Great Zhou World
"Are you saying that these two pieces of paper with blurred handwriting are the indentures? That's absolutely ridiculous!" Ning Yangyang took the two so-called indentures from Nangong Xi with a look of suspicion on her face, staring at them intently, as if trying to find a clue through the blurred handwriting.
The two sisters were currently seated in an incredibly luxurious carriage, its interior adorned with exquisite ornaments, a testament to its owner's wealth and taste. Nangong Xi had heard of Miss Ning Yangyang, a figure of some note. Her mother was the now-deceased Princess Wuhu, and her father was a former general. She should have been one of the most distinguished ladies in the capital, but after her parents' deaths, she was granted an imperial decree to be raised in the Ning Mansion.
From then on, this person's reputation disappeared from the capital, but some people slandered her, saying she was a jinx who had killed her mother. Nangong Xi couldn't recall any connection with her. She wondered, could someone really be so kind as to buy the two sisters and set them free? Or was there some unknown secret hidden behind this?
Ning Yangyang observed the two sisters quietly, feeling a natural barrier between them and her, making it difficult for anyone to approach. However, she didn't move, but gently handed the two indentures to Nangong Xi and said softly, "Burn them. From now on, you will be free."
The fate between Nangong Xi and her was just a chance encounter. However, this was the first time Nangong Xi heard her speak, and the hoarseness in her voice seemed to reveal an uneasy night.
She slowly extended her right hand, placed it close to Nangong Xi's left cheek, and fiddled with the indenture contract wantonly. Inside the carriage, the candlelight flickered, its faint light illuminating the small space and making the damp, sticky air seem even more solemn.
Nangong Xiang saw her sister's unusually coldness and knew that she must be feeling very complicated at the moment, so she reached out and grabbed the two indentures without hesitation. In the dim light of the candle, the indentures instantly turned to ashes, as if they had never existed.
"Thank you, Miss Ning," the two sisters said in unison, their voices revealing an indescribable gratitude. They were originally daughters of wealthy families, but now, in this narrow and short carriage, they still bowed respectfully, without the slightest neglect.
Ning Yangyang saw this and a faint smile rose from her lips. She couldn't help but sigh, "Sure enough, everything in this palace is just a facade, but hollow inside. Even three people in this car are so cramped, and after all, it's a six-wheel drive vehicle."
After all, this is the second world she has experienced, and she has her own comparisons and judgments on all the living environments here.
"You are already a princess, what are you still picky about? I tell you, if you had worn it a few days earlier, I don't know what kind of suffering you would have suffered in the Ning Mansion?" The system could indeed accurately pick up every word Ning Yangyang said.
The carriage moved steadily along the road, the sound of the wheels rolling and the clatter of the horses' hooves forming a rhythmic rhythm. However, as time passed, Ning Yangyang noticed that the weather outside seemed to have changed. The originally clear sky was gradually obscured by clouds, and a light drizzle began to fall.
The rain wasn't heavy, but it added a layer of dampness and oppressive heat to the air. Ning Yangyang felt a little uncomfortable. The handkerchief in her hand had long been soaked with sweat, becoming damp and sticky, making her feel very uncomfortable.
"We're at the door. I'm leaving now. Your brother's been following you all the way." Xiao Yuhuan's voice suddenly came from outside the car, interrupting Ning Yangyang's thoughts. She quickly lifted the car curtain and looked out, only to see Xiao Yuhuan's figure gradually disappearing in the sound of the drizzling rain.
"A disloyal official partner, why would the original owner like such a person?" Ning Yangyang muttered, feeling somewhat dissatisfied with Xiao Yuhuan's behavior. She didn't understand why the original owner would like such a irresponsible person.
Just as Ning Yangyang was complaining, she suddenly noticed a group of people following her carriage. They were all tall and imposing, riding majestic horses, and looked quite formidable. Ning Yangyang's eyes widened, and she muttered to herself, "How can this be just a group? It's clearly a group of people following! If you didn't know better, you'd think they were marching in public!"
Inside the car, the Nangong sisters huddled together, trying to minimize their presence. But she was the book's heroine, and wouldn't this innocent image play into that pervert's hands? "Don't be afraid, Miss Nangong! From now on, you're my sister. I'll protect you, eat and sleep with you. And you, my sister, too." Ning Yangyang could hear the synchronized heartbeats of the three of them, and it would be a lie to say she wasn't panicking. But she still pinched Nangong Xi's cheek to try to ease the tension.
Nangong Xi met her gaze, and all his confusion and uneasiness were instantly resolved.
Ning Yangyang lifted the carriage curtain and saw Xiao Ziyi holding a turquoise oil-paper umbrella. As the wide, dark python-patterned sleeves pressed against the green bamboo handle, the sound of rain along the long street dimmed. The flowing jade-green sapphire of the umbrella reflected the shadow cast by his brow. The old scar, running diagonally from his forehead to his jaw, shone with a pale gold, like a crack embedded in white jade—a trophy from the rebellion suppressed three years ago, now a nightmare totem for the entire court.
The gilded umbrella ribs lifted three inches, revealing thin lips pursed into a straight line. This handsome face, once celebrated by the imperial ladies of the capital, now took on the cold paleness of a long cellar-dwelling. The two fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, as he smiled, resembled a sudden crack in the ice on a snowy plain. His Adam's apple rolled around his soaked sable collar, and the arc of his swallowing rain carried the sharp edge of life and death.
"System, I'm not going to die here, am I? Is he picking someone up?" Ning Yangyang froze in her place, bewildered, when Nangong Xi, who had just stepped out of the car, unexpectedly attacked from behind. She landed facefirst into the large puddle on the bluestone. "Ah!" Ning Yangyang felt a searing pain on her face, as if her 3D face had been razed to the ground after the severe blow.
She struggled to get up, only the system's cold and mocking voice filled her ears, "Love ratio 30%."
"I'm so annoyed. I'm lying here with my legs spread out, and those two are flirting with each other." Ning Yangyang looked back and saw this scene: the embroidered shoes moving backwards were stained with water droplets, and the right hand moving forward was his naked love.
“Damn it, damn it!!”
"Host, calm down. Remember to maintain your character."
"Isn't the purpose of a character to be able to fight?"
"clang!"
Ning Yangyang's elbow struck Xiao Ziyi's blocking forearm, creating a clang of metal clashing. Xiao Ziyi's python-patterned sleeves shattered, revealing the muscular structure of his forearms. His backhanded grab left a trail of shadows in the rain. The girl spun and leaned back to avoid the chokehold. As her embroidered shoes crushed the puddle, three bricks of the palace wall five steps away collapsed.
"You've got some great leg strength!" the man scoffed, ripping the shawl from around his neck. Before the sound of the fabric ripped, Xiao Ziyi's palm wind reached his face. He didn't even flinch, letting the force sever a strand of black hair from his temples. His right hand, like a ghost, grabbed hold of her dangling ankle.
The shaft of the carriage suddenly groaned under the weight. As Xiao Ziyi swung Ning Yangyang towards the wreckage, the young woman twisted her waist mid-air and clung to the carriage board. The nanmu wall exploded, and she used the momentum to flip over amidst a shower of wood chips, her fingers sharp as needles piercing the man's eyes.
Ning Yangyang was thrown by the strong wind and slammed into the palace's door panel when she saw Xiao Ziyi using her palm as a shield to block the fatal attack. The internal energy released by the collision of their palms turned raindrops within a thirty-meter radius into sleet. Cracks spread across the bluestone like a spiderweb, and the golden hairpin that bounded Ning Yangyang's hair crumbled piece by piece, piercing the brick wall behind her like raindrops.
"When we were in Ning Mansion, you were so indifferent to me, as if I didn't exist. But now you take me back. Is it just to take my life? Okay, go ahead and kill me. From now on, you will have no relatives in this world!" Ning Yangyang's eyes were wide open, staring at the man in front of her, and the anger in her heart erupted like a volcano.
She couldn't help but feel fortunate that her body was still strong enough to withstand this sudden blow, but no matter what, she could not let the ambiguous atmosphere between the two continue to spread, especially this crucial first impression.
"Relatives? Are you worthy?" Xiao Ziyi's face instantly darkened. He had never imagined that he would be turned away by Ning Yangyang today. His beloved woman had been snatched away. He had hoped to continue to cultivate his perfect image by making a cool first impression, but now he had been so easily seen through, without even being able to fight back. This made him feel extremely helpless and frustrated. The touch of her yesterday was still warm in his palm, and just now he had almost touched her.
Beside the dilapidated carriage, a torrential downpour poured down, soaking everyone standing in the rain, as if their souls had been soaked by the merciless downpour. However, Xiao Ziyi remained silent, his cold gaze chilling everyone to the bone.
Seeing this, the other people present were so frightened that they dared not move a step, for fear of angering this moody old man.
Finally, Xiao Ziyi slowly spoke, his voice low and cold: "Help her in!"
Nangong Xi would never fall in love with Xiao Ziyi after seeing how she treats her own sister!
Ning Yangyang was helped into the room by the Nangong sisters. Nangong Xi expertly tended to her wounds. Perhaps fearing she was in too much pain, the incense she lit made her dizzy. But Ning Yangyang didn't want to pass out at this moment. "Pinch out the incense. I can't sleep. Remember, once you enter this courtyard, you can't leave my side. You've seen how dangerous Xiao Ziyi is. Stay away from him." Nangong Xi nodded and continued applying the ointment.
"Sister, it was you who attacked the Regent for no apparent reason! He probably fought back at best." Nangong Xiang was the most distant person in this relationship, but she also saw things most clearly.
When Nangong Xi heard his sister say such rude words, he immediately gave her a warning look, and keeping her lips sealed was the best proof.
"But he didn't even catch me just now... He's my brother!" Ning Yangyang's words were clearly filled with dissatisfaction and resentment, even a hint of inexplicable jealousy. The system keenly detected this, sensing that Ning Yangyang seemed to have a special possessiveness towards her brother Xiao Ziyi.
Ning Yangyang continued, "And do you know? My days in the Ning Mansion were simply a nightmare and extremely painful. But what about my brother? Not only did he not avenge me, but he got along harmoniously with that family, as if he couldn't understand my complaints at all!" At this point, Ning Yangyang became more and more agitated.
"You two sisters still have a great relationship..." Ning Yangyang muttered to herself on her hospital bed, completely unaware that her voice had been blocked by the system. Because her words had already deviated significantly from the original character's personality.
The night was like ink in an inkstone, smudged across rice paper. As the third drop of water dripped from the silvery lotus flowers on the eaves, the peeling bamboo lantern in the corridor finally extinguished its last light. The celadon candlestick tumbled down the steps, its half-coagulated wax tears enveloping a dying golden bell. The faint trembling of its wings startled fireflies stealing light from behind banana leaves.
Inside the room, the candlelight had long since dimmed. Nangong Xiang, lying on the small bed, buried her head deep in her sister's neck and whispered, "Sister, do you think this Regent's Palace is a blessing or a curse?" Her voice was a little low, as if she were pondering the question. After a while, Nangong Xiang, as if she had made up her mind, said firmly, "I don't know. But I believe her."
Xiao Ziyi didn't go back to her room for a nap, but sat alone in the courtyard until dawn. He had disliked this sister since childhood. If it weren't for her mother, she wouldn't have left her, and if it weren't for his father, he wouldn't have been plotted against. She was a star of destiny, a star that had managed to survive in the Ning Mansion, becoming a hindrance to him.
"Ning Duoyu has been a burden since he was a child." Xiao Ziyi played with the paper in his hand in boredom. The secret letter that had just been handed to him turned into a kite in just three strokes.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
