“Ge Clan specializes in fire techniques—the ghostly kind that clings to the living. It’s very similar to True Samadhi Fire. They are also in charge of the mines. Most of their riches come from trading spiritual stones and other rare ores. The Yong Clan is known for their expert swordsmanship and their ability to make their presence minimal. They are also excellent weaponsmiths The Bai Clan are known for their musical cultivation. There is a lot of talk about beauty and they dominate the textile industry,” the girl said.

“I see,” Ge Nianlan murmured. “Then, what does it say about the Four Lords of the Cardinal Directions?”

“Those guys…” the girl’s voice trailed off as she read the description. “Well, basically, they’re peacekeepers."

"Peacekeepers?” Ge Nianlan asked.

The girl closed the book and nodded. “If anyone in those territories make a move, cause a mess, or disturb the common people, then the Four Lords step in. If things escalate, they report it to His Excellency. These lords generally change with each new reign, but that is because the new Palace Master has to make sure that these people are devoted to them and will not benefit from betraying them. Of course, loyalty is not always withstanding, so each new reign, the new lords will have to enter in a contract with the Palace Master.

“The ones of the previous reign usually step down from their position and allow new people whom the Palace Master trusts to step up. It is different from the Saints, who generally stay in their position and swear loyalty to their master until they die.”

“And who are the current Four Lords?” Ge Munian asked.

“That would be Dongwang Kun of the Western Territory, Nanwang Hou of the Southern Territory, Xiwang Ying of the Eastern Territory, and Beiwang Hen of the Northern territory,” the girl said. She paused a moment before adding, “These are the lord’s titles. Their true names are only known by more important people.”

“But surely, you would know them, wouldn’t you, Jiejie?” Ge Nianlan asked.

The girl paused. “Do you recognize me?”

“You’re the girl that Luo-gege gets red around,” Ge Nianlan said. He smiled sheepishly, “But I don’t know your name.”

“Then, why do you think I would know the names of such important figures?”

“Because you’re engaged to the next Wolf Saint,” Ge Nianlan said.

The girl sat, somewhat stunned, before she laughed. “Alright. Fine. I am Nanwang Hou’s youngest daughter, Zhèng Yùyīng (郑玉婴).”

“Yuying-jiejie,” Ge Nianlan sweetly said.

At the mention of that name, Ge Nianlan’s heart raced several times faster.

Zheng Yuying was indeed the name of Luo Qianwu’s fiancée. But the only time her name was mentioned was when it was briefly referenced after her death.

In order to get Luo Qianwu to cooperate with him, Huai Zhen had killed Zheng Yuying and framed Ge Nianlan. He had accused Ge Nianlan of having fallen in love with Luo Qianwu, thus wanting to get rid of any competition in order to win Luo Qianwu’s heart. By this point, Ge Nianlan had already tricked, trapped, and tried to harm Huai Zhen several times. Adding this new crime onto his head sealed the deal for Luo Qianwu. After that, he abandoned Ge Nianlan and didn’t care whether he lived or died. Any sort of brotherly bond had disappeared, in a plume of smoke.

Ge Nianlan observed Zheng Yuying quietly. “Jiejie, did you know that Luo-gege is off at his trial?”

“Yeah, I know that,” Zheng Yuying asked. She looked at the child skeptically. “Why?”

“Why didn’t you go with him?”

“Because I already did my trial last year,” Zheng Yuying said. “He just gave me a lousy keepsake as a good luck charm, so I just gave him some handkerchief I embroidered. There’s no need to go out of my way to keep him company.”

She glanced at Ge Nianlan and added. “Besides, people don’t normally tag along to another’s coming-of-age trial. That’s weird.”

“Oh, I see,” Ge Nianlan said. He grinned and leaned in. “Jiejie, you know a lot!”

Zheng Yuying leaned back slightly. “Um…I guess I do…”

“Do you know much about Yunheng Region?”

“Yunheng…Region?” Zheng Yuying echoed. She awkwardly hummed. “Not really.”

“Then, do we have books about that place?” Ge Nianlan asked.

“We do. They’re on the ground floor, but there isn’t too much.”

“Can you read them to me?” Ge Nianlan excitedly asked.

“Su—wait, no! Not today,” Zheng Yuying immediately stood up. “I can’t today.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“I came here to study, but you went and distracted me,” Zheng Yuying said with a frown. “I have to study for the test tomorrow.”

“Test?” Ge Nianlan asked with a blank expression. “What test?”

“If you’re a student, you get tested on the things that you learn,” Zheng Yuying impatiently explained. “Anyway, I can read to you, but not today—or tomorrow! Um…wait till next week!”

“Next week!?”

Ge Nianlan stood to try and convince Zheng Yuying to stay, but the girl quickly ran off, as if her life depended on it. Ge Nianlan pouted and tossed the book to the side. He remained where he was for a few more minutes before he stood, begrudgingly gathered the books, and started to head back to his room.

While he knew that he could find Ling Tong or one of the other maids and Saints to help him read, he was a bit reluctant. If he showed so much interest in everything so quickly, they might find him suspicious. And the last thing Ge Nianlan wanted to do right now was appear suspicious.

However, Ge Nianlan should have known that fate was not his friend.

As he turned the corner of the hallway, he ran head first into another person. The person took a step back in surprise, but still managed to prevent Ge Nianlan from collapsing onto his bottom. Ge Nianlan’s vision was fixed on the young man in front of him.

The teenager was quite attractive, with pure black hair and almost grayish black eyes. His skin was deathly pale, as if he never saw the light of day, but it contrasted nicely with his red and black robes. When he realized who he had run into, a stretched smile took over his face. He knelt in front of Ge Nianlan and carefully propped him back up.

“Young Lord, you must watch where you are going.”

“Do we…know each other?” Ge Nianlan asked cautiously.

The teenager glanced up at Ge Nianlan as he picked up the scattered books and scrolls. He glanced at its contents. A slow interest appeared on his face.

“Just because I put on some skin, the Young Lord no longer recognizes me?” the teenager asked. “I am quite hurt, My Liege.”

Ge Nianlan stared at the teenager for a long time before he realized where he recognized that voice from. He lurched for the material in Nie Chenhui’s hands, but the skeleton jing had already taken a step back.

“Now, I never realized you could read, Young Lord,” Nie Chenhui said as he glanced at the books in his hands. His gaze flicked back up towards Ge Nianlan. “Is this a part of the so-called miracle?”

Ge Nianlan watched Nie Chenhui warily. “What do you mean…?”

“I’m just happy that you are well now, Young Lord,” Nie Chenhui said. He held out the books. “Were you planning to read these?”

Ge Nianlan cautiously took them. “I can’t read.”

Nie Chenhui blinked. “Then, why have you gotten so many books?”

“I…wanted to learn how to…” Ge Nianlan mumbled.

His face had turned completely red under Nie Chenhui’s scrutinization. Just when he thought the Vulture Saint would question him further, the man in front of him began to laugh. Ge Nianlan glanced up at the man’s shuddering form and frowned. His feigned embarrassment became a bit more genuine, but also his irritation towards this person grew.

“Do you want me to teach you?” Nie Chenhui asked.

“Thank you for the offer, but I’m okay,” Ge Nianlan said.

Nie Chenhui raised a brow as Ge Nianlan skirted around him. He turned on his heel and followed the boy.

“Why not? I’m quite good at reading,” Nie Chenhui said.

Ge Nianlan resisted the urge to glance back at him. He remembered that Ling Tong had told him that Nie Chenhui was one of the people who disliked his presence. And from what he had seen in the cursed artifact, Nie Chenhui had definitely been on Huai Zhen’s side.

“Young Lord? If you ignore me, I’ll be sad.”

Ge Nianlan reached for the door, but Nie Chenhui placed a hand against it. The boy schooled his expression before looking over his shoulder at Nie Chenhui.

“Lord Nie, you’re being rude.”

“Rude? I’m getting the door for you,” Nie Chenhui said. With an easy flourish, he opened the door. He smiled. “See?”

Ge Nianlan glanced at him and stepped into his room. Unfortunately for him, Nie Chenhui followed shortly after. When he sat down, Nie Chenhui also sat down. When he opened a book, Nie Chenhui craned his neck to see. Ge Nianlan tried his best not to lose his cool, but after the first half hour, he couldn’t help but glance at Nie Chenhui.

Nie Chenhui smiled back, as if there was nothing wrong with what he was doing. And, in fact, one really couldn’t find fault. However, Ge Nianlan had already placed doubt on Nie Chenhui. He didn’t trust anything this skeleton jing did, especially when he was acting without a motive.

Nie Chenhui’s eyes narrowed as a smirk spread across his face. “Young Lord, you have a certain look in your eyes.”

“What look?”

“One that tells me you are very, very suspicious of people,” Nie Chenhui said. He smiled. “Am I wrong to assume that?”

Ge Nianlan closed his book. He knew the innocent act he had been putting on wouldn’t work on someone like Nie Chenhui, who was already trying to pick out his flaws. He looked at the man coolly. “Am I wrong to be suspicious of someone who hasn’t shown me any reason to trust him?”

Nie Chenhui paused for a moment before he burst out in laughter. “My goodness! How unexpected!”

Nie Chenhui stood and leaned over the table. “Then, what can I do for you to trust me?”

“Tell me what you want,” Ge Nianlan said.

Nie Chenhui smirked. “What I want?”

The boy nodded and continued to watch him warily.

“I want to know if you really are who everyone believes you to be, Young Lord. Because, you see, I don’t really believe in miracles. For ten years, you’ve acted like a brain-dead fool, but now you’re suddenly fine? It’s odd to me.”

Ge Nianlan stared at Nie Chenhui as if he had gone mad. Sure, even Ge Nianlan found his own transformation hard to believe. But what did he mean by “who everyone believes you to be”? Did he mean that he was suspicious of if he truly was Ge Jinsheng’s son? Or did he mean he had suspicions if Ge Nianlan was truly Ge Nianlan?

“That doesn’t make sense,” Ge Nianlan said bluntly. “Of course, I’m me.”

“And I’m just supposed to trust you?” Nie Chenhui asked.

Ge Nianlan hesitated. Trust without proof was fickle. He glanced at the skeleton jing. “Then, I’ll prove it to you.”

“How?”

“If you’re coming to me to say all this, then you must already have a way for me to prove it to you,” Ge Nianlan said confidently.

Nie Chenhui laughed. “You really have gotten a lot smarter. You’re right! I do have my ways. However, His Excellency says they are too dangerous, so he won’t let me.”

“So, you want to bypass my father’s permission and ask me directly,” Ge Nianlan said.

“Please, don’t be offended, Young Lord,” Nie Chenhui said. “You must understand that my loyalty lies first with His Excellency. Even if he decides to kill me after this, I must ensure his safety.”

Despite his irritation, Ge Nianlan was somewhat curious. “What makes you think I could harm Father?”

Nie Chenhui smiled. “Young Lord, there is something called the Soul Switching Technique and it is very popular amongst Devil Cultivators.”

“You think, in the time I was comatose, someone could have switched my soul with theirs?” Ge Nianlan clarified.

“Precisely.”

Ge Nianlan frowned.

This would later become an obstacle for him.

If what Ling Tong told him was true, then that means there were several others who didn’t trust him because of this issue. It was less to do with his disability in his early years and more to do with his current situation. If it had just been his intellect that they were worried about, Ge Nianlan can just slowly prove to them that he could do better now. But if it was a matter of potential treason, then there was little Ge Nianlan could do to prove his innocence. They would always watch him and wait for him to mess up.

“Alright. I will cooperate,” Ge Nianlan said. “I also feel uncomfortable living under the same roof of someone who doesn’t trust me.”