CHAPTER 470: CHAPTER 416: CONFRONTING THE TRUTH

The Hunting Eagle carried Tan’er out of the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion’s Inner Sect and walked toward the courtyard where the Outer Sect disciples resided.

For an Outer Sect disciple to enter the Inner Sect was nearly an impossible feat, but as the personal maid of the Young Master, Tan’er enjoyed a unique privilege to roam the entirety of the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion unimpeded.

"Is Sister here to see me?"

Tan’er bounced along, her little head shaking so wildly it seemed as if it might fly off.

At last, in the dim evening light, she caught sight of a figure in the distance.

With a swift motion, she hurled the eagle in her hand aside, spread her arms wide, and flung herself toward the figure like a young swallow returning home.

"Sister!"

She clutched the figure tightly, her cheek pressed against the muscular, firm chest before rubbing against it enthusiastically. "Sister, where’s your chest gone?" she wondered aloud.

Shangguan Ling, speechless: "..."

As she hugged the figure tighter, something felt off to Tan’er. She looked up and, with a frown of disdain, remarked, "Oh, it’s you, the saber guy. Why is it you?"

Shangguan Ling extended a finger and pressed it firmly against her forehead, pushing her away. "You’re just a kid—show some manners. Don’t keep calling me ’saber guy’!"

Tan’er put her hands on her hips. "’Sa-ber-guy!’"

Shangguan Ling sighed. Fine, he wouldn’t stoop to arguing with a kid.

Tan’er glanced at him, then at the hunting eagle perched on a tree branch, which hadn’t attacked Shangguan Ling. "Have you turned over a new leaf?" she asked.

"I..."

Shangguan Ling began but stopped himself, wary of setting a bad example for the child. He corrected himself quickly. "I’ve never been Prime Minister Xun’s man—I was spying on him. Otherwise, with how often you sneak into the Prime Minister’s Mansion, do you think you’d still be alive and kicking?"

Tan’er puffed her cheeks. "Hmph."

Shangguan Ling handed her two glistening skewers of candied hawthorn.

Tan’er’s eyes lit up, and her aloof demeanor disappeared, replaced by a foodie’s delight. "Wow, such big, beautiful candied hawthorn!"

Shangguan Ling explained, "The Young Madam asked me to bring these to you. She said they are tokens of trust."

Who, in their right mind, uses candied hawthorn as tokens of trust?

Grabbing the candied hawthorn skewers, one in each hand, Tan’er took a big bite. With her cheeks puffed full, she mumbled, "Alright, I believe you now!"

Shangguan Ling was dumbfounded: That actually worked?

As she munched on the candied hawthorn, Tan’er asked, "Saber guy, what are you doing here at the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion?"

Watching her eat with little regard for decorum, Shangguan Ling began to suspect the reasons she had entered the Pavilion. "It’s a long story. In short, I’m now an Outer Sect disciple of the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion. From now on, any messages you need to pass to the Young Madam will go through me."

Tan’er tilted her head. "Got it. But how do I find you? What’s your name?"

"I..."

Embarrassed to reveal his alias, Shangguan Ling coughed lightly. "I’ll give you a signal. When you’re looking for me, you can first..."

Tan’er looked aggrieved. "What a hassle."

Shangguan Ling insisted, "It’s no hassle."

"Li Dadao! Where the hell have you been all day? Slacking off again, aren’t you?"

A scolding voice rang out not far away. Shangguan Ling winced, turning abruptly to Tan’er. "I have to go. Whatever you do, don’t forget the signal..."

"Got it," Tan’er responded, waving her candied hawthorn. "Li-Da-Dao!"

Shangguan Ling stumbled and nearly fell flat on his face!

-

Shang Wuyou followed Gongsun Yanming into the study.

Gongsun Yu was also present.

He was Gongsun Yanming’s younger brother and Shang Wuyou’s second uncle.

"Second Uncle."

Shang Wuyou cupped his hands respectfully, offering a junior’s salute.

Gongsun Yu approached in delight, gripping Shang Wuyou’s shoulders as his eyes roved over him. "You’re finally back! You must’ve suffered a lot along the way. You look so... thin."

As his gaze fell on the well-nourished, slightly plump Shang Wuyou, the words "thin" suddenly felt hollow and unconvincing.

Patting his shoulders, Gongsun Yu continued, "What matters is that you’re back. You don’t realize how worried the family was. Where’s Changle?"

Gongsun Yanming had taken a seat on one of the chairs.

Shang Wuyou glanced at his father but didn’t immediately answer where Changle was. Instead, his mood darkened, and he asked, "Is that so? Then why didn’t you even try to search for Changle and me?"

Gongsun Yu looked pained. "What do you mean we didn’t search? Has someone been filling your head with nonsense?"

Shang Wuyou remained silent, clearly sulking.

Gongsun Yu sighed heavily. "The night you and Changle were kidnapped, your father personally led men to chase after you overnight. But midway, we encountered a formidable enemy—it cost us dearly. That’s when we realized you hadn’t been taken by any ordinary enemy. But for the life of us, we couldn’t deduce who’d done this. We decided to keep your and Changle’s disappearance a secret to be cautious."

He continued, "Besides, there are plenty of people envious of the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion. Better safe than sorry—if anyone found out the Young Master and Third Miss of Thousand Mechanism Pavilion were out in the open, they’d stop at nothing to hurt you, delivering a blow to the Pavilion that might never recover. You’re your father’s only son. If anything happened to you, the Pavilion would have no successor. Caution was our only option!"

A flicker of uncertainty crossed Shang Wuyou’s eyes.

In the past, he wouldn’t have needed Second Uncle’s explanation to unconditionally trust his father.

But too many things had happened. Especially how could they explain the poison coursing through Changle?

Gongsun Yu noticed the conflicted look in Shang Wuyou’s eyes and said earnestly, "Wuyou, during the days you and Changle were missing, your father never stopped worrying about you two."

Shang Wuyou spoke flatly, "Worried about me? Yet he has time to prepare my elder sister’s wedding."

Gongsun Yanming’s stern gaze darted toward Shang Wuyou.

Gongsun Yu glanced at his elder brother and quickly interjected, "This child—jealous, that’s all! The Emperor arranged your sister’s marriage. Everything is handled by the Ministry of Rites, so how much effort do you think your father actually spent? He’s been quietly searching for news of you all this time. And besides, announcing the wedding was part of his ploy to make those coveting the Pavilion believe you and Changle were unharmed. Your father wanted to use your sister’s marriage to mask the truth of your disappearance."

Shang Wuyou stared into Gongsun Yu’s eyes. "Is that really the case?"

Gongsun Yu straightened up. "Have I ever lied to you, Wuyou? Now tell me, who abducted you and Changle? Why are you the only one who returned? Where’s Changle?"

Shang Wuyou recounted being taken by Chen Long. "My sister is currently on Witch Mountain."

Gongsun Yu suddenly understood. "So you were taken to Witch Mountain. No wonder our trail abruptly went cold."

After a moment, Gongsun Yu asked again, "What did Chen Long say to you?"

Shang Wuyou’s tone grew somber. "He told me I’m not my parents’ child but a bloodline of the Shang Family."

Gongsun Yu was incensed. "You are your mother’s flesh and blood, carried ten months in her womb! If you’re not your parents’ child, then who is? Wuyou, you better not believe him. Do you even know who Chen Long truly is? He is the Princely Heir of Loulan, adopted by the Shang Family. The massacre of the Shang Family was orchestrated by him and the Loulan King working together! Such a despicable man—you mustn’t fall for his schemes!"

"The Thousand Mechanism Pavilion and Loulan are mortal enemies. They can’t defeat your father, so now they’re coming after you. How shameless can they be?"