New Road
"Miss Jiang is really perceptive."
After a moment of silence, Lan took the blueprint off the table.
"Who reminded you of this?"
——Xiao Yingzhu.
When I went to question him earlier, I learned from him another possibility about the battle in Shenjiang.
The other party originally wanted to use that question to explore her thoughts, but unexpectedly it has become her inspiration to judge what Lan had done.
"It's not completely correct, but it's probably right."
Lan propped up her head and took a sip of coffee.
"That's where my apology stems from."
Jiang Nian didn't expect him to admit it so easily, and instead felt a little uncertain.
"Why? Didn't you bring Shouzan here to save Huandu?"
"That was indeed my thought, and that is why I want to apologize to him."
"What's more, now there's you."
The foam floating on the coffee burst, reflecting Lan's faintly visible golden pupils.
"I don't mind you being concerned about my identity, but I have no motive to lead you astray."
"If you really don't trust me, then why not do it the way you want? And then you can see if there's anything wrong with what I say."
Even after saying such a long string of words, his tone was still neither hurried nor slow, and he paused slightly between words, like a guide, slowly letting Jiang Nian fall into thought.
Just as Lan said, she really couldn't imagine that he would go to so much trouble to frame them and hinder them.
With his ability, it would be easier and quicker for him to achieve his goal without anyone noticing than to come out to persuade people, handle internal offerings, and manage soldiers.
But coming to Lan whenever you encounter difficulties is not a long-term solution.
Over time, she will develop a habit of dependence.
If this task of going to Zuihualou to gather information about the goddess was left to someone else, there might be a better way.
Just like Ai, with her skills, she could probably go straight into Zuihualou and capture a Wu Mi people for interrogation without anyone noticing.
She could only rely on the connections in front of her and ask Xizhen and Lan for help.
In this chaotic world, only by becoming strong can you survive.
Jiang Nian doesn't want to develop the habit of relying on others.
Lan helped me this time, but what about next time, and the time after that?
You can't always count on Lan to save the day.
After all, her ability is not enough to stand on her own.
"I see."
Jiang Nian stopped his endless thoughts and turned to a new page in the book.
"I have no further questions about the Zuihualou incident, but I still have a wish for Meng Yao."
"My companions told me that they are on their way to find Princess Qingping and will find her soon."
"But..." She laughed self-deprecatingly, "It was too early for me to tell you I didn't need your help. Now I want to know, is Princess Qingping okay?"
"Can she get out of Meng Yao alive?"
Even though Princess Qingping had little to do with her, she would still feel bad if someone's life ended because of her choice.
"Miss Jiang always likes to carry unnecessary things on her."
"If I say that everyone's abilities are limited, and their fate is already determined, and nothing can be changed except for things beyond their own ability, would Miss Jiang be willing to let go of herself a little?"
Lan looked at Jiang Nian for a while, slowly withdrew her hand from the cup, and rested her head on her knees.
"I've noticed you since the moment you came into this world."
"After traveling to Pingzhou, I encountered many messed-up drugstores. Although I had no business experience, I was able to use my expertise to clean up those messes and formed a cooperative relationship with Xiao Yingzhu, who was rumored to be difficult to get along with."
"In this era, everyone wants to be rich and powerful, but few can succeed, and you are one of them."
"After handling all matters, big and small, from Pingzhou, I went all the way to Cang County with Xiao Yingzhu. I bet you encountered many difficulties along the way, but you managed to overcome them all."
Unexpectedly, the protagonist of the conversation turned to him. Jiang Nian was at a loss for a moment, but then he calmed down and argued, "That's not the case. If they hadn't been helping me all the time, I would have been eliminated from the sect."
Lan smiled faintly, although he seemed to be allergic to smiling and his smile never made people feel comfortable.
"It proves you're adaptable."
"You're a newcomer to this world. You don't have anyone to help you. You've relied on your own intelligence and talent to make friends, gain their trust, and finally use your own abilities to get to where you are today. You've already surpassed most people."
"The Xu family's pharmacy and the people of Pingzhou share a common cause. The initial control of public opinion was entirely controlled by the Xu family's owner. There's no need to point to others. The fact that you were able to regain the right to speak without using any manpower or props is enough to prove that you've reached the threshold."
"Why do you deny yourself and not allow yourself a moment to relax?"
Lan's golden eyes flashed and then disappeared.
"It's okay to rely on others a little bit. Although the people around me are cunning, they still have patience and kindness towards their own people."
"..." Talking about things she didn't want to think about, Jiang Nian suddenly felt a little headache. She closed her eyes and raised her hand to rub her temples.
"I think this is not the topic we want to talk about today."
Before Jiang Nian opened his mouth to interrupt Lan, Lan had already finished speaking.
“The more you lack something, the more you use it to cover it up.”
"Even if you appear confident and assertive on the outside, all the negative influences you've experienced are slowly wearing away at you on the inside."
“Until it piles up to a peak and bursts out.”
Cold coffee tastes bitter.
Jiang Nianxiang thought that the cup of coffee in front of him was also like this.
It was so painful that she couldn't speak.
I was completely speechless at this moment.
A thick layer of fatigue surged out from the darkness behind her, wrapping around her body tightly and making it difficult for her to breathe.
Lan looked at her quietly and said slowly: "Perhaps this is why you traveled through time."
I am unwilling to give up on myself, and I will give my best to fight even if I am exhausted.
From the night when she decided to go to Cang County in Pingzhou, she had already hinted at this when she seemed to reveal her identity to Xiao Yingzhu.
"The reason why I traveled through time?"
Jiang Nian murmured for a moment, then laughed and said, "No way, I was already dead in my original world."
Before the high-speed car accident happened, apart from the misty blood fog in front of her eyes and the confusion of her body being pierced by steel bars, after time stopped for a second or two, she fell into darkness.
Lan lowered her eyes slightly, and the expression on her face faded, becoming indifferent and vague.
"It doesn't mean biological death."
"I mean spiritual death."
Overwhelmed by the negative emotions that have accumulated to the peak, I lose the desire to wake up.
His expression was calm. He raised his eyes and looked at her calmly. His words were cold and gentle: "Shou Zan came here because he desperately wanted to survive. He reached an agreement with me."
"But you haven't met anyone like me, yet you're still here. I'm afraid your will to survive isn't strong enough. It just so happened that when Shouzan left, the space fluctuated, and you were accidentally dragged here."
Jiang Nian lowered his eyes and looked at his empty hands.
These hands were not hers. They were originally delicate and exquisite, but they had some calluses due to the busy running around in the past few months.
"You mean, I should be in my own time?"
Lan shook her head slightly. "That's just a guess. I don't really know the true situation."
I had originally planned to ask him about the time travel before reaching a cooperation with Meng Zheng. Now I don’t need to go through Shou Zan to find Lan, and I got his answer easily.
Meng Zheng’s cooperation must continue.
But the moment she heard the answer, Jiang Nian felt some emotion draining away from her body.
Suddenly it became gray.
Lan looked at her for a moment, then said calmly, "Don't be disappointed. I also have some things that I haven't finished yet."
"Besides making amends, I also want to find Shouzan's memories before he left this world."
Jiang Nian frowned: "What does this mean?"
"Simply put, after Shouzan and I make a pact, if he accomplishes what I desire, I will grant him one wish."
"His wish was to return to his original world and continue living. So after the task was completed, I sent him back to his original world as agreed."
"But... because in this world, his memory before he left is missing, which is why he hasn't woken up in his original world yet."
Jiang Nian blinked: "What will happen if I don't wake up? Will I continue to sleep?"
Lan Ping said calmly: "I will die again."
"......" Jiang Nian thought for a moment, "Shou Zan appeared here because he died, right? So when you sent him back to his original world—did you send him back to a time before he died?"
Lan looked at her in surprise: "You are very smart, indeed."
"So falling asleep means he'll be in danger again, and this time he'll be unable to avoid it even though he knows it's coming?"
Thinking that Lan Ruo had obtained Shou Zan's missing memories, there might be new clues about her time travel, Jiang Nian cheered up.
"Yeah, so now I'm trying to find a way to recover his missing memories."
"If I find Shouzan and make him wake up in his original world, I can also investigate how you traveled here."
As if knowing what Jiang Nian was thinking, Lan Rushi said the moment she wanted to speak out to confirm.
"good."
One clue is broken, but another clue is connected.
The thought of being disappointed rekindled.
Jiang Nian nodded, then looked directly at Shou Zan and asked, "In that case, what do I need to do?"
“…”
The other party laughed softly, which might be her hallucination. After all, in Jiang Nian's eyes, Lan did not have any expression that represented a smile.
Then he gave the answer.
"I need you and Meng Zheng to investigate the truth behind the eldest princess's death."
Should I say it’s unexpected or not?
After going around in circles, I'm back to the starting point.
Jiang Nian did not refuse, as she had no intention of breaching the contract.
But she still wanted to know.
"Why is this related to Shouzan's missing memories?"
Lan pointedly pointedly at the fingertips on the back of her hand. "Because a few days after the eldest princess died, Shouzan returned to his original world."
"The memories he lost overlap with the period when the eldest princess died."
"Perhaps the Princess had a profound impact on him, causing him to suffer mental trauma and he no longer wants to think about it."
Lan's eyes showed a slight golden tint, but soon returned to a deep black.
Jiang Nian didn't notice the emotion that flashed across his eyes. After being immersed in thought, her observation became a little slower.
Comparing Tong Lan's words with the clues she had learned from Meng Zheng, she didn't find any illogicality, so she nodded and said:
"I understand. If I find any clues later, I will synchronize with you. However—"
Jiang Nian sighed and looked straight into Xiang Lan's eyes.
"I need to tell Meng Zheng that I want to synchronize the clues with you."
Lan was not surprised that Jiang Nian said this. In fact, this was also something that should be disclosed openly in the cooperation. Hiding it would only damage the credibility, even if he agreed.
"No problem. If you get any clues, I will find time to visit you."
After a brief agreement was reached, Jiang Nian didn't plan to stay here any longer.
"So please forgive me for bothering you today."
She picked up the design drawings of Zuihualou and showed them to Lan.
"I'll take this blueprint back with me first."
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