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墨書 Inktalez
When we heard the news, we threw down our bags and rushed into the inner chamber, only to find Lin Jiu lying on the bed, his face pale as paper, eyes tightly shut, unconscious.
Sitting on the edge of the bed was Han Meilan, her eyes slightly swollen and looking extremely haggard.
Upon seeing us, especially Nie Qiuyuan, Melan froze in place, even holding her breath. After nearly twenty seconds of silence, she suddenly opened her mouth and softly exclaimed, "Liuying... Nie... Brother Nie?"
She looked at us in disbelief, slowly rising to her feet to scrutinize us from head to toe, even pinching her own arm. Once she confirmed that she wasn't dreaming, her expression crumpled, and she burst into tears, throwing herself into my arms.
For the first time, I didn’t push her away or mind that her tears were soaking my clothes; instead, I held her close.
"Liuying, why did you leave without a word? Do you know how worried Cousin and I have been? Although Cousin told me not to worry, do you know how hard he searched for you? It’s been six months with no news at all! Nie... Brother Nie is okay; that’s such a relief! Liuying, we all know Brother Nie would be fine... Brother Nie is okay; that’s truly wonderful..."
As she cried, her words became increasingly incoherent.
I had secretly resented her in my heart, but after more than half a year away from Chang'an, I often found myself thinking of her. Without her around to chatter incessantly, I felt strangely unaccustomed. In the past, I would have stubbornly refused to admit this fact; perhaps I really had grown.
Through her shoulder and long hair, I glanced at Nie Qiuyuan beside us. He was engaged in a lively conversation with Luo Dachun. A gentle ripple stirred in my heart. In this life, when you encounter the right person, it feels like falling into a chemical reaction; they help you grow and become better.
"Melan, stop crying; we’re all fine. Everything is alright. I promise I won’t run off like this again. Melan, it’s okay..." I sincerely comforted her. Then I glanced at the person lying on the bed. "What happened to Brother Jiu?"
Melan's emotions gradually calmed down; however, upon seeing Lin Jiu's condition again, she couldn't help but start sobbing once more.
"Liuying. You don’t know; it’s all because of me... it’s all my fault!"
Perhaps she had been holding back for too long. Now that I was embracing her, her emotions suddenly broke down completely as she cried uncontrollably. I thought it might be good for her to let it out and didn’t stop her. Instead, I gently stroked her back.
At that moment, someone pushed the door open and called out, "Sister Melan, the medicine is ready. Feed Brother Jiu while it's still warm..."
The newcomer was short and had a youthful voice. Before finishing his sentence, he sensed that something was off in the room; there were too many people present and was taken aback. When his gaze landed on me, he gasped softly in surprise and lost his grip on the medicine bowl he was holding.
As the bowl was about to hit the ground, a shadow flashed by—Nie Qiuyuan moved like a ghost and effortlessly caught it mid-air without spilling a single drop of the medicinal liquid inside.
The person looked at Nie Qiuyuan with surprise, then shifted their gaze to me.
I focused my eyes and realized, oh, isn't this the young boy we rescued from the Mine along with Ren Pingsheng?
Indeed, we had successfully arrived at the Dali Temple!
"Zhaoyang, come see who has arrived," Luo Dachun's voice was very gentle.
"Sister!" San exclaimed in delight. However, this clever child did not forget to bow slightly to Nie Qiuyuan to express his gratitude before he hopped over to me in a few quick steps.
"The injury on your leg has healed quite quickly."
San had suffered a fracture in his leg, and in just over a month of not seeing him, he was already bouncing around. His complexion had improved significantly, and he seemed to have gained a little weight; I even suspected he had grown a bit taller.
From his expression, it seemed he was living quite happily.
"It's all thanks to Lord Luo's care; he found a great doctor to treat my injury, which is why I healed so fast. Sister, the people here are truly wonderful; I've been living like a celestial being!"
I gently patted Melan on the back, released her, and turned to face San.
"Zhaoyang, is that your name?" I felt this name was very warm and perfectly suited for someone as sunny as San.
San shook his head and said, "My surname is Yin; I don't have a given name. Zhaoyang was given to me by Lord Luo after I came to the Dali Temple."
Yin Zhaoyang—what a lovely name. I had high hopes for this child and wished that one day, under the nurturing of the Dali Temple, he would become a renowned divine catcher in the Tang Dynasty.
"I've been thinking about when Sister would come back," San glanced at Nie Qiuyuan not far away. "Sister, who is this…"
I pondered for a moment before introducing him: "This is your brother-in-law."
Qiu's expression remained unchanged, but there was a hint of sweetness in her eyes. San's gaze flickered with surprise; he immediately called out "Brother-in-law" obediently, but I noticed his brow furrowed slightly.
It seemed like there was a hint of displeasure?
Was there a clash of energies? It was unexpected that someone as charming as Nie Qiuyuan could provoke resistance from a young man he had just met; this was unprecedented.
The events unfolded too quickly, and everyone's emotions were unstable, so even now, we had yet to clarify Lin Jiu's injuries and the cause of his wounds.
Han Meilan was crying so hard she could barely speak, so in the end, it fell to Luo Dachun to recount what had happened. After he spoke for a while, we gradually pieced together the sequence of events.
"So, it was Mirror Gate; they have resurfaced!" Luo Dachun concluded.
In simple terms, Mirror Gate had invaded and attacked the Dali Temple a few days ago. During the battle, Lin Jiu was stabbed in the spine and lost consciousness immediately, remaining in a coma until now.
Luo Dachun was not present when Mirror Gate attacked Dali Temple, so they must have seized that opportunity to launch their assault. Fortunately, Luo Dachun had always been cautious; during his absence, he left some members of Snowfall Villa at Dali Temple. Additionally, after Nie Qiuyuan went missing, Luo Dachun took charge of Shadow of the Night, which also had several people at Dali Temple.
Mirror Gate's attack was a surprise raid, but their numbers were not large, so they did not gain much advantage from Dali Temple. The scale of this attack clearly indicated they did not intend to annihilate Dali Temple. They killed seven or eight people from Dali Temple and ransacked many rooms before retreating.
As for why the attackers were Mirror Gate, this conclusion was reached unanimously by members of Snowfall Villa and Shadow of the Night who had encountered them before. The assailants did not make any effort to conceal their identities; their combat style was unmistakably that of Mirror Gate.
From the actions of the attackers, it seemed they were searching for something. If it was indeed Mirror Gate, they were certainly not there just to steal money. It was likely that they were after something we possessed or had set their sights on the imperial treasury entrusted to Dali Temple by Li Shimin.
However, after Luo Dachun returned and organized a search, it appeared that nothing was missing from Dali Temple—neither old case files nor any information related to private vaults had been lost.
So what exactly was Mirror Gate trying to accomplish?
When Han Meilan, Lin Jiu, Guilin, Wang Jinzhi, and others were present during the attack, Melan immediately drew her sword and joined the fray. In such situations, Dali Temple had previously conducted drills; all non-combatant staff were supposed to disperse as quickly as possible and find places to hide to avoid causing trouble for their fighting colleagues. Therefore, Guilin and Wang Jinzhi quickly concealed themselves while Lin Jiu quietly made his way back to the center of the battle.
As a result, during the attack, the inexperienced newcomers found themselves frozen in place with several clerks in the main hall. When several members of Mirror Gate suddenly stormed in, none of the clerks escaped unscathed. However, it turned out that Lin Jiu was remarkably resilient. Just when life and death hung in the balance, Melan suddenly swooped in and shielded him.
The opponent was a tall figure with a black scarf covering his face; he did not continue pursuing Lin Jiu but merely glanced at Melan. After a moment's thought, he thrust his short blade toward Melan's chest with lightning speed.
Melan's Jade Maiden Sword was already known for its swiftness; unexpectedly, her opponent's move was even faster—there was no chance to evade. Just as Melan found herself in a life-threatening situation, someone suddenly lunged from the side and wrapped around her.
The attacker hesitated for an instant; his short blade twisted slightly before plunging into the spine of the person who had embraced Melan.
When Melan focused her gaze on her protector, she realized it was none other than Lin Jiu—who had no martial skills whatsoever.
The Attacker paused for a moment before pulling the blade out of Lin Jiu's body. Blood gushed forth, and Lin Jiu's form slumped weakly against Melan.
The Attacker paid no attention to Melan. He glanced at San, who looked terrified, and for some reason chose not to strike again. Instead, he turned and left the large house.
Lin Jiu lay on Melan, struggling to utter, "I won't be here anymore. Take care of yourself, and don't believe everything anyone says," before losing consciousness.
Lin Jiu was a civilian with no martial skills or self-defense capabilities, so any injury he sustained was particularly severe. After following Nie Qiuyuan, he had attempted to learn martial arts but quickly realized that he was not cut out for it; his talents lay elsewhere.
Thus, Lin Jiu decisively abandoned martial arts and devoted his time to studying Detective Work. He had a solid foundation and was diligent, so over the years, his skills in Detective Work had improved dramatically. In the absence of Nie Qiuyuan, he had managed to shoulder significant responsibilities on his own. During the two years without Qiu, Lin Jiu had become Luo Dachun's best assistant at the Dali Temple. Without him, Luo Dachun would not have been able to handle the affairs of the Dali Temple while also managing Snowfall Villa so efficiently.
Now, seeing Lin Jiu lying unconscious in bed, it was clear that he had changed significantly, especially over the past six months.
In the two years since Qiu's departure, Lin Jiu had grown rapidly. He was only a year or two older than Melan and me, so when we first met him, he still had a slender boyish figure. Now he towered over us by a head or more, his physique stronger and more upright—he had transformed into a mature man.
Later, as Melan sobbed, she recalled how a tall man had embraced her in that moment of crisis, shielding her with his body. That person seemed so reliable and warm; for a fleeting instant, she mistook him for her cousin or Brother Nie, only to realize it was Brother Jiu.
Thinking of this made her cry even more desperately.
I felt that Lin Jiu's words "I won't be here anymore" struck deeply at her heart. (To be continued)
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