You are courting death.

Mo Cheng's expression was cold as ice. He fixed his gaze on Gu Fei and repeated, word for word, “Leave Yizhou. Never come back.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Fei gave a gentle smile. Her black eyes flashed with scorn, raining down like a storm. “What is it you fear, Fifth Uncle? Or is there something you cannot say?”

Her questions pressed relentlessly. She stroked the armrest of her wheelchair, the small area there far brighter than elsewhere, betraying frequent handling.

Mo Cheng remained silent for a long while, his expression shifting unpredictably. Gu Fei was certain he knew something. So she continued, “Fifth Uncle, what do you think would happen if I went back to the Xiao Mo Mo family?”

“You’d be courting death!” Mo Cheng declared, unexpectedly decisive.

He went on, “Take your Fifth Uncle’s advice—before your identity is exposed, leave Yizhou. The farther, the better. Never return…”

He was interrupted as Gu Fei raised her hand. “It seems you know something, Fifth Uncle. Why won’t you tell me?”

Mo Cheng pressed his lips into a straight line, tense and tight, unable to utter a word.

Gu Fei persisted, “I ask you only one thing, Fifth Uncle. Tell me the truth, and I’ll leave Yizhou and never return.”

Mo Cheng looked up, hesitated, then slowly stood. He clasped his hands behind his back and paced a few steps before finally resolving, “Ask.”

Gu Fei’s expression grew solemn. “How did my parents die?”

Mo Cheng trembled, staring at her in astonishment, as if unable to comprehend how she knew.

Gu Fei knew exactly what he was thinking and let out a cold laugh. “Can paper truly wrap up fire? Fifth Uncle, the Xiao Mo Mo family has underestimated me. All these years, Yizhou hasn’t heard a whisper of my existence in the capital, has it? Nor did the Mo family rise with me when I succeeded. Do you know the real reason why?”

Mo Cheng stayed silent, but his gaze rippled with emotion, as if stones had been thrown into his heart, echoing ceaselessly. The complexity of his feelings was beyond Gu Fei’s understanding.

“Now, Fifth Uncle, I can assure you—I could overturn the Xiao Mo Mo family in Yizhou with a flick of my hand,” Gu Fei said with unwavering confidence. Her almond eyes lifted, lips curling, her jade-like face sharp and proud. “And I could restore the Mo family to the main branch in the capital overnight!”

That last declaration was the heavy stone that tipped the balance in Mo Cheng’s heart. Without hesitation, he asked, “Is what you say true?”

A shimmering light darted through Gu Fei’s eyes. She smiled, confident and spirited. “If I say it’s true now, will you believe me, Fifth Uncle? In the end, you’ll want proof of action.”

Her insight into his intentions left Mo Cheng unembarrassed. He stroked his mustache, deliberating with caution, unwilling to promise her anything easily.

Gu Fei was in no hurry. She lifted her lips, sweetening the bait. “Is Uncle Yan still head of the family? How are Third and Fourth Uncle?”

Mo Cheng couldn’t fathom her intentions, but assumed she was merely catching up after ten years away. He replied, “Yes, your Uncle Yan is head. Third Uncle is abroad; Fourth Uncle is in Yunli Kingdom…”

He trailed off, suddenly realizing that, in the vast Xiao Mo Mo family, only he remained in Yizhou.

Gu Fei laughed mockingly, adjusting her skirt over her knees. “Abroad? Yunli Kingdom? Those are distant and dangerous places, Fifth Uncle. Perhaps someday I’ll only hear you’ve gone to Nanqi? In Yizhou, the Xiao Mo Mo family will have only Uncle Yan left. When sons inherit from fathers, where will your place be?”

Her words struck like cold water, drenching Mo Cheng from head to toe and chilling his heart.

He had suspected such things before, but never so deeply. They were all close kin; who could plot so ruthlessly?

But facts were facts. Once Gu Fei tore away the veil, he could not help but think.

“Fifth Uncle, you’ve always treated me well since I was young. I truly hope there won’t come a day when…” Gu Fei stopped short, but the unfinished sentence left enough for Mo Cheng to imagine.

She made no further effort to persuade him and shifted the topic. “As for the Mo family, given my current status, I can no longer be involved. But Fifth Uncle, the tragic deaths of my parents—I will pursue the truth to the end.”

With these words, she signaled to Ku Ma, who, sensing her intent, wheeled her away.

Gu Fei counted silently—

One, two, three, four, five…

Just as she reached five, Mo Cheng’s voice called from behind, “Wait…”

The shadow at the corner of her mouth deepened, blooming like a fierce, invisible flower. Gu Fei’s voice was calm and steady. “Fifth Uncle, have you decided to speak?”

At that, Ku Ma turned the wheelchair so Gu Fei faced Mo Cheng.

He hesitated, but saw Gu Fei’s impatience and finally gritted his teeth. “Eight years ago, your parents sought out Uncle Yan, saying they missed you and wanted to bring you back from the capital. Uncle Yan refused; they quarreled, arguing fiercely. That night, your parents packed their things and left the Xiao Mo Mo family, intending to travel to the capital soon to find you.”

“No one expected that their carriage, barely half a day out of town, would bring news—they’d been killed by bandits.”

Mo Cheng glanced at Gu Fei; her face was pale as frost, cold and fierce, anger surging in her eyes. He sighed, sat down, and continued, “Afterward, I tried to investigate, but found no clues. Uncle Yan forbade anyone in the household from mentioning your parents—not even their names—which is why the younger generation and servants don’t know your branch exists.”

Gu Fei was silent for a long time, grief and anger twisting in her chest. Her parents had thought of her to the last, while she rejoiced each year at receiving family letters from the Mo family in the capital, unaware they were nothing but a deception.

“Was it Mo Yan’s doing?” She steadied herself and asked.

Mo Cheng shook his head. “I don’t think so. After your parents died, Uncle Yan personally built their grave, and I saw him mourn in his study for days.”

Gu Fei sneered inwardly. She was not so easily fooled. What Mo Cheng believed, she did not necessarily trust. There were plenty of hypocrites in the world.

But she showed nothing, only nodded to Mo Cheng. “I understand, Fifth Uncle. Thank you for being honest.”

With that, she no longer wished to linger in the Xiao Mo Mo house. She had Ku Ma wheel her out without hesitation. Near the doorway, she added, as if remembering, “By the way, Fifth Uncle, I’m staying at the Gu family now, and won’t be in Yizhou long this time. If you have any ink-making business, come to me. I can’t promise other things, but when it comes to ink, in Yizhou, if I claim second place, no one dares claim first.”

Arrogant words, yet from Gu Fei they seemed perfectly natural. Mo Cheng nodded, indicating he remembered.

Gu Fei maintained her faint smile throughout, but as soon as she left the door, it vanished, replaced by shards of ice, sharp and cold.

Mo Cheng followed her out, and just as they reached the stairway, loud voices and lively commotion echoed from a nearby room.