Once, I wanted to be a good person

Hearing the old man's words, Fang Ze didn't easily believe him. He cautiously watched the old man while glancing at Bai Zhi beside him, trying to see if Bai Zhi recognized the person.

After all, in Fang Ze's view, anyone chosen by Old Mr. Bai to deliver something at such a crucial moment must be an important figure in the Bai Family, not a nobody. If everything were true, then Bai Zhi would certainly know this person's identity.

Sure enough, after taking a careful look at the old man, Bai Zhi said with a bit of surprise, "Tian, is that you?"

Upon hearing Bai Zhi's words, the old man bowed slightly to Bai Zhi again and said, "It is indeed this old servant, Miss Bai Zhi."

Seeing the old man acknowledge it, Bai Zhi couldn't help but turn to introduce him to Fang Ze, "Tian is my grandfather's servant, serving him for decades. He's one of our own."

With Bai Zhi's confirmation, Fang Ze finally let go of his cautiousness. He then gave a subtle signal to the other vigilant individuals before cupping his hands towards the old man and saying, "Please don't mind, Tian. It's just that I've encountered too many dangers on my journey here, so I couldn't help being a bit cautious."

After explaining himself, Fang Ze also asked, "Do you know what Old Mr. Bai left for me?"

Hearing Fang Ze's question, the old man politely replied, "You are too kind, Mr. Fang Ze. One must always be cautious in the Spirit Realm."

"As for what Old Mr. Bai left for you..." Saying this, he paused, then took out a wooden box from his sleeve, passing it to Hei Yu, who stepped forward to receive it, while saying to Fang Ze, "The old servant doesn't know. Old Mr. Bai only said to give it to you."

Hearing the old man's words, Fang Ze curiously reached out to take the wooden box from Hei Yu's hands.

The wooden box was entirely black, exquisitely designed, with carved patterns and unique aristocratic insignia. Fang Ze examined it carefully and found that the aristocratic insignia wasn't that of the Bai Family, but rather... seemed like the Si Family's from the past.

Next, he flipped and examined the wooden box, finding it seemed carved from a single block of wood, without any seams, locks, mechanisms, or detachable parts.

Fang Ze furrowed his brows in thought. After a moment, he tentatively used the [Darkness] ability borrowed from Miaomiao.

Indeed, as soon as the [Darkness] ability was activated, the wooden box changed: its top lid made clicking sounds, transforming into interlocking wooden pieces that neatly retracted together, revealing the contents of the box inside.

The box's internal space wasn't large; it held only two items: one was a jade pendant, and the other was a letter.

Fang Ze first picked up the letter, opened it, and looked it over.

Just at a glance, Fang Ze was surprised...

[Fang Ze. While writing this letter, I was constantly contemplating how to address you, whether as Director Fang, Head of the Fang Family, or... the first noble born in the fifty years since the Federation's founding.]

Upon reading the letter's content, Fang Ze felt a slight shock in his heart. His face remained calm, but he discreetly used his peripheral vision to check his surrounding situation.

When Tian had just arrived, Hei Po, Hei Yu, and others had scattered to the perimeter and become vigilant. Bai Zhi, the closest person to Fang Ze, had also stepped four or five paces away upon seeing Fang Ze read the letter, and from her angle, she shouldn't be able to see its content.

After confirming his "safety," Fang Ze felt slightly relieved and continued reading,

[Don't be surprised how I know your identity. Actually... not only I, but He Weidao also knows your identity.]

[Everything you've done has been extremely careful and seamless. But despite all your calculations, you missed two points.]

[First, years ago, to annihilate the Si Family, He Weidao monitored and investigated them for so long. How could he not be aware of your existence?]

[Secondly... considering He Weidao's cautious nature, how could he possibly overlook a legitimate daughter and a maid while executing an extermination plan? Obviously, the only survivor was in fact the final exchange between He Weidao and the Si Family, the last spark left for the Si Family.]

[So, the moment you stood up and claimed your identity as a descendant of the Si Family, he knew you were an imposter. He also guessed your identity as a new noble. That's why during this period, he's been continuously probing to ascertain whether you're a spy sent by the Outer Realm demigods.]

Reading this, Fang Ze was momentarily taken aback, feeling a sense of sudden realization.

No wonder He Weidao was always probing and investigating him. Fang Ze thought he disliked descendants of the Si Family, not realizing he had long detected issues with his identity.

This also explained how Miaomiao managed to escape unscathed.

Since learning about Miaomiao's background, Fang Ze had always been skeptical: a maid escaping smoothly using a spatial transfer artifact? That would really underestimate the Federation's methods.

Now, everything had an explanation.

Thinking this, Fang Ze continued to read further.

[As for now, even though he has temporarily let you go, it doesn't mean you're safe.]

[You must understand, the more you relax, the more likely he is plotting against you. That guy enjoys toying with people's minds and political maneuvering, and he's truly skilled at it.]

[Soon, the entire Eastern Administrative Region will be in chaos, beyond your imagination. However.... you must know, all of this is part of his plan, a grand strategy he laid out over a decade ago.]

[The various forces in the Administrative Region are like chess pieces, placed in the right positions by him long ago. To be honest, sometimes I even suspect that this plan was already devised before the Golden Spangle incident, and I've been counted in it all along.]

[So, to avoid having my family members also caught in his schemes, I decided to dissolve the family and have them go into seclusion to escape this upcoming turmoil.]

Upon reading up to here, Fang Ze furrowed his brows slightly. Was all this a setup...?

And a plan that had been in place for over a decade, even before the Golden Spangle incident?

Fang Ze was somewhat skeptical.

Then he continued reading.

[Anyway, it's all in the past now. I'm already on my deathbed, so there's no point in dwelling on these things. After all, it's all for the survival of humanity. If we're being plotted against, so be it.]