Chapter 3

Suo Xiao sat up, her head still spinning from the chaotic sounds of the night. She rubbed her forehead, trying hard to remember exactly where she was.

The nightmare still clung to her mind like an unskippable YouTube ad, but it was the noises outside that really made her want to bang her head against the wall.

The clattering footsteps on the roof sounded like a whole troupe of lion dancers practicing their moves. Whispers floated through the air—she couldn’t tell if it was plotting or just neighborhood gossip. Mixed in were the harsh sounds of someone vomiting violently—probably drunk. Then a loud crash, followed by furious shouting, like in a bad action movie.

Suo Xiao opened her eyes, her head buzzing: “Oh god, where am I? A refugee camp or what?”

She pushed herself off the cold stone bed, her whole body aching.

How did people here manage to sleep on such a thing? It was so cold and hard, no wonder nobody had a back left intact!

Outside, dawn was breaking, and somewhere far off a rooster was still crowing.

She staggered toward the door, hoping to find someone to ask for answers—then froze.

The door... wasn’t locked.

Had someone sneaked into her room last night?

Her eyes flicked to the breakfast just brought in—a small bowl of mung bean porridge, and two soft dumplings that looked like vegetarian food.

She didn’t rush to eat. Instead, she washed her face with cold water from a basin to wake herself up a bit, then picked up the clean clothes the girl had left for her.

The outfit was loose and baggy, the long tunic almost swallowing her entire body.

Suo Xiao sat down at the table, rubbing the back of her neck as she tried to piece together what had happened the day before.

She woke up in this very room. When she pushed the door open, she saw the girl from before standing by the flowers. The flowers were wilted, but the girl’s face showed no sign of sorrow—in fact, she looked quite happy, softly humming a tune. When their eyes met, the girl flinched for a moment, then slowly stepped closer, her expression a little embarrassed, and quickly apologized.

She introduced herself as Sun Li, the half-sister of that boy. Then she bombarded Suo Xiao with questions: Who was she? What was she doing here? Did she know where this place was? Was she alone?

Without thinking much, Suo Xiao made up a quick story: she had been kidnapped and couldn’t remember anything. It was a clumsy lie, but maybe it would work? Sun Li didn’t react strongly or press further. She just said calmly that Tan Mian had passed the critical stage and now only needed rest. He was lying in the room on the left, right next to Suo Xiao’s. Before Suo Xiao could say anything, Sun Li started walking and motioned for her to follow.

Looking at Tan Mian lying on the bed, carefully bandaged, Suo Xiao felt a small relief—until two extremely important thoughts suddenly hit her.

First: Wang Ni… No one knew where he was now, or what condition he was in. If he was hurt like Tan Mian, with his temperament… things probably wouldn’t look good.

Then there was this: Suppose Suo Xiao found Wang Ni and Tan Mian recovered, what next? How would They get back? Would they even be able to? Or would they be trapped here forever...?

A thousand questions flooded her mind, making Suo Xiao tense and her eyelids twitch uncontrollably.

Sun Li held her hand out in front of Suo Xiao, waving it gently.

“Hey... are you listening to me? Hello?”

“Ah... sorry... could you say that again?” Suo Xiao rubbed her face tiredly.

“If you don’t know where to go yet, you can stay here for now. We don’t mind. This place is just a storage warehouse, a bit rundown, but still livable. As for that person named Wang Ni... I’ll try to find out. If there’s news, I’ll be sure to let you know.”

Suo Xiao hesitated for a moment. They had just met, but Sun Li was already so generous—it made her a bit flustered.

“Does it trouble you, miss?”

Sun Li laughed and waved her hand.

“Oh, nonsense! What trouble could it be? You’re probably hungry by now. I’ll go prepare something, okay?”

Suo Xiao shook her head, replying softly:

“I’m not hungry yet. Please don’t trouble yourself.”

Sun Li paused for a moment, her lips curling slightly as if she wanted to say more, but then just smiled:

“Rest assured and don’t worry about anything else. Dinner has already been arranged and will be brought to you later.”

Back to the present.

Suo Xiao hadn’t eaten anything, just casually picked up a steamed bun and stepped outside, heading to where Tan Mian was.

“This is pretty good, you know?”

Tan Mian lay on the bed, eyes half-closed. She wasn’t sure when he’d woken, just slightly turned his head to look at her without bothering to answer.

After a while, Suo Xiao spoke:

“How are you feeling?”

“Normal.”

Silence fell again. Suo Xiao didn’t know what to say next.

Suddenly Tan Mian muttered, “I’m hungry.”

She raised an eyebrow and glanced at the table.

“Want something to eat? There’s food on the table, help yourself.”

Tan Mian was silent for a few seconds, then sighed and murmured:

“Never mind.”

He rolled his eyes, clearly upset and refusing to look anymore.

Suo Xiao blinked. Huh? What was that about? She was confused, standing there blank for a moment before remembering: “He’s injured, he can’t eat by himself!”

Suo Xiao picked up the bowl of porridge from the table and slowly walked over to sit beside the bed. She helped Tan Mian sit up.

“After you finish eating, just rest. I won’t bother you anymore.”

Tan Mian swallowed a mouthful of porridge, then suddenly asked,

“What about Wang Ni...?”

Suo Xiao paused briefly. She didn’t answer right away but glanced softly toward the door, as if lost in thought. After a moment, she said slowly:

“You need to heal properly first, then we’ll go find her. But we also have to consider the situation… we can’t just go searching immediately.”

Tan Mian was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly,

“Mm.”

The porridge had cooled down. When Tan Mian said he was full, Suo Xiao didn’t say anything more, just set the bowl down, stood up, and quietly stepped outside.

“Ah, the young lady is already awake? Last night the servants were busy preparing goods for the journey to the capital—noisy as a market day. Sorry if it disturbed your rest!”

It was Sun Li, heading toward Tan Mian with the old woman from before, carrying bandages and medicine.

“Oh! The young lady came to visit Master Tan? Truly loyal friends indeed. That outfit—does it fit comfortably?”

“Thanks to your care, the clothes are perfect!”

Sun Li nodded, winking at the old woman to start changing Tan Mian’s bandages, then bashfully pulled Suo Xiao out into the garden. She pointed to the ice pack and gently made her sit down.

“About what we talked yesterday, I’ve told my younger brother. He didn’t have any objections, of course—how could he dare argue with his elder sister! Haha!”

Suo Xiao hesitated.

“Um... may I ask you a few questions?”

Sun Li tilted her head, smiling with narrowed eyes.

“Sure! What do you want to ask?”

Suo Xiao glanced at her for a moment, then spoke slowly.

“Why did you knock me out before? I vaguely remember hearing something about a sword... but never mind, if it’s not important, consider it never said.”

Sun Li sipped her tea and sighed.

“At that time, we discovered someone sneaking around, spying. I wanted to investigate further. This place had been broken into by bandits before, with many valuables lost. When they were caught, they confessed that someone inside had betrayed us and urged them on. That person has now been eliminated.”

Sun Li tapped her fingers lightly on the teacup and continued leisurely.

“As for the sword... I can’t say for sure. The rumor is that it’s one of the four ancient treasures lost from Jiang Kingdom. My younger brother, Zi Qiu, is a collector of antiques. When he saw such a treasure sword, how could he just turn away? He immediately gathered a fortune to obtain it. But…”

She paused for a moment, her eyes growing distant.

“About a month ago, my brother brought home a strange sword. I accidentally touched it, and unexpectedly, even just the sword’s tip grazing my skin caused blood to flow uncontrollably. Stranger still…”

She curled her lips into a smile, lowering her voice as if sharing a secret.

“Before long, I realized I could see through other people’s thoughts! The human heart is like an open book; every fleeting thought cannot be hidden!”

Suo Xiao’s eyes widened.

Reading thoughts?!

So that means… she knew everything going on in Suo Xiao’s mind?!

Seeing her expression, Sun Li laughed with delight.

“Ha ha, you don’t have to read everything to understand a little, right? Let me guess—if you’re asked to choose between roasted peanuts and boiled peanuts, you say you prefer boiled, but secretly you crave the crispy, rich flavor of roasted peanuts, isn’t that so?”

Suo Xiao was stunned.

Sun Li had guessed correctly!

She set her teacup down, propped her chin with her hand, and smiled mysteriously.

“I don’t ask you— I only want to hear the answer from your soul.”

“…My soul?”

“Exactly! Words can be false, intentions can be disguised, but the soul cannot hide. That’s the rule! If the human heart could be easily read, wouldn’t the world be a very different place?”

Suo Xiao took a sip of the fragrant tea, quietly admiring.

“In the antique collection, there was a broken bow and a sword that was stolen—what a pity. My brother would be very sad about that…”

Suo Xiao tilted her head and asked,

“So your brother has that ability too? What does he use it for?”

Sun Li rested her chin on her hand, thought for a moment, then burst out laughing.

“Oh dear, Zi Qiu doesn’t have it! Oh dear! If it weren’t for the daily grind of life, maybe I’d have become a heroine by now, riding the wind and laughing at the world! The martial world is dangerous; those without true skill cannot survive, but if you’re sturdy enough, you can gain quite a fortune. Hmm, isn’t that a lot of money? Maybe one day you’ll be a wealthy magnate! Zi Qiu knows some people like that—I’ve only heard rumors! Ha ha ha!”

Suo Xiao rested her hand on her knee, quietly lost in thought.

Martial arts, huh? She had learned a bit, though mostly just playful moves for fun. Surely she wouldn’t get beaten without even having time to scream, right? As for Tan Mian, no need to say—he was a black belt. Wang Ni… even a heavy breath could send her flying. Would that be enough here? Or just one misstep, and suddenly a powerful master with deep inner strength appears, waves a hand, and she’d be flying three meters away, coughing up blood on the spot before even saying hello?

Suddenly, Sun Li slapped the table with a “bop,” startling her.

“Oh, by the way! Tomorrow I plan to roam around the county town. Would the lady like to join me on a little excursion? The east wind is coming soon, it’s time to get some new clothes, just in case the cold arrives.”

Suo Xiao blinked, dazed for a moment, then slowly shook her head.

“We haven’t known each other long, why are you so kind to me already? I honestly don’t know how to repay you.”

Sun Li widened her eyes, chuckling.

“Why not? You’ve made me feel a fondness I can’t hide. Or… do you actually dislike me?”

Suo Xiao didn’t know what to say, hesitated briefly, then gently nodded.

“I misspoke earlier, I didn’t mean anything by it. May I come with you tomorrow?”

Sun Li smiled approvingly and curved her lips.

“Of course!”

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