Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Testing Your Thoughts
Tianque, Hanlin, seven years ago.
The deep mountain forests, where no sunlight could be seen, were filled with a strange miasma. The bare branches of the trees were broken by the snow and fell on the girl who was struggling to walk.
Jiang Daiyi was wrapped in several layers of tattered and worn-out coarse cloth clothes. Because they didn't fit her well, some of the tails of her clothes dragged on the snow, leaving long trails along the way.
Jiang Daiyi stood weakly in the snow, her ears buzzing, she was breathing heavily, her legs felt heavy as if she was dragging a boulder weighing hundreds of pounds. She looked blankly at the rotten wounds on her body, her eyes numb.
The Cold Pond is a forbidden area here. Even the most powerful assassin dares not approach it. She hides nearby every day to protect herself.
This was her seventh winter since she came to this world, and perhaps the last winter of her life. Unable to withstand the biting cold wind, she fell heavily into the snow.
Jiang Daiyi fell on the shore, vaguely watching a shadow in the water gradually sinking to the bottom of the deep water. Someone drowned in this cold pond every day, and no one knew who it would be this time.
She had been thrown into this deep mountain forest for a whole year. All the assassins who were sent in for training at the same time as her had died, and now she was the only one left.
Countless people froze to death, starved to death, were killed, went crazy from the torture, or jumped into the lake.
If it weren't for the fact that the soul under Jiang Daiyi's body lived for more than ten years, her fate would probably be worse than that of other children.
White snow covered Jiang Daiyi's face. She lay on her back with a dead look in her eyes.
She lay there for an unknown amount of time before her eyes suddenly caught sight of a figure standing in the wind atop a tall tree. It was a boy of twelve or thirteen, with a red mole under his eye that made his face look a little uncanny.
The young man is Qian Xiang, the young master of Tianque. His mission is to pick up the child who successfully survived to the end and report back.
A small box was thrown from the boy's hand and hit Jiang Daiyi in the face. The sharp corners scratched Jiang Daiyi's cheek, and a trace of black blood came out.
"Eat it." The boy's tone was inexplicably filled with joy.
Jiang Daiyi hated Qian Xiang very much, not only because he was the young master of Tianque. She should not have been able to survive these days. The young man had been secretly intervening to help her and that was why she survived. He did it in the name of protection, but in fact he wanted to drag her into the abyss.
Every time she was on the verge of death, she was saved by him. Thanks to him, she could not die, but because of him, she lived like a ghost.
Jiang Daiyi used up her last bit of strength, half-sitting up from the ground, picked up the box that Qianxiang had just thrown down and opened it. Inside was a black pill.
Her soft eyes were like a pool of stagnant water, and her hands were covered with chilblains. She took out the pills from the box and swallowed them consciously.
Qian Xiang sighed, "Do you know what this is?"
Jiang Daiyi didn't care. It didn't matter what it was. She had taken countless pills when she was trained as a killing tool. She wouldn't care about one more pill. It was just another poison that tortured her willpower.
Qian Xiang was not satisfied with Jiang Daiyi's calmness, and said condescendingly, "This is not poison, but a pill. It can regulate the body and help open up the meridians and increase internal strength."
"Thank you so much." Jiang Daiyi threw away the box and lay back on the snow, exhausted.
Qian Xiang came down from the tree and approached her. "You should wait until you have recovered some of your energy before taking this medicine so that you can have the strength to endure the side effects. But you took it too quickly and I didn't have time to remind you."
The warm current gathered in her body relieved some of Jiang Daiyi's pain, but then she was immediately overwhelmed by pain, as if every part of her body was being ground.
She pushed away Qian Xiang who was leaning over her, disgust in his eyes: "Go away."
Qian Xiang felt sorry for her when he saw her curled up in the snow in pain, so he squatted down and took out a jade pendant.
"I got this jade pendant by chance, and it doesn't look ordinary. I don't have anything good to give you, so why don't you use this as a token of our eternal love? How about it?"
The vague memories faded from her mind, and the spring sun gradually rose and shone on Jiang Daiyi's cheek. She came back to her senses, her eyes clear.
A Yu's voice was tearful, and she seemed to be so sad that she was unconscious. She mumbled for a long time, and the general meaning was that she blamed Jiang Daiyi for being kidnapped and Yun Qin for being sent away, which led to Grandpa Lu being killed.
Yun Qin looked at Jiang Daiyi, who was obviously dazed, and stuffed the jade pendant into her hand.
"Sister, you should keep it well. This jade pendant originally belonged to you."
Of course this jade pendant is not hers, she just pretended it, and it should not be in her hands under any circumstances.
Jiang Daiyi's eyes flickered for a moment, and then he said softly, "Brother, please leave this jade pendant to Ah Yu. Ah Yu loves Grandpa Lu the most, so just think of it as a token of your affection."
Yun Qin was at a loss for words when he heard this. How could he just give away his deceased mother's belongings to others?
Since it is Grandpa Lu’s relic, A Yu naturally wants it.
Yun Qin didn't say much about this. Although he felt it was strange, he didn't want to discuss it with the girl at this time.
We must first find out the cause of Grandpa Lu’s death. The people in Tianque know their whereabouts so well, there must be a traitor in the mansion, and we need to get rid of him.
Yun glanced at the sky. His sister had been weak since she was a child, and she needed to be well taken care of after being injured. Besides, it was still a bit chilly in March at night.
The small county town is already deserted and is located at the border of the bases of many heroes. It is very dangerous and it is not advisable to stay there for a long time, so we must try to get back to Yanling before dark.
Yun Qin helped Jiang Daiyi onto the carriage. "Grandpa Lu's funeral still needs to be taken care of. Please stay in the carriage and don't run around anymore."
Jiang Daiyi obediently stepped on a small stool and got into the carriage. She would never refuse Yunqin's protection, which saved her a lot of trouble.
When Yunqin left, Ayu refused to stay and insisted on following him, so only Jiang Daiyi and a group of secret guards were left waiting there, while Yunqin took a small group of people to bury Grandpa Lu.
The carriage stopped on the forest road behind the valley of Xiaojun City. The area around Xiaojun City was sparsely populated, and at this time, dark clouds covered the bright moon, making the surroundings even more desolate.
Jiang Daiyi was sitting in the carriage waiting when she smelled a strong fragrance. She subconsciously covered her mouth and nose when suddenly she heard the sound of people falling to the ground behind her.
The maid and the secret guard were both knocked unconscious.
The sound of fabric rustling against the ground, along with the man's sinister voice, as if infused with poison, echoed in the silence.
"Sister Jiang, long time no see."
Jiang Daiyi frowned and got out of the carriage, waving her hand to disperse the poisonous incense. She coughed slightly and looked at the person who came.
"It's you."
Qianxiang.
Qian Xiang slowed down his pace, staring at the extremely beautiful girl in front of him. The girl's gray robe swayed gently in the spring breeze. She was as clear as autumn water. She was gentle and pleasant when she was facing Yun Qin just a moment ago, but her expression changed immediately when she saw him. Disgust, calculation, and the wish to get rid of him as soon as possible were all revealed on her face without any concealment.
"What's with that expression on your face?" Qian Xiang walked towards her with great interest. The more she looked like this, the more brazen he became. "Who are you? Whose sister are you? I don't mind helping you remember."
Jiang Daiyi took out a small silver fan hairpin from under her wide sleeves and held it tightly in her hand.
She warned him coldly: "I am just Yunyi now."
Qian Xiang chuckled upon hearing this: "It seems that the Yun family's young master is indeed as the rumors say. He treats you very well and has spoiled you to the point that you don't know your place and even forget your own identity and mission."
Jiang Daiyi retorted: "I haven't forgotten the task that Master gave me."
"Then tell me, what is your mission?" Qian Xiang interrupted Jiang Daiyi.
Jiang Daiyi: "I will complete my own mission, so I won't bother Lord Qian Xiang with my concern. I advise you to wake up these secret guards and leave quickly, so that Yun Qin doesn't target you."
Qian Xiang laughed contemptuously: "If I were afraid of Yun Qin, I wouldn't go to Xiaojun City."
Jiang Daiyi's eyes were determined: "Grandpa Lu and those secret guards were killed by you, and you deliberately placed the jade pendant among Grandpa Lu's belongings."
Qian Xiang didn't deny it, and even said venomously, "What else? Why do you think Yun Qin suddenly doubted your identity? Without my reminder, he would have been fooled by you until now. I guess the assassin has been caught by Yun Qin, right?"
The assassin was captured by Yunqin, which was also part of his plan.
"Why did you do that?"
Jiang Daiyi did not understand Qian Xiang's intention. If she exposed herself in front of Yun Qin, it would not benefit him, nor Tianque.
"Sister, you've been living too comfortably these past seven years. I'm afraid you'll abandon Tianque... and me. So, I have no other intentions this time, except to test your feelings. Also, I want to know the location of the Yun family dungeon."
Jiang Daiyi completely understood that the assassin was deliberately sent by Qian Xiang to take advantage of the situation. "If you want to know where the Yun family dungeon is, why bother sending someone to ask me directly?"
Qian Xiang said meaningfully, "You've lived too comfortably. You haven't seen a bloody assassin for too long. You'll keep disguising yourself as an ordinary person. Over time, even you will forget who you really are."
Finally, he added, "Really? Sister Yunyi?"
Jiang Daiyi felt cold all over when she saw him: "He's really crazy."
Qian Xiang mocked her, "Compared to you just putting a curse on Old Man Lu, but I killed him, I really deserve the word 'heartless'."
In order to cooperate with the assassin to complete the mission that day, Jiang Daiyi revealed her identity in front of Grandpa Lu, but Grandpa Lu had already anticipated it and thought that the injury was just a disguise.
Because she was afraid that Yun Qin would see her flaws, she had been forcibly sealing off her internal energy for many years. At that time, the situation was critical, and she could only use Gu to deal with Grandpa Lu and remove some memories that should not exist in Grandpa Lu and A Yu's minds.
Therefore, when A Yu saw Jiang Daiyi again, she acted as if she knew nothing at all, and thought that Yun Qin had caused the trouble because she was led away.
"It's just that," Qian Xiang glanced sideways, the red mole under his eye seeming to bleed, "since you have a way to deal with a master like Lu Zhao, you can also deal with Yun Qin who never guards against you. But why don't you act early and complete the task?"
The weather in spring is unpredictable, sometimes cloudy and sometimes clear. The mist in the forest rose up, blurring the faces of the two people. Jiang Daiyi knew what he meant. He was questioning her intention to turn against Yun Qin.
The author has something to say:
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Today's three chapters are finished, happy reading everyone!
Good night Makabaka (ゝω)
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