Now that Ge Dazhuang had all but confirmed that he was a spy, Yun Ruoyan had no intention of going easy on him. If he didn’t speak, he would be turned into a piece of human jerky.

Watching the scene from afar were servants of the Yun manor, some of whom had served even before Yun Ruoyu’s tenure, and some of whom were new servants whom she had recruited from who-knew-where. They watched their new housekeeper being baked to death with bated breath.

When Yun Ruoyan glanced in their direction, those who were looking at her immediately lowered their heads. “I’m the second miss of this household, and I’m sure the old servants recognize me. Although I’ve married into the Slaughtering King’s manor, I still intend on maintaining my relationship with the Yun household. My father’s in closed cultivation, Ruoyu’s been married off, my brother’s quelling the Farsighted King’s rebellion, and my grandmother’s bedridden. The duty of managing the Yun household falls to me. I don’t care what intentions you have; if you don’t want to stay, you’re free to claim your wages and leave. If you do want to stay and I discover that you bear the Yun household malicious intent, what happens to him will happen to you.”

Yun Ruoyan pointed at Ge Dazhuang, whose body had dried out in the intense heat. With a wave of her hand, the flaming bullets burnt his body to ash.

“Well, lass? Isn’t the fire bullet technique that I taught you powerful?” As Yun Ruoyan walked back to her rooms, the demonic dragon forefather spoke proudly into her mind. “Once you take over the position of clan head, I have far more powerful techniques that I’ll hand to you. Oh, and you can start cultivating the draconic arts now. I’ll be here to mentor and direct you, and your cultivation will quickly surpass even that silver dragon lad!”

Yun Ruoyan didn’t respond to the elder. The moment she entered her room, she noticed something amiss. The two servants that she had brought over from the Slaughtering King’s manor were still busy cleaning, but there was a strange, unfamiliar scent coming from her rooms. She found Qianxi unconscious on the ground and Moyan’s crib swaying to and fro with no one inside.

Moyan!

“Where’s the young master?” Li Luo, who followed Yun Ruoyan in, immediately turned pale. She hurried to Qianxi’s side while Yun Ruoyan darted out the back window, giving chase to the unfamiliar aura.

She saw a black dot in the horizon and sped forward on her Scarlet Eye. So fast was its maximum speed that she caught up to the masked kidnapper in a matter of minutes. “Return my child to me and I’ll spare you.” Yun Ruoyan’s eyes honed in on the bundle he was carrying.

“Here, catch!” The man flung the bundle far into the distance, prompting a shrill scream from the baby within. Yun Ruoyan’s heart jumped into her chest as she fled toward the baby. Meanwhile, the kidnapper took the opportunity to speed off.

When Yun Ruoyan caught the thrown baby and checked up on it, she discovered that it wasn’t Moyan—she had been hoodwinked again!

Her gaze deathly cold, she clawed at the back of the fleeing man. A scarlet fire bullet appeared in her palm, one which she shot out in his direction. As it struck the man’s body, he exploded into a bloody mist before he could react. Since Ge Dazhuang had died without revealing anything, she had no doubt that this man would do likewise.

Yun Ruoyan carried the unknown baby back to the Yun manor, where Qianxi was waiting for her with her last breath. Having grown up in the Slaughtering King’s manor, she had a little cultivation to her name, but her assailant had snuck in from a window outside and given her a terrible blow to the back of her head, which had almost caved in from the impact.

Li Luo had temporarily prolonged her life with a spiritual pill, bringing her back for mere moments.

“Consort Yun, two masked men came and took the young master away,” Qianxi whispered, clutching Yun Ruoyan’s arm desperately. “I heard them say that they would split up, one to lure you away, and the other to bring the baby back to his master.” Then, having communicated what little information she had, she shut her eyes and fell to eternal rest.

Her opponent was wily and cunning. After she killed Ge Dazhuang, the other party had immediately killed her maid. Ge Dazhuang was just bait, and even the obvious trail leading out from her room had just been a red herring. Worse, her child was gone.

Li Mo returned that night. When Yun Ruoyan saw him, her emotions unraveled, and tears fell from her eyes like a string of pearls. She sobbed without making noise, cradling herself brokenly.

“Whoever did this will die for their crime,” he growled.

“Li Mo, it’s all my fault. I didn’t look after Moyan carefully…” Yun Ruoyan whispered.

“Consort Yun only fell for the trap because she was trying to save me. If there’s anyone to blame, it’s me,” Li Luo said, her eyes red.

“Moyan will be alright,” Li Mo consoled. “No matter who kidnapped him, they’re surely trying to get something from us. They wouldn’t dare hurt him.”

Yun Ruoyan had been so worried for her child that she hadn’t thought about this point. “In that case, what should we do? Do we have to wait for them to present their terms?” Yun Ruoyan hurriedly asked.

“I’ve sent my men to investigate what’s going on. I have a suspect in mind,” Li Mo said.

Not too long afterwards, on the second night after Moyan’s disappearance, a servant found a dagger stuck into the front doors of the Yun manor. Attached to the hilt was a message, one that told Li Mo to head to the Yuelu Villa that night.

Within the Yuelu Villa, the owner of the villa, Dong Tiehe, and his grandson, the fourth prince Li Qianyue, were waiting for a certain someone’s arrival. Their feelings were complicated; after all, they had never expected to have to kneel and kowtow to someone they had always looked down on.

They had once thought that, even if the other princes were all dead, the throne would never pass to a prince born to a maid. However, reality had subverted their expectations. Somehow, the prince born to a maid had clawed his way to the throne, to such great heights that even they had to bow and kneel.

“Please rise, Fourth Brother, Elder Dong.” Li Qianyuan helped Dong Tiehe and Li Qianhan up affectionately, quelling their unease for the moment. He followed them into a room with a wet nurse and some maids, as well as a crib. Li Yan was resting in the crib, glancing around with wide eyes. Despite being a little baby, he hadn’t cried or made a fuss after being separated from his mother; instead, he looked at his surroundings with curiosity and quiet intellect.

From the boy’s eyes, Li Qianyuan saw a shadow of his mother. He clearly remembered Yun Ruoyan wandering through the royal gardens wearing his mother’s dress, making the blooming flowers seem even more ravishing because of her presence.

“Your Highness, this is the Slaughtering King’s boy,” Dong Tiehe said. “As you’ve requested, I’ve sent an invitation to the Slaughtering King.”

Li Qianyuan nodded, his gaze shifting from the crib. “I’ll meet my uncle here today, then.”

At twilight, Li Mo, Su Bei, and Su Nan arrived at Yuelu Villa. Given Li Mo’s cultivation, he had no need to bring anyone else with him; the reason he had nevertheless done so was just to give Dong Tiehe some peace of mind.

The Yuelu villa was as crowded as ever. The moment Li Mo and his retinue arrived at the Yuelu Villa, Dong Tiehe received the news and quickly moved to welcome him.

“Where’s my son?” Li Mo asked, the moment he entered the isolated courtyard. “What do you want from me?”

“Your Highness,” Dong Tiehe replied. “You think too highly of me. I’m only the owner of this Yuelu Villa, nothing more. I wouldn’t dare try anything on you; the person who’s looking to negotiate with you is someone else entirely.”

Li Mo frowned and followed Dong Tiehe into a secluded room, where that someone was waiting for Li Mo.

“Long time no see, Uncle.” Li Qianyuan stood up and greeted Li M with a smile on his face.

Li Mo stilled, then strode over. “You took my son,” he accused coldly. “What do you want from me?”

“Please sit, Uncle.” Li Qianyuan poured Li Mo a cup of wine. “I’ve invited you to the palace quite a few times, but you’ve refused all my invitations. I had no choice but to pull off this ploy.”