Deep underground in a family of legendary healers.
Jiang Li walked steadily along the light blue corridor. Every time he passed a door, he would open it to look inside, and after confirming that there was nothing amiss, he would close the door and continue walking slowly forward.
Turn the corner, and at the far end there's a door with a man and a woman standing in the doorway as trackers.
“Commander,” the male tracker stepped forward to greet him, “are you on patrol?”
Jiang Li hummed in agreement and said, "The Creator sent me to check on the prison to see if everything is normal."
The female tracker laughed, "Commander, you're very cautious. There's no one else inside, only that girl."
The prison was extremely secure; even a tracker locked inside wouldn't be able to get out, let alone an ordinary girl. If the Creator hadn't ordered them to stay and watch over things, they would have already gone back to their rooms to rest.
"It's what the Creator commanded, so we have to do it," Jiang Li waved his hand casually. "We still have to go in and take a look."
The two men quickly made way for him, and the male tracker rapidly pressed several number keys on the keypad next to the door, causing the metal door to immediately rise. Jiang Li, with his hands behind his back, strode into the doorway.
The room was a series of square rooms separated by transparent glass, resembling neatly arranged glass boxes. He quickened his pace, walked to the last room, placed his hands on the glass, and whispered to the girl in white inside, "Xiao Yi."
Xiao Yi sat on the floor, hugging her knees and staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. Only when she heard Jiang Li's voice did she turn her gaze back to Jiang Li.
"Did you get the medicine?" she asked.
Jiang Li shook her head, her face somewhat embarrassed.
After Su Wan was captured by the giant eagle and taken to an island, he and Xiao Yi were no longer on their mission and returned to the Holy Land together. Xiao Yi lost her Eagle-Riding Whistle, and the Creator, in a fit of anger, imprisoned her. Xiao Yi, however, didn't seem to care and asked him to get her a Tracker's Potion.
Xiao Yi rolled her eyes at him: "You always brag that you are the commander of the trackers and that nothing can stump you, but you can't even get the medicine."
Jiang Li said, "It's really not my fault. Jiang Wenpei and the others misused the potion with the Southern Chu army, which displeased the Creator, who then took it back and put it under his own control. But I also have some good news."
He took a piece of paper from his pocket and stuck it to the glass. The paper had lines of small writing on it, followed by a six-digit numerical code after each line. At the bottom of the paper was a topographic map composed of intersecting lines.
"I've drawn up all the access codes, including the one for entering the Life Factor Lab, and even the routes for you."
Xiao Yi's eyes lit up. She stood up, walked to the other side of the glass wall, and her gaze fell on the paper.
After reading it, she smiled and said, "Not bad, this is a reward for you." Then she kissed the glass wall with her lips.
Jiang Li's face flushed red. She took the paper and said, "Xiao Yi, I'll release you right now. Let's run away together!"
Xiao Yi asked, "Why did you run away?"
Jiang Li said, "The Emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty has arrived and is currently repairing something outside Yanxun Pass. I don't understand his intentions, but I feel that he has come for Su Wan."
Xiao Yi's eyes flickered as she asked, "What are you afraid of?"
Jiang Li didn't dare look at her, and lowered his head, saying, "The Creator will never compromise with anyone. A great war may break out next, and I... I don't want you to get hurt."
Xiao Yi smiled and said, "You're lying. You only want to take me away because you want to hide from His Majesty."
Jiang Li was surprised that Xiao Yi not only saw through his thoughts but also said them so bluntly. He hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "I know... you don't actually like me. The person you really like is the Emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty."
Xiao Yi smiled and said, "Oh, how did you figure that out?"
Jiang Li said, "After you came out of the palace that time, you were always in a daze. On the way back to the Holy Land, you kept staring at your hands. When I talked to you, you ignored me. That's when I knew."
When you have someone on your mind, even if you don't say or do anything, your eyes will tell you the truth.
Xiao Yi said, "Since you already know, why are you still helping me?"
Jiang Li blushed even more, lowered her head and said, "I helped you because I like you, and I wanted to make you happy..."
Xiao Yi was smiling, but when she heard what he said, her smile remained, but two tears rolled down her cheeks.
She turned her back to the glass wall, wiped away her tears with her sleeve, and said, "Since you know everything, then don't say anything more. Open the cell door and lure the guards away. I will escape on my own."
Jiang Li opened the cell door and asked, "Where are you going?"
He didn't expect Xiaoyi to answer his question. Every time he asked, Xiaoyi wouldn't tell him.
“I…I’m going to see His Majesty,” Xiao Yi told him unexpectedly. “Also, my name is Bai Zhiyi.”
Jiang Li asked, "Can't we really be together?"
Bai Zhiyi said, "No."
Jiang Li's eyes reddened, and she forced back her tears as she handed the coded paper to Bai Zhiyi, saying, "I understand. Here, take this; you can leave here on your own."
Bai Zhiyi shook her head: "I've already remembered it."
Jiang Li then drew a short sword, about a foot long and still in its sheath, from his waist and handed it to her: "Xiao Yi, this is my self-defense weapon. It is very sharp and even the tracker cannot withstand it. Use it to defend yourself."
Bai Zhiyi took the short knife, pulled out half of the blade, and saw that the blade was completely white and shiny, with a blue light, and a cold aura that stung her skin.
She sheathed the knife, turned her back to him, and said, "Thank you, you should go now."
Jiang Li looked at Bai Zhiyi's slightly trembling shoulders and couldn't help but reach out to help her, but stopped halfway and asked, "If I go to the capital, will I ever see you again?"
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