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墨書 Inktalez
After watching for a good fifteen minutes, I let out a deep sigh as a Locksmith Expert.
When I was learning to pick locks, I was overly eager for victory, focused solely on challenging technical problems, forgetting that the skills I was learning were practically useless in ancient times.
One key opens one lock, but the keyholes of ancient locks are incredibly diverse. Many of the design methods for locks have been lost to time. There are rectangular ones, serrated ones, and some that have round holes on the outside but square holes inside. Some locks are crafted using geometric principles and reverse thinking, making it a challenge to open even if you have the key. Certain mechanisms are so cleverly designed and exquisitely crafted that even if someone gives you the key, you might not find the keyhole. The most extraordinary ones require not only a key but also turning it to specific letters to unlock—essentially a password lock!
The intelligence quotient of ancient people was remarkably high, and their cunning was no less than that of modern individuals; in fact, they might even surpass us. If one thinks that the ancient world was simple and easy to navigate, they are gravely mistaken.
On this cabinet hung two Iron Locks, both particularly large; it was impossible to break them. The most frustrating part was that one lock had a round keyhole while the other had a serrated one. Even if I had a lock-picking tool, I wouldn't be able to open the other.
Calculating the remaining time, there was only half an hour left. It was impossible to open both locks in such a short time.
I helplessly turned to Night Phantom with a bitter expression and said, "It seems we can't do it. Let's give up. I've noted down the shapes of these keyholes; I'll figure out how to make a lock-picking tool when I get back and come try again tomorrow."
With that, I gave him a "let's go" look and turned towards the door.
I estimated I had taken about seven steps when I suddenly heard two crisp clicks behind me, followed by the creaking sound of the wooden door opening. Startled, I quickly turned around and saw Deep Blue facing the cabinet, one hand pulling open the cabinet door while the other held both locks.
He tossed the locks onto the nearby table and turned back with a gentle smile.
"Come on, let's search."
I stood there dumbfounded. If my judgment wasn't off, this guy had opened two completely different ancient locks in under fifteen seconds and had already pulled open the cabinet door.
Seeing my expression, Night Phantom smiled again. He pulled me in front of the cabinet door, opened both doors for me, and lifted a candlestick to help me search inside. Just as I was still recovering from my shock, I heard him hesitate slightly before saying softly:
"Zhenzhen, remember this: until you've entrusted something to me, don't jump to conclusions too quickly, okay?"
I was taken aback and turned to look at him, only to find his gaze suddenly very serious.
"You always want to solve everything on your own. Have you ever thought about relying on others?"
Rely? I unconsciously followed his train of thought. Well, thinking back on my journey over the years, that word really doesn't exist in my vocabulary.
All this time, I had been focused on how to achieve my goals—first figuring out how to come to the Tang Dynasty, then how to survive here, and finally how to win the heart of my crush. It seemed impossible for anyone to help me with these things; what good would reliance do?
"When you're making decisions, you never consider reaching out to those around you. The last time was the same! Back in Luozhou, when I was right beside you, why didn't you ask me if I could handle that Shifting Mirage Lion? Do you know that I...?" Night Phantom suddenly fell silent, a flicker of anger igniting in his eyes.
Mentioning that incident at the Mirror Gate struck a nerve. I feared he might suddenly ignore me again, so I quickly put on a flattering smile and said, "Oh, you're absolutely right! Don't worry, I won't do that again. Please don't be angry!"
But Night Phantom suddenly moved swiftly, grabbing my wrist and pulling me closer. He gazed into my eyes and said, "Zhenzhen, don't smile; I'm serious. Whatever happens, you can leave it to me. Even if I can't do much, at least I can stand in front of you. I hope you'll remember what I've said today."
The smile on my face gradually froze as a wave of emotion surged within me—this feeling was called being touched.
This was an experience I had never had before; not here and not in my own world. To have someone you trust hold your hand like this and clearly tell you that you're not fighting alone—that there is someone else for you—how could it not stir one's heart?
"Why... why?" I stammered after a moment of silence, managing to squeeze out those three words.
Night Phantom was silent for a while but then suddenly smiled slightly: "Because I want to see you become more and more like a woman; that would be quite interesting."
"You! You! You!!!" I angrily shook off his hand. This was not about me lacking femininity! Hmph, it also depended on who I was with; being with him didn't require any femininity! As long as I had it in front of Nie Qiuyuan, that was enough.
"Fine!" I huffed. "I have something to do right now; I'll leave it to you. I need to learn how to pick locks, and you're responsible for teaching me until I'm proficient!"
"Sure! But this isn't very easy to learn; some subtle feelings require repeated practice to grasp."
"Don't you want to ask why I'm learning this?" I was quite surprised by his lack of boundaries.
Night Phantom grinned cheerfully: "Isn't it obvious? No matter what happens, you can leave it all to me. It doesn't matter what strange things you want to do; I'll be right there with you. I just love seeing the look on your face when you come up with all those bizarre ideas."
Ah? ... I like it...
"Hehe..." Night Phantom pointed to the cabinet, "They're about to wake up!"
Oh! Indeed, there's no time to waste; finding the chili is the priority.
I immediately pushed aside what had just happened and began searching through the cabinet quickly and intently.
The cabinet was filled with many items—some grass-like, some powdery, and some in chunks—most of which I didn't recognize at all. These items were wrapped in thick paper, layer upon layer, making them a hassle to unwrap. Night Phantom was beside me, helping to unwrap package after package, showing me what he found.
Unwrapping was one thing, but we didn't want anyone to know about our mission, so after unwrapping, we had to repackage everything. With time running short, the constant unwrapping and repackaging made me feel like I could vomit from frustration.
After unwrapping dozens of packages, finally, when I opened a black paper bag, a sharp spicy scent hit me. I was overjoyed; miraculously, this was indeed chili!
Inside the black paper bag were several smaller paper packages containing various types of dried chili peppers. There were red bird's eye chilies and green Sichuan peppercorns; just smelling them revealed that some were spicier while others had a fresher scent.
What luck! I poured half of the red chilies and half of the Sichuan peppercorns into my cloth and nodded to Night Phantom, signaling that we were done. He swiftly locked the cabinet.
At that moment, someone on the ground began to grunt. Night Phantom wrapped his arms around me and swept me out of the Imperial Kitchen's door.
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