Several hours before Xie Yi’s death.
The sun was setting, the moon yet to rise, and the evening glow stained the horizon crimson.
Inside the main courtyard of the Shangguan family estate, Shangguan Qiuyue, who had been unconscious for days, had just awakened.
Leaning against the wall, she sat up, her eyes heavy with sleep and her face marked by exhaustion.
By the bedside, Lin Yayue gently stirred a bowl of millet porridge with a spoon.
She scooped up a spoonful, blew on it lightly, and then offered it forward.
The young girl had a sensitive tongue and couldn’t eat anything too hot, so this mother had already gotten used to this ritual before feeding her.
“Qiuyue, try this,”
Lin Yayue said with indulgence in her eyes, confirming the porridge was cool enough before bringing it closer.
“I added some sweet potato inside. You like it.”
Noticing her mother’s worn and weary face, the girl, who had intended to shake her head, instead leaned in naturally and opened her mouth to take a bite from the spoon, swallowing the porridge.
“Delicious, Mother, thank you…”
She ate a few more spoonfuls, her face bright with a gentle smile.
Yet inside, her heart was tangled with complexity.
To be honest, she had little appetite now.
The image of Yun Mu kneeling on the ground, picking up scattered coins, was etched deep in her mind, refusing to fade.
The harsh words from passersby only made her feel suffocated, stirring her thoughts.
The hardships Yun Mu had endured in the Shangguan household over the years—could what she had done possibly make up for them?
The boy didn’t eat well, so she occasionally stole some snacks for him.
Still, what he normally ate was always extremely lacking in nutrition.
He remained painfully thin, and his stature was barely any different from hers, a twelve-year-old girl.
His clothes were poor, so she learned sewing from her mother and secretly mended some clothes for him, but they were too large and hindered his work, so he barely wore them.
His sleeping conditions were bad.
She had pleaded with her father many times but was refused for various reasons, leaving the issue unresolved.
And not to mention, the boy was often beaten when she didn’t know, sometimes even because of her.
Though he was always treated afterward, healed by medicine, was this kind of after-the-fact repair really enough?
She didn’t know, and the worry in her chest was suffocating.
“Mother, is Xiao Mu… Yun Mu still alright?”
Shangguan Qiuyue’s voice trembled.
She clearly remembered the scene of the boy being kicked to the ground by Shangguan Ce.
Coupled with her own illness, if others exaggerated the story, Yun Mu would surely be beaten again.
“Yun Mu? That child came to see you some time ago, but…”
Lin Yayue hesitated briefly, “after he heard you were safe, he left. He looked fine, don’t worry.”
She concealed the boy’s injuries.
“He came to see me… He really is something. If he came all the way here, why didn’t he come in and say a word? What if I left this time?”
“Hey! You child!”
The beautiful woman raised her hand to cover her daughter’s mouth, her brows knitting slightly.
“Don’t say such things. You have to learn to avoid ill omens, okay?”
“Okay, okay! Long live Shangguan Qiuyue, long live Shangguan Qiuyue~”
The girl gently pushed away her mother’s hand, smiling cheerfully.
She glanced at the calendar hanging by the bedside and noted the date.
By now, Xiao Mu should have gone to that bookhouse, right?
The last time she secretly went to see, he really looked happy, and those two kids were nice to him.
He should be allowed to go more often in the future…
As she thought this, she suddenly coughed, sharp pain like a knife cutting through her chest.
She raised her hand to cover her mouth as the scent of blood suddenly filled her nostrils.
Opening her palm, it was stained crimson.
But… it seemed I don’t have a future anymore.
Tears began to fall quietly.
Lin Yayue hastily put down her bowl and chopsticks, disregarding the hot porridge burning the back of her hand.
She grabbed a clean silk handkerchief to wipe away her daughter’s broken tears and gently pulled her into her embrace, letting the blood soak her clothes as she struggled to hold back her own tears.
“Don’t be afraid, child… Mother is here… Mother is here… You will be fine…”
She spoke through trembling voice, ultimately unable to hold back her sobs.
This beautiful woman didn’t know if she was more heartbroken for her daughter or guilt-ridden for Yun Mu’s future.
But she knew one thing… she didn’t want her daughter to die.
At the same time, in the western part of the city.
Shangguan Xunyi was strolling down the west avenue, bathed in the light of the setting sun.
She looked at the familiar shops and faces around her.
Like Yun Mu, they greeted her warmly, though she was more proactive in return.
“Hey, Uncle Li, Auntie Li, long time no see! Has the teahouse been busy lately?”
“Busy is good, business is good, life is good. Hey, why don’t you come in for some tea? We have some new flavors we’ve been working on. It wouldn’t be polite to come all this way and not have tea. Ah, but I’ve got things to do today, maybe another day.”
“By the way… have you seen where Yun Mu went? Hey! Am I… having some feelings for him? No, no! Don’t think too much. I’m his official older sister, after all.”
“The bookhouse? Alright, thank you! I know where that is.”
Of course, her chatting was partly because she had spent much of her childhood coming here with Lin Xizhi and was familiar with them.
More importantly, she wanted to find out where Yun Mu had gone.
Earlier she had been to the horse stable to check on the boy’s condition.
He was injured, she gave him some medicinal herbs, and naturally had reason to visit.
But she underestimated how early both she and Yun Mu woke.
Though she arrived as early as possible, the place was empty.
Shangguan Xunyi thought about asking Shangguan Qiuyue about his condition, but given Qiuyue’s health, she decided against it.
Fortunately, she later overheard a returning groom muttering to himself, roughly figuring out Yun Mu’s location in the west of the city.
She looked at the slanting sun, hummed a little tune, and headed toward the bookhouse.
This so-called bookhouse was also a place she had visited in childhood.
In her memory, Grandpa Xie and Lin Xizhi had a decent relationship back then.
“Grandpa Xie!”
From afar, she saw the elderly man standing at the door and called out.
Her clear voice pierced through the thick leaves, making him pause slightly.
“Is that… Miss Xunyi?”
“It’s me, Grandpa Xie! Long time no see. You actually still remember me?”
The girl smiled brightly at the old man, flashing a peace sign, imitating her childish manner, looking utterly adorable.
“Of course I remember, but I never thought you’d grown so much in the blink of an eye. Ah, I still remember when you were little…”
The girl listened quietly, not interrupting.
She knew this was a common trait among elders—once they started reminiscing about the past, especially about children, they would happily pour out all their old stories.
She was happy to listen.
After all… few people called her ‘Miss Xunyi’ anymore, and even fewer remembered her childhood.
After a while, Xie Yi suddenly snapped back to reality.
Realizing he had talked too much, he scratched his head sheepishly and asked about the real reason for her visit.
“What’s the matter? Miss Xunyi, why come all this way to see Grandpa? Looking for Yun Mu?”
His words struck directly, making the girl blush slightly.
She smiled, nodded gently, and lowered her gaze.
Seeing this, the old man chuckled quietly without saying more.
He knew when to see and when to let things lie; that was the proper way to respect a young lady.
Moreover, he had more pressing matters to attend to.
Xie Yi grew serious.
After scanning the surroundings, he spoke gravely.
“Miss Xunyi, listen to me first. Yun Mu has already come here once before, but things…”
He explained the earlier situation in detail, then took out a piece of hemp paper and handed it to the girl, sighing deeply.
“I guess the boy was afraid of dragging me into it, so he went to deal with that Shangguan Ce himself.”
“Shangguan Ce… that bastard…!”
Muttering the words on the hemp paper, the girl’s expression darkened.
Her hands clenched tightly, teetering on the edge of losing control.
She had long known of Shangguan Ce’s many abuses of Yun Mu.
Beatings and insults were well-known, so she had once dealt harshly with this so-called cousin, even laying him up for half a month with a beating.
“To think he would beg for mercy in public but do such things in secret. That damned man…”
But the girl quickly controlled herself.
She looked up at the old man, hesitated briefly, then finally spoke out.
“Grandpa Xie, actually… the matter of capturing Xiao Chun Xiao Qiu wasn’t Shangguan Ce’s own decision, but Shangguan Hongzhi’s.”
“Shangguan Hongzhi? You mean the one who killed…”
He paused, unwilling to finish the sentence.
A cold murderous gleam appeared in his eyes.
“Yes, the one who murdered an entire city to seize the position of family head.”
Shangguan Xunyi nodded in confirmation and continued explaining.
“He’s keeping Yun Mu confined in the Shangguan estate to harvest his bones to replace my little sister’s, to extend her life.”
“Bone replacement? You mean he wants to take Xiao Mu’s bones out to give to his daughter?”
“Yes…”
“That bastard! He’s abused his power for so many years, and now he’s reaching into a child’s life… No, I have to confront him myself!”
Seeing Xie Yi ready to rush off in anger, the girl hurriedly grabbed his arm, shaking her head vigorously.
“Grandpa Xie, please don’t act rashly. I think you’re still injured, right? What if something really happens? What would become of Xiao Chun Xiao Qiu?”
“Don’t worry, I’m going to find Yun Mu now. I returned to the Master recently and got some methods. Tonight I’ll definitely try to get him out. As for you… you should quickly take Xiao Chun Xiao Qiu somewhere further away.”
The girl released her grip, took a couple of steps, then turned back to look at the old man.
A sense of unease filled her heart, though she couldn’t say why.
“Grandpa Xie, please don’t act rashly. I will bring Yun Mu away.”
Then, she turned and left.
What the girl didn’t know was that this was their first meeting after many years—and their last.
From then on, the world would lose another elder close to Shangguan Xunyi.