Chapter 7: Almost Turned Joy into Sorrow

At this moment, Xie Zhang did not yet know that the people had been borrowed by Du Wan.

Du Wan turned, mounted her horse, and rode away.

Hu San and the others followed immediately, crisp and efficient.

Qin Yuyu threw herself beside Qin Miao in a panic, her almond eyes brimming with tears as she blamed herself, "It’s all my fault... If it weren't for me, Xiao Miao wouldn't have ended up like this."

"This isn't Yuyu's fault; it’s all that Du Wan’s doing!" Qin Miao’s face was full of hatred.

He would remember this grudge!

Xie Zhang watched Du Wan’s retreating back.

The fingertips hidden within his flowing sleeves rubbed back and forth incessantly.

Only when Du Wan and her party disappeared around the bend of the mountain path did he speak, "Da Cheng, go invite Divine Doctor Liu. Do your best to save him."

"Yes."

A youth wearing a sword responded and left.

...

Du Wan returned home on horseback.

Only then did her heart settle.

Thinking of her "golden finger," Du Wan couldn't wait to enter her small side room.

Hu San also entered Pei Hao’s room to report on the day's events.

He not only described the sequence of events vividly but even mimicked everything Du Wan had said without missing a word.

His talent for imitation was truly unparalleled.

Mu Si'an pondered for a moment, then looked at Pei Hao, "A weak scholar, why would he come to this godforsaken place?"

"Indeed, what is there to covet in this barren little county?"

Pei Hao tapped his fingertips lightly against the small table at the head of the bed, then asked as if casually, "Do you think the one obstructing our search for the little princess could be Xie Qi?"

Mu Si'an: "..."

*Your Highness, are you trying to get Xie Qi killed?*

*I’ve never heard of any grudge between the two of you before.*

*No, wait—there wasn't one before, but there is this year... the grudge of a stolen wife!*

Mu Si'an thought he had guessed the truth and hurriedly started buttering him up, "Your Highness is wise and martial! No ghosts or monsters could ever escape your discerning eyes."

"Pfft, get lost!" Pei Hao laughed and scolded.

In truth, he felt it was necessary to keep an eye on Xie Zhang in the future.

The Xie family of the Dingbei Marquis Estate was originally a family of military generals. Xie Zhang was the seventh child in the family, born to the second branch's primary wife. He went to the Qingyun Academy in the south at the age of ten to study under the great Confucian scholar Song Qingyun. Having been away from the capital for eight years, he only returned late last year. In just a few months, he had attended several poetry gatherings and made a name for himself in the capital, his reputation for talent spreading far and wide.

Mu Si'an asked with a grin, "Tell me, Xie Qi hasn't been back to the capital in ages, so how did he come to know Miss Du?"

Pei Hao recalled the rumors he had heard, "I heard that on the night of the Lantern Festival this year, the little fool Du ran out to play and was almost abducted. It was Xie Qi who saved her."

Mu Si'an: "..."

*That’s a big deal; that’s a life-saving grace.*

Pei Hao had investigated it later but found no suspicious points.

Yet, his intuition told him there was something wrong with that abduction...

If the little fool Du were here, she could clearly tell them that Xie Zhang came to this godforsaken place specifically for the "golden nugget" that was Qin Yuyu.

The first meeting between the male and female leads in the book was born of a scheme.

The male lead first hired thugs to harass the female lead, staging a scene of a hero saving a beauty. In the middle of the novel, after Qin Yuyu discovered the truth, it triggered a series of heart-wrenching and body-tormenting dramas.

Of course, Du the Great Fool didn't care about what happened to others.

At this moment, she was locking the doors and windows, staring at the jade pendant with a surging heart.

A legendary planting space—how could she not be excited?

She first used a small knife to make a tiny cut on her fingertip, then squeezed out a drop of blood.

The bead of blood fell, landing precisely on the tiny flower stamen, and vanished instantly.

The small spider lily began to glow with a faint silver light, which suddenly rose up like a thin stream of light and merged into the center of her brow.

"Did I successfully bind it to myself?"

In the book, when Qin Yuyu dripped her blood to bind it, the jade pendant didn't disappear.

So, Du Wan didn't suspect anything.

She closed her eyes and meditated just as the novel described.

For a long time, she saw no planting space, only pitch-black darkness.

*Right, heh, anyone can see darkness when they close their eyes!*

The only thing slightly unusual was that this time, in the darkness, she saw a white silhouette repeatedly performing the same movement. This movement was quite difficult, somewhat similar to modern yoga, but many times more challenging.

Could a human body really perform this?

Du Wan opened her eyes, and the white silhouette vanished.

She closed her eyes and focused again, and saw it once more.

She felt extremely strange.

She sat on her small bed and gave it a try.

Sure enough, she couldn't even complete half of the pose.

Holding her breath, she persisted for a while. At first, she felt nothing, but slowly, her body began to feel wrong, as if all the pain nerves in her body had been triggered at once!

Her entire body was aching and tingling uncontrollably.

Du Wan grimaced, her little face twisted and flushed red.

"No, I'm not practicing anymore!"

"Never again, it hurts so much!"

After Du Wan stopped, she was drenched in sweat and collapsed onto the small bed, lacking the strength to even lift a finger. But gradually, it felt as if a trace of warmth was flowing through her abdomen.

Wherever the warmth passed, the pain subsided.

A quarter of an hour later.

Her whole body felt as if she had just finished a sauna; it was incredibly comfortable.

Du Wan’s large eyes suddenly shone brightly.

This was a treasure—a great treasure.

"Haha!"

She couldn't help but roll around in excitement.

"Bang!"

*Is someone smashing the wall next door?*

Du Wan stopped rolling and stared at the wall.

On the other side of this wall was her former bedroom...

Du Wan curled her lips, "What are you being so arrogant about? You occupied my room, and you still dare to throw a tantrum?"

*Pfft!*

*I’ve spoiled you too much!*

However, this banging sound did calm her down.

*I almost got carried away and let joy turn into sorrow!*

This legendary space still hadn't appeared.

Du Wan held onto hope, picked up her pillow, and silently chanted "Store" in her heart—

*Store! Store! Store?!*

The pillow was still in her hand.

"I really don't have that kind of fate."

Du Wan shook her head, feeling quite unconvinced.

"Knock, knock!"

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Someone was knocking on the door outside.

Du Wan asked weakly, "Who is it?"

"It’s me, Miss Du," Mu Si'an’s voice came through. "The Heir asked me to come and tell you that he will be leaving early the day after tomorrow, and he wants to ask what your intentions are."

"Back to the capital?" Du Wan’s spirits were instantly lifted.

Mu Si'an replied, "Yes, back to the capital."

"Can I go with you?"

"That depends on Miss Du’s wishes," Mu Si'an said with a subtle smile.

Du Wan asked again, "Is food and lodging provided on the road?"

"...Yes, it is provided." Mu Si'an wanted to laugh but held it back.

Du Wan feigned restraint, considered it for three seconds, and decided to leave with them.

For the time that followed, Du Wan stayed in her small side room almost constantly.

She practiced that movement day and night, finding it painful yet joyful.

However, the persistence was quite rewarding; on the night before their departure, she finally managed to complete the movement, even if it wasn't standard, at least she could finish it.

There was also a small surprise: her physical strength seemed to have increased just a little bit.

Early in the morning, *bang, bang!*

Someone was pounding on the door forcefully.

Just hearing this rude way of knocking, she thought of Pei Hao’s face.

In this small courtyard, no one else had the guts to knock on her door like that.

Thank you, everyone.

(End of chapter)