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Lilith pulled Liana along as they stepped out of the Ye family estate. With Ye family head Landon having personally given the order, their path had been completely unobstructed the entire way. Even so, Lilith could still sense a string of little tails trailing behind her.

“If you keep following, don’t blame me for getting rough.” Reaching a secluded corner, Lilith repeated her old trick, lifting the gun and pressing the muzzle against Liana. One second passed, then another, yet the alley behind Lilith remained utterly silent.

**Click.**

Lilith flipped off the safety, her expression turning colder by the moment. “My patience is limited.”

“…Sigh.” Several figures emerged from the shadows, with Old Huang leading the way. His murky lone eye fixed on Lilith, his hands hanging loosely at his sides, showing no regard whatsoever for the small pistol in her grip.

“The family head has a message.”
“Speak.”
“Release Third Miss, and all past matters will be forgiven.”
“Then how about you let Liana go for now, and I’ll forget everything as well?” Lilith let out a cold laugh.
“Then… there’s no other choice.”

Old Huang took out a small yellow bell and gave it a gentle shake. A crisp chime rang out, echoing through the alley, and the figures lurking behind him slowly revealed themselves. They were not human, but creatures with wolf heads and human bodies.

They closely resembled the werewolves Lilith had seen in media from her previous life, except these creatures lacked any black fur beyond their wolf-like heads. Even so, their claws and fangs remained razor-sharp, and each one carried a formidable presence, roughly around the seventh stage.

In Maplefall Town, a seventh-stage expert was already strong enough to command a considerable force, yet standing before Lilith now were five of them. Lilith did not fear such monsters. Instead, what puzzled her was the Ye family’s attitude at this moment.

“You really don’t care about Liana’s safety?”
“Third Miss is young and ignorant. She cannot leave the Ye family.”
“How ridiculous. Too young and ignorant, yet old enough to be married off?”
“The family head… has no other choice.”
“There’s always a choice. Let me take her away, and she won’t need to marry anyone. And now that Julius is already crippled, you’re not seriously planning to have her marry a cripple, are you?”

“That… I do not know. But Third Miss must return to the Ye family.”
“Even if she ends up getting hurt because of it? Didn’t Landon claim he loved his daughter?”
Old Huang remained expressionless, repeating the same words as before. “Third Miss must return to the Ye family.”
“That’s a bit strange…”

Lilith narrowed her eyes, stroking her chin as she pondered. Old Huang’s insistence that Third Miss must return felt almost obsessive. Was this truly Landon’s command, or was there some other reason behind it? Forget it. No point overthinking.

“In any case, go back and tell Landon this. Liana is going out with me for a while. Once she’s had her fun, she’ll naturally return.”

“That… is impossible.” A bone-chilling killing intent suddenly erupted from Old Huang’s cloudy eye. “Since that’s the case… don’t blame me for being ruthless.” Old Huang shook the bell again.

The wolf-headed creatures howled, foul stench and savage wind surging with them as they lunged straight at Lilith.

***

“So you’re really just letting that wild girl go like this?” In the now-empty hall, after the crowd had dispersed, Bianca once again questioned Landon. Earlier, under Landon’s authoritative shout, she had calmed down somewhat.

But the moment she looked at Julius, who lay unconscious while receiving treatment, and saw the physician’s tightly furrowed brows that spoke volumes of the grim situation, the anger in her heart surged uncontrollably once more.

If she didn’t personally tear that wild girl to pieces, she would never be able to vent this hatred.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to let her leave so easily.” Landon cast her a sideways glance, his face seemingly calm. Yet the occasional flicker of viciousness in his eyes revealed the agitation brewing beneath the surface. “I’ve already sent Old Huang to bring her back.”

“Old Huang?” Bianca recalled the one-eyed old man who was always by Landon’s side, her expression easing slightly as she said, “If it’s him, then there shouldn’t be a problem.”

Old Huang’s origins had always been shrouded in mystery, and no one even knew his full name. Yet one thing was an open secret throughout the Ye family, he was Landon’s most trusted right-hand man.

“You can wait at ease for news. As for the Song family, I will give them an explanation.” Landon let out a soft sigh. This sudden incident had unsettled even him. Yet it was not because of Julius. To him, Julius, or even the entire Song family, amounted to nothing. What truly agitated him was something else entirely.

Landon brushed past the anxious Bianca and stepped into the inner chambers. In any case, the matters here did not require his attention for now. Following the long corridor of the Ye residence, he made his way all the way to the Grand Library.

“Master.” The old man guarding the library appeared and bowed respectfully.

“Has anything unusual happened in the library recently?”
“The Grand Library is a place of utmost importance to the Ye family. Naturally, nothing has happened.”
“Good.”

Landon cast the old man a casual glance, but the moment he clearly saw his current appearance, he paused for a brief moment before chuckling. “I didn’t expect that even you, Great Elder, would be willing to shave off your beard.”

“Hmm?”

“But it’s better this way. You look much younger now.” Landon shook his head with a smile, not paying it much mind, and proceeded up the stairs without further thought. Only the Great Elder remained behind, left in complete confusion as the wind seemed to swirl around him, utterly baffled by Landon’s words. His hand instinctively reached for his chin…

“…What the hell… where did my beard go?!”

***

Landon arrived at the small room on the top floor of the library. His gaze swept across the formation etched onto the door. There were no signs of it having been triggered. Only then did he relax, pushing the door open and stepping inside.

Nothing in the room appeared out of place. Even so, Landon retrieved a small pouch of pure white powder from his robe, pinched a bit between his fingers, and flicked it lightly into the air.

His eyes scanned the surroundings. No footprints. No fingerprints. Not a single trace left behind by human presence.

“Seems I was overthinking it.” He put away the pouch of Veilbreaking Dust, exhaled softly, and carefully shut the door behind him. With a faint hum, he activated the formation, sealing off all sound and presence. Then he walked over to the only desk in the room.

On the desk rested a portrait of Liana’s mother, his wife, the woman he had once deeply loved. The woman in the painting smiled with gentle radiance, her beauty so breathtaking it felt suffocating.

Landon gazed at it in silence for a while, his eyes first filling with boundless longing and sorrow. Then, without warning, he extended his hand and sliced open his palm with a small blade.

Dark red blood dripped down onto the portrait. As the droplets spread, the woman in the painting seemed to gain a trace of vitality, a faint flush appearing upon her pale face. It was as if she were about to come alive. And then, she truly did.

The woman rose from the painting, strands of blood rapidly outlining the contours of her entire body. Her form solidified, becoming increasingly real, until she resembled a living person.

She blinked suddenly, her once hollow eyes stirring with life as they turned toward Landon. “Landon, you’ve finally decided to contact me,” she said.

Her voice was soft and melodious, yet it carried an indescribable eeriness, as though the one speaking possessed no true emotion at all, like a flawless but soulless doll.