Chapter 109: The Tragedy of Liang and Yu

"I'm fine." Ye Zifei had played the hero, but he did not show off. Instead, he carefully inspected Ou Xinlai, only stopping once he saw that she was completely unscathed.

"By the way, when did I become 'your person'?" After regaining her footing, Ou Xinlai looked at Ye Zifei with amusement.

Ye Zifei’s face flushed red, but his deep gaze remained fixed on Ou Xinlai. "That depends on your attitude." His skin was as fair as jade; even behind his mask, the bright red skin visible at his chin and earlobes made it clear that Ye Zifei was actually quite embarrassed to say such things.

Ou Xinlai coughed, feeling somewhat awkward about responding to him, and shifted her gaze away, avoiding eye contact. "Anyway, I want to ask you: do you know which big shot in the Vermillion Bird Kingdom holds a particular grudge against the Ou family?" Ou Xinya must have been propped up by someone; therefore, everything Ou Xinya did to the Ou family was naturally influenced by this person.

That person had spent so much effort bribing Ou Xinya and even elevating her to the status of Feng Zixin—it was undeniably a massive undertaking.

If that person did not harbor hostility toward the Ou family, then there must be something the Ou family possesses that is being coveted. Given Ou Xinya’s status, if she truly had her eyes on something belonging to the Ou family, she would likely find it difficult to obtain on her own.

In any case, she had to find a way to unmask the mastermind hidden within the Vermillion Bird Kingdom. Otherwise, even if she killed Ou Xinya today, a second or third Ou Xinya would surely emerge tomorrow. Getting to the root of the problem was the only right path.

"Are you certain someone in the Vermillion Bird Kingdom is trying to target the Ou family?" Ye Zifei had also sensed that something was amiss. Otherwise, Ou Xinya’s attitude and sudden changes would be even more unfathomable.

"I am certain." Previously, Ou Xinlai had only been guessing, but now she was ninety percent sure. She frowned, quite tempted to return to the Ou family and ask her wayward father what exactly they possessed that was worth coveting, or if he had provoked some disaster that had brought this trouble upon them.

It seemed that the mastermind had been burying the pawn that was Ou Xinya for many years.

"Let me take you back to the Shan family first. I imagine they are very worried about you." Ye Zifei sighed, sensing that the Ou family's affairs were not easy to resolve. "Rest assured, I will keep the Ou family's situation in mind and help you watch over things." Since someone was targeting the Ou family and Ou Xinlai was involved, Ye Zifei naturally could not stand idly by.

"Mm." Ou Xinlai nodded. When she had first intended to leave, the Shan family had tried to stop her; Shan Yuanxi felt that her trip to the palace was fraught with danger.

However, Ou Xinlai could not afford not to go. Otherwise, she would never be able to determine what identity Ou Xinya had assumed or what the mastermind behind her was truly capable of. More importantly, if she didn't go, Shan Yuanxi would have to bear the brunt of the situation for her. She could not drag the Shan family into this for no reason; after all, they were a prominent house in the Vermillion Bird Kingdom.

Yet, after learning that Ou Xinya had been granted the surname "Feng" and renamed Feng Zixin, Ou Xinlai grew even more curious about the mastermind. This person must be a figure of immense power in the Vermillion Bird Kingdom. It was truly baffling that such a person would fixate on a family like the Ou clan from the Black Tortoise Kingdom. After all, shouldn't someone of that stature be focused on the legitimate monarch of the Black Tortoise Kingdom instead?

"Caicai, are you alright?" Ever since Ou Xinlai mentioned going to the palace, Shan Ziyao’s heart had not been at ease. Seeing her return safely, Shan Ziyao finally let out a breath. "Caicai, the palace is no fun at all. Don’t go there again."

For Shan Ziyao, the palace was truly not a good place. The mere mention of it made her feel a chill. Given her status, she had naturally visited the palace before, but because of those visits, her impression of it was abysmal. However, she recalled that Shan Qing'er had somehow been quite fond of that cold, heartless palace.

Hearing Shan Ziyao’s words, both Shan Yuanxi and Madam Shan felt a mix of amusement and helplessness. Was the palace a place one could visit or avoid as one pleased?

"Cai'er, are you truly unharmed?" Shan Yuanxi looked at Ou Xinlai, his eyes searching for the truth. He knew that her trip to the palace was bound to be a trap, especially since the Emperor had summoned her right as the Immortal Pool Ruins were closing. If the Emperor had invited her simply because she had saved Cao Ge and Cao Qian, Shan Yuanxi wouldn't have been so worried, assuming the Emperor merely wanted to recruit a talented individual.

The Immortal Pool Ruins had closed unexpectedly, spitting everyone out. Many claimed that someone must have touched a taboo within the ruins to cause such a situation. No one was a fool; given how unusual the closing was, everyone who had been inside harbored a faint feeling that the ruins would never open again.

Inevitably, everyone wondered what had happened to cause such a massive change. They concluded that someone must have tampered with the very foundation of the ruins. At this thought, everyone’s spirits soared. The foundation of the Immortal Pool Ruins—what an incredible treasure! If someone had indeed been lucky enough to find it, everyone would be tempted to hunt that person down and seize the prize.

Shan Yuanxi had arrived at these same thoughts, and combined with the Emperor’s actions, he formed a suspicion: that the incredibly lucky person was none other than Ou Xinlai.

He was both happy and worried. He was happy because Ou Xinlai was so blessed to have such an encounter. In the hundreds of years the ruins had existed, finding even a minor treasure was considered a great stroke of luck. Yet, Ou Xinlai had managed to find the very foundation of the ruins on her first visit. Shan Yuanxi had to admit he was impressed by her fortune.

However, Ou Xinlai was still too weak. Even if she had the luck to find such a treasure, he feared she would be unable to keep it. The Emperor had gone to great lengths to summon her to the palace based on mere suspicion; if it were confirmed, there was no telling how the Emperor might exploit her. Shan Yuanxi was getting on in years, and his perspective was comprehensive and cautious.

Sensing his concern, Ou Xinlai shook her head to reassure him that she was truly fine. However, she knew that by fleeing the palace and falling out with Cao Xinshuo, she had undoubtedly made an enemy of him. She worried that staying at the Shan residence might bring trouble upon them and cause Cao Xinshuo to target the family.

Shan Yuanxi smiled at her. The fact that he was still worrying about her and allowing her to stay meant he was not afraid of what the Emperor might do. The Shan family had not been idle in the Vermillion Bird Kingdom all these years. If Cao Xinshuo were to act rashly, even if the Shan family were eventually destroyed, the Imperial house would suffer a devastating blow in return.

Furthermore, Shan Yuanxi had his own ways. His roots in the Vermillion Bird Kingdom did not mean he lacked influence elsewhere. Even if Cao Xinshuo uprooted the Shan family here, he wouldn't gain much, and more importantly, if Shan Yuanxi decided to retaliate, Cao Xinshuo would definitely suffer. There was a saying: "It is easy to deal with the King of Hell, but hard to deal with the little demons." If Shan Yuanxi fled to another country, he could cause minor disruptions that wouldn't topple the kingdom but would certainly give Cao Xinshuo a permanent headache.

Cao Xinshuo was no fool. Shan Yuanxi protected Ou Xinlai, but he did not act against the interests of the Vermillion Bird Kingdom itself. If the Emperor attacked the Shan family solely because of Ou Xinlai, the true loser would be the kingdom. After all, this world was not limited to just the Vermillion Bird Kingdom. If the kingdom suffered heavy losses due to internal strife, the other three nations would certainly not "sit idly by" and would surely "provide assistance" to "help" Cao Xinshuo manage his affairs. By then, Cao Xinshuo would be nothing more than a puppet emperor.

He would have to be an idiot to start such a massive conflict over a mere girl like Ou Xinlai.

After hearing Shan Yuanxi’s analysis, Ou Xinlai finally felt at ease and settled into the Shan residence. Of course, while Cao Xinshuo would not attack the Shan family directly, he would not let an enemy like Ou Xinlai live in comfort. Since she returned from the palace, assassination attempts had been constant.

Recently, the pile of corpses of assassins discarded by the Shan family had grown into a small mountain.

Shan Qing'er, who had undergone a transformation and now bore the surname "Feng"—calling herself Feng Xianqing—was so angry her teeth ached when she heard the news. When Black Raven had saved her from Ou Xinlai that day, she thought her life was over and that there was no hope left for her and Ye Zifei.

Who would have thought that Black Raven’s abilities were so vast? After taking her away, he had thrown her to a few old men. After a humiliating vetting process, they had tattooed a phoenix mark on her and bestowed the surname "Feng" upon her. Shan Qing'er did not want to forget her past—or rather, the humiliation—so she stubbornly insisted on keeping the character "Qing," renaming herself Feng Xianqing.

She was also shocked to encounter Ou Xinya again.

Once she learned of Ou Xinlai’s true identity, she hated Ou Xinya to the core. If Ou Xinya hadn't sown discord and manipulated her into targeting Ou Xinlai, Ou Xinlai would never have infiltrated the Shan residence under a false identity, causing her to lose her standing there. Although her status was now much higher than it had been in the Shan residence, she knew deep down that she was far less free here.

When she was with the Shan family, the three of them had truly treated her with genuine kindness. Compared to the twisted behavior of those old men, she finally understood what true kindness was. Unfortunately, it was too late; she had no chance to start over.

Hearing that Ou Xinya had gone to the Emperor to demand he deal with Ou Xinlai after leaving the ruins, Feng Xianqing was delighted. Even though she knew Ou Xinlai’s identity, she suspected that Ou Xinya did not know that "Ni Cai" was actually Ou Xinlai. Thinking of Ou Xinya’s feelings for Ye Zifei, and the fact that they both held the same surname and were now on the same starting line, Feng Xianqing had no intention of telling Ou Xinya the truth. Whether Ou Xinlai destroyed Ou Xinya or vice versa, it meant one less enemy for her.

However, she was deeply disappointed when she heard that Ou Xinlai had returned to the Shan residence unharmed. It was then that she realized Ou Xinlai was even harder to deal with than Ou Xinya. Most importantly, Ye Zifei’s heart was not with Ou Xinya, but with Ou Xinlai. She realized she had made a mistake; she should have allied with Ou Xinya to eliminate Ou Xinlai first, and then settled the score with her later.

"Black Raven, I have a request." Although she wanted to deal with Ou Xinlai, she knew that with the protection of the Shan family and Ye Zifei—and with even the Emperor unable to touch her—she had no hope of success. The assassins sent were all disposed of by the Shan family and Ye Zifei. With her own limited skills, it was impossible for her to take Ou Xinlai’s life. Thus, her only reliance was Black Raven, that mysterious man with heaven-defying abilities.

"What makes you think you have the qualifications to ask me for anything?" Black Raven’s tone was impatient. He had saved her and helped her gain a foothold not out of kindness, but because he thought she was useful. Unfortunately, she had yet to provide any value and had only brought him a mountain of trouble.

As Black Raven thought of his arch-rival, White Phoenix, his sharp eyes narrowed. *If this world contains me, why must there also be a White Phoenix?*