Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Luo An crouched down and hid behind a rock, only returning to the willow grove after watching Nian Yao walk away.

Luo An chose the willow tree with the best view, buried his senior sister's urn next to the willow tree, then put the turf back in its original place and pressed it down with his hands.

The newly sprouted thatch grass pricked Luo An's palm, causing a slight sting. He gently raised his hand, and the bent thatch grass gradually stretched out and blended into the surrounding grass. An unsuspecting person would not notice anything unusual and would not know that a person was buried there.

The sun moved through the clouds, and the sky was sometimes bright and sometimes dark, sometimes dazzling, and sometimes gloomy.

There are dark clouds in the sky; it should rain tonight, right? Then Senior Sister can come out in peace and see her hometown, and see the Ming Sheng Lake she misses.

Time flies; twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye. Was it worth spending the best twenty years of my life on Mount Taiwei for him? Do I regret it?

Luo An lay down on the grass beside him, just like when he slept next to his senior sister when he was a child. He closed his eyes, and a tear slid down from the corner of his eye, landed on a blade of grass, rolled diagonally into the ground, and disappeared without a trace.

Nianyao clearly saw Luo An walk up the path by the willow grove, but she couldn't find him anywhere even after circling most of Mingsheng Lake.

Nianyao stared at the short hoe and shovel in her hands until her eyes swelled. She was waiting for Luo An here, wanting to bury her senior sister with him.

However, Luo An avoided her and didn't want to see her. Nian Yao forcefully threw the short hoe and shovel into the lake, causing the water to splash and create ripples.

She stared at the spreading ripples on the water, recalling her senior sister's words: "If a storm rages and I am all alone, I will become a wandering soul, drifting aimlessly in Ming Sheng Lake."

Nianyao tore off her coat and jumped into the lake. She swam around Mingsheng Lake once, and finally stood in the center of the lake, looking up at the sky.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, past the corners of her mouth, and into the lake. To onlookers, it was impossible to tell whether it was lake water or tears. If Nianyao hadn't tasted the saltiness at the corner of her mouth, she wouldn't have been able to tell either.

Why is she crying? The one who should be crying is Luo An! Luo An isn't crying, so why is she?

Why am I so sad? I can't just avoid her because of Luo An, so why am I doing this?

The eldest sister said: "I beg you, junior brother, to bury me in the willow grove by Mingsheng Lake. I have already completed my mission on Mount Taiwei, so let me enjoy my ghostly life by Mingsheng Lake."

An Liangchen said: "Twenty years have passed, and you are still only thinking about your own fame and future. Have you ever thought about him even a little bit?"

Luo An said, "I'm even starting to question whether I'm my parents' biological child."

Xu Sheng said, "I know you won't just stand by and watch the Xue family fall into such a miserable state."

The death of the eldest sister forced Luo An to return to Nan Yue, and the death of Qin Jiu forced Luo An to re-examine his brotherhood. Xu Sheng took advantage of the situation and gradually pushed Luo An to the position of crown prince.

Nianyao had always found it strange that, given Qin Jiu's skills and intelligence, he shouldn't have died so ignominiously. Who would have thought it was a trap within a trap? She didn't know whether Qin Jiu made the choice willingly or whether Xu Sheng had interfered.

The eldest sister's death was an open conspiracy, Qin Jiu's death was a conspiracy, and yet she still got involved. The dead are done with it, but what about her living?

Should she take the initiative to talk to Luo An, or wait for Luo An to come to her? Or should neither of them say anything and just pretend that the other doesn't know anything?

Nianyao spread her arms wide and shouted to the sky, "Luo—An—"

The voice seemed to contain a thousand indescribable emotions: a mixture of sorrow and resentment, a desolate and bewildered tone...

Luo An sat up in shock and saw Nian Yao in the middle of the lake with her arms outstretched, spinning in the water, getting lower and lower until she finally fell into the water, leaving only splashes of water.

Luo An jumped up, about to rush forward, when he heard Hu Zi's mournful cry coming from afar: "Young Master—Young Master—"

Nianyao popped her head out of the water and swam quickly toward the shore like a fish.

Luo An simply took two steps back and hid behind a tree to see what was going on: What was wrong with this master and servant pair? Why were they wailing and howling like ghosts, as if they were attending his funeral?

Tiger called out as he walked, "Young Master... Young Master..."

With a splash, Nianyao climbed onto the rocks on the lake embankment and flew out of the lake, landing in front of Huzi.

Tiger saw a soaking wet figure fall from the sky and land in front of him, disheveled and terrified. He turned and ran, yelling, "A ghost..."

Nianyao grabbed his shoulder, but Hu Zi threw her to the ground with an over-the-shoulder throw, and then saw a huge foot coming toward the door.

Nianyao shouted, "It's me!"

Tiger didn't dare to open his eyes wide, relying entirely on his instincts to fight back. When he heard the sound, his foot stopped an inch above Nianyao's face.

Taking advantage of the moment, Nianyao grabbed Hu Zi by the ankles and lifted him up, causing him to fall to the ground, screaming in pain. She stood up, brushed her hair back from her face, and looked fierce: "Who are you calling a ghost?"

This is more terrifying than a ghost. Tiger scrambled to his feet: "Boss, where is the young master?"

Nianyao rolled her eyes at him: "How many times have I told you not to call me gang leader anymore?"

"Once a gang leader..." Tiger didn't dare finish his sentence, and changed the subject, "Madam, where is the young master?"

Nianyao asked, "What do you want with him?"

Tiger immediately put on a mournful face: "Madam, for the sake of our brotherhood, you must plead for me! I didn't mean to harm the little princess."

"What?!" Nianyao exclaimed in disbelief. "You harmed the little princess? How could you harm her?"

It couldn't be explained in a few words, so Hu Zi bypassed Nian Yao and continued searching for Luo An: "Young Master, Young Master..."

Tiger started shouting and was about to cry. Nianyao didn't understand why, so she could only follow behind him, calling out, "Luo An, Luo An..."

Young Master... Luo An... Young Master... Luo An...

The two voices echoed throughout Ming Sheng Lake; just moments ago they were wailing, but now they were calling back the soul.

Luo An emerged from the willow grove and stood on the lakeside path behind the two of them: "What is it?"

The sudden sound startled Nianyao and Huzi, who both jumped. They turned around and saw Luo An. Nianyao was about to speak when she said, "You..."

Tiger knelt down in front of Luo An, hugging his legs and crying out, "Young Master..."

What's wrong with this world? One or two men were hugging his legs and crying.

A weak woman crying with tears streaming down her face might evoke his pity, but when this mountain-like man cries, it's like a landslide or a tsunami, utterly devastating.

Tiger was lost in his own emotions: "...I really didn't mean to harm the little princess. There was just no food in the palace, and I had no other choice..."

Nianyao, not even bothering to ask where Luo An was hiding, exclaimed in shock, "...You ate her?"

Hu Zi and Luo An were both frightened by Nian Yao.

Luo An grabbed Hu Zi's clothes, trying to pull him up: "Get up and talk."

Tiger refused to get up, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender, and vehemently protested, "I didn't eat her, I only ate her chicken leg..."

Did you eat her leg?

Nianyao turned pale with fright. Seeing Luo An take two steps back to avoid Hu Zi, she quickly said, "Don't worry, there must be some misunderstanding. Hu Zi isn't that kind of person."