Where Is Home, Where Is the Heart?

"Who wanders beneath the evening sun, over the clear river, amid misty waves?"

"Having left behind all that the mortal heart yearned for, where is my home, where is my heart?"

Watching Zhang Lexuan's expression change as she took in the transformation of her hometown, Lin Yun couldn't help softly humming a song from his previous life.

Zhang Lexuan came back to her senses and took a deep breath.

"Yes. Where is home, where is the heart? What does it matter if I return to a familiar place? Everything is gone. The beautiful scenery is gone, and so are the people who once enjoyed it with me."

Lin Yun sighed, then said,

"If you're willing, I can accompany you to see those places in the future."

"But for now, let's find somewhere to stay. Then we can take a good look at where your heart truly belongs—Shrek Academy, or somewhere else."

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

The three soon arrived at an inn in the Dou Ling Empire. Scorpion Tiger Douluo kept his distance and acted alone, watching over them from the shadows.

In their guest room, Lin Yun asked Zhang Lexuan,

"What happened to your family's businesses?"

"They got mixed in with the businesses of the noble family that killed everyone in mine. Some of the related assets were entangled and couldn't be separated. At the time, I simply donated them all and kept only the cash for myself."

Lin Yun thought it over, then said,

"We still have to follow up on what happened back then and investigate those things one by one."

Zhang Lexuan nodded, agreeing with him. Lin Yun said,

"Let's go take a look tonight and see if we can find anything relevant."

Zhang Lexuan hesitated.

"Wouldn't that be wrong? Those assets should have been distributed to other people by now. If we go in, that would be trespassing..."

Lin Yun said unconcernedly,

"We're just going to have a look. We're not killing anyone or setting anything on fire. Besides, have you forgotten what we are now? What Evil Soul Master cares about doing things the proper way?"

Zhang Lexuan still seemed hesitant. Lin Yun shrugged and said,

"All right, then. You take me there, and I'll handle the rest myself. I'll do all the dirty work."

Zhang Lexuan shook her head.

"What difference would that make? Forget it. Those who want to accomplish great things can't be too fussy. We'll go together tonight."

That night, Lin Yun gave Zhang Lexuan a hood. Dressed in black for the occasion, the two climbed out of the hotel window.

Zhang Lexuan had hesitated before they set out, but once she actually started, she proved far from indecisive.

After all, someone who truly couldn't make up her mind would never have become the senior sister everyone acknowledged, no matter what faction she was in.

They arrived beneath a luxurious villa. Zhang Lexuan checked once more, then said to Lin Yun,

"It's definitely this place."

Lin Yun nodded, then looked at the plaque above the gate and curled his lips.

"This is interesting. It seems the people of the Dou Ling Empire really are getting more and more useless. Whoever was awarded your family's estate must have been a noble at least as powerful as your family."

"Yet on this noble's mansion, one of the most prominent plaques above the main gate is your family's signboard, hung upside down."

"Quite a lamentable sight."

Lin Yun's words struck Zhang Lexuan like a bolt from the blue.

"What did you say?"

Zhang Lexuan's voice trembled as she stared at him in disbelief.

Lin Yun could only shake his head.

"Don't react so strongly to everything. At the end of the day, it's just a plaque."

As he spoke, a pair of bone wings sprouted from his back. He pushed off lightly with his legs, leapt up, and reached out to remove the plaque.

By the moonlight, Zhang Lexuan saw that the back of the plaque really did bear two large characters: Zhang Mansion.

It was the plaque that had hung above her family's home.

They said that seeing an object brought memories flooding back. Zhang Lexuan had thought everything in her home had been destroyed in that catastrophe. Now, seeing this plaque, her thoughts surged.

Without thinking, Zhang Lexuan reached out and stroked it, feeling its weight as though she were touching her father's hands.

Lin Yun gave Zhang Lexuan a moment to steady herself, then said softly,

"If you like it, after we finish investigating, we can buy it or steal it and take it back. But for now, I'm putting it back so we don't alert anyone."

Zhang Lexuan nodded, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. In that instant, she regained control of her emotions.

Lin Yun took Zhang Lexuan on a return visit to the place where she had grown up. The current owner was rather hard-pressed for money and frugal by nature.

The layout and furnishings of the entire house had not changed at all, each detail jolting Zhang Lexuan's nerves again and again.

Under the repeated shocks, Zhang Lexuan's emotions gradually grew numb.

They found nothing of value in Zhang Mansion. After thinking it over, Lin Yun asked Zhang Lexuan to take him to the old estate of the noble family that had killed hers.

Zhang Lexuan took Lin Yun to the residence. Since Mu En had intervened, no one dared live there.

The house was somewhat dilapidated, but fortunately, the furnishings inside looked untouched. The scene had been preserved rather well.

As Lin Yun walked through the rooms, he suddenly noticed that one section of the floor sounded different from the rest.

Simply put, it felt a little hollow underfoot, as if something lay hidden beneath that floorboard.

Lin Yun had no particular scruples at the moment. He immediately channeled a little Soul Power into his hand, and a bone claw extended from it.

He wedged the bone claw into the crack and pried the floorboard right up.

Once the floorboard was removed, it revealed a round knob.

Lin Yun called Zhang Lexuan over. Looking at the knob, she couldn't help swallowing.

If there really was some turn in the events of that year, the clues were most likely hidden in a secret room behind that knob.

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

With the sound of gears turning, something shifted in another room.

Zhang Lexuan hurriedly led Lin Yun toward the sound.

They found that the bookcase in what had once been the study had shifted, revealing a doorway.

After opening it, Lin Yun tossed in a fire starter. He watched the flame burn for a while, confirmed that the air inside was breathable, then led Zhang Lexuan down.

Relying on the night vision of the Skeletal Bone Dragon, an undead creature, Lin Yun went first. They had brought very little fire with them, so he didn't have Zhang Lexuan light a torch. They would save their fire until they really needed it.

Before long, Lin Yun spotted what looked like the dried bones of a teenager up ahead.

He quietly told Zhang Lexuan that something was there, then immediately went over to take a look...