“Uncle. I have returned.”

“Where have you been?” There was irritation in his voice.

“I was visiting Xincheng, uncle.”

“Does it have anything to do with that girl from the branch family?” His "uncle" was fully aware of his only attachment to that city.

“Yes, uncle.”

He made an audible sigh. “Did you “do” anything?”

Knowing his uncle got his own source from the hidden guards, there was no use for him to lie. “Yes, uncle.”

“Ya Qi. I know this is your personal matter, but you have to understand our situation. We are in a succession war. We need more allies and less enemies. You can’t just burn the field because someone got bitten by a flea. Can’t you wait for when you have the clan in your hands?”

“Uncle. Ya Qi believes at that time you will advise me to be merciful and to act as the mediator between factions of our clan, rather than allowing me to carry on with my personal agenda.”

The pupils on his eyes slightly dilated then quickly contracted. “Then just let it slide! Why can’t you let by-gone be by-gone? Did you need to put the prospect of your succession in danger?”

“Uncle. You don’t know so you could say it. After her father went missing, Dong Meng took over the branch in Xincheng. Yun An was neglected. She was forced to live in a hut all by herself outside the city. She was bullied by the Chen’s brat. A girl who is not even ten was made to live through all of that. She could die without anyone knowing.”

“That doesn’t mean you could just beat up both of them in broad daylight. Why did you have to create more allies for the heir faction? If you want that girl to be on your side, there are ways that are much better.”

“Uncle. There are many things Ya Qi can tolerate, but Ya Qi will not forgive anyone that dares to hurt Yun An. Ya Qi had promised with auntie to keep her safe, and Ya Qi will keep his word.”

The uncle let out another sigh. “It has already been done. There is no point discussing it further.” He grabbed Ya Qi's shoulders. “If you want to do something like this again, can you promise me you will keep it moderate and talk to your uncle first? Can you at least do that for me?”

“Ya Qi understands.”

“Then, that’s good.” He breathed a sigh of relief. Then from his sleeve. “While you were gone, the people of He clan came bearing gifts. This letter is addressed to you. Does this have anything to do with that girl too?”

The hidden guards likely had reported back to his uncle about him immediately setting the path to Xincheng after his meeting with young master He. Ya Qi was convinced that his uncle drew the connection between the two events. Perhaps, that explained why his uncle was so patient even though he kicked off a fuss at Xincheng.

Even before opening the letter, the young master of Dong clan could already guess the content.

After one read, Ya Qi passed it back to the middle-aged man.

“Since it had come to this. Ya Qi. Play along with him.”

“Yes, uncle.”

The words barely left his mouth, and their conversation was interrupted by the housekeeper. “Master. Young master. The people of He clan are at the door along with the gifts.”

“Again?” Ya Qi enquired.

“Yes, young master.”

“Housekeeper. Invite them in.”

“Yes, master.”

Ever since then, the two young masters of the two clans were seen together more frequently.

He Yu made use of the opportunities to build a good impression in front of Ya Qi and his faction.

Mean while, Ya Qi ensured He Yu spat out anything he knew about Yun An.

After a while, He Yu was finally part of a selected few to be close friends of Ya Qi.

To illustrate how significant this position is, one needed to know the boy's situation. Those around Ya Qi can be divided into two major groups: those who tried to use him for their gain, and those who were too loyal to a fault. Ya Qi surmised He Yu was in between these two extremes. That was one plus point for He Yu. 

More importantly, Ya Qi was sure He Yu wouldn’t look down on her. The more he talked with the He boy, the more convinced he became. If anything, He Yu was interested in Yun An from the way the boy of He clan talked about Yun An. When Ya Qi put together the bits and pieces of knowledge he recently got about these two, he had to nod in agreement. Considering He Yu's less-than-courageous nature, Ya Qi understood why he was attracted to... this "Yun An".

However, Ya Qi did wrinkle his eyebrows upon hearing from He Yu.

Just who is this Yun An he was describing? The Yun An I knew of is not that paragon of power. Still, I did hear about a similar feat in Xincheng. Yun An is sweet and shy. It’s wild to suggest that she stood up for herself against her uncle, Dong Meng. Could losing her memories have such an effect on her? Then is she still the Yun An I know and love? I need to see her. I want to talk to her.

That wish, however, was shelved for while. Although the servants have been out for months, Yun An's whereabouts remained a mystery to Ya Qi. He didn’t even know who her master was, what sect he belonged to, or what his cultivation was. At the very least, the fact that the citizens of Xincheng described him as a kind sage who rescued Yun An from Dong Meng put Ya Qi at ease. He still wanted to meet this sage though, him and Tian Zhong.

Mentioning this name made Ya qi wonder. The only Tian Zhong he knew was from those tournaments in Gudu a few years back.

With He Yu accompanying him, Ya Qi arrived at Gudu.

His fifteenth birthday was one month from there. This year would be his last time on the youth tournament. The only rivals worthy of his acknowledgement were Tian Zhong or young master Wang.

Tian Zhong didn’t attend the last year so Ya Qi assumed he was rigorous with training. Tian Zhong's improvement was one of the many things Ya Qi was wary this year.

Young master Wang has only partaken once. No one knew how he had grown since then. That marked him as another variable to be considered for Ya Qi.

Moving through the list of opponents he could face, He Yu came to mind. He told Ya Qi he would be fighting this year.

He is far weaker than me, and I am not afraid of him pulling tricks under my nose. There is no reason for him to do so, considering his clan’s circumstance. He couldn’t be planning to win, rather he must be using this as an excuse to be in my company. Young master He. Despite your weak personalities, you can be cunning sometimes. Me or Yun An, who is your target? It could be both. Regardless, I will let him be for now. He met my requirement, largely thanks to his attitude toward Yun An. I hope this friendship is not an act.

The two stopped at Ya Qi's favorite.

This restaurant had a variety of snacks with the taste to match. People didn’t frequent this restaurant as much as the other big ones because of its heavy price. For enjoyers with spare cash though, it was a must-go.

Half of their servants were in charge of bringing the carriage and their belongings to the hotel for them. Only half were tagging along to the restaurant.

The waiter came out to welcome them but was quickly dismissed by the manager.

The man cordially showed the two young masters and their entourage inside.

That was the moment Ya Qi found her.

“Yun An.”