"Aunt Yan Shuang!"

Upon seeing the woman enter, Liuyu was immediately overjoyed, and her previously listless spirits lifted considerably.

"Auntie, what brings you here? Didn't Mother say you went out on important business?"

Yan Shuang didn't respond. Her cold eyes glanced at the female physician standing silently with her head down, but when she looked at Liu Yu on the couch, her gaze softened.

The woman's voice was rough and hoarse.

"I'm relieved to see how obedient Yu'er is. Eat well and don't throw tantrums at your master anymore, okay?"

The master she was referring to was naturally Wu Lanlian.

Although Liuyu's tone was still somewhat reluctant, she obediently replied, "Okay."

Zhan Xinjia kept her head down and remained expressionless throughout.

Like a final revolving lantern in the last moments of her life, a thousand chaotic and fragmented images flashed through her mind in an instant. Even though she tried her best to discern and see clearly, in the end, only a blank space remained.

It felt like there was a mouthful of hot blood stuck in my throat, like a fishbone stuck there, unable to come up or swallow.

The blood scorched her heart, making it boil and causing her to become inexplicably agitated and restless, unable to suppress the murderous aura emanating from her.

His heart pounded violently, like a drumbeat, and a chilling killing intent surged through his limbs. Zhan Xinjia had to dig his nails into his palms to relieve his anxiety and maintain his composure through the pain.

She found it difficult to describe the feeling.

It's like when someone has been bitten by a snake and then sees another snake. On one hand, there's a deep-seated fear, and on the other hand, a violent desire for revenge drives one to want to smash the snake into a pulp.

Fear and hatred intertwined and merged repeatedly.

By the time she came to her senses, their conversation had ended.

Only after the woman named Yan Shuang left did Zhan Xinjia loosen his grip, and his tense spirit gradually relaxed.

Although she didn't know who this Yan Shuang was, judging from Liu Yu's intimate attitude towards her, the two must have a close relationship. However, what Zhan Xinjia found most strange was that she always felt that the other person seemed familiar.

She had definitely seen it somewhere before, and more than once.

Seeing Zhan Xinjia's pale face, Liu Yu, who was drinking tea after finishing her meal, was startled and a hint of doubt appeared in her eyes.

Why do you look so pale?

"It's nothing... By the way, Princess, was that your aunt just now?"

Zhan Xinjia smiled, her fair face displaying an innocent and carefree demeanor.

She wore a white dress and spoke softly and gently, like a delicate and innocent little white flower, seemingly harmless and gentle, subconsciously making people feel no sense of vigilance or wariness.

Liu Yu was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled softly.

"How could that be? Aunt Yanshuang is my mother's maid. She has been by my mother's side since I can remember. I call her aunt because she watched me grow up."

Perhaps because she hadn't talked to anyone for so long, once Liuyu started talking, she couldn't stop.

She frowned, looking somewhat regretful.

"Sigh...Actually, Aunt Yanshuang is also very pitiful. She used to have a husband, but unfortunately he died nine years ago for some unknown reason. His body was never found, and she has been a widow ever since..."

Upon hearing this, Zhan Xinjia slightly lifted her eyelids, seemingly lost in thought.

With important business to attend to, she didn't have time to chat with Liuyu. With almost no effort, Zhan Xinjia led Liuyu easily past the guards along the way and straight to the side gate.

As soon as Liuyu slipped away, Zhan Xinjia immediately raised her voice and shouted in a high-pitched voice—

"Oh no! The princess has disappeared!!"

The shout immediately alerted the guards of Nanjun inside the pavilion, and even the guards at the main gate relaxed their guards considerably. The panicked maids searched anxiously everywhere, and the scene was chaotic.

After doing all that, she slipped into the backyard.

Hiding in the shadows, Zhan Xinjia watched as Wu Lanlian hurriedly left the room. She waited a few more moments, and only after confirming that the other party would not return for the time being did she sneak up to the door along the wall.

Although the door was locked, this was not a problem for Zhan Xinjia at all.

She took a hairpin from Liuyu, inserted the thin silver wire into the keyhole and gently moved it. Zhan Xinjia listened intently to the sounds inside the lock until she heard a crisp "click".

The lock is open.

Pushing open the door, she slipped sideways and into Wu Lanlian's room as quickly as possible, closing the door behind her.

After all, it was just a place to stay. In fact, Wu Lanlian's room was practically empty. Apart from the existing furniture, she had almost no personal belongings, but this was within Zhan Xinjia's expectations.

If Zhan Xinjia simply wanted to steal something, he could have easily sneaked in alone without pretending to be a doctor.

The problem is that she simply doesn't believe Wu Lanlian would carelessly leave something so important elsewhere.

But if the other party carries it with them, then there's no point in her sneaking in. She can't just run into Wu Lanlian head-on and grab it from her sleeve, can she?

Not to mention that Wu Lanlian seems to have considerable martial arts skills, if we alert her, it will probably be even more difficult to make a move later.

But if something happens at the Four Directions Pavilion, or if something happens to Liuyu, Wu Lanlian will inevitably overlook some things in her haste, just like now—

A faint smell of smoke filled the room. Zhan Xinjia walked around the room and touched the window frame. The wooden window frame was damp, indicating that someone had just opened the window to let in some fresh air.

After a quick search, Zhan Xinjia found an iron basin that was still warm at the far end of the bed.

Upon closer inspection, it appeared that paper had been burned not long ago, and the bottom of the basin was mostly filled with residual ashes.

Upon receiving the letter, Jia frowned.

She patiently searched for a long time before finally finding a few thumb-sized scraps of paper that hadn't been completely burned at the very edge.

Previously, when Liu Yu was talking to the woman named Yan Shuang, she mentioned that Yan Shuang was sent by Wu Lanlian to do something. Zhan Xinjia guessed that Yan Shuang was probably ordered to go somewhere to retrieve this letter for Wu Lanlian.

Originally, the letter was to be torn up and burned after reading, but Wu Lanlian was so worried about her daughter's safety that she locked the door and left without watching the letter burn completely.

So, what exactly is written above?

Although most of it had been burned to ashes, Zhan Xinjia managed to piece together the few scraps of paper in his hand and make out the most important words.

Her brows furrowed even more.

"Lan...Jiang?"

Upon receiving the letter, I was speechless for a moment.

That damn greedy guy is still chasing me!!!

This troublemaker is always around, it's everywhere.

However, her thoughts are now clearer.

The fact that Nanjun was so arrogant in Dasheng this time is probably because he secretly made some deal or cooperation with Lanjiang. Even the strange hidden weapon in Wu Lanlian's hand may have been provided by Lanjiang.

After all, the so-called "goddess" is very likely from the same place as the master, so it's normal for her to have some "technology".

After careful consideration, Zhan Xinjia decided to play with the yo-yo first.

This matter concerns the potential turmoil and war between the two countries in the future, and putting aside the hidden weapons for now, she must first get the message out.

After stuffing the iron basin back under the bed and putting the scraps of paper into her sleeve, Zhan Xinjia was about to leave when hurried footsteps suddenly came from the doorway, instantly blocking her way.

Upon receiving the letter, Jia's expression turned serious.

She managed to hide behind the screen when the door was suddenly pushed open.

Two sets of footsteps, and two people walked in.

Without hesitation, Zhan Xinjia forcibly broke open the window behind the screen and jumped out before the other party could react.

Without daring to linger for a moment, she determined the direction and ran straight out of the building.

Wu Lanlian locked the door when she left, and when she pushed the door open just now, she must have noticed that the lock was open, meaning someone had been in the room. If she continued to hide, she would only be caught like a turtle in a jar, so she might as well just run away.

Zhan Xinjia used her light-footed skill to step onto the roof, moving as fast as a startled bird. However, the person following closely behind her was also quite skilled. The two chased each other, stepping "tap-tap" on the roof tiles, and for a moment they were unable to widen the distance between them.

Zhan Xin's eyes flashed with a sudden light.

Since only one person is chasing after us...

She abandoned her idea of ​​blending into the crowd and hiding in the city, and instead changed direction, running towards the desolate mountains and forests outside the city gate. The further she ran, the more remote and desolate the roads became.

After about half a cup of tea's time, having been chased all the way to the outskirts of the capital, Zhan Xinjia finally stopped.

She stopped and turned around, and upon closer inspection, she saw that the woman in black named Yan Shuang was indeed chasing after her.

Seeing the girl in front of her suddenly stop, Yan Shuang squinted and carefully examined her, her eyes showing surprise.

"I've seen you before, on the street."

Yan Shuang found it strange at the time that this little girl she didn't know kept chasing after her. Not wanting to cause trouble, she spent a lot of effort to shake off this troublesome opponent.

Moreover, at that time she could clearly sense the hostility and killing intent emanating from the other party, as well as a trembling fear.

She was afraid of herself.

But right now, the girl in front of me looks completely different from that day, as if she's become a different person.

Zhan Xinjia casually broke off a wild grass, put it in his mouth, chewed it expressionlessly, crossed his arms, leaned back against the tree trunk, and exuded a relaxed aura.

Her narrow, almond-shaped eyes were half-closed, her brow bones were raised, and her dark pupils were like a stagnant pool of water, without any ripples.

"Tsk, you actually dared to chase after me."