Under the night sky, Funiu Mountain loomed like a giant beast with its bloody maw wide open, as if ready to swallow the tiny mountain village at any moment.

The full moon bathed everything in its glow, illuminating the dirt road beneath their feet.

Qiao Xin led her three adopted sons to a secluded hollow behind the mountain. They walked in silence, each lost in thought, until they stopped in front of an unremarkable mound of earth.

Qiao Yunxin had known this place since he was a child.

Every year, during the ancestral rites, Qiao Xin would bring them here to bow and burn paper offerings.

But who was buried here?

Every time they asked, Qiao Xin would either avoid the question or remain silent.

Now, why had she brought them here at this late hour?

Qiao Xin lit a candle and burned some yellow paper, murmuring to herself, “Since you chose to leave, I will now live my life according to my own will.”

Then, she stood up, tossed a hoe onto the ground before them, and pointed at the mound.

“Dig.”

Qiao Yunxin and Qiao Yunting stared at their mother in shock.

What?!

She dragged them out here in the middle of the night… just to dig up a grave?

“What is this about, Mother?”

“Nothing much. You’ve always wanted to know what’s buried here. Tonight, I will show you. Once it’s uncovered, everything will be clear.”

“Wait—so it’s not a person buried here?”

“Just a deception to mislead others.”

Qiao Xin was nearly driven to tears by how slow her sons were to understand. Where had their usual cleverness gone?

She didn’t explain further. Instead, she picked up the hoe and started digging.

Seeing this, Qiao Yunxin immediately took over. If their mother wanted them to dig, then they would dig.

Qiao Yunting glanced at his older brother before grabbing a shovel to help.

Only Qiao Yunqing remained motionless. His expression was unreadable, and beneath his sleeves, his fists clenched tightly.

His foster mother… had been acting strangely. Something about her was fundamentally different.

No—she had been different ever since she stepped into the house.

This wasn’t the woman he had known growing up.

But if she wasn’t the same person, how did she know what was buried here?

In his past life, their true origins had only been gradually revealed when they reached the capital.

Qiao Yunqing’s gaze darkened, but he knew he couldn’t act recklessly. He still couldn’t tell if this person was a friend or a foe.

He might have resented his foster mother, but he had never wanted her dead.

For now, he would wait and see.

After a dozen strikes of the hoe, Qiao Yunxin finally felt something hard beneath the soil.

With a thud, his hoe struck a solid object.

He looked up at his mother, but she gave no response. So, he kept digging.

Soon, they unearthed a three-foot-wide black chest.

Qiao Xin exhaled in relief. So, the original owner of her body hadn’t deceived her.

…

In the dim light of an oil lamp, the small mud-brick house was barely illuminated.

Qiao Xin sat silently on the earthen bed in the side room.

The three brothers had all taken a seat, but their attention remained fixed on the wooden chest before them.

Unable to hold back his curiosity, Qiao Yunting spoke first.

“Mother, stop keeping us in suspense. Just tell us—what’s inside this box?”

The eerie silence was broken.

Without answering, Qiao Xin reached for the rusted lock.

With a click, it snapped open.

She lifted the lid and laid out the items on the bed.

Then, she placed a delicate baby swaddle in Qiao Yunting’s hands.

Her next words left him completely frozen.

“The first time I saw you, you were wrapped in this swaddle. You were just a tiny baby, bundled up in someone’s arms, starved for who knows how long. Your little face was frozen blue and purple, yet you didn’t cry. If not for the faint rise and fall of your chest, I would have thought you were dead.”

“I brought you home and kept you in my arms day and night for three months just to warm you up. You barely survived on rice porridge. You were always afraid of being left alone, following me everywhere until you were ten years old.”

Qiao Yunting clutched the swaddle, looking between his brothers and Qiao Xin, but when he opened his mouth, he found himself unable to speak.

What… did this mean?

Was he not her real son?

Qiao Xin ignored his reaction.

She pointed at the other items and turned to Qiao Yunxin and Qiao Yunqing.

“Yunxin, when you and Yunqing came to me, one of you was five, and the other wasn’t even two. I don’t know if you two are blood brothers, but I had you address each other as siblings anyway. These were the clothes and accessories you had on when I found you. Keep them well.”

Qiao Yunxin took it better than his younger brother.

After all, he had been five when Qiao Xin took him in, and he had some vague memories.

What he hadn’t expected was for her to suddenly bring up his past after all these years.

He had long given up on finding his birth family.

After all, he had seen his real mother die with his own eyes.

To him, Qiao Xin was his only mother.

“Mother, I know. I survived only because of you. No one else matters.”

But Qiao Xin immediately shattered his illusions.

“I didn’t give birth to you. Whether or not you want to find out the truth should be your decision—not mine.”

Qiao Yunqing suddenly lifted his head and stared at her.

After a long pause, he spoke slowly.

“But we were raised by you and Grandfather. That’s an undeniable fact. The kindness of raising us is greater than the bond of birth. Aren’t you afraid that if we find a better family, we will abandon you?”

Qiao Xin met his gaze without hesitation.

“The relationship between parents and children is a journey of growing apart. Whatever the outcome, I will accept it. I will no longer restrict your freedom or hold you back. From now on, you may live as you choose.”

Qiao Yunting was still struggling to process the shocking revelation.

After a long silence, he finally found his voice.

“How… how is this possible?”

“Yunting, no mother would willingly give up the children she raised. But I must face reality.”

“Look carefully at what you’re holding. Do you think a family like ours could ever afford something like this?”

“You’ve grown up barely eating enough to fill your stomach. Do you think we could have owned such fine Sichuan brocade?”

“Maybe Grandfather bought it?” Qiao Yunting protested instinctively.

“Your grandfather was a mere escort at first. He only became a hunter after taking you all in. Do you know how much that brocade costs? Ten gold pieces per foot! The silk and embroidery on Yunxin and Yunqing’s clothes are all of the highest quality. And these jade pendants—anyone can see that they are priceless.”

Qiao Yunqing suddenly asked, “Why are you telling us this now? Everything was fine before.”

Qiao Xin shook her head tiredly.

“Because someone is looking for you again.”

“We already moved once to escape them. Back then, you were still small, your grandfather was ill, and your so-called adoptive father was long gone.

“I was just a woman with three children and an elderly man. I didn’t dare to gamble on human nature. I had no choice but to flee here.

“But now, you’ve all grown up. You have the strength to protect yourselves and the wisdom to distinguish right from wrong.

“There’s no point in running anymore.

“If it’s a blessing, we’ll accept it.

“If it’s a disaster, we can’t avoid it forever.

“It’s time to face the truth.”