After rebirth, she became the favorite of the powerful minister.

He was clearly dying, yet he just said he was ill? How could those Murong family members who had long coveted the position of patriarch give up?

According to Murong Jiu's explanation, those people in the Murong family, from uncles to grandchildren and nephews, did show a very obvious desire for the position of head of the family.

"That's nothing." Murong Jiu curled his lips nonchalantly, as if he was already accustomed to such things. He said, "Everyone in the Murong family, from master to servant, encourages this kind of competitive atmosphere. The master also said that a soldier who doesn't want to be a general is not a good soldier. A family can't survive on kindness and gentleness alone. Even those of us who are servants must have great ambitions."

The Murong family, as it was, naturally couldn't produce any kindhearted or weaklings. Ever since Master Murong fell ill, many within the Murong clan had clearly expressed their desire for his services. The first to become enraged weren't the family members themselves, but rather the distant uncles and aunts, who traveled thousands of miles back to An City just to find out if the old man was dead or alive. However, soon after, news spread that the uncles and aunts were either ill or missing, and for a time, everyone's anxiety subsided somewhat.

"Then I came to Zhixuan Mountain, and I don't remember much about what happened afterwards. As for the two broken bowls in Zhan Hongchang's hand, I was indeed the one who gave them to him." Speaking of the bowls, Murong Jiu said, "Actually, I really don't know where they came from. I only know that my adoptive father wrapped them in layers, and before he left, he repeatedly told me not to open them, let alone touch them... As sons, we should just follow orders and do our jobs. There's no need to ask too many questions."

The young man, after his initial fear faded, had his eyes rolling around as he spoke. He had a wild beauty, a contradictory naiveté and a mixture of wickedness and innocence, as if he had no idea what he had brought to Zhixuan Mountain.

It really is……

Xu Chengjin suddenly smiled, his cheeks tightened as he asked, "No need to ask more questions? So your adoptive father asked you to kill your old master. Will you obey orders, or will you kill your relatives for the greater good?"

The other person grinned and chuckled, revealing a row of not very neat white teeth. "My adoptive father would not give such an order. Just look at the master who is so sick that he doesn't see anyone, and all affairs are handed over to my adoptive father to manage. It can be seen that my adoptive father is the master's true confidant." He seemed to be very proud of it as he spoke.

"Confidant?" Xu Chengjin sneered, blurting out the two words through his teeth. After a while, he chuckled softly, "They are just a bunch of profit-seeking people. Whoever gives you milk is your mother, and whoever makes you a profit is your father..."

"Nonsense! My adoptive father has followed the master for most of his life and is the most loyal!"

Xu Chengjin met Song Wenyuan's gaze calmly, exchanging a knowing look. He suddenly smiled and asked, "Then let me ask you, does your adoptive father really serve you closely and take care of you day and night, never asking anyone else to do it?"

Murong Jiu raised his chin, very proudly, "Of course!"

"Then let me ask you again, are there other servants in Master Murong's courtyard? Are those servants replaced frequently?"

The other party was stunned for a moment, the word "yes" on the tip of his tongue but for some reason he hesitated to utter it. After a while, he said, "That's right, so what? My adoptive father said that the master is ill now, and there are many disloyal people in the clan. We have to be on guard. Of course, the servants will have to work harder than usual."

"There are so many disloyal people?" Xu Chengjin shook his head and laughed, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow as he looked at the innocent young man. "I'm afraid the one with the most disloyalty in the entire Murong family is your adoptive father! I was wondering, this old man has been ill for so many years, why is it that everyone else is fine... There's a relationship problem here! Indeed, a soldier who doesn't want to be a general is not a good soldier. It seems that a steward who doesn't want to be the head of the family is not a good steward either... Don't you agree, Lord Song?"

Lord Song remained silent and looked very mysterious.

Murong Jiu was furious. "Impossible! My godfather is the most——"

Before he could finish his words, a book hit him on the head. It didn't hurt much, but it hit his face and landed on his legs, which inevitably made him stunned. He choked and glanced at the book twice. It was so densely packed that he couldn't understand it. He was about to curse, but the man on the other side got there first. Xu Chengjin took two steps forward and picked up the book on his legs. He hit the man on the head twice without any hesitation, "Do you know what your loyal adoptive father asked you to bring? It was something brought back from underground. It's poisonous! Old Murong was infected with this poison! Listen carefully, this poison is contagious. The servants are constantly replaced because the previous servants also contracted the disease and died! The uncles and aunts who went to visit with eager eyes were either sick or dead. If your adoptive father had really served closely and taken good care of them, you would have been like them long ago. Now the stewardship of the Murong family has been passed down one by one, and it should be you!"

The half-grown boy blinked with a dull expression, looking as if he had been knocked silly.

Xu Chengjin tapped as he spoke, tapping very smoothly and reciting the name fluently, "Wei Rui Sheng Xiang, isn't that a nice name? That's the name of this poison."

Murong Jiu finally rolled his eyes. He struggled with his hands tied behind his back, but couldn't get them free. He tilted his head but was still hit hard. He rolled his eyes again and again, "So what? What does it have to do with me? Do you think you can sow discord between me and my adoptive father with just a few words? Childish."

"Oh, you're quite loyal." Xu Chengjin withdrew his hand, patted the book, and folded his hands in his arms, smiling nonchalantly, "But this poison... it's contagious! You were safe at the foot of the mountain before, but now you're up there. Not to mention the constant comings and goings... even us, we might have been poisoned. Your adoptive father gave you so many warnings... Was it for your safety, or was he afraid you'd die on the way and not be able to complete this mission?"

Murong Jiu was stunned, his eyes staring straight at the opposite side. After a while, he retracted his gaze, lowered his head, and chuckled softly.

He wasn't stupid. On the contrary, his adoptive father and master always said he was the smartest, most clever, and most gifted of the children. His adoptive father also said that since he had Little Nine, he finally understood why ordinary families always doted on their youngest children. His adoptive father called him Little Nine, and he said that even though it was just a servant's job, he still wanted to leave it to his youngest child. Little Nine... Little Nine. It was with these repeated calls of "Little Nine" that he gradually dispelled the lingering doubts and speculations in his heart - why did his brothers and sisters repeatedly suffer misfortunes?

"Oh... I see," he said. When his eyes, usually full of intelligence, were still, they were dark and clear, like the surface of the moonless sea at midnight, cold and still...

That night, another carrier pigeon flew out of Zhixuan Mountain.