The sky was clear and blue, as if washed clean, with no wind.
The weather was unusually fine, the snow had stopped, and the harsh winter seemed to have shed its former frigidity. The bright, warm sunlight felt especially comforting on my skin. Further on, there were still some firecracker paper scraps on the bluestone bricks that hadn't been swept away yet, and the festive atmosphere was still strong.
In high spirits, Zhan Xinjia walked towards the front yard and heard a few chirps. She looked up and saw several plump little sparrows perched on the plum tree branches, their dark, beady eyes gazing softly at her.
Happy New Year!
She waved to the sparrows with a smile, and in a flash, a white dove fluttered its wings and landed on her raised hand.
Um? ?
Upon receiving the white dove, Zhan Xinjia suspiciously untied the letter tube tied to its leg. Upon closer inspection, she discovered it was a New Year's greeting from the capital, delivered by Yan Huishi and A Yue, perfectly timed with the date and journey.
Besides the mundane daily routines, the letter also mentioned that her parents missed her very much.
If it weren't for the emperor stopping them, the Zhan couple, who were as anxious as ants on a hot pan, would have chased after Cang Han long ago. Only after Cang Han's side kept sending good news did they feel a little relieved and proud of her.
What puzzled Zhan Xinjia even more was that the letter also mentioned that her father's remaining troops could be mobilized if necessary.
That is, the army that obeys no one's orders except for the Tiger Seal and Zhan Yue himself.
But why should people listen to her?
After thinking about her brother's situation, Zhan Xinjia hesitated whether to write back to tell her parents.
But given her brother's current state, her parents would only feel more upset and guilty if they found out. Besides, she hasn't figured out how to explain regaining her memories yet...
Let's wait until we find a way to cure my brother before we talk about it!
In any case, receiving a letter from a distant relative or close friend undoubtedly brings greater peace of mind.
As she walked toward the front hall, she pondered to herself.
The current ruler of Nanjun is merely a puppet emperor; the true power behind the scenes is likely Wu Lanlian. It's quite obvious that Wu Lanlian has reached an agreement with Mu Yunlan, such as supporting Wu Lanlian as empress and providing Nanjun with troops and weapons.
Of course, Mu Yunlan did all this on Pei Yi's orders.
Since "Pei Yi" said its mission was to overthrow the current Da Sheng, assist Yan Wuju in ascending the throne, and change the country's name, then instigating a war between Da Sheng and Nan Jun was indeed the fastest way, especially since Yan Wuju himself had Nan Jun blood...
Alas, the problem is that Yan Wuju is long dead, and now he is just a puppet body controlled by others.
The self-proclaimed "Pei Yi" who called himself the system spoke nicely, talking about helping the villains and providing strategies, but in reality, no one cared whether Yan Wuju wanted to be the villain or not. In the end, he was just a pawn, a tool for "Pei Yi" to earn points by any means necessary.
However, she hasn't seen Pei Yi and his group since she was rescued from the mine. They wouldn't just let it go like that, she wonders where they're hiding and plotting something...
Thinking about all this, Zhan Xinjia felt like her brain was a complete mess, enough to cook a whole pot of noodle soup.
She shook her head, trying to shake off these messy thoughts—
Never mind, let's go ask Master Shen what he's eating today!
Humming a song, I strolled around the yard. Strangely, I couldn't find Master Shen anywhere, not even in the kitchen, study, or living room. Even more bizarrely, Qiao Qiao and Jide, who had come yesterday, were also nowhere to be seen.
Has everyone gone out?
But Master Shen always informs her or leaves her a note before leaving the house; it's impossible for him to just leave without saying a word.
Feeling slightly uneasy, Zhan Xinjia's good mood vanished due to her current confusion. She slowly sat down at the table in the hall, absentmindedly poured herself a cup of tea, and sipped it.
It's so quiet today...
It's as if everything that happened yesterday was just a dream.
When she awoke from her dream, all the splendor had faded, and she was all alone again.
In a daze, a tall figure appeared on the steps, and someone stood in front of her.
Upon receiving the letter, Jia was overjoyed and perked up.
"Xiao Shen!..."
She turned her head, but before she could finish speaking, she froze in shock.
His pupils contracted sharply, and his face turned deathly pale. Zhan Xinjia stood up abruptly, his body staggering backward a few steps due to excessive fear, aggravating his leg injury. He could only hold onto a low cabinet for support to maintain his balance.
A chill ran through her body, a coldness shooting from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head, causing her heart to pound violently.
Zhan Xinjia took a deep breath and stared intently at the person in front of her.
The young man in the blue shirt waved his fan, still maintaining his gentle and harmless demeanor as a strategist and scholar, a smile playing on his lips, looking quite pleased with himself.
"Has Commandant Zhan been having a good time these past few days?"
"Pei Yi!"
Her knuckles clenched tightly beneath her sleeves, her unease and panic growing stronger. Despite this, Zhan Xinjia could only grit her teeth and maintain a facade of composure, trying to be more rational and calm.
"How did you get here? Where is everyone else?!"
"Tsk, Commander Zhan, why are you so nervous? After all, I'm just here to discuss that unfinished deal from last time... It's been a long and peaceful year, and you wouldn't want to lose such a tranquil and happy life like this, Commander Zhan, would you?"
Speaking slowly and threateningly, Pei Yi smiled and closed his folding fan, then climbed the steps and approached her step by step.
Compared to last time, this time his tone was more confident and assured, and he seemed more at ease.
"Hey, don't rush to refuse—"
"Doesn't Commander Zhan want to know what the final outcome will be if we continue fighting? Perhaps after seeing the ending, you won't want to refuse to cooperate anymore."
"What exactly do you want?!"
"I'm not doing anything, I just want to bring Commandant Zhan to his senses."
A faint glow suddenly appeared in the young man's eyes, and a gust of wind lifted his long, loose hair, making him look wicked and unpredictable.
When Zhan Xinjia realized what was happening, her body was already out of control, as if she had been temporarily restrained by some invisible force. No matter how she struggled, it was useless, and she couldn't even move her fingertips.
The closed folding fan handle disdainfully lifted her chin. Zhan Xinjia's eyes narrowed, and she suddenly remembered that "Pei Yi" seemed to have inadvertently revealed that the system couldn't personally harm the characters in the storybook...
At least it can't do anything directly to her or anyone else right now.
Even so, she still couldn't find peace of mind.
"What have you done to the others?!"
"Don't worry, once Commandant Zhan wakes up from his dream, he will naturally see the person he is meant to meet."
Dream?
Upon receiving this strange answer, before he could even ask another question, Zhan Xinjia's gaze suddenly became unfocused, his consciousness gradually blurred, his vision darkened, and he collapsed to the ground, falling into a deep sleep.
Her body felt like it was falling off a cliff, and the intense feeling of weightlessness made her instinctively start to struggle.
Then consciousness seemed to float and sink in the sea, gently propelled and swaying with the waves.
When I opened my eyes, all I saw was a vast expanse of white, empty light.
She reached out her hand, but couldn't grasp anything. In her hazy state, it felt as if something was being peeled from her body and then reimplanted.
After an unknown amount of time, the faint sounds of fireworks and firecrackers, the laughter of passersby, the shouts of vendors, and the playful chasing of children gradually came to mind... All the sounds slowly became clearer, and the images gradually became vivid.
When she came to her senses again, she was already standing on an unfamiliar street.
If the scene before her hadn't been so unfamiliar, she would have almost thought that what she had just experienced was just a nightmare, and that when she woke up, Master Shen and everyone else were still around her, celebrating the New Year with her.
Now, she knows very well that this is not a dream, or perhaps it is a dream, but she just can't wake up on her own.
The sky hung low, a hazy, pale blue.
Snowflakes kept falling onto her shoulders and hair. The girl, dressed only in a thin dress, stood in the snow in a daze, raising her hand to catch the snow in confusion. This strange behavior attracted the attention of passersby.
In the crowd, she was like an outcast.
Where is this...?
The moment this question arose, an unfamiliar memory appeared out of nowhere in Zhan Xinjia's mind.
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