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墨書 Inktalez
The carriage was spacious enough for four people to sit comfortably inside. Mei Shuang and Shijieyu sat on one side, while Anriyan and his Attendant occupied the other side.
As the carriage sped along, it inevitably swayed back and forth, and the group remained silent.
Mei Shuang gazed at Anriyan, who seemed to be resting with his eyes closed, and at the towering figure of his Attendant. Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind: why did the Emperor of the Great Qin Empire need to collaborate with Yamataikoku to search for treasure?
She recalled that Xiao Luo had mentioned one of the purposes of the Yamataikoku envoy's visit was to retrieve Mei Ru. Could it be that they had only joined the treasure hunt to increase their bargaining power in recovering Mei Ru? However, the secrets of the treasure had always been known to very few; how could people from Yamataikoku also be aware of them? Or was it that Xiao Luo had deliberately let them know? Moreover, given the gravity of this matter, with an uncertain future and unknown dangers ahead, why would such an important figure from Yamataikoku directly participate? Historical records indicated that Anriyan was not merely an envoy from Yamataikoku; he was actually the brother of Queen Himiko.
The direct involvement of Queen Himiko's brother in the treasure hunt underscored the significance of this affair. Thus, it was no surprise that the Great Qin Empire was willing to cooperate with them; it could only mean that this batch of treasure would undoubtedly be beneficial to them, especially since they excelled in witchcraft and sorcery.
At this thought, a chill crept up from Mei Shuang's feet, and she felt a thin layer of sweat break out on her back.
Damn it, she had always thought that witchcraft and sorcery—methods that utilized and manipulated some supernatural powers to influence human life or natural events—were non-mainstream practices found only in remote, uncivilized areas like deep southwestern mountains or among certain ethnic minorities.
Given Qishan's geographical location, she had never imagined such dangers could exist! No wonder Xiao Luo had given her a black short sword right before their departure; it seemed that its purpose was not just for self-defense but also for warding off evil.
Recalling her previous suffering from Poison, she felt a shiver run down her spine. After all, Poison was merely a minor aspect of witchcraft and sorcery; compared to those more complex "arts," it hardly counted as anything significant.
Thus, with Queen Himiko's brother personally involved in this venture, it was clear that the intricacies at play were beyond what ordinary people could fathom.
Mei Shuang felt her heart sink heavily like a lead weight. She silently lamented having overlooked this crucial detail before setting off; she knew nothing about it. Collaborating with people from Yamataikoku posed a risk—what if they turned against her halfway through or sought revenge? She could end up in serious trouble.
Amidst her complicated feelings, she glanced again at Anriyan, who still appeared to be resting with his eyes closed. In an instant, she sensed an evil aura emanating from his seemingly refined face.
The sword had already been drawn; there was no turning back now. All she could do was exercise extra caution.
Encouraging herself inwardly, she shifted her gaze to Shijieyu beside her.
Shijieyu was quietly reading a book as usual, her expression calm, seemingly unconcerned about the daunting and complex nature of their mission.
Just as panic can spread in certain environments, a person's calmness can often stabilize others during tense moments. It seemed that this mission might not be so troublesome after all, providing Mei Shuang with some comfort.
The two carriages sped along at a steady pace, maintaining silence except for the occasional crack of the driver's whip, creating a tranquil atmosphere inside.
Anriyan opened her eyes and saw Mei Shuang intently studying a small notebook filled with densely packed text. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow on Mei Shuang's face, causing her to frown slightly.
Her clear forehead and delicate features were framed by long eyelashes that cast soft shadows beneath her eyes. A tiny bead of sweat glistened on her petite nose.
In the sweltering summer heat, the carriage felt stiflingly hot.
Fortunately, they had dressed in light men's clothing for the journey; layers of flowing skirts would have been unbearably suffocating. As Mei Shuang encountered a particularly puzzling section, her brow furrowed in frustration. She reached out to grasp the teacup nestled in the groove of the table but unexpectedly touched a hand instead—distinctly defined fingers that felt delicate yet slightly firm, definitely not Shijieyu's slender digits.
Startled, Mei Shuang dropped her notebook and looked up to meet Anriyan's gaze directly across from her.
Each person at the table had a groove for their teacup to prevent spills during bumps in the road. Unbeknownst to her, Mei Shuang had crossed into Anriyan's space just as she was about to lift her cup for a drink.
Anriyan raised an eyebrow at Mei Shuang, who instinctively withdrew her hand as if shocked, her cheeks flushing crimson.
The sudden movement caught Shijieyu's attention from her reading. She shifted her book aside and observed Anriyan leisurely lifting her teacup while Mei Shuang appeared somewhat flustered and restless beside her.
From the corner of her eye, she had caught a glimpse of how absorbed Miss Mei Shuang was in her task.
To ease the awkwardness, she gently asked, "Where are we headed?"
The voice of Shijieyu was not loud, but the coachman outside had excellent hearing and immediately responded, "We have already left the capital for eighty miles."
Anriyan glanced at the ever-silent Shijieyu, who was indeed a beauty. He thought to himself that the Great Qin Empire was truly blessed with talented individuals, and the emperor of the Great Qin Empire certainly had his share of fortune.
However, he found it strange why Mei Shuang would choose a consort as her partner. The emperor of the Great Qin Empire traditionally had three palaces and six courtyards with seventy-two consorts. Although the women in the harem shared one husband, they were often at odds with each other. The Consort Chen, whom Ziqing pointed out, was a prime example. It seemed that sometimes too much imperial favor could be a bad thing. Since Shijieyu was also a consort of the emperor, didn't Mei Shuang consider what would happen if the other woman were to become jealous and put her in danger?
Nevertheless, women's thoughts were difficult to decipher. At least on the surface, Shijieyu seemed harmless; perhaps that was what Mei Shuang had considered.
Shijieyu was aware that Anriyan was sizing her up but pretended not to notice. After all, she was a consort beside the Empress of the Great Qin Empire. Even if she had a mission that required her to travel with an envoy from Yamataikoku, she could never overstep her bounds and initiate conversation unless the other party spoke first or there was something urgent that needed to be communicated. Clearly, there was no need for that at this moment. In this regard, her status differed from Mei Shuang's.
Mei Shuang was still known as Deposed Empress Mei Shuang and had not yet been officially reinstated. Even though she enjoyed the emperor's favor, she could not be considered a formally recognized consort in the harem; thus, comparatively speaking, Mei Shuang had more freedom than she did.
She casually poured tea for Mei Shuang.
Mei Shuang wanted to say a few words to Shijieyu to alleviate the discomfort of having been silent for half a day. However, upon seeing Anriyan staring intently at them from across the way, she lost her desire to speak.
Each person harbored their own thoughts; only Anriyan's attendant beside him, resembling an iron tower, seemed completely unaware of fatigue. He sat straight in place with his hands resting on his knees, eyes fixed ahead. From morning until now, he probably hadn't even taken a sip of water.
Mei Shuang gazed out of the carriage window; the sun had already set significantly.
Along the way, in passing villages, farmers returning home with their hoes after sunset could be seen alongside distant wisps of smoke rising from cooking fires. The innocent laughter of children reached her ears, making this tedious journey feel slightly more lively.
Time flowed by minute by minute until the bright red sun finally disappeared into the twilight. Dusk gradually approached.
After a long day of travel, both the coachman and horses were quite exhausted, and everyone in the carriage felt sore from the bumpy ride. Mei Shuang suggested taking a break before continuing their journey.
Along the way, there was an inn that looked quite clean.
Mei Shuang felt a bit apprehensive about staying at an inn. She had stayed at inns a few times, and nine out of ten times, something had gone wrong. So this time, after finishing her meal and washing up briefly, she was unwilling to spend the night at the inn no matter what.
However, it was getting late, and Anriyan did not recommend traveling at night. After all, the next stretch of road was somewhat remote, and if they encountered robbers, it would only waste their time.
Thus, they requested two top-quality rooms from the innkeeper and each went to their respective rooms to rest.
After swaying in the carriage all day, Mei Shuang felt sore in her back and legs. Shijieyu, on the other hand, did not feel particularly tired. She instructed Mei Shuang to turn over and lie down, then gently pressed on several acupoints on Mei Shuang's body with her fingers.
The pressure was just right. At first, Mei Shuang felt a tingling sensation all over her body, followed by a warm flow coursing through her, instantly alleviating much of her soreness and making her feel much more relaxed.
Mei Shuang was naturally very grateful and praised Shijieyu's skills but couldn't help feeling a bit guilty. "You won't blame me for making you accompany me this time, will you?"
Shijieyu smiled slightly. "You could only take me along if the Emperor approved. I'm just following orders."
Mei Shuang felt warmth in her heart; she indeed had not misjudged her.
Lost in thought, she heard Shijieyu say, "However, neither the Emperor nor I expected that you would actually let me accompany you."
Mei Shuang shook her head. "I don't know either; sometimes people's choices aren't always based on reason. Perhaps it's intuition."
Shijieyu did not continue the conversation, while Mei Shuang gradually fell asleep under Shijieyu's gentle touch.
Seeing that Mei Shuang had fallen into a steady breathing pattern, Shijieyu blew out the candle and lay on her side. Just as she was about to close her eyes to rest, she faintly heard footsteps coming from outside the door.
She suddenly became alert, her sleepiness gone. After listening for a moment, she slowly got up and quietly approached the door, where she could faintly hear voices outside.
One of them seemed to be trying hard to lower his voice, but his tone still revealed his fear. "It's serious. I just came back from Qizhou and heard that there are ghosts near Qishan."
Another person seemed to gasp in disbelief. "But there's Wuhou Shrine on that mountain, which enshrines the Great Buddha. It has been receiving offerings all year round; how could there be ghosts?"
"Who says there aren't? The rumors are spreading more and more, and they are getting more dangerous. Do you know why I returned late these days? It's because no one dares to travel the Official Road near Qishan anymore. That's why I took a longer route. I'm telling you, even if you offer double the money to transport these goods in the future, no one will dare to go."
"Come on, talking about this in the middle of the night is just trying to scare me." The other person clearly did not take it seriously. "Don't expect me to give you extra just because of what you said."
As the two of them walked away, the inn returned to silence.
Shijieyu felt a heaviness in her heart.
She turned to look at Mei Shuang, who was still fast asleep.
Listening intently to the sounds from the adjacent room, it seemed there was no movement there either.
Although she was unsure of the identities of the two men, their words at least conveyed one piece of information: someone had already taken action before them.
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