Deng Zheng, who was still busy toasting his colleagues, turned pale at the news.
This man was the most notorious sycophant in Dongji, ruthless and merciless. The Silver Dragon Guard under his command reported directly to the emperor, making even royal relatives think twice before crossing him.
Because he was fiercely loyal to the emperor alone, he never engaged in factional struggles.
Whether in the imperial court or among the common people, he always walked alone. No one had ever heard of him having friends or like-minded companions.
As for their State Protector Estate, they had absolutely nothing to do with him!
"What is he here for?"
A chill ran down Deng Zheng's spine. He had a strong feeling this man meant no good.
"He said he's here to congratulate our eldest young miss on her birthday," the servant reported.
Hearing this, Deng Zheng grew even more terrified.
When on earth did Lian'er get mixed up with this god of death?!
Still, at least it wasn't a raid on his estate to throw him in prison. That was a relief.
"Quickly, invite him in."
Since the man was already at the door, it wouldn't do to refuse him entry.
The visitor was dressed in white, with a high ponytail suited for a youth. He had sword-like brows and starry eyes, dashing and romantic, yet beneath his profound demeanor lay the mischievous charm unique to a young man.
As he walked, his robes fluttered, bathed in dappled light and shadow.
He was the most favored man in all of Dongji by the imperial will.
And the most capable.
It was said it had taken him merely five years to climb to this position.
A position of towering power, so absolute that even the imperial family had to lower their gaze and address him as "Commander Li".
With a face as flawless as jade, if not for the overwhelming murderous aura surrounding him, he surely would have been the man of every young woman's dreams in the capital.
As Li Tianzhuo walked in, the bustling banquet instantly fell completely silent. You could hear a pin drop.
"It is truly an honor for my daughter, and a brilliant addition of splendor to our State Protector Estate, that the Commander has taken the time to come."
Deng Zheng offered polite pleasantries.
"You are too kind, Lord State Protector."
Li Tianzhuo spoke with a warm smile lingering at the corners of his mouth, making him look like an utterly harmless young lord.
"Oh, the Crown Prince is here too."
Glancing sideways, he spotted the Crown Prince Jun Wenci sitting opposite Deng Xuelian.
While maintaining a smiling exterior, in his heart he had already wished to slaughter the despicable pair of Jun Wenci and Deng Xuelian a thousand or ten thousand times over.
In his past life, if not for them, Ningning would not have suffered so terribly, ultimately being beaten to death with clubs!
How much pain she must have endured!
At the thought of this, the sinister darkness in the depths of Li Tianzhuo's eyes intensified.
Fortunately, they were seated far apart. Jun Wenci's eyesight couldn't possibly be that sharp; he shouldn't be able to notice.
After exchanging formal greetings with Jun Wenci, Li Tianzhuo had someone present his gift to Deng Xuelian.
"Lian'er, why aren't you thanking the Commander?"
Though Deng Zheng had no idea how Deng Xuelian had come to know Li Tianzhuo, in his heart he desperately hoped to latch onto this connection.
He was already the State Protector, but if he could be on good terms with Li Tianzhuo, he could practically walk sideways across the imperial court!
"Lian'er thanks Commander Li."
Deng Xuelian's voice was soft and sweet, capable of making anyone's bones tingle.
Many of the men at the banquet were already struggling to restrain themselves from getting close to her, but listening to it, Li Tianzhuo felt nothing but profound disgust.
"Aren't you going to open it and take a look, Young Miss?"
Li Tianzhuo asked with a playful tone.
Not knowing what else to do, Deng Xuelian looked at Deng Zheng, and only upon receiving his nod did she open the box.
Inside lay an ordinary mirror.
Having seen countless rare treasures, Deng Xuelian felt somewhat disappointed, as the mirror looked utterly mundane no matter how she examined it.
She picked up the mirror, completely baffled, and asked with curiosity:
"May I ask the Commander, what is special about this mirror?"
Lady Gu, standing nearby, also took the mirror and inspected it closely, but found nothing else.
"Don't overthink it. It's just an ordinary mirror."
"I simply hope that Eldest Young Miss Deng will look in the mirror more often, to constantly remember her true identity, and to remember how she came to possess everything she has today!"
At these words, the expressions of everyone in the Deng family instantly collapsed.
Seeing this, Li Tianzhuo felt immensely satisfied and left with a loud laugh.
The clueless guests simply assumed he was having another episode of madness; after all, a treacherous and vicious villain like him was mentally unstable to begin with.
However, the members of the Deng family, who understood Deng Xuelian's true background, felt a chill run through their hearts.
They had hidden Deng Xuelian's true parentage for sixteen years—how did Li Tianzhuo find out?
And why was he suddenly sticking his nose into the State Protector Estate's business?
What on earth did this mean?!
Stepping out of the Deng family gates, Li Tianzhuo's expression shifted instantly.
One second he was smiling audaciously, and the next, his face darkened as if he were ready to kill.
"My Lord, please calm your anger. Jiang Yuan has sent word—Young Miss Deng is about to arrive in the capital."
Xiuming, Li Tianzhuo's personal guard, stepped forward to report.
Hearing news of Deng Youning, Li Tianzhuo's expression softened considerably.
"Are her injuries any better?" he continued to inquire.
"It has been nearly a month; Young Miss Deng has long since been up and about."
"I hear her martial arts are quite formidable. Those minor injuries are no obstacle to someone trained in martial arts."
This news brought genuine joy to Li Tianzhuo's heart.
The feeling surpassed even the exhilaration he had felt when he was just reborn a few days earlier.
In this lifetime, her martial arts had not been crippled!
In this lifetime, he had returned from rebirth, carrying the memories of his past, and he would surely protect her peace for a lifetime.
"Let's return to the estate," he commanded indifferently, stepping into the carriage.
Along the way, he kept toying with the half-jade pendant at his waist.
As if gazing at an object to soothe the yearning for someone far away, he found it impossible to put down.
*
The carriages carrying Deng Youning and Han Qiongyue also arrived at the outskirts of the capital today.
Believing it to be safe under the emperor's feet, and with the Silver Dragon Guard needing to handle a case in a neighboring county, they had departed ahead of schedule.
Throughout the journey, Deng Youning had been studying the books on Gu Poison Arts from the Pavilion of Scriptures in Ten Thousand Serpents Valley.
Having been influenced by them since childhood, in less than a month she had already achieved modest success.
"We'll be entering the capital soon. Have a cup of tea."
Seeing how hard her granddaughter had been studying, Han Qiongyue personally poured a cup of tea for Deng Youning.
"Thank you, Grandmother."
Deng Youning accepted the teacup with a faint smile.
They were about to enter the capital. Though she sat quietly in the carriage, her expression emotionless, an aura of composure far beyond her years surrounded her.
Seemingly calm on the surface, every fiber of her being was clamoring inside.
The place she had desperately tried to escape in her past life was a game she now willingly entered.
Seeing her calm demeanor, Han Qiongyue found herself somewhat unable to read her.
Was she truly a girl raised in some secluded mountain ditch like Ten Thousand Serpents Valley?
Throughout this journey, the personality and character she had witnessed in the girl were the complete opposite of the sinister and vicious nature of sects like Ten Thousand Serpents Valley.
Such a wonderful girl—she simply had to be her own flesh and blood!
*Clatter—*
The carriage suddenly came to a halt.
"Old Madam, Young Miss, there is a band of bandits outside."
The maid accompanying the carriage lifted a corner of the curtain and reported in a low voice.
"Strange, right under the emperor's nose and just outside the capital, yet there are still blind fools daring to intercept a carriage?"
Han Qiongyue suspected there was more to this than met the eye.
She refused to believe in such nonsense—just who was so audacious as to block the carriages of the State Protector Estate!
"Who goes there? Even the State Protector Estate dares to be robbed? Are you not afraid of having your entire clan wiped out?"
Han Qiongyue radiated an overwhelming presence. Her gray hair and advanced age instead lent her an extra layer of solemn majesty.
That disdainful gaze made the bandits' hands holding their blades tremble three times over.
"Hmph, it's corrupt officials like you we're robbing!"
The lead bandit shouted sternly, gesturing for his subordinates to attack.
Mammy Dou and the remaining maids stood in front of Han Qiongyue to protect her, the atmosphere between the two sides instantly tense and ready to snap.
However, those bandits had only taken a few steps forward when they suddenly stopped.
Before them, a dense swarm of creepy-crawlies had appeared out of nowhere: centipedes, scorpions, snakes... and many other small insects they didn't even recognize.
"Grandmother, should we kill these people?"