Before Su Jing Fei could properly react, the entire room suddenly erupted in fighting as the city justice official’s men arrived. Su Jing Fei watched as Feng Ruo Qian’s guards dragged him away to escape; no matter how much she wanted to kill Feng Ruo Qian right now, she didn’t have the power or the means to. The more important thing was investigating Da Chun’s true identity and making sure they could escape without having their identities discovered.

“Da Chun, this one needs to confirm something. Please forgive my rudeness.” Su Jing Fei spoke quickly as she turned the young girl around and pulled down the back of her to reveal her back left shoulder. Sure enough, there was a small discolored patch of skin that, upon closer inspection, seemed to resemble petals of a flower. There was no doubt that Da Chun was her sister. And the fact that Feng Ruo Qian almost took her away from Su Jing Fei once again… Her blood boiled with an uncontrollable rage!

“Xiaojie, we must leave here quickly!” Mu Tan said hurriedly before realizing what her xiaojie was looking at. Her voice trembled as she spoke next. “Xiaojie… it can’t be… after all these years!”

“Xiaojie?” A low voice broke through Su Jing Fei’s rage as she was pulled back into reality. Li Wei Sheng watched them from nearby as his guards protected him to avoid his identity being discovered. But he couldn’t break his gaze away from Su Jing Fei. Shan Yu kneeled at his master’s side, speaking in a hushed tone that only Li Wei Sheng could hear. “The one who attacked you is none other than the Su xiaojie’s missing yatou Mu Tan.” Combining all the information, there was obviously only one conclusion; that mysterious masked courtesan was none other than Su Jing Fei, the da xiaojie of the Right Prime Minister’s family!

“Mu Tan, take Da Chun away from here quickly. I know you can escape easily because of your martial arts skills, but you are also injured so carrying both of us will only hinder you. I’ll find a way out of here and meet with you at the inn.” She ordered swiftly, pulling Da Chun’s robes tight around her shoulders and giving her a gentle nudge towards Mu Tan. She addressed the young girl with a calm voice and a small smile. “I promise I’ll explain everything to you when we are safe.” Da Chun must be terribly frightened and confused, thought Su Jing Fei. But the young girl merely nodded, moving towards Mu Tan and keeping close to the yatou’s side.

Mu Tan was conflicted in staying to protect her xiaojie, but she also knew that her xiaojie was right. They had to do everything possible to take the young girl away from everything; only in this chaos could they successfully rescue the young girl from the fate of a courtesan. Mu Tan knew her xiaojie was clever enough to find some way to escape, but she vowed that as soon as she got Da Chun to safety, she’d come back for her. So Mu Tan wasted no further time and grabbed ahold of Da Chun’s waist as she proceeded to run and jump through a nearby window. The sound of footsteps running across the ceiling could be heard, and Su Jing Fei knew they had escaped successfully.

Her attention turned to Li Wei Sheng who still kept his gaze trained on her. He and his guard hadn’t acted in any way to stop them from escaping, but from the looks of it, it seemed Li Wei Sheng was now well aware of her identity. “The imperial prince should be careful,” Su Jing Fei spoke calmly as she moved from one end of the room to the other. “With such an intense gaze, one might mistake it for something else.”

Hearing those words, Li Wei Sheng knew that the clever xiaojie had probably known of his identity the entire time. He gave a smile in response, impressed by her calm attitude. “And what exactly might Su xiaojie mistake this imperial prince’s gaze for?” His words were teasing and light despite the precarious situation they were in. Although Feng Ruo Qian’s men had defeated the city justice official’s men as they had escaped, it would only be a matter of time before more men showed up.

Li Wei Sheng had a handsome appearance and usually maintained a calm and refined facade; however, Su Jing Fei knew that beneath that amicable exterior was a black-bellied schemer with a stone heart. In the movie Blossoms in the Wind, the only things Li Wei Sheng truly cared for in this world were his younger sister Li Qian Yi and his friendship with Chen Hui Zhong. One was his younger sister and the other was his best friend. Other than those two things, Li Wei Sheng wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice anything. Su Jing Fei knew that this loyalty would ultimately cause Li Wei Sheng to sacrifice himself in order to save Chen Hui Zhong’s life at the end of the movie when Chen Hui Zhe took the throne. While she didn’t really care for the movie, Su Jing Fei had appreciated Li Wei Sheng’s loyalty. The only question now was if he would sacrifice her to keep his identity a secret.

“This place is a courtesan house,” Su Jing Fei said as she lingered in the open entrance leading to the balcony, feeling the cool breeze on her back. “When a man gazes upon a woman with interest, there is only one thing that happens here.” Her expression was mysteriously calm as she turned to have her back facing them.

Li Wei Sheng was amused by the young woman’s unashamed words; she clearly wasn’t the shy and demure xiaojie that she had pretended to be when they had first met. He thought Su Jing Fei was brave and foolish to be choosing such a time like this to taunt him; wasn’t she afraid that he’d kill her to keep her silent about his identity? However, Li Wei Sheng was thoroughly shocked by Su Jing Fei’s next movements. The young woman proceeded to undress; the top robe slinked off her shoulders to reveal a pale slender neck. “Su xiaojie seems to clearly understand the relationship between a man and woman. Does she wish to understand this imperial prince?” Li Wei Sheng smirked at Su Jing Fei’s boldness. He’d encountered women before who tried to throw themselves at his feet, scheming and tricking in attempts to become the wangfei of his household.

“This lowly one does not have the ability to rise on the wings of a phoenix, but that does not mean this one cannot fly.” Su Jing Fei’s words were mysterious, causing Li Wei Sheng to hesitate a moment before responding. However, this opportunity allowed for Su Jing Fei to catch Li Wei Sheng off guard as she suddenly sprinted towards the edge of the balcony. She slung the robe between the bannisters of the balcony and jumped over the edge, gripping onto the cloth ends as she was able to use the momentum to swing herself downwards and over to the second floor balcony directly under the third floor one. She immediately let go and pulled herself into a fetal position to roll onto the ground where her momentum could be stopped safely. However, she’d never done such a risky act before, and her recklessness wasn’t without its share of punishments. Su Jing Fei’s knees and legs were scraped and battered at the impact, and her only robe left was tattered as it caught onto the edge of a corner. However, she couldn’t afford to stop and allow for Li Wei Sheng and his guard to come after her so quickly, so she got to her feet and ran back inside the building’s second floor.

“Young master, she’s getting away!” Shan Yu jumped forward to give chase, but Li Wei Sheng blocked his path with an outstretched hand. Shan Yu was surprised to see his master’s expression was amused and unconcerned.

“Leave her be,” remarked Li Wei Sheng. “We should get going before more of the city justice official’s men arrive.” He turned around and began to retreat. Shan Yu wasn’t usually one to question his master; however, he was thoroughly confused at Li Wei Sheng’s tolerance for Su Jing Fei. She was quite a fearful and formidable one indeed. Together, the two men retreated into the shadows and left Xia-Wu as quietly as they had come.

On the second floor, Su Jing Fei had entered an empty room similar to the one where she’d left Chanhua and Mu Tan earlier that night. She quickly rummaged through the drawers and grabbed a set of clothes and stuffed it into her inner robe; her eyes flickered to the balcony, watching for Li Wei Sheng or his guard to appear, but they did not. Su Jing Fei ran out the front door, entering the large main hallway where a crowd of other courtesans and servants were pushing past each other in chaos. She moved through the crowd, following the flow of people down the stairs and out the front doors. However, the city justice official’s second batch of guards had arrived and began apprehending people. While trying to leave, Su Jing Fei’s own arm was grabbed by a guard as he shouted, “You are all under arrest for suspicion of corroborating in illegal slave trade! Stop trying to escape and remain where you are!”

Su Jing Fei quickly pulled out the tearful act, crying as she pleaded with the guard. “Please sir, this lowly one merely wants to go home. This lowly one doesn’t know anything and was only following orders in order to earn money for this lowly one’s sick mother. Please, this lonely one has suffered such a fright already!” She begged in a soft voice, falling to her knees in a show of weakness. “This lowly one just wants to go home!”

The guard seemed hesitant, but a deep voice spoke in his stead. “Let her go. She’s not the ones we’re looking for. Don’t waste anymore time and begin rounding up the men inside as well as the manager of Xia-Wu.” A tall skinny man stepped forward, bearing a hard stern face and cold eyes. The guard let go of her immediately. If this man was the one commanding the guards, then it must be none other than the city justice official himself! Su Jing Fei had done a bit of research on the city justice official while searching for information in Fuo Lan; the city justice official’s name was Sun Rong Shu, and he was a highly regarded man for his morals and virtue. The people of Fuo Lan saw him as fair and just man, and although he was a good official, it was hard to keep an eye on all of the crime in Fuo Lan due to its larger population and size. Thus, larger and deeper crimes, such as black market slave trade businesses, were harder to root out. Su Jing Fei guessed however, that this raid of Xia-Wu, a prominent courtesan house in the red light district, must be a show and warning for all other such businesses with shady dealings. However, she didn’t have time to be worrying about the crimes of Fuo Lan when she still had to deal with the crimes committed against her own family. “This lowly one thanks the lord for his kindness and mercy.” She bowed respectfully before running away with others who wanted to be as far away from Xia-Wu as possible.

Running into a nearby alley, Su Jing Fei quickly threw on the other clothes she had taken, fixing her appearance as she stepped out and began to maneuver the dimly lit streets until she reached the inn where her and Mu Tan had been staying at. Entering the inn, the familiar manager came forward to greet her. “How can I help you?” He was less formal and polite, having taken notice of her courtesan clothes.

“This lowly one was summoned by master Ye Meng Yao to attend to him for the night.” Su Jing Fei said in a soft and gentle voice, turning her head slightly as a display of shyness.

“Ah, yes,” the older man cleared his throat, a little caught off guard. “Right this way.” He led her up to the second floor, knocking on the door. “Excuse me for disturbing your rest, young master Ye Meng Yao. Someone has arrived and said they had come upon your request.”

There was a bit of shuffling heard inside the room, and a few minutes later, Mu Tan reappeared in her male disguise. Her red eyes widened at Su Jing Fei’s appearance; the older woman looked like she had been crying. However, the older woman cleared her throat and spoke. “She may enter, but we are to not be disturbed for the rest of the night.”

“Yes!” The older man bowed respectfully before briskly retreating away. Su Jing Fei entered the room, and Mu Tan closed the door behind them.

“Xiaojie!” cried Mu Tan, falling to her knees as she began to sob. “Xiaojie, please forgive this lowly one. This lonely one was not able to come back for xiaojie! Please punish this lowly one for her inability!”

“Nonsense. You may rise, Mu Tan,” spoke Su Jing Fei as she tore away the veil from her face. “I made you prioritize Da Chun’s safety over mine, which you executed without question. Now where is she?”

Mu Tan wiped away the tears on her face, getting up on her feet as she remained respectfully bowed before her xiaojie. “When we escaped, Da Chun began to experience strange symptoms. We were able to return to this inn by masquerading Da Chun as an ill Ye Meng Yao using my outer robes. However, this lowly one was not able to leave Da Chun’s side as she fell into a terrible condition.”

Su Jing Fei quickly turned around and walked further into the room. On one of the beds, a figure was struggling on top of a bed, moaning and turning restlessly. She moved to the bedside, shocked to see the cloth tying down the hands of the young girl to the bed. “What is the meaning of this, Mu Tan?” Su Jing Fei asked in a low voice as she watched Da Chun’s pitiful state of struggling and moaning on the bed.

Mu Tan kept her distance, remaining on the other side of the room. “This lowly one has seen this affliction before. Da Chun must have been fed a slow-acting aphrodisiac at Xia-Wu.”

Su Jing Fei’s eyes darkened at the implication of what could have happened if she hadn’t saved Da Chun in time. However, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves, feeling the adrenaline leave her body with lingering aches and pains. They were all lucky to be alive, she thought. Su Jing Fei stepped forward, catching sight of the jade pendant around Da Chun’s neck. There was no doubt it was the same one as the one in her mother’s jewelry box. With the addition of the birthmark confirmed, everything led to the conclusion that Da Chun was her truly her long lost sister. Especially since Feng Ruo Qian himself had appeared before her at the same time. A sick, twisted man he was! Grooming the young daughter of a woman he murdered so that the daughter could become his personal plaything! The sick implications was enough for Su Jing Fei to want to murder Feng Ruo Qian right this moment! However, an instant death was too merciful for the man; Su Jing Fei had other plans to take care of the Feng family.

“Da Chun…” Su Jing Fei murmured the young girl’s name in a soft voice, gently pushing the girl’s hair back away from her sweaty face. It seemed the young girl had been suffering for awhile.

“It hurts…wu…” sobbed Da Chun in a broken voice, struggling against the restraints.

Su Jing Fei’s heart broke at the sound of it; her heart torn at the sight of her sister suffering, and there was nothing she could do about it. They would have to wait until the effects of the aphrodisiac wore off. “It’s okay, Da Chun.” Su Jing Fei whispered, gently stroking Da Chun’s hair. Her voice trembled with emotion and unshed tears at finally finding her sister; her one and only family. In Su Jing Fei’s previous life, she was an orphan with no parents and no siblings; this time, Su Jing Fei had unwillingly taken over the original Su Jing Fei’s life from the movie Blossoms in the Wind. But somehow, she’d managed to save her sister; her only true family from this lifetime. She was sad that the original Su Jing Fei could not witness this moment, but she was also filled with the happiness of having a sister. Someone she could love and care for unconditionally.

“I won’t let anyone else hurt you,” Su Jing Fei spoke the words aloud as a promise to herself and to the world. “I’ll protect you, and I'll make the Feng family pay for what they did to us.”