What was meant to be Long Jin’s birthday and official inauguration as the head of the Long family had somehow turned into a sweeping transfer of power across Hualan’s atavist clans. The old guard stepped down from the stage of history, while a new generation, brimming with infinite possibilities, stepped into the light.
When the former head placed their palm against the new leader’s, an invisible hierarchy shifted. Then, one by one, the atavist members of the family stepped forward, bowing their heads so the new head could touch their foreheads, completing the sacred bloodline contract.
If a rebellion broke out and a clan member murdered their leader, the perpetrator would die from backlash, while the abilities of the remaining members and household vassals would be severely weakened, as if struck by a curse. This was the ancient blood contract governing the atavist clans.
Members from every family gathered, conducting the handover one after another. Feng Yilian took the lead for the Feng family, Chen Mo for the Chen family, Tang Qiaoqiao for the Tang family…
A few clans, lacking suitable heirs or whose chosen successors refused to take over immediately, appointed acting family heads instead.
In short, while the outside world remained entirely in the dark, the power structure within Hualan’s atavist circles—a throne usually won through ruthless politics and bloody struggle—changed hands with astonishing speed and peace.
Deep inside the bomb shelter, the Long family members listened nervously to the explosions and tremors above. Long Yiming waited until the noise faded before leading a cautious party upstairs to inspect the damage.
The sight that greeted them was horrifying.
Half of the Long family’s thousand-year-old ancestral estate was in ruins. Precious red sandalwood and golden thread nanmu wood, carefully restored over generations, lay broken. The elegant bridges and streams were crushed under piles of rubble, the lotus ponds destroyed, and ancient, lush trees had fallen, surrounded by dead fish floating belly-up. Rare orchids and peonies, tended to every day, were reduced to ashes.
Even the pair of ducks they raised hobbled past, quacking pitifully with charred feathers and limping legs.
Broken walls, devastated landscape, utter ruin.
Long Yiming clutched his chest, staggering backward.
“Quick! Fast-acting heart pills! The family head had me bring fast-acting heart pills! Who else needs them?” Long Qingyan shouted, rushing forward.
Chaos erupted as several elders were hastily stuffed with pills before finally catching their breath.
Clutching his chest like he was severely wounded, Long Yiming charged into the crowd. For the first time in his life, the refined crocodile dropped all composure, bellowing at the top of his lungs, “Pay up! Pay up! Pay up!”
Jing Pei offered a polite, awkward smile, backing into the crowd and pulling Wu Ying and Chu Xusheng in front of her as human shields.
Wu Ying cleared her throat softly, looking away.
Chu Xusheng felt guilty too, but he puffed out his chest anyway, using his lean teenage frame to shield Jing Pei.
Fortunately, Long Yiming was so furious he looked like a debt collector ready to wring the new family heads by their necks, completely forgetting about his own unreliable leader.
The young family heads who had just been appointed looked around, feeling a bit awkward. On their very first day in charge, they realized they had inherited a huge pile of debt.
With the enraged Long family demanding compensation, the scene grew even more chaotic. The crowd split into two distinct groups with wildly different arguments: one side arguing over property damage, and the other surrounding the Tao family and Liu Yin.
The ones most terrified by how things had turned out were the ungrateful relatives of the Tao family. They were scared to death that Liu Yin would seek revenge, especially after his cold statement earlier: “Since you feel I hindered your growth, I won’t interfere in Tao family matters anymore. Make your own decisions, and bear your own consequences.”
To their guilty ears, those words sounded no different from a death threat.
Believing they had burned their bridges with Liu Yin, they dragged Tao Ying forward, trying to force her onto their side.
“Tao Ying, you’re a member of the Tao family! If your parents weren’t absent today, you’d be the one taking over as family head!”
“You belong with us! We’re the only ones who truly care about you. Liu Yin is just using you as a stand-in for Tao Yuan!”
“How can you trust him? You’re Tao Yuan’s reincarnation—do you really think he can tell whether he loves you or her? How can you be sure he isn’t just looking at her shadow when he looks at you?”
“Don’t let him fool you!”
Liu Yin had suffered several injuries during the battle. Since the Long family staff had evacuated before the fight started, Jiang Qing—whose mother was a nurse and who knew basic medical care—was bandaging his wounds.
Liu Yin held Tao Ying’s hand tightly, preventing the Tao family from pulling her away. Unable to match the chattering non-atavist relatives, his eyes narrowed sharply, and he raised his voice coldly. “If you don’t shut your mouths right now, I’m calling the police.”
The Tao family members, already terrified of his retaliation, choked on their words instantly.
Over on the other side, the debt-collecting Long family heard him too, and the entire courtyard fell dead silent.
Who? Who’s calling the police? We’re legally collecting damages, why would anyone call the police!
Dozen of eyes snapped over toward them.
Ignoring the stares, Liu Yin looked at the downcast, silent Tao Ying. He tightened his grip on her hand, a rare trace of nervousness in his posture. “Little Tao, you aren’t Tao Yuan. I have never once viewed you as her.”
Tao Ying looked up at him with reddened eyes.
“You and Tao Yuan share the same soul, but your background, environment, and memories are entirely different. Those experiences are what make you who you are today. Just like two different flowers blooming on the same tree, you are independent individuals. Twins are often called two halves of the same soul, but no one treats them as the same person, right?”
Tao Ying nodded slowly, her voice quiet. “Right.”
Everyone’s eyes remained fixed on them. Liu Yin belonged to an era a thousand years ago when people were reserved about love. Married couples rarely held hands in public, let alone gave heartfelt speeches in front of a crowd.
Under normal circumstances, Liu Yin might have felt embarrassed. But right now, he forgot everyone around him. He refused to let Tao Ying misunderstand him, and he refused to let her feel hurt.
“I loved Tao Yuan once. I was young, experiencing love for the first time, but that belongs to a distant past. Falling in love with the same soul again isn’t because of who that soul used to be—it’s because that soul is you.”
Even with the same soul, a person changed. A soul was merely one part of an individual; combined with life experiences, it formed a complete human being.
It was only after caring for Tao Ying for several years that he realized she was Tao Yuan’s reincarnation. By then, Tao Ying had already become the center of his world, the reason he woke up with hope every morning. He had been like a diligent gardener, watering her daily, finding the richest soil and brightest sunlight, waiting for the day she would bloom.
Back then, he had no idea he would fall in love with her.
The tightness in Tao Ying’s chest eased. She looked at him intently. “So you can definitely tell me and Tao Yuan apart?”
“Yes.”
“Tao Yuan is in the past. You only love me now.”
Liu Yin’s ears flushed deep red as he finally realized everyone was watching them. As an elder figure speaking like this in front of the younger generation, it was hard not to feel a bit self-conscious once his identity was exposed.
Yet none of that mattered compared to her.
“Mm. I only love you.” He offered her a gentle, somewhat shy smile.
Tao Ying squinted at him. “If you lie to me, I’ll eat you up.”
Liu Yin pictured the image of being “eaten up” by her and found he didn’t mind it at all. Though Tao Ying was still a young girl who barely understood romantic love—her sadness mostly coming from the fear of losing control over what belonged to her—being with her forever sounded wonderful.
His smile widened. “Alright.”
Tao Ying immediately perked up, squeezing his hand tightly before turning to glare at the Tao family relatives. “Did you hear that?”
“How can you believe him so easily!” one of them gasped.
“Should I trust a noble person, or despicable cowards like you?” Tao Ying retorted smoothly.
The Tao family members froze in shock.
“Did you really think there wouldn’t be consequences for what you did?” Tao Ying continued calmly. “I officially declare your expulsion from the Tao family. From now on, you’re no longer part of us, so you won’t have to worry about Liu Yin controlling you anymore.”
“Tao—”
“Say one more word and I’m calling the police!”
Her tone was so serious that no one doubted she would actually do it. Raised by Liu Yin, she rarely handled things herself and usually let the authorities deal with problems.
Unable to handle the embarrassment, the Tao family relatives shrank under the sharp, stinging gazes of the crowd, slinking away in disgrace.
Tao Ying let out a long breath, rubbing her tired eyes. “Ah Yin, I’m exhausted. I want to sleep.”
Liu Yin thanked Jiang Qing and stood up. “Let’s go home.”
“Mm.”
Hand in hand, the two left the estate first.
Jiang Qing stayed where he was, watching them walk away with narrowed, thoughtful eyes. Without thinking, he glanced back at Wu Ying and Chu Xusheng.
Jing Pei, who should have been standing right there, had vanished without a trace.
He swept his gaze across the courtyard, but there was no sign of her anywhere.
It shouldn’t have been a big deal—this was the Long family estate, her home, so wandering around was totally normal. But in that moment, a sudden, strange chill ran down Jiang Qing’s spine, and a creeping feeling of fear settled in his chest.
Because of how late it was, the matter of compensation was postponed until the next morning, and the guest families began taking their leave.
As cars drove away one after another, the Long estate gradually quieted down.
The long night seemed to have finally come to an end. The atavist families had undergone a complete overhaul, with fresh, young blood replacing the decaying remnants of the old era. Liu Yin was injured but safe, and the crisis had been averted.
Yet inside his car, Jiang Qing couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that something was wrong. His mind kept flashing back to the two moments tonight when Jing Pei had suddenly disappeared. Moreover, she had clearly known in advance that the atavist families were planning a coup, arranging the staff’s early departure and sending the Long family into the bomb shelter beforehand.
The shadow of the Information Broker hovered over everything once again.
An information broker never acted without a goal. Though Jiang Qing still couldn’t fathom what the broker gained from helping Lolita and Isaac last time, he refused to believe the person acted out of pure goodwill.
Unless…
At the final intersection leading away from the Long family estate, a strange monkey sat perched high in a tree. The creature possessed thick, powerful human arms and sinister, human-like eyes. In its heavy hands, it held a weapon resembling a sniper rifle, aiming steadily at the passing vehicles below.
Car after car passed safely, and the creature didn’t fire.
Until another vehicle approached.
Because only a small portion of the monkey’s body was abnormal, combined with the unique nature of half-cyborg atavist energy, its faint aura remained undetectable through the distance and the heavy metal of the car.
The creature’s human finger pulled the trigger.
A fist-sized bomb shot through the air, striking the vehicle carrying Tao Ying and Liu Yin head-on.
BOOM!
The car detonated in a blinding flash of fire, blown to pieces in an instant.
