The next day came particularly fast, catching Yin Yin off guard.

She hurriedly bid farewell to Yin Dongjiang and set off with Ling Long.

Just as she was about to step out the gate, Sang Ze came chasing out from the courtyard, “Big Sister Beauty, where are you going?”

Yin Yin looked at Sang Ze with a hint of surprise. “I’m going out to look for someone.”

“Looking for someone?” Sang Ze’s gaze shifted to Ling Long. “With him?”

Yin Yin nodded. “Yes.”

Sang Ze clung tightly to Yin Yin’s arm, looking like his wife was about to be stolen away. “I want to go too!”

“Heiwa, stop fooling around!” Sang Mei came huffing and puffing from the back courtyard. “You still have to go to school.”

At the mention of school, Yin Yin finally noticed that Sang Ze had changed out of his tattered clothes and his face had been washed clean. His large, dark eyes sparkled and rolled around with energy.

What a lively little cutie!

“I don’t want to go to school. I want to stay with Big Sister Beauty!” Sang Ze began to whine in despair.

“You little rascal! Why are you so unruly?”

Faced with Sang Mei’s scolding, Sang Ze only wore a look that said ‘a dead pig fears no scalding water.’

Yin Yin thought for a moment, then said, “Let Heiwa come with us. He probably hasn’t been to many places before, has he? This can be a trip for him to explore the world.”

Only after speaking did she recall that this so-called ‘trip’ was actually led by Ling Long. She turned to look at him. “Is that okay?”

Ling Long considered it briefly, then nodded.

Sang Ze immediately cheered with joy. And so, two adults and one little tagalong began their thrilling journey.

Behind them, a shadowy figure lurked, flitting in and out of sight.

────ρя


According to ‘historical records’ in 《All Splendor Fades》, Ling Long’s journey to find Jia Renyi lasted several months.

The reason? He was going about it the wrong way.

It was in this kind of situation that Yin Yin’s advantage became apparent since she had spoilers.

Although Ling Long had a powerful intelligence network, Jia Renyi was no fool standing around waiting to be caught.

Every time they got close, Jia Renyi would slip away just in time.

Only after hitting wall after wall for months did Ling Long manage to track down Jia Qing, Jia Renyi’s disciple, and through him, finally meet his target.

But now, with knowledge of the plot, Yin Yin naturally wouldn’t let Ling Long waste months going in circles.

While sitting in a restaurant, Yin Yin casually picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork rib and placed it in her bowl. She asked as if without much thought, “Young Master Lin, where do you plan to look for Jia Renyi?”

Ling Long set down his teacup. “I heard that Jia Renyi was last seen at Qingmang Mountain.”

Qingmang Mountain?

Wasn’t that where Jia Qing was based?

Yin Yin’s eyes lit up, and she played along, saying, “Did you know Jia Renyi has a disciple?”

Ling Long gave her a meaningful look. “I do. But how did Miss Yin come to know that?”

“Uh……” Yin Yin’s brow twitched. “Rumors from the Jianghu.”

Ling Long looked away and said lightly, “That’s not something well-known in the Jianghu.”

Yin Yin gave an awkward smile. “I just happen to be one of the few who knows.”

Ling Long chuckled and said no more.

Sang Ze picked up some shredded pork with green peppers and placed it in Yin Yin’s bowl. “Big Sister Beauty, don’t just talk. Eat more.”

Ling Long gave him a faint glance, which Sang Ze returned with a fierce glare.

Unfortunately, paired with his rosy, cherubic face, his fierce look only made him seem more ridiculous than threatening.

Yin Yin still felt a little awkward hearing Sang Ze call her Big Sister Beauty. She said, “Heiwa, don’t call me that anymore.”

Sang Ze blinked his eyes, then grinned with his missing front tooth. “Then I’ll call you Master from now on!”

Yin Yin didn’t object.

She then looked at Ling Long again. “Young Master Lin, you shouldn’t call me Miss Yin either. It sounds too distant.”

Ling Long considered it and then called out, “Yinyin.”

Because ‘Yinyin’ and ‘Yin Yin’ sounded the same, Yin Yin didn’t catch the subtle difference.

She nodded and cautiously asked, “Then I’ll call you…… Ling Long?”

“Mm.” Ling Long nodded as well.

Yin Yin suddenly felt inexplicably happy and called out cheerfully, “Ling Long.”

“Hm?”

“Ling Long.”

“What is it?”

“Ling Long.”

“……”

Ling Long lowered his head and drank his tea.

Sang Ze grew unhappy. “Master, call me too!”

“Heiwa.”

“……”

He hated his nickname for the first time ever.

Yin Yin ate a few more mouthfuls of rice and then looked at Ling Long again. “Do you know what kind of person Jia Renyi is?”

Ling Long carefully placed a piece of stir-fried tomato and egg into his own bowl. “Highly skilled in martial arts. A solitary man. Moody and unpredictable.”

“Oh.” Yin Yin bit her chopsticks. “But I heard he’s especially fond of his disciple.”

“Another rumor from the Jianghu?”

“That was my conclusion through careful analysis.”

“Still sounds like a rumor.”

“……”

So that meant even rumors were more trustworthy than her wisdom?

Yin Yin stuffed a pork rib into her mouth in frustration, only to look up and see an unexpected figure.

Fang Li.

Fang Li had long since lost the radiance of their first meeting. It was as if a dark cloud loomed constantly above his head, casting him in deep gloom.

But the gloom that had clouded the atmosphere was suddenly split open by a beam of light when he saw Yin Yin.

“It’s you!” Fang Li dashed forward like an arrow, his speech nearly incoherent with excitement, “You— I actually ran into you again! Heaven truly has eyes!”

Yin Yin, after her initial surprise, quickly regained her composure. She looked at Fang Li and asked calmly, “Do we know each other?”

“Know each other?!” Fang Li’s expression twisted into something almost grotesque. “We nearly became husband and wife!”

Ling Long frowned almost imperceptibly. Yin Yin cast a glance at Fang Li and said coolly, “So you’re the one who tried to scam a marriage.”

“Scam a marriage?” Fang Li sneered. “Who’s scamming who here? I don’t have time to argue with you. Just give me back my money!”

Yin Yin chuckled. “When did I ever owe you money?”

“You still dare to deny it?! My five thousand taels!”

“You’re saying I owe you five thousand taels?”

“Exactly!”

Yin Yin let out a derisive laugh and looked at Fang Li with a touch of arrogance. “Do you even know who I am?”

“I don’t care who you are! Whoever you are, you still owe me five thousand taels!”

All the guests in the restaurant were now staring at them. Yin Yin stood up and pulled out a token bearing the insignia of Yin Manor, given to her by Yin Dongjiang before she left. “I am Yin Yin, the eldest miss of Yin Manor. And you say I owe you five thousand taels? Ha, why don’t you go outside and shout it out? Let’s see who’ll believe you.”

The two gilded words ‘Yin Manor’ struck Fang Li dumb. Even he couldn’t believe the claim that such a powerful family owed him money.

Yin Yin looked at the frozen Fang Li and smiled mockingly. “People like you, coming to Yin Manor to bluff and deceive— we get that every day. It’s not surprising anymore.”

A chorus of realization rippled through the crowd as they began pointing fingers at Fang Li.

Fang Li’s face turned crimson with frustration. He had never met someone who could lie so blatantly and confidently. “You— You’re the real liar here!”

“I’m the liar?” Yin Yin raised her brows, amusement dancing in her beautiful eyes. “Then let’s go to the yamen^[1]the administrative office or residence of a local bureaucrat and let the officials decide.”

“You— You—” Fang Li, usually sharp-tongued, could now barely stammer a word.

He had always stayed far away from the authorities. There was no way he’d walk into the yamen on his own.

Now he finally understood what it meant to swallow bitter medicine in silence. He had no way to refute her.

Watching Fang Li flounder, the corners of Yin Yin’s lips lifted higher. She leaned closer and whispered in his ear, “Consider it a lesson. I assume that five thousand taels wasn’t all your savings, right? Why not use the rest to do some honest business?”

Fang Li’s face contorted with fury, his features scrunched together. Staring at the girl’s innocent-looking smile, his teeth ground together audibly. “Fine! I admit defeat this time! Just don’t let me see you again!”

Yin Yin smirked. “And don’t let me catch you cheating people again. Or I’ll really have you thrown into prison.”

Fang Li, his stomach full of resentment with nowhere to vent, kicked over the chair in front of him and stormed out of the restaurant with bloodshot eyes.

At the doorway, Du Qianqian watched his retreating figure, her brows tightly furrowed.

She had been secretly following Yin Yin and Ling Long. She’d run into Fang Li by chance on the street and deliberately lured him to the restaurant where Yin Yin was eating, intending to expose her in public. But she hadn’t expected Yin Yin to handle it so effortlessly.

She was unwilling to accept it.

In her previous life, it had been she who accompanied Ling Long to find Jia Renyi. Yin Yin had only tagged along, clinging shamelessly. But now, in this life, it was she who followed them in secret.

Things weren’t supposed to be this way!

Had heaven brought her back just to witness how Ling Long fell in love with Yin Yin?

No. She absolutely wouldn’t let Ling Long fall for Yin Yin.

Yin Yin must pay for everything she has done in the past!

Yin Yin suddenly shivered. She looked up at the blazing sun above and was momentarily speechless.

Was Fang Li’s resentment that strong?

She shook her head and sat back down in her seat.

Sang Ze looked at her with eyes full of admiration. “Master, you were amazing! That swindler looked like he was about to vomit blood!”

Yin Yin shrugged indifferently. “I only used half my strength ╮(╯_╰)╭”

Even Ling Long couldn’t help but comment, “I’ve met many people in my life, but few can twist right and wrong as skillfully as you.”

Yin Yin’s lips curled up. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

The rest of the meal passed in silence. Ling Long was never talkative, and Sang Ze focused all his energy on gnawing duck necks.

Yin Yin glanced at Ling Long, then cleared her throat. “Ahem, I think we should go find Jia Qing first.”

Ling Long lifted her eyes and asked flatly, “Reason?”

“Because he’s our stepping stone.”

Jia Qing, the stepping stone, had long been reclusive in Qingmang Mountain. Like his master Jia Renyi, he lived a solitary life and disliked socializing.

Yet, ironically, he was a physician.

Unlike Jia Renyi who was obsessed with martial arts, Jia Qing devoted all his energy to the art of healing.

Jia Renyi had spent years trying to coax him into martial arts, all to no avail.

Whenever he thought about it, Jia Renyi could only sigh endlessly.

What a waste of such fine bones and tendons!

────ρя


To get to Qingmang Mountain, they first had to pass through Shigu Town.

Shigu Town was a small village at the foot of Qingmang Mountain, inhabited by honest folks, most of whom lived off the land.

After nearly half a month of travel, Yin Yin and Ling Long finally arrived at the town’s entrance.

Staring at the stone slab etched with ‘Shigu Town’, Yin Yin felt so emotional she almost cried.

Finally! Any longer and her feet would’ve given out!

She swore to herself that once she returned to Yin Manor, she’d persuade Yin Dongjiang to invest in road construction and build a highway straight to Lhasa^[2]the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region!

“Boss, bring us a pot of tea!” Yin Yin couldn’t wait to collapse into a seat under a small roadside tea shed, massaging her aching feet.

“Coming right up~” The tea vendor briskly brought over a pot of tea and water, then asked curiously, “You heading to Shigu Town?”

“Yes.” Yin Yin nodded.

The vendor’s expression instantly turned strange.

Yin Yin blinked. “What’s wrong?”

The vendor hesitated, then warned, “I advise you not to go.”

“Why?”

He swallowed and lowered his voice, “I heard that it’s haunted over there!”