"No need to thank me," the Sixth Prince said meaningfully as he glanced at her. "I believe we will meet again someday. By then, I hope to hear the secrets of the Heavenly Fragrance Life-Extending Technique."
Nangong Shuang and Xiao Zhongyan bid farewell to the Sixth Prince and quietly left the courtyard. They hurried along a concealed path and soon arrived at a remote village on the outskirts of the city.
"This is a hidden property of my family, temporarily safe," Xiao Zhongyan said as he led Nangong Shuang into an ordinary farmhouse. The interior was simply furnished but clean and tidy, clearly maintained by someone.
"You were prepared?" Nangong Shuang asked suspiciously.
"Just taking precautions," Xiao Zhongyan explained. "In this world, one must have a few hidden places to stay."
Once settled, Nangong Shuang took out the half of the Plum Blossom Token given by the Sixth Prince and compared it with her own fragment.
"The shapes are similar, but they don't completely match," she frowned. "These two pieces cannot form a complete Plum Blossom Token."
Xiao Zhongyan leaned in to observe. "Indeed. It seems that the true Plum Blossom Token consists of three pieces—each of us has one, and the whereabouts of the third remain unknown."
"No, wait..." Nangong Shuang suddenly thought of something and brought the jade pendant close to the Plum Blossom Mark on her left wrist.
A miraculous thing happened—the plum blossom pattern on the pendant perfectly aligned with the mark on her wrist, emitting a faint, luminous glow!
"The Plum Blossom Mark is the final piece of the puzzle!" Nangong Shuang exclaimed.
"Now it makes sense!" Xiao Zhongyan's eyes lit up. "No wonder ancient texts state that opening the secret chamber requires both the Plum Blossom Token and Plum Blossom Mark to be present."
Where the light gathered, they vaguely saw an outline of a map revealing the exact location of Mei Ying Villa and the entrance to the secret chamber!
"This is... a map of Mei Ying Villa!" Nangong Shuang was ecstatic. "The secret chamber my father mentioned before his death—I finally found a clue!"
"It’s getting late; we should set off early tomorrow," Xiao Zhongyan suggested. "Zheng Yushi shouldn’t be able to find us here for now, so we can rest easy."
Nangong Shuang nodded in agreement but remained vigilant, hiding her silver needles under her pillow, ready for any unexpected situation.
Lying in bed, she tossed and turned, replaying everything she had seen and heard that day: the massacre in her dreams, Zheng Yushi's jade pendant insignia, the Sixth Prince's obsession with the Heavenly Fragrance Life-Extending Technique, and Xiao Zhongyan's enthusiastic assistance...
"My father once said that Shadow Pavilion and Feng Yu Pavilion are secretly competing for control over the Heavenly Fragrance Life-Extending Technique," Nangong Shuang pondered. "What mysteries lie within this?"
Outside, a bright moon hung high in the sky, its pure light casting down upon her pale face. The terrified little girl from ten years ago had grown into a warrior on a path of vengeance. The injustice faced by the Nangong Family might soon be revealed.
However, danger still lurked everywhere. Zheng Yushi would not give up easily; the true intentions of the Sixth Prince remained a mystery; and it was difficult to discern whether Xiao Family was loyal or treacherous. Nangong Shuang understood that the road ahead was fraught with peril, but she had no choice but to move forward bravely.
"Father, Mother, I will not let you down!" she silently vowed in her heart. "Heavenly Fragrance Life-Extending Technique, Mei Ying Villa—I will uncover the truth and clear my family's name!"
As dawn broke gently over the quiet village on the outskirts of town, Nangong Shuang had already risen early and stood in the small courtyard practicing her skills. With her palms facing downwards, strands of cold air seeped from her fingertips, crystallizing into tiny ice shards on the morning dew.
"The Cold Poison is about to flare up again," Nangong Shuang frowned as she felt the surging chill within her body. After leaving the Sixth Prince's courtyard last night, she had been unsettled, and now it seemed that her Cold Poison was threatening to relapse.
"I need to find more Control Methods quickly," she murmured to herself as she returned indoors to tidy up the medicine box.
Comment 0 Comment Count