Seeing Xiao Sizhan silent, Xiao Ning Wanwan thought he was stunned by her identity and said, “Now you know my status is extraordinary, so you must listen to me. Don’t worry, I will definitely bring you out alive.”
Xiao Sizhan looked at her expression and couldn’t help but laugh. Xiao Ning Wanwan exclaimed, “Big brother, you look so handsome when you smile.”
Xiao Sizhan, gradually stopping his laughter, pulled her to the side and climbed into the crevice to tear apart the vines.
Anxiously, she asked, “Big brother, why are you tearing them all down?”
“These vines are too thin to support our weight. We can only make them thicker by weaving them together,” he explained.
Delighted, Xiao Ning Wanwan eagerly helped carry the vines to the shore, arranging them neatly according to length and thickness. Soon, they had a large pile and sat together to weave, finishing just as the sky darkened.
With no fire in the canyon, they could only attempt to climb out after daybreak. That night, Xiao Sizhan hugged his knees tightly in the corner, watching Xiao Ning Wanwan curled up opposite him. “Little sister, are you afraid?”
“…
Xiao Ning Wanwan curled up into a small ball, sounding aggrieved. After a moment, she asserted, “But I know my grandmother will definitely bring people to find me, so I’m not afraid anymore.”
Xiao Sizhan paused and asked, “This is a wilderness. How did a noble lady end up here?”
Ning Wanwan became energetic, explaining, “I came with my grandmother to check accounts at the countryside estate. I saw a little donkey and, despite Fuyи and Auntie Chang not letting me ride it, I secretly led it out. The donkey threw me off and ran away, and while chasing it, I met big brother…”
Suddenly, she stopped and looked at Xiao Sizhan cautiously. “Big brother, why did you not want to live?”
Xiao Sizhan’s pitch-black eyes revealed no secrets. After a long pause, he replied, “Nothing, just tired of living. I won’t live much longer… Besides, no one in this world cares about my life or death. Everyone wants me dead, so… I might as well die cleanly.” His voice trembled.
Xiao Ning Wanwan innocently asked, “How can no one care about your life? Your parents must care.”
“They… are dead,” Xiao Sizhan said, burying his head deeply in his legs.
Xiao Ning Wanwan hadn’t expected Xiao Sizhan to be an orphan and felt sympathy for him. She moved closer and sat next to him, only to notice he was shaking.
“Big brother, what’s wrong? Are you cold?”
Xiao Sizhan kept his head down and said nothing, but Wanwan heard his chattering teeth. She rubbed her hands, breathed on them, and hugged him. “Don’t be afraid, big brother. I’m hugging you, and you’ll warm up soon.”
After a while, he stopped shivering.
Ning Wanwan held him tightly and said, “Big brother, don’t be afraid. From now on, I care about your life. Don’t think of giving up. My grandmother said that no matter how bitter life is, we should live it with flavor and not waste it.”
Xiao Sizhan finally looked at her, his eyes shining. “If we can return alive this time, will you promise to live only for me?”
Ning Wanwan smiled sweetly and extended her pinky, “Promise! Pinky swear!”
“Promise,” he replied.
The next day, Xiao Sizhan tied one end of woven vines to a stone, threw it onto a tree branch, and discovered a small cave in the mountain wall.
Later, Ning Wanwan was carried out of that cave on Xiao Sizhan’s back.
At that time, Ning Wanwan was seven or eight years old. She pitied Xiao Sizhan’s troubled background and his desire to die, wanting to encourage him to live. After parting, she gradually forgot about it.
Unbeknownst to her, Sizhan had preserved that memory for eight years, living only for her in both his previous life and this one.
She pressed her forehead against Sizhan’s, smiling slightly. “Big brother, thank you for keeping your promise and living on, allowing me to meet you now.”
Two days later, Sizhan received an invitation from Di Jin to meet at Qingfeng Lou, warning of consequences for not attending. To avoid worrying Ning Wanwan, Sizhan kept this secret and took only Yuan Bi with him.
What Sizhan didn’t know was that Ning Wanwan had quietly slipped out after him.
Before Qingfeng Lou stood colorful buildings, with red and white lanterns flickering. The main building was six stories tall, featuring flying bridges connecting the fifth floors, pearl curtains, embroidered plaques, and numerous beautiful women serving wine and entertainment.
As Sizhan arrived, an attendant eagerly greeted him and led him to a private room on the sixth floor.
Although it was a private room, it was merely divided by elegant screens and connected with light gauze curtains. Thus, attentive listeners could hear movements in the adjacent room.
Ning Wanwan had arrived at Qingfeng Lou earlier and quietly entered the private room next to Di Jin’s, drinking tea alone.
“Your Highness the Prince of Yi, it’s not easy to meet you,” Di Jin said sarcastically.
Si Zhan replied slowly, “Since you know, then spare the nonsense.”
“Is my son Di Huan in Your Highness’s hands?”
Si Zhan remained silent, seemingly absorbed in his tea. Behind the screen, Ning Wanwan pressed her ear closer.
“If you don’t speak, I’ll take it as Your Highness’s tacit admission.”
“What do you intend to do?” Si Zhan’s tone was arrogant.
Di Jin paused before replying, “I want to exchange someone for my son.”
“Oh?” Si Zhan waited for further explanation.
Ning Wanwan heard Di Jin coldly laugh and ask, “How about it? This person should be worth exchanging for my son’s life, right?”
Si Zhan countered, “Who is he?”
Ning Wanwan wondered who Si Zhan had seen. Could that person be in the adjacent room? She hadn’t heard any footsteps, and these private rooms were small and couldn’t accommodate many people.
Not in the room, but from Si Zhan’s line of sight… Outside the window?
Ning Wanwan moved to the window and saw two masked men binding a person on the fifth floor across the street. The person had white hair and wore a blue robe.
Ning Wanwan realized that the person Di Jin brought back from Qian Nan was not a traitor, but the traveling doctor they had encountered previously.
The doctor, with a handkerchief stuffed in his mouth, struggled with a distorted expression, seemingly begging Si Zhan for help.
“Prince of Yi, don’t play dumb. This person knows your secret… If I offer him to the Empress Dowager and she learns that your illness is due to poisoning, what do you think she would think?”
Si Zhan remained silent.
Ning Wanwan’s heart tightened. They had concealed this for so long to make the Empress Dowager let her guard down. If Di Jin handed the doctor over, considering her suspicious nature, she would likely eliminate the threat instead of just testing Si Zhan.
Di Jin continued, “I know you’ve arranged people to rescue him, but I’ve planted explosives in the building across the street. If your people try to rescue him, the entire building will be set on fire.”
Looking across again, the doctor and the masked men had vanished.
“Master!” Yuan Bi called out urgently.
Ning Wanwan realized the “own people” Di Jin referred to were likely Yuan Zhu and the Eighteen Shadows’ brothers. She needed Yuan Bi to stop them.
Suddenly, she heard rustling sounds, and a shadow flew out the window. Yuan Bi leaped to the opposite building and slid in like an eel.
While Ning Wanwan focused on Yuan Bi, hoping her brother and the Eighteen Shadows would be safe, she heard Di Jin burst into laughter.
“Prince of Yi, who would have thought your wisdom would fall into my hands? There are explosives in the building, but I won’t blow it up and bring trouble upon myself. I want you, Your Highness.”
Ning Wanwan’s heart skipped a beat. Di Jin was trying to isolate Si Zhan.
