Bai Qingqing's head buzzed as the faint scent from the sachet in her hand lingered in the air—a rich, deep fragrance of aquilaria, the kind Bai Rui liked, though it never matched his fiery temperament.

Bai Rui had once grinned and said it was exactly because he was so impulsive, acting on instinct before thought, that the sachet his sister made for him was so important. It helped remind him to stay calm, to take a breath.

But now, it was Bai Qingqing who couldn't stay calm. Beside her, Bai Yan and Bai Jinghuai were speaking in hushed, urgent tones.

“We still have to report this,” Bai Yan insisted, his face drawn. “This is serious—it’s clearly aimed at our family.”

Bai Jinghuai's expression was solemn as he slowly shook his head.

“They said, if we go to the authorities, the next time we see Rui’er... it'll be his corpse.”

The veins on the back of his hand stood out sharply. Bai Yan wasn’t wrong—this was a direct assault on the Bai family. The item had been delivered straight into their hands, and who knew how many eyes were watching their home. If they went to the authorities, a warning would be sent the very next moment, and Rui’er’s life would be in danger.

Under the shadow of the imperial city, where security was tighter than anywhere else, someone had still managed to abduct Bai Rui without raising a single alarm. This had been carefully planned, meticulously executed—a plot that had only one shot at success. Whatever the purpose, they wouldn’t let him go easily.

Bai Jinghuai knew in his bones—this was no simple matter. He had to go himself.

“Yan’er, I’m leaving the house to you. I—”

Before he could finish, someone tugged hard at his sleeve. Looking down, he saw his daughter’s tear-streaked, panic-stricken face.

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His heart twisted, and he softened his voice at once.

“Qingqing, don’t be afraid. Father will bring Rui’er back. Don’t look at how old I am—I’m still more capable than you think.”

Bai Qingqing shook her head through a blur of tears, terror swimming in the depths of her eyes.

Father mustn’t go!

She didn’t understand why this was happening—nothing like this had ever occurred in her past life. Where had it all gone wrong?

Bai Jinghuai held the speechless Bai Qingqing in his arms.

“Our Qingqing is the bravest of them all. No one in the Bai family fears anything. Once I find out who did this, I swear I won’t let them go. Stay home with your mother—I’ll be back soon.”

Even though he was always scolding and beating Bai Rui in everyday life, Bai Jinghuai couldn’t bear to waste a single moment now, terrified that each second meant more suffering for his son.

“They wanted to see me, didn’t they? Then I’ll go. I’d like to see who dares to act so recklessly in Xuancheng!”

The aura of the battlefield surged back into him. He returned inside, changed into armor, strapped on his broadsword, mounted his horse, and rode straight out toward the locust grove beyond the city.

Bai Qingqing’s limbs turned to jelly, but then she bolted from the residence. She couldn’t just sit there, helpless, waiting for events to unfold. She had to do something—she refused to watch the Bai family’s past-life tragedy replay itself.

Out on the street, she stood stunned for a moment. Who could help her? The Princess? Fu Yi? Ning Yan?

Her mind settled quickly—Elder Brother had been right. They had to report this. How could Father face enemies hiding in the shadows all on his own?

She hiked up her skirts and ran like mad toward the government office, mind blank, cursing her own uselessness. She had said she would protect the Bai family, but when the time came, she couldn’t even lift a finger. What was the point of living if she couldn’t help them?

Tears of regret and self-loathing streamed from her eyes. She bit down on her lower lip until it bled. If anything happened to Father or Bai Rui...

At some point, a fine rain had begun to fall from the sky. It wasn’t heavy, but enough to blur her vision. In the distance, faint shapes of people flickered in and out of view, too shadowed to make out clearly in the gloom—eerie and terrifying.