Ji Feiyu smiled and looked into the distance with him. In the distance, large white clouds floated against the blue sky, making one feel relaxed and peaceful. The vast grassland stretched between heaven and earth, not at all hindered in its grandeur by a small pass. As it was autumn, the grass was a blend of green and yellow, and the scattered dwarf trees had turned orange-yellow. Everything was so natural and pure, making one feel refreshed and carefree.
The howling cold wind whistled by. The Second Prince whipped his horse and led the way towards the pass. On the border, when there was no war, people could move freely as long as they had the proper travel documents.
Seeing him take the lead, the others didn't want to lag behind and quickly followed.
They were about to leave the pass and set foot on a new territory. What would happen there? Ji Feiyu held back her excitement and urged her horse to follow.
...
After entering the North Cold Region, the Second Prince's hired martial artists were sent elsewhere, while Ji Feiyu accompanied the Second Prince to a villa and seemed to become his personal bodyguard.
"Second Prince, why didn't you bring others here?" In the long corridor, only she and the Second Prince were walking silently. Ji Feiyu felt the atmosphere was a bit strange and couldn't help but speak up.
But all she got was a smile from the Second Prince.
"Second Prince, didn't you say you wanted me to deal with someone who can use sound as a weapon? Where is this person?"
The Second Prince continued walking, then climbed up a pavilion and stopped to smile at her. "The person I told you about is right here."
After saying that, he opened the window and motioned for her to look out.
Only then did Ji Feiyu discover that there was a pleasant surprise behind the pavilion. A waterside pavilion was built in the style of southern architecture. Inside the pavilion, someone was carefully painting a picture by the window. It was a picture of war and yet also a gentle and ink-washed landscape, the map of the Chengxuan Empire.
This was the second time Ji Feiyu had seen the map of the empire within half a year. For some reason, she had a vague feeling that something was about to happen.
The woman by the window was painting extremely carefully. Occasionally, she would hold the brush to her lips in deep thought, and occasionally she would put down the brush to take a closer look at the painting, as if recalling the details of the picture.
By now, it was getting dark outside, but the room was brightly lit, making her shadow look lonely and a bit haggard.
Suddenly, a crow cawed, causing her to look up. Unfortunately, they got a clear view of her face. Just one glance made Ji Feiyu break out in a cold sweat.
That person was exactly her!
That person had the same face as Ji Feiyu, and even the expression was identical. Ji Feiyu was so shocked that she almost gave herself away.
"Well, it's her. I wonder if the Jade Flute Gentleman can tell her strength?" After saying that, the Second Prince went down the pavilion from the other side and walked into the waterside pavilion. Ji Feiyu couldn't quite believe it and looked at the person in the pavilion again.
How could there be someone so similar in the world! If it was just simple disguise, it would be understandable, but why did she even imitate the expression so vividly?
Moreover, the map of the empire. What was the story behind her painting it? If she wasn't Ji Feiyu, how could she paint it? If she was Ji Feiyu, then who was she?
Ji Feiyu continued to stare at her in disbelief, only to see the Second Prince enter the room.
"What are you doing here again? I've said that I won't help you. Even if you lock me up here for a hundred years, it won't work." The person in the room didn't look happy to see the Second Prince. That instant change of expression was exactly like the real Ji Feiyu's.
The Second Prince didn't mind her change of expression. He just said, "If I can bring an old acquaintance to you, will you help me?"
"Oh?" That person just smiled faintly at him. "Old acquaintance? You don't mean Yong Yaxuan, do you? What difference would it make if he came? Do I even know him?"
The Second Prince smiled. "It seems you're still angry with him."
That person's face changed slightly, but she said, "What anger? I'm a stranger to him. There's no such thing as being angry."
My goodness! Ji Feiyu felt that what this person said was exactly what she would think. Could there really be two identical people in the world?
She looked through the window again and saw that the person closed her eyes and sighed, clearly heartbroken about something.
At this point, she had to admire the acting skills of the person below. Whether it was the tone, the words, or the expression, she imitated them so perfectly that the real Ji Feiyu would almost applaud her. Because if the real Ji Feiyu was in that position, she would also say the same things and do the same things.
Ji Feiyu herself began to waver and doubt. What was going on? Who was she exactly?
However, to find out the truth, she couldn't just watch from above. So without hesitation, Ji Feiyu quickly went down the stairs.
When she got downstairs, she found that the door was closed. There was a difference between watching a play from the audience and rushing onto the stage directly. Ji Feiyu looked at the door awkwardly. Finally, she decided to put her ear against the door to listen. She only heard the woman say, "You don't need to say anything."
Just as Ji Feiyu was about to listen to how the woman would continue to act, the door suddenly opened. Ji Feiyu lost her balance and stumbled into the room.
She looked directly into the eyes of the Second Prince, who was standing by the door and about to go out.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the room was... extremely awkward.
Ji Feiyu steadied herself, lowered her head and coughed, then looked at the woman. Still seeing no flaws, she said, "I'm here to find the Second Prince."
The woman glanced at Ji Feiyu and said, "Second Prince, please manage your people properly."
Ji Feiyu was about to say something else, but was interrupted by the Second Prince and directly pulled away.
The Second Prince didn't stop until they reached a corner.
"What did you come down for?" the Second Prince asked.
"I'm here to help you! Didn't you say you wanted me to teach her a lesson with sound? Wasn't she just refusing you?"
The Second Prince said in a bad mood in a low voice, "It's true that I want you to teach her a lesson, but not now. If you hurt her now, who will do things for me?"
Ji Feiyu immediately understood. "Oh! The Second Prince means to make the best use of her and then get rid of her?"
She couldn't help but admire. "High! Truly high!"
He gave Ji Feiyu a deep look but didn't say a word. Ji Feiyu cursed him in her heart a thousand times.
Seeing this, the Second Prince turned back and took Ji Feiyu back to the room.
The Second Prince said, "It's lunchtime. Why don't we have lunch together?"
The woman looked calm. "Do I have a choice but to agree?"
The Second Prince smiled. "Servants, serve the food."
While waiting for the food, Ji Feiyu stood beside the Second Prince and kept stealing glances at the woman and the painting on her table.
The woman stopped painting and just sat on the chair, casually flipping through a few books. The Second Prince looked at her tenderly, but the woman naturally ignored his tender gaze.
Finally, the food was served. The servants started to set the table, but Ji Feiyu's mind was in a mess. She couldn't help but think of three questions: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?