Both hands and feet were severed.

In the undisturbed quiet of her small workshop, Gu Fei took the half-dried ink pellet out from the ink mold. With a polishing awl, she smoothed its edges until they shone, her fingertips gliding over the surface—slick and unblemished—before she finally set it aside. She neither gilded nor painted it, but immediately fetched her inkstone, her long sleeves fluttering as she ground the ink, loaded her brush bristles full, and let it fall onto white paper. Lowering her head, she inhaled lightly, and at once her brows knit together.

The scent was still not right. The auxiliary ingredients overpowered the subtle fragrance of sandalwood. With a flick of her hand, she tossed the ink pellet aside, picked up a new brush, and began crossing out and altering the formula crowded on her paper, sometimes lost in thought, sometimes frowning slightly. Only after careful deliberation did a new recipe emerge. Casting aside her brush, she grabbed the soot and began making ink anew.

It was at this moment, as Gu Fei was weighing sandalwood powder, that Aunt Ku entered with a worried face, treading softly. Gu Fei caught sight of her from the corner of her eye but did not pause her work.

Aunt Ku closed the door behind her, considered for a moment, then handed Gu Fei a tray for the ingredients and whispered, "Miss, the first thing Mo Yan did upon returning was to assign Mo Cheng to be dispatched to another province. He is to leave the city by noon tomorrow."

Gu Fei's hand trembled, spilling all the sandalwood powder from the small scale. She stared at the scattered powder for a long time before asking, "Has Mo Yan made any other moves besides this?"

Aunt Ku shook her head, taking a cloth to clean up the spilled powder. "Nothing I’ve heard of. Your plans at Linlang Pavilion have failed, but the Little Mo Family was not deeply involved. It won’t suffer the heavy losses that befell the Huang Family."

Gu Fei's eyes darkened. She returned the small scale to the shelf, put the ink mold back in its place, and tossed the failed ink pellet into the waste pile without a second thought. Only then did she ask, "Did Linlang Pavilion send all the silver over?"

Aunt Ku, reading Gu Fei's expression, understood that she still harbored some familial affection for Mo Cheng. "Yesterday, Mr. Jiu sent someone with it—a total of five thousand taels in banknotes, and in addition—"

"No need to report further," Gu Fei interrupted with a raised hand. "Just keep it, Aunt Ku. I only need forty percent; seems Mr. Jiu still made a tidy profit this time."

It was worth noting that an ordinary family's annual expenses amounted to no more than a dozen or twenty taels of silver. Even the monthly allowance for a girl of the Gu family was merely three taels. Yet Gu Fei handed over this large sum for Aunt Ku to dispose of as she saw fit, unafraid of any misappropriation.

Aunt Ku's expression grew solemn. She, too, felt a surge of emotion at the trust placed in her, silently vowing to prove herself worthy through her actions.

She bowed her head. "Yes, I understand."

Gu Fei signaled for Aunt Ku to push her out of the workshop. "Find out how much silver Mo Cheng lost at Linlang Pavilion. Prepare double that amount before noon tomorrow. I will go see him off. After all, he has shown me much kindness in the past."

Aunt Ku agreed, settled Gu Fei in the flower hall, and set off to make arrangements.

The night passed without incident. The next day, Aunt Ku had everything ready, slinging a bamboo basket over her arm as she pushed Gu Fei out through the main gates of the Gu household. She greeted everyone they passed, making sure all knew that the usually reclusive Gu Fei was venturing out today.

At a corner some ten yards from the Gu gates, a carriage Aunt Ku had hired waited. The coachman, well acquainted with the rules, kept his head lowered, eyes fixed on the ground.

Aunt Ku climbed into the carriage, lifted the curtain to instruct the coachman to drive steadily, and only once they were alone did she take out a stack of banknotes, offering them for Gu Fei to count. "Miss, here is one thousand taels, as you instructed—double the amount. Do you think it's enough? If not, I have more prepared."

Gu Fei took them, pinched the stack, and drew out two notes to hand back. "Eight hundred taels is enough. It's sufficient for him to start a business of his own. If, in the future, I can..." She stopped, letting the rest trail off. "We’ll speak of the future when it comes."

Aunt Ku did not know what Gu Fei had left unsaid. Even if she wished to respond, she could not. She silently put the two notes away, then peered out the curtain. "Miss, we are at the city gate. Shall I invite Master Mo Wu onto the carriage, or would you like me to escort you down?"

Gu Fei glanced askance at the dazzling sunlight outside, the shifting shadows painting her face with a play of light and dark. Her tone was light, "Let’s go beyond the city gates. Find a quiet place and let me off. If he passes by, invite him over."

At her words, Aunt Ku turned to instruct the coachman. The wheels began to roll, and soon they were beyond the city walls.

Mo Cheng had never imagined he would have to leave his home behind. Leaving the gates of the Little Mo Family, there was only a carriage for his wife, concubine, and children, a single servant, and another carriage for their belongings—nothing more.

Mo Yan stood at the gate beside the stone lion, hands clasped behind his back, the sunlight stretching his shadow and blurring his features. His narrow eyes held only the golden flecks of sunlight and nothing more.

In the end, Mo Cheng abided by custom, saluted Mo Yan, and without another word, boarded the carriage, turning his back resolutely.

No one spoke inside the carriage. Mo Cheng closed his eyes. His wife, Lady Fang, looked unwell but still knew to comfort their son and daughter. Concubine Liu’s eyes were red as she clung to the curtain, gazing back at the ever-receding Little Mo Family until it vanished from sight.

A chill gnawed at his heart. To say Mo Cheng felt no resentment would be a lie; he knew he had been outmaneuvered by Gu Fei. Yet, it was only because he had long been discontent with Mo Yan that such thoughts had taken root.

He understood clearly that even if Gu Fei had not intervened, a rift with Mo Yan was inevitable.

He was, in the end, a failure. Yet he had never found Mo Yan so distant, as if secrets lurked in the depths of his heart like some bottomless beast, never revealed to anyone. The death of Mo Hui ten years before was one such secret; Gu Fei’s departure to the Mo family in the capital, and her return a decade later with crippled legs, was another. Perhaps there were others still, hidden from him.

He had no desire to probe further; any curiosity was only to guard against future harm, for his own and his children's sake.

Lost in thought, he barely noticed when the carriage stopped just outside the city. The servant outside called, "Master, someone wishes to see you off."

Startled but unable to guess who it might be, Mo Cheng nonetheless alighted and followed the servant into a dense grove by the official road.

"You!" The person before him, dressed in pale green and seated calmly in a wheelchair, with a faint smile and silent gaze, was none other than Gu Fei.

Gu Fei arched her slender brows. "Who else but me, Uncle Wu?"

Mo Cheng shook his head, his expression grim. "Did you come to mock me? Cast out, exiled—do you wish to see how wretched I have become?"

Gu Fei said nothing, her jet-black eyes reflecting his figure with perfect clarity.

Resentment found its outlet, and Mo Cheng continued, "I am your fifth uncle. I have never wronged you. Why did you scheme against me?"

"Now, everything is as you wished. The third is overseas, the fourth is in Yunli, and I am leaving Yizhou, never to return. Only Mo Yan remains in the Little Mo Family. I know you hate us. Back then, your parents didn't want you sent away so young, but it was Mo Yan and our branch who forced you to return to the capital’s Mo family, pushing the burden onto a child..."

"So you wished for our ruin. Now, if you destroy Mo Yan, the Little Mo Family will be finished..."

He laughed bitterly, his mustache trembling, laughter spilling into tears.

Gu Fei pressed her rosebud lips together, listening to every word. When he finished, she spoke softly, "Yes, Uncle Wu, you are right. I will not deny it. Here are eight hundred taels. I thought you would need money in a strange place."

No one refuses silver, and though Mo Cheng’s emotions were turbulent, he could not help eyeing the banknotes in her pale slender hand, the faint blue veins visible beneath the skin.

He was speechless, overwhelmed by the urge to weep uncontrollably, a flood he could not stem. He could not face Gu Fei, did not even have the courage to reach for the silver. After a long while, he finally forced out, "I’m sorry, I shouldn’t blame you. After all, you are the younger generation. It was the incompetence of us uncles, wishing to return to the main family. We should not have sacrificed a young girl..."

Gu Fei smiled, touching her brow with one hand, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing. "Uncle Wu, what are you saying? Those ten years... I lived well in the capital’s Mo family..."

"Well? Your legs are ruined, and you call that well?" Mo Cheng roared, tears glistening in his eyes.

Gu Fei fell silent, turning away. She was no longer accustomed to concern, however brusque, from Mo Cheng.

His gaze swept over the banknotes. "Keep the money for yourself. With silver, life will be easier. I don’t need it."

Gu Fei’s lips curled in a genuine smile. "Uncle Wu, I have enough. If you worry about my future, take this as a loan for your new business. When you prosper, you can come fetch me."

With that, Mo Cheng accepted the silver, replying generously, "Very well. In a few years, I’ll come for you. Even if you never marry, your uncle can support you for a lifetime."

A warmth bloomed in her heart, and Gu Fei did not press further. Seeing Mo Cheng ready to depart, she added, "Uncle Wu, you are cautious by nature, good at keeping what you have, but to build something new, you’ll need boldness."

Mo Cheng knew this well; Mo Yan had told him much the same.

After a moment’s thought, Gu Fei’s expression turned serious. "If possible, Uncle Wu, choose a different trade. It's best not to make ink again."

Mo Cheng was surprised, but understanding he should not ask more, nodded in acknowledgment.

With nothing more to say and time passing, Mo Cheng’s lips parted as he bid her farewell and left the grove.

Aunt Ku emerged from behind a tree and watched Mo Cheng's departing figure with Gu Fei. "Miss, let’s go back. As long as Master Mo Wu knows your intentions."

Gu Fei let out a low laugh, covering her expression as she stroked her brow. Her tone was odd, "Intentions? I have none. It’s all calculation, just as Uncle Wu said—I’ve severed all of Mo Yan’s allies. What remains will be easier to deal with..."

Aunt Ku smiled soundlessly. She knew which of Gu Fei’s words were truth and which were not, but as a servant, even if the sun rose in the west, she would agree without protest.

The two turned away, the wheelchair’s wheels leaving layered tracks in the fallen leaves, fading into the distance.

After a while, a rustle came from deep within the grove. Dressed in a dark purple robe and holding a folded fan, Mo Yuhua emerged. He tapped the fan against his palm, first glancing in the direction Mo Cheng had gone, then toward where Gu Fei had disappeared. After a moment’s thought, he set off in pursuit of Gu Fei.