"Miss Xue," Jin Qing asked upon seeing Xue Xingyue's arrival.
Xue Xingyue glanced at Feng Jiu beside her. Feng Jiu handed over a jade pendant and asked Jin Qing, "Do you recognize this jade pendant?"
Jin Qing looked at the jade pendant for a long time. Suddenly remembering something, his gaze paused slightly, and he said, "Miss Xue, where did you get this jade pendant?"
Seeing Jin Qing's anxious expression, Xue Xingyue's eyes lingered for a moment and she said, "Someone brought this jade pendant to find me yesterday."
"What else did he say?" Jin Qing asked urgently.
Xue Xingyue slowly replied, "He said he is your elder brother."
Jin Qing leaned his head against the pillow, tears streaming down his face. He murmured to himself, "It really is Elder Brother. He's really back."
"Jin Qing, is he really your elder brother? But didn't you say there were only you and Jin Xuan?" Xue Xingyue asked.
Jin Qing replied, "Miss Xue, you don't know, but Elder Brother left home when he was young and hadn't returned for years. Our parents thought he had met with misfortune, so I, too, believed Elder Brother was no more."
Hearing this, Xue Xingyue realized that these flowers matched what that man had said.
"He's back today. Do you want to see him?" Xue Xingyue asked.
Jin Qing nodded. "Yes, I want to see him."
At this moment, a voice sounded from outside the door. Feng Wu walked in and came to her side, saying, "Master, that person has arrived."
Xue Xingyue nodded, looking at Jin Qing and saying, "He's here. I'll go and see."
Jin Qing nodded. As Xue Xingyue stepped out of Jin Qing's room, she saw the man standing under a tree. He stood with his hands behind his back, his figure as straight as a pine tree, his dark hair flowing behind him, swaying slightly in the breeze.
Xue Xingyue found such a person to be somewhat mysterious.
As if sensing her footsteps, the man turned around. He still had that incredibly ordinary face, but this ordinary face was framed by eyes that shone like stars, extremely brilliant, as if a galaxy converged within them, dazzling and resplendent.
A cool aura seemed to emanate from him. Such a person could not be ordinary.
"I have met Your Highness," the man said, stepping forward and bowing slightly.
Xue Xingyue looked at him and suddenly said, "Have we met before?"
The man smiled faintly, the corners of his lips lifting slightly, like a spring breeze caressing the face, gentle and warm.
"When we were in Zhen Wu Guan, I had the honor of meeting Your Highness, but perhaps Your Highness does not remember," the man said.
Xue Xingyue replied, "May I know this young master's name?"
"My name is Yu Ze," the man said slowly.
"Young Master Yu, Jin Qing is in his room, and Jin Xuan has already fallen asleep, so I'm afraid you can only see Jin Qing first," Xue Xingyue said.
Yu Ze nodded. "Then I trouble Your Highness."
After saying this, he bowed to Xue Xingyue and walked into the room.
Feng Jiu walked over and asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, should I listen to what they are saying?"
Xue Xingyue shook her head. "No need."
After the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, Yu Ze walked out. He bowed to Xue Xingyue and said, "I have heard some of what Jin Qing said. Thanks to Your Highness's rescue, I was able to meet Jin Qing. I owe Your Highness a favor. Should Your Highness have any requests one day, I will surely fulfill them."
Xue Xingyue heard this and said, "Thank you, Young Master Yu."
Yu Ze suddenly stepped forward. The distance between them, which was already not much, became even closer, only one step apart. Xue Xingyue could feel the cool aura emanating from him. "Your Highness, I will fulfill what I promised you earlier."
Xue Xingyue was startled. By the time she reacted, Yu Ze had already left.
She frowned slightly. This Yu Ze was not simple.
At midnight, Xue Xingyue, dressed in night-blooming clothes, left her room and headed towards Elder Master Jiang's courtyard. She landed at the entrance and heard no sounds from within. She felt a bit suspicious. Could it be that everything Yu Ze said was false? That he wasn't coming to assassinate Elder Master Jiang?
Just as Xue Xingyue was about to leave, she heard a low voice beside her, "Your Highness, are you looking for me?"
She stiffened, turned around, and saw a man in black standing before her. The man removed the veil covering his face; it was Yu Ze.
Xue Xingyue asked, "When did you arrive?"
Yu Ze replied, "I just arrived."
Hearing this, Xue Xingyue frowned. If he had just arrived, why hadn't she detected him? But if he had arrived earlier, why hadn't she noticed him?
This person's martial arts were either superior to hers or evenly matched.
"Your Highness, have you come to witness me kill someone?" Yu Ze asked, his star-like eyes flashing as he looked at her.
Xue Xingyue was slightly taken aback. She wanted to say no, but if she said no, Yu Ze likely wouldn't believe her, especially since she was present.
"Have you acted?" Xue Xingyue asked.
Yu Ze replied, "Elder Master Jiang is not here."
Xue Xingyue was stunned and looked at Yu Ze. "You say Elder Master Jiang is not in this room?"
Yu Ze nodded. Then, with a wave of his hand, the door opened. Xue Xingyue looked inside; it was pitch black, and she couldn't see anything. She stepped forward, and a faint light appeared behind her. She turned around to see Yu Ze holding a candle.
Yu Ze said, "Your Highness, please."
Although Xue Xingyue was curious why Yu Ze was carrying a candle, she was more concerned about where Elder Master Jiang had gone. She walked into the room and saw that the quilt on the bed was neatly arranged. No one had slept there.
"Where is he?" Xue Xingyue asked.
Yu Ze shook his head and said, "I don't know either."
Xue Xingyue looked around the room and her gaze fell on a landscape painting on the wall. It was a very crude painting, lacking any aesthetic appeal.
She walked over and gently touched the painting. Suddenly, when she touched a mountain peak, she heard a sound from behind the painting. She froze and exchanged a look with Yu Ze. Yu Ze stepped forward and took down the painting, revealing a secret door. Her touch on the mountain peak in the painting had coincidentally activated the mechanism for the secret door.
Yu Ze pushed the door, and it suddenly opened. He stepped inside, and Xue Xingyue followed closely. The hidden candles on both sides were then lit.
It was a long passage. The further they went, the colder it became. Suddenly, Yu Ze stopped in front. Xue Xingyue also stopped. "Someone's here," Yu Ze whispered.
Xue Xingyue stepped forward a few paces and pressed herself against the wall. Indeed, she could hear voices.
The two exchanged a look and then slowly moved forward. In front, the candlelight was bright, and a voice from within could be heard, "Father, Princess Xingyue has rendered me incapable of procreation. I must have revenge for this."
Xue Xingyue's gaze turned cold. It was Jiang Xifeng.