"Dead?" Xie Yaohuang's mood instantly lifted.
"Yes." A Shui lowered her lashes. "Most likely dead."
Mount Yujing wasn't far from the capital. A carriage ride at full speed would reach the mountain's base in just two hours. The driver, Gui Mudan, had A Shui lead the way. The moment he spoke, she recognized his voice.
This was Cao Wufang.
He had merely borrowed Gui Mudan's attire—with the mask on, it was impossible to tell who was who.
Cao Wufang had spent considerable time with her at Fengliudian. She knew he harbored a deep hatred for Liu Yan because when Hua Wuyan died, Liu Yan not only refused to help but even played a farewell tune for him. So why had he disguised himself and followed her here?
Step by step, she ascended the slopes of Mount Yujing.
Midway up the mountain stood a simple earthen house, behind which a waterfall cascaded down. The torrent crashed against the rocks below, filling the area with mist and coating everything in moss.
Locals avoided living here—the heavy moisture bred colds and dampness, rotted buildings, and ruined belongings quickly. Yet Fu Zhumei lived here, and his turtle loved it too.
Perhaps he found the mist amusing, or maybe it was because turtles enjoy water.
She lied without batting an eye. She knew he lived here, just as every lovestruck girl knew where her beloved resided. But she had never visited, nor did she know whether that enormous turtle ate paper. She'd seen it eat vegetables—utterly ordinary.
Why claim the remnants of Ning Buyi were here?
She didn't know.
Perhaps it was just a random remark.
Or perhaps because Mount Yujing had a waterfall.
"A Shui." Cao Wufang plucked a weed by the path, chuckling nonchalantly. "Do you know what was inside the iron cage that passed by your door earlier?"
A Shui halted, pausing slightly as unease crept into her heart. "What was inside?"
"Young Master Tang," Cao Wufang whispered. "Amusing, isn't it?" He tilted his head, studying her. "Aren't you worried sick?"
A Shui recalled the droplets of blood that had fallen from the iron prison cart earlier, sending a chill down her spine. "Young Master Tang..." She steadied herself. "There's no need for me to speculate about his affairs."
"No need to fret." Cao Wufang's grin was malicious. "For a hypocrite who tried to deceive you with another's child, isn't it fitting that the Ghost Venerable tears him limb from limb?"
A Shui whirled around so abruptly that her sleeves fluttered and her hair came loose, cascading halfway down her back. "What did you say?"
"I said the child Tang Lianci returned to you—" He pointed at Fengfeng in her arms. "—is someone else's. Your child vanished the very night you entrusted it to him." He laughed darkly. "I heard the Liu family buried an infant that night—likely yours. If you don't believe me, dig up their backyard."
A Shui's face turned deathly pale as she clutched Fengfeng's arm tightly. The child stared blankly at her, lips trembling on the verge of tears. "The... Liu family?" she murmured. "Which Liu family?""In the capital, Princess Liu of Southern Han has a mansion, and there happened to be an infant in her household." Cao Wufang chuckled. "About the same age as your child. On the night you entrusted your child to Young Master Tang, he broke into the Liu residence. Guess what he did? I heard from the physician of the Hao family that he followed his mistress's orders and gave you an abortifacient. That child shouldn’t have survived—why it lived this long is a mystery even to him."
At this point, A-Shui could no longer speak.
She felt as though she had plunged into an icy abyss, yet her mind remained eerily clear. Her face was cold, devoid of tears.
Cao Wufang urged her to keep leading the way, eyeing her curiously. "You don’t hate him?"
Fengfeng suddenly burst into loud wails, clinging tightly to A-Shui and burying his face in her chest.
Dazed, she held him and continued walking.
For a long time, she felt as though her soul had left her body.
Cao Wufang was utterly intrigued. "You’re not crying? This child is just a tool Young Master Tang used to deceive you into being devoted to him, to make you willing to die for him. He pretends to be omnipotent, but in truth, he’s done countless hypocritical and deceitful things—full of false benevolence and righteousness."
Hah? Young Master Tang used this to deceive me into devotion, to make me die for him? A-Shui thought blankly. Is that so?
She thought... Young Master Tang didn’t need to deceive me into devotion.
If my child was destined to die, it wasn’t Young Master Tang who killed him.
If he didn’t care about my feelings, why would he go to such lengths to deceive me?
He just... did his best.
He did his best, but his methods were always different from others'. He tried so hard, yet everyone was horrified by his efforts—more fearful than grateful.
Young Master Tang never learned how to be a good person.
She closed her eyes, tears streaming down, mingling with Fengfeng’s and soaking the baby’s clothes. "Why did you tell me this?" she whispered.
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