It had just rained.
The dirt road was a muddy mess.
A black sedan drove by slowly.
Its brand-new tires were instantly caked in yellow mud. Countless specks splattered against the car's body, and two deep ruts were left in its wake.
"Matron Quinn, that mountain ahead is Sunstone. This area hasn't been developed yet, so the mountain roads are a bit rough. I hope you can bear with the conditions!" The driver glanced cautiously at the rearview mirror.
The woman in the mirror was resting with her eyes closed. She wore a deep purple qipao with traditional knotted buttons and a string of white pearls around her neck. Silent, she looked rather stern, exuding the refined air of a city dweller.
Her name was Sue Quinn. She was a nanny for the Sinclair Family and the most capable aide to the First Lady of the Sinclair House.
This time, the Head of the Sinclair Family had personally assigned her to come to Sunstone and bring the Second Miss, Aurora Sinclair, back to Kingsford, a testament to her high standing within the family.
Sue Quinn didn't open her eyes at his words, merely letting out a soft "Mm" through her nose.
Trying to make conversation, the driver asked, "Matron Quinn, why does the Second Miss live out here?"
But Sue Quinn just snorted coldly. "Are the Sinclair Family's affairs something you can pry into?"
Her flat tone carried an air of authority. The driver's heart skipped a beat, and he didn't dare say another word.
***
It was early spring, and the sides of the mountain road were covered in moss. The recent rain made the green exceptionally pure and gave off a fresh, grassy scent, but Sue Quinn was in no mood to appreciate it.
This stretch of road was full of potholes, and the car rocked back and forth like a boat.
She fought back her motion sickness, feeling a growing sense of irritation.
Finally, just as she felt she was about to be sick from the jostling, the car came to a stop.
The driver turned off the engine and said carefully and respectfully, "Matron Quinn, the car can't go any further."
Sue Quinn suppressed the churning nausea in her stomach and opened her eyes.
Ahead was a tall mountain, with only a single narrow path leading up.
She pressed her lips together and sighed in relief. 'Finally, I don't have to sit in this wretched car anymore!'
But her secret delight quickly turned to vexation. The dirt road outside was soft and muddy.
The moment she stepped out, the soles of her leather shoes were coated in a thick layer of yellow mud.
Her face appeared calm, but inside, her heart was bleeding.
These shoes had been a gift from the First Lady. They were incredibly expensive, and she normally couldn't even bear to wear them.
'It's all because of that damned jinx,' she thought. 'Otherwise, I'd never have come to this godforsaken place.'
As one of the few veteran staff members of the Sinclair Family, she both feared and loathed Aurora Sinclair.
Aurora Sinclair had always been a taboo topic in the Sinclair Family. Since birth, she had never cried or laughed, leading the Sinclairs to call her a "monster."
When she was six, her parents were tragically killed in a car accident. A fortune-teller then claimed she was born under a baleful star, fated to bring doom to her father, mother, and the entire family. Thus, the Family Head used the excuse that 'a great master had taken a fancy to her astonishing potential' and sent her away from Kingsford to study martial arts.
If it weren't for the upcoming college entrance exams, which required her to return to Kingsford, the Sinclair Family would have long forgotten they even had a Second Miss living in exile.
***
The place where Aurora Sinclair lived was a remote and underdeveloped village halfway up Sunstone. The rugged mountain path had been carefully paved with stone slabs, making it easy to walk, though the altitude was a bit high.
Sue Quinn had to be helped up by the driver, her carefully maintained image of nobility utterly shattered.
It took her a long while to catch her breath before she could manage a complete sentence: "Go on ahead and ask for Master Aerion's residence!"
The village wasn't large; a quick glance revealed only a dozen or so households, stretching from one end to the other.
At the village entrance stood a stone stele as tall as a person, engraved with the large, traditional characters for "Sunstone Village."
The calligraphy was powerful and forceful, exuding a sense of dignified history—quaint and solemn.
Every household in the village raised poultry. All along the path, colorful feathers mixed with droppings were a common sight.
The nausea Sue Quinn had just managed to suppress came rushing back. She bent over, dry-heaving for a long time, her body trembling and her composure completely gone.
The driver asked with some concern, "Matron Quinn, are you all right?"
But she just shot him a sidelong glance. "Just go! Say the Sinclair Family of Kingsford is here to pick up Aurora Sinclair!"
The driver's expression tightened. He shut his mouth sheepishly and made his way toward the village entrance, carefully avoiding the animal droppings.
"Who are you looking for?"
A clear, crisp voice came from behind the stone stele.
The driver turned toward the sound and saw a young girl squatting behind the stele, digging for wild vegetables. A tan-colored dog was lazing beside her, dozing.
The little girl stood up and gave him a simple, rustic smile.
She was wearing a faded, washed-out school uniform with the words "Sunstone Middle School" printed on it.
The driver immediately went up to ask for Master Aerion's residence, but the girl tilted her head, a hint of confusion in her eyes. "We don't have anyone by that name here!"
"That can't be right! This is the address. Well, do you know the Second Miss of the Sinclair family? We're from the Sinclair Family of Kingsford..."
The driver grew anxious. If he took a wrong turn and delayed the Sinclair Family's business, he would surely lose his manager position in Kenton.
The little girl was even more confused. "There's no one with the surname Sinclair here."
"How could that be? Think again..."
Just then, Sue Quinn, no longer bothered by her nausea, strode over. "Are you sure there's no one named Sinclair here?"
Her tone was harsh, startling the little girl, who couldn't help but flinch.
At that moment, the dozing dog suddenly stood up, positioned itself in front of the girl, and bared its teeth at Sue Quinn.
Sue Quinn's face paled, and she took a fearful step back.
The little girl recovered from her shock, bent down to pat the dog's head, and replied, "There is no one named Sinclair here."
The dog relaxed its warning posture, wagged its tail twice, and lay back down where it had been.
"Matron Quinn, could the address be wrong?" the driver asked hesitantly, only to be met with a cold glare.
Sue Quinn pulled a yellowed photograph from her purse. "Have you seen her?"
The photo showed a little girl, five or six years old, with her hair in pigtails and wearing a floral dress. She should have looked innocent and carefree, but her face was completely expressionless, which was somewhat unsettling.
The little girl looked at it, then glanced hesitantly toward the village. "She looks a lot like Dawn Miles, from the old Daoist's place."
Sue Quinn and the driver exchanged a look, their tone urgent. "Where does the old Daoist live?"
"It's next to the fruit tree at the very back! But they..."
The little girl watched their retreating backs, pursed her lips, and swallowed the rest of her sentence.
***
There were three homes near the fruit tree. Sue Quinn had the driver knock on the door of the one that looked the cleanest.
Soon, a shrewish roar came from the courtyard. "What's all the knocking! Are you trying to wake the dead—"
The courtyard gate was then flung open, and a stunningly beautiful woman with an exceptional air about her walked out.
The woman's hair was casually coiled at the back of her head, held in place by a single chopstick. Her skin was fair and delicate, and even without a trace of makeup, she captivated everyone's attention.
She wore a simple cyan cotton dress, the cuffs stained with a few specks of ink. Her indifferent brows were furrowed with impatience, but it did nothing to detract from her beauty or remarkable presence.
The driver was dumbstruck and stood frozen for a moment.
The woman gave him a backhanded shove, her tone hostile. "Who are you? What do you want, banging on my door?"
Her actions were rough, her temper foul.
"I... I..."
"We're from the Sinclair Family of Kingsford, here today to take Aurora Sinclair back to Kingsford!" Sue Quinn shot the driver a glare, her brow knitted, her tone dripping with condescending superiority.
'No matter how beautiful she is, she's just a country bumpkin. She'd never be fit for high society!'
A look of contempt slowly surfaced in Sue Quinn's eyes.
The woman paused, a suspicious glint in her eyes as she looked Sue Quinn up and down.
Seeing that she seemed to know of the Sinclair Family, Sue Quinn lifted her chin slightly, the words tumbling out in a near-commanding tone. "My name is Quinn. Tell Aurora Sinclair to come out..."
The woman rolled her eyes and cut her off rudely. "No one here by that name—"
She took a step back, brought her arms together, and slammed the gate shut.
"You—"
Sue Quinn's face turned ashen, consumed with fury.
Since joining the Sinclair Family, she had never encountered such a rude and insolent village woman. She was so choked with anger she could barely breathe.
The driver, ever observant, tried to placate her. "Matron Quinn, don't be angry. These are just country folk. They don't have any mann—"
He swallowed the "—ers" when a man walked out from the courtyard across the way.
The man was dressed in a white martial arts uniform. He had a refined appearance and an extraordinary aura.
Sue Quinn turned and froze, not because of his looks, but because of the aura he projected. Although he was actively trying to restrain it, it was still enough to make one feel instinctively timid.
In all her years with the Sinclair Family, she had met many important figures. But she had only ever seen someone with this kind of Power on television—the head of some influential Great Family. Not even the Head of the Sinclair Family, Master Sinclair himself, could compare.
The man smiled. "You two must be looking for Master Aerion, I presume?"
Sue Quinn composed herself and took a respectful half-step forward. "We are from the Sinclair Family of Kingsford, here to escort the Second Miss, Aurora Sinclair, back to Kingsford."
The man chuckled lightly. "You've come at an inconvenient time. He's taken his disciple down the mountain."
Sue Quinn's brow furrowed. "Do you know where they went?"
The man scoffed.
"Down the mountain in Corvale! Wherever there's a wedding or a funeral, that's where you'll find them..."