The sky was a clear, bright blue-white, and beneath the green tiles and white walls, the snowflakes blown down by the wind resembled pear blossoms drifting away in the distance.
Suddenly falling and losing weight, Zhan Xinjia only felt a blur before her eyes. The next second, she was caught steadily by the person under the eaves and landed precisely in his cold, hard embrace.
She froze, her head buzzing, a mental storm raging.
My heart was pounding violently, vibrating like a drum, almost exceeding my threshold.
She stiffly turned her head and looked up at the person in front of her.
The person who caught her was a slender and tall young man, who was aloof and indifferent, as clear and flawless as a mirror.
She wore a plain white robe with wide sleeves, her knee-length black hair was lightly tied up with a jade hairpin, and her long hair cascaded down her back like fine silk, shimmering with a soft light in the clear day after the snow.
Looking up, he was wearing a plain white mask, with a patch of skin peeking out between the mask and his collar, pale as snow.
At this moment, a pair of light blue eyes beneath the mask were staring at her with a slightly scrutinizing gaze.
He frowned, his pupils narrowing slightly, as if confirming something.
Immediately afterwards, her beautiful, jade-like eyes shimmered, and her slender, peach-blossom eyes were like a gentle breeze rippling across a snow-covered lake, carrying the lingering warmth of the first snow after the sun had cleared.
His eyes were surprisingly clear, with a faint smile.
"I caught you."
His voice was deep, as if he didn't speak often; the syllables coming from his throat were hoarse and unclear.
Zhan Xinjia's heart pounded wildly. She looked up, her eyes wide with confusion as she frowned at him.
A subtle, indescribable feeling welled up within her, but she was certain it wasn't repulsion, but rather a strange familiarity that even she found odd, as if they had met before…
No, the real problem is, who the hell is this?!
She soon found out the answer—
"Lord! An assassin has infiltrated the manor! Are you alright?!"
A squad of guards with swords rushed over.
When they saw that the young man was carrying a strange little girl with a blank expression in his arms, they were stunned for a moment, and immediately lowered their heads and pressed their heads down tightly, none of them daring to say anything.
The young man nodded and responded calmly.
"Has anything been stolen from the manor?"
"Your study was ransacked by that assassin; it was a complete mess, and the defense map that was supposed to be under the inkstone seems to be missing..."
The lead guard wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, trembling with fear, his legs shaking, terrified of being held accountable.
The young man, having received a reply, looked down at the girl in his arms, raising an eyebrow slightly, indicating that she should explain.
Zhan Xinjia felt a little awkward under his gaze.
"Hahaha..."
She forced a smile, blinked, and tried to feign innocence.
"Hehe...would you believe me if I said I didn't take it?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the defense map she had haphazardly stuffed into her arms fell to the ground with a "thud," and the atmosphere suddenly became quiet.
She fell silent.
It's one thing to be caught stealing by the city lord, but the real problem is why this person kept holding onto her and wouldn't let go!
Just as Zhan Xinjia began to consider the possibility of simply killing all these people and then arrogantly leaving, the young man smiled, chuckled, and carefully placed her on the ground.
Just like he had done it a thousand times before, he bent down and gently and meticulously straightened her slightly disheveled collar.
Zhan Xinjia was startled by the overly intimate gesture and quickly stepped back to avoid it.
The young man paused in his finger movements, his lowered eyelashes trembled slightly, and his expression seemed somewhat lonely and hurt.
He bent down, picked up the defense map from the ground, and neatly folded it. In front of his personal guards, he openly and honestly put it back into the little girl's palm, his expression unchanged, calm and composed, as if he were just discussing the weather.
"Why are you still so careless? You'd better learn a lesson this time."
Zhan Xinjia: "..."
Personal guard: "..."
No, is this correct?
The guard tried to stop him, but the young man looked up and gave him an unfriendly look, emphasizing his tone.
"Since the defense map has been lost, I don't need to teach you how to answer when the Princess asks, do I?"
Under the intensely intimidating gaze of the young man, the bodyguard broke out in a cold sweat, feeling as if he were being pricked by needles. He quickly and respectfully replied, "Yes."
"Then, Lord City Lord, we will take our leave."
After the pursuers left, Zhan Xinjia, who was completely bewildered, held the defense map in his palm and was at a loss for what to do.
She should say something now.
Thanks?
Just as she was completely confused, the young man turned and left, leaving her only his receding figure.
So...did she successfully steal it?
Holding the defense map, Zhan Xinjia swaggered out of the city lord's mansion. After meeting up with Qiaoqiao and Wangcai, he still felt light as if he were walking on cotton, as if he were in a dream.
After pouring herself a cup of hot tea, Zhan Xinjia took a few sips to warm herself up. She then decided to ask Wangcai for some information.
After all, Wangcai has spent more time in Canghan City than she has.
"Lord Nian'an?"
Wangcai scratched the back of his head.
"Um... I heard that this city lord seems to have some serious illness, or his health has never been very good. He wears a mask because his face was slashed by an assassin when he was attacked many years ago."
That's all he knows. After all, the city lord of Nian'an City has always been mysterious, and even the king of Nanjun probably doesn't know much about him.
Zhan Xinjia fell into deep thought.
In that brief moment of contact, Zhan Xinjia had already noticed that his body was as cold as ice and as hard as jade. Moreover, it wasn't just a matter of being cold-blooded; he was practically like a lifeless corpse.
Upon closer reflection, his skin was also unnaturally pale, as if there were no blood vessels flowing beneath his skin.
If Zhan Xinjia hadn't had contact and conversations with him, he would probably have thought he had been dead for many years. But then again, it seems that Prince Yan Wuju has always been in this state...
Could they have the same disease?
By the way, accumulate good deeds!
Holy crap, I was so nervous I forgot about accumulating merit! She swears, what she saw was definitely accumulating merit!
Why is Ji De located in the City Lord's Mansion?
Originally, she thought that she could go back and report after stealing the map, but now Zhan Xinjia was really worried about her old friend Jide. In addition, she was also concerned about the mysterious city lord's subtle attitude towards her.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhan Xinjia handed the blueprints to Qiaoqiao.
"You two take your things and go back first. I'll stay in the city for another night and return to the camp tomorrow morning."
"Ah Zhi?!"
"Oh, okay, don't worry, I have important things to do."
You all know how important these blueprints are to Dasheng. Now that we have them, we absolutely cannot let them be taken back. You escort the blueprints away first; I'm fine."
Despite their continued concerns, Qiaoqiao and Wangcai finally relented and agreed, despite Zhan Xinjia's repeated assurances.
After all, if Azhi were truly in danger, even ten more of them wouldn't make a difference. They were just like decorative ornaments or mascots next to Azhi, utterly useless, mere fashionable junk items.
Watching the carriage leave the city, Zhan Xinjia gulped down the entire pot of tea that had already gone cold.
After paying the bill, she was planning to sneak back to the city lord's mansion to try and get Ji De out of trouble, but as soon as she stepped out of the teahouse, she bumped into a snow-white pony galloping towards her in the middle of the road.
Thank goodness, if she hadn't dodged quickly to the side, she would have been hit and killed.
She managed to dodge it, but the girl riding the horse wasn't so lucky. She crashed into a roadside stall and fell flat on her face, scattering vegetables and eggs all over the ground.
As the girl stood up, cursing and swearing, clutching the whip, Zhan Xinjia took a closer look—
Oh, it's someone I know! Isn't this Princess Liuyu?
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