Si Xin Xin specially placed a piece of pastry into Feng Ning He's bowl.
This scene drew a soft chuckle from Grandpa Luo, "This child has forgotten her grandfather now that she has a mother."
These days, the child was extremely attached to Feng Ning He.
As long as her mother was free, she would always be by her side.
Only when her mother was unavailable would she go to Grandpa Luo.
A bright smile instantly bloomed on Si Xin Xin's tender cheeks, and her chubby little hands quickly placed a piece of pastry into Grandpa Luo's bowl.
She did not forget to also put one in Si Jian Ye's bowl.
The meal was incredibly harmonious and peaceful.
Three days passed in a flash, and soon it was the third day.
Two guards stood at the entrance of the palace. These two guards had been meticulously trained by A Xi and had become exceptionally obedient.
A servant approached the palace entrance, standing before the two guards at the door: "Is the High Priest ready? I've been sent by the Young Master to retrieve something."
"Naturally, we are ready. How dare I neglect what the Young Master requires?"
Xiao Zhao swaggered out from the hall, imitating the High Priest's demeanor, puffing out his belly and pacing slowly.
He had already transformed into the High Priest's appearance.
The High Priest's arrival instantly drew the servant's gaze to him: "Since the High Priest is ready, then quickly give me the item. I need to hurry back and deliver it to the Young Master."
Xiao Zhao revealed a lewd smile, the flesh on his cheeks quivering. He extended a gourd bottle: "Please put in a good word for me with the Young Master. For the Young Master's affairs, I have truly given my all!"
Not far away.
Several pairs of eyes were quietly fixed on them.
Bai Nian Nian clicked her tongue, a hint of emotion on her face: "Xiao Zhao's shapeshifting ability is so lifelike, it's impossible to distinguish the real from the fake. Truly remarkable."
Feng Xing nodded slightly in approval, "Looking at this clean and perfect face, I feel like throwing a few punches."
Even those closest to the High Priest would likely not detect any discrepancies, unable to tell the real from the fake.
Xiao Zhao's fawning demeanor was identical to the High Priest's.
Looking at this obsequious face, the servant waved his hand dismissively: "If you do well, the Young Master will naturally understand your efforts."
The servant took the gourd, his brow furrowing at that moment: "Why is your gourd so light today?"
The gourd was indeed real.
It was just that the souls contained within the gourd had all been released.
Without another word, the servant attempted to open the gourd.
"Don't open it!"
Xiao Zhao's eyes narrowed slightly, and he hurriedly tried to dissuade him: "If you let the souls inside escape, I will not take responsibility for that."
The servant pondered for a moment and finally decided to reach out and open the gourd, muttering as he did: "If there's a problem with the souls, the Young Master will not let me off. I'd better check it to be safe."
A hint of vigilance immediately appeared in Xiao Zhao's eyes, his fists under his sleeves clenched, ready to strike at any moment.
He calmly asked, "I would like to meet the Young Master. I wonder if I will have the opportunity."
"Meet the Young Master?"
The servant snorted dismissively, raising his head arrogantly: "The Young Master is a very busy person, he has no time to bother with you. There are so many matters in the palace every day, he's too busy to spare a moment."
Xiao Zhao, however, caught a key piece of information: "The palace? Which country is the Young Master from?"
The servant looked at him with slight displeasure, a warning in his eyes: "These are not things you should inquire about. You'd best not ask."
At this moment, the servant opened the gourd.
The empty gourd contained not a single soul.
"What is going on? You dare give me an empty gourd!"
The servant exclaimed. Before he could react further, Xiao Zhao knocked him unconscious.
Xiao Zhao looked at him with a hint of regret: "I had originally planned to follow you all the way and find out who the mastermind was. I didn't expect you to discover the anomaly so quickly. In that case, I can only act against you."
Feng Ning He's plan was to follow the vine to catch the mastermind.
It was not easy to extract information from them. It would be better to follow them secretly, and perhaps they could even learn the identity of the "Young Master."
Splash!
Cold water poured down the servant's head.
The unconscious servant shivered from the cold and immediately opened his eyes.
A large group of people stood quietly before the servant.
In the distance, the girls stood far behind, craning their necks to observe everything before them.
They were afraid of causing trouble and did not dare to approach.
The scene before him startled the servant: "Who… who are you people! The High Priest dares to betray us!"
"Who is the Young Master?"
Feng Ning He asked without hesitation, voicing her thoughts.
What concerned her most was the Young Master's identity.
For some reason, she always felt that the Young Master was extraordinary.
The servant seemed to hear a joke, looking up at them with disdain and arrogance: "You think you can find out the Young Master's identity? Dream on!"
The servant's eyes turned fierce, and he bit down on the poison hidden in his gums.
As the poison entered his mouth, his pupils immediately dilated. He stared with wide eyes, bright red blood flowing from the corners of his mouth.
"No! He's taken poison!"
Feng Ning He strode forward and forcefully grabbed the servant's chin.
The moment her hand touched the servant, he breathed his last.
Si Jian Ye raised his eyes, his indifferent gaze calmly falling on the servant: "It seems the mastermind is well-prepared. Even if we catch someone, it's useless."
Feng Xing's handsome face grew somber: "Master, how should we proceed next?"
Looking at the deceased servant, Feng Ning He's expression did not change much: "The clue is broken, and we can do nothing more. There will be other days, and perhaps we will have the chance to encounter this so-called Young Master. Let's take these girls away from the palace and go home first."
The girls were overjoyed to be able to go home that day, and they gathered around, spinning with delight.
Soon, they stepped out of the palace.
Bai Nian Nian and Feng Xing led the way at the front, with the girls following closely behind.
Xiao Zhao dragged the High Priest along, occasionally feeding him pills along the way, lest the High Priest die from mistreatment.
With the nourishment of the pills, even if the High Priest was injured, his wounds would heal immediately. His mouth was also stuffed with a rag.
Even if the High Priest wanted to die, he would not have the chance.
In the evening, the sky was ablaze with red.
A large group of people arrived at Chen Family Village in a grand procession.
"This… isn't that my daughter? Am I seeing things!"
A burly man working at the entrance froze, his carrying pole clattering to the ground.
A girl rushed towards the man excitedly, tears streaming down her face: "Daddy! It's me! I'm back!"
The burly man rubbed his eyes in disbelief, afraid he was mistaken.
Only when the girl stood before him did the man believe what he saw. He immediately jumped up: "My daughter is back! It's really my daughter back!"