Bai Tuantuan breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, she managed to smooth things over.
"Now we just wait."
Bai Tuantuan whispered, "But someone needs to stay by the Emperor's side. Ning Nanxiao, you two watch over him. I'll go with Tieguo to find that so-called master."
“Ask him.” Ning Nanxiao gestured with her chin toward Nan Chao. “He won’t tell you?”
Bai Tuantuan shook her head, her expression serious: "I controlled his mind. He's like an idiot now, and he can't understand my questions at all."
As Bai Tuantuan spoke, she took out a talisman, infused it with her vital energy, and handed it to Ning Nanxiao: "Opening this talisman will make him do things according to your instructions."
Ning Nanxiao took it: "Be careful."
Bai Tuantuan and Tie Guo opened the door and quickly left.
The two went directly to the Tower of Ascension. Standing at the highest point, they easily discovered that the entire Ni Yi Kingdom was shrouded in black mist, with the black mist being the densest in the imperial palace.
“Right here.” Iron Pot narrowed his eyes. “After all, the palace is the safest place.”
Bai Tuantuan nodded: "Let's split up and search."
"Wait." Tie Guo pulled Bai Tuan Tuan back and shook his head. "It's too dangerous at night. After all, that's when they're active, while they're in seclusion during the day. We'll search during the day."
Upon hearing this, Bai Tuantuan replied, "Then let's just find a place to sleep?"
Iron Pot curled his lips into a smile: "Fine, go to the Cold Palace."
After all, no one bothers the Cold Palace.
Bai Tuantuan and Tie Guo walked along the wall, seeing many people along the way, all of them thin and bony, with exceptionally bright eyes, like fierce tigers in the mountains.
"They must all know that the Emperor has found a woman, so they're all here to get a share," Bai Tuantuan's words silenced Tie Guo.
Bai Tuantuan pursed her lips: "Ning Nanxiao should be able to handle them. Let's go to the Cold Palace first."
At this moment, Ning Nanxiao was hiding in the emperor's bedroom. Seeing the ministers outside pressuring him, he tore open the talisman and released the news that the woman had been rescued.
These people couldn't sit still any longer, so they led their men to search the entire city.
Fei Qian quickly knocked Nan Chao unconscious.
"Master, what do we do now?"
"Let's rest first." Ning Nanxiao climbed onto the dragon-shaped platform and lay down on it. "We'll talk about it tomorrow."
Fei Qian was stunned. Would it be inappropriate to sleep in someone else's bed like this?
But the master is asleep, so who cares!
In the cold palace, Bai Tuantuan was shocked.
Iron Pot was also furious: "Beast! No, worse than a beast!"
Bai Tuantuan squatted down, looked at the bones scattered all over the ground, and examined them before saying, "They are all girls, the youngest being three years old."
In other words, he was still an infant when...
The iron pot moved inside, trying to avoid the bones, and once inside, it saw the corpse.
"These people must have died recently."
Bai Tuantuan nodded. Although it hadn't been long, there was no chance of survival.
The two continued walking inside, and each room contained corpses and skeletons, which became increasingly horrifying as they looked.
"There's a sound?" Bai Tuantuan suddenly stopped and looked at the iron pot.
Iron Pot rushed to the innermost room and kicked it open!
"Bang!"
A voice rang out.
Bai Tuantuan looked over and saw a thin girl sitting on the ground, looking at them in fear.
After seeing them clearly, he paused for a moment, then quickly stood up: "Were you also captured? Come in quickly."
Bai Tuantuan and Tie Guo exchanged a glance. Tie Guo asked suspiciously, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
The little girl bit her lip and cautiously looked at the iron pot: "I, my name is Nannan, my mother, my sister, and I were captured here..."
Hearing the little girl's words, Bai Tuantuan and the other girl understood.
The little girl was captured. To protect her, her mother and sister deliberately made her pretend to be dead, smearing their own blood on her. The little girl was naturally able to hold her breath for a long time, thus escaping the guards' inspection.
She held her breath and fell asleep. When she woke up, she found herself here, with only her sister's and mother's corpses beside her.
Nannan is eight years old this year, the same age as Tuantuan. She was captured half a year ago, so she is not stupid. She knows that if she wants to live, she can only pretend that she is dead.
Therefore, she pretended to be dead every time soldiers came, and she managed to get by for the better part of half a year.
There was no food in the cold palace, so Nannan would sometimes run out to look for food. If she was lucky, she could find some spoiled steamed buns and dumplings, but if she was unlucky, she would have to go hungry.
Bai Tuantuan took out some food and handed it to Nannan: "Eat slowly."
Nannan's eyes lit up, but she pulled her hand back as soon as she reached out and shook her head: "No, you'll be locked up here for a long time without food. You should save your food. I'm not hungry now. I can go five days without food!"
With a complicated expression, Tie Guo stuffed the buns into Nannan's hands: "Eat, we have plenty!"
"Yes, hurry up and eat. Besides, we weren't arrested. Once you've eaten, we'll take you out."
Nannan was stunned. She looked at the iron pot, then at Bai Tuantuan, and suddenly became excited: "You are fairies from heaven, right? My mother said that as long as I live and pray every day, the fairies will come to save me!"
As she spoke, Nannan was about to kneel down.
Bai Tuantuan hugged Nannan: "You eat first, the fairy will take you out later!"
The little girl nodded obediently, ate the bun in big bites, and her face was full of hope.
"Are you the only one alive here?" Bai Tuantuan handed her another steamed bun. This time, Nannan didn't refuse and answered while eating.
“A few of my sisters survived before, but their injuries were too severe for me to heal…”
Bai Tuantuan didn't say anything more: "Okay, I'll take you away when the sun comes out."
The little girl obediently agreed.
Just as I was about to say something, I heard footsteps outside.
Like a frightened bird, Nannan quickly closed the door, pulled the iron pot and Bai Tuantuan behind the table, and used the corpse to block them: "Fairy sister, don't speak."
Seeing the familiar movements of the little girl, Bai Tuantuan felt a pang of heartache.
"Hurry up and play dead."
Nannan pulled the two of them down to lie down and closed her eyes.
The footsteps outside grew clearer and clearer, indicating that they were approaching them.
The door was opened very quickly.
The moment the door opened, Bai Tuantuan and Tie Guo entered the space, quickly bringing Nannan along as well.
However, Nannan kept her eyes closed, clearly not sensing anything amiss.
The newcomer was likely a general. After glancing around, he stabbed the corpse inside with his knife, then waved his hand: "Go, search outside! I refuse to believe that two women can escape!"
After everyone left, Bai Tuantuan moved Nannan out.
Nannan opened her eyes, looked at the injured corpse, and tears streamed down her face: "She was stabbed again, it must hurt so much..."
The little child squatted beside the corpse, tears streaming down his face.
Bai Tuantuan pursed her lips: "Then, I'll perform a ritual to help them pass on and be reborn into a better life."
Iron Pot looked up in surprise, staring incredulously at White Dumpling. Was this really the Meng Po she knew?
[Back then, so many people begged her to perform rituals for them to be reborn in the afterlife, but she turned and left. Now, she's bringing it up herself.] Tangshao couldn't help but sigh, [Indeed, the cold-blooded and ruthless Meng Po has disappeared!]
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