Ding Songyan slowly withdrew his gaze. Following a preset routine, he walked back to the west wing, his movements wooden but unremarkable.

Qingyan was sitting on his bed, leafing through the previous installments of his Legend of the White Snake outlines.

"Second Brother, it’s almost the final installment, right? Once it’s done, you won’t need to stay up writing anymore. You can tell me the whole thing from start to finish, in full detail." The girl smiled cleverly. "That way I can transcribe it for you and take it to the guild for money."

Ding Songyan stared at Qingyan, scanning her up and down. As before, he found nothing abnormal.

"What’s the matter?" Qingyan looked bewildered.

Ding Songyan forced a smile.

"I just realized how pretty my little sister is."

Qingyan rolled her eyes upward dismissively.

"Don’t think flattery will get you out of this!"

"Fine, fine. Once I’m done staying up to write, I’ll tell you one installment of The Legend of the White Snake every day," Ding Songyan patronized.

All he wanted right now was an undisturbed environment to think clearly.

Only then did Qingyan smile. She thanked her brother sweetly and retreated to the inner room behind the screen.

Ding Songyan sat down and thought briefly. While the illusion-piercing effect of the hazy "seed" had not yet faded, he dug out a silver ingot Xu Chang’an had given him, crossed through the main room, and arrived outside the east wing. He knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Liu Yuzao’s cold voice sounded.

"It’s me. I have something to discuss." Ding Songyan’s voice had returned to its normal steadiness.

Before long, the door creaked open. Ding Shengyi, in white underclothes, looked at Ding Songyan with puzzlement.

"Songyan, what’s the matter?"

In Ding Songyan’s enhanced vision, his father Ding Shengyi had two antennae covered in blood-red scales growing from his temples. His frame was gaunt, tinged with a faint red.

What... A term erupted in Ding Songyan’s mind: Moth patriarch!

His nerves went taut instantly. He lowered his head, using embarrassment as a cover for his reaction.

"Father, I helped Xu Chang’an with something earlier and he gave me quite a bit of silver in thanks. Should I... turn it over to the household fund?"

The slightly feminine Ding Shengyi’s antennae twitched. He chuckled softly.

"No need. What you earned yourself, you keep."

"All right." Ding Songyan did not dare linger. He turned immediately and walked back to the west wing.

By the time he sat down again, the supernatural clarity before his eyes had gradually faded.

It doesn’t look like a yao... Ding Songyan drew on everything he had learned these past days to form an initial judgment. It’s more like the physical abnormalities that emerge after cultivating to the Great Proliferation Realm through aperture forging and similar methods. Similar to Master Yu’s ears, Physician Shao’s eyes, or Ren Youyang’s canine ears.

He had initially suspected Bull’s condition was that of a half-yao, that perhaps whoever had abducted their mother belonged to a yao clan. But Ding Shengyi’s "moth patriarch" appearance made him lean more toward the possibility of a Great Proliferation Realm cultivator.

Surely one "family" could not contain two half-yao?

And of two different species, at that!

Ding Shengyi was controlling the moth-men that were tailing me? Heh, whether his name is even Ding Shengyi is another question entirely... No wonder our courtyard has so many mosquitoes and moths. The moth patriarch was here all along. The trait of ’all insects submit’ was naturally taking effect...

Was he also the one who manipulated Chen Yuliang and Wang Yishu into performing that act, deceiving both me and the Zhen household? Is he working with Yan Changqing’s ’old acquaintance’?

Did the Secret Classic originate from Yan Changqing’s ’old acquaintance’?

When the original Ding Songyan traded the Secret Classic, was he acting of his own will, or was he forced?

Was the Secret Classic copy something the original Ding Songyan wanted to transcribe, or was he made to do it?

This can’t really be a family...

The more Ding Songyan thought, the more horrified he became.

He even began to doubt whether the original was truly named Ding Songyan.

Don’t tell me that’s a fake name too!

No. It can’t be such a coincidence that a fake name matches the one I had before transmigrating. Sharing the same name being one of the conditions for transmigration makes far more sense. Ding Songyan suddenly laughed, a laugh born of sheer outrage. So all of your fake names were chosen to match mine?

This reminded him of a conversation he had once had with his not-yet-three-year-old nephew when visiting his cousin:

"Uncle, what’s your surname?"

"My surname is Ding."

"Oh, so you took your surname from me too. Daddy did as well."

Ding Songyan reined in his thoughts and seriously analyzed a question.

How difficult is it to conceal the various physical abnormalities that come with martial cultivation and avoid daily detection?

It shouldn’t be easy... If it were, Ren Youyang wouldn’t need to press those dog ears flat against his scalp and cover them with long hair every time he disguises himself...

Concealment through a cultivation method? Surely Bull and Ding Shengyi don’t both practice the same art? Their physical abnormalities are completely different...

Someone is helping them conceal it? And today Bull vented his desires, got carried away, or broke some abstinence by indulging in women, causing the concealment to partially fail?

That’s very likely...

Meaning there’s another powerhouse hidden in the shadows... Yan Changqing’s ’old acquaintance’? And the corresponding divine art’s qi also has the ability to transform and conceal?

The original said ’I won’t run anymore, don’t kill me’... His ’running’ was probably fleeing this ’family.’ No wonder he abandoned even the Secret Classic copy... Then Yan Changqing’s ’old acquaintance’ influenced his mind, made him enter the ruined temple where he met his tragic end...

That’s not right; why didn’t Yan Changqing’s ’old acquaintance’ simply plant a hazy ’seed’ in his mind, making escape impossible? Just like me now—if I ever truly thought about fleeing Dingjiang Prefecture, I’d forget the idea immediately...

I’ll ask Xiao Qing later whether there’s an art that can help others conceal physical anomalies...

Ding Songyan stopped brooding. He moved the wooden chests, assembled his makeshift desk and chair, and brought the oil lamp over.

While Xiao Qing had not yet arrived, he pulled out the Secret Classic copy and flipped through it rapidly by lamplight, searching for a divine beast matching Bull’s physical characteristics.

He even thought that if Xiao Qing happened to catch him with the Secret Classic, discovering it would not be the worst outcome. It could be a desperate attempt at survival. His only fear was that she too might "forget" about it afterward.

After a moment, Ding Songyan locked onto a match: 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"Shu Hu: horse body, bird wings, human face, serpent tail.

"The result of consuming it? Strength surpassing a hundred oxen, spirit-travel across ten thousand miles, resonance with heaven and knowledge of men."

Aside from the bird wings, everything else matches... So Bull cultivates the Shuhu lineage... And he told me it was just innate divine strength, that he’d never practiced martial arts... Well played, Bull. You look like you’re not too bright, but you’re quite the liar...

Mother too. That day she actually ate a steamed bun that had fallen on the ground. That’s not a habit a young lady from a wealthy household would have. Our current life isn’t rich, but it’s not that bad either... I overlooked this at the time. I wasn’t familiar enough with her. Thinking back now, either she was never from a wealthy family, or she’s been crawling through the mud for far too long...

If it’s the former, then Qingyan has been lying to me too. Going on about the Liu family this and the Liu family that. That little liar... Ding Songyan muttered with bitter amusement.

He put away the Secret Classic and began writing the final installment of The Legend of the White Snake.

In this installment, Xu Shilin first attempted to infiltrate and quietly break the pagoda, but Fahai had anticipated this and repelled him once more. Then, achieving a breakthrough through the power of his emotions, Xu Shilin advanced his cultivation. With the return of Xiaoqing the Green Snake and other powerful allies, he finally shattered the Arhat Grand Formation, split Leifeng Pagoda apart, and freed Bai Suzhen. He brought back Xu Xian, and the family of three was reunited at last. The story ended with Xu Shilin’s wedding to the former Queen of the Kingdom of Women, a scene of joy and harmony.

"Bravo, bravo, bravo!" Xiao Qing, who had arrived at some point, praised as she read.

After finishing everything, she pressed her palms together with satisfaction.

"Not bad at all. Before I came, I was thinking that if this wasn’t the final installment, I’d have to invite you onto our boat tomorrow night to finish the rest."

"Miss Xiao Qing, your group is leaving Dingjiang Prefecture tomorrow?" Ding Songyan asked with genuine surprise.

Xiao Qing acknowledged tersely.

"The Zhen household has invited us to a banquet tomorrow in the early afternoon. Things should come to a conclusion. Whether we get what we want or not, we can’t stay long. As you know, we’re not from Great Zhao."

A banquet tomorrow, also in the afternoon... Something stirred in Ding Songyan’s mind.

"Did the Zhen household only send the invitation after four in the afternoon today?"

Xiao Qing blinked, then answered without concealment, "Yes."

"Between a quarter and half past four, I bought a dagger. Someone told me to buy it." Ding Songyan tried speaking and found he could say this.

Xiao Qing’s lips parted slightly, her eyes shifting.

"The two things are connected...

"I’ll mention this to Second Uncle later."

She stood immediately, pressing her lips together.

"I should go. If you’re in a difficult position, you’d better act fast."

"I’ll walk you partway. I need to cool off anyway." Ding Songyan had already packed away his brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone.

There were things he still had not asked Xiao Qing, because right now there were truly "ears on the other side of the wall."

Xiao Qing nodded, then vanished from the room first, dreamlike and unreal.

Ding Songyan did as he had the past few nights. He took his key, walked out, and locked the door from outside.

In the courtyard, clean of mosquitoes and moths just moments ago, moths had already begun swarming again.

Inside the pitch-dark east wing, Ding Shengyi stood by the oiled-paper window in his white underclothes. He murmured with faint irritation, "He’s noticed something’s off about us.

"Sister Xiaoxiang, that son of yours keeps breaking the rules, never learning his lesson, and nearly ruined everything for us. Luckily there’s only a day or two left. Your sect master can still manage.

The lovely and serene Liu Yuzao, appearing no older than her mid-thirties, stood similarly in underclothes. She gazed toward the main room and spoke with calm detachment, as though discussing someone else’s affairs.

"Back then, I thought about dropping him on his head."

Ding Shengyi fell silent. After several breaths, he spoke with unmistakable tenderness.

"Even a tiger will not eat its young. Who could blame you?

"Once this matter is done, why not take the opportunity to ask your sect master to let you leave all this behind? You’re kindhearted by nature. You were never suited for heretical work. Not like me—I’m long accustomed to it. I don’t need to copy sutras or do good deeds to resolve the demons in my heart.

"If you want to retire from the jianghu, I can do the same. It isn’t difficult for us to find ways to satisfy Li Zhi’s lust and bloodthirst. Pleasure houses, moth seeds and moth-men. It’s all manageable."

Liu Yuzao stared at the window paper and shook her head slowly.

"Long ago, I was trapped in a devil’s den. Every time I tried to escape, I was caught and dragged back. No righteous hero could find that hidden place. In the end, the one who rescued me was a heretical titan who double crossed other heretics. He didn’t just save me—he pitied me, taught me cultivation arts, passed down his supreme techniques, and gave me a foundation to make a stand.

"That day I swore silently. This debt of gratitude I would repay with my life, until death released me.

"How could I leave the sect now for the sake of my own discomfort?"

Ding Shengyi was speechless for a long time. Finally, he let out a long sigh.

"Your sect master’s divine art and my Moth-God Scripture complement each other perfectly. After this is over, if he keeps his promise and truly offers guidance, joining you wouldn’t be out of the question. I’ve already betrayed my own sect anyway."

At this point, Ding Shengyi hesitated and asked, slipping effortlessly into addressing Qingyan by an affectionate diminutive, "Is Xiao Yan the child you had with him?"

"Xiao Yan is not my daughter." Liu Yuzao shook her head gently. "She has something special about her. The sect master sought her out specifically. If Ding Songyan couldn’t make contact with the target, she was to be the alternative."