Mystery
A corner of the car curtain was lifted, and Jiang Nian followed Ai's gaze to look at the street not far away, and a familiar figure flashed by.
Jiang Nian stayed on the figure for a moment, thinking of something in her mind. Ai lowered the curtain and turned back to look at her.
"It only takes two hours to get from Liangdu to Yu County. Miss, do you want to catch up and take a look?"
Jiang Nian lowered his eyes and thought.
How come Zhu Wang’s inner worshipper appeared here?
When he assigned staff to the pharmacy, it was this internal servant who took over the staff on behalf of Zhu Wang. She was impressed by his special appearance.
Is he here at this time because of Zhu Wang's request?
Zhu Wang wants to have it both ways?
Ai was still looking back at her silently. Noticing that the knuckles on his knees were getting cold, Jiang Nian raised her hand, covered her fingertips, and closed her palm, her eyes absorbed in the deep shadow.
"No need. At this moment... let them act as they please."
There was a slight rustling of sleeves as Ai sat back in her original position. The woody fragrance in her air carried the coolness of the night, surrounding the room like water.
I don’t know if it’s because I worry too much, but when I think about complicated things, I get sharp tinnitus and pain behind my head.
Jiang Nian rubbed the corners of his eyes, sighed secretly, and finally accepted Ai's advice honestly. He took a pillow and closed his eyes to rest for a while.
—
The streets were deserted and only a small, dim light was on in Xu's pharmacy.
The door curtain was half opened, revealing the inner offerings.
Turning around and seeing the person who had been waiting for him for a long time, Shopkeeper Xu was surprised as if he had seen the God of Wealth appear, and greeted him with a shy smile.
"Sir, you are here."
“I don’t know…”
Just as Manager Xu was about to say something polite, the internal attendant raised his hand to stop him from saying anything.
"I've come here today to tell you something, Shopkeeper. The Imperial Censor is considering choosing one of the two options. I hope you'll treasure it."
Before, Zhu Wang went to join forces with Liangdu Pharmacy, and Manager Xu thought that there was no hope for him to get a chance to become a high-ranking official. Now Zhu Wang was greedy and changed his mind. He was ready to choose between Xu's and Liangdu Pharmacy.
If I work hard now, maybe I can be appreciated by the senior officials, quickly surpass Liangdu Pharmacy, and soar to the sky.
Thick and fatty meat was floating before his eyes. Hearing these words, he felt that a bright future was beckoning ahead. His mind was full of gold coins splashing on the ground. As he thought about it, Manager Xu felt so happy that he immediately chose to forget about the fact that he had been stood up by the Censor. He nodded and bowed hurriedly.
"I am deeply grateful for your high regard, sir. I will do my best to repay your kindness."
The person standing in front of him turned around and was about to go back. Before he could ask what he was concerned about, Shopkeeper Xu stood up and trotted a few steps, tentatively asking:
"What about next door...?"
The inner attendant naturally understood the underlying meaning of Shopkeeper Xu's words. He paused and said coldly, "A gentleman loves wealth but earns it in a proper way. Please focus on the right path and don't be tempted by external things."
The straightforward words were thrown at his face, and Manager Xu felt a little embarrassed. He held it in for a moment and then smiled awkwardly.
"Thank you for your advice, sir. I won't bother you any further."
The inner worshipper who was about to walk out the door suddenly turned his head. Half of his facial features were embedded with wooden gears, and the two discs stacked on top of each other were rotating in opposite directions. Without the smirk of Shopkeeper Xu, the subtle sound of the discs was clearer in the room.
Shopkeeper Xu thought he was seeing things, but when he blinked, the face of the person in front of him had all the normal features.
The cold wind from the street blew into the pharmacy, lifting the curtain hanging at the door. The internal worshiper standing in front of the door glanced coldly at the surprised face of Manager Xu, turned around and walked out the door without saying a word.
Another gust of wind blew, and in a blink of an eye, the figure of the inner worshiper disappeared from the street, like a ghost.
Shopkeeper Xu shuddered involuntarily, and the coldness crept into his skin, making his whole body numb.
—
When we arrived at the real meeting place in Yu County, it was still dark.
They passed through a large forest on the way. The woody fragrance in the carriage seemed to have the effect of repelling insects. Jiang Nian usually attracted mosquitoes, but today he was not bitten by any of them, and he didn't even hear any mosquito noises.
In order to prevent mosquito bites before getting off the car, Jiang Nian sprayed some mosquito repellent on Ai after protecting himself.
The moonlight in front of the mountain is brighter than that in Liangdu City. Looking up at the white sky through the gaps between the branches, one may even squint because it is too dazzling.
The surrounding valleys were interspersed with streams. The coachman was from Qin Lan's side. He took them to the entrance of the cave and then slowly walked back to the original road.
Two figures were already standing at the agreed location. Xiao Yingzhu had his back to them, his head lowered, as if he was talking to someone.
Qin Lan squatted by the stream, holding some fish food that came from nowhere in his hand. He threw a few pieces of fish food into the water, and they were swept away by the current in a blink of an eye.
As I walked closer to them, that is, completely out of the woods, I could vaguely hear the conversation there.
"...Anyway, if we're going to use the 'ferry', I need to report to Master, so the earliest we can go is tomorrow afternoon. You'll stay in the dormitory for the night."
"ah."
Hearing the footsteps, the woman in front of Xiao Yingzhu poked her head out from in front of him, her eyes first fell on Ai, and she raised one of her folded arms and waved.
"You're here."
Jiang Nian had just come out of the woods and was looking at the moonlight. Her white veil was bright and translucent.
Noticing the gazes from the opposite side, she immediately retracted her gaze and looked forward. Her glance briefly passed between Xiao Yingzhu and Qin Lan, who stood up from the stream and walked towards her. Her eyes were immediately attracted by the indifferent and beautiful woman.
The clothes she wore were different from those of the Huan Dynasty. Compared with traditional clothes, they were more like modified sword clothes.
Thinking of the previous meeting at Qishan Mansion, Jiang Nian immediately thought of that name in his mind.
Peach Yu.
While Jiang Nian was looking at her, Tao Yu was also observing her. Her eyes paused thoughtfully at Jiang Nian's appearance, and then she raised her lower lip.
Perhaps because of the makeup she wore today, Jiang Nian wore a butterfly tassel hairpin and tucked her long, smooth black hair behind her ears, which made her look even more gentle and graceful than usual.
Tao Yu looked away and looked at Qin Lan who was standing leisurely beside him. He smiled casually and asked Xiao Yingzhu, "Do you like this?"
The wind in front of the cave was so strong that people who had not practiced martial arts could not hear anything at all. Jiang Nian raised his hand to slightly block his face, and the only sound beside his ears was the pleasant sound of metal colliding.
The golden light danced like a butterfly. Noticing Jiang Nian's movements, Qin Lan immediately turned his gaze to Xiao Yingzhu. As if predicting his behavior, Xiao Yingzhu slightly turned her body and then glanced at him with an indifferent look.
Qin Lan felt a chill in his bones for a moment because of the warning in that gaze. Just as he was about to point fingers at Xiao Yingzhu, a long bell rang from the cave in front.
The extremely ancient sound of the bell seemed to be mixed with something extraordinary. Jiang Nian's eyes fell into darkness, and then he opened his eyes again. The scene in his "vision" suddenly changed.
Pieces of the puzzle came towards her, and the soft and mixed sounds of people talking in the various puzzles poured into her ears. She felt like she was drowning in water, bubbles rising from behind her, her hands stretched upwards, as if trying to grab something, and the empty sea water surged towards her.
“………………”
There were several people talking noisily nearby, and some warm moisture was touching her face.
“………………”
“…………”
What are they talking about?
She couldn't hear clearly.
Her mind told her that if she took a few more steps, she would be able to return to the present day, back to the moment when she was about to catch the bus after the lecture, change her fate again, and erase all traces of her here.
Jiang Nian couldn't see anywhere, but his body seemed to know how to move. Even without using his eyes or identifying any direction, he could walk directly out of the open space.
Friends in the modern world turned around one by one, as if they had discovered her in a place that seemed both dark and bright. They shouted her name, turned around, smiled at her and called her.
Their lips moved, but her ears were blocked by the bubbling tide and she couldn't hear anything. They said a lot of words, and their mouth shapes were different. Jiang Nian couldn't hear clearly, but she could tell they were calling her back.
She had no feeling in her limbs, but Jiang Nian felt that she was standing still, just standing there and watching them call out.
Even though her consciousness was hazy, she subconsciously believed that even if the present passed, she would never return to the original modern times.
No matter how much you miss that place, it is already in the past.
The sound of bells began to ring again in the dark and unclear space. This time the sound was not long, but rather urgent, as if urging someone again.
The swaying clock wall swung higher and higher. Jiang Nian frowned and subconsciously looked towards the place where he "heard". The clock was changing the direction of its swing. The pendulum hole was getting longer and longer, and it was visibly straightened into a rectangle. With the whistling "wind" in the space, it swung towards Jiang Nian fiercely in the blink of an eye.
The biting and eerie chill spread through every nerve and exploded throughout his body. The human instinct for danger urged Jiang Nian to run away quickly, running in the opposite direction, running violently.
The sea water receded everywhere, the tide receded on the river bank, and only the dark marks of the tide remained on the beach.
The senses are clear and consciousness returns.
There was a cool and elegant scent of sandalwood in the room.
The porcelain bowl was placed on the table, and the woman sighed.
"...Did she suffer any internal injuries before? I checked Yunshuimen and there's nothing wrong with her at all."
Tao Yu's voice.
The door was pushed aside.
"——How did you get in? Xiao Yingzhu is here, so forget it, but what are you doing here?"
The footsteps entering the house paused, there was a rustling sound, and the wooden door was half closed again.
"I saw Xiao Yingzhu inside and thought Miss Jiang had woken up. Why are you being so mean to me?"
Qin Lan's voice.
She heard a hint of dissatisfaction.
Tao Yu turned around and gave Qin Lan a neutral glance: "Living outside, you've forgotten those etiquettes faster than I have?"
"—I remember, I remember. Okay, you guys get busy."
Qin Lan was about to close the door of the wing room, but just as he turned around, he turned back and stuck his head out.
"I can't go in, so why can Xiao Yingzhu go in? He's not married either."
"?"
Tao Yu tucked the quilt in for Jiang Nian, stood up and took the porcelain bowl, and her voice sounded a little speechless, as if she had nothing to say.
"Okay, I get it. Do you want to compete with him for the special case before Miss Jiang?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
