Chen Long’s sword stopped in front of Lu Yuan’s forehead.
The unretracted Sword Qi violently knocked the severely injured Lu Yuan, who had destroyed his own ridians, unconscious.
"Lu Yuan!"
ng Qianqian rushed over, just about to support Lu Yuan when Chen Long turned his sword, blocking her path.
"You just said who you are."
ng Qianqian raised her eyes, looking steadily into Chen Long’s eyes: "Little Nine, real na Shang Jiu. My family all called Shang Xiaojiu."
Chen Long’s long sword suddenly pointed at ng Qianqian: "Impossible... Shang Xiaojiu is already dead, who exactly are you? Why impersonate her? Don’t think that imitating her way of speaking and doing things will make believe you!"
ng Qianqian shook her head: "I don’t know how to explain it to you. Not to ntion you wouldn’t believe it; even I find it hard to believe. I clearly died in that fire, yet when I woke up, I beca soone else. But brother, I truly am Little Nine! The Little Nine who loved to cause trouble since childhood and made you take the bla for , the Little Nine who wouldn’t study properly and made over ten tutors leave in anger, the Little Nine who was punished to kneel in the ancestral hall, making you sneak out at night to bring chicken legs."
Chen Long’s grip on the sword handle slowly tightened.
ng Qianqian continued: "At the age of five, I learned from others to light firecrackers and burnt off my own hair. They laughed at , calling a little nun. Brother shaved his own hair too, letting them laugh at you as a little monk, saying that if they laughed at you, they couldn’t laugh at your sister anymore."
"I liked eating peaches, but father wouldn’t let eat them at ho, so brother secretly picked them for . Later, I found out brother was allergic to peaches. After picking them for , he would get covered in rashes but lied that bugs bit him."
"Later, when I grew up, I stopped liking peaches and fell in love with Osmanthus Cake. Brother planted two osmanthus trees for in the courtyard, and I ended up watering them to death."
"And, the Black Armor Army’s training thod cos from the Shang Family. It was father’s lifelong effort."
"I asked brother what he wanted to be when he grew up. Brother said he wanted to join the Twelve Guards, so he could always protect ."
"The Shang Family was exterminated. Brother, to cover for , led the Thousand chanism Pavilion’s assassins away by himself. This parting lasted seven years. When we t again, I was already adopted by the Chu Family."
ng Qianqian spoke, her eyes unknowingly filled with tears.
"When father was still alive, he promised to take to see the iron fireworks, but father never ca back. Brother said he would take . I said no, I only wanted father to take to see the iron fireworks."
ng Qianqian’s eyes turned completely red, "Actually, it’s not that I didn’t want brother to take to the iron fireworks, I just wanted father to take us together..."
She walked towards Chen Long step by step, looking at him with grievance and pain.
"Little Nine was wrong... Brother, please take Little Nine to see the iron fireworks one more ti..."
Chen Long took a step back.
ng Qianqian’s vision went black, and she fell.
Chen Long’s heart resisted her "lies," yet his body reacted in the truest way possible.
He firmly caught her, even throwing aside the Azure Dragon Sword that never left his hand.
-
ng Qianqian had been in such a hurry on the road, consuming a lot of energy. Combined with the forced recollections, her mind couldn’t bear the load, causing her to faint.
When she awoke, she found herself lying in a dilapidated little thatched hut.
A fire was burning inside.
Chen Long sat by the fire pit, using a stick to skewer a chicken, roasting it back and forth over the fire.
Lu Yuan lay on two long benches pushed together.
She slept on a bed.
This treatnt could be described as worlds apart.
ng Qianqian sat up, her gaze sweeping over the two.
This ti she was smarter, not imdiately going to Lu Yuan, but first calling out to Chen Long as brother.
Chen Long said, "If you’re awake, co over and have sothing to eat."
ng Qianqian’s eyes brightened, she lifted the quilt and got out of bed.
She looked at the small wooden bench beside Chen Long, giggling: "The bench is set, does this an brother believes now?"
Chen Long stared at the flickering flas: "I will gather evidence of your lies, and if I find out you are just impersonating her, I will personally kill you."
ng Qianqian propped her chin with a smile, looking at him: "Even if I am an imposter, don’t you miss your sister? Using as a substitute isn’t too bad."
Chen Long said solemnly, "No one can replace her."
"Hearing brother say this, I feel relieved. I’d hate for a fake to co along one day and lead brother astray!"
ng Qianqian enjoyed the mont, squinting her eyes, stretching a long lazy stretch.
Perhaps the stretch was too big, she accidentally fell backward.
Chen Long, as if predicting it, caught her back onto the bench.
ng Qianqian blinked: "So concerned about but still say you don’t believe ."
That’s exactly how brother used to lift her when she was little!
Chen Long tore off a chicken leg for her.
ng Qianqian glanced at the roast chicken in his hand: "I want the other one."
Chen Long gave her the other one too.
ng Qianqian ate the chicken leg while inconspicuously placing her fingers on Lu Yuan’s pulse.
Chen Long noticed her small action from the corner of his eye.
ng Qianqian smiled slightly: "Did brother treat his injuries?"
Chen Long answered with a hum.
ng Qianqian sighed: "Good thing I arrived in ti. Speaking of which, what exactly did the Pri Minister say to brother? What does ’the last lineage of the Shang Family’ an?"
Chen Long asked: "Did Si Snake tell you?"
ng Qianqian nodded.
Chen Long said: "Back then, after I led the Thousand chanism Pavilion’s assassins away, I escaped back to the General Mansion."
ng Qianqian agreed: "The most dangerous place is the safest place. Hiding there, the people from Thousand chanism Pavilion surely wouldn’t expect it."
Chen Long said with a complex expression: "Those assassins weren’t all from Thousand chanism Pavilion; there were also... Loulan’s. The Loulan assassins seed to predict I would return. They asked where the Shang Family’s military books were hidden and said I should take the books to show my loyalty to my father. I killed them, and when I turned around, I saw the second madam standing behind at so unknown ti."
ng Qianqian gasped: "Second Aunt?"
Chen Long said softly: "She was pregnant and injured. I didn’t protect her well and let her leave alone."
The true situation might not be as simple as Chen Long described. Having overheard the conversation between the Loulan people and her brother, under the imnse grief of extermination, Second Aunt likely did not want to see brother, who was of Loulan descent, anymore.
ng Qianqian’s mind spun: "The Pri Minister referring to the last lineage of the Shang Family was talking about the child in Second Aunt’s womb?"
Chen Long nodded.
ng Qianqian grabbed his wrist: "Why didn’t you tell ? Or did you tell , and I just don’t rember? I forgot to tell you, I’ve forgotten many things from before."
Chen Long said: "I only told Chu Nan. That’s the deal between Chu Nan and . I risk my life for him, and he helps find the whereabouts of Second Aunt and that child. If he doesn’t agree, I would only protect you at the border, with nothing else concerning ."
ng Qianqian released his hand: "Turns out, there are so many things I didn’t know."
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