The Si Household's ancestral grounds.
Third Uncle Granduncle sat sunning himself in a wicker chair, holding a yellowed scroll, with a pot of spirit tea on the small table beside him.
The sunlight was just right, and the breeze was pleasantly mild.
The old man squinted, murmuring to himself, though no one could tell what he was reading.
Suddenly...
The scroll in his hand fell to the ground with a slap.
"Is this... Heartguard's aura?"
It had been Ye Fu's personal magic treasure, which she had later given to Chen'er.
Twenty years ago, when Chen'er ascended, Heartguard had gone to the Immortal Realm with him.
But now, Heartguard's aura was here, in the ancestral grounds?
He rose shakily, not even bothering to pick up the scroll, and headed outside with his walking stick.
After two steps, he turned back, picked up the scroll, and set it neatly in place.
Then he took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
Elsewhere.
Si Che was teaching Si Ming's younger sister to write in his study.
The little girl looked only four or five. She held her brush quite properly, but her characters came out crooked and twisted, like earthworms fighting.
"Daddy, look what I wrote!"
Si Che leaned over to look and fell silent for a moment. "...That's the character 'Si'?"
The little girl nodded proudly. "Yes! Big Brother taught me!"
Si Che smiled and was about to say something...
Suddenly, he sensed a familiar aura.
He shot to his feet, his chair toppling backward with a crash, startling the little girl.
"Daddy?"
Without a word, Si Che scooped her up and rushed out of the study.
The back courtyard.
Qing Li was crouched beside a flower bed, pruning its branches and leaves.
She had been a maid in