Chapter 1

A breeze passed by.

The dry leaves on Little Barren Mountain were swept up by the wind. The air in the capital was dry in late autumn, and the moisture in the leaves had dried up. The leaves were withered and curled together, making a crisp rustling sound.

Several dry leaves slapped Song Ci's cheeks, dry and brittle.

And the harsh and unpleasant crowing echoing on the mountain was all reminding him—

This was all real.

Little Lu.

Had really come back.

Song Ci had wondered more than once what he would say if Little Lu came back one day... when they met again.

But when the moment really came, none of his previous expectations were useful. His mind was blank, and he couldn't even remember a single word of the lines he had rehearsed in front of the mirror.

The late autumn mountaintop, the flying dry leaves, this scene was frozen in place, permeated with a faint sadness.

No one spoke, and so the mountaintop was silent.

The red-haired woman with her hair tied up, remained motionless, slowly kowtowing to the wooden monument. During the entire process, the only sound on the mountaintop was the rustling of the dry leaves being swept up.

After the ritual, Nan Jin picked up her scabbard and stood up. She lowered her eyes, pressed down on the hilt of the knife under her windbreaker, and slowly walked back the way she had come.

"Excuse me."

A voice devoid of emotion.

The Madam did not move. She stood in front of her younger sister, looking at the stubborn face, her eyes full of her own past.

"Ten years have passed..."

Lu Nanzhi asked softly, "I thought you wouldn't come back this year either."

"Does it make a difference?"

Nan Jin raised her head, "Does it make a difference to you whether I come back or not, whether I'm dead or alive?"

"You are my sister."

The Madam spoke again, but her voice was interrupted the next second.

"I'm not..." Nan Jin shook her head, "I erased my surname, severing my connection with you from my name. From the day I left the capital, I was no longer your sister."

"But you are still a member of the Lu family." Lu Nanzhi frowned, trying to keep her tone calm and gentle.

"Yes... Erasing the surname doesn't mean anything. Of course, I'm still a member of the Lu family, because I've been investigating the Lion Lane tragedy for ten years. I still remember Old Lu lying in a pool of blood, I still remember the alley filled with spectators, I still remember the grief and anger that all this brought me. I searched all over Dongzhou, looking for the truth, looking for evidence, just because I am a member of the Lu family." Nan Jin raised her head, her eyes full of dim anger, and she coldly questioned, word by word: "But, are, you?"

Lu Nanzhi was stunned.

She opened her mouth, a thousand words choked in her throat, but she couldn't say a single word at this moment.

"I once had such a sister, she was a genius that everyone looked up to, with rich and outstanding talent, unmatched courage, and countless virtues."

Nan Jin slowly said, "I once regarded her as an idol in my heart, trying my best to become such an excellent person... But later I realized, I was wrong. All this is a superficial facade, she is not worthy of my respect."

"What have you done since Old Lu died?"

Nan Jin questioned coldly and forcefully: "After the Lu family was overthrown, who was the biggest winner? Do you know what people are saying in the streets? Even a ten-year-old child can see the 'truth', can't you see it? You are my sister, how could you... collude with the Zhao family who swallowed the Flower Banner!"

After saying these words, she turned slightly, brushed past Lu Nanzhi, and walked down the mountain alone.

From the moment Nan Jin erupted in anger, the Madam didn't say another word.

She fell into silence.

Quiet and wooden, like a wooden figure.

Every question from Nan Jin was like a bullet, hitting her heart, and she just stood there silently, enduring it all.

Standing on the last stone step on the top of the mountain, she could just see her father's memorial tablet.

"Madam... are you alright?"

After hearing these words, Song Ci's expression was very complicated.

Lu Nanzhi waved her hand, indicating that she was fine. From beginning to end, her expression didn't change much, because the accusations just now were nothing. She had experienced more intense words and more heart-wrenching attacks... But if someone carefully observed the Madam's expression, they would notice that when Nan Jin left resolutely, a fleeting moment of sadness flowed in her eyes, but it was quickly concealed.

"Since she's willing to come back to the capital, it's a good thing." She took a light breath, her voice a little hoarse, "You and Nan Jin are old friends, go after her, don't let her leave like this."

"...Yes."

The crow sighed in his heart, and he ran down the mountain with all his might.

On the desolate little mountain, only Lu Nanzhi was left.

She came to her father's grave, took out a small bottle of wine from her bosom, and slowly poured it in front of the wooden tablet. The dry leaves were wetted, and there was a faint sound of wind roaring. This was the Lion's Wake wine brewed by Lu Cheng. With each use, a little less remained. Some of it was kept by Song Ci, and the other part was collected by Lu Nanzhi, and only some would be poured during the annual tomb sweeping and worship.

The wooden tablet, engraved with "An Unknown Person, Lu Cheng," which had drunk the Lion's Wake wine, turned bright red.

That was the spiritual element burning logic and rules.

It looked like someone had opened their eyes, silently meeting Lu Nanzhi's gaze.

"Father... have you seen it? Nan Jin is back, and she's grown up too."

The Madam spoke softly, with a little more gentle smile on her face: "But she's still the same as before, stubborn and persistent... Actually, I'm quite happy for her. It's not easy to leave for ten years and not be changed by the environment."

"She still can't understand what I'm doing."

"Can't understand... what you and I were working so hard for."

"But I believe that day will come soon."

Lu Nanzhi gently sipped the Lion's Wake wine, her cheeks flushed slightly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

"Another year has passed, and everyone is desperately searching for the 'key'... Without the 'key', the conference room in the deep sea area could be overturned at any time, and the people in the conference room don't dare to show their true faces." She smiled wryly, "Sometimes I myself doubt, does the 'key' really exist? Could all this be a huge lie?"

The red light of the stone tablet flickered like blinking eyes.

No one could give her an answer.

"Just at the last meeting... someone said he had already found the 'key' and sent it to the city where I am..."

Lu Nanzhi chuckled softly and said, "It's just that the 'Red Gate' didn't sense it, and that 031 person doesn't seem very reliable... But it doesn't matter, this is not the first time I've been full of hope and returned disappointed... We can still persevere for many years, but the deep sea is evolving too fast, I'm afraid there's not much time left."

Only in front of this wooden tablet did the Madam seem like a little girl.

She could pour out her heart and be without any scruples.

"By the way, there's another piece of news, very important..."

"The vacant council seat is about to begin its nomination process."

When she said these words, there was no joy in Lu Nanzhi's eyes, only ridicule, "Zhao Xilai finally couldn't hold on any longer. As long as I agree to the implementation of the Awakening Act, I can take the council seat in the capital smoothly."

She mustered up her courage and spoke earnestly to her father.

"But... I don't want to agree."