Lu Qingwan touched it suspiciously. With a whoosh, the dragon's mouth spat out a golden thread, which directly pierced a *Dalbergia odorifera* nearby.
Lu Qingwan was stunned. "This, it's a lot like the King of Ten Thousand Phoenixes!"
Si Fengwu was also greatly surprised. He stroked the dragon-shaped ring he wore, and the golden thread was retracted.
Looking at the function, which was extremely similar to the King of Ten Thousand Phoenixes, the two of them could almost confirm that the ring should have originated from the same source as the King of Ten Thousand Phoenixes.
Lu Qingwan hurriedly asked Si Fengwu, "Besides this, is there anything else in the brocade pouch?"
Si Fengwu handed her the cloth strip directly. "It can be confirmed that the item was left to you, but it's unlikely to be your father-in-law's doing."
After weighing his words, he said, "Perhaps, your birth father found you."
Lu Qingwan did not reply. She took the cloth strip and was stunned at the sight: "To my dearest daughter Wanwan, we are in a foreign land and cannot protect you completely, so we specially pass this True Dragon Token to you. If you encounter danger, use this to find Sansheng Tower, and someone will help you escape. Also, beware of Liu Hanyan, be careful."
It was only a few short sentences, but Lu Qingwan read them over and over before putting the item away. She calmly thanked the abbot, "Thank you, Master."
The abbot shook his head and uttered another Buddhist verse.
Lu Qingwan and Si Fengwu did not linger at Xiangguo Temple for long and returned directly. On the way back to the city, Lu Qingwan held the King of Ten Thousand Phoenixes in one hand and the True Dragon Token in the other, almost staring holes into both items. After a long while, she suddenly asked, "Where did you get this King of Ten Thousand Phoenixes?"
Si Fengwu shook his head. "It's been in my hands since childhood; even my imperial brother doesn't know. I don't know why, but I've always felt a strong connection to this item, and it's indeed very good, so I've kept it with me. When I established Banyue Pavilion, on a whim, I used it as my token."
As he spoke, he seemed to guess Lu Qingwan's thoughts and his gaze fell on the True Dragon Token. "Sansheng Tower and Wufeng Hall were all forces under the command of Empress Qinghuang thousands of years ago. Even the Reincarnation Hall has a great connection to Empress Qinghuang. The person who left you the True Dragon Token explicitly told you to beware of Liu Hanyan, A'wan. Does this mean that Liu Hanyan is not actually your birth mother?"
"That shouldn't be the case, should it?" Lu Qingwan blinked. "The Hundred Poisons Gu is enough to prove the relationship between her and me. Perhaps, there are mothers in this world who hate their daughters?" However, out of caution, she still said, "Can you find some of Liu Hanyan's hair, nails, or blood? Just a little bit is enough. I need to find out if she is truly my birth mother."
Si Fengwu knew that Lu Qingwan had her own ways of discerning blood relations and agreed without hesitation. However, he cautiously added, "Since we're testing blood relations, why not test the Lord of Reincarnation Hall as well?"
Lu Qingwan silently gave him a questioning look. "What does Old Man Liu need to test?"
Si Fengwu paused, not wanting to hide it from Lu Qingwan, but rather carefully choosing his words. "Perhaps an outside perspective is clearer. I don't know Liu Hanyan, but I've heard some things about her at Reincarnation Hall. Although she's a bit arrogant, her character is not an issue. In your words, she's at least 'normal' in terms of values. But what Liu Hanyan is doing now is clearly not the case."
Liu Hanyan was Lu Qingwan's birth mother, so Si Fengwu was very cautious with his words, fearing he would upset Lu Qingwan. "As your mother, even if she didn't want to acknowledge you, she wouldn't have to refine Chi Yaoyao into a Gu Zhenren to kill you. Moreover, Liu Hanyan's pride is acknowledged by everyone in Reincarnation Hall. Since she said she wouldn't be a Saintess and wanted to forge her own path, she wouldn't go back to fight for the position of Saintess. Her current actions are completely different from the Liu Hanyan we knew. Even if a person changes drastically, their personality shouldn't change so much, right?"
Lu Qingwan nodded silently. "Unless, like me, she was also possessed, then it would barely be explainable."
Si Fengwu looked troubled. "If that's the case, it would be troublesome. Not everyone can accept possession of a body. Especially since Liu Hanyan is still vying for the position of Saintess in Reincarnation Hall, she would never admit to being possessed. As a mother, she stands on the moral high ground by nature. If you confront her, you'll be at a significant disadvantage."
Lu Qingwan had just said it casually, but seeing Si Fengwu analyze it so seriously, she was amused. "I was just saying, and you took it seriously. Do you really think possession is that simple?"
Si Fengwu also realized his thoughts had become too scattered. He chuckled, "Alright, I'll have someone find Liu Hanyan's hair and other things. You find a way to deal with the Lord of Reincarnation Hall. We can also try to find out when her style of doing things began to change." It wasn't easy to determine if someone had been possessed. If it were true, they would have a lot of evidence to find. However, Lu Qingwan had always agreed with the strategy of casting a wide net and harvesting selectively, so she happily agreed. However, her mood wasn't as cheerful on the way back to the city. As soon as they entered the city, they noticed the tense atmosphere. Knowing that the urgent military dispatch had entered the capital, the two were not too surprised. But seeing their temporary courtyard surrounded by imperial guards from afar made Lu Qingwan unhappy. "What's going on? Did Feng Qingheng find us?"
Si Fengwu calmly pressed her hand. "Before we left, I asked Li Su to scout around. Someone must have discovered us and reported it to Feng Qingheng." He held Lu Qingwan's hand and said calmly, "Li Jin, fire the signal flare. Prepare to enter the palace."
Li Jin immediately responded. Lu Qingwan soon heard the sound of a skyrocket soaring into the sky. She lightly scratched Si Fengwu's palm. "Be honest, what are you planning to do?"
"The Great Qian Royal Army suffered a defeat at the Jade River. Feng Qingheng not only failed to salvage the situation but also placed the current Prime Minister, the Minister of Personnel, the powerful Prince Nan, and the families of Prince Consort Shao under house arrest to maintain his precarious throne. I am acting on the late emperor's will to save the people of Great Qian from dire straits. Is there a problem with that?"
Lu Qingwan deliberately argued with him. "Didn't you return that imperial edict to Prime Minister Wen? Where did the late emperor's will come from?"
Si Fengwu produced a piece of bright yellow silk and a large seal from his sleeve as if performing a magic trick. "Look, what is this?"
Lu Qingwan curiously took it and looked, then was stunned. "This, did the late emperor really leave it to you?" The bright yellow silk clearly stated that Emperor Jingyou entrusted both Wufeng Hall and the Imperial Seal to Si Fengwu for safekeeping.