There was no one near the surrounding area of a secluded study room far from the main hall, which was designed specifically for soundproofing.

    The atmosphere inside the room was tranquil. The two occupants, seated opposite each other, did not initiate conversation. The elderly man maintained his smile, his eyes filled with respect and affection as he observed the little figure before him. Mu Yingying, also unhurried, sipped her tea slowly.

    Once her tea was finished, she looked up to meet the elder's gaze, her lips still curled in a slight smile, her eyes sparkling intriguingly, enough to send shivers down Uncle Wang's spine.

    "What is Uncle Wang curious about?"

    She asked, tilting her head slightly. Despite his initial shock from the chilling sensation, Uncle Wang composed himself and quickly replied, "I was just wondering if these letters were truly orders from the eldest young master?"

    He opened a drawer and laid out several letters received over the past two months on the table. Mu Yingying glanced at them briefly and responded with a playful smile,

    "Of course not!"

    “……”

    Uncle Wang paused, his suspicions about the letters' authenticity confirmed, but he hadn't expected such a straightforward admission from her, leaving him momentarily speechless.

    "Then…whose orders were they?"

    "Mine!"

    Mu Yingying answered clearly, her face breaking into a broad, cheerful smile, as if the conversation had been about trivial matters. Uncle Wang, taken aback, massaged his temples in disbelief.

    “Keke”

    Uncle Wang flustered state was so funny that Mu Yingying laughed softly.

    Seeing Uncle Wang's almost tearful frustration, she decided to stop teasing him. Her previously playful demeanor turned serious instantly, her eyes now serious and the smile fading away.

    The dramatic changes of the little girl altered the room's atmosphere to become heavy and startling Uncle Wang.

    "Let's get to the point."

    "Everything Uncle Wang is curious about is true. Those letters weren't from my brother but me. If you don't believe me…look at this."

    Mu Yingying demonstrated by dipping a brush in ink and replicating the handwriting from the letters perfectly, then handing it to Uncle Wang.

    When he saw the handwriting on the paper, he exclaimed in shock because the two handwritings were identical without any difference. Moreover, this handwriting was beautiful, powerful, and aggressive, a style that could only be achieved with many years of practice, at least five years or more.

    Yet, the person before him was merely a five-year-old child!

    No matter how much of a genius, it was impossible to reach this level!

    "Perhaps this isn't convincing enough. Let's play a game of Weiqi, and I'll explain everything slowly…"

    Mu Yingying suggested, fetching a Weiqi[1] board and setting it up. Uncle Wang watched, puzzled, as she prepared the black and white stones for the game, wondering if she knew how to play.

    As they played, Mu Yingying began to tell a story,

    "I have an interesting tale for Uncle Wang. Long ago, there was a family living in harmony. However, when the Furen passed away, their peace shattered."

    "After the mother's death, the three children felt lost. Their father, once loving, changed, favoring and trusting his concubine and their daughter over his own children by his deceased wife. The wicked concubine took charge, and the three children suffered in what was supposed to be their home."

    Uncle Wang felt a pang of sadness at the story. The saying about stepmothers turning fathers into stepfathers seemed all too true, and he couldn't help but feel sorry for the three children…

    "As the father gained favor and rose to a high rank, the son of the former Furen grew into a talented man, destined for greatness. But the wicked concubine and her daughter plotted against him, leading to his death without even a body left for rituals."

    Bang!

    "Despicable! Absolutely vile!"

    Uncle Wang slammed his hand on the table in a fit of anger, outraged by the evilness and cruelty of the two women!

    The more he thought about it, the angrier he became for the former Furen’s son who was unjustly killed.

    Mu Yingying calmly placed the stone pieces on the board and continued her story in an unhurried tone of voice, as if it was just a tale she had heard,

    "With the son gone, only the two daughters of the former Furen remained. The eldest daughter, skilled and beautiful, was betrothed to a prestigious family, becoming a future Wang Fei. However, she was drugged into insanity, locked away, and her reputation tarnished by the wicked concubine and her daughter, breaking the engagement."

    Uncle Wang, intently listening, clenched the stone piece in his hand tightly, his eyes reflecting pain and anger. Thinking of the three siblings as part of his own family, who had to endure such treatment, caused his heart to ache as if it had been sliced open with a knife.

    "Who would have thought that the wicked mother and daughter had collaborated with the former fiancé of the eldest daughter to break off the engagement and replace the fiancé with the concubine’s own daughter? Shortly after, during the birthday of the concubine’s daughter, they schemed and accused the two daughters of the former Furen of poisoning her daughter."

    "In the end, no matter what the two sisters did, they couldn’t escape the accusation and were sentenced to death, dying with their eyes wide open...”

    “It's too much! What was their father doing? Why didn't he come to save his own children!" Uncle Wang exclaimed impulsively, completely immersed in the story, unable to hide his anger.

    Mu Yingying placed the stone bowl on the table and laid the last piece in her hand on the board, responding indifferently, "In fact, their father was well aware of everything. He just pretended to be ignorant. In the end, he severed ties with his two daughters to preserve his own reputation...that's all."

    "What?! He's no longer human! He's a monster!"

    Uncle Wang stood up and cursed loudly, his face changing colors in rage. Even a vicious tiger wouldn't eat its own offspring, yet that father sent his two daughters to their deaths!

    "Uncle Wang...you've lost,"

    Mu Yingying stated calmly, observing Uncle Wang's reaction with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. The old man, still furious from the story, quickly glanced at the Weiqi board upon hearing he had lost.

    This…

    The sight left Uncle Wang pale; from start to finish, he had only captured a few of Mu Yingying's pieces, while she hadn’t taken any of his. Yet, in the end, he was completely surrounded and lost the entire game.

    It was a decisive and cunning strategy!

    Even Uncle Wang, who always considered himself clever, was outplayed by a five-year-old child!

    This...was terrifying.

    Uncle Wang looked up at Mu Yingying as if he had seen a ghost. She was only five years old, yet her handwriting and Weiqi strategy were beyond his comprehension. Was this child really the Seventh Young Lady he knew?

    Mu Yingying watched Uncle Wang’s changing expressions amusingly. "Does Uncle Wang think I'm capable?"

    He nodded vigorously in response, and she continued with a mysterious smile, "Then, Uncle Wang, why do you think I possess such abilities?"

    “……”

    Uncle Wang was silent, lost in thought, but couldn't find an explanation. It was too unbelievable and beyond any logical explanation.

    What’s the reason?

    "In fact, I haven't finished my story," Mu Yingying raised her head to meet his gaze. "After the two sisters were executed, as if heaven had granted a wish, the youngest daughter was given a chance to go back and change the events before they repeated themselves. She had returned to the past when she was five years old, at the beginning of this tragedy..."

    Uncle Wang widened his eyes in shock. He had heard villagers and monks talk about reincarnation, but he never paid much attention, thinking it was just nonsense. But if what he was hearing was true, then it made sense!

    But wait...why did this story feel so familiar to him?

    "Don't you wonder, Uncle Wang, how I knew about the events that would happen soon?" Mu Yingying spread the letters in front of him.

    Uncle Wang paused momentarily, then began to read the letters. The more he read, the faster his heart beat, pumping blood throughout his body without stopping.

    Before, he always wondered why the letters mentioned events that hadn't happened yet, but soon after, they all came true as if they had been predicted!

    But he didn't dwell much on it, thinking that the young master must have sent someone to gather the information beforehand. However, if all of this was the doing of the young lady...then how could she possibly know about these things?

    He looked up to meet the big, round eyes of the small figure in front of him. Those eyes were filled with agony, anguish, despair, and utter resignation, resembling someone who had encountered extreme cruelty in life.

    It was a look that couldn't be portrayed without experiencing it firsthand.

    Suddenly, Uncle Wang felt a sharp pain in his heart as if a heavy hammer had struck him. Before he knew it, tears were streaming down his face.

    What had his young lady gone through to have such eyes?

    Eh?!

    Wait a minute!

    Or could it be...

    For a moment, as Uncle Wang had a sudden realization, time around him seemed to freeze. When he connected the story told by the young lady with current events, it alarmed him greatly.

    The story of the mother who had passed away, the three siblings who had to fend for themselves, the stepmother who was the concubine, and even the part about returning to the age of five self.

    Wasn't that exactly the story of the young lady sitting before him?

    But how could that be possible?

    Could people really travel back in time?

    If it was true... did the young ladies and the young master have to endure such horrendous experiences?

    Overwhelmed and confused, Uncle Wang clasped his forehead, unable to find a reason to explain the young lady's transformation. The story linked earlier seemed like the only explanation for everything.

    But this was beyond belief!

    How could he come to accept it?

    Mu Yingying allowed Uncle Wang to contemplate in silence. She didn't plan to elaborate further, believing that with Uncle Wang's intelligence, although hard to believe, he would eventually come to accept it.

    Because it was the only truth!

    After much contemplation, Uncle Wang finally came to a conclusion, albeit an incredible one that was hard to accept. But he had to come to terms with it, as there seemed to be no other explanation for the events that had unfolded.

    Was this...really the truth?

    Did the young ladies and the young master really have to face such terrible fates?!

    Drained of strength, Uncle Wang slumped back into his chair. As the story became clear and the truth was revealed, his heart felt shattered. Despite his oath to the Furen to protect the three children to the best of his ability, he ultimately failed to do so.

    Despite his best intentions...

    In the end...the young master and the young ladies still suffered terribly!

    "Ah...sob...sob...I have failed you, my lady..."

    Tears of sorrow streamed down his face, as Uncle Wang looked up, letting his tears flow freely while apologizing to the spirit of the deceased Furen.

    He couldn't even bear to think about the torment the young master and young ladies had to endure...because he didn't dare!

    At this moment, he felt unworthy even to meet the Furen in the afterlife!

    Had it not been for her help and opportunity, he wouldn't be where he was today. He had sworn to her to protect and care for the young master and young ladies in her stead if anything happened. Yet, the truth he learned today was like a heavy hammer striking his heart.

    He was the one who failed, unable to keep that promise!

    Furthermore, the young master and the young ladies had to endure a tragic end!

    It was infuriating!

    He was furious with himself for failing to protect the three of them and even more enraged at the Mu family for causing such atrocities!

    Uncle Wang clenched his jaws to suppress his anger, his eyes burning with a fierce intensity like a wild beast. Those eyes were filled with vengeance and pain. In just a few moments, he seemed to have aged decades.

    Mu Yingying felt a warmth in her heart seeing his pain and wrath. In her previous life, she had always expected and trusted in her father's love, thinking he would at least see them as his children.

    But in reality, it was just her wishful thinking!

    Her father never saw them as his children but as worthless objects!

    Even though he was aware of the wicked plans of that mother and daughter pair, he chose to turn a blind eye, watching as they walked toward their doom one by one.

    Even her last hope was crushed by her own father!

    Meanwhile, Uncle Wang, who wasn't their father or a close relative, but once received a favor from her mother, had given them love and care, sacrificing even his own life for them!

    Mu Yingying blinked away the tears forming in her eyes and walked over to clasp Uncle Wang's hands to comfort him. "Uncle Wang, you did everything you could in the past life. Don't blame yourself."

    "Bu…But in the end, this old man couldn't protect the young lady!" Uncle Wang glanced at her small hands briefly before closing his eyes to hide his anguish gaze.

    "That was the past," she squeezed his hands slightly and continued, "What matters is the present and the future, Uncle Wang."

    "Now that I have returned, Uncle Wang, don't dwell on the past. If Uncle Wang regrets not being able to protect us in the past life, why not protect us now in this life?"

    Mu Yingying said with a gentle smile, her eyes softening. Hearing this, Uncle Wang looked up to meet her gaze, his sorrow transforming into determination.

    That was right!

    If he couldn't protect the young master and the young ladies in the past life…he must protect them at all costs in this life!

    "This old man will protect and guard the young ladies and the young master with his own life! If my young lady has any commands, just tell this old man, and I will serve you with all my might."

    Uncle Wang said with a firm voice, his usually gentle face now showing a serious determination. He believed that the young lady must have a plan in her mind; all she needed to do was command, and he would be ready to go through fire and water for her.

    He must protect the young lady at all costs!

    As for those monsters, let them wait!

    He won't let them have peaceful days much longer!

    "Yes...I believe that Uncle Wang will take good care of me. I already have some plans in mind, but it's not very convenient for me to act on them myself. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble Uncle Wang to take care of these matters from now on."

    Mu Yingying said with a faint smile, her demeanor noticeably relaxed. Having Uncle Wang to help manage affairs brought her some relief.

    Moreover, being able to share her burdens without having to keep everything to herself made her feel much better...

[1] Weiqi or Go is an abstract strategy board game for two players in which the aim is to capture more territory than the opponent by fencing off empty space. The game was invented in China more than 2,500 years ago and is believed to be the oldest board game continuously played to the present day. The playing pieces are called stones.