Led by Jiang Man, I followed her into the villa in front of us, and then we went up to the second floor.

As I walked along, I realized that this place did not seem to be a place for people to live, but rather an office, because the style inside was more formal than residential.

As soon as we got to the second floor, two men in suits stopped me. One of them was holding a metal detector, clearly intending to search me.

"No need."

Jiang Man waved her hand to stop the man, then led me down the corridor and soon knocked on a door.

"Enter!"

As a strong male voice came from inside the house, Jiang Man pushed open the door and led me into the room. She said to a middle-aged man standing with his hands behind his back in front of the French windows, "Dad, Duan Shenxing has arrived."

"Is he your father?"

Upon hearing Jiang Man's address, I asked in a low voice, "Didn't you bring me here to see Uncle Tian?"

At this moment, the man turned around and asked, "You're Duan Shenxing?"

"Yes, hello Uncle."

I nodded in greeting, and at the same time took the opportunity to observe the man. He looked to be around forty years old, very young-looking, and had a strong scholarly air about him. However, his eyes were lifeless, which gave people a very uncomfortable feeling.

Jiang Man then said to me, "Actually, I lied to you. Uncle Tian is my father."

"What did you say? Uncle Tian is your father?"

Hearing Jiang Man's words, I looked at her incredulously: "You woman, how come you never tell the truth? So, back at the Ze King's tomb, everything you told me was a lie?!"

Jiang Man looked at me with some helplessness: "I'm sorry, I didn't know how to explain the attack in the ranger settlement to you at the time, and I didn't really trust you at the time, just like you didn't even tell me your real name."

“Shenxing, this is not Xiaoman’s fault. I told her not to mention her real identity outside. I called you here today to tell you everything.”

Uncle Tian took out a Ming Dynasty blue and white porcelain tea canister from the cabinet and sat down on a chair at the tea table: "Speaking of which, you're also involved in the martial arts world now. You must know how treacherous people can be. Xiaoman is just a girl, so we should be careful in everything we do."

"So when I was in the Far East, you knew my whereabouts and even tried to stop me from finding the tomb of the King of Ze."

I squinted at Uncle Tian: "Why did you do this? Have I offended you in any way?"

“You haven’t offended me, and I didn’t intend to stop you from entering the Zewang Tomb. To be precise, I was trying to stop you from finding Duan Jinyan, but at the same time, I was protecting you.”

Uncle Tian fiddled with the tea set on the table, speaking softly but clearly: "Before we begin our formal conversation, I think I should introduce myself. My name is Jiang Tianyi, and I am the owner of Tianxia Group. My other identity is your uncle."

"who?"

Hearing Jiang Tianyi say that, my cheek twitched.

Jiang Tianyi took a deep breath, as if recalling something painful, and said in a low voice, "I am your uncle, and your aunt is Duan Xiuying. She is my wife."

"Buzz!"

When I heard Jiang Tianyi say those words, my mind went blank.

If what he said is true, wouldn't that mean that Jiang Man is my cousin?

The thought of me stripping her naked in the Far East warped my moral compass. Although my intention was to save her, this act was unethical.

Jiang Tianyi didn't notice the change in my expression. He took out a yellowed marriage certificate from the drawer and said, "This is my marriage certificate with your aunt. If you don't believe me, you can take a look."

I have never seen what my aunt looks like since I found out I have an aunt.

He took the document from Jiang Tianyi and opened it; inside was a yellowed photograph.

The two people above are a perfect match, especially the woman above, who looks remarkably like the young Hong Kong actress Anita Mui. Even today, she would be considered a rare beauty.

Jiang Tianyi looked at the tea leaves swirling in the crystal teapot and slowly recounted a story from the past: "Your aunt Xiuying and I were classmates in middle school. I fell in love with her at first sight. To pursue her, I studied desperately, even choosing a major in cultural relics that I didn't like in college. After many years of hard work, your aunt was finally moved by me and became my girlfriend."

The day she agreed to be my girlfriend, I was so excited that I couldn't sleep all night. I thought I was the happiest man in the world. But not long after, your aunt was going to apply for a leave of absence from school. When I pressed her for details, she said she had to go home to take care of some things.

At the time, I knew what your aunt's family did, and I had heard about what the four families were doing. I absolutely refused to let her get involved in those things, but in the end, I couldn't persuade her otherwise. To appease me, your aunt took me to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get our marriage certificate, and said that as long as she finished dealing with her family matters, she would take me home to see your grandfather.

But what I received later wasn't news of your aunt, but news of her death! It was your father, Duan Jinyan, who caused me to lose the woman I loved most. At that time, I lost all interest in studying and spent my days in a daze. Later, I was taken in by my family to take over the family business. But all these years, I have been searching for Duan Jinyan's whereabouts. I want to seek justice for your aunt.

After listening to Jiang Tianyi's account, I glanced at Jiang Man beside me and asked, "You said my aunt died in the Lingbi case, so how did she come to be here?"

Jiang Tianyi replied, "Xiaoman was born to me and another woman. At that time, my father saw that I was depressed all day and fell ill. In order to let him focus on his recovery, I followed my family's arrangement and married a woman of equal social standing, and Xiaoman was born. I could deceive others, but I couldn't deceive myself. So as soon as my father passed away, that woman divorced me."

Hearing that Jiang Man was Jiang Tianyi's daughter with another woman eased my guilt somewhat, but I also asked Jiang Man, "So, back in the Far East, you already knew my true identity, right?"

"Xiaoman doesn't know, but I already do."

Jiang Tianyi answered on behalf of Jiang Man: "Over the years, I have never given up looking for that beast Duan Jinyan. This trip to the Zewang Tomb was the closest I have ever come to him. To ensure that nothing goes wrong, I sent Xiaoman to handle the matter personally. The reason I didn't tell her your true identity was to avoid interfering with her normal actions."

"So you summoned me here because of the imperial seal I possess."

I thought about it and realized the logic didn't hold up: "If that's really the case, you could have just come to me directly instead of revealing your identity when Jiang Man proposed the collaboration and I hadn't even given a reply yet."

Jiang Tianyi took a deep breath: "I did this to save you! Although I hate Duan Jinyan, this matter has nothing to do with you. Even for your aunt's sake, I can't let the Duan family line end."