borrowed my firestones.” The voices belonged to Wang Yuyan and Zhong Ling. Ba Tianshi and Zhu Danchen secretly lamented to themselves: We have exercise extreme caution; nevertheless, we fell into the enemy’s trap.

From his bosom, Duan Yu produced his firestones. ‘Ta ta ta’. After a few strikes, no sparks were seen. Zhu Danchen questioned: “Mister, has the old hag borrowed your firestones before?” Duan Yu responded: “Yes, that was before dinner. After she used them, she returned them back to me.” Zhu Danchen surmised: “The firestones must have been switched.”

For a short spell of time, nobody spoke up. In the darkness, all they could hear were the sounds of forest bugs. It is a moonless and starless night; there is no natural lighting they can rely on. Gathered in the house, the six of them can barely make out each other’s silhouettes. In their hearts, they felt as if they are being surrounded by an unseen danger. Ever since Duan Yu started filling up the missing words in the painting and receiving dedicated hospitality from Old Fellow Jia, the six of them are being blinded and lured into coming to this wild and secluded spot. Although they could somewhat guess that something is amiss, no one could comprehend the evil scheme or even identify any evidence that points to such a scheme. Everyone thought: If the enemy physically confronts us in an open battle, we can have a proper contest. Now that the enemy is sneaking around in the darkness, we are unable to take any precautions.

Mu Wanqing reasoned: “The old grandma has stripped us of our firestones. She wants to keep us shrouded in the dark in order to execute her evil plans.” Zhong Ling suddenly shrieked out loud: “What if they release centipedes and venomous ants to bite me in the dark? That will be my worst nightmare!” In his heart, Ba Tianshi shuddered once. He state: “If we are assaulted by venomous insects in the dark, we would be entirely defenseless.” Duan Yu suggested: “Why don’t we get out of here and hide in the trees?” Zhu Danchen forbade: “I think the trees are already planted with venomous bugs.” Letting out a scream ‘Ah!’, Zhong Ling grabbed onto Mu Wanqing’s arm. Ba Tianshi comforted: “Miss, do not be frightened. Let us light a fire before talking.” Zhong Ling wondered: “Without firestones, how do we start a fire?” Ba Tianshi strategized: “It is hard to fathom the enemy’s plan but since they want us to stay in the dark without fire and lighting, we shall purposely create a fire. We certainly cannot go wrong with that.”

As he spoke, he entered the kitchen and came back with two pieces of firewood. Handing them to Zhu Danchen, he instructed: “Brother Zhu, turn these firewood into wooden splints, the finer the better.” Hearing his words, Zhu Danchen immediately understood his idea and agreed: “You are right, why should we remain as sitting ducks?” From his bosom, he took out a dagger and started paring the firewood. Duan Yu, Mu Wanqing, Wang Yuyan and Zhong Ling joined in as well. Retrieving their own daggers or small knives, they assisted by cutting, chopping or grinding the wooden chips, turning them into wood kindling. Duan Yu sighed: “Unfortunately, I do not possess the incredible power of Grandmaster Kurong from Sky Dragon Monastery (TianLong Monastery). He can ignite this wood kindling by focusing his internal energy. I think Jiumozhi has this ability too.” In actual fact, the accumulated internal energy in Duan Yu has long surpassed Grandmaster Kurong and Jiumozhi. However, he does not know how to utilize this power.

As everyone worked tirelessly on breaking down the firewood into minute portions, there is hardly any peace in their hearts. Fully silent, they paid full attention to their hearing, the only ability they could depend on to detect any enemy activity. Everyone thought the same: Since the old grandma has conned us of our firestones, she probably will not wait too long before taking action. Even in the next moment, we could be under attack.

With his hands feeling the wood kindling, Ba Tianshi estimated that he has enough to fill a typical rice bowl. Gathering them into a pile, he added some charcoal paper (fire starter) to it. Holding his own knife in his left hand, he borrowed Zhong Ling’s knife and held it in his right hand. In a swift movement, he scrapped the blunt sides of the knives against each other with a ‘zheng’ sound. Fire sparks erupted in all directions and some of them came in contact with the wood kindling, causing the kindling to start burning. Unfortunately, the fire died down as soon as it is lighted, and did not spread to the charcoal paper. As everyone sighed with disappointment, Ba Tianshi continued grinding the two blades against each other. ‘Zheng Zheng’ the sounds rang out relentlessly. After more than ten tries, the charcoal paper finally started burning.

Duan Yu and everyone else cheered and whistled in delight. Using the charcoal paper, they managed to reignite the oil lamp. Afraid of the wind snuffing out the lamp, Zhu Danchen gathered and lit up all the oil lamps from the kitchen and the two bedrooms. The flames are weak and make everyone’s face appear with a greenish tinge. The smell of smoke is thick and irritating to the nose. Nonetheless, the fire was created after much difficulty and everyone is in high spirits, feeling as if they had just won a big victory.

The wooden house itself is sparse and from the gaps of the door, wind is blowing continuously into the cabin. The six of them glanced at each other, hands on weapons, pricking their ears for any suspicious sounds. However, except for the sound of wind rustling the trees or the standard squeaking of the bugs, everything else remains normal.

After a prolonged period, there are still no signs of enemy activity. As a result, Ba Tianshi started exploring the interior of the wooden house. He noticed a few pillars are being wrapped with grass mats and the grass mats are secured in place by grass ropes. From his recollection, there were no grass mats and grass ropes when he first entered the house. He cut the grass ropes at once and with it, the grass mats fell off the pillars.

On two of the pillars, Duan Yu saw that a pair of couplets is engraved on them. The upper verse goes: Spring river flowing water _ camellia. The lower verse goes: Summer valley _ rise red lychee. There is a missing word in each couplet. Turning around, he saw that Zhu Danchen has dismantled another two grass mats from another two pillars, revealing another pair of engraved couplets. They go: _ in green robes a familiar face; _ camellia blossom with grace.

Duan Yu declared: “Along our journey, I have been filling up blanks in paintings. Good, bad, who knows? Since they (enemy) have wrapped the pillars with grass mats, they evidently do not wish for me to see the couplets. We have always acted unconventionally, desiring to see what tricks the enemy is going play.” With that, he stretched his hand out. With sounds of ‘chi chi’, he has written the word ‘white’ next to the word ‘camellia’ and the word ‘mist’ next to the word ‘valley’. The perfected couplet now reads: ‘Spring river flowing water white camellia; summer valley mist rise red lychee’. His internal energy is profound and wherever he exerted strength, wood kindling would fall out. Clapping her hands, Zhong Ling giggled: “If we knew about this, you can simply scrap your fingers against the firewood and we would have wood kindling. There is no need for us to expend so much effort.”

Immersed in his own world, Duan Yu is now at the other pillars filling up the blanks, muttering to himself as he wrote: “Beauty in green robes a familiar face; September camellia blossom with grace” As he chanted, he swayed his head (like poets when composing poems) while stealing glances at Wang Yuyan. Wang Yuyan’s delicate face glowed red and she turned her head away. (embarrassed)

Zhong Ling highlighted: “I wonder which tree does this wood come from? The fragrance is pretty nice.” Everyone took a few sniffs and agreed that from the engraving hole made by Duan Yu’s finger, there was an enchanting flowery scent. The fragrance seems to resemble osmanthus or rose but is neither of them. Duan Yu, too, exclaimed: “Nice aroma!” The fragrance became thicker and thicker and after inhaling it, the body became more comfortable and alert.

Zhu Danchen’s face instantly lost colour and he warned: “Not good. I think this scent is poisonous. Everybody, cover your nostrils.” Hearing his reminder, everyone hurriedly used their handkerchiefs or sleeves to seal his or her mouth and nose. By now, everyone has breathed in a considerable amount of the fragrance. If it is poisonous, there should be signs of dizziness or discomfort. However, no one felt any signs of uneasiness.

After a short while, everyone was in need of oxygen and naturally started breathing again. Feeling no signs of poisoning, everyone gradually removed their seals. Discussing the situation, nobody could offer a good explanation for the enemy’s scheme.

A long wait later, the air is suddenly filled with a series of buzzing noises. Mu Wanqing was alarmed and cried out: “Aiyo! The poison has been activated. I keep hearing a weird noise in my ears.” Zhong Ling wailed: “Me too.” Ba Tianshi instead clarified: “That is not a weird noise in your ears. It sounds like a huge swarm of bees are flying towards us.” True enough, the buzzing sound became louder and louder, signaling the approach of thousands of bees.

Bees are actually nothing to be afraid of. Still, this is the first time everyone has heard such a loud buzzing sound. Nobody could even confirm if the buzzing sound actually came from bees or something else. For a split second, everyone was stunned on the spot, not knowing how to react. As the ‘weng weng’ sounds grew closer and closer, it sounded like countless vampires howling and dashing towards them, ready to bite every person. Zhong Ling is basically grabbing onto Mu Wanqing’s arm while Wang Yuyan is holding Duan Yu’s hands as tightly as she could. Everyone’s heart is thumping like a beating drum. Although they expected an enemy concealed in the darkness, no one expected such a horrifying noise to herald the arrival of their attackers.

Abruptly, with a ‘pai’ noise, it sounded as if a small object has knocked onto the wooden wall of the wooden house from outside. Following that came a continuous stream of ‘pai pai pai pai’ sounds, as if scores of small items are knocking at the wall. Mu Wanqing and Zhong Ling screamed in unison: “They are bees!” Ba Tianshi rushed to close a window and out of the blue, the air is pierced by the dreadful long cries of horses and sounds of their stomping. Zhong Ling shrieked: “The bees are stinging the horses!” Zhu Danchen announced: “I will go and cut the ropes binding the horses!” Tearing the collar of his long robes, he wrapped the cloth around his head. As he barely pushed open the wooden door with his left hand, a gust of wind brought thousands of bees into the house. Zhong Ling and Wang Yuyan instantly screamed at the top of their voices.

Ba Tianshi dragged Zhu Danchen back into the house, and with his knee, he knocked the door close. However, the house is already filled with bees. Once they entered the house, the bees started stinging everyone and in a few minutes, everyone’s head, arms, face have all been stung several times. Opening his folded fan, Zhu Danchen smacked randomly in the air. Tearing his own collar, Ba Tianshi used it against the bees as a weapon. Enduring the painful stings, Duan Yu, Mu Wanqing, Wang Yuyan and Zhong Ling also did their best in smacking the bees.

When Ba Tianshi, Zhu Danchen, Duan Yu and Mu Wanqing attacked the bees, they utilized their maximum internal energy. Soon, there are only a few dozen bees left in the house. Strange enough, these bees are like moths attracted to fire. Despite the circumstances, they continued stinging everyone relentlessly. Another brief skirmish later, everyone finally realised that all the bees within the house are dead. Zhong Ling and Wang Yuyan are both crying profusely due to the pain. In the ears of everyone, the sounds of ‘pai pai’ outside the house are as dense as ever. There could be another tens of thousands of bees waiting to penetrate the wooden cabin. Paled-faced, everybody temporary ignored their bodily pain and hastily tore at their collars or sleeves, using them to plug every single gap in the wooden house.

Numerous red and swollen marks occupy their six bodies and faces; everybody looked the worse for wear. Duan Yu consoled: “Luckily, we are able to seek shelter in this wooden house. If we are outside in the open wilderness and with these millions of wild bees coming after us, we will be slaughtered.” Mu Wanqing warned: “These wild bees are being lured here by our enemies. Will they give up now? Or will they try to break down the wooden house?” Zhong Ling let out a shriek and asked: “Sister, you… you are saying that they will break down this wooden house?”

Before Mu Wanqing could reply, a loud ‘PONG!’ sound was heard above her head. A large rock has apparently landed on the roof. The rafters of the roof went ‘ge ge’ as it shook. Fortunately, the roof remained intact. The ‘ge ge’ sound barely ended when another two large rocks broke through the roof and landed in the house. The oil lamps were instantly extinguished.

Duan Yu hurriedly held Wang Yuyan in his bosom and covered her head and face. Faced with ear-deafening buzzing noise, the group realised fighting is futile and quickly used their robes to cover their faces. In seconds, their arms, legs, shoulders are pierced by thousands of stings. Shortly, everything went black as the six of them fainted simultaneously.

Duan Yu has ingested the Crimson Buffalo Toad and originally, he is immune to poison. However, these bees are raised by humans. Besides the venomous bee sting, sleeping drugs are applied to the bee’s stinger. After being stung consecutively by hundreds of bees, he succumbed as well. Nevertheless, his internal energy is overwhelming and among the six, he was the first to regain consciousness.

The second he woke up, he immediately reached out his hand to hug Wang Yuyan. However, he is unable to move his arms. At the same time, he realised that Wang Yuyan is no longer in his bosom. Although his eyes are wide open, all he could see is complete darkness. It turns out that his arms and legs are securely fastened; his eyes are blindfolded with a black cloth and there was a large walnut stuffed in his mouth. His breathing is limited and speaking is impossible. All over his skin, he can feel countless small but painful spots, the places where the bees have left their marks. He could sense that he is in some underground chamber but has no idea where he is or how long he has been knocked out.

In his state of helplessness, Duan Yu suddenly heard a firm female voice reprimanding: “I have expended so much energy, planning to capture the old dog surnamed Duan from DaLi. Why did you catch this little puppy instead?” Duan Yu felt that this voice is familiar to him but for the time being, he could not recognize the speaker.

A voice from an old woman replied: “Servant (I) has followed your instructions carefully and nothing was neglected.” The lady snorted: “Humph, I believe there is some funny business going on. The old dog was heading south from Xixia, taking the main road and passing through Xichuan; why did he abruptly head east? All the drugged wine that we carefully prepared along the journey was consumed by this puppy instead.”

In his heart, Duan Yu knew the ‘old dog’ she mentioned is his own father Duan Zhengchun. In her rude terms, the ‘puppy’ is therefore Duan Yu himself. Based on the walled voices of the lady and old woman, they are probably speaking in another chamber, probably the chamber right next to Duan Yu’s.

The old woman mused: “On this trip to the Central Plains, His Lordship Duan has already spent a considerable number of days. When he abruptly head east…” The lady scolded: “You still address him as His Lordship Duan?” The old woman answered: “Yes, in the past… Mistress instructed me to address him as Mister Duan. Now that he has aged…” The lady snapped: “Stop talking about him.” The old woman acknowledged: “Yes.” The lady released a light sigh and dejectedly continued: “He… He has aged…” In her voice, signs of pity and vulnerability can be discerned.

Duan Yu was instantly relieved. He pondered: Initially, I was puzzled about her identity. Turns out that she is Father’s old girlfriend. She has a grudge with Father and she is probably doing it out of jealousy. Oh yeah, her venomous bees scheme is originally used to kidnap Father but due to a complicated coincidence, I took the rap instead. Since this is the case, she would not cause any harm to us. Still, I wonder who this lady is? I have definitely heard her voice before.

The lady started speaking again: “The incomplete paintings that we prepared in all the houses and inns; did that puppy really make all the right corrections? I am still in doubt. The old dog has managed to replicate all his education in the puppy? Is there such a coincidence in this world?” The old woman reminded: “Whenever the Father recites his poetry, the son will be influenced. There is nothing strange with that.” The lady angrily cursed: “Dao Baifeng that uncouth and uneducated girl grew up in the countryside. How did she give birth to such a talented son? I will never believe this as long as I live.”

Hearing her insult her own mother, Duan Yu was incensed. Unconsciously, he wanted to scold her in return but the minute he tried to move his lips, he was reminded of the giant walnut in his mouth. Under such restraint, how could he speak out?

Next, he heard the old woman advising: “Mistress, these events happened decades ago, why are you still clinging onto them? Moreover, the person who mistreated you was Mister Duan, not his son. You… you… You should spare the young man. Our ‘Drunken Bees’ have inflicted large amounts of pain on him; it should be more than enough.” In a shrill voice, the lady exclaimed: “You are saying I should spare the kid surnamed Duan? Humph, Humph, I will cut him into a thousand slices before I spare him.”

Duan Yu thought: Father has offended you, not me; why did you hate me so much? So the bees are known as ‘Drunken Bees’, I wonder how did she accumulate so many bees that will only attack us? Who is this lady? She is not Madam Zhong. Their voices are completely different.

Out of the blue, a male voice can be heard: “Maternal Aunt-in-law (Wife of mother’s brother. Will use Maternal Aunt in future), your nephew pays his respects to you.”

Duan Yu was greatly shaken. In his heart, a mystery has been solved. The male speaker is Murong Fu and the lady whom he addresses as Maternal Aunt is naturally Madam Wang of Gusu Moon Flower (jimsonweed / thornapple) Manor. She is the mother of Wang Yuyan and his future mother-in-law. Simultaneously, Duan Yu’s heart is thumping uncontrollably. His emotions are going haywire and his brain is utterly confused. In his mind, the episodes at Moon Flower Manor are being played out like a cut scene:

Regardless of Camellia or Moon Flower, the best grown are those from DaLi. The quality of camellias from Gusu is deplorable, with the most being produced by Moon Flower Manor. Their variety is pathetic and the cultivation method is erroneous; either the farmed flowers are smaller than usual or they wither faster than normal. Funnily enough, why is the Manor named as ‘Moon Flower Manor’? Except for camellias, no other flowers are planted at the Manor; what is the reason behind this peculiarity?

Moon Flower Manor has its own set of laws. Any male who enters the Manor uninvited must amputate both his legs. Additionally, Madam Wang insisted: “If the male happens to be from DaLi or is surnamed Duan, he must be buried alive.” When the disciple of Limitless Sword Sect was captured by Madam Wang, although he is not from DaLi, he was still buried alive because his hometown is less than 20km away from DaLi.

Another time, Madam Wang seized a young gentleman, and ordered him to go home and murder his official wife. Afterwards, he must marry his private mistress as his official wife. If he disagrees, Madam Wang will take his life on the spot, giving the fellow no option but to accede.

Duan Yu remembered Madam Wang instructing her maidservant: “You shall escort him (as a prisoner) back to Gusu City and witness him killing his own wife with your own eyes. Once he has married Miss Miao, you may come home.” The gentlemen pleaded: “My wife has no enmity with you; you are not acquainted with Miss Miao either. Why are you helping her, forcing me to kill my spouse and remarry?” That occasion, Madam Wang laughing replied: “Since you are a married man, you should not seduce another virgin lady. By sweet-talking her and involving her in a relationship, you have no choice but to marry her as your wife.” Based on her revelations, the maidservant Xiaocui alone has already handled seven similar cases in Changshu, Danyang, Wuxi and Jiaxing.

Duan Yu is from DaLi and surnamed Duan. If not for his knowledge in growing camellias, Madam Wang would have sentenced him to death. Instead, he was invited to attend a feast at Yunjin Hall (Hall of Brocades). Unfortunately, while Duan Yu and Madam Wang are discussing about the different breeds of camellia, they mentioned a specific breed: white petals with a red streak, nicknamed: Beauty maimed her face. Duan Yu corrected: “There are many types of white camellia with red streaks. That is not ‘Beauty maimed her face’, it is ‘Fence-leaning Beauty’. Madam, please think about it; all beauties are generally refined and gentle. If she occasionally cuts her face, that is acceptable. But if a beauty’s face is full of cuts, that means she is always picking fights with others. How can someone like that be considered beautiful?” These words caused Madam Wang to blow her top and she berated him: “Where did you hear this nonsense from? How dare you create this twisted logic and insult me? Are you saying that a girl who practices martial arts is ugly? Refined and gentle; what’s so good about that?” She had him instantly dragged out of the feast and nearly executed him.

From these incidents, at that point in time, Duan Yu concluded that Madam Wang is someone without compassion. Except for ‘absurd’, he could not find a better word to describe her. Presently, aware that the lady in the neighbouring chamber is Madam Wang, he was enlightened: She is another old flame of Father; that explains her dedication towards camellia and her extreme hatred for DaLi residents that are surnamed Duan. Since Madam Wang is so fond of camellia; her relationship with Father decades ago must be intricately linked to camellia. When she chose to bury men from DaLi or men surnamed Duan, she must be venting her frustration on Father, who himself is surnamed Duan and from DaLi. Father must have abandoned her and she bore this grudge till today, implicating innocent men. Whenever she forces men with mistresses to kill their official wives and remarry, it reveals her long hidden wish. She hoped that one day, Father would kill his official wife and marry her. When he (DY) unintentionally stated that a lady always getting into fights couldn’t be beautiful, she immediately lost her temper. Back then, because of her affair with Father, they must have had a big martial arts fight. Of course, during the fight, Father would naturally make concessions for her.

Although Duan Yu finally unraveled many suspicious mysteries, there is no mental relief for him. Instead, it felt as if a gigantic boulder is pressing on his chest. For certain reasons, he could not articulate it. To a certain extent, he felt that Wang Yuyan’s mother and his Father’s past affair is something he is awfully uncomfortable with. Deep in his heart, he suddenly experienced an earth-shattering fear. Unwilling to face this most fearsome thoughts head on, he was petrified with unspeakable trauma.

Next minute, he heard Madam Wang speaking: “Oh, it is Nephew Fu. You look great. I believe you will soon become the Emperor of Great Yan. When is the coronation?” Her speech carried a tone of ridicule.

Murong Fu instead solemnly answered: “That is the bequest of my ancestors. Nephew is incompetent. Roaming through the martial arts world for years, I am still back at square one. I was about to seek some guidance from Maternal Aunt.”

Madam Wang coldly sniggered: “What guidance can I offer? Ours is the Wang Family. Yours is the Murong Family. We are surnamed Wang, and have nothing to do with your Murong Family Emperor dream. I forbid you from entering Moon Flower Manor and forbid you from meeting Yuyan, all because I do not wish to get involved with your Murong Family issues. Where is Yuyan? Where have you brought her?”

‘Where is Yuyan?’ The three words struck Duan Yu’s ear like a lightning bolt. This is his utmost concern right now. When the venomous bees are attacking him, Wang Yuyan was right in his bosom. Currently, where is she? Listening to Madam Wang’s tone, she appears to be telling the truth.

He heard Murong Fu retort: “Where is Cousin? How would I know? All along, she has been accompanying Mister Duan from DaLi. Who knows, the two of them may have already went through marriage ceremony and have become husband and wife!”

In a quivering voice, Madam Wang scolded: “You… What utter rubbish!” With a loud ‘Pong!’ she heavily slammed her palm on the table. She furiously reprimanded: “Why didn’t you take care of her? Letting her, a young lady, roam the martial arts world randomly? Don’t you care for her as a Cousin?”

Murong Fu remarked: “Maternal Aunt, why are you so upset? You are afraid that I will marry Cousin, afraid that she will become the daughter-in-law of the Murong Family and follow me in my Emperor dream. Presently, everything is looking good. When she marries Mister Duan from DaLi, in the future, she will be the official Empress of DaLi country. Isn’t that a fantastic outcome?”

‘Pong!’ Madam Wang landed another palm on the table. She hollered: “Nonsense! What kind of fantastic outcome is that? It will never be allowed!”

In the chamber next door, Duan Yu is already in a state of anxiety. When he heard the words ‘it will never be allowed’, he groaned in despair: “Suffering, suffering, Yuyan and I eventually cannot have a smooth sailing relationship. Her mother even stated that our marriage ‘will never be allowed!’”

From a window outside, someone sang out: “Not right, not right. Miss Wang and Mister Duan are a match made in heaven, a pair made on earth. Madam is mistaken when you say it will never be allowed.” Madam Wang angrily threatened: “Bao Butong, who gave you the permission to contradict me in this act of insubordination? If you continue to be rude, I will order someone to assassinate your daughter.” Bao Butong is originally someone who fears neither the deities nor the demons. But after hearing Madam Wang’s sharp censure, he instantly kept his mouth shut and became as quiet as a mouse.

In his heart, Duan Yu was wishing: “Third Brother Bao, Third Uncle Bao, Third Master Bao, Third Grandmaster Bao, please continue contradicting Madam Wang. Her words are entirely illogical. Only you are a true hero who posses the guts to pick a fight with her.” Against his wishes, the voice from the window became completely silent, as Bao Butong no longer dared to speak out. Actually, Bao Butong is not afraid of Madam Wang sending a killer after her daughter Bao Bujing. The truth is that for generations, Bao Butong’s ancestors have served the Murong Family. He himself is a loyal subordinate. Since Madam Wang is a Senior related to the Murong Family, indirectly, she is his owner (mistress) as well. Even if he loses his temper, he would not neglect this master-servant status.

Now that Bao Butong has committed to silence, Madam Wang’s fury decreased by a little. To Murong Fu, she demanded: “Nephew Fu, now that you are here, what tricks are you up to? This time round, what do you plan to swindle from me?”

Murong Fu laughed: “Maternal Aunty, Nephew is your relation. In my heart, I am concerned about you. Can’t I even pay you a visit? Why did you say I am here to swindle you?”

Madam Wang scorned: “Hey hey, to think you still have a conscience and are concerned about Maternal Aunt (me). If you have shown more concern, Maternal Aunt would not have landed in this pathetic state today.” Murong Fu chuckled: “Maternal Aunt, if there is anything bothering you, by all means, share them with Nephew. Nephew guarantees you a satisfactory conclusion.”

Madam Wang spat: “Pui Pui Pui! After a few years of not seeing you, I wonder where you learnt how to sweet talk!”

Murong Fu clarified: “It is not sweet-talking. If it were some strangers, I cannot tell what is bothering them. But for the issue bothering Maternal Aunt, even if Nephew (I) cannot be 100% correct, I would at least be 80% correct. In order to give Maternal Aunt a satisfactory conclusion, not that Nephew is bragging, but I am 80% confident of success.”

Madam Wang challenged: “Why don’t you try guessing? If you start spouting nonsense, don’t blame me for giving you a tight slap.”

Swaying his voice, Murong Fu recited: “Beauty in green robes a familiar face; September camellia blossom with grace.”

Madam Wang was taken aback and in a trembling voice, she asked: “You… How did you know? Have you been to the wooden house by the sea of grass?” Murong Fu deflected: “Maternal Aunt need not know how I found out. Maternal Aunt only needs to tell Nephew, does she want to see this person or not?” Madam Wang stuttered: “See… Who do I wish to see?” Her tone has softened at once, carrying a pleading tone. Compared to her earlier serious and icy tone, the two tones are worlds