Xue Zining sat up and beckoned, "Come here."
A black shadow fell into her arms and rubbed against her hand.
"Why did you run out again?" she asked.
The black cat meowed softly. Xue Zining stroked its fur, then picked it up and met its gaze. The black cat looked at her and meowed again.
She reached out and touched the black cat, saying, "You don't want me to eat the food here, do you?"
The black cat meowed.
Xue Zining asked again, "Is there something strange here?"
The black cat meowed after a long pause. She asked again, "Is it related to the Saintess?"
"Meow..."
The black cat's voice was drawn out.
"Where is the Saintess? Can you take me there?" she asked.
The black cat got up, and Xue Zining got out of bed and followed it out of the room.
The black cat suddenly led her into a room. She followed it inside, but it was empty. She was startled.
The black cat then led her through several more rooms, all empty, though people had been there during the day.
Suddenly, the black cat tugged at her clothes and ran back towards her room.
Although Xue Zining didn't understand why the black cat was acting this way, she followed it back to her room.
The black cat lay on her bed, looking at her, as if telling her to lie down.
She lay on the bed holding the black cat. Not long after she lay down, she heard light footsteps outside.
Just as she was about to get up, the black cat suddenly covered her eyes with its paw and meowed softly.
Feeling the paw move away from her eyes, the black cat darted away, and someone seemed to be standing by her window.
"Young Master, Miss Ning has already fallen asleep." The voice was Liu'er's.
"Five more days." The voice didn't sound like Han Xiwu's.
But only Han Xiwu could be addressed as "Young Master" by Liu'er.
She dared not open her eyes. Han Xiwu was not someone she could fool; he would discover she was only pretending to sleep.
She didn't open her eyes until Han Xiwu and Liu'er were far away. She was somewhat shocked, wondering what on earth was going on.
The black cat came to her again, looking at her as if it had something to say but couldn't.
"Are they planning to harm me?" Xue Zining asked.
The black cat meowed softly, as if confirming it.
Xue Zining's heart sank. It seemed she had been too trusting.
"Is it Han Xiwu?" she asked.
The black cat did not speak and suddenly turned and left.
"Where are you going?" Xue Zining got up and chased after it, but the black cat had already disappeared.
She stood by the window. As the sun slowly rose, she saw people coming out of the houses and starting their day's work.
She went outside and walked to where she had seen the little girl yesterday. The little girl was holding a flower and handed it to her, "Sister, this is for you."
Xue Zining did not take it. The little girl was stunned and seemed unsure what to do. Before the little girl could speak, Xue Zining said, "Sister, you are very beautiful."
The little girl blinked. "You said it. What should I say?"
"What should you say?" Xue Zining asked.
The little girl dropped the flower and ran back.
Xue Zining got up. It seemed someone had instructed them on what to say.
She walked forward to speak with the little girl's parents, but Liu'er appeared. "Miss Ning, Young Master requests you to come for a meal."
"Alright," Xue Zining replied.
They arrived at the place they had been yesterday. Han Xiwu said, "Miss Ning, these are Elder Feng and Elder Yu."
Elder Yu sneered, "Miao Jiang does not permit outsiders..."
Xue Zining was shocked. The conversation was exactly the same as yesterday.
Indeed, Elder Yu then angrily left the table, followed by Elder Feng.
Han Xiwu told her the medicine was still being prepared. "Your Highness Xiwen..."
Han Xiwu looked up at her and asked, "What is it, Miss Ning?"
"Who is Han Xixia?"
Han Xiwu smiled. "Miss Ning, what a question. Of course, he is someone I know."
"I'm joking with you. He is your younger brother, isn't he?"
Han Xiwu did not refute this. He looked at her and said, "Miss Ning, you must be tired. Go and rest. I'll go and see how the medicine preparation is coming along?"
"Can I go and see?" Xue Zining asked.
Liu'er walked in from outside. "Miss Ning, this is a pastry. Young Master specifically asked me to make it for you."
Taking the pastry, Xue Zining chose to leave. She returned to her room and did not see the black cat.
She looked at the pastry, then suddenly broke it open. Sure enough, inside was a tiny wriggling worm. Although she had never seen this worm before, she could imagine it was a Gu worm.
She remembered that she had eaten this pastry on her first day. She picked up the pastry and ate it again, then lay down on the bed and entered that ethereal space.
Anning saw her appear and said, "That Han Xiwu is fake."
She nodded. "Yes."
"What will you do now?" Anning asked her.
"I'll take it one step at a time," she replied.
Now, she was alone and had no chance of defeating the people in the valley. It was better to wait and see what they would do.
It seemed that only the two people who had appeared in her room last night were real.
The others were all fabricated.
Legend had it that there was a miraculous medicine in Miao Jiang that could bring the dead back to life, but it had a drawback: it only appeared where there was sunlight and disappeared at night.
Perhaps the people of Miao Jiang had taken this miraculous medicine?
Was that why outsiders had been forbidden entry for thousands of years?
Was Han Xiwu also dead?
Soon, Xue Zining dismissed this thought. She had endured hardships with Han Xiwu before, and at that time, Han Xiwu had been real.
As night fell, Xue Zining sensed someone approaching in the ethereal space.
After they left, she also left the ethereal space.
She opened her eyes and jumped out of the window, entering a room. The room was empty. She entered several more bamboo houses consecutively, and they were all empty, just as they had been when the black cat led her in last night.
She went to the place where they had eaten lunch during the day and found that there was indeed a dim light there.
She leaped onto a tree, held her breath, and concealed herself. Peering through the window, she saw not only the three elders inside but also a person with their back to her.
This person was wearing Han Xiwu's clothes, and Liu'er was beside them.
Han Xiwu stepped forward, grabbed Elder Yu by the neck, and a cold, hoarse voice spoke, "Where?"
Elder Yu remained silent, simply looking at the person before them. Suddenly, Han Xiwu turned around and coldly said, "Who is there?"
Xue Zining's heart leaped. She had been careless just now and revealed her presence.
At that moment, the black cat flew out from behind her and headed straight for Han Xiwu.
Seizing this opportunity, Xue Zining leaped down from the tree.
She ran away without looking back.
Returning to her room, Xue Zining took a deep breath. She lay on the bed, regulating her breathing. After a while, someone walked in.
She smelled a scent of blood. Had the black cat been injured?
Xue Zining's heart clenched.
After the person left, she tried to go out, but a black shadow fell into her arms.
She looked down. The black cat was in her arms. There was a long bloody gash on its neck. If the flesh hadn't been turned outward, it would have been barely visible. The blood merged with the black fur, a horrifying sight.