As they walked out of the funeral home gate, Sui Yuesheng separated from Lawyer Li, but he didn’t rush to leave. Instead, he casually strolled around the Tao family’s backyard as if he were wandering in his own garden.

Tao Zhixing’s will had been announced, and the jade thumb ring was securely on his thumb. Although the will stated that the ancestral home of the Tao family would belong to Tao Fengche, in a sense, this majestic mansion had already become Sui Yuesheng’s property.

The Tao family’s bodyguards were numerous. That day, a large number of them were stationed at the foot of the mountain, at the main and back gates, and at the funeral hall. Consequently, there were fewer patrols inside the courtyard. When they reached a secluded spot, Sui Yuesheng’s subordinate finally spoke up.

“Mr. Sui, was it too conspicuous just now?”

The one who spoke was named Zhou, an alpha male who had been Sui Yuesheng’s assistant since graduation, serving as his confidant. Sui Yuesheng didn’t hide anything from him: “It was intentional. This is necessary to make those who are plotting show their true colors.”

“But won’t they be more cautious after this? It might make our future plans more difficult. Perhaps, in the future…” Assistant Zhou hesitated.

He understood better than anyone how volatile Sui Yuesheng’s temper could be. Even suggestions had to be carefully phrased.

Meanwhile, they had arrived at the back door of the Tao residence. Sui Yuesheng stared outside at the empty space that used to be fenced, seemingly oblivious to the Tao family’s guards standing around him. He sighed deeply.

It had been too long since he last returned, yet the Tao family looked almost unchanged from ten years ago. It wasn’t necessarily good or bad, but it easily triggered distant memories.

Fortunately, it had been demolished here, reminding him that he was now twenty-seven, not seventeen.

… It’s good that it’s demolished. It prevents Tao Fengche from playing with geese again. But after that incident, perhaps the Tao family no longer dares to keep geese. I just wonder if Tao Fengche has learned his lesson.

Sui Yuesheng silently gazed at the empty space. Assistant Zhou didn’t understand why he was so engrossed in an empty space, nor what he was thinking, or why he suddenly sighed and chuckled. Yet, he wisely remained silent.

The reason he stood out and was chosen by Sui Yuesheng as his personal assistant was because he knew how to control his curiosity—what he shouldn’t know, he shouldn’t be curious about. Even if he saw it, he pretended he hadn’t.

Everyone held their breath and dared not disturb them, quietly waiting for Sui Yuesheng to come back to his senses.

Fortunately, this time, he didn’t space out for long.

After a moment, Sui Yuesheng withdrew his gaze and decisively walked towards the main entrance of the Tao residence. He sneered suddenly, “If I were more low-key, these people would obediently put away their unwarranted thoughts and behave like obedient sheep.”

“The only way to make drooling hyenas behave is to pull out their claws and knock out their fangs.” He casually continued, “Don’t forget why I came back to China.”

“Yes!” Assistant Zhou quickly lowered his head, not daring to say more.

Meanwhile, in the Tao family dining room.

That day, Zhao Jiayang joined them for dinner, and the dishes on the table changed to six dishes and one soup. The kitchen did its best and prepared dishes both uncle and nephew liked, but no one had much appetite.

Tao Zhixing’s will was like a bone stuck in their throats; even the most delicious food tasted like wax.

Tao Fengche moved his chopsticks casually, unable to taste anything, but still forced himself to eat half-full. Glancing over, Zhao Jiayang also had a serious face, barely touching his food.

Truly worthy of the old man, commanding the world when alive, arguing at home once he returned; now even in death, he refused to let them live in peace, leaving behind such a will. Tao Fengche wondered what was going through his mind at the time.

He didn’t pick up the food for Zhao Jiayang. He put down his chopsticks and sighed, “Uncle, are you staying here tonight?”

Zhao Jiayang was distracted by his thoughts, but he replied after a while: “No, I have other things to do later.”

Tao Fengche felt a bit disappointed, but he nodded without pressing further.

After dinner, Zhao Jiayang hurried away. The servants cleared the table and cleaned it up silently. Tao Fengche sat on the sofa for a while, feeling a bit dazed and unresponsive.

He had been busy with his father’s funeral arrangements, spinning like a top. Now suddenly idle, he was almost drowned in overwhelming loneliness. The Tao family mansion was like a labyrinth, and behind the door of the bedroom on the third floor of the main house, no one would ever live there again.

Sui Yuesheng did not plan to move into the room where Tao Zhixing had once lived, opting instead to stay in his own former guest room, which lacked a separate study. The study on the third floor would certainly find a new owner.

The era belonging to Tao Zhixing had indeed passed.

… Tao Fengche suddenly felt irritated by this assumption. He furrowed his brow, got up, and walked towards the door.

“Young Master, are you going out?” the butler Xu appeared out of nowhere. “Do you need me to call the driver for you? It’s not very safe outside now; perhaps you should take a few bodyguards with you.”

Tao Fengche shook his head. “I’m going to the shooting range and then to the martial arts hall. I need someone to wait for me there.”

So, he was staying at home after all. Xu Song nodded knowingly and tapped a few keys on his dedicated communication device.

When Tao Fengche arrived at the shooting range, having finished his post-meal digestion, everything was set up. He stood calmly fifty meters away, took out his pistol, and began firing continuously at the target. The electronic scorer beside him rapidly counted his hits, but he paid it no mind, relentlessly shooting a hundred rounds before finally stopping.

The recoil from the 9.1mm pistol was intense, and firing a hundred rounds continuously was quite a burden for Tao Fengche. He placed the gun on the table and silently stretched his numb wrist and sore shoulder.

“Young Master, eighty-three bullseyes, and the remaining seventeen are between 9.5 and 9.9 points,” the person standing next to him quickly praised. “In just a few days, Young Master’s marksmanship has improved significantly.”

“Hmm.” Tao Fengche nodded without much reaction.

When he was eight years old, he had come to the shooting range with Sui Yuesheng for the first time. It was their first encounter with firearms; he pitifully scored only three points, while Sui Yuesheng was already hitting within the nine-point range. He was truly a natural talent with guns.

He recalled a few hours ago when Sui Yuesheng skipped aiming and directly fired a shot into Elder Sun’s chest, blooming white. If it were him, he doubted he could have been so certain.

This person’s marksmanship had reached an extraordinary level; if possible, he really wanted to come to the shooting range with him again and compete.

This thought was abrupt and quickly suppressed by Tao Fengche—he didn’t need any comparison. This man now seemed to not even recognize him, yet they used to play together when they were kids.

… It was also possible that he had only been a playmate to him. Perhaps for Sui Yuesheng, playing with him was just a task assigned by Tao Zhixing. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have left without any sentimentality.

In the past ten years, this person had completely disappeared, not even saying a word to him.

Tao Fengche suddenly felt deflated and went downstairs to the martial arts hall on the first floor, where he began sparring with the guards who had been waiting there since early.

After all, he was still a young man, and compared to the well-trained guards, Tao Fengche was still quite slender. Although the sparring was not to the death, the guards didn’t hold back either. Tao Fengche was thoroughly beaten by them all night, finally using some skill to bring one of them down.

“I’m done.” Tao Fengche waved his hand and wiped the sweat that was almost reaching his eyes, breathless.

He felt like he had just been pulled out of water; the guard was somewhat concerned. “Should I call the doctor?”

“No need, you didn’t go all out.” Tao Fengche shrugged indifferently and walked back to the residence.

After intense exercise, his attention was fully focused on his sore muscles, and his mind was cleared of clutter. Having achieved his goal, Tao Fengche seemed much more relaxed, and after a simple wash, he went to bed.

Since hearing about Tao Zhixing’s accident, he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep. Now enveloped by the soft and fluffy bedding, it felt like lying on a cloud compared to leaning against the coffin.

He instantly relaxed, almost falling asleep as soon as he closed his eyes.

However, he did not have the peaceful night’s sleep he had hoped for. At three in the morning, he woke up drenched in cold sweat, breathing heavily, his heart pounding. It took him a while leaning against the bedpost to finally calm down.

Whether it was because of meeting Sui Yuesheng during the day or because of his fluctuating emotions, he had been dreaming all night long. But they were not good dreams.

In tonight’s dream, Sui Yuesheng repeatedly met various bizarre and gruesome deaths, each more horrifying than the last, with blood and flesh scattered, almost unrecognizable. In the final instance, a serial killer chased them both relentlessly, sawing Sui Yuesheng into a pile of flesh mush before finally turning the saw towards Tao Fengche.

Watching the sharp teeth of the saw rolling in front of him and feeling as if glued to the spot, unable to move, was an incredibly uncomfortable feeling.

Tao Fengche unconsciously moved his limbs to confirm that he had successfully returned to reality with all limbs intact and his body unharmed. Only then did he turn over and go to the bathroom to wash his face.

While wiping the water droplets from his face with a towel, he suddenly remembered that many years ago, when Sui Yuesheng was still at the Tao family, he had also had nightmares.