action

The area around Huachaohui is very chaotic, and you may encounter danger wherever you go.

Jiang Nian was silent for a moment and responded softly.

"Well, by the way, let's see where the young lady from the prefecture is."

"Hmm?"

Ai turned his head and a hint of surprise flashed across his face.

"who?"

Jiang Nian briefly summarized the incident that had just happened.

She shook the wooden sign in her hand and then put it into her sleeve.

"It would be better if the wishing note was in the hands of its owner rather than me."

"By the way—"

A wind suddenly blew in the backyard of Shichan Hall, stirring up the water in the fish pond.

The black pupils were bright, Jiang Nian blinked, and the pupils suddenly contracted, reflecting the things reflected in the darkness.

As the space overlapped and misaligned, a figure suddenly appeared in front of the fish pond. The man was extremely tall, with bright golden eyes under his black hair. He flashed in her eyes for a moment, and then disappeared in the folded space.

The instinctive reaction of his body made Jiang Nian suddenly hold his breath and tense his nerves, and he subconsciously clenched the wooden sign in his hand.

The wind from the woods behind her was cool and gently brushed against the back of her neck.

"Miss......"

Jiang Nian stopped talking for some reason and looked towards the fish pond as if he had discovered something.

Ai gripped the scabbard and followed her gaze. There was nothing else in the pond except a few red and orange goldfish with their bellies turned upside down.

It seemed that it was approaching evening and there was some dust mixed in the wind, so the water in the fish pond was no longer clear, but looked a little foggy and turbid.

"Um."

Jiang Nian came back to his senses and subconsciously glanced at the fish pond.

The fish that were swimming happily just now has been gone for a while now.

"...It's nothing, I just saw it wrong." She looked away and stopped looking at the fish pond where the strange thing appeared. She stood up straight and raised her hand to signal Ai to go forward.

"Forget about that. The most important thing right now is to investigate the clues and protect the prefect's daughter."

Seeing that Jiang Nian had no intention of saying more, Ai did not ask any further questions and quickly took on the task of clearing the surrounding obstacles.

Different from other people who were dressed gorgeously, they deliberately chose simple and convenient clothes to attend the Flower Festival today.

The purpose is to make the action more convenient and faster.

—

The soldiers patrolling the backyard of Shichan Hall seemed to have evaporated into thin air and disappeared without a trace.

A few days before the Flower Festival, in order to make the plan go more smoothly, Xiao Yingzhu ordered someone to arrange a special training for Jiang Nian. If I had to describe it, it was a quick version of self-defense.

Although the number of days was short and my combat and reaction strategies were only at a passing level, my physical strength has indeed improved a lot compared to before.

For example, the special operations planned after the mutation can be carried out quickly under Ai's guidance and keep up with Ai's pace.

However, from Jiang Nian's perspective, Ai still deliberately slowed down to let her catch up.

After all, compared with those who have been training for years and fighting for survival, three days of training is just a drop in the bucket and it is really hard to compare.

The decorative garden outside the corridor is not very winding, but it is easy to view from, and you can use some hidden obstacles to observe the movements under the wishing tree and the gate of Shichan Hall.

Ai led the way and ran, stopping at a spot he had scouted in advance in case of emergency. He pulled Jiang Nian, who had just caught his breath, and hid behind a fake rock.

"The people under the tree are still standing in a standoff, but Shichantang—" With his excellent eyesight after special training, Ai Ka adjusted his perspective, observed Shichantang, and paused for a moment.

"The taste of blood."

Jiang Nian couldn't climb up as skillfully as Ai by using the uneven surface of the fake stone, so he could only stand below and listen to Ai's report.

“…”

Everything in sight was gray, and occasionally, by moving the viewpoint, one could see green mixed with the lingering rhythm of dusk.

"Can you see if there's anyone inside?"

On the way to the garden, the side door of Shichan Hall had been blocked. It was not the best time to break in now, as it would easily alert the enemy.

"Well, no."

Ai held the knife and flipped down from the fake stone.

There is a giant rockery next to them. As long as they stay here before dark, they will not encounter any danger.

But we have a mission to accomplish, and even though this is a safe hiding place that can accommodate two people, we cannot be too greedy.

"We'll split up."

Seeing Ai take out the map before attending the Flower Festival from his sleeve, Jiang Nian glanced at the wooden box on the ground.

"The incense feast will definitely not be completed now. This wooden box... is it just going to be left here?"

To be honest, before attending the Flower Festival, the gift Qin Lan said he would give her was this wooden box.

The wooden box should have been obtained after the frank conversation with Yu He and Meng Zheng on the day of the announcement, but many unexpected things happened that night.

Thinking of the group of people who entered the State Guest House, Jiang Nian frowned.

The investigation activities and information of that group of people were not within her responsibilities, so the subsequent investigation was taken over by Xiao Yingzhu.

But with Xiao Yingzhu's meticulous and suspicious nature, it was impossible for him to tell her on his own initiative.

So Jiang Nian still doesn’t know the identity of that group of people.

But it’s not a big deal. She just needs to know that those people are here for Xiao Yingzhu’s mother’s manuscript.

The manuscript is still in their hands and is kept very carefully.

"--Besides, some of the things in here are for saving your life, so you should take some with you, young lady."

"Hmm." Ai looked at the wooden box thoughtfully, knocked on the middle a few times, and the box opened. She took out an object from it familiarly and handed it to Jiang Nian.

"This is something the young lady developed earlier. The Pavilion Master said that after some refinements, its effectiveness has increased."

Following Jiang Nian's gaze, Ai handed the bottle of modern-looking perfume to Jiang Nian.

"This is the bottle I mentioned earlier, made to the young lady's liking."

She sprayed the rockery as a demonstration.

"This incense not only stuns people and masks many odors, but also creates a white powdery trail along the target's path."

"This is what the Pavilion Master gave me. I haven't used it yet."

Ai put the perfume bottle in Jiang Nian's hand.

"Because not many of the parts were produced, so—"

Jiang Nian smiled softly and looked up at Ai: "So save some money?"

“…”

Ai coughed and said thoughtfully, "The soldiers are quite stingy, but they are generous to the young lady."

"Just kidding, I know. It depends on the timing, right?"

After all, it has only been tested by the military and has not been tested by Ai, so its usability and effect are still unknown, so it is not very reliable.

The perfume bottle self-defense item looks like a decoration, but compared to the pepper spray I used a month ago, this bottle of perfume is more concealed and convenient, and may have a greater improvement in the degree and range of stun.

Jiang Nian laughed, and after a brief observation, she put away the bottle of perfume given by Qin Lan.

"Then split into two groups."

"You go look for clues, and I'll look for the whereabouts of Miss Zhizhou."

Ai's slightly cheerful expression immediately turned serious.

"The situation in Shichan Hall is unclear. If it is not necessary, please search the surrounding forests for dangers."

"Yeah, I understand."

—

Shichan Hall is located near the garden. Because of the foreign invaders, the soldiers patrolling here were affected and no one stayed here to investigate the situation.

Taking advantage of the shelters of the garden and the corridor, Jiang Nian easily returned to the corridor outside Shichan Hall.

The building here has the same structure as that of the Princess's residence at that time. Therefore, the closer to the gate, the more light comes in and the greater the chance of exposing your figure.

The thin clouds in the sky outside the house made the setting sun look like blood, and long shadows were cast under the pitch-red color.

That is the brewing and hint before the next rainstorm comes.

Unlike Ai Jie’s tools, which are all for output, Jiang Nian’s tools are all for self-defense, and there will be no gentle things that involve fighting and killing.

Therefore, instead of confronting it head-on, the best option is to deal with it wisely and cleverly.

“…”

The atmosphere ahead was too heavy, and the air was filled with the smell of rust.

Because of the special training in the previous three days, Jiang Nian's sensitivity to changes in the surroundings has improved a lot compared to before.

Standing outside the carved window, she took a deep breath, sensing every move nearby.

There was the sound of stones being blown up and falling by the wind, the friction sound of leaves being blown down, and the subtle whistling sound of dust flying and falling on the corridor.

Jiang Nian clenched the wooden sign in his hand, placed his hand on the gap between the carved windows, and pushed the door slightly.

—

Unlike the main gate, the door she pushed was an inconspicuous back door in Shichan Hall. Before she went to the garden with Ai, this door was blocked by the debris outside the house.

Speaking of clutter...

Jiang Nian subconsciously glanced at the pile of wooden boxes stacked high behind the door.

Meng Yao put a lot of thought into this Flower Festival. The venue was cleaned inside and out, and places like the corridor, which were prone to dust accumulation, were cleaned to look like new.

In a place where such guests might come and go, would there be wooden boxes piled up here?

Jiang Nian looked back at the back door which was pushed open a little.

The light coming in from the corridor was not enough to shine into the door, and she also blocked some of the already weak light.

The colors revealed in that narrow gap were all a darkness that was almost bottomless.

The deep black seemed to have an invisible attraction in the old light, slowly circling in Jiang Nian's sight, silently inviting her to come in.

What it exudes is a dead-like loneliness.

Should she go in now, or choose to investigate this wooden box that looks a bit out of place?

Faced with the choice question suddenly placed before him, Jiang Nian estimated the height of the stacked wooden boxes with his eyes.

——If the middle is hollowed out, it can actually accommodate one person.

Whether standing or squatting.

As if sensing someone standing motionless outside the corridor, the wooden box in front of Jiang Nian shook slightly as if blown by the wind.

“!”

Realizing that this wooden box was as tall as himself, his thoughts intertwined and connected instantly like an electric current, and he came up with an answer that seemed outrageous but actually made some sense.

His heart was hanging in the balance, being pulled by a thin string, forcing Jiang Nian to make the corresponding choice at this moment.

“…”

Jiang Nian closed his eyes, took out the wooden token that had been warmed by his grip from his sleeve, raised his hand to touch the gap in the wooden box in front of him, and then threw the only wooden token in his hand that could reach the bottom into it.