When Xie Yanlai returned to Gaoyang, the Xie family still maintained the dignity of the family.Xie Yanfang was as gentle and calm as usual, as if the storm in the court, the bloodshed and Chu Cen's death had nothing to do with him.The more Xie Yanlai saw this calm look, the colder he felt.He no longer regarded his brother's words as the only answer as before. Instead, he started investigating bit by bit from old pharmacies, correspondence books and Gaoyang's private treasury, trying to find the real source of the blood.

During the investigation, Xie Yanlai discovered that Xie Yanfang was using a tractor to burn the life of a child named Axiang.Ah Xiang is from Weijia Village and is one of the few children who survived the fire.This name once again dragged Xie Yanlai back into those fragmented nightmares.The fire scene, the crying, the moment of being rescued, and the hand that Chu Chao once accidentally extended, all the memories are connected with Weijiacun.Xie Yanlai finally realized that his brother not only used poison to control Chu Cen, but also might have been holding the old cases in Weijiacun in his hands as a bargaining chip to contain him.

Xie Yanfang realized that Xie Yan came to investigate too deeply, and still tried to suppress him with brotherly love.He said that it was not easy for the Xie family to get to where they are today. Children of aristocratic families can never act based on their likes and dislikes.Xie Yanlai didn't want to listen to these high-sounding words anymore.He could accept his humble background, and he could accept being ignored in the Xie family for many years, but he could not accept his brother treating the lives of innocent children and Chu Cen as a bargaining chip for power.For the first time, the two brothers truly tore off the coat of warmth, and each saw the determination in the other's eyes.

In the court, because Deng Yi was afraid of the power of the Xie family, he teamed up with Xiao Xun's old troops to strongly oppose the appointment of Xie Yanlai as a general.Some people say that his origins are unknown, some bring up old cases that sparked blood, and some use Chu Cen's death to incite resentment among the border troops.Xie Yanlai did not ask the Xie family to speak for him, nor did he borrow Xie Yanfang's reputation again.He asked himself to be the General of the Guard in front of the palace and vowed to kill King Shuomo within half a year, establishing himself based on his military exploits rather than his family status.Xiao Yu looked at this man who had made meritorious service in Wangcheng and finally awarded him the title of "Zhunxing".

Before leaving, Chu Chao personally put on the jersey left by Chu Cen for Xie Yanlai.That shirt carries the trust of the old members of the Chu family, and also carries Chu Cen’s unfinished trust.Xie Yanlai knew that he was carrying too many old debts and did not dare to promise to return easily.Chu Chao told him that coming back alive was more important than any apology.Wind and sand rolled up outside the city gate, and the two hugged each other briefly and then separated.Xie Yan came to lead an expedition, while the Chu Dynasty stayed in the capital, preparing to clean up the court in his absence and dig out the rot layer by layer hidden in Da Chu.

When Ah Xiang was brought to Xie Yanlai, he was so thin that almost only one pair of eyes remained.The child does not fully understand the grudges between adults. He only knows that he has been relying on a bitter medicine to survive these years. Every time Xie Yanfang comes, the people around him will be extremely nervous.When Xie Yanlai asked about old events in Weijia Village, Ah Xiang could only tell intermittently scenes of getting angry, crying and being carried away.Those fragments fit perfectly with Xie Yanlai's nightmare, making it impossible for him to deceive himself anymore.Xie Yanfang saved Ah Xiang not out of mercy, but because she regarded the child as a key that could stab him at any time.

Before leaving Gaoyang, Xie Yanlai visited the Xie Family Ancestral Hall.The solemn memorial tablets and constant incense made him feel heavy and distant.Now he stood there, not kneeling for the first time.It's not that he doesn't recognize the Xie family bloodline, but he doesn't want these tablets to become an excuse for Xie Yanfang to control living people.Xie Yanfang stood outside the door and looked at him. There was a threshold between the brothers, like two roads that could no longer run parallel.When Xie Yanlai turned around and left, she had already decided to use her military exploits and choices to completely get rid of the fate arranged by Xie Yanfang.