The Mountain Lord's Daughter

Miss Zhan was no longer fourteen.

Over the past couple of days, a scandal erupted in the royal city. The Third Prince was beaten, stripped of his trousers, and left in Yanliu Alley early one morning. With the sun fully risen, many witnessed the scene.

Though a descendant of the imperial family and blessed with good looks, the Third Prince was nearly mistaken for a male courtesan by a drunkard, who tried to drag him away. Fortunately, guards from his manor noticed something was amiss and arrived in time to rescue him.

Today—

Another healer was thrown out of the Third Prince's residence.

"Get out! All of you, useless trash! Why are you still standing around? Go find someone else!"

The Third Prince, red-eyed, flung his blanket aside and glared at the part of himself that remained unresponsive. He wished he could kill every worthless fool around him.

Why? How could this have happened?

The newly appointed steward knelt on the ground, drenched in cold sweat.

The story was a long one. Two days ago, the Third Prince had gone out for amusement with his rowdy friends.

Recently, the heir of Zhao Wang had acquired a young spirit master girl, reputedly soft as silk and skilled in using her spiritual energy to soothe others. She was even said to perform the exotic "Reverse Pipa" dance.

Hearing of the Third Prince's foul mood, Zhao Wang, eager to curry favor, invited him to a private gathering at the High Pavilion.

The Third Prince, initially confident that Yue Zhiheng was doomed, was caught off guard when Yue survived after just a few days. His coveted beauty slipped through his fingers, and his envoy was left beaten and half-dead on Yue's doorstep. The culprit was obvious.

Infuriated, the Third Prince ordered the beaten envoy to be dragged away but didn't give it much thought. He even mocked Yue Zhiheng as a "dog of the Emperor," smart enough to only kill a steward and beat an envoy but not dare to touch him.

That evening, he leisurely attended Zhao Wang's invitation. The spirit master girl did possess some charm and danced well.

After three rounds of wine, Zhao Wang closed the doors, leaving the Third Prince alone with the girl. Just as he prepared to indulge, he was ambushed again.

Collapsing onto the girl, he lost consciousness. When he awoke, his trousers were gone, his body ached, and a crowd of onlookers jeered at him.

Luckily, his guards arrived to drive away the disrespectful rabble.

Seething with rage, he stayed home for two days to recover. Last night, finally in a better mood, he ordered the steward to bring a concubine to serve him, only to discover that no matter what he tried, he couldn't perform.

In his entire life, the Third Prince had never experienced such disbelief, shame, shock, and even terror. Under the astonished gaze of the concubine, he slapped her and snarled, "Get out!"

Initially, he thought the events of the street had left a psychological shadow. Yet, no matter how hard he tried afterward, even resorting to medicine, there was no improvement.

One healer after another came and went, none able to help or even diagnose the problem.

The Third Prince was livid, tempted to execute them all.

There wasn't a scratch on the affected area, yet it was as if it had been rendered useless.

Tension hung over the residence. No one dared speak of such an embarrassing matter, knowing the Emperor cherished his progeny deeply. If the Third Prince was truly incapacitated… he might as well be discarded.

The healers, almost all with their lives on the line, were confined to a nearby room, forbidden to leave.

The Third Prince, his face dark with fury, picked up his sword and stormed out.

To him, everyone seemed to be mocking him.

The steward, lying prostrate on the ground, didn't dare stop him. He knew the violent, ruthless prince was on his way to kill the healers who knew of his shame.

If no solution was found, none of them—the servants included—would have a good ending.

Raising his head, the steward spotted a man in a white cloak entering the courtyard. Everyone's eyes lit up.

It was Sir Che! Sir Che had returned!

Surely Sir Che would have a solution.

The man beneath the cloak smiled faintly and asked, "Where is His Highness headed, and why the fiery temper?"

The Third Prince, in his current state, saw everyone as his mortal enemy. "Out of my way!"

Sir Che stepped aside good-naturedly, but his words carried little tact. "If this is about the incident two days ago, rest assured, Your Highness. No one in the dynasty would dare speak of it."

The Third Prince knew this retainer had some skill and had helped him resolve numerous troubles over the years. But no matter how skilled, he was still a mere servant.

If he dared block his way, he would kill him first!

The prince raised his sword and thrust it toward Sir Che.

With two fingers, Sir Che caught the blade. "Does Your Highness truly wish to kill me? If I die, there will be no cure for your hidden ailment."

The Third Prince's expression shifted. "What are you saying?"

Seeing the situation, the other confidants quietly retreated.

"Did you drug me?"

Sir Che shook his head. "Your Highness is my benefactor; why would I harm you? But surely Your Highness has a suspect in mind for who might have done this."

The Third Prince gritted his teeth. "Yue Zhiheng."

"Precisely."

The prince took a step forward, his arrogance replaced by desperation. "You claim to have a solution? If you can cure me, name your price—it's yours."

The man beneath the veil smiled faintly. "Your spiritual body has been damaged by Yue Zhiheng. I cannot heal it, but… there is something that might help."

"Take a look, Your Highness."

He opened his palm, revealing a jade box containing two semi-translucent butterflies—one as pure as white jade, the other as crimson as a maple leaf.

"What is this?"

"Your Highness, have you ever heard of a divine-level spiritual item called Intent Enchantment?" When the Third Prince frowned, Mr. Che smiled and said, "If you've never heard of it, that's fine. Just think about this: who should receive the red spiritual butterfly?"

"Think carefully, this item flares up once every month," Mr. Che continued. "From now on, you will only be able to touch this one person."

The Third Prince hesitated as he took the two pills from Mr. Che. He could not decide. If he would only be able to touch one person for life, that person had to be the best. One thought filled his mind, but when he considered that mad dog from the Che Tian Manor, he began to waver.

Mr. Che's voice was slow, almost like an incantation, yet seemed encouraging, "He doesn't dare to kill you, does he? Once everything is settled, Your Highness can tell the Spiritual Emperor about this, and the Emperor will grant her to you. But if you're afraid of him, you could always look for someone else..."

The Third Prince, who was furious at hearing such words, said, "Alright! What should we do? Even if Zhan Yunwei's spiritual power is sealed now, she's in Yue's mansion, and my people cannot get in."

"Your Highness, keep the white spiritual butterfly." Mr. Che smiled. "No need to rush; in three days, isn't the Huasi Banquet coming up?"

Zhan Yunwei, who had been a bit behind on news, had just finished organizing a ledger and only then heard from Shi Hu that the Third Prince had nearly been taken by a drunkard.

But that had happened two days ago.

Shi Hu grumbled, "I wonder who had the guts to treat the Third Prince like that."

Not only did they beat him, but they humiliated him like this.

Zhan Yunwei: "..." But when Yue Zhiheng read the letter that day, he didn't seem to react much.

Later, to help Zhan Shujing and the others leave, she had even drugged Lord Yue.

When Yue Zhiheng fired seven arrows at her and stared coldly, it seemed like he wanted to strangle her. It was clear that he wasn't the one to take her side.

However, when she calculated the timing, it seemed Yue Zhiheng had indeed left the manor when the Third Prince had been attacked.

Whether it was true or not, she decided to avoid provoking Lord Yue any further. It was best to remain calm and peaceful until the day she could leave.

She recalled her thoughts and instructed Shi Hu to deliver the ledger she had prepared to the Second Madam.

Mentioning this, Shi Hu beamed with joy.

Since the young lady of the Spirit Refining Pavilion took over managing the accounts, they had tripled the monthly stipends for each servant, making up for the hardship the servants had endured over the years.

As for the other servants in the mansion, Zhan Yunwei didn't concern herself with them.

As she put it, since she had taken so much money from Yue Zhiheng, even if their positions weren't aligned, she knew how to handle his affairs properly. However, the servants who had helped torment the mute girl and looked down on Yue Zhiheng were not worthy.

She could let the Second Madam raise them if she could afford it, but if she couldn't, then let them go.

Since then, Shi Hu walked with a renewed vigor.

Everyone in the courtyard seemed to have more smiles on their faces, and those who had once pushed them into Yue Zhiheng's manor now regretted it bitterly.

As for what the Second Madam and the Qin Chuan clan would do, Zhan Yunwei had asked Yue Zhiheng about it early this morning.

Yue Zhiheng touched the wound on his face with his thumb and said softly, "Naturally, I'll continue supporting my second aunt. After all, I've been supporting her for so many years."

His kindness made Zhan Yunwei question if she had misjudged him.

However, that evening, Zhan Yunwei received news.

Yue Zhiheng had locked up the entire group of Qin Chuan clan members, dressed in silk and jewels, and sent them to the Spirit Refining Pavilion's smelting room to tend the furnace and forge iron.

Each person was assigned a price based on the ledger Zhan Yunwei had prepared, along with a large number of blank jade tags, which were sent to the Second Madam's courtyard.

Anyone who could afford to redeem themselves would be freed; those who couldn't would spend the rest of their lives in the Spirit Refining Pavilion's underground forging iron.

They wouldn't receive monthly stipends and would only get one set of clothes for the next two years.

The way Yue Zhiheng treated the Qin Chuan clan was exactly how the Second Madam had treated the mute girl. This situation would never have reached this point if it hadn't been for the slap that finally broke Yue Zhiheng's last ounce of patience with the Qin Chuan clan.

In one night, the Second House found themselves buried in astronomical debts.

When Zhan Yunwei heard that Yue Zhiheng had sent over a pile of jade tags, she felt he was truly killing with intent—this was his way of making the Second Madam repay the debt by creating Soul-cleansing Jade Tags.

Zhan Yunwei realized that although Yue Zhiheng might not understand the complex intrigues of a noble family's inner court, he certainly knew how to deal with people.

In the Second Madam's courtyard, when Yue Huai Le returned from his night patrol and saw the pile of blank jade tags, he trembled with rage. "How could Yue Zhiheng treat Mother like this?"

The most destitute spirit masters only made jade tags to sell for money. What did he take Mother for?!

The Second Madam's face turned pale. Seeing her daughter about to go to Yue Zhiheng's manor to confront him, she stopped her. "Huai Le, enough."

"Mother?"

The Second Madam's expression turned icy. She believed she had hidden her hatred well.

Over the years, her clan members had died one by one, and finally, her brother was gone. What they had received in exchange were these two mysterious and malevolent entities.

She had married the spineless and foolish Second Master, and now, Qin Chuan was gradually declining.

Although Wujiao had excellent talent, the old master had left the vast family business to that gloomy, cold young man.

She watched him learn etiquette, poetry, and literature, while Yue Zhiheng couldn't tell what the essentials of a noble heir should be.

Yue Zhiheng would never understand—

When noble heirs practiced the whip or the sword, they would never be beaten so harshly by their teacher or forced to kneel in toxic barriers under the rain.

That young man had never used the best brush, ink, paper, or inkstone. Simple food and clothing sufficed. During festivals, he and the mute girl were just happy to eat the leftover New Year's dinner.

Never had they sat at the reunion table as masters, enjoying the feast.

The Second Madam realized that there was no one left to blame.

This mockery was not only towards Yue Zhiheng but also a reflection of her own powerless life.

However, looking at Yue Huai Le in front of her, it was hard for her to say that she didn't regret it.

There were times when she did regret. She had sons and daughters herself, and if her own children were treated like that, she would be heartbroken to the point of wishing to die.

The victors are kings, and the losers are bandits. Even though she had started to restrain herself in recent years, the sins of her past were an existence she could never erase.

And so, she feared that the increasingly powerful Yue Zhiheng would seek revenge and massacre her Qin Chuan clan.

The path one walks cannot be retraced, and the bitter fruits must be tasted by oneself.

The young man had grown up and had a wife. What he didn't understand, others would. What he lost, others would help him find.

"Mother, don't scare me." Yue Huai Le hugged her waist. "I... I'll ask Big Cousin for help? I won't buy those things anymore. I'll sell them all tomorrow."

The Second Madam could no longer hold back her sobs and hugged her daughter.

Actually, weren't they fortunate enough? She had indeed lost much, but she had also received many gifts in return.

"No, don't ask him. It was my mistake," the Second Madam said. "I'm sorry, all of you."

Yue Huai Le couldn't accept the truth that for all these years, it had been Big Cousin supporting the entire family.

She remembered how she had argued with her brother, criticizing Yue Zhiheng so confidently, and now felt confused and helpless.

The Second Madam tightened her embrace, closing her eyes. "It's my fault. I never taught you properly. From now on, you and Wujiao should treat him like an older brother, with respect."

Yue Zhiheng, despite all his faults and cruelty, had one thing the old master was right about. The honor and disgrace of the Yue family depended solely on Yue Zhiheng. As long as he was alive, he would not allow anyone to bully the Yue family.

The grievances of the previous generation could no longer be undone.

She only hoped that Yue Zhiheng wouldn't be like her, dragging the grudges onto his children.

Zhan Yunwei soon saw the Second Madam's decision. The Second Madam had dismissed the gossipy servants in the household, including the greedy steward.

She had also taken the jade tags and did not ask Yue Zhiheng for help.

Zhan Yunwei couldn't help but admire her resolve and dignity. As a spirit master, trying to hold up a fallen family must have been incredibly difficult over the years. Some grudges were simply too complicated to resolve or explain.

Tomorrow was the Huasi Banquet, and as spirit masters, she and the Second Madam were to attend.

At first, Yue Zhiheng had never expected that this ridiculous marriage would last until now, so she had few clothes in the manor.

Knowing there was no time to make her a new outfit, Yue Zhiheng had sent many silk skirts from the Ni Chang Pavilion for her to choose from.

When Yue Zhiheng returned, Zhan Yunwei was trying on one of the skirts.

The jade-colored long skirt revealed her slender shoulders and neck. Several attendants surrounded her, their eyes filled with admiration.

"Lord Master, you've returned?"

Yue Zhiheng noticed that her title for him hadn't changed. It seemed that since the day she had seen him hold a dagger to the Second Master's throat, Zhan Yunwei had begun to change.

He lowered his eyes and said coldly, "Have you chosen one?"

Zhan Yunwei replied, "Why don't you help me decide?"

After all, she had earned the spirit stones for him, so it was most important that Lord Yue was satisfied.

Yue Zhiheng was about to go draw some plans and was about to say "any one will do," but Zhan Yunwei lifted the skirt and spun around in front of him. The skirt spread out like a fluttering butterfly, its waist so narrow that it was almost impossible to look away from her.

"How about this one?"

Yue Zhiheng said, "Try a different one."

The next one was made of celestial silks, the arms faintly visible. The matching armlets were exquisite. The Huasi Banquet was a place to show off, so the attire was bolder than usual.

Yue Zhiheng's expression remained indifferent.

Zhan Yunwei had to change again. This one was better, but the shoulders were exposed, and the embroidery on the chest looked like blooming hibiscus flowers, drawing one's gaze to the wrong places. Zhan Yunwei was no longer the fourteen-year-old girl she once was.

"..."

Zhan Yunwei was surprised. "This one still doesn't work?" The attendants had clearly said all of them were fine.

What exactly did Lord Yue like? Had his dislike for spirit masters developed to the point where he disapproved of her attire as well?

Yue Zhiheng said coldly, "They're all fine. Miss Zhan, you decide."