“We wanted to stop, but our bodies simply wouldn’t listen to us.”
“We walked and walked, though we didn’t know how long. The surroundings were always desolate mountains and wild forests, and the sky was always a murky gray.”
Chunxing continued, “We even saw that man. Sometimes he walked ahead, and sometimes he’d suddenly appear beside us, but no matter where he was, we didn’t dare speak.”
“We couldn’t even scream.”
“I didn’t even feel how much time had passed or how far I’d walked. It felt... it felt like I could only keep following him like that for the rest of my life.”
As they finished, both little maidservants had a look of deep-seated terror in their eyes.
Hearing this, Xie Zhaofan’s scalp tingled, and she couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath.
What was going on? Was this some kind of horror series?
Yesterday was the first meeting, and today it had gone straight into an infinite loop plot?
She finally began to understand why the two little maidservants had ended up in this state. If anyone were dragged into such a bizarre nightmare every night, they wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Xie Zhaofan’s heart began to feel a bit rattled too.
In her previous life, she had watched many horror movies—she was even the type who loved to watch them more the more she was afraid, yet would cover her eyes tightly during the key scenes—but those things had ultimately been fake.
No matter how vicious a ghost in a movie was, it would only appear on the screen.
But this world was different.
She had only confirmed the day before yesterday that Magic Tools existed and that cultivators likely did as well. Following that logic, it wasn’t impossible for demons, ghosts, and monsters to exist.
If some invisible, intangible thing truly had its eyes on them, ordinary people would indeed find it difficult to deal with.
“It’s easy to invite a spirit, but hard to see it out...” Xie Zhaofan couldn’t help but mutter.
Various horror movie tropes from her previous life flashed through her mind. For ordinary people targeted by something eerie, escape was almost always a narrow brush with death.
Not to mention, she didn’t have any ghost-repelling artifacts or experts by her side.
Wait!
Xie Zhaofan suddenly blinked. How could she have forgotten the most important person?
The protagonist!
Based on the information she currently possessed, Xie Jinyi was the quintessential Female Lead of this world.
She had god-like medical skills, carried all sorts of secrets, and had the immensely powerful Prince Qin by her side. No matter how you looked at her, she wasn't an ordinary person.
If there were a problem her two little maidservants couldn’t solve, why not just go to this sister of hers who was suspected of being the Child of Destiny?
Thinking of this, Xie Zhaofan’s eyes instantly lit up.
“Chunxing, go find a nice-looking brocade box.”
Chunxing was startled. “Miss, what do you need a brocade box for?”
“To pack something, of course,” Xie Zhaofan answered matter-of-factly.
A moment later, Chunxing brought over an exquisite wooden brocade box.
Xie Zhaofan personally directed her to place the bronze ornament inside and told her to decorate it as beautifully as possible, even specifically wrapping a layer of silk cloth around it.
“Come on, follow me next door.”
“Huh?”
Chunxing was instantly dumbfounded.
Right now, she wanted nothing more than to be as far away from that ghost thing as possible. She hadn't expected her mistress to actually take the initiative to carry it out.
“Miss, where are we...”
“Paying a visit.”
Xie Zhaofan smiled exceptionally brightly.
“To see my sister.”
She spoke with complete naturalness, as if the item her maidservant was holding wasn't some sinister ornament, but a simple box of pastries.
Soon, mistress and servant arrived at Xie Jinyi’s courtyard.
Seeing Xie Zhaofan approach with Chunxing, Xiangling, who was on duty at the gate, was clearly stunned. She seemingly hadn’t expected this Second Young Miss to take the initiative to show up at their door.
Snapping out of it, she hurriedly curtsied.
“Greetings, Second Young Miss.”
Xie Zhaofan waved her hand dismissively.
“Rise. Go tell Sister I’ve come to visit her.”
The expression on Xiangling’s face became rather colorful. Visit the Eldest Young Miss?
These two sisters were notoriously at odds. For the Second Young Miss to suddenly arrive with a gift and claim she was visiting, Xiangling couldn’t help but feel something was off.
Was this a case of the weasel paying its respects to the chicken for the New Year?
However, she naturally didn’t dare say such things aloud for fear of accidentally provoking the Second Young Miss, who was becoming increasingly lawless in the residence. She could only hurry inside to report.
Standing at the courtyard gate, Xie Zhaofan watched Xiangling’s clearly hastened pace, and her heart couldn't help but bloom with joy.
As it turned out, being the villain was actually quite satisfying.
At the very least, whenever the servants of the Prime Minister’s residence saw her now, they were subconsciously more respectful, and their efficiency was many times higher than before.
On the other side, Xie Jinyi was studying a new formula at her desk.
Hearing Xiangling’s report that Xie Zhaofan had suddenly come to visit, her brush paused, and her elegant brows furrowed slightly.
What did this foster sister of hers want to do now? The more she interacted with Xie Zhaofan, the more she felt that the girl was like a completely different person compared to before.
The old Xie Zhaofan, though spoiled and overbearing, was mostly just a straightforward brat.
But now, this sister was becoming harder for her to read. Especially the occasional glints of cleverness in her eyes; they often gave Xie Jinyi the illusion that the person before her had been replaced.
However, Xie Jinyi was steady by nature, and she quickly suppressed these thoughts.
“Let her in.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Soon, Xie Zhaofan led Chunxing into the room.
The moment she entered, she began looking around as if she had discovered some rare treasure.
“Sister, your room is decorated so beautifully. It’s so elegant and refined, and even the incense smells so good. It’s much better than my courtyard; my place is practically a kennel in comparison.”
Xie Jinyi: “...”
For a moment, she didn’t even know how to respond. What exactly was this person trying to do?
However, her temperament was excellent, and she didn’t take offense. She merely smiled faintly and said, “If you like it, you can have the servants redecorate for you.”
“No need for that. I was just saying.”
Xie Zhaofan sat down without standing on ceremony and naturally picked up a piece of pastry from the table to eat. After finishing, she didn't forget to comment, “Not bad.”
Xie Jinyi watched this series of fluid movements, and that strange feeling in her heart grew even stronger.
From the looks of it, she really was just here to pay a visit.
Only after Xie Zhaofan had eaten several pastries did she finally shift her gaze to the brocade box in Chunxing’s hands.
“Actually, the main reason I came over today was because I have something I want to give to Sister.”
Xie Jinyi followed her gaze, her suspicion deepening.
“What is it?”
Xie Zhaofan immediately signaled Chunxing to bring over the brocade box before saying with a look of utmost sincerity, “I bought this outside for twenty taels a few days ago. I thought it was quite interesting, so I’ve brought it as a gift to apologize to Sister. Think of it as an apology for my past immature behavior.”
“I no longer care about the things you did in the past,” Xie Jinyi refused decisively. “You should keep this for yourself.”
“No way.”
Xie Zhaofan immediately put on a pitiful, aggrieved expression. “Sister, you still refuse to forgive me, don’t you?”
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