Zhen Wen Zheng told Bai Fang that he had to leave for a few days and asked her to take good care of Zhen Ling Rong during his absence, expressing his deep gratitude.
Bai Fang, feigning happiness, promised to care for Zhen Ling Rong and urged Ning Jing and Shen to leave early and return safely, advising them to be careful.
After Zhen Wen Zheng's departure, Bai Fang could no longer maintain her smiling facade.
She had schemed and plotted to make Zhen Ling Rong fall into a coma, but how could this wench be so lucky to survive such an ordeal.
That damned old bastard had lied to her, claiming the poison was instantly fatal and that only a tiny amount was needed for immediate death.
Yet, a month had passed, and Zhen Ling Rong lay there, half-dead, but still alive.
Bai Fang's gaze, filled with malice, fell upon Zhen Ling Rong lying on the bed. She observed how Zhen Ling Rong's face, pale from prolonged unconsciousness, was still beautiful, appearing as if she were merely sleeping, evoking a desire to protect and cherish her.
"What right do you have? Just for this face of yours?" Bai Fang hissed.
But Zhen Ling Rong on the bed remained unresponsive, sleeping peacefully.
Bai Fang desperately wanted to kill Zhen Ling Rong on the spot, but then, a better idea, one that would bring her even greater joy than killing Zhen Ling Rong, surfaced.
After a fit of maniacal laughter, Bai Fang arranged for her trusted confidantes to secretly transport Zhen Ling Rong out of the mansion. They were to take her far away, to be abandoned in the wilderness or a dilapidated temple.
Zhen Ling Rong's face was captivatingly alluring; anyone who saw it would surely be tempted to savor its beauty.
Moreover, with Zhen Ling Rong unconscious, she would be utterly incapable of resisting.
The fate of a beautiful woman, unconscious in the wilderness, could only be imagined.
The thought of Zhen Ling Rong's future suffering brought an even more triumphant smile to Bai Fang's face.
However, she would still put on a good show.
She orchestrated a staged assassination attempt, with masked assailants abducting someone she claimed to be Zhen Ling Rong.
She then cruelly inflicted a sword wound on her own arm, deliberately leaving it unbandaged and bleeding profusely, causing her to appear pale and weak from blood loss.
Two days later, Zhen Wen Zheng returned.
Before even entering Bai Fang's mansion, he noticed a throng of people at the main gate, bustling in and out, their faces etched with urgency.
An ominous premonition immediately struck him, and he hurried into the mansion.
Upon returning to Zhen Ling Rong's room, he found it empty.
He immediately sought out Bai Fang, only to discover Bai Fang lying unconscious on the bed.
It was a servant who reported that Zhen Ling Rong had been abducted by masked assailants, and that Bai Fang had been injured in the process.
Zhen Wen Zheng's face instantly darkened like the bottom of a pot. He harbored some suspicion towards Bai Fang, but finding Zhen Ling Rong was more pressing, so he departed as he was.
Furthermore, from that day onward, he never returned to Bai Fang's mansion.
However, before leaving Bai Fang's mansion, he left someone behind.
This person had white hair and a white beard, but their skin was rosy, showing no signs of old age.
No one saw how this old man appeared, but he simply materialized before everyone's eyes.
It took him only an hour to ascertain the entire sequence of events, after which he killed everyone involved.
Bai Fang, lying in her room, had been awaiting Zhen Wen Zheng's solicitous inquiries. Little did she know that a god of death awaited her.
Before she could utter a word, she was kicked off the bed by the old man.
Bai Fang was certain to die, but at the critical moment, an old woman appeared and rescued her.
The old man watched as the old woman took Bai Fang away and did not pursue them further. Instead, he leisurely departed from the Marquis of Baishan's manor, hands clasped behind his back.
The old woman who rescued Bai Fang was the very person who had supplied Bai Fang with the medicine to poison Zhen Ling Rong, and who was also Jiang Hong's master.
Jiang Hong had met Bai Fang around that time and later heard her recount the events.
After listening to the entire account, Shen Xiao Yan fell silent for a long while.
According to Jiang Hong's account, Zhen Wen Zheng should have gone to look for Zhen Ling Rong, but did he find her? And was he truly her father?
Was Zhen Ling Rong's imbecilic state due to the drug Bai Fang administered?
Looking at Bai Fang's corpse, Shen Xiao Yan felt a pang of regret, thinking that Zheng Wei's swift killing of her with a single sword blow had been too lenient.
"You and Bai Fang knew nothing of what happened afterward, correct?" Shen Xiao Yan asked blandly.
"Yes," Jiang Hong admitted readily.
He truly knew nothing of the subsequent events and had no intention of fabricating stories to deceive Shen Xiao Yan.
"Why did your master save Bai Fang? What was her relationship with Bai Fang? And what is the relationship between Bai Li Zi Yun, Bai Fang, and you?" Zheng Wei inquired.
"I don't know why Master saved Bai Fang, she never said. Bai Fang never mentioned it either. As for Zi Yun, she is Master's daughter."
Hearing Jiang Hong's words, Shen Xiao Yan felt a herd of phantom horses stampeding through her mind.
"How old is your master?" Shen Xiao Yan asked, doing her best to remain calm.
"I don't know," Jiang Hong shook his head again.
"As her disciple, you don't even know your master's age?" Shen Xiao Yan was astonished, then another question dawned on her, "Then, who is Bai Li Zi Yun's father?"
"I only know he's called Bai Li Hao. I don't know anything else," Jiang Hong still shook his head.
Shen Xiao Yan: ...
Completely ignorant.
"By the way, what sect do you belong to?" Shen Xiao Yan asked again.
It was Jiang Hong's turn to be surprised. Had he mentioned which sect they belonged to?
Jiang Hong thought for a moment before realizing he hadn't made it clear. He then said, "My master is the younger sister of the Grand Emperor, Princess Zande."
Grand Princess...
And the younger sister of the Grand Emperor, the current Emperor's aunt, her status was indeed high.
The daughter of such a princess would at least be a County Princess.
Shen Xiao Yan thought this as she looked at Bai Li Zi Yun, who was giving her an arrogant look, staring directly at her.
No wonder, no wonder Bai Li Zi Yun was so overbearing, wanting whatever she desired once she set her eyes on it.
To achieve this, she would resort to any means. It turned out her status was even higher than Bai Fang's.
But, that wasn't right...
"Didn't you just say that it was an old woman who took Bai Fang away?" Yue Qing Xin asked in confusion.
Yue Qing Xin voiced Shen Xiao Yan's confusion, and also looked intently at Jiang Hong, waiting for his response.
"This, my Master, she is skilled in disguise, so..." Jiang Hong was extremely embarrassed. Bai Li Zi Yun was right beside him; how could he have said that just now?
Skilled in disguise and martial arts, it seemed this Grand Princess Zande was quite extraordinary.
"You were captured by us. Will Grand Princess Zande come to rescue you? When will she come?" Sima Han looked at Jiang Hong, waiting for his answer.
Shen Xiao Yan looked at Sima Han in surprise. Why was Sima Han's expression so solemn?
Right, Sima Han was the Grand Emperor's son. That meant Grand Princess Zande was Sima Han's aunt.
Then, Bai Li Zi Yun would be Sima Han's cousin?
Shen Xiao Yan froze. How could this be?
A melodrama of this magnitude had fallen upon her. Could she still have any fun playing?
Zheng Wei had clearly thought of this as well, but he looked at Sima Han with concern.
Jiang Hong sat on the ground and smiled bitterly, shaking his head. "Master does not live in the capital; she lives with us in Honghe Prefecture. This time, Bai Fang and I accompanied Zi Yun out, and Master thought we were just out for fun, so she didn't know about this matter, thus..."
"Likely, your servants have already gone to inform your Master," Shen Xiao Yan interrupted Jiang Hong's unfinished words.
If his daughter was in trouble, Grand Princess Zande would surely come immediately, and so would Bai Li Hao, Bai Li Zi Yun's father.
As the husband of a princess, a consort, he had no background or identity that had surfaced.