Chapter One: The Search

“Quick, surround the Pan residence—don’t let a single fly escape!”

The hurried footsteps echoed through the alley, accompanied by the rhythmic clatter of hooves. A few men, leading the charge, reined in their horses before the grand gate of the Pan estate. They dismounted in one swift motion, the scales on their flying fish uniforms shimmering sharply under the sunlight, piercing Pan Yun’s eyes with their glare.

Almost simultaneously as they dismounted, she slipped behind a wall, holding her breath. Only after confirming that no one had spotted her did she slowly exhale.

A loud bang followed—the gate was rammed open. Then came the panicked cries of her aunt and the enraged shouts of her uncle.

The scene from two months prior replayed vividly in her mind. Clenching her fists to suppress the murderous intent swelling within, she turned away without looking back.

Yet, she did not go far. Instead, she skirted around the corners of a few neighboring houses, stopping beside a small door leading into a narrow alley where a pile of firewood was stacked.

Just as her second brother had said, the Qiao family liked to pile firewood by the west corner gate. The alley ended in a wall, and no one usually came this way.

Pan Yun crouched low beneath the firewood, crossed her legs, and began to silently chant. A star-like light seemed to fall upon her eyes, and the two paper birds she had left within the Pan estate simultaneously opened their eyes.

Through the paper birds’ gaze, she clearly observed the three embroidered guards who first stormed into the estate. The man standing in the center wore a stern expression.

“Bring in all the living residents of this household for inspection!”

“Yes, sir!”

The Pan family was not large. After her father and brothers had been exiled, only the elderly Pan matriarch, her uncle’s family of three, and two servants—Aunt Gui and her son—remained.

Pan Tao stood before his family, fury darkening his face as he glared at the embroidered guards. “What do you want? The case of my elder brother, Pan Hong, has been closed. This is my house now!”

Cao Ye sneered coldly. “Whether it’s closed or not isn’t for you to decide. Search the place!”

Like wolves, the embroidered guards tore through every room.

When the embroidered guards ransacked a home, it was as if they were digging to the core. The sound of smashed objects echoed from within. Pan Tao struggled to remain composed, while his wife Wang Shi, terrified, clung tightly to the Pan matriarch, burying her head, afraid the guards would read something from her face.

The Pan estate was small. Soon the embroidered guards emerged and reported to the three men outside, “Captain, nothing found.”

Cao Ye frowned slightly. “No one found, what about the items?”

The guard lowered his voice, “No clothing or belongings of a little girl were found inside.”

He suspected the intelligence was faulty.

Cao Ye glanced at Wang Yong, who had brought the information.

Wang Yong, eager to claim credit, loudly protested, “Impossible! My intelligence can’t be wrong. Someone saw a six- or seven-year-old girl in their courtyard with their own eyes…”

At this, the Pan matriarch’s tears flowed swiftly. She looked around and cried out loudly, “Nannie, Nannie, is that you returning? You knew your father and brothers were in trouble, so you came back to see them?”

“But you’ve come too late. Your father and brothers have already gone to Datong. If you want to see them, you must go to Datong. You’re only seven—you can’t go. Better to return quickly to the netherworld. Don’t linger on those in the living world…”

Pan Tao’s eyes also reflected sorrow as he explained to the guards, “My elder brother did have a seven-year-old daughter, but she died of illness last spring. Friends and neighbors know this. If you don’t believe me, ask the neighbors, or our relatives.”

He paused, then turned to his son, Pan Bo. “Go fetch the letter the clan leader wrote to your uncle last year. I remember it mentioned this.”

Pan Bo nodded and was about to leave when one guard abruptly dropped a box, clutching a dozen or so letters in his hand. He presented them to Cao Ye, “Captain, these are all the letters found during the search.”

He pulled one from the bundle and handed it to Cao Ye.

Cao Ye quickly scanned the letter—it was from the clan leader to Pan Hong. Among the contents, it promised to record Pan Hong’s young daughter, Pan Yun, in the family genealogy. However, it refused to allow her burial in the ancestral graveyard, reasoning that she was only seven and died young. There was no precedent for burying a child who died prematurely in the clan’s ancestral tomb.

Cao Ye examined the letter carefully, confirming the writing was old. He also held the envelope up to the sunlight to inspect the stamps left by various courier stations. Only then did he frown deeply and put the letter away.

His expression darkened; he restrained himself from glaring at Wang Yong, who was known to have the powerful eunuch Wang Zhen as his uncle—a man with a formidable backing.

Though mistaken, Cao Ye would not apologize to the Pan family. With a cold sneer, he warned, “You’d better behave. Should there be any acts of disobedience, our embroidered guards will show no mercy.”

His gaze swept over the Pan matriarch and Pan Tao, issuing a warning: “If grievances spread, it will be seen as discontent with the court and His Majesty. Pan Hong was guilty of accepting bribes and releasing criminals, yet His Majesty showed mercy by only exiling him. Do not squander this imperial grace.”

None of the Pan family dared show even a trace of resentment.

Satisfied, Cao Ye turned and led his men away.

Wang Yong, however, was reluctant to leave. His gaze swept malevolently over the Pan family. But among them, the elderly Pan matriarch and Aunt Gui were too old, Wang Shi didn’t fit, and the two young boys—Changsheng and Pan Bo—were both male, so none matched his target.

He ground his teeth in frustration and disdain. The Pan family was so impoverished they didn’t even have a young maidservant. If only there had been one, regardless of whether she was seven, eight, or seventeen, he could have forced her to admit being Pan Hong’s daughter.

Unable to fabricate evidence, Wang Yong grudgingly followed the others away.

Another embroidered guard, Liu Jing, who had been silent until then, finally lifted his eyes from the pile of letters. His gaze swept across the yard and paused slightly upon seeing a paper bird hanging beneath the corridor.

The bird’s eyes seemed startlingly lifelike; he had the eerie sensation it was watching him.

Pan Yun, seated cross-legged beneath the firewood, met Liu Jing’s gaze through the paper bird’s eyes. A strange unease passed between them, each growing wary.

Pan Yun wondered: Could he actually see her?

She dared not underestimate these embroidered guards. This world possessed spiritual energy—not as abundant as in her own world after its spiritual awakening, but there were certainly gifted individuals.

Where there are gifted individuals, there must be extraordinary matters. As the emperor’s vigilant eyes, the embroidered guards would likely have some knowledge.

Considering her current cultivation, Pan Yun dared not be overconfident. As Wang Yong reluctantly turned away, she immediately severed her connection with the paper birds.

Therefore, she did not witness Liu Jing, before leaving, step over Pan Tao and snatch down the paper bird hanging beneath the corridor. After scrutinizing its eyes, he crushed it in his palm and departed.

Pan Tao’s heart pounded fiercely. Pan Yun had hung those paper birds before leaving. At the time, he did not understand why she had gone to such lengths in urgency but sensed they were important.

Clenching his fists, he wanted to stop Liu Jing from taking the paper bird, but the Pan matriarch quietly shook her head.

The family watched silently as Liu Jing tore away with their precious talisman.