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墨書 Inktalez
Jingjing City was laid out in a square pattern, with a central axis running north to south. All the buildings within the city were located on either side of this line, except for the Imperial Palace and Prince Jing's Residence, which faced each other directly along the axis, showcasing their uniqueness.
The former site of Prince Jing's Residence, while grand, was slightly less impressive than the Imperial Palace and served as the dividing line between the inner and outer cities. Inside, there were numerous halls adorned in royal colors of gold and crimson. Some privately referred to it as the "Little Imperial Palace." Although it could not match the grandeur of the palace, its exquisite craftsmanship surpassed many others.
The Imperial Palace primarily served as an office space, while Prince Jing's Residence was designed for living. To ensure comfort, the estate featured expansive gardens that had been meticulously crafted over many years before reaching completion. It could be said that among all the residences on the continent, Prince Jing's Residence boasted the most beautiful scenery. The estate underwent minor repairs regularly and larger renovations every few years, leading guests to exclaim in admiration each time they were invited inside.
However, after experiencing a significant upheaval and being neglected for over a decade, it had fallen into disrepair. Sang Qingxiao had visited Jingjing City once before, during which she had caught a glimpse of Ma Wen's furtive figure, prompting her subsequent investigation.
On that visit, a tree still thrived; Sang Qingxiao had touched its sturdy trunk with regret. Now, it was completely lifeless. Ma Wen had searched thoroughly, even uprooting the roots beneath that great tree.
Qi Xiaomian clumsily offered comfort, suggesting they could replant a new tree when the Sang Family returned. However, Sang Qingxiao remarked that Sang Jue would likely never return to this sorrowful place.
At that moment, Li Cu returned after a quick survey and pessimistically stated, "Is there really treasure here? There are signs of digging and destruction everywhere. Even in the most hidden corners, it seems like someone has turned everything upside down. What a shame for such a fine residence; there's hardly any place left untouched."
Indeed, there was little left intact. It was unclear who had committed such mischief in this muddy area; numerous traps had been dug out. When illuminated by light, some traps revealed grim remains—bones that suggested more than one victim had fallen prey to them. The traps were cleverly concealed, waiting for unsuspecting victims to stumble into them.
Though these were merely tricks to ensnare people, inside lay remains stacked upon one another—decayed bodies indicating that more than one group had met their end here. It was hard to tell whether these foes were enemies or allies; it was quite intriguing.
The estate was vast, and Sang Qingxiao was not very familiar with its layout. Even with her runes in hand, she only managed to inspect all the buildings by dawn but found nothing of value. As expected, she did not wish to linger any longer and prepared to leave.
Suddenly, Li Cu slipped while bouncing around and fell into a concealed trap. Fortunately for her Black Cat form—light and nimble—she did not trigger any mechanisms but landed on some rotten flesh instead. Disgusted, her fur bristled as she let out a series of complaints in both meows and human speech; it seemed one mouth was not enough for her curses.
Sang Qingxiao illuminated the area to help her climb out. The light flickered over the freshest corpse within the trap; its limbs had been manipulated by someone else. At first glance, Sang Qingxiao recognized those gestures as familiar; upon a second look, she confirmed her suspicion.
Sang Jue! It was Sang Jue again! Had he anticipated her search for clues and deliberately set this mute riddle for her?
Seeing this scene ignited even more anger within Sang Qingxiao. She had been investigating on behalf of the Sang Family all on her own initiative; yet everywhere she turned bore traces of Sang Jue’s influence. She felt as though her efforts were being undermined.
She initially considered ignoring it altogether but realized that what Sang Jue had left behind might be exactly what she needed. Not wanting to act recklessly at midnight just yet, she decided to take note of this debt for now!
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