Encounter

"worry."

“——?”

The boy turned around and looked at the adult man who was walking slowly out from the street corner.

"What's wrong?"

The man glanced at the corpse behind the young man and frowned, saying, "Don't go too far. The killer before was..."

"Not at all." The young man chuckled nonchalantly and slowly put away the chain whip. "Last time, he said something he shouldn't have said, but this time, I didn't delay for long."

He glanced at the man lying silent on the ground and kicked him twice. "It would be bad if someone found out and caught us. I'm helping my sister deal with the mess."

The man and the boy looked at each other for a moment, then turned and walked out of the remote alley.

"They won't make the connection, but things on her end are unpredictable... In any case, you have to handle the aftermath properly."

The young man casually wiped the black blood from his fingertips, spread his hands, tilted his head and smiled: "I know, I promise to keep my 'sister' in the dark."

—

"So you encountered thieves on your way to find Miss Jiang?"

"Um."

Ai lowered his head to brush off the dust on his face and continued, "I haven't seen the young lady. Is she not here?"

Yan responded, and Ben, who had been leaning casually against the tree, straightened up. "It's getting late, let's go meet up with Yan first. She might have run into him on the way."

"good."

Ai responded indifferently and flew straight towards the point where they had agreed to meet before Yan went on the mission.

The broad outline of Shichan Hall was shrouded in darkness, the cries of jackdaws echoed with the dead trees, and the lush trees lined up in rows, becoming the final embellishment under the high walls.

Xuan walked slower than Ai. Before leaving the tree he leaned against, he looked back with a hint of feeling.

That dark place, having lost all its former colors, was like a withered painting, silently watching today's entire pantomime, burying the answer in the shadows.

Did he forget something?

Yan narrowed his eyes, trying to see the black spot where his sight fell more clearly, but in the end he felt a pain at the back of his head, his eyes went black for a moment, and his view turned to the front.

Yan and Jiang Nian walked out of the hidden basement of Huachao Club onto the flat ground and happened to meet Ai. Several dark shadows stopped not far in front of him, all looking back at him.

“…”

The strange feeling in his heart lingered, and he lowered his eyes and walked in front of the crowd while thinking about something.

"It's getting late. It's not easy to stay here for long. Let's go back and talk."

The sudden incident in the afternoon caught everyone off guard, but because there was a backup plan, the overall situation was still under control.

Jiang Nian's gaze shifted from the building behind him to Ai.

As luck would have it, Ai was looking at her.

The two girls looked at each other for a moment, then looked away and smiled knowingly.

Yan observed all the changes in the expressions of the people around him, and after having a contest in his mind, he raised his hand and beckoned to the troops hiding nearby.

"Go guard that door and report back to me tomorrow."

"yes."

After briefly explaining the matter, he gestured to everyone.

"Okay, let's go back and exchange clues, shall we?"

—

Not much happened in one day. To put it simply, a meeting that was being manipulated by someone with ulterior motives was disrupted by someone with an opposite opinion.

There is quite a bit of free information mixed in there.

"Will the troops guarding the Huachao Club be okay?"

The venue of the meeting was not far from the State Guesthouse. In order to facilitate the travel of the nobles, it was set up at the border between the nobles and the common people.

However, compared to other activities with clear boundaries, this gathering is obviously more biased towards the nobility, and the common people who can enter are considered to be wealthy businessmen among the common people.

"No, if there is a problem, a signal will be sent."

"The troops waiting nearby will know."

Yan blocked Yan's question, observed his expression for a moment, and made a final conclusion: "What happened? You haven't looked good since we gathered."

Having his companion of many years see through his thoughts that he was trying to hide, Yan wanted to just brush it off, but when he thought of Jiang Nian who was also present, he had no choice but to say:

"Nothing, I just feel like I forgot something."

A's task was to stay behind the tree the whole time and wait for the gathering. He just had to keep one hand in case of emergency. He didn't need to remember anything in particular. After all, he was not the main force in this operation.

"Yeah?"

Yan responded meaningfully, remained silent for a while, looked at the scenery passing by the window, and said casually:

"Maybe I'll remember it after a while."

"Will it?"

Yan glanced at Yan, who tilted his head to the side, and his facial expression could not be seen.

"I don't think I'll remember it. After all, I feel like I'll be encountering some supernatural things lately."

"Things about gods and ghosts?"

Jiang Nian, who was resting with his eyes closed, quietly opened his eyes and looked at his hands resting on his legs, a strange color flashed in his eyes.

"Yes, haven't you heard of an anecdote from Cang County?"

"The temple is filled with blood mist and is empty. A traveler from afar wants to stay here for the night to avoid the cold wind and frost outside."

"He saw at the temple gate a statue that had been provided by the dilapidated village at the foot of the mountain. The statue was engraved with the image of their beloved village chief."

"The village chief's reputation spread far and wide. He must have done a lot of good things in his lifetime."

The traveler thought so, bowed to the statue outside the temple, and then entered the temple filled with blood mist.

"Hey—wait, why does this temple look so eerie, and why do travelers want to go in?"

Yan raised his hand to interrupt Yan's anecdote.

"——It's snowing heavily, and there's nowhere to hide. I guess the only option is to go to the temple."

"Really? All right then."

Yan nodded reluctantly.

Yan looked away and continued speaking under everyone's gaze:

"The traveler entered the temple, closed the old door, and slept there for the night."

"The next morning, the heavy snow outside stopped. The traveler opened the door and saw that the statues outside the temple were no longer in their original state. Perhaps it was because the dew was even heavier the night before, so he couldn't see clearly in the falling snow."

"The statue's appearance is exactly the same as the traveler's face."

"While the traveler was surprised, he suddenly saw people covering his back. The villagers who had appeared from other places surrounded him with smiles on their faces, calling him the village chief."

"No matter how the traveler explained that he was a passing visitor, not the village chief, the villagers seemed to be unable to hear his explanation and happily took over the new 'village chief'."

"From then on, the village under the temple became brand new and prosperous again."

"And the blood mist in the temple has become even thicker."

“…”

Jiang Nian's fingertips curled up unconsciously.

Yan glanced at Jiang Nian thoughtfully and said calmly, "Tell me, after a divine or ghostly creature replaces a person, is that person still the same person?"

Yan didn't realize the message contained in this. He paused for a moment, and when he saw that no one else responded, he immediately said, "Of course not. They were all replaced by gods and ghosts, so what they did is what gods and ghosts would do."

"So after being controlled by a supernatural being, will he still have his original memories when he is contacted and controlled again?"

"...Probably not? Or maybe?"

Yan was silent for a moment, then smiled and changed the subject.

"Don't think about it. What you said makes me almost suspect that you have encountered some kind of supernatural thing."

"Remember, Pavilion Master and Duke Xiao don't believe in gods or ghosts. Be careful not to be overheard by them."

“…”

Yan stared at Jiang Nian for a moment, then looked away and said lightly, "Yeah."

Did he discover something?

Jiang Nian felt that the other person's gaze was no longer on him, and his suddenly tense emotions instantly relaxed.

I haven't met Yan during today's operation, and I rarely deal with him on weekdays.

If I have to say, the few times I have met Yan were either when Xiao Yingzhu was present, or when we were setting out together like now.

Xiao Yingzhu had spent a month finding out her background, so there was no reason for Yan to find out anything so quickly.

Or rather—

The man who looked so much like the inner worshiper in the afternoon suddenly appeared in her mind. The man's golden eyes and long hair lingered in her mind for a moment.

Will Yan see the strange person like her?

When we get to the rest area later, go ask him.

—

While he was thinking, the carriage stopped in front of the State Guest House.

Originally, they should have moved to Qin Lan's mansion in the days before the Flower Festival was held.

But perhaps because the mansion had been uninhabited for too long, the empty rooms were covered with dust and the shadows of some small animals.

The thorough cleaning would take several days, so while Qin Lan and other housekeepers were directing the servants, Jiang Nian stayed in the State Guesthouse temporarily.

The curtain moved slightly and a corner was lifted up because the carriage stopped.

Jiang Nian let out a sigh of relief, feeling relieved by the sound of Yan and Yan discussing anecdotes. He raised his hand to open the curtain and was the first to get off the carriage.

Coming out of the warm room and being exposed to the cold air, she couldn't help but shiver. The moment she turned around to wait for Ai, Xiao Yingzhu's figure came into her sight.

“…”

During those few days, she mostly stayed with Ai.

The last time I spoke to Xiao Yingzhu was when I gave him the tracking powder.

I don’t know if that bag of powder was ever put to good use.

Now seeing the person he had never expected to meet, Jiang Nian was stunned. Before he could look away, his eyes met Xiao Yingzhu's.

Should she say hello?

Before she could come up with a solution, Xiao Yingzhu shifted her gaze and looked at the last two people who had just come out of the carriage.

Yan and Yan.

When the two men saw Duke Xiao standing there, a look of surprise flashed across their faces. After looking at each other and exchanging information, they both bowed their heads and saluted.

"Duke Xiao."

Xiao Yingzhu nodded at them casually, then turned her gaze back to Jiang Nian.

Chen Mo's pupils reflected her image, and his words fell along with that imperceptible scrutiny.

"Come here."

“…”

It was not good to offend Xiao Yingzhu in front of others. Even though Jiang Nian didn't want to get along with Xiao Yingzhu now, she still looked calm and submissive. She raised her hand to brush away the hair falling by her ears and walked to his side.

Before she could even look him in the eye, Xiao Yingzhu finished her inspection, looked away casually, and spoke casually.

"Did you get hurt today?"

Jiang Nian opened his mouth and was about to answer when he caught Yan and Yan's gossipy gazes out of the corner of his eye.

When he looked away again, the next moment he was met with Ai's gaze, which was as straight and lifeless as a wooden fish, but seemed to be condemning him.

It seems like they are complaining that they are doing things that are not worth mentioning in an arrogant manner.

Especially in front of single people.

...weird thoughts.

After questioning why he had such a wrong idea but couldn't find a solution, Jiang Nian paused and stopped his wandering thoughts.

She stood there and waited for a moment. Seeing that Xiao Yingzhu didn't continue speaking, she quietly moved a few steps to the side.

Perhaps this "quietly" was no different from "obviously" in his eyes, and Jiang Nian could feel his indifferent gaze even with his head lowered.

She remained calm and resolute, and after she had distanced herself from him, she raised her eyes and continued seriously:

"Anything else? Let's talk about it together."