Some things are better left unearthed

As much as she tried, Ming Wa couldn't hide the effect Yang Qing's words had on her. Her hands trembled, and her pupils quivered visibly.

Summoning every ounce of willpower she had left—fueled by fear and desperation, but mostly fear—Ming Wa tightly clenched her fists in a futile bid to calm herself. Even then, her hands continued to shake. The only saving grace was that the part of her that trembled the most—her heart—remained hidden from view.

"I… I'm not hiding anything," Ming Wa finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her head remained bowed, and her words carried the hollow tone of someone who didn't believe their own claims—an act born out of sheer desperation.

"Okay," Yang Qing replied casually. "If your story changes, you know where to find me."

He motioned to a Silver Cloud Pavilion attendant who had been waiting a few meters away to step forward.