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"Ah, you've misunderstood," Mei Shuang said with a pout. "I came out with you, so my safety on this journey should be your responsibility..."
"Heh, Miss Mei Shuang, if I remember correctly, it was you who begged me to take you out..." Nangong Nuo replied, a teasing smile on his face.
Seeing Mei Shuang's expression fall, Nangong Nuo couldn't help but chuckle. "However, you really surprised me; you managed to break half of that mist... You know quite a bit."
Before Nangong Nuo could finish his sentence, a voice from outside interrupted him. "Reporting to Zhao Prince, the female assassin in the prison cart insists on seeing you and—"
The guard suddenly found himself at a loss for how to address Mei Shuang, and could only grit his teeth and say, "It's the young lady from the carriage just now. She said that as long as she can meet you, she would die without regrets..."
Nangong Nuo glanced at Mei Shuang and immediately refused.
At this moment, if he were to mention their private matters in front of Mei Shuang, wouldn't that be inviting trouble for himself?
Mei Shuang then said, "When a person is about to die, their words are often sincere. Why not meet her?"
Nangong Nuo thought for a moment. "Wait, bring the assassin over."
---
Under the bright candlelight, Mei Shuang examined the female assassin kneeling on the ground. Her long hair was disheveled, revealing a fair and youthful face—she looked no older than seventeen or eighteen. Graceful and delicate in appearance, she resembled someone from the Central Plains. Her eyes were like ripe grapes—bright and deep, exuding an unusual intensity that belied her age.
At first glance, it was hard to associate this petite and beautiful woman with a skilled and ruthless assassin. After observing her for a while, Mei Shuang suddenly had a flash of recognition; she felt as if she had seen this woman's face somewhere before.
While Mei Shuang was lost in thought, the assassin was also studying her. Soon enough, disappointment flickered in her eyes, but she remained silent.
Subconsciously, it was difficult for her to believe that this girl of similar age was the target they had been searching for so diligently. Moreover, apart from her striking beauty, this Han woman seemed utterly unremarkable.
A bitter smile crept into her heart. Could it be that they had made a mistake? If so, all their efforts would be in vain.
"What is your name?" Mei Shuang asked kindly.
The Female Assassin remained silent for a moment before responding in broken Chinese, "Kuranami Miyako..."
"Kuranami Miyako?" Mei Shuang pondered.
Images related to this name quickly flashed through her mind. In fact, this surname was not unfamiliar to Mei Shuang, who had studied ancient history. This family name represented a clan that had once held significant influence in the history of this small nation, with its glory lasting over a hundred years. However, the family had suddenly vanished, and the reasons for its decline were not recorded in history.
If the woman before her truly belonged to the Jiu Rang Family, Mei Shuang could almost deduce many related matters, but clearly, this historical account did not fully correspond...
Seeing Mei Shuang furrow her brow, Kuranami Miyako suddenly felt hopeful, her large eyes sparkling with desire. "Please, you must be the person we are looking for..."
Kuranami Miyako's words pulled Mei Shuang back to reality. She replied lightly, "I think you must be mistaken; I cannot be the person you are looking for..."
Kuranami Miyako refused to give up. Remembering the admonitions she received before setting out, she raised her gaze to meet Mei Shuang's eyes with an earnest and sincere expression. "It can't be wrong... The will of heaven has guided us to find you; it absolutely cannot be mistaken! I hope you can help us..."
"Then tell me, how exactly can I help you? And since you've come to find me, why not do so openly instead of resorting to such cruel methods that harm others?" Remembering the bloody violence and the bodies of the guards on the ground, Mei Shuang found it hard to accept such cold-bloodedness.
"Well..." Kuranami Miyako hesitated as she noticed Mei Shuang's piercing gaze and her flickering expression.
Nangong Nuo didn't mind and waved his hand for the guards to leave.
Kuranami Miyako sighed, closed her eyes briefly before reopening them, and finally made up her mind. "Our Eastern Kingdom has lived in peace for two hundred years since the Jomon Period. However, in recent decades, things have gradually become unsettled. Now, what was once the Eastern Kingdom has fragmented into several small nations. Our family was originally the largest and most distinguished family in the Eastern Kingdom, inheriting its essence and becoming what is now known as the Eastern Kingdom, coexisting peacefully with other small nations. But ten years ago, a mysterious expert passed through the Eastern Kingdom and told our family that we were cursed. This curse is terrifying: all young males of our Jiu Rang Family will not live past fifteen years old until our family perishes. Indeed, from several years ago until now, we have lost dozens of outstanding young men from our Jiu Rang Family..."
At this point, Kuranami Miyako's sorrow was evident; she trembled all over, her voice choked with tears streaming down her face. "Their deaths were tragic; if this continues, our Jiu Rang Family will soon perish..."
Hearing this, Mei Shuang felt a pang in her heart.
Kuranami Miyako continued, "Although the expert pointed out the curse, he could not help us resolve it. We could only search everywhere for a way to lift it but found little hope... Later we learned that it was Queen Himiko of Yamataikoku who was behind this! Himiko is ruthless and skilled in witchcraft; she poisoned her mother to ascend to power. Under her threats and sorcery, other small nations had no choice but to unite against our Jiu Rang Family's rule over the Eastern Kingdom, waiting for our family to perish so she could unify the world and achieve her wicked goals. However, now we in the Eastern Kingdom are powerless to resist her. Only we women remain burdened with the responsibility of saving our family; we have no choice but to undergo harsh training from a young age just so that one day we might find someone capable of lifting the curse for our family. If we cannot succeed, we will kill Himiko and perish together with her..."
Recalling the past, Kuranami Miyako's eyes widened, her silver teeth nearly biting through.
Mei Shuang was shocked, Yamatai, Himiko... it made sense. No wonder history had no record; it turned out to be an abnormal demise. She could almost confirm that the troubles of the Jiu Rang Family and their future were intertwined.
When her gaze fell again on the frail woman before her, the trembling shoulders of Kuranami Miyako stirred a deep sense of sympathy within Mei Shuang.
The responsibility for the rise and fall of a powerful family ultimately rested on these weak women. While she felt a surge of admiration, an inexplicable pity also welled up—despite their efforts, they were unaware that it was all in vain.
Her gaze landed on Kuranami Miyako's cracked lips. Mei Shuang stood up, poured a cup of tea, and brought it to Kuranami Miyako. As she handed it to her, she asked, "Are all the women traveling with you from your family?"
Kuranami Miyako shuddered, tears welling in her eyes as she looked at Mei Shuang. She took the teacup with her mouth and drank it all in one go.
Mei Shuang caught the empty cup and sat back down, directly ignoring Nangong Nuo's skeptical gaze. Clearly, Nangong Nuo did not approve of her kindness.
Kuranami Miyako's eyes sparkled with longing again. "I only ask that you come with me!"
After setting down the cup, Mei Shuang replied without hesitation, "Although I sympathize with your plight, I just said that I am merely a woman confined to my quarters. Even if you speak of saving your family from such a heavy burden or whatever strange techniques you mentioned earlier, I know nothing about them. What use would I be if I went with you? You must have made a mistake..."
Kuranami Miyako shook her head. "All the women over thirteen from our Jiu Rang Family have come out. Day and night, we travel tirelessly, seeking out wise individuals and secret remedies, but hope is slim. Until months ago, when we inadvertently saved an old woman who guided us here. She said you could..."
"An old woman?!" Mei Shuang found it hard to believe and felt somewhat amused. "What kind of old woman would you worship like a deity and even go so far as to kill for? I am neither a doctor who saves lives nor do I possess miraculous elixirs; how could I lift your family's curse? Furthermore, if this old woman had prophetic abilities, why wouldn't she lift the curse herself? Besides, given that you would stop at nothing to achieve your goals, how can I trust that you are good people?!"
Clearly, disappointment flickered in Kuranami Miyako's eyes as she lowered her gaze in silence for a long time. Suddenly lifting her eyes, she stated firmly, "Actually, we do not wish to kill them! They insist on obstructing us! Moreover, we know that taking you away will certainly provoke someone! That is why we had no choice but to resort to such measures!"
Mei Shuang glanced at Nangong Nuo and thought that even if Kuranami Miyako was telling the truth, it was still too extreme!
She could only shake her head again and say, "I'm sorry! I really can't help!"
Nangong Nuo had been listening intently until this moment when she coldly smiled and said, "So you've been hiding in Miaochun Tower with ulterior motives just to get close to me for this?"
Miaochun Tower?
Mei Shuang suddenly realized why this woman looked familiar. She was the crazy woman who had tried to strip in front of Nangong Nuo's door last night. At that time, things had happened abruptly, and the lighting was poor. It had only taken a moment, and she had only gotten a brief glimpse. Moreover, the woman had been heavily made up then, which was quite different from her current appearance.
Suddenly, Mei Shuang felt that things had become complicated.
So they had known each other for a long time? No wonder the other party seemed to know Nangong Nuo's whereabouts so well. The other person had even gone so far as to pretend to be mad to gather information in front of Nangong Nuo's residence. This meant they already knew that Mei Shuang would eventually appear there, just waiting for the right moment to capture her. More importantly, how did they know she had already come out of the Cold Palace?
As various thoughts raced through her mind, Mei Shuang became increasingly frightened and suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.
Kuranami Miyako showed no hesitation and raised her head. "That's right! We have long known that this woman is important to you, so I am certain that by following you, we will eventually see her!"
Nangong Nuo felt a sinking sensation in his heart and glanced at the pale-faced Mei Shuang. "Is that so?"
He set down his wine glass, narrowed his peach blossom eyes, and said lightly, "What else do you know?"
As the saying goes, too much talk leads to mistakes. What had just been said was enough to keep this suspicious prince pondering for a long time. With caution in mind, she knew she had won this gamble.
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