I slept until noon the next day.
When I woke up, Liu Xuanyi was already gone. The marriage contract with the Chang family was placed neatly beside my pillow.
So this marriage contract hadn’t been burned—Liu Xuanyi had brought it out with him.
I recalled what he had said last night and couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
Back then, when Grandmother brought back the four marriage contracts, they only stated which families I was to marry into, without specifying the names of the other parties.
I only knew I was engaged to the Chang family, but I never expected that person to be Liu Xuanyi.
How could it be Liu Xuanyi?
After all, from the very beginning, when Grandmother arranged these four marriages for me, it was to suppress him.
As I was lost in thought, someone pushed the door open and came in, startling me.
The person was around fifty years old, with a kind and gentle face, holding a pile of new clothes in her arms.
“You’re awake, Miss. There’s hot water in the inner room. Go freshen up first, then come out for a meal. After that, try on the new clothes. If the size doesn’t fit, let me know, and I’ll have them altered.”
As she spoke, she came over to tidy the bed. I felt quite awkward and wanted to refuse, but she continued, “I’ve watched Fifth Master grow up. In the past, I took care of his daily life. After a hundred years apart, he’s finally back, and he even brought you with him. I’m overjoyed.”
“…”
“My surname is Li, and everyone calls me Shen Li.”
I quickly greeted her, “Hello, Shen Li.”
If the Fallen Flood Dragon incident from a hundred years ago was real, then Liu Xuanyi had already cultivated into a flood dragon a century ago. Who knows how many years he has lived.
Those by his side whom he trusts and relies on are likely all spirits who have cultivated human forms. None of them are ordinary, powerless mortals.
It’s best for me to be respectful.
Shen Li smiled in response and gently nudged me into the inner room to freshen up.
When I came out again, the meal was already set on the table. The bedsheets and covers had all been replaced with new ones, and the clothes were neatly arranged in the wardrobe.
I had many questions in my mind, so while eating, I cautiously asked Shen Li.
“Shen Li, Liu Xuanyi is from the Chang family, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then why is his surname Liu and not Chang?”
“Chang Xian’er is the collective name for our clan. There are many branches beneath it—not just those with the surname Chang or Liu, but also those like me with the surname Li, as well as those with surnames like Bai and Mo. When Fifth Master takes you back to the Chang family in the future, you’ll understand.”
So that’s how it is.
“He used to run an escort bureau, but escort bureaus have long been replaced by modern courier services. Will this place be turned into a courier pickup point in the future?”
Shen Li immediately laughed and shook her head. “Miss, this is a Yin Escort Bureau, not an ordinary courier service. And our branch hall doesn’t just handle this one type of business. Don’t worry, Fifth Master won’t let you go hungry.”
My face flushed red. I thought to myself, I have hands and feet—I can support myself just fine. Who needs him to take care of me?
Just as I was about to ask Shen Li what a Yin Escort Bureau was, I heard Chang Di’s rough voice shouting from outside, “Miss Huai, come out once you’re ready. We need to talk.”
Shen Li nodded at me, so I picked out a tracksuit from the wardrobe and put it on. The size fit perfectly.
Leaving the room, I passed through the side chamber and entered the main hall.
The coffin was still there, and Chang Di stood waiting nearby.
I walked over and asked, “Did you need something?”
“Can you ride a horse?”
“Yes.”
Jiangcheng is mountainous, so it’s not really suitable for horseback riding. But for some reason, when I was twelve years old, Grandmother returned from outside and insisted that I learn to ride.
In my sophomore year, I represented our school in the provincial equestrian competition and won third place.
“Knowing how to ride is good enough—saves me some trouble.”
Chang Di picked up the octagonal palace lantern from the head of the coffin and handed it to me, saying, “Tonight, we’re escorting a mission to the Gu family. When the time comes, you’ll ride on horseback and lead the way with the escort lantern.”
“Me?” I looked at Chang Di in disbelief. “I’m going too? And leading the way?”
Chang Di glanced at the ring finger of my left hand, where a simple silver snake ring was worn.
It was Liu Xuanyi who had put it on me last night, and he had also taught me the incantations to activate it, so I could contact him anytime.
“The snake ring on your hand is the symbol of the Yin Escort Bureau’s chief escort. How can you not go on the first mission since the bureau reopened?”
“…”
“Not only do you have to go, but you must also take the lead. If the escort mission is not delivered, the escort lantern must never go out.”
“Is the escort lantern easy to extinguish? What happens if it goes out?”
“If the escort lantern goes out, the mission fails. At best, it depletes one’s yin virtue; at worst, it backfires and costs one’s life.”
My face instantly turned pale. “Something this important—wouldn’t it be safer for any of you to carry it instead of me?”
“You’re just an ordinary mortal, and indeed a burden,” Chang Di said bluntly. “But Fifth Brother chose you, and we trust his choice.”
“Besides, this is the last mission Fifth Brother took on a hundred years ago. Originally, after completing this mission, he would have achieved perfection in virtue. If it weren’t for…”
At this point, Chang Di gritted his teeth, paused for a moment, and then continued, “Fifth Brother has just returned, and not many people know about it yet. There will be relatively fewer people trying to intercept the mission. In short, tonight’s mission must succeed—failure is not an option.”