Chapter 83: Stop 23: Is That So?

Chapter 83: Stop 23: Is That So?

The moment Si Shuhao laid eyes on Yan Qiling, all the repressed emotions and sorrowful cries within her erupted.

Her tense nerves relaxed abruptly, causing her vision to blacken as she fainted!

However, Yan Qiling seemed to have not noticed this scene. He brushed past her without any regard for the maidservants and nurses, rudely bypassing their attempts to stop him. He walked straight to the screen, still holding that ledger in his hand.

"Madam?"

From behind the screen, Old Madam Bai's icy voice echoed.

"Bao Lu, take the others and step back."

Just as everyone was about to retreat, Old Madam called out again.

"Hold on. Miss Second, remove your silver bracelet and give it to me."

The entwined love bracelets were forcefully taken off, and Old Madam Bai put them on her own wrist, examining them from every angle but failing to spot anything unusual.

Observing the modest silver bracelet's humble appearance, which didn't match her own jade accessories, she nonchalantly tossed the matching bracelet into the tray and dismissed the matter with a casual remark:

"Very well, fate seems to be on your side. For now, let today's events unfold as such. Jiaolü, remember to find some valuable jewelry for the young ladies. Don't let the Wen family think that our Bai family is impoverished, allowing our girls to wear such trinkets."

"Truly, after being away for a few years, all that reading has ruined your sense of propriety. You're displaying such petty behavior. I wonder where you've learned to neglect the rules of our household."

Si Shuhao had already fainted, and those who had experienced Old Lady Bai's formidable demeanor dared not respond.

Fortunately, Old Lady Bai seemed to be merely complaining and didn't have any further intentions.

The two young misses, along with their maidservants, were "invited" out of the main hall and silently carried away in waiting palanquins towards the embroidery room.

Only Yan Qiling and Old Lady Bai remained in the chamber.

Amidst the swirling incense smoke, the pungent fragrance gradually became overpowering. Ordinarily, it would have made anyone's eyes water, but Yan Qiling remained unaffected.

Not only that, he carelessly set aside the ledger and, with an air of leisure, traced his index finger along the silk-screened twelve beauties partition.

"Mei Xi, Daji, Bao Si, Xi Shi..."

His fingers traced the paintings on the screen and the dim, translucent light, moving at a leisurely pace:

"Zheng Xiu, Xia Ji, Qi Fu, Xiao Zhou Hou, Xiao Mei Niang, Yang Yu Huan, Zhao Feiyan, Zhao He De."

With the last name uttered, he casually turned around the screen.

Yet, there was nothing behind it but an echoing emptiness, as if a hollow question was breathed from the depths of eternity:

"Why have you, too, entered my domain, O Master of the Boundless?!"

The man's dual eyes gazed into the abyss, his blue irises fading entirely, replaced only by a crimson glow in his right eye, like a red lotus flame burning in the dark!

He spoke softly:

"To seek something."

"And upon success, I shall depart immediately."

That hollow voice echoed, sinister and deep:

"What if I don't want to?"

The man chuckled softly.

"Why should it concern me whether you're willing or not?"

-

Si Shuhao was unsure how long she had been unconscious.

She gradually regained consciousness within the swaying palanquin, no longer possessing the strength she had mustered in the main hall earlier.

Recalling the events felt like a distant memory, an illusion from another life.

Leaning against the soft cushion, she spread her fingers apart, afraid to touch anything around her.

Piercing pain surged through her in waves. The nails that had been punctured were starting to lift and turn purple or black, a far cry from their previously well-maintained state.

She stared blankly, contemplating if her nails could grow back if they fell off.

But soon, her thoughts jumped even further into the future.

Despite Yan Qiling's timely intervention to save her, she felt an emptiness within her.

Apart from the incident where she was suspended by ropes in the classroom previously, she had never been so close to death before.

During her time with Ming Yiyang and Yan Qiling in the previous two worlds, she thought surviving wasn't that difficult – as long as they deciphered the rules, they could leave calmly and resume their normal lives.

But now, looking back,

she realized how naive she had been.

It seemed true that she had been overly protected by the Celestial Emperor, to the point of losing her basic sense of danger.

Fortunately, her actions didn't violate any rules.

Otherwise, she would have likely met a gruesome end with those few strikes.

Piercing pain shot through her fingertips from time to time.

She dared not move her fingers, unsure how to deal with the slightly flipped nails. Helpless, she allowed blood to drip onto Daxi's clothes from the cuts beneath.

For some reason, her face was suddenly wet.

She gently touched her cheek with the inside of her wrist, only to find her face covered in tears.

Her wrist was dampened by the moisture, but the young girl didn't reveal any sign of sorrow. Instead, she gave a self-deprecating smile, and a faint glimmer in her eyes shimmered in the darkness.

She couldn't.

Be so reckless anymore.

The price she would have to pay was too high.

The four girls were safely escorted into the embroidery room without any further incidents on the way.

Si Shuhao, being the injured one, was specially arranged to lie down on a bed by Sù Bó.

Liao Xinya searched everywhere for medicine and cloth to bandage her. In contrast, Yue Pengpeng, seemingly detached from the situation, started to devise an escape plan.

Si Shuhao observed everything with weary yet warming eyes, a sluggish sense of comfort rising within her tired heart.

She didn't want to dwell on what had just happened. Just as she was about to open a lighthearted story to soothe herself, she heard the rustling of fabric behind the gauze.

She should have been startled.

After all, the bed was against the wall.

No one could approach from that side, so there was no way any sound of fabric rubbing could come from there.

Yet, she sat up calmly, turning her head to gaze at the blurry wall beyond the gauze, without screaming or reacting excessively.

She didn't know what she was facing, nor was she sure if her cries for help would endanger others. Without understanding the situation, she preferred to face it alone first.

A shadow, resembling a slithering snake, emerged from behind the gauze.

It was a delicate and smooth hand, as white as an eggshell!

Si Shuhao stared at it calmly, watching it glide further, slowly touching her wrist before gently pinching it.

The young girl knew she was unarmed, with her nails in their current state, rendering her powerless to resist. If today was her doomsday, then let her death at least hold some meaning.

Just as she was about to voice out what she had witnessed, another hand suddenly emerged, followed swiftly by a third.

The second hand held a strangely shaped gourd.

The third hand uncorked the gourd and, using a cotton ball of unknown origin, dipped it into the red medicinal liquid inside before gently soothing her injured fingertips.

A fourth hand, wielding a pair of tweezers, motioned for silence with a "shh" gesture.

Then, it delicately trimmed away her flipped-back nails.

Si Shuhao suddenly understood.

These hands didn't bear her any ill will; in fact... they seemed to be here to help her?

Remaining cautious, Si Shuhao kept silent but was ready to speak up at the first sign of trouble.

Though the application of medicine was as gentle as possible, it still caused her to gasp from the pain.

Fortunately, these hands worked in perfect harmony, as if they had their own thoughts, attending to her wounds. Amidst this terrifying world where she was all alone, they brought her a absurd sense of security.

This surreal and peculiar scene was entirely concealed by the gauze. The occasional gasps of the young girl were not enough to arouse suspicion from others.

When Liao Xinya, now empty-handed, pulled back the veil, even someone as composed as she couldn't help but be astonished.

Si Shuhao's injured fingers – they had somehow been tightly wrapped without her knowledge!

The young girl was already sound asleep, offering no explanation for this phenomenon.

Liao Xinya put down the veil, and Su Bo, standing behind her, asked with concern,

"Has she fallen asleep? How is her hand?"

Liao Xinya replied with a calm expression,

"I've temporarily bandaged it with cloth for now. Leave the further treatment to me; there's no need to worry."

Su Bo let out a sigh.

"You've been working hard... I hope her beautiful nails... can grow back someday..."

Alone on the side, Yue Pengpeng paid no attention to them. Instead, he lit a candle, propped his chin up, and used a brush pen to record names on the desk, lest he forget.

-

The sky was overcast, as if rain was imminent, casting a dampness in the air that made passersby appear pale and colorless.

Despite the vibrant red decorations adorning every corner, the servants, both maids and pages, maintained an eerie silence, not revealing the slightest hint of joy or excitement.

Those in the know would recognize it as the White family sending off their daughter in marriage, but those unaware might mistake it for the White family holding a funeral ceremony.

Ming Yiyang leaned against the wall and lit a cigarette.

Vaporous mist veils the profound contours of his profile.

Amidst the green tiles and white walls, he seems like an interloper, bearing an eerie sense of mismatched elegance.

Yet, at some moments, he merges seamlessly into the ink-washed landscape, imparting a unique harmony.

Ming Yiyang spots Yan Qiling, accompanied by Shiweng Guang, appearing in this setting.

This man's dual-colored eyes shine as if rinsed by water, astonishingly radiant even in the dim light, embodying a tranquil beauty.

Ming Yiyang gazed at the other person in silence.

Chi Zihe's words rang in his ears like a sudden clap of thunder from the past:

"He's no different when he's normal or not. That kind of person is pretty terrifying, you know?"

There was indeed no difference.

It was quite terrifying.

Was it him?

The lingering smoke swirled in the breeze, but Ming Yiyang didn't extinguish it willingly.

He didn't continue smoking either, merely holding it between his fingers, allowing the burnt tobacco to scorch his skin and nails, igniting a fiery warmth.

In truth, he wasn't the only one standing there.

Lin Yongjian, Yi Hongda, and Yu Kui were also present, engaged in hushed conversation with expressions more solemn than ever before.

However, when Yan Qiling arrived with his companions, they had already turned their heads, especially Lin Yongjian.

This person seemed to have finally noticed Yan Qiling's unusual heterochromatic eyes and began to carefully trace the contours and hues within them.

Despite the inexplicable frustration in Ming Yiyang's heart, he disliked seeing this person being stared at by others.

He placed the cigarette between his lips and drew deeply.

Amidst the billowing white smoke, he watched intently as that person brushed off Lin Yongjian's attempt at conversation, walking straight towards him with bony fingers extended in a demanding gesture.

It was an unwavering, unyielding approach.

For a moment, Ming Yiyang wanted to extinguish the burning cigarette directly onto that flawless, pure white palm.

He wanted to see if the other could maintain such a calm expression when sparks flew.

But in the end, he crushed the cigarette against the damp moss.

The sound of it sizzling echoed.

Ming Yiyang recalled the first time he saw this person, calmly holding a cigarette between his tongue and lips.

Yan Qiling.

What was he thinking back then?

It seemed he had never truly grasped this person's thoughts.

Pausing for a moment, Ming Yiyang placed the charred cigarette butt into the outstretched hand of the man.

Yan Qiling took out a handkerchief from his bosom to wrap the cigarette butt, temporarily storing this now-useless piece of trash.

The young man suppressed his emotions and asked,

"How is Si Shuhao?"

"He's recovering quite well."

Having confirmed the employer's state of survival, Ming Yiyang retrieved from his chest the entwined love bracelet that Old Madam Bai had confiscated.

"The synchronization bracelet on her wrist suddenly heated up and moved to a distant location. So, I followed it and found it in the Bai family's storage room."

He took out his phone and displayed a photo:

"There was a map in the storage room. Madam Old Bai's Shou'an Hall is the heart of the entire Bai family. To the north, even farther away, are the two young ladies' embroidery chambers."

After Yan Qiling studied the map carefully, she heard the young man ask softly, almost in her ear:

"What did you do in Shou'an Hall yesterday?"

The sudden darkening of the phone screen reflected a fleeting glimmer in Yan Qiling's dual-colored eyes. He donned his trademark smile and said,

"I exchanged the ledger for some new rules."

He handed the phone back to the young man and retrieved from his bosom a red note wrapped tightly in silk:

"This, is the entirety of the rules for surviving in the Bai family."

His words silenced all whispers, drawing the attention of everyone present.