren't bad. Today, I'll see just how capable you are! Men, have the great Miss Cai kneel, serve tea, kowtow, and apologize properly to my daughter!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the lackeys on both sides took a step forward in an intimidating posture.

Qi Lingbo's face lit up, and she laughed loudly, "And this one surnamed Chang, make him kowtow and apologize to me too! Granny Mao, bring up the 'All-in-One Tonic Soup.' Have them both drink it, consider it a small token from me, their Senior Sister." She waved her hand, and a stoutly dressed martial woman with a fleshy face brought over two bowls of a pitch-black substance that reeked so terribly it made one want to vomit.

Cai Zhao pinched her nose in disgust. "Was this dug out of a cesspool? Senior Sister Lingbo, your taste is quite strong."

A glint flashed in Chang Ning's eyes. He noticed that this stoutly dressed old woman called 'Granny Mao' had a sharp light in her eyes, yet the energy around her was restrained. She had to be a first-rate expert in external martial arts.

"Stop putting on a brave face." Qi Lingbo couldn't contain her laughter. "You bullied me again and again. Did you think I was made of clay? But I am your Senior Sister, after all, and I'm magnanimous. As long as you two kowtow to me in apology and drink this, we'll consider our scores settled!"

Cai Zhao: "Senior Sister Lingbo is truly broad-minded. But what if I refuse to kowtow and apologize, and also refuse to drink this stinking thing?"

Yin Sulian's face darkened. "That's not up to you! Men!"

The moment she finished speaking, the surrounding martial maids drew their swords and the servants brandished their spears. Dai Fengchi also placed his hand on his sword hilt. Dozens of gleaming sharp weapons were pointed in unison at Cai Zhao and Chang Ning, and they began to close in.

Cai Zhao looked at these lackeys and laughed in anger. "At yesterday's apprenticeship banquet, Master just told everyone that no one was to bully me and Brother Chang. For you to be so menacing, aren't you afraid Master will blame you afterward?"

Chang Ning said nonchalantly, "You're overthinking it. These are not sect disciples. They are the private guards of the Yin Family, who only obey the commands of those surnamed Yin. Back when Lady Qinglian and Madam Sulian got married, Old Sect Master Yin gave each of his two daughters a retinue of men as part of their dowry. If Zhao Tianba and Han Yisu hadn't gone crazy over a decade ago, there would be even more Yin family members in the Qingque Sect."

Granny Mao's brow darkened, and she said in a deep voice, "You two little bastards are spouting nonsense. Do you think that just because the Old Sect Master is gone, the ladies of the Yin Family can be bullied by anyone? Today, we'll let you know how formidable the Yin Family is! Men, surround them!"

The lackeys once again advanced several steps, completely encircling Cai Zhao and Chang Ning with their sharp blades.

"Let's just fight." Chang Ning was expressionless. "An excuse can always be found. We can't suffer a loss right now."

Cai Zhao furrowed her brow in a delicate manner. "Brother Chang, don't talk about fighting and killing all the time. This little sister is but a weak woman, truly frightened. Let's prioritize peace."

Before Chang Ning could speak again, Cai Zhao took a step forward and began to recite loudly, "Brother Zhang San, since we parted at Thousand Autumns Peak, I have not seen your heroic figure for several months. Your little sister misses you dearly, thinking of you day and night, wishing only that your heart is like my heart..."

"Silence!" Yin Sulian's face suddenly changed drastically. She stood up agitatedly and shouted, "Don't you dare recite any more!"

Qi Lingbo's ears were ringing from her mother's shout, and she froze in a daze.

Cai Zhao's smile faded. She said quietly, "Mistress, let's prioritize peace."

Yin Sulian trembled all over. Granny Mao supported her on one side while shouting sternly, "Everyone out! Retreat twenty paces from this hall and stand guard!"

The old woman had great authority. The lackeys indeed all withdrew. The clueless Qi Lingbo tried to struggle but was also pushed out by Granny Mao. Dai Fengchi naturally followed. Chang Ning gave Cai Zhao a deep look and also turned to leave.

Only Yin Sulian, Granny Mao, and Cai Zhao remained in the hall.

"You, where did you see those letters?" Yin Sulian's voice trembled.

Cai Zhao: "How would I have these letters? Naturally, my aunt left them behind."

Granny Mao, however, was much shrewder. "Don't think you can bluff us with just a few words. What letters? We know nothing about them!"

Cai Zhao sighed helplessly. "Alas, if Mistress doesn't believe me, I can recite a few more. This time, I won't use Zhang San—To my dearest Brother Zhizhen, reading this letter is like seeing you in person. A few days ago, I heard you had contracted a slight cough. Your little sister is consumed with worry, unable to rest peacefully day or night. The sickness is in your body, but the pain is in my heart. I have specially prepared some loquat paste with my own hands..."

"Stop reciting!" Yin Sulian roared.

"Mistress's literary talent in her youth was quite good. It's eloquent, sincere, and much better than the eulogy Master read a few days ago." Cai Zhao rubbed her ears. "It's just that the dates on them aren't very good. When you wrote the first few letters, Mistress should have still been engaged to Martial Uncle Qiu Renjie. The later ones are even more damning. At that time, Old Sect Master Yin had just arranged your marriage to Master."

Yin Sulian staggered and fell back into her seat.

Granny Mao gritted her teeth and continued to deny it. "Just a few letters, who knows if they're real or fake. Don't think you've got some huge leverage!"

Cai Zhao: "Whether it's 'just a few' isn't for me to say. Anyway, I'm not the only one who has Mistress's handwriting. Aunt Zhixian has several letters written by Mistress, the Vast Heaven Sect should still have letters Mistress wrote to Lady Qinglian, and I'm sure several madams in the Siqi Sect have some as well. A comparison of the handwriting will reveal the truth."

A murderous glint appeared in Granny Mao's eyes, and her knuckles cracked softly.

Yin Sulian's face was deathly pale. She said weakly, "Cai Pingshu was indeed wary of me from the start. She stole these letters. Was she planning to blackmail me?"

Cai Zhao gave a helpless smile. "You and my aunt knew each other since childhood. Even if you had prejudices against each other, don't you really know in your heart whether my aunt would steal these letters?"

Yin Sulian's face was deathly pale.

"These letters were handed to my aunt by Uncle Zhou himself. You just refuse to believe it."

"No, no, Zhi... Manor Master Zhou is a perfect gentleman. He wouldn't, he wouldn't..." Yin Sulian was still struggling, clutching Granny Mao's arm like a drowning person.

"Uncle Zhou is a gentleman, that's right, but even gentlemen have priorities among their friends and family. In Uncle Zhou's heart, dispelling my aunt's doubts was far more important than keeping your secret, Mistress," Cai Zhao sneered lightly.

Yin Sulian let out a sob and covered her face, weeping.

Granny Mao said in a low voice, "That's because Manor Master Zhou trusted your aunt, knowing she wouldn't spread it around."

Cai Zhao tilted her head and thought for a moment. "...That's true. My aunt isn't that kind of person."

"Then how did you see these letters!" Yin Sulian said anxiously.

Cai Zhao teased, "Mistress, you have a daughter too. Try thinking from my aunt's perspective. With a 'benevolent' elder like you around, could my aunt let me come to the Qingque Sect to become a disciple unarmed?"

"What exactly do you want?" Granny Mao took a step forward, her inner energy flaring around her.

"I don't want anything," Cai Zhao said lightly. "The previous generation's affairs belong to the previous generation, and the next generation's affairs belong to the next. From now on, regarding matters between me, Senior Sister Lingbo, and our fellow martial brothers, I must ask Mistress not to interfere."

...

The golden-red sky dyed the entire Twin Lotus Splendor Pool Palace in an indescribably beautiful hue. Walking back to the Pure Abode, Cai Zhao smelled the fresh fragrance of the surrounding plants and couldn't help but admire the fine scenery.

Unexpectedly, Chang Ning said, "So, did Madam Sulian and Zhou Zhizhen have a secret affair?"

Cai Zhao jumped in fright. "Don't talk nonsense, Uncle Zhou is not that kind of person!"

"Then it was a case of unrequited love."

Cai Zhao deflated. "Did Great Hero Chang tell you this too?"

"I could pretty much guess it." Chang Ning strolled leisurely. "What you recited must have been love letters written by Madam Sulian in her youth, and to the wrong person at that. Before she was married, she was either Qiu Renjie's fiancée or Sect Master Qi's fiancée. If those letters were seen by others, her reputation would be ruined."

Cai Zhao: "Then how do you know she didn't write them to Qiu Renjie or Master?"

"If she had written them to those two, she wouldn't have been so panicked just now," Chang Ning sneered contemptuously.

He continued, "Twenty years ago, there were three of the most famous rising stars in the orthodox Wulin: Song Shijun, Wu Yuanying, and your Uncle Zhou. Song Shijun was engaged to Lady Qinglian early on, and my father said he was a self-absorbed romantic in his youth who attracted many admirers. Madam Sulian often stood up for her sister's sake, so it probably wasn't him."

"Wu Yuanying ran to the Qingque Sect every other day. There were plenty of places on Myriad Waters Thousand Mountains Cliff for a secret rendezvous, so Madam Sulian wouldn't have needed to write letters. That only leaves Manor Master Zhou—"

"In terms of handsome looks and upright character, he was also the best of the three. Besides, only if the letters were written to him could your aunt have possibly obtained them. Heroine Cai was magnanimous her entire life, but in the end, she finally got one over on Yin Sulian. How satisfying." He laughed and clapped his hands.

Cai Zhao was silent for a long time before she said, "You guessed everything right up to the end, but you're wrong about the last part. My aunt didn't give me those letters."

Chang Ning was taken aback. "Then your mother gave them to you for protection."

Cai Zhao shook her head. "Not her either."

She looked up at the magnificent sunset, but her chest felt tight. "I found those letters when I was a child, rummaging through chests and cupboards. I came across them by accident among my aunt's old things."

"Actually, my aunt had long forgotten about these letters. She never once in her life thought of using such things to control people."

"She burned those letters and taught me, 'To coerce people with their private matters is not the act of an upright person.' What I recited just now were just a few pieces I had memorized back then."

Chang Ning gazed at the girl. "But you still used those letters to threaten Yin Sulian."

"Yes."

Cai Zhao stopped walking. Her jet-black eyes were exceptionally calm. "Because I am not my aunt."

The last few lines of her conversation with Yin Sulian surfaced in her mind—

"You really won't say anything as long as the Madam doesn't interfere in your affairs within the sect?"

"That's right."

"How can we believe you? What if you go back on your word? You have to hand over those letters!"

"I will not bring out the letters, so you'd best believe me."

"You..."

"Forget it." Yin Sulian interrupted Granny Mao and looked up at Cai Zhao. "I believe you. you were raised by Cai Pingshu. She only walked the righteous path her whole life, so I believe you."

As the hall doors closed behind her, Cai Zhao heard Granny Mao persuading Yin Sulian—

"Madam, don't you know what kind of person Cai Pingshu is? Relying on her unparalleled martial arts, she disdained threatening people, let alone a weak woman like you, Madam. She would never lay a finger on you, which is why nothing has happened all these years. I suppose if that little girl hadn't come to the Qingque Sect, Cai Pingshu would have never even remembered those letters..."

The golden-red color of the setting sun grew more intense, and all the flowers, grass, and trees lost their own colors.

Cai Zhao laughed self-deprecatingly. "So they knew all along. So they always knew what kind of person my aunt was."

This was the most ridiculous part—Yin Sulian and her ilk didn't hold a grudge against Cai Pingshu because of a misunderstanding. Rather, they knew full well that Cai Pingshu was open and honorable, yet they still detested her, even taking advantage of her integrity.

Chang Ning suddenly understood the bitter anger in the girl's heart.

He looked at the girl's slender, fair nape, extended his long hand, then clenched it into a fist again. "So, what's the use of being angry?"

Cai Zhao was quite surprised to hear Chang Ning's cold and perverse words.

"You're angry, you feel wronged, you feel it's not worth it for your aunt, but what's the use? Yin Sulian is still living just fine."

In the afterglow of the setting sun, Chang Ning's unusually beautiful eyes seemed to have a faint red tint, and his eyelashes were so long they were almost demonic.

"Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things as straw dogs. You either become heaven and earth, or you become a straw dog," he said. "If you have a grudge, get revenge. If you feel wronged, vent it. If you keep all the injustice bottled up inside you, it's useless for anything other than angering yourself to death."

The evening mountain wind made his robes flap loudly. His tall, straight figure stood like a sharp sword thrust between the intensely golden-red heaven and earth, proud and stunning.

At this moment, the act of the cunning and cautious orphan of the Chang Clan trying to protect himself was over.