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"Quick, surround the Pan Family's estate! Not a single fly should get out!"

Hurried footsteps echoed in the alley, accompanied by the sound of horses' hooves. The men at the front reined in their horses before the Pan residence's main gate, then leaped off. The fish scales on their flying fish robes glinted in the sun, stinging Pan Yun's eyes.

Almost the instant they dismounted, she darted behind a wall. Holding her breath, she waited until she was sure no one had spotted her before slowly exhaling.

She heard a "bang" as the main gate was kicked open, followed by her aunt's panicked cries and her uncle's angry shouts.

The scene from two months ago replayed itself. She clenched her fists, suppressed the killing intent in her heart, and turned to leave without looking back.

She didn't go far, however. Instead, she skirted along the walls, passing a few neighboring houses, and stopped by a small door in a narrow alley. A pile of firewood lay next to the door.

Just as her second brother had said, the Qiao Family always piled their firewood by the west corner door. The alley ended in a wall here, and no one usually came by.

Pan Yun crouched down and hid beneath the firewood. She sat cross-legged, formed a hand seal, and recited incantations. A beam of starlight seemed to fall into her eyes. The two paper birds she had left at the Pan residence simultaneously opened their eyes.

Through the paper birds' eyes, she saw the three Imperial Guards who had first stormed into the Pan residence. The man in the center had a stern expression. "Bring all the living people in this house here for inspection, one by one!"

"Yes!"

The Pan family wasn't large. After her father and brother were exiled, only Old Madam Pan, her uncle's family of three, and Aunt Gui and her son, two servants, remained.

Pan Tao stood protectively in front of his family, his face as dark as ink. He glared at the Imperial Guards. "What do you think you're doing? My elder brother Pan Hong's case is closed. This is my home now!"

Cao Ye sneered. "Whether it's closed or not isn't up to you. Search the place!"

The Imperial Guards surged into the various rooms like wolves.

When the Imperial Guards raided a home, they turned the place upside down. The sounds of objects being smashed echoed from inside. Pan Tao tried his best to endure it. His wife, Madam Wang, looked terrified, tightly supporting Old Madam Pan. She kept her head bowed, afraid the Imperial Guards might discern something from her face.

The Pan residence wasn't large. Soon, the Imperial Guards emerged and reported to the three men. "Commander, we didn't find her."

Cao Ye frowned slightly and asked, "We didn't find the person, what about the belongings?"

The Imperial Guard lowered his voice. "We didn't find any clothes or personal items belonging to a young girl in the house."

He suspected the intelligence was flawed.

Cao Ye glanced at Wang Yong beside him.

The intelligence had come from him.

Wang Yong, who had been hoping to take credit for this, retorted loudly, "Impossible! My intelligence cannot be wrong. Someone personally saw a girl of six or seven in their courtyard..."

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Pan's tears streamed down. She looked around and cried out loudly, "Nannan, Nannan, is that you? Did you come back? You know your father and brother are in trouble, so you came back to see them?"

"But you've returned too late. Your father and brother have already gone to Datong. If you want to see them, you'll have to go to Datong. You're only seven years old, how can you go alone? Hurry back to the underworld, and stop worrying about those in the mortal realm..."

Pan Tao's eyes also filled with sorrow. He explained to the Imperial Guards, "My brother did have a seven-year-old daughter. She fell ill and died last spring. Everyone, friends and neighbors alike, knows this. If you don't believe us, you can ask the neighbors, or our relatives."

He paused, then turned to his son, Pan Bai. "Go get the letter the clan elder wrote to your uncle last year. I remember it mentioned it."

Pan Bai acknowledged the order and was about to leave when an Imperial Guard tossed a box down with a snap. He held about ten letters in his hand and presented them to Cao Ye. "Commander, these are all the letters found during the search."

He pulled one out and handed it to Cao Ye.

Cao Ye took it and quickly scanned it. It was a letter from the Pan family's clan elder to Pan Hong. In it, he agreed to add Pan Hong's young daughter's name, Pan Yun, to the family registry but refused to allow her burial in the ancestral grave. The reason given was that she was only seven years old and had died young, and there was no precedent for unfulfilled lives being buried in the ancestral graves.

Cao Ye examined it carefully and confirmed the writing on the letter was old. He then held the envelope up to the sunlight to inspect it closely, verifying the postmarks from various post stations. Only then did he grimly put the letter away.

His expression was grim. He barely managed to refrain from glaring at Wang Yong, who had acknowledged the great eunuch Wang Zhen as his uncle and thus had a powerful backer.

He dropped the letter. Although he had made a mistake, he offered no apology to the Pan family. He sneered, "You'd best behave yourselves. If there are any violations, we Imperial Guards will not let it slide."

His gaze swept over Old Madam Pan and Pan Tao, warning them, "If any complaints are heard, it will be considered dissatisfaction with the court, with His Majesty. Pan Hong was convicted of accepting bribes and letting criminals go. His Majesty's sentence of exile is already a great mercy. You must not fail to repay this imperial grace."

The Pan family members didn't even dare to show resentment on their faces.

Cao Ye looked satisfied and then turned to lead his men away.

Wang Yong, however, didn't want to leave. His gaze swept viciously over the Pan family members. But among them, Old Madam Pan and Aunt Gui were too old, and Madam Wang didn't fit either. The remaining young men were Aunt Gui's son, Chang Sheng, and Pan Bai. Both were male and didn't fit...

He gritted his teeth inwardly and cursed the Pan family for being so poor. They didn't even have a young female servant. If they had one, whether she was seven, eight, or seventeen or eighteen, he could have forced her to admit to being Pan Hong's daughter.

Unable to frame anyone, Wang Yong reluctantly followed them away.

Liu Jing, another Imperial Guard captain who had remained silent, finally withdrew his gaze from the pile of letters. He swept his eyes across the courtyard and paused slightly when he saw a paper bird hanging under the eaves.

The paper bird's eyes were lifelike. He had the distinct feeling it was watching him.

Pan Yun, sitting cross-legged beneath the firewood pile, met his gaze through the paper bird's eyes. Both felt a flicker of unease and became wary.

Pan Yun: Could he see her?

Pan Yun didn't dare to underestimate these Imperial Guards. This world had spiritual energy. While it wasn't as dense as the spiritual energy after the revival in her previous world, there were certainly extraordinary individuals in this world.

If there were extraordinary individuals, there would surely be extraordinary events. As one of the Emperor's eyes, the Imperial Guards would likely have some involvement.

Considering her current cultivation level, Pan Yun dared not be careless. Seeing Wang Yong also turn to leave unwillingly, she immediately severed her connection with the paper bird.

Therefore, she didn't see it: before Liu Jing left, he walked past Pan Tao, grabbed the paper bird hanging under the eaves, examined its eyes carefully, and then crushed it in his palm, taking it with him.

Pan Tao's heart pounded. That was one of the paper birds Pan Yun had hung up before she left. At the time, he hadn't understood why she'd taken the trouble to hang up two paper birds in such an urgent situation, but he had a vague sense that they were important.

He clenched his fists, wanting to step forward to stop Liu Jing from taking the paper bird, but Old Madam Pan pulled him back. She subtly shook her head at him. The family watched in silence as Liu Jing took the item and left.