When Pei Nai woke up, dawn had already broken in the east.
She blinked her sleepy eyes and found herself lying on a bed in a guest room. Sitting up, she recalled everything that had happened the night before.
The Ten-Thousand Hatreds Palm and the Fixed Light Compassion Palm—she had learned about ten moves, and then… she had been drugged unconscious by that cup of tea?
She had only asked a few more questions. Scratching her head, Pei Nai thought: That shouldn’t have been necessary, right?
And that last sentence from Elder Zhong yesterday—someone was waiting for her?
Who exactly did he mean? Instead of resolving her doubts, Elder Zhong seemed to have left her even more confused.
She walked out of the room and happened to run into a waiter sweeping the inner courtyard. Before she could speak, he beat her to it.
“That senior yesterday had incredible skills! Do you know where he comes from?”
Pei Nai gave him a hint. “A monk, and master of unparalleled palm techniques—what do you think?”
The waiter’s mouth fell open, stammering nervously. “C-could it be the legendary Zhong…?”
Pei Nai nodded excitedly, but before she could react, he continued, “Zhong… Chuan’s successor, the eminent monk Jingjue?”
Her smile froze instantly. “Zhong Chuan has a successor?”
“Of course! Zhong Chuan hasn’t appeared for decades, and people thought his lineage had died out. Six years ago, the abbot of the Southern Temple took in a prodigy. In just a few years, he mastered the Unrivaled Vajra Palm to perfection. Since he appeared, bandits in the southern region have decreased, and two years ago he won the Dengyun Heroes Assembly outright. People say Zhong Chuan finally has a successor.”
Pei Nai listened in a daze, wondering why she had never heard of any Heroes Assembly before.
Looking around, she didn’t see Elder Zhong. “Where is that senior from yesterday?”
“He left before dawn. He already paid for both rooms and asked me to pass along a message. He said you have your own fate, and he shouldn’t disrupt your life’s path—he would only guide you this far. Until next time.”
So Elder Zhong had acted harshly because he couldn’t refuse a junior’s request?
Pei Nai rubbed her neck, feeling a bit embarrassed. And she had also… forgotten to ask him about what happened before and after her rebirth.
She returned to her room, packed her belongings, bid farewell to the waiter, and stepped out of the teahouse.
The reddish-brown horse was still tied to a tree outside, its branches rustling softly in the breeze.
Seeing her approach, the horse rose to its feet, shook its mane, and looked at her with spirited pride.
Pei Nai patted its head and untied the rope. “Let’s go. We’re heading back.”
The horse snorted and set off, carrying her down the main road toward the rising sun.
At the city gates, she dismounted and lined up with the crowd. When it was her turn, the guards merely recorded her information.
“Aren’t you arresting me?” she asked in surprise, but no one responded.
She quietly moved over to the young guard she had knocked down the day before. He turned his head away, refusing to look at her.
She stepped to his other side, and he shot her an annoyed glare before turning away again.
No one was holding her accountable for yesterday’s intrusion.
Pei Nai clicked her tongue. “Has public security in Tianyao become this chaotic…?”
…
With no other option, she rode back to the Ju residence.
On the way, she passed the gate of the Duke Duanding’s residence. After some thought, she chose not to enter. Something about the events from ten years ago felt suspicious. If she implicated Gu Jinheng and Xiao Yi, it would be troublesome. She decided to investigate first before reuniting with them.
Turning her horse away, she narrowly missed a carriage entering the residence.
When she returned to the Ju residence, she found that Madam Ju had completely forgotten about her leaving the city the day before. Back in “her” courtyard, she used the excuse of head injury from illness to question the maids and learn many things.
Tang Mingzhi’s father was Tang Shijie, once a county magistrate in Huizhou. After Tang Mingzhi’s mother passed away, she herself fell gravely ill not long after the new year.
Doctors in Huizhou tried countless prescriptions, but her illness would not improve. To save his daughter, Tang Shijie resigned and came to the capital, hoping to use Lord Ju’s connections to invite imperial physicians.
They did come—but even they were helpless. They declared her illness terminal and prescribed only a few medicines to ease her suffering.
Before Elder Zhong arrived yesterday, Tang Mingzhi had already stopped breathing. Everyone believed she had died.
The maids rejoiced at her revival, but Pei Nai knew the truth—Tang Mingzhi had indeed died, and she herself… had returned to life in another’s body.
Just then, a servant reported that her cousin Ju Liancheng had come to visit.
“Ju Liancheng?” Pei Nai repeated softly. The name felt strangely familiar.
As she thought about it, something suddenly snapped in her mind—she had overlooked something important.
The Ju residence… Madam Ju…
Pei Nai swallowed. There was a strategist by Gu Jinheng’s side who had followed him since he was the second young master of the marquis household. Much of Gu Jinheng’s grand plans relied on this man’s counsel.
He was the renowned strategist, Ju Yan.
Ju Liancheng was Ju Yan’s eldest son. As a child, he often visited the marquis residence with his father, and Pei Nai had looked after him many times.
Before long, Ju Liancheng arrived at the doorway. The door was open; he knocked lightly out of courtesy before stepping inside.
The moment she saw his face, Pei Nai was stunned. As a child, he had been wrinkled and unremarkable—how had he grown into someone with sharp brows, bright eyes, and striking looks?
“My mother asked me to check on you,” he said, pausing as he raised a brow. “Why are you making that expression?”
Pei Nai shook her head. “Nothing. You’re good-looking, so I took a few extra glances.”
Ju Liancheng frowned, seemingly lost in thought.
“Have a seat,” Pei Nai said, then turned to Tang Mingzhi’s maid. “Qingzhu, bring some tea.”
The maid left, and Ju Liancheng sat on a carved wooden chair, leaning back, still looking puzzled.
“You look much healthier than before. Did that old monk’s medicine really work so well?”
“Of course. A miracle pill,” Pei Nai joked casually.
His frown deepened. “You saw that monk yesterday?”
Pei Nai nodded. “I did.”
“Did you find out his identity? I have my doubts. I once encountered Zhong Chuan in my infancy. Though my view was obscured, I remember his voice—it matches that man closely. He could very well be the long-missing Monk Zhong Chuan.”
Pei Nai was baffled. “In infancy? While swaddled? And you remember his voice?”
Ju Liancheng did not answer.
At that moment, Qingzhu returned with a tray, set the tea on the table, and left.
Feeling thirsty, Pei Nai poured herself a cup, casually strained it twice, and gulped it down. Some tea dripped onto her lips, and she wiped it away with the side of her little finger in a smooth motion.
Ju Liancheng noticed the detail.
As she set the cup down, she saw him staring at her intently.
“You are not Tang Mingzhi,” he said firmly.
Pei Nai shifted her gaze slightly. “Why do you say that?”
“Tang Mingzhi never speaks with such force, nor carries herself this way. Your tone, the way you pour tea, even the habit of wiping your mouth—I’ve only seen these in one person.”
Pei Nai widened her eyes. “Who?”
“The Heroic Lady—Pei Nai.”