Chapter 068: From Now On, We Are Sisters

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As night fell, Jiner and Liu Ying sat together on the swing in the courtyard, gazing up at the stars. The sky was scattered with a dazzling array of stars, so dense and brilliant that one could hardly help but lose themselves in this heap of sparkling gems, reluctant to ever turn away.

How beautiful the ancient night sky was...

While Jiner was quietly marveling in her heart, Liu Ying suddenly turned with a smile and looked at her. "Jiner, I'm really glad to have you."

Hearing this, Jiner turned to her in surprise, not quite understanding.

"Do you know? My mother passed away early, and though my father loves me, he’s always too busy to spend much time with me. My only younger brother and I don’t get along, so I’ve actually always been pretty lonely. Ever since I first met you, I liked your personality a lot. That’s why I asked for you to be brought to my side, and after these past few days together, I feel like we’re just like sisters, aren’t we?"

Looking at Liu Ying’s earnest face, Jiner’s lips curved into a gentle smile. "Young Miss..."

Before she could finish, Liu Ying frowned, took Jiner’s slightly smaller hand in hers, and said, "Don’t keep calling me ‘Young Miss’. I’ve never really thought of you as a servant, haven’t you noticed?"

Jiner bit her lip, momentarily at a loss for words. After a while, she spoke, "I also feel like we get along very well. But, after all, we’re still in the residence, and there should be proper manners and hierarchy. We shouldn’t break the rules."

"What rules? I can make my own rules! From now on, just call me Ying’er—no, just call me Ying. We’re only two or three years apart anyway. Sometimes, you seem so calm and meticulous, not at all like a twelve-year-old girl. Hehe, it’s settled then. From now on, we’re friends—sisters!"

With that, she squeezed Jiner’s small hand tightly.

Jiner bit her lip, a surge of inexplicable emotion welling up in her heart. She quickly squeezed Liu Ying’s hand back and smiled gently. "Alright, from now on, we’ll share happiness and face hardship together—good sisters, good friends!"

"Mm!" Under the night sky, the two young, beautiful faces shone with pure, radiant smiles—a truly lovely sight.

The next morning, Jiner had just finished washing up and was about to go out when she heard Liu Ying calling from outside.

"Jiner! Jiner!" Liu Ying ran to the door of Jiner’s room, calling out excitedly.

"Young—um, what brings you here?" Jiner still hadn’t gotten used to changing the way she addressed her, so she awkwardly left off the title.

"It’s always you coming to find me. This time, it’s my turn," Liu Ying said with a laugh.

"You really don’t have to. What if someone sees us? What would they think?" Jiner replied with a helpless smile.

"Come on, let’s go practice martial arts!" Liu Ying paid no mind to her concerns, simply took her hand, and led her straight toward the training grounds.

All the way there, the two chatted happily.

"By the way, Ying, do you ever go out to play? Isn’t it boring to stay in the residence all day?" After chatting for a bit, Jiner suddenly asked.

At the mention of this, Liu Ying’s face fell. "Don’t even ask. My father never lets me go out on my own. I used to sneak out through a dog hole, but I’ve grown so much these last two years that I can’t fit through it anymore..."

"Pfft!" Jiner couldn’t help but cover her mouth and laugh. "The dignified Miss Liu sneaking through a dog hole?"

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Ying shot her a glare. "Don’t tease me. If you were in my place, you’d do it too—we’re two of a kind, after all!"

Hearing this, Jiner grinned sheepishly and stuck out her tongue, no longer teasing her. In fact, the reason she’d brought up the topic was to look for a way to sneak out of the residence. Crawling through the dog hole was certainly an old trick, but if it worked, she’d do it without hesitation.

Ying sighed in frustration. "It’s all because I can’t get the hang of lightness skills—I can’t even leap over a wall. Sigh..."

Jiner nudged her with a smile. "Come on, show me this dog hole. Maybe I can squeeze you through."

Ying playfully smacked her. "As if! You think I’m a ball of cotton that you can just stuff wherever you like?"

"Oh, come on, take me to see it. Let’s go, let’s go," Jiner insisted, pushing her forward.

With no other choice, Ying led her there.

The Liu family was fabulously wealthy, and naturally, the residence was guarded by many martial arts experts who patrolled the grounds at all hours.

Jiner and Ying pretended to be casually strolling in the garden as they made their way to a flowerbed near the dog hole.

"See? There it is," Ying pointed at the hole once the patrol had passed.

Jiner nodded, gauging the size of the hole. It looked like she could just barely make it through, but it was indeed impossible for Ying.

"I have an idea," Jiner said with a smile.

"What idea?" Ying looked at her expectantly.

"We could just use something to make the hole bigger."

Ying rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I thought you had something clever in mind... You’d be hauled away by the guards before you even got started. Come on, let’s just go practice. When my lightness skills improve, I’ll walk right over that wall—hmpf!"

Ying dragged Jiner away, and she could only smile wryly. By the time Ying’s martial skills were good enough for that, she’d probably be carried out of the house in a bridal sedan chair instead of having to climb the wall... But she kept these thoughts to herself; if she said it aloud, someone’s confidence would be shattered.

Once at the training grounds, Ying practiced stances with Jiner for a while, then went off to work on the sword techniques Chu Yifan had taught her. Jiner continued with her basic exercises.

It had only been a few days, but Jiner practiced diligently every day, even continuing for more than an hour each night after returning to her room. After a few days, her legs no longer hurt as they had at first, and her endurance had improved; she could squat for nearly half an hour without moving.

Ying was both amazed and envious at how quickly Jiner progressed. She realized her own slow improvement was due to not working hard enough before, so she gritted her teeth and redoubled her efforts.

After dinner, as dusk fell, Jiner pretended to feel dizzy and unwell, hoping to leave early. Ying insisted on walking her back and wanted to summon a doctor, but after much persuasion, Jiner assured her it was just from overexertion in training these past few days.

At last, Ying told her to rest well and left.

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As soon as Ying left, Jiner slipped out of bed, tucked the antidote into her sleeve, and also hid a bit of silver on her person just in case. She left a note on the table for Nurse Lin, explaining that she’d return before dawn and asking her not to come looking. That morning, Jiner had specifically told Nurse Lin not to fetch her at Firefly Pavilion that night, saying she’d return before dark. Though Nurse Lin had her suspicions, she knew how close Jiner and Liu Ying were, so she agreed without fuss.

Once everything was ready, Jiner stood by the window, watching the sky darken, waiting until it was so dim that only shadows could be seen before she hurried out to the dog hole she’d seen earlier.

Because she was small, it wasn’t hard to avoid the guards, and she made her way smoothly to the dog hole. Once the nearest patrol had moved off, she hurried over, dropped to the ground, and began crawling through.

It was her first time crawling through a dog hole, and it was not a pleasant experience. She worried she might get stuck halfway, unable to go forward or back—how mortifying that would be.

Fortunately, she was slim enough, and in just a moment, she was through.

Standing up, she dusted the dirt off her hands and clothes, glanced at the empty street ahead, and let out a long breath.

Without pausing, she took off at a run toward the Imperial Medical Hall.

The night grew ever darker. Though it was a full moon, a thick bank of clouds had drifted across, obscuring most of the light. People in ancient times went to bed early, and rarely hung lanterns outside their doors, so the streets were pitch black.

Guided only by the faint, hazy moonlight, Jiner ran straight ahead, wind whistling past her ears, the occasional bark of a dog breaking the silence. She could even hear the pounding of her own heart.

"Meow!" Suddenly, a black cat with shining eyes darted out before her, startling Jiner so much that she came to an abrupt halt.

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Finally, a little spoiler:

1. Starting next chapter, there will be a major plot twist. Besides the appearance of Mo Yan, there will be a character from the early chapters returning, someone who will shake Jiner’s heart as never before. Guess who it will be, and what kind of shock awaits?
2. Will Jiner’s poison be cured? What secret is hidden within her body? As these two threads unfold, the male leads will make their grand entrances, one by one...

Too good at teasing! Keep reading—the plot ahead will be even more exciting and tightly woven, and it won’t disappoint. Please remember to subscribe to the first release! (*＾＿＿＾*)

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