Chapter 104: Si Xueyi

Si Nuosang picked up the tray and looked at Ye Xuan with a smile. Ye Xuan nodded, holding the hot tea she had poured for him. His hands felt warm, and his heart felt even warmer. Finally, Ye Xuan could openly be her friend. At the very least, there would be no more malicious deceptions from this moment on.

Si Nuosang went downstairs and stepped out of the inn. She sensed someone watching her and immediately tensed up. There was not just one person monitoring her; there were many.

The gazes were filled with murderous intent. It couldn’t be the people of Xuan Yuan Jue Si. But who would harbor such murderous intent toward her? And in such numbers? It was clearly under someone’s orders.

A chill ran down Si Nuosang’s spine, but she stood her ground, waiting to see if anyone would reveal themselves. Perhaps it was because there were too many people out during the day, for no one emerged.

The more this went on, the more anxious Si Nuosang became. She felt that the unseen enemy was the most unsettling. The feeling of having her heart left hanging in mid-air was unbearable; if it continued, it would drive anyone mad. She began walking toward a quieter area.

Trying to draw them out, she continued walking ahead, feeling the gazes behind her closing in. It seemed she was right—they wanted her in a secluded place. She began to run, moving with the speed of the wind. She reached the riverbank, where there was no one near the sand dunes. A fight here would go unnoticed.

Si Nuosang was unaware of the danger closing in on her. Qin Shuang would never let her go; she was determined to seize the Stone of Transmigration. Si Nuosang, however, would never give that stone to anyone. Regardless of whether it still functioned, for her, the stone was a memento of the future. She did not want to be a person without a past, a person with a blank slate.

Si Nuosang kept walking, hoping to lure them out, and once she reached the sand dunes, she stopped. She could feel the oppressive pressure surrounding her.

"Come out!"

Si Nuosang said, her eyes closed. As soon as the words fell, the area seemed completely deserted, but when she opened her eyes, she found four or five masked men encircling her.

She stood tall and looked at them.

"Who are you?"

"Hand it over," a low voice emanated from beneath a black hood. Si Nuosang was bewildered; what was she supposed to hand over?

"What thing?"

Her response clearly dissatisfied them. Just then, a strange sound echoed through the air. The men reacted instantly and vanished.

"Strange. What is this all about? Why did they just leave like that? It’s too dull."

That sound must have come from their superior, recalling them for some reason. Had they mistaken their target? Si Nuosang hoped so. If that were the case, the matter would have nothing to do with her.

Meanwhile, it was Qin Shuang who had ordered them all back.

"I only told you to watch her, not to startle the snake. Do you know who Si Nuosang is? She has Xuan Yuan Jue Si behind her. You might have already been marked by him. If you continue like this, you will only face failure."

Qin Shuang slapped one of the men in black across the face. The sound echoed throughout the room, yet none of the men dared to speak or even breathe audibly. They stood stiffly, waiting for her scolding.

"Very well, I won't do anything to you for now. But if there is a next time, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Qin Shuang reprimanded them.

"Yes," the dozen men replied in unison.

"Get out and watch her from every angle. Remember, no reckless moves without my orders."

Qin Shuang waved her hand, signaling them to leave. Once again, she was alone in the hall. She sat in a chair and picked up a cup of tea but did not drink. She looked into the distance. Obtaining that object from Si Nuosang’s hands would be a troublesome task.

Si Nuosang alone would not be a problem, but doing so without letting Ye Xuan or Xuan Yuan Jue Si intervene was extremely difficult. Furthermore, she could not let either of them find out, or anyone among them could stand against the Ming Pavilion. Although she wasn't afraid, it simply wasn't worth the cost.

Back at the inn, Si Nuosang was still confused by the inexplicable encounter. She hurried back, thinking of Ye Xuan. Could those people have been after him? She rushed upstairs, only to find Ye Xuan sound asleep. Her heart settled.

She closed the door and returned to her own room.

At that moment, the stone in her pocket began to glow again.

She quickly took it out to examine it closely. To her surprise, she noticed a tiny seam revealed by the light—a detail she wouldn't have spotted otherwise. She gently tapped the spot with her fingernail, and the stone clicked open.

Inside were various precision instruments, with a small red light still blinking.

Looking at this complex device, it was clearly not a rock or a gemstone. It was a piece of high-tech equipment. The circular casing protected the internal machinery, and because the shape distributed force evenly, it was resistant to damage, making it a safe housing for a transmigration device. The components were so minute that they required a magnifying glass to be seen clearly. Thousands of tiny gears were in motion. She did not know the logic behind their operation. Suddenly, the light went out, and the machine stopped.

The stone snapped shut automatically. When Si Nuosang tried to open it again, she could not.

It appeared she could only open the box when the machine was active. But when would it start again? She took out paper and a pen to record the times of activation. For some reason, even though she didn't want to return, she wanted to know how.

The ancient brush was a nightmare to use, but she managed to scribble down her notes like a chaotic drawing.

She tucked the stone away carefully, hoping to find a pattern in the machine's activation times.

Since Si Nuosang’s disappearance from the year 2550, her family and colleagues had fallen into a panic. A person had simply vanished into thin air. Everyone was deeply concerned.

The person most worried about Si Nuosang was her sister, Si Xueyi, a top-tier lawyer. A month after her sister’s disappearance, she went to find Wen Su'an.

Clad in high heels, she walked into the Wen Corporation and went straight to the 72nd floor—Wen Su'an’s office. She faced no obstacles; the electronic sensor doors even opened for her in advance. Evidently, Wen Su'an knew she was coming, so she reached his office without issue.

She slammed her exquisite briefcase onto his desk and stared at him intently, her eyes never wavering.

She suspected Wen Su'an above all others regarding Si Nuosang’s disappearance.

"Wen Su'an, let me give you a warning. If you are hiding or have kidnapped Si Nuosang, I will see to it that you are thrown into prison." Si Xueyi slammed her hand down on his desk.