"Grandpa?!"
Bai Bing's cry echoed through the secret chamber.
She stepped forward and pointed at the drawer, disbelief filling her eyes.
Yue Xiaofei followed her gaze.
The third drawer was lined with dark red velvet, with stacks of yellowed papers arranged neatly on top.
They were nothing like ordinary rice paper.
Faint dark red marks edged the thick sheets, which carried the weight of age and authority.
At first glance, they resembled imperial edicts.
He picked up the top sheet.
The writing was in small brush-script characters, each stroke firm and forceful.
The first line alone sent a jolt through him.
[Bai Zhengling hereby swears upon his blood and enters into this Blood Covenant with Miss Lu Lanxin.]
"A Blood Covenant?"
Yue Xiaofei read softly. The further he went, the more alarmed he became.
[The Bai family, having received the Lu family's grace and preserved its holdings, hereby makes this pledge.] [From this day forth, the Bai family shall serve the Lu family for generations. The Lu family shall be master, and the Bai family its vassal.] [Should a descendant of the Lu family come bearing this covenant, the Bai family shall surrender half its property and place itself at their disposal.] [Should this pledge be broken, may lightning strike, may our bloodline end, may our household fall, and may we never know peace.] [Bai Zhengling]
At the bottom, beside Bai Zhengling's signature, was a dark red fingerprint—clearly stamped in blood.
"This... this is my grandpa's handwriting!"
Bai Bing snatched the paper and ran her fingertips over the signature again and again, her voice trembling.
"I practiced calligraphy with Grandpa when I was little. Whenever he wrote the last stroke of 'Ling,' he added a tiny hook. It's exactly the same here!"
Yue Xiaofei was stunned