Between their intertwined fingers, there seemed to be something moist and slippery.
I looked down, scrutinizing and trying to discern the truth. I was extremely reluctant to admit it, but it was clearly blood, a dark crimson tinged with black. I looked up, wanting to ask him what was wrong, but dark red slowly seeped from his ink-black eyes. His skin seemed to be burning, slowly rotting and peeling away. His skin and muscles went limp and dissipated before my eyes, turning into a pool of blood.
My toes were cold and wet; his blood had soaked through my embroidered shoes.
Suddenly, my palm felt empty. All that remained of him was his skeleton, scattered haphazardly before my eyes. The hand that had just held mine was now barely recognizable.
There was no screaming or shouting; I just watched him quietly as his bones crumbled into dust, mixed with blood, and seeped into the ground.
A chill spread slowly from my heart.
"When I die, I will surely vanish into nothingness, so you won't have to wait in vain for my return."
The same words rang in my ears again, but there wasn't a soul in sight around me.
To vanish into thin air—it's said so easily, as if it were nothing extraordinary. Is there truly no one in the world who knows the weight of those four words?
Where do souls without an afterlife go?
"Go, there's no place for you in this world. Go, don't look back." The voice rang out again, and suddenly everything became clear before my eyes.
It was still dark, but the window was open, and moonlight streamed in. The snow had stopped, and the thick white blanket of snow reflected the moonlight so brightly that it was almost unbearable to look at.
I closed the window before going to bed.
I walked over, and the sky outside the window was bright and clear. There was no wind tonight; the weather was unusually mild.
It wasn't me, it wasn't the wind, so how did this window open? Who opened it?
The soldiers on night watch would always tell me to lock the door, and now that lock is still intact on the door, but it's clear that someone has been inside.
Something flashed through my mind, and I closed my eyes to grasp this fleeting thought, vaguely understanding something.
Two or three ordinary soldiers might not be able to influence the course of the battle, but when I left, Jimo did not send a single soldier; now that I have returned after a near-death experience, he has sent seven extraordinary people. Isn't he worried about something going wrong?
Unless the army was going on a campaign or returning from a campaign, Ji Mo never ordered his men to wear the armor of the Jiugao Army, in order to avoid disturbing the civilians. However, these seven men never took off their armor, as if they couldn't wait to make it known to everyone that Ji Mo had sent them to pick them up.
With seven people taking turns keeping watch, there should be no problem. But now, my window is wide open and no one notices.
Perhaps some things are right in front of me, but I don't notice them because I don't look at them. But at this moment, I understand them so clearly.
No matter what, these seven people aren't from Jimo. The situation in the south is critical, and every soldier has to fulfill their duties. No one can relax and accompany me on my journeys across the country. These people must be spies sent by Fuqi. Just like back then, when I was captured by Basiljiyu, Fuqi wants Jimo dead, and to this extent, he's insidiously trying to drag women into it as well.
I feel ashamed, but I can't change the situation. Now, all I can do is try to get out of here. As long as I can escape, I won't be caught so easily in the next two days.
How could I escape? Seven burly men were guarding outside; this window was probably where one of them had come in. Ji Mo had taken me to war and had indeed taught me self-defense, but facing so many men, whose arm was I supposed to break? My own or theirs?
Fortunately, I always carried that ice box with me, even at night when there were people guarding it outside, I always remembered to hide it well. If that box were lost, wouldn't I have to apologize to the whole world?
I bowed again to check everything, and after confirming that everything was alright, I pressed my temples, unlocked the door, went out, looked at everyone in the hall, and coughed lightly.
Seven pairs of eyes turned to look at them simultaneously.
I suppressed my discomfort, hugged my shoulders, trembling slightly, and timidly glanced back at the open window in the room. Immediately afterward, I heard a series of hurried footsteps.
I never spoke to them, yet they learned to understand all my body language. They assumed that when I saw the window, I thought someone had come in and was afraid.
I was truly terrified. If I hadn't discovered it, how long would they have followed me? It's been so long already; were they going to stay right up to Ji Mo's side and then stab him...?
I dared not think about it, and simply moved step by step toward the outside. There was another person guarding outside, his gaze fixed on the room, but I felt it was directed at me. I was certain that if I were to run away now, I would never escape this post station.
I pressed my lower back and stood against the wall.
I have always been physically weak, and ever since the incident at Wolongkou, my lower back has often ached. These people know this and have given me a lot of support. And now, the tense atmosphere is making my lower back uncomfortable again.
I slowly bent down and squatted down. My back pain wasn't that bad, but I wanted to get that person to come over, so I did it as usual.
"Miss Liao, how are you?"
He did indeed come over, his face somewhat stiff, perhaps because the moonlight was too cold.
I shook my head slightly, gritting my teeth. He simply bowed behind me, not even letting a wisp of his robe touch me. Everyone knows I don't like people getting too close.
I beckoned, and he obediently lowered his body even further.
I silently swallowed my unease and fear. Just then, the wind rattled the window, and the moonlight vanished in an instant.
For safety reasons, they never turn on the lights at night. At this moment, it is pitch black all around, so dark that you can't see your hand in front of your face.
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