The faint morning light had just begun to shine through, and the sky was foggy.
The morning birds in the yard were chirping noisily, and Ding Weixiang's green figure flashed past the window. It was unknown whether he had just returned from an exploration somewhere.
The trembling gradually subsided, and she finally got rid of the haze of the dream and returned to reality.
She is currently on the territory of the Shen family in Heimu County, Huozhou. She just arrived last night and just spent the night there.
Yet, she vaguely felt that she had experienced the same dream before. However, she could no longer remember the content of that dream, leaving only a vague shadow.
She looked at the man in front of her in a daze. When she was about to mention the Jingbo Tower that appeared in her dream, Ding Weixiang walked quickly into the room.
"Master, someone is coming."
He then stood up and blocked Ding Weixiang's sight.
"Let's go."
Xiao Nanhui quickly put away the dagger on the cushion and followed Jiang into the yard, where he saw the familiar figure appear at the gate.
"Are the three of you resting okay?"
I originally planned to stay up all night and keep vigil, but in the end I had two nightmares in a row. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
Xiao Nanhui forced a smile.
"fine."
The old woman nodded and signaled to the three gray-clad guards following behind her. The three men stepped forward one by one, each holding a blindfold in their hands.
"To enter the inner courtyard, you must be blindfolded. I hope you three don't mind?"
Xiao Nanhui didn't say anything, but gave Ding Weixiang beside him a look without any expression.
Ding Weixiang obviously understood what she meant, but he didn't respond much. He just took the lead and stepped forward to take the blindfold.
She understood and knew that the other party and his master must have already come up with some countermeasures, so she followed their advice.
"No problem. Please, Madam, lead the way."
At first, when she put on the blindfold, she would silently record the number of steps and changes in direction in her mind, but after a long time, her mind began to feel dizzy.
She finally understood the donkey pulling the millstone in the backyard of Wangchen Tower. Darkness makes people tired, and the emptiness of not knowing the way forward can make people lose their fighting spirit.
However, just like a person who is about to fall asleep often wakes up, she suddenly became alert, forced herself to mobilize her thoughts, and began to carefully recall everything she had seen since setting foot in Heimu County.
The boat she had taken had sailed downstream, but upon reaching the mudflats, she saw many small boats secretly transporting coal choosing to sail upstream with cargo and return empty. This was rare at other ports, but one possibility remained: the Hun River was an absolutely safe shipping route for the Shen family. Ordinary cargo ships often encountered banditry in the river, and even coal ships were not immune. However, if the entire Hun River waterway was controlled by the Shen family, the possibility of problems was greatly reduced, making it an absolutely secure shipping route, even if it took a little longer.
The Shen family once controlled an army, and even if the dynasty changed, the roots were deep and could not be completely eradicated in a single day. However, aside from the gray-clad guards, she hadn't seen any other significant troops nearby. Perhaps this invisible "army" was hidden in the boats that plied the Dull River, revealing itself only when necessary.
When she first came to Huozhou and returned after obtaining the secret seal, Hao Bai took the faster water route, but that person chose the more dangerous mountain road. Perhaps there was the same reason behind it.
Thinking of this, she suddenly realized something.
From the gray-clad guards to the boatmen and boatmen, to the inner court servants, she had never seen any older people except the blind old woman.
Not to mention the elderly, there weren't even any middle-aged men or women to be seen. Even positions like doorman, guard, and housekeeper, which often required experience, were filled with only young men and women.
She recalled the rumors Yao Yi had told her about the Qu family long ago. At their peak, the Qu clan had only a dozen members, often because few lived past the age of twenty. Even if a clan didn't have four generations living together, it would still have elders. If there were only young people, there must be some unexplainable reason.
As I was thinking, the footsteps of the old woman in front finally stopped.
Then, the blindfold was taken off. Xiao Nanhui blinked to adapt to the surrounding light and looked forward.
The courtyard was small, but the candlelight was bright. There were many rockeries in the yard, but few flowers or plants. Instead, it was covered with soft, fine hay, on which a few chubby rabbits roamed and stopped. In the middle of the yard stood a solitary old pine tree, among which hung several large bird cages, filled with brightly colored birds.
Right below the bird cages stood a little girl, dressed very solemnly, with her hair in two buns and three or four extremely gorgeous and precious hairpins on top of her head. She was holding a reed in her hand and teasing the birds in the cage.
She was staring at Xiao Nanhui and the others, her round, dark pupils reflecting a maturity that was inconsistent with her age.
"I pay my respects to the Patriarch."
The nearly 100-year-old old woman slowly bowed and saluted, and Xiao Nanhui could not hide his shock.
The Beidi Shen clan is the only local clan in Tiancheng that has its own army. Its head is actually a girl who is only seven or eight years old?
After the old woman bowed, she stepped forward and whispered something, then retreated to the door and said no more.
"Master Zhongli, we finally meet." The little girl walked slowly from the courtyard, her hands behind her back, her steps leisurely. "We've had a few unpleasant cases before, so it's been a bit more difficult for outsiders to enter the mansion. I hope you will forgive me for any impoliteness."
It was a thoughtful remark, but coming from a child like this, there was something indescribably strange about it.
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