After the ghost-hunting master descended the mountain, his fame spread throughout the capital.

Xie Dai looked at Xie Jinchen, who was now capable of handling things on his own, but his gaze seemed to penetrate Xie Jinchen's present moment and see the child in the ancestral hall many years ago.

Amidst the acrid smoke and dust, the child stood stubbornly, his arms burned, his teeth clenched, refusing to shed a single tear.

Only his eyes remained, lifeless and ashen.

That was the innocence and dependence he destroyed with his own hands.

Xie Dai pulled himself together and slowly continued, "But, Chen'er, even if we could do it all over again, I still wouldn't regret my indifference towards you all these years."

Under Xie Jinchen's suddenly sharp gaze, Xie Dai gave a bitter smile, a smile full of helplessness and resignation:

Sometimes, true ruthlessness may be the best protection.

His gaze became distant, as if piercing through the secret chamber and seeing the ever-present, watchful eyes of Changling City:

"Only when everyone thinks that you are just a dispensable pawn in my hands, or even a pawn I want to get rid of as soon as possible, will that person direct more suspicion and criticism at me."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinchen's fingertips twitched almost imperceptibly, and his throat tightened.

The question that had been buried deep in my heart for many years finally broke through the barriers of reason and was asked with difficulty, word by word:

"Was the fire at the ancestral hall that year part of your scheme, or...did you really want to kill me?"

Xie Jinchen's voice trembled without him even realizing it.

Upon hearing this, Xie Dai's heavy and bitter expression suddenly faded, and he even showed a faint smile.

He shook his head, his gaze passing over Xie Jinchen and landing on the ice coffin emanating a chilling aura:

"That doesn't matter anymore, Chen'er."

It's no longer important?

Xie Jinchen's pupils contracted slightly, and the anger he had forcibly suppressed in his heart almost surged up.

Xie Dai paused, each word seemingly weighing a thousand pounds, yet as light as a feather:

"The important thing is that I did it. I kept everything I promised your mother. I protected you, waited for the day the truth came out, and watched you grow up, get married, and start a family..."

His gaze finally shifted slowly back and landed on Xie Jinchen's face.

That look in his eyes held pride, guilt, and relief, ultimately culminating in a long sigh, "Now, only one last thing remains."

After he finished speaking, he stopped looking at Xie Jinchen and turned to walk towards the ice coffin.

The ice coffin sat quietly on the stone platform in the center of the secret chamber, its chilling aura making the surrounding air crisp and clear.

Xie Dai walked up to the ice coffin and stopped.

He did not touch the coffin, but leaned down slightly and gazed at the face inside through the translucent ice.

At that moment, all the calculation in his eyes vanished, leaving only an intense tenderness, like the pure and passionate love of a young man at first sight.

"The year I met your mother... it was the royal spring hunt, at the hunting grounds." Xie Dai's voice suddenly softened, as if he were speaking to the person in the ice coffin, and also to Xie Jinchen behind him.

"At that time, she was dressed in red, so bright it was as if she wore the entire spring sun on her body, riding a horse, so conspicuous in the crowd..."

Xie Dai's voice gradually turned bitter, "But there was no smile on her face, and her eyes seemed to be covered with an inescapable sorrow."

At this point, Xie Dai suddenly stopped.

He turned around and looked at Jiang Dusheng, who was standing quietly to the side:

"Child, I remember there seems to be a method in Taoism that, if the other person is willing, can see the memories they want others to see by holding their hand. Is that true?"

Jiang Dusheng was slightly taken aback, not expecting him to suddenly ask this.

After a moment's thought, she nodded firmly, "Yes, this technique is called 'Shared Hearts and Tracing Shadows.' It requires the practitioner's spiritual power to guide it, and the recipient's mind must not resist, willingly opening up specific memories."

"Okay." Xie Dai seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Without hesitation, he stepped forward and grabbed Xie Jinchen's wrist before Xie could react.

"You..." Xie Jinchen frowned, trying to pull his hand back, but the other man held it tightly.

Seeing this, Jiang Dusheng swiftly traced lines of light golden spiritual energy in the air, forming a talisman as he chanted in a soft voice:

"Heaven and earth bear witness, our hearts reflect each other."

"Past events, traced back to this day."

"The mind is not locked; memory is the bridge."

"Imperial edict, present!"

As the last syllable fell, the pale gold talisman on her fingertip suddenly lit up, transforming into two thin streams that disappeared into Xie Dai and Xie Jinchen's clasped wrists.

In an instant, Xie Jinchen felt a blur before his eyes, and the scene in the secret room rippled out like water, replaced by a large expanse of bright, almost dazzling sunlight.

Just then, Jiang Dusheng's warm hand covered Xie Jinchen's other hand, which was clenched into a fist, and a gentle spiritual energy quietly connected them.

She whispered, "Xie Jinchen, I'm here with you."

As soon as she finished speaking, she slowly closed her eyes.

Through Xie Jinchen as the medium, the memory belonging to Xie Dai unfolded like a scroll before Jiang Dusheng's eyes.

The scenes of memory flowed by, and the noisy voices, bugle calls, and laughter all became background noise.

Amidst the commotion, Xie Dai's gaze remained fixed on the red figure once it appeared.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dancing on the girl in red.

He watched her dismount gracefully, hand the reins to a servant, and walk alone towards the tent belonging to the royal women. Her back was straight, yet she exuded a strange loneliness.

As if possessed, he bypassed the guards and quietly followed, wanting to see more clearly, or perhaps... just wanting to get closer to that figure.

However, as soon as he approached the tent, he heard suppressed and intense arguments coming from inside.

"Brother! Let me go! I am your sister!" Chu Mingzhu's voice was sharp and helpless.

"So what?!" came an excited male voice, filled with an almost obsessive fanaticism.

Xie Dai, standing outside the tent, felt as if struck by lightning, his blood seemingly freezing instantly.

He recognized the man's voice; it belonged to the current Crown Prince.

The meaning behind those words... is absolutely chilling.

"Ah Chu, after all these years, have you truly felt no attraction towards me whatsoever?"

Chu Yan's voice continued, speaking rapidly, as if he were urgently trying to prove something:

"I taught you the first word you learned! I helped you ride your first horse! I specially had the first piece of hibiscus cake I tasted bought from outside the palace and personally fed to you!"

"In this palace, who has treated you as well as I have? Do you truly... have never had any other feelings for me?!"

Inside the tent, Chu Mingzhu's voice turned cold and resolute, filled with unmistakable disgust:

"Never! I've only ever considered you an elder brother, a blood relative! Chu Yan, get out of here right now! Otherwise, I'll risk my reputation to send someone to report to Father Emperor!"

Her voice trembled slightly with anger and fear.

Chu Yan seemed to be completely provoked by her resoluteness, or rather, his long-suppressed dark thoughts were completely exposed, revealing his ferocious face.

He let out a cold laugh, a laugh that seeped through the curtains, sinister and chilling, carrying with it a terrifying desire for control:

"Report to Father? Ah Chu, you're too naive. This area has already been cleared out by my men."