"Western Region? My father?" Lin Qingya's mind was blank. She could not understand what Li Rui said. Her father had been missing for many years, and the Western Region seemed to have nothing to do with their family.

"Your father, he is not missing, but he was taken away by people from the Western Regions." Li Rui's voice was low and hoarse, his eyes were full of sadness and pain. He looked at Lin Qingya and said in a heavy tone, "Our Lin family has been guarding a secret for generations. This secret is related to the Western Regions, and your father's disappearance is also closely related to this secret."

Lin Qingya was stunned. She had never thought that her family would carry such a huge secret. She looked at Li Rui in disbelief, her eyes full of doubt and fear.

"I...I don't know, I don't know anything." Lin Qingya's voice trembled slightly. She felt waves of panic. She couldn't accept that her family was hiding such a huge secret.

Li Rui looked at Lin Qingya. He looked at the woman he loved deeply with heartache. Her face was full of confusion and helplessness. She clutched Li Rui's sleeves tightly, as if grasping the last hope.

"Qingya, don't be afraid, I will protect you." Li Rui held Lin Qingya's hand, his palms were slightly sweaty, and his tone was full of determination, as if he had taken all of Lin Qingya's fears upon himself.

Li Rui pulled Lin Qingya to a secluded corner, surrounded by only a few tall trees, which blocked the glaring sunlight and created a quiet and cool atmosphere. Li Rui looked at Lin Qingya and told the secret of the Lin family in a low and slow voice:

"Our Lin family has been the guardian of the Western Regions for generations, guarding the secrets of the Western Regions, and this secret is related to the safety of the entire world." Li Rui was silent for a while, and continued, "My father, he was also the guardian of the Lin family. In order to protect this secret, he eventually disappeared, and my mother, she also left early because of this secret."

Li Rui looked at Lin Qingya, he didn't know how to describe his mood, his heart was filled with sadness and anger, but he had to hide his emotions, he had to protect Lin Qingya, the person he loved deeply, the person who was related to him by blood, the person he was willing to protect with his life.

"Oh..." Lin Qingya's mind was in a mess. She couldn't imagine that she had been living in lies. She couldn't imagine that her family was carrying such a big secret.

"Qingya, I know you are shocked, but I hope you believe me. I will not hurt you and I will protect you." Li Rui held Lin Qingya's hand tightly, his eyes full of love and determination.

"I believe you, Li Rui." Lin Qingya took a deep breath, suppressed the turbulent thoughts in her heart, nodded firmly, and her tone was full of strong determination. She knew that now was the time to stop being afraid, she had to face reality and uncover the hidden truth of her family.

"Qingya, we must find your father's whereabouts and find out the truth to protect ourselves and the Lin family and keep the secrets." Li Rui said, with a hint of anxiety in his eyes, but he tried hard to control his emotions and didn't want to worry Lin Qingya.

"What do you want to do?" Lin Qingya asked. She had accepted this reality, and now she needed to take action. She wanted to find out the truth and protect herself and Li Rui.

"We have sent people to investigate secretly. The people of the Western Regions seem to attach great importance to this secret. They have been tracking down your father's whereabouts." Li Rui sighed, his eyes full of worry. He continued, "We can no longer sit and wait for death. We must take the initiative to attack."

"Take the initiative to attack? What do you want to do?" Lin Qingya asked. She was full of curiosity about Li Rui's plan and she was eager to know what he would do next.

"We should use this secret to let more people know and make them aware of the Lin family's responsibility to protect it." Li Rui said, his tone firm and confident.

"You want to make this secret public?" Lin Qingya was stunned for a moment. She didn't understand why Li Rui did this. To them, making the secret public meant great danger, but Li Rui seemed confident. He believed that doing so would bring a turning point for them.

"Yes, we need allies, we need more people to help us." Li Rui explained, his eyes full of hope. He believed that as long as they made the truth public, they would find more people willing to help them.

Lin Qingya was silent for a while, her mind was full of thoughts. She couldn't imagine what the consequences of revealing this secret would be, but she also knew that they had to face it now.

"I will support you." Lin Qingya held Li Rui's hand tightly. Her eyes were firm and full of strength. She knew that they must unite and face this challenge together.

Li Rui nodded. He looked at Lin Qingya with his eyes full of gratitude and love. He believed that they would find the truth together and protect each other.

Li Rui and Lin Qingya walked side by side in the palace corridor. They decided to go to the imperial study first to report the matter to Li Heng, hoping to get his support. After all, Li Heng had always trusted Lin Qingya, and there must be a tacit understanding between Li Rui and Li Heng.

When Li Heng saw Lin Qingya and Li Rui, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He didn't expect them to come together. He thought they would act separately, but he didn't know that they had decided to join forces.

"Why are you here together?" Li Heng asked, with a hint of confusion in his tone, but without showing any dissatisfaction.

"We want to report something to you." Lin Qingya said. She pulled Li Rui to her side. She and Li Rui faced Li Heng together and confessed everything to him together.

"What's the matter?" Li Heng asked, his eyes moving back and forth between Lin Qingya and Li Rui. He felt that something seemed to have happened between them, but he couldn't say what it was specifically. He was looking forward to Lin Qingya's answer.

Lin Qingya took a deep breath and turned her gaze to Li Heng, preparing to tell him the secret that had been hidden for many years.