Lady Thirteen grew up in a pleasure district, encountering countless people since childhood. If her skill in reading others had been slightly lacking, she would have been devoured entirely, leaving not even her bones behind. Her intentional embrace earlier, attempting to kiss Fengyu, was meant as a deliberate probe. She had suspicions before Fengyu even boarded the carriage. Years ago, Xie Xun pretended to be Fengyu—if he had put in effort, he might have been able to fool others—but now, there was simply no way he could impersonate her. Over the past three years, Little Marquis Xie Xun has changed completely. The weight of slaughter and authority has become increasingly oppressive; he is no longer the playful, laughing Little Marquis who once enchanted an entire building of courtesans with his charms. Lady Thirteen immediately sensed something amiss. Yet the face of the girl was still the same face, so Lady Thirteen held on to a sliver of hope—perhaps her lady was distracted, consumed by thoughts of vengeance. But the more she probed, the more she felt something was off; this was absolutely not her lady. "If I’m not your lady, then who am I?" "How should I know who you are?" Lady Thirteen’s voice was icy, her wary eyes fixed on Xie Xun. "These past few days, the Jinyi Guards have been inspecting at the city gates. Now the gates are so close. If you don’t confess the truth, believe me—I’ll call the Jinyi Guards and have you torn to pieces." "Lady Thirteen, take a clearer look—this is Fengyu’s face, Fengyu’s body. Do you intend to tear your mistress to pieces?" "Mistress? Who knows what kind of wandering ghost you are? Don’t think that just because you’ve taken over my lady’s body, you can claim to be my mistress." Lady Thirteen sneered, though her heart was in turmoil. This truly wasn’t her lady—who, then, was he? Xie Xun was thoroughly repelled by Lady Thirteen’s earlier action of leaning in for a kiss. His disgust and disdain were plain, but he forced himself to explain. "When Fengyu fled with you years ago, wasn’t there another—with you and her—named Xiaoqi?" "How do you know that?" Lady Thirteen was shocked. This was a secret shared between her, Fengyu, her elder sister, and Xiaoqi. After Xiaoqi’s death, they never brought it up again, for fear of causing Fengyu pain. "Didn’t I once run up a debt of 4,100 taels at Mudan Building?" Lady Thirteen was dumbstruck. Such an affair—incurring a debt—was something that only Xie Xun himself and Lady Thirteen would know. After all, Xie Xun was prideful and would never advertise that he ran up a debt at Mudan Building. Moreover, Xie Xun was betrothed to her lady, and Lady Thirteen had not even truly treated the debt as important—she simply kept it in her heart, not bothering to record it in an account ledger. "...Little Marquis? Xie Xun... You... How are you inside my lady’s body?" "It’s a long story. Behave yourself in front of me—don’t lay hands on me anymore. Into the city!" Xie Xun’s face was already showing impatience. Lady Thirteen did not dare delay, her heart pounding like a drum. She hadn’t expected anything so... so bizarre to exist in this world. Why? Even though Lady Thirteen was accustomed to significant storms and great waves, she had never encountered anything as absurd as this. "Is this... some Beiman secret sorcery?" Lady Thirteen asked uneasily. Surely only Beiman had such strange techniques. Closing his eyes to rest, Xie Xun’s expression became even colder and more imposing after his identity was exposed. Though it was plainly Fengyu’s face, Lady Thirteen would never mistake him for Fengyu. Killing decisive, ruthless—even with a beauty that could stir pity, nothing could hide the sharp ferocity in her brows and eyes. Lady Thirteen dared not act recklessly. Since he was Xie Xun and not some wandering ghost, she felt somewhat relieved. Though her heart was filled with questions, she dared not be presumptuous. The carriage quickly arrived at the city gate. Xie Xun lifted the curtain and looked at the towering, magnificent gates of the Kyoto City. This was the north gate. Three years—it had been nearly three years! Killing intent churned in Xie Xun’s eyes; intense and scalding hatred surged within him, ready to explode. In an instant, his mind was flooded with the memories of that night at Marquis Zhenbei Mansion. Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽 Bright lanterns, joyous celebrations, guests filling the hall. But in the blink of an eye—blades flashing, swords striking, blood everywhere. His father’s corpse lay cold on the ground, his eyes unable to rest in death. Xie Xun hadn’t even gotten the chance to see his elder sister. His mother and concubines chose suicide, sparing the survivors from further burden. He remembered how his eldest brother tricked him into taking another path for protection. Knowing full well that the only outcome ahead was death, his eldest brother traded his life to buy Xie Xun more time to live, time enough for their second brother to rescue him. He saw his eldest brother pierced through by countless arrows. He saw the corpses of Ningzhou Iron Cavalry soldiers scattered across the land. Rain, blood, and tears pelted his eyes, stinging and blinding him. Kyoto was like a pitch-black abyss, devouring his fervent blood, his hopes, his future. All that remained for him was blood and vengeance. "Your Highness... uh... milady, we’ve reached the city gate. I know your heart aches, but control yourself a little. Acting this way will only attract unwanted attention." Lady Thirteen swallowed audibly. "...Perhaps a smile?" Xie Xun exhaled deeply and gave her a faint smile. Lady Thirteen felt chills down her spine. "The smile is good. Okay, don’t smile—just act like a cold, silent maidservant." At the gate’s inspection checkpoint, Lady Thirteen had four carriages with her. She didn’t even have to step down and negotiate. She lifted the curtain of her carriage, smiling and greeting the guard stationed there—Young General Li. "Mr. Li, it’s been so long! You’ve grown even more spirited and imposing. Even the same official uniform seems more majestic and grand when worn by you." "Sister, don’t jest. Just yesterday I went to Mudan Building, hoping to see you. But you avoided me instead." Lady Thirteen chuckled seductively and threw him a flirtatious wink. "It must’ve been Linghua’s fault for not announcing your arrival. How could your sister bear not to see you? Come have a drink tonight after your shift. I’ll personally accompany you—you won’t leave sober." Young General Li was completely entranced by Lady Thirteen’s natural allure, his soul practically leaving his body. His throat felt dry, his face flushed. "Alright, sister, don’t break your promise!" "Your sister will save the peach blossom wine just for you. Look at this—we’re traveling in a group of over a dozen people. Inspecting each one by one would take so much time. The day is late, and your sister’s had a long day riding. Could you let us pass directly?" Lady Thirteen’s voice was soft, tender, with that irresistible charm unique to women from Jiangnan. Her tone lifted slightly at the end, tickling a young man’s heart. Xie Xun, impassive, observed the scene with lowered eyes, mind unmoved. No young man could escape the pull of such softness and humor from this "elder sister." "Alright then, sister. Tonight, we’ll meet!" Young General Li waved his hand, neglecting even to inspect the carriages. "Pass through!"