Song Yihuan stood there stunned.
Right, these days had been so muddled that she had forgotten that the eighth day of the seventh lunar month was her birthday. It couldn't be blamed on her. The people who had cherished her in this world were long gone, and no one in the Marquis Mansion remembered when she was born. So even she herself had gradually forgotten.
But there was still one person in this world who remembered.
It was Uncle Qi, who had no blood - relation with her but had doted on her like a daughter.
Tears welled up in her eyes instantly, and her nose turned sour.
She no longer refused. She stepped forward, took out the package Qi Lei had placed in the basket, and beamed a dazzling smile at Qi Lei. "Thank you, Uncle Qi. Yihuan is very happy."
"I'm glad you're happy. Don't always look so gloomy. Smile more," Qi Lei exhorted. "Oh, right. When I took the bricks to the employer just now, I heard them mention that there was a major case in the capital. Five women died last night. You must stay in the Prince Ning's Mansion at night and don't wander around. Do you understand?"
Song Yihuan nodded vigorously. "Yes, I understand, Uncle Qi. I won't wander around."
"Then I'll go back to work. Be careful on your way back alone." Without saying much more to Song Yihuan, Qi Lei gave her the things and went back to work.
Song Yihuan watched him leave before she started to walk back. After walking a couple of steps, she seemed to sense something. She turned back and looked behind her. All she saw was an empty window in a teahouse not far behind.
Was it just her illusion? Why did it feel like someone was staring at her?
This strange feeling made Song Yihuan vigilant. On her way back, she was extremely cautious. She deliberately chose a path where there were people walking and took many detours before finally returning safely to the back door of the Prince Ning's Mansion.
After entering the mansion and safely returning to Tinglan Courtyard, she let out a long sigh of relief.
She didn't know that after her figure disappeared into Tinglan Courtyard, a familiar corner of a robe flashed behind a big tree.
When Chunxing and Fuling in the courtyard saw Song Yihuan return safely, they also let out a sigh of relief.
Song Yihuan gave the silver she had retrieved to Chunxing. When Chunxing learned that there were ten taels of silver in the money bag, her face was filled with surprise. She carefully held the money bag and went into the house to store it properly.
Song Yihuan returned to her own room and first opened the package that Qi Lei had given her.
Inside was a jade safety buckle strung with a red cord so that it could be hung around the neck. Although the jade was not of the highest quality and had many impurities and streaks, in Song Yihuan's eyes, it was as precious as a fortune.
Besides the safety buckle, there was also a money bag in the package. Song Yihuan opened it and saw that there were exactly thirty copper coins inside.
Tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes, but Song Yihuan didn't feel sad at this moment. Instead, she felt extremely happy. Although she was crying, the corners of her lips were smiling.
Uncle Qi was probably the person who loved her the most in this world. He did the most laborious job and had to carry bricks back and forth three times just to earn thirty copper coins, but then he gave them all to her and even bought her a safety buckle with an auspicious meaning.
In her heart, Uncle Qi was her father, and she would surely take good care of him in the future.
She wiped away her tears, carefully put away the safety buckle, and then took out another birthday gift she had received - the "Miscellaneous Records of Yangshan" she had got from Youyang Bookstore.
Holding the book that smelled of pine - ink, Song Yihuan's eyebrows relaxed, and a rare, innocent smile like that of a child appeared on her face.
Her fingertips traced over the four characters "Spiritual Machine Master". Song Yihuan sat by the window and, bathed in the bright sunlight, opened the book.
After not seeing each other for four years, the calligraphy of the Spiritual Machine Master had improved a lot. Every stroke was filled with an irresistible aura. As she read his words, the scenery of the borderlands unfolded before her eyes. She felt as if she had personally traveled to the vast desert full of yellow sand, seen the setting sun over the desert, the groups of camels, and the oases...
She gradually immersed herself in the sea of the book.
When she turned over the last page, Song Yihuan finally came back to her senses and completely detached from the border scenery depicted in the book.
Only then did she realize that it had already gotten dark. The ink - like sky was full of stars. A lamp had been lit on the table beside her at some point, illuminating her vision so that she could see the content of the book clearly.
Her stomach growled a few times, and the feeling of hunger hit her. She realized that she had been sitting by the window, forgetting to eat and sleep, for two hours.
Looking at the book in her hand, her fingertips gently tapped on the four characters "Miscellaneous Records of Yangguan", and she smiled childishly.
"Spiritual Machine Master, it seems that you've been having a great time in the borderlands these years."
Unlike her...
Thinking about her experiences in the past four years, she let out a soft sigh. A hint of loneliness and indescribable melancholy appeared between her eyebrows.
Even if she had found out the whereabouts of the "Spiritual Machine Master" again, so what?
The death of her mother back then had made her miss the chance to meet him. Now, she was in a difficult situation and couldn't act as she wished, let alone meet him.
Just as her mother had said, once missed, it was missed forever.
Four years was long enough to change everything. By now, he might have already married and had children.
Suddenly, an idea popped into Song Yihuan's mind. Somehow, she thought of Ji Lingchuan.
Right, Ji Lingchuan had also been leading troops to fight in the borderlands these years. His age seemed to be similar to that of the Spiritual Machine Master. Could it be...
Song Yihuan instinctively denied this speculation in her heart.
The Spiritual Machine Master could never be Ji Lingchuan. She had a photographic memory. Although the letters she had exchanged with the Spiritual Machine Master back then had been destroyed, she still remembered the content clearly.
The words of the Spiritual Machine Master were full of humor, showing that he was a free - spirited person, which was completely different from Ji Lingchuan's cold and serious appearance.
Moreover, the Spiritual Machine Master had never mentioned that he knew martial arts, nor had he said a single word about Grand - scholar Qi or the Black Armored Army. There were also no words related to war in this "Miscellaneous Records of Yangshan". Presumably, the Spiritual Machine Master had just traveled in the borderlands these years instead of leading troops to fight.
Instinctively, she also didn't want Ji Lingchuan to be the Spiritual Machine Master.
Ji Lingchuan was her sister's husband, the heir of the Prince Ning's Mansion, and the cousin of the current emperor. He was the person she could never reach in this world.
But the Spiritual Machine Master was the hope she could hold in her hands.
She lowered her eyelids to hide the disappointment in her eyes. Song Yihuan casually ate something to fill her stomach, then locked herself in the room. She found a writing brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone. Comparing with the original book, she concentrated and started to copy it.
"In the first year of Taichu, I arrived at Fengcheng on the border, faced Yangshan, and lived in Tianyuan Temple..."
The black ink spread on the paper. The soft tip of the writing brush gently twisted, like a dexterous snake slithering. It was almost exactly the same as the original book, as if it was a rubbings.