In the carriage on Zunzon Road, Li Mei sat opposite her husband Han as they slowly moved toward Shenzhou Province. They had decided to attend the coming-of-age ceremony earlier than planned, after dealing with the bandits who had kidnapped their children.
“It’s a shame that the mountain bandit’s testimony wouldn’t be enough to warrant an imperial investigation or to make Sect Leader Liang Feng declare war,” Han said, looking at Li Mei.
Li Mei nodded. “The Shining Blade Sect would have easily denied any involvement, as there’s nothing linking them except the word of a criminal. And Father... He still wants to maintain peace, even after his grandchildren were kidnapped.”
Han nodded, then posed a question. “But it’s quite odd. The Shining Blade Sect has never acted so rashly in the past. So why now? Even if they sensed an opportunity, acting so openly was never their approach.”
“It’s good that we kept up the act because it seems someone is really backing them,” Li Mei replied.
“But that’s what’s so odd,” Han said. “If they have the backing of someone that guarantees their sect's safety from the Blazing Dawn Sect’s wrath, why try to join with the second prince’s faction by proxy? It’s well known that the second prince needs influential figures' support.”
Li Mei looked at the moon rising in the distance. “It might be the first prince’s faction trying to instate them as insiders.”
Han nodded at this theory but added, “But it doesn’t make sense. The Shining Blade Sect has been abundantly clear about wanting to force us out of the second prince faction which they don’t have to, if they only want to join”
Li Mei nodded and then laid her head on his lap. “Whoever it is, they made a mistake trying to mess with my family,” she said as she slowly drifted into sleep.
Suddenly, as the moonlight shone through the carriage window onto Li Mei's face, she started trembling with fear and muttering words. “I... I will be a good girl... please stop! Stop!”
Han shook her gently, trying to wake her. “Lili, it’s alright. Lili, wake up!”
Li Mei continued muttering in fear and desperation. “Please don’t take them away! I will do anything! P-please...” Tears streamed down her face as she shivered. “I will do anything! I will... stay out... out of your way! I will go in... the dark room, if you want! Please don’t take them away! Please, Elara—”
“LILI!” Han hugged her tightly as she woke up, still shivering. “YOU ARE NOT IN THE DARKNESS ANYMORE,” he said word by word in her ears slowly, holding her close. As gradually she stopped trembling.
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A Week Later at Midnight, Shining Blade Sect, Konsai City, Shenzhou Province,
Inside the guest wing of the Shining Blade Sect, the atmosphere was calm and silent. The moon had risen high, signaling midnight, as everyone slept comfortably in their beds. In one of the guest rooms, Edina lay in a soft, fluffy bed, sleeping soundly.
Suddenly, with a jolt, Senior Edina woke up and looked around frantically. The room seemed vaguely familiar. She pointed at various objects in the room, trying to place where she was. First at the walls, then at the door. Slowly, realization dawned on her. "Shining Blade Sect’s Guest Room," she whispered.
Relief washed over her as she sighed. "So Junior Edina made it here somehow," she muttered, scanning the room for a letter from Junior Edina. As expected, a letter lay on the table beside the bed.
"Let’s see what happened," Senior Edina said to herself in a low voice as she opened the letter.
As Senior Edina read the letter under the moonlight, her expression shifted dramatically with each passing line. Confusion, disbelief, and finally, sheer incredulity painted her face. She placed a hand on her forehead, feeling a headache form as the letter’s contents became more and more bewildering.
First, Junior Edina explained why she was outside and how she got kidnapped along with Wei and Lin. This alone was perplexing for Senior Edina, as a handwritten invitation had never been sent in her previous life. She justified this discrepancy by reminding herself that since she didn’t have the rights to manage finances, she might not have received such an invitation.
The next part of the letter revealed that Wei had saved Junior Edina before she took over, which was surprising enough. However, the subsequent line was even more astonishing: they had been rescued by Princess Huangshu—the Princess Huangshu. Known for avoiding close associations with any major families, Princess Huangshu was famously doted on by the emperor and her two elder brothers, making it nearly impossible for anyone to contact her. Yet, Junior Edina claimed they had become friends!
As if that wasn’t enough to process, the letter continued with the news that Junior Edina had met Sister Lu Lan in town. Lu Lan was there with her husband, who was partnering with Jade Grass Commerce to open a ready-made dress store in Konsai City on the same day they were opening one in their hometown. Which doesn’t happen till 3 years in the future!
Senior Edina couldn’t believe the series of events described in the letter. She double-checked each line, hoping she had misread something, but the words remained the same. The letter painted a picture of a reality that was vastly different from what she had known in her past life. How had Junior Edina managed to forge a friendship with Princess Huangshu? Why had Wei returned to rescue her, and how had they ended up meeting Lu Lan in town?
The sheer number of unexpected changes was staggering. As far as she knew, the only significant alteration she has done was Junior Edina's trial period to gain permanent financial management rights. Yet, the future seemed to be shifting dramatically.
For Senior Edina, this realization was both terrifying and disconcerting. If this trend continued, every single event she knew about the future would be altered, rendering her knowledge of the future useless in no time.
However, upon closer inspection, she noticed that while events were changing, the people and their fundamental characteristics remained the same. This gave her hope. If she could still influence individuals, she might be able to steer events in her desired direction. Determined not to dwell on her fears, she decided to get some rest. According to Junior Edina's letter, they were scheduled to meet with the young master of the Shining Blade Sect the next morning.
With a deep sigh, she folded the letter and placed it back on the table. As she settled back into the plush bed, her mind continued to race. The new reality was unpredictable, but it also presented new opportunities. She needed to be adaptable, to use her knowledge wisely, even if the future was no longer certain.
She started staring at the ceiling as the calm and silent night felt surreal compared to the whirlwind of revelations from the letter. It was as if the moonlight itself was trying to shed light on this new path their lives had taken.
Senior Edina’s thoughts drifted to her previous life. The hardships, the losses, the moments of despair. This new timeline, while confusing and unexpected, seemed to hold promise. She could see opportunities where there had been none before. The chance to rebuild, to forge new alliances, and perhaps, to prevent past tragedies from repeating.
Tomorrow would be a new day, filled with new challenges and possibilities. And Senior Edina was ready to face it. She closed her eyes, letting the calm of the night envelop her, and allowed herself to drift into a restful sleep.