The elderly madam looked at the empty courtyard. "Huh? Where is everyone?"
The soone who had been smashed into the wall: "..."
The elderly madam thought she had misheard and dejectedly closed the door again.
A man dressed in black, with white hair, painstakingly pried himself out of the wall. His knees hit the ground, and his face was ashen.
"Wasn’t... the compass... already fixed...? Why is it still... so... unlucky...?"
Bang!
The compass broke again.
The man in black with white hair: "...!!"
As the top Commander Guard among the Twelve Guards, his head could be severed, his blood could flow, but his image must not be tarnished.
The man in black and white hair, with a face battered and bruised, planned to climb over the wall and return to his side to regroup and fight another day. However, midway through his climb, he got stuck.
"Huh? Isn’t that... Chicken Young Master?"
Nanny Wan, who had just split so firewood, looked up to see soone sprawled on her family’s wall, tail-end up... ahem. She was wondering who dared to climb into her courtyard when she got closer and felt their robes looked a bit familiar.
"Why are you climbing the wall?"
"Sightseeing."
"Oh."
Nanny Wan didn’t think too much about it. After all, he couldn’t even carry a bag of rice—what evil sches could he possibly be plotting? Even if he plotted sothing, he’d lack the strength to execute it.
The man in black and white hair said, "Lend a hand."
"Alrighty!"
Nanny Wan put down her hatchet, rolled up her sleeves, extended her arms—and with the strength to rip rivers and mountains apart—yanked him downward!
Crash!
The man in black with white hair felt his hairs stand on end!
"I ant... push ... over..."
I didn’t an pull back down!
I had already climbed halfway up!
Also, I’m practically grinding this iron rod into a needle already!!!
...
By the ti ng Qianqian got ho, the man dressed in black with white hair had already clamped his legs together, supported himself on the wall, and wobbly made his way back next door.
"The young master from next door ca by earlier to admire the view for a bit," Nanny Wan said.
After a mont’s thought, ng Qianqian responded, "Everyone living in this alley is pitiful. Let him look if he wants."
Nanny Wan nodded. "Eh."
"Qianqian!"
The elderly madam burst through the door. This ti, she finally saw her and was as happy as a child.
ng Qianqian curved her lips into a smile. "Great-grandmother."
The two entered the room and sat down at the table.
Looking at the untouched dishes on the table, ng Qianqian knew at a glance that the elderly madam wasn’t eating properly again.
The elderly madam pouted and said, "Qianqian, without you at ho, I feel so lonely. The stories Xi Que tells are no good at all!"
Xi Que laughed awkwardly.
ng Qianqian said with a smile, "I’ve just finished reading a new book over the past two days. It’s about a Fierce Ghost and a Flower Demon. Eat your al first, and I’ll tell it to you after you’re done."
The elderly madam’s eyes imdiately lit up. She grabbed the bowl and chopsticks and began eating at full speed!
"...Miss Liu willingly beca a demon for the scholar, but their happiness was short-lived. The scholar suddenly disappeared. While searching for him, Miss Liu replaced him and took imperial exams in his stead, hoping one day he would return to find her. As for whether the scholar was killed by soone or betrayed her, it remains unknown."
The elderly madam fell asleep.
Tan’er sat perched on a small stool, listening intently.
With her fists propping up her cheeks, Tan’er asked earnestly, "And then?"
ng Qianqian said, "Later, Miss Liu ran out of mana and transford into a cluster of flowers, never to appear again."
Tan’er asked, "And the scholar?"
ng Qianqian spread her hands. "Dead. The flowers grew so beautifully because he was buried beneath them."
Tan’er excitedly clenched her fists. "So tragic, so tragic! But, what about the Fierce Ghost?"
ng Qianqian smiled. "The Fierce Ghost cos next. When the scholar becos a ghost, I’ll tell you tomorrow."
Tan’er pouted, tugging on ng Qianqian’s arm and shaking it. "Nooo, I want to hear it now!"
ng Qianqian thought to herself, I haven’t even co up with the next part yet. Even if you want to hear it, I have no choice.
At dawn the next morning, ng Qianqian had already practiced martial arts for an hour. Just as she was about to rest, Zhang Feihu ca to visit.
"General Zhang?"
ng Qianqian personally opened the door, appearing quite surprised.
Zhang Feihu said, "I was just passing by and thought I’d stop by since you live nearby. Still waking up this early even when you’re no longer in the barracks?"
ng Qianqian smiled. "It’s a habit."
Zhang Feihu asked curiously, "How long have you been here to already pick up such a habit?"
ng Qianqian rely smiled, skipping over the question, and invited Zhang Feihu in. "Co inside."
Zhang Feihu waved it off. "No need, just here to talk for a bit."
As a man, entering a ho full of won felt a bit inappropriate. This wasn’t the barracks anymore. Even leaving the maids aside, Little Nine was still a young lady.
The Capital City wasn’t the border. There were more rules, more gossip.
Zhang Feihu was a blunt man, not versed in the ways of aristocratic families, but he at least understood not to cause trouble for Little Nine.
ng Qianqian appreciated Zhang Feihu’s thoughtfulness and discretion. Those n who claid to lack tact simply because they were "real n" were just making excuses.
When soone truly cared, they’d be considerate in all things.
ng Qianqian smiled at him and sat down on the steps of the veranda. "Let’s talk here."
Zhang Feihu sat beside her.
"The Beiliang Envoys are almost here. Once they escort the Seventh Prince, my brothers and I will leave for the border with the envoys."
The border commanders were accompanying the Beiliang Envoys as a gesture of respect but also to ensure no trouble arose along the way. They needed to safely "send" them past Yun Pass.
"All of you?"
ng Qianqian asked.
Zhang Feihu replied, "Han Ci will stay. He’s from the Capital City and will join the Imperial Guard later."
The depth of bonds between people often had nothing to do with the length of ti they’d known each other. So remained strangers after five years, while others beca like family within days.
Thinking about the soldiers she had fought alongside on the battlefield, ng Qianqian fell into a silence.
"Why the gloomy face?" Zhang Feihu teased, reaching out as though to ruffle her hair, just as he’d done in the barracks. But realizing she wasn’t wearing her helt now, he withdrew his hand.
He laughed. "Don’t go thinking about reunions. Not eting again is for the best—ans the nation is peaceful. If we do et, it’ll only be because there’s another war."
ng Qianqian felt a strong sense of reluctance, a reluctance that weighed heavily on her.
She never realized that, without her knowing it, she had forged so many ties in this life.
Zhang Feihu glanced at her. "Alright now, it’s not like we’re leaving just yet."
He was only worried that, when the ti ca, things would be too hectic for him to bid her a proper farewell.
Zhao Qingyun had thoroughly dug into everything about her, and after hearing it all, his brothers fell silent.
No one had expected her to endure so much hardship with the Lu Family. That scoundrel Lu Lingxiao—before leaving the Capital City, they’d have to teach him a proper lesson!
"What are your plans for the future?" Zhang Feihu asked.
ng Qianqian replied, "I’ll stay in the Capital City to fulfill Yin Hu’s last wish."
"What last wish?"
He shouldn’t have pried into matters concerning the Twelve Guards, but when it ca to Little Nine, he couldn’t help feeling concerned.
Yin Hu actually hadn’t left her any last wish. But without this reason, it’d be hard to explain otherwise.
With a calm expression, ng Qianqian said, "He asked to complete one thing. What it is exactly, he said I’d know when the other Ten Guards find ."
"I see." Zhang Feihu, seeing even she didn’t know, decided not to press further. But with the Ten Guards around, they probably wouldn’t let her face danger alone.
"You know," Zhang Feihu began, "in my whole life, I’ve only admired two won. One of them is you. The other is the forr Lady Chu."
ng Qianqian paused. "What kind of person was Lady Chu?"
Zhang Feihu spoke with deep respect. "A very mysterious woman. No one knows her origins. So say she was tied to a certain sect; others claim the sect was investigating her origins, too. No one ever saw her true face, as she always wore a veil. She entered and exited the barracks, saving countless lives.
"They say she killed the Chu Grand Marshal and burned the entire Chu Family to the ground. We brothers don’t believe it. But what does it matter? The court already long sealed the case."
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