Chu Xusheng’s words spread through the major families in no time. Nothing strange about that—Liu Bei had to make three separate visits before he gained Zhuge Liang’s allegiance. A prodigy like a King Insect Atavist was bound to wait for the right patron.

Before long, every major family began digging into the grudge between Chu Xusheng and the Zhou family.

The Zhou family found themselves sitting on pins and needles.

After learning from the newspapers that Chu Xusheng was a King Insect Atavist, the Zhou family head had already started regretting why he had ever laid a hand on Chu Xusheng’s sister.

If Chu Xusheng was an Atavist, then his sister must also have possessed Insect race atavist genes. The two siblings shared the same beauty and those distinctive eyes. Even if she had never awakened, it still proved her Insect race genes were highly active—meaning her descendants would have had a high probability of awakening.

In other words, if he hadn’t indulged his daughter and killed that girl over her looks, their family could have gained someone this powerful as kin—a bond even more solid than that of a retainer.

The bitter regret of throwing away a watermelon to pick up a sesame seed struck him hard. So hard that even looking at his own daughter made him feel uncomfortable.

“It must have been Long Jin teaching him. There’s no way that brat got that smart overnight!” Zhou Yongzi was furious, her hatred for Jing Pei growing even stronger. Now there was no way she could easily obtain those eyes. That bitch—one day, she would make her pay!

“Enough! Stay put these next few days. You’re not going out!” the Zhou family head snapped. He was afraid that if she made even a small mistake, she’d be killed. With her atavist purity so low, she stood no chance against Chu Xusheng.

“But I still have several important appearances…”

“Which matters more, your life or your appearances?!”

Zhou Yongzi had no choice but to leave, swallowing her anger. She loved being adored—praised, worshipped, surrounded by frenzied screams. Being called the Goddess’s Daughter made her feel like she had always been this noble, as if that ugly past self of hers had never existed.

And now she was forced to cancel her appearances and stay at home.

Frustrated, she needed an outlet. So when she saw Zhou Yikai—dark circles under his eyes, face drawn with exhaustion—she went straight over to make his life miserable again.

The moment Zhou Yikai saw her, he felt a surge of pain. With Zhou Yongzi picked at him on purpose, he wished even more that his wife would return soon. She was his safe harbor now. Whenever he felt terrible, all he wanted was to throw himself into her arms and be comforted.

“Yongzi. Husband.”

A rich, magnetic female voice cut in.

The woman wore a white suit, her hair neatly pinned back without a single strand out of place. Her delicate oval face was framed by long brows and a pair of captivating peach-blossom eyes. Red lips, calm expression—there was a quiet strength about her.

To Zhou Yikai, she looked like a savior. “Honey, didn’t you say you wouldn’t make it back before evening?”

“I was worried you’d work yourself to death, so I stayed up all night to finish things and came back early,” Cheng Feili said.

Emotion welled up in Zhou Yikai’s eyes. His wife might seem cold, but she clearly cared deeply for him—otherwise, why would she have agreed to his proposal when he was so mentally unstable?

Zhou Yongzi felt even more irritated watching them. The Zhou family claimed this marriage was her doing—but what they really meant was that if she hadn’t killed Zhou Yikai’s former girlfriend and scared him into staying inside, he would never have got married in a rush with Cheng Feili.

And because her father felt guilty toward Zhou Yikai, he forbade her from bullying Cheng Feili. That was the only reason others thought they got along. Yet Cheng Feili had the nerve to act familiar, calling her “Yongzi” as if they were close. As if she were worthy.

“Hmph. Keep your man in check. The way he looks at me is disgusting. Who does he think I am?” Zhou Yongzi said coldly and walked off, afraid she might cause trouble if she stayed any longer.

“Honey, don’t listen to her. I don’t love Chu Xurao anymore—I love you,” Zhou Yikai said quickly.

“It’s only been a few months. Do you really not love her anymore?”

“I swear it’s true.”

Cheng Feili gave him a smile that gave nothing away and took his hand. “Come on. I’ll lie down with you.”

News of Cheng Feili’s return quickly spread throughout the Zhou family, and visitors soon began arriving at Zhou Yikai’s courtyard—including the woman who had once knelt before Zhou Yongzi.

Cheng Feili was a psychologist. Talking to her always made people feel better. Many members of the Zhou family had psychological issues, so not long after marrying Zhou Yikai, she had become acquainted with many of them through her professional skills and built friendships.

“Doctor Cheng is back!”

The woman lying on the hospital bed opened her eyes excitedly when she heard the nurse outside.

“Hello—how can I see Doctor Cheng? She’s a psychologist, right? Could she come talk to me?”

“It’s possible,” the nurse replied, “but you’ll have to wait your turn. Patients in other rooms are ahead of you.”

This small hospital housed only Zhou family members. Some had been brought in after self-harm. None of the household servants knew anything about psychology, and the family refused to hire outside psychologists out of pride. Those in positions of power within the family didn’t understand the suffering of those from the family’s outer branches. Some even thought they were just being dramatic.

If the Zhou family head didn’t still have a bit of affection for his Fifth Master, he wouldn’t have brought Cheng Feili in at all.

The woman nodded over and over. “I’ll wait. When she arrives, could you let me know? Please.” She could tell the young nurse felt at least a little pity for her.

“All right.”

She waited from morning until afternoon before finally hearing that Cheng Feili had arrived. Taking advantage of the nurse’s absence, she grabbed her crutch and hurried out.

Cheng Feili sat beside a bed, listening as the man on it spoke in a daze, poured out his heart to her: “I didn’t mean to kill her—they forced me to do it! Because I’m a person with atavistic genes, and my descendants are more likely to inherit them, I wasn’t allowed to acknowledge my sexual orientation. I had no choice but to marry a woman and live in secret. But she found out anyway. By the time I realized what was happening, it was already too late…”

Cheng Feili listened calmly, guiding him gently with the steady voice she used with patients. Inside her suit, a recorder ran silently.

When she stood to leave—

“Miss Cheng!”

The woman finally caught sight of her and called out.

Cheng Feili turned, puzzled.

The woman leaned in close and whispered, “Someone told me you could help me escape the Zhou family.”

Cheng Feili’s pupils shrank. She reached for the recorder at her chest before she could stop herself, scanning their surroundings before fixing a wary gaze on the woman. “What are you talking about? I don’t know you.”

“An information broker told me. You must have heard of them.”

Of course she had. That broker’s name had spread through all the Atavist families. But she had never imagined even her own secrets would be part of that network.

Her heart began to race. So what she was planning had already been discovered?

Should she help this woman?

If she didn’t… would the broker retaliate?

Cold sweat formed on her forehead. She shut her eyes tightly, and a beautiful face appeared in her mind. Drawing strength from that memory, she clenched her fists.

Xurao… I’ve come this far. I can’t fail. I will avenge you.

…

Jing Pei soon began receiving calls from her classmates. Chen Mo even insisted on taking her out to eat.

“With you? We’re not close,” she replied.

“Come on! We’re classmates—and partners, remember? Do me a favor, sis!”

Even Wu Ying called, though her tone was impatient.

“You’ve helped that Chu kid twice. People think your words carry weight with him. My family wants that King Insect Atavist too. If you’re willing, put in a good word. If not, forget I said anything.”

“Alright.”

When these Atavist families traced everything back to Jing Pei, they all shared the same thought: it was fortunate the Long family had only Jing Pei as an Atavist. There was no way she could stand up to the entire Zhou family. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been any opportunity left for them.

The networks of these Atavist families were vast, and with spies planted quietly across different households, it took them less than half a day to uncover the full story behind the conflict between the Zhou family and Chu Xusheng. Without exception, they all cursed the Zhou family for wasting something priceless—killing someone with highly active Insect race genes just for the sake of a useless daughter.

Not even ten Zhou Yongzis could compare to one Chu Xurao.

What’s more, they had traced the siblings’ lineage and discovered that the Insect race genes came from their maternal line. However, their mother had undergone a full hysterectomy the previous year due to uterine fibroids. She had no other children, and no other relatives with similar genes had been found.

Which meant that, as far as anyone knew, Chu Xusheng was the only human carrying these Insect race genes.

He was beyond price.

If it were possible, they would pay tens of billions just to obtain his sperm.

Jing Pei boarded the Long family’s private airship. It lifted off and headed toward the Yuewan Mountain Range.

As part of the condition for Lou Ting taking in Zhang Simiao, Jing Pei had to come here from time to time to assist with his research. He had called her not long ago, asking her to visit. Since she happened to have business anyway, she agreed.

She sat on the deck sofa, scrolling through the flood of messages on her phone, the corners of her lips lifting with quiet amusement as she watched the chaos unfold.

Then a new email popped up.

[Hello, owner of the Puzzle Intelligence Agency. Since you seem capable of anything, you must already know who I am. Why did you tell her to come find me? And if I refuse to help her, what will you do?]

Cheng Feili.

There was a sharp edge of probing suspicion in her tone.

Resting her chin on her hand, Jing Pei thought back to the original story. Chu Xusheng had never known that there was someone else in this world who, like him, had poured every ounce of strength into avenging Chu Xurao.

That person was Cheng Feili.

When the Zhou family posted a recruitment for a psychologist, she seized the chance. Through drugs, hypnosis, and suggestion, she made Zhou Yikai depend on her, then got him to propose and married into the family.

From there, she earned the Zhou family’s trust. Using her role, she approached different members, gathering evidence of the family’s corruption—its cruelty, its filth, its utter disregard for human life.

She even attempted to lure Zhou Yikai out and kill him.

From the day Zhou Yikai tricked Chu Xurao into entering the Zhou family, he had resigned from his university professor job and hidden within the estate, too afraid to step outside. Otherwise, Chu Xusheng—who had been waiting for an opportunity—might have killed him long ago.

Why else would Chu Xusheng risk going after Zhou Yongzi, an Atavist, first?

In the original story, Cheng Feili succeeded. She brought Zhou Yikai out of the Zhou family and killed him.

Afterward, she mailed a copy of the Zhou family’s crimes to the authorities, and released the same evidence online, believing the double safeguard would deal a fatal blow.

Nothing happened.

The online files were deleted before they could spread.

The documents sent to the government vanished without a trace.

Cheng Feili was intercepted while trying to flee abroad. After being tortured by the Zhou family, she was thrown off a cliff behind the estate—the same place where Chu Xurao had died.

Just a disposable side character, meant to provoke outrage in readers.

Jing Pei typed her reply:

[Hello, Miss Cheng Feili. One of my clients still owes me a debt, so I hope you can help her—otherwise I’ll be taking a loss. In return, I can give you one piece of information for free. Consider it a friendly gesture.]

By the time Cheng Feili received the reply, she was racing to sort the evidence. She was afraid the information broker might ruin everything, so she planned to finish things as quickly as possible.

The evidence was already sufficient. Zhou Yikai, tormented by insomnia and nightmares, was on the verge of collapse. He would definitely follow her out of the Zhou family.

She read the email, frowning slightly, then let out a faint breath of relief. It didn’t seem like the broker intended to expose her.

So she asked what the information was.

[Call this number. It belongs to Chu Xurao’s younger brother.]

Cheng Feili froze.

Xurao’s younger brother? The one she had mentioned before—still studying back in their hometown?

…

Everyone knew that Chu Xusheng had no backing. He had only just awakened, was practically penniless in Yunjin Prefecture, buying sunglasses for fifteen yuan from roadside stalls, with sleeves that didn’t even reach his wrists.

So the major Atavist families began showering him with gifts.

Some offered villas and luxury cars outright.

He refused them all.

He was still in his observation period. Accepting gifts now would only put him at a disadvantage.

Following Jing Pei’s advice, he enrolled in the Twelve Zodiac Academy.

The academy had an obligation to take in all Atavist children free of charge—especially someone as rare as him: the first Insect race Atavist to appear in human history since the Great Cosmic Convergence.

He also held immense research value in atavist bio-archaeology.

Admission, uniform, dormitory—everything was arranged at once. They even provided a financial stipend.

At least now, he had money for new underwear.

Even on weekends, many students stayed on campus to earn credits, so the cafeteria remained open.

For the first time in a long while, Chu Xusheng ate a proper meal.

Even so, nothing could compare to the bread his sister used to bake.

Then his phone rang.

It was the old phone Jing Pei had given him yesterday. He had been too embarrassed to accept a new one.

Who was it?

He answered, wary. “Who is this?”

Apart from Jing Pei, he trusted no one.

A woman’s voice came through—low, magnetic.

What she said made him shoot to his feet.

……

The Lou family matriarch was still dressed in a qipao. her silver-white hair was perfectly styled, and she looked elegant down to the fingertips.

“I’m not dragging you away from anything important, am I? This child does as he pleases,” Old Madam Lou said.

“Not at all. I don’t have much on this weekend.”

“That’s good. Go on up, then.”

The Sky Ladder carried Jing Pei up into the cube suspended in the sky.

Zhang Simiao was waiting by the elevator. Her single large eye was shining, and the moment Jing Pei stepped out, she threw herself at her and wrapped her up tight with all five hands.

Lou Ting frowned. “Are you sure she’s a monster that used to be human, and not a dog?”

“?”

If you hadn’t been flashing over to my side to sniff my cheek every chance you got, I might have agreed with you, dog angel.

Zhang Simiao had already found her place here with astonishing speed. One hand held tea, one held Chinese pastries, one held Western cake, one held candied fruit, and the last waved excitedly through the air. She set everything down in a blur, then retreated just as quickly like some bizarre monster maid—

which, in fairness, she was, because she had in fact put on a maid outfit.

Well. Hopefully Wen Yuxian wouldn’t find out too soon.

Jing Pei picked out a preserved plum, tossed it into her mouth, and let the sweet-sour taste spread over her tongue. Perfect with green tea. She had just lifted a cup when Lou Ting’s face was suddenly right there in front of her.

“Haven’t had enough sniffing yet?”

“I figured it out,” Lou Ting said.

“Figured out what?”

“The scent I’m picking up isn’t the scent of your body. It’s the scent of your soul. It’s very strange. After you left last time, I kept wanting to smell it again.”

Jing Pei nearly choked on her tea. She turned and met those silver eyes. His expression was so innocent, there was something almost sacred in his voice—and with that face and that voice, he was saying something like this.

Then Jing Pei noticed that the slippers she was wearing weren’t the same as last time, and immediately asked, “Where are the slippers I wore before?”

They’d been brand-new, and they weren’t disposable. Surely he hadn’t thrown them out when he knew this guest would be coming back.

Her expression practically spelled out pervert. Lou Ting’s brows drew together, displeased.

“What do you take me for? I only put them under my bed.”

“… ”

For some reason, an image flashed through her mind: a dog carrying off its owner’s slippers, socks, hair ties, and hiding them all in its secret stash.

“Did you ask me to come all the way here for nothing serious?” Jing Pei thought, If you don’t have any real business, then I do.

“Of course I did.” Lou Ting took a feather pendant out of his pocket.

Suspended from a silver-white chain were two beads, one pink and one blue. Hanging below them was a pale gold feather. Because of the color, the feather looked almost luminous at first glance.

“This is for you.”

Jing Pei stared, then took it. “…What made you want to give me this? One of your feathers?”

“It can protect you. You seem to be doing something dangerous. If the reason I can’t judge you is that you’re the other half my god prepared for me, and you die out there, then how could I ever face the love my god has for me?” Lou Ting said with complete seriousness.

“Thank you. It’s beautiful. I like it a lot. Then I’ll accept it,” Jing Pei said, smiling despite herself.

“Did you come to see me about something?” Lou Ting asked, sharp as ever.

Jing Pei lifted the feather in her hand and let it sway in the light. Smiling, she said, “Nothing now.”

Since it was nearly time for dinner, the Lou family kept Jing Pei there for the evening meal.

That was when she got a call from Chu Xusheng.

She listened to what he had to say, then answered, “Go do what you want to do.”

…

“Honey, why are you going on another business trip?” Zhou Yikai had just woken up from the first good sleep he’d had in ages and was finally beginning to feel human again. The moment he heard his wife was leaving again, he panicked. “What kind of useless hospital is this? Don’t they have any other staff?”

“It’s an urgent case. The patient can’t be moved, so we have to go to them. The results definitely won’t be as good as talking in my office, but it’s better than nothing. Do you want to come with me? If you do, hurry and pack some clothes.”

“…I’m coming! Honey, help me pick out a few outfits.”

Zhou Yikai had already decided to step out of the shadow left by his ex-girlfriend. That irrational terror he felt whenever he thought of going outside had to be because the memory of her—with her face skinned off and her eyes and vocal cords removed—was too horrifying. What else could it be? There were no ghosts in this world. And the things that looked like ghosts were only members of the Ghost race.

He had slept ever since his wife returned and hadn’t had time to learn about Chu Xusheng’s existence, so he immediately left the Zhou family with her.

It was the first time he had stepped outside the gates since then.

Even the scenery of Yunjin Prefecture, which he used to be sick of looking at, now felt fresh. He couldn’t help lowering the car window and taking a deep breath. Was this what the air of a new life smelled like?

There was still a strange sense of unease inside him, but for some reason he ignored it. What could happen? His wife was here. As long as his wife was here, nothing could go wrong.

The car stopped in front of the Tribunal Division.

Zhou Yikai looked confused.

“I worked with the Tribunal Division before. I just need to hand over some files. Wait in the car for me.”

“Okay.” Zhou Yikai was more than happy not to deal with anyone from the Tribunal Division.

So he didn’t know that after getting out, his wife opened the trunk.

Inside, besides their suitcases, there was a woman.

“Once I drive off, go inside and look for Qiu Fa.”

The young woman, finally out of the Zhou family, was already in tears. She bit her lip hard to stop herself from crying and nodded. Leaning on her crutch, she waited until the car was gone, then immediately started up the steps of the Tribunal Division.

During her time in the Zhou family, Cheng Feili had already learned their security system and guard rotations inside out. And in old-line families like the Atavist clans, they generally didn’t install surveillance cameras all over the house. They were too arrogant, too full of themselves—and too filthy in the way they handled things. Why would they want a visual record?

That made it easy for her to sneak someone out.

Night deepened as the car drove on. The scenery outside no longer looked familiar, and the farther they went, the more isolated it became.

“Honey, where are we going?” Zhou Yikai asked at last, belatedly uneasy.

“We’re almost there. That building up ahead,” Cheng Feili said, driving on in the same calm, detached tone as always.

It was an old, shabby-looking factory. There were lights on beyond the iron gate, and dogs were barking inside.

Zhou Yikai followed Cheng Feili through the gate without the slightest suspicion—

just as Chu Xurao had once entered the Zhou family without the slightest suspicion.