Where is Home, Where is the Heart's Home

"Who wanders from the sunset river, amidst the misty waves?"

"Once the heart's desire is gone, where is my home, where is my heart's home?"

Watching the shift in Zhang Lexuan's expression as she contemplated the changes to her homeland, Lin Yun could not help but softly chant a ballad from his past life.

Zhang Lexuan snapped back to reality and took a deep breath.

"Indeed, where is home, where is the heart's home? What is the point of revisiting old haunts when everything is already gone? The beautiful scenery is gone, and the people who once admired it with me are gone, too."

Lin Yun sighed, then said, "If you are willing in the future, I can accompany you to see the scenery yet to come."

"But for now, let us find a place to stay, and then, we shall properly search for where your heart's home truly lies—whether it is Shrek Academy, or somewhere else entirely."

Zhang Lexuan nodded and quickened her pace to keep up with Lin Yun.

The three of them soon arrived at an inn in the Heaven Spirit Empire. Scorpion Tiger Douluo kept his distance, acting independently and only monitoring their situation from the shadows.

In the guest room, Lin Yun asked Zhang Lexuan, "What happened to your family's original assets?"

Zhang Lexuan replied, "They were mixed in with the assets of the noble family that slaughtered my kin. Some of the legal ties were impossible to untangle, so I simply donated them all at the time, keeping only the cash for myself."

Lin Yun pondered for a moment, then said, "We still need to trace those things from that time, eliminating them one by one."

Zhang Lexuan nodded, agreeing with Lin Yun's assessment. Lin Yun continued, "Let us go tonight and see if we can dig up anything relevant."

Zhang Lexuan hesitated. "Is that wise? After all, those assets should have been distributed to others by now. Wouldn't this be trespassing..."

Lin Yun said dismissively, "We are only going to take a look, not to kill or burn. Besides, have you forgotten what identities we are currently using? What Evil Soul Master cares about the methods used?"

Zhang Lexuan remained hesitant, so Lin Yun shrugged and said, "Very well then. You lead me there, and I will handle the rest myself. Leave the dirty work to me."

Zhang Lexuan shook her head and said, "What difference would that make? Forget it. Those who achieve great things do not fuss over trifles. We will go together tonight."

That night, Lin Yun brought a hood for Zhang Lexuan. Dressed in black night-traveling clothes, the two climbed out of the hotel window.

Although Zhang Lexuan had been hesitant before the action, she was not indecisive once she actually began.

After all, someone truly indecisive could never have become the universally acknowledged Senior Sister of any faction.

Arriving beneath a luxurious villa, Zhang Lexuan double-checked the location and said to Lin Yun, "There is no mistake. This is the place."

Lin Yun nodded, then looked at the plaque above the door, curling his lips as he said, "Interesting. It seems the people of the Heaven Spirit Empire are truly becoming more incompetent. To be granted your family's former estate, one must at least be a noble not inferior to your own."

"Yet, on the facade of this noble's residence, one of the most prominent plaques is actually your family's old sign, flipped over and reused."

"It is truly lamentable."

Hearing Lin Yun's words, Zhang Lexuan felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

"What did you say?"

Zhang Lexuan's voice trembled as she looked at Lin Yun in disbelief.

Lin Yun said with a touch of exasperation, "Do not overreact to everything. At the end of the day, it is just a plaque."

As he spoke, a pair of bone wings sprouted from Lin Yun's back. With a slight push of his legs, he leaped up and reached out to take the plaque down.

By the moonlight, Zhang Lexuan saw the back of the plaque. It truly bore two large characters: Zhang Mansion.

It was the plaque from her family's home all those years ago.

As the saying goes, seeing an object reminds one of the person. Zhang Lexuan had thought everything from her home had been destroyed in that catastrophe; seeing this plaque now, her heart surged with emotions.

Unconsciously, Zhang Lexuan reached out to stroke the plaque, feeling its weight as if it were the hands of her own father.

Lin Yun gave Zhang Lexuan some time to process her emotions before whispering, "If you like it, once the investigation is over, we can either buy it or seize it and take it back. As for now, to avoid alerting the enemy, I must put it back."

Zhang Lexuan nodded, looked up, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. In that fleeting moment, she regained her composure.

Lin Yun led Zhang Lexuan on a tour of her old home. Since it was the place where she had grown up, and its current owner was a rather frugal and stingy person, the layout and furnishings of the rooms remained unchanged, striking at Zhang Lexuan's nerves time and time again.

Amidst this onslaught, Zhang Lexuan's emotions gradually grew numb.

Having found nothing of value at the Zhang Mansion, Lin Yun pondered for a while before asking Zhang Lexuan to take him to the former residence of the noble family that had slaughtered her entire household.

Zhang Lexuan led Lin Yun to that estate, which had remained vacant ever since Mu En had intervened, as no one dared to live there anymore.

The entire house appeared somewhat dilapidated, but fortunately, the furnishings inside seemed untouched, which had served to preserve the scene quite well.

As Lin Yun walked through the room, he suddenly felt that the sound of a certain floorboard beneath his feet was different from the others.

Simply put, it felt hollow when stepped upon, as if there were some hidden mystery beneath that specific tile.

Lin Yun had no moral standards to speak of at this moment; he immediately infused a bit of Soul Power into his hand, causing bone claws to extend from his fingers.

He pried at the gap in the floorboards, forcing the tile directly open.

Once the tile was removed, a circular knob was revealed.

Lin Yun called Zhang Lexuan over, and as she stared at the knob, she couldn't help but swallow hard.

If there was truly any turning point regarding the events of that year, the clues were most likely hidden in a secret chamber behind this knob.

Lin Yun glanced at Zhang Lexuan, then reached out and turned the mechanism.

Accompanied by the sound of grinding gears, a shifting noise emanated from another room.

Zhang Lexuan hurriedly led Lin Yun as they followed the sound.

Upon reaching what was originally the study, they saw that the bookshelves had shifted, revealing a doorway.

After opening the door, Lin Yun tossed a tinderstick inside; he watched the flame burn for a moment to ensure the air was breathable before leading Zhang Lexuan down.

Relying on the night vision of the Skeletal Bone Dragon as an undead creature, Lin Yun took the lead. Since they didn't carry many fire sources, he didn't let Zhang Lexuan light a torch, intending to save their supplies for when they were absolutely necessary.

Soon, Lin Yun discovered a withered skeleton that appeared to be that of a young boy.

He whispered to Zhang Lexuan that there was a situation, then stepped forward to approach it...