Thinking this over, Pei Ling fell silent. "Miss Xiang'e" and "Young Master Meng" also said nothing.
Seeing that none of the three responded, the Master seemed to take their silence as agreement. He nodded slightly and said, "Remember everything that happened today. Not a word of it is to be forgotten!"
"All right. You may leave."
The three exchanged glances, then bowed. "We take our leave, Father."
They then departed at a leisurely pace.
Soon, the spacious hall was left with the Master alone.
He took a booklet from his sleeve and opened it to reveal densely packed names.
It was the Xiao Family genealogy.
However, most of the names in it had already been crossed out with red lines. Only a scant few remained untouched.
His wife's name was among them, though the red line through it had long since faded...
Outside the main hall, pines murmured in the breeze, and lush green grass carpeted the ground.
Three guards stood beneath the covered walkway with their hands at their sides, their postures respectful. When Pei Ling and the others came out, they immediately stepped forward and bowed. "Greetings, Young Master and Miss."
"Miss Xiang'e" and "Young Master Meng" said nothing, seemingly oblivious to them. Pei Ling gave a slight nod and said, "You may rise."
The three guards immediately followed up, saying, "We will escort Young Master and Miss back."
At this, "Young Master Meng" glanced at "Miss Xiang'e" and Pei Ling, then replied curtly, "Very well."
With that, he turned and left with the guard who had been stationed outside the ancestral hall.
"Miss Xiang'e" remained motionless, watching "Young Master Meng" walk away. She let out a cold laugh. "'Yu'..."
Then she turned to Pei Ling. A look of hesitation crossed her face, but in the end,