It must be said that Ye Liusi and Ye Liunian were extremely cautious. After leaving the restaurant from the backyard, they circled the streets several times before finally stopping in front of a large mansion.

The carvings on the lintel have faded and become mottled; the former splendor has been eroded by the vicissitudes of time.

Two characters can still be faintly seen engraved on the plaque above the door.

Ye Residence.

Tang Nian pursed her lips. Why did the Ye sisters have to arrange for her and Lou Mu to meet when they returned to the old house? And why did they have to do this to keep it a secret?

Ye Liusi pushed open the door; the door was heavy and creaked.

After the two entered the door, Ye Liusi peeked out and looked around. Only after seeing no suspicious people did she close the door.

Tang Nian's eyelashes fluttered slightly. She silently climbed over the wall, leaped onto the roof, and followed closely behind the two sisters.

She didn't let the two of them find out.

Tang Nian followed the two to the innermost courtyard.

Before entering the courtyard, the sisters cautiously looked around.

Only after confirming that no one was around did he quickly enter the courtyard.

Tang Nian quickly followed.

The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, which completely obscured the path. The stone steps had lost their luster and were covered with moss.

The Ye sisters pushed aside the waist-high weeds and carefully circled the dried-up lake to the back of an artificial hill.

People seem to come to the artificial hill often; compared to its surroundings, it's strangely clean.

When Tang Nian caught up with the two, she saw that the artificial hill had moved to both sides as the mechanism turned, revealing a passage.

Ye Liusi and Ye Liunian were talking about something, and Tang Nian didn't dare to get too close.

All that is known is that Ye Liunian stayed at the entrance of the passage, while Ye Liusi went into the passage.

Seeing that the hidden door began to slowly close after Ye Liusi went in, Tang Nian didn't dare to delay.

She extended two fingers, and a beam of blue light flew straight from her fingertips toward Ye Liunian's back.

Ye Liunian's originally wary gaze instantly froze.

Her eyes were glazed over, and she seemed to have lost her soul.

Tang Nian emerged from behind the hidden wall and jogged along, slipping through the crack in the secret door.

The moment Tang Nian entered the passage, the hidden door slammed shut with a loud "bang".

The passage was only about one person wide, and there were no torches inside; it was pitch black and one could not see the path beneath one's feet.

Only the faint glow of the tinderbox in front could be vaguely seen.

Tang Nian knew that it was Ye Liusi.

Listening to the occasional dripping sound of water, Tang Nian carefully followed behind Ye Liusi.

Tang Nian didn't know where this passage ultimately led; all she knew was that she followed Ye Liusi through the narrow passage, turning left and right, and encountering many unnamed side paths.

Suddenly, just after rounding a bend, Ye Liusi stopped and turned her head back.

But no one was found.

She looked for a long time before turning back, holding the tinderbox, and continuing on her way.

Tang Nian pressed herself against the wall, not daring to make a sound. Only when she saw the firelight move away did she secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

Luckily, she hid quickly and was almost discovered.

As Ye Liusi's footsteps faded into the distance, Tang Nian didn't dare to delay and quickly chased after her.

Finally, I saw her at the end of the road.

The end of the passageway looked like an underground study, with bookshelves standing against the walls, but not many books on them.

However, she wasn't alone in the study; a middle-aged man was sitting in front of her.

Tang Nian immediately recognized the middle-aged man as the same man she had seen in the space yesterday.

Did Ye Liusi know him?

Could what happened yesterday have been a setup by the Ye sisters?

Tang Nian was startled by her own conjecture and broke out in a cold sweat.

She pulled her head back, pressed it against the wall, and tried to hear what they were saying.

"Father, is there something important that you summoned me here in such a hurry?" Ye Liusi knelt on one knee, bowed her head, and respectfully addressed the man before her.

What?

Was he the head of the Ye family back then?

Tang Nian recalled the man's appearance and realized that he did indeed bear some resemblance to the Ye sisters.

"Ha, look what you've done!"

Mr. Ye placed the empty teacup on the table, his voice echoing throughout the corridor.

"Father, please calm down." Ye Liusi was so frightened that she knelt down on the ground, her head pressed tightly against the earth. After a long while, she raised her head again. "But Father, it was you who told us to approach Tang Nian..."

"I sent you there, not to expose the Ye family's secrets!" Ye's father roared in anger.

The Ye family's secret?

Tang Nian was completely confused.

Could it be that strange space from yesterday...?

And, did you mean to get close to her?

What about Lou Mu?

Or is she the only one these people are targeting?

She suddenly remembered Jiang Chen, who was far away in Muyun County, and he had said the same thing back then...

"I didn't expect her to..." Ye Liusi wanted to explain, but under her father's gaze, she silently lowered her head again.

Tang Nian peeked out and looked at the somewhat strange scene in front of her.

If Ye Liusi hadn't consistently referred to him as "father," Tang Nian would never have guessed from their conversation that they were father and daughter.

After a long silence, Ye's father's voice finally rang out.

"Have you done what I asked you to do?"

"I have left them at the restaurant as you instructed," Ye Liusi replied without hesitation.

Sure enough, it was them who did it.

"Okay, are you sure the person next to Tang Nian is Ming Huan?"

Tang Nian was slightly taken aback.

He didn't know that Lou Mu was the one who came to Jingning City.

She had assumed the invitation was sent by Ye's father, but it seems that someone else sent it.

Ye Liusi nodded and answered without hesitation, "That's right, they admitted it themselves."

Immediately afterwards, Tang Nian heard Ye's father say, "I'm giving you a chance to make amends. For the next two days of performances, you must make sure they attend every single day. Also, don't let them return to the inn before today's performance ends."

Ye Liusi was taken aback upon hearing this, and asked with some confusion, "Why does Father want to do this? What if they don't want to…"

"If they're unwilling, then you must find a way to make them listen for three days straight, or don't blame me for being rude to you," Father Ye said coldly.

"Can……"

Before Ye Liusi could say anything more, the man coldly said, "If you can't even do this simple thing well, then you'll only end up like that good-for-nothing."

It was clear that Ye Liusi was very afraid of the man in front of her, and she quickly lowered her head and agreed when she heard him say that.

The middle-aged man waved his hand impatiently: "Alright, go back now. Be careful on your way back, and don't let anyone notice anything."

"Father, won't you see my sister? She really wants to see you."

Ye Liusi's voice grew softer and softer until it was completely inaudible.

"That good-for-nothing is no longer my daughter!" Father Ye waved his hand and turned his back.

Ye Liusi opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say. She slowly closed it again and bowed to her father.