Floating life reflects two lotuses

The soft morning light spills onto the eaves of the ancient princess's palace, casting intertwined shadows through the blinds of a modern conference room. Two seemingly unrelated worlds are tightly bound together by an invisible thread. The exchange of souls ripples like a stone thrown into water, and through the gaps in time, unknown convergences and unfathomable mysteries are faintly revealed.

Xiao Jinlian stood before the desk in the study, her slender fingers lightly touching the white jade bracelet. The cracks in the runes on the bracelet, like tiny wounds, gleamed faintly in the morning light, as if whispering of an impending crisis. The perilous breaking of the formation last night was still vivid in her mind, and the vaguely emerging clues only deepened the doubts in her heart.

"Silan," she whispered, her voice cold and sharp like a concealed sword, "who exactly set up this formation?"

Silan stood to the side, her eyes lowered, and after a moment of contemplation, she spoke, her tone filled with caution and worry: "Princess, this servant cannot be completely certain yet. But judging from the precision of these runes and the fluctuations of spiritual power, it is very likely that the legendary master is behind this. He is connected to the royal family's ancestral precepts and is said to be proficient in manipulating the power of space and time."

"The power of time and space?" Xiao Jinlian frowned slightly, her cold gaze falling on the bracelet. "Consort Yan's ambitions are far more complex than the power struggles in the harem. The fact that she dared to touch such a forbidden object clearly indicates that it's not just for the purpose of confining me."

The air seemed to freeze in her tone, and Xiao Jinlian's fingertips involuntarily pressed harder, as if trying to extract more secrets from the bracelet.

Just then, Chu Wanlian's voice rang in his mind, tinged with anxiety: "Jinlian, you have to be careful. If that expert really has control over the power of spacetime, the crack in the bracelet might be part of his plan."

Xiao Jinlian's gaze sharpened, her eyes growing even colder: "I will not let my guard down. This rift is not only a threat from Consort Yan, but also his conspiracy. We must find out his true purpose, otherwise this crisis will only spiral out of control."

Silan slightly raised her eyes to look at Xiao Jinlian, wanting to say something, but in the end she only bowed deeply: "Princess, this servant will do her best to assist you. There are undercurrents in this palace, and if you are not careful, you may be doomed."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jinlian's gaze was as firm as a cold star: "Silan, what I need is not only your assistance, but also your loyalty. We are in the same boat, and there is no room for the slightest mistake."

The two looked at each other for a moment. Silan lowered her head and said in a calm but ardent tone, "Princess, the only person I have ever served in my life is you."

Chu Wanlian walked out of Li Chenyao's office, holding a project report in her hand. Her gaze fell on the document, but she couldn't concentrate. Li Chenyao's tone and gaze in the meeting were as calm as ever, but the subtle hints and concern he conveyed were like an invisible net, gradually enveloping her thoughts.

"Why is he so attentive to me?" Chu Wanlian murmured to herself, her brows furrowing slightly, her steps involuntarily slowing. A vague unease churned within her, like an undercurrent crashing against her consciousness, preventing her from finding peace.

As she reached the stairwell, she casually pulled out her phone and inadvertently glanced at an unread email. The sender's signature was simply a "Z," and the email content consisted of only one sentence:

"The crack in the bracelet not only connects the two worlds, but will also unlock more secrets of time."

Her heart skipped a beat, and her fingertips unconsciously tightened slightly on the phone screen. She subconsciously looked at her wrist; the seemingly ordinary bracelet hung there quietly, but now, the runes on it were emitting a faint glow, as if some hidden language was telling a secret she couldn't understand.

"Xiao Jinlian?" she tentatively called out in her mind.

Xiao Jinlian responded quickly, her voice tinged with seriousness: "What's wrong?"

“My bracelet…it’s glowing.” Chu Wanlian stared at the faintly shimmering runes, her voice trembling with unease. “This light…could it be related to the crack on your side?”

“Glowing?” Xiao Jinlian paused, then said in a low voice, “The crack on my side is spreading. It seems like some kind of force is pushing it… Something’s not right, Chu Wanlian, our situation may be more complicated than we thought.”

Upon hearing this, Chu Wanlian's heart sank, and she involuntarily stopped in her tracks. She covered the bracelet with her other hand, as if that could stop the light from spreading: "The crack is spreading? But... how can we stop it?"

Xiao Jinlian pondered for a moment, her tone unusually hesitant: "Perhaps, this crack itself is a clue. It's telling us that we must find a breakthrough."

"A breakthrough?" Chu Wanlian repeated softly, her gaze becoming increasingly focused on the bracelet. "But where exactly is this breakthrough? I have no clue."

"This requires us to find it together." Xiao Jinlian's voice held a firmer tone. "No matter what, we must resolve this rift, or the consequences will be unimaginable."

Chu Wanlian sighed softly, her gaze gradually calming down. She said in a low voice, "Alright, whatever the breakthrough may be, we must find it."

She put her phone back in her pocket and started to walk away, but felt the bracelet vibrate slightly, as if responding to her resolve. In the mirror at the end of the corridor, she seemed to see the light on the bracelet overlapping with some deeper image, the light and shadow flashing by, dreamlike and illusory, like guidance or warning.

In the Jinhuang Palace, Consort Yan stood by the window, clutching a piece of jade tightly in her hand. The runes on the jade's surface were dull and lifeless, as if it had lost its original power. Her face was gloomy, and her gaze, sharp as a knife, fell upon the expert standing to the side.

"Master, the formation has been destroyed. Is this also part of your so-called plan?" Yan Fei's voice was as cold as ice, suppressing her anger.

The expert lowered his head slightly, but his face showed no panic, and his tone remained calm: "Your Majesty, do not be anxious. Although the formation is damaged, it is not a complete failure. In fact, this has activated another, deeper opportunity."

"Opportunity?" Consort Yan frowned slightly, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. "You'd better give me a reasonable explanation."

The expert raised his head, his gaze profound, and slowly said, "Does Your Highness still remember that the design of this formation did not solely rely on the arrangements of the Princess's residence? The destruction merely exposed its appearance, while the true core was already hidden deeper—in the forbidden area of ​​the Imperial Palace. The key lies in the convergence of spiritual energy there. Breaking the formation is simply guiding it, allowing the core power to be activated more quickly."

Consort Yan's expression softened slightly, but she still harbored some doubt: "You mean, all of this is actually under your control?"

The expert's lips curled slightly, his tone tinged with confidence: "The power of the formation originates from the intersection of spaces. The princess's breaking of the formation merely concentrated the spiritual energy of the forbidden area. The next step is for Your Highness to bring the jade into the forbidden area, and I will activate the remaining power, plunging the princess into an even deeper predicament."

Consort Yan stared at the jade in her hand, pondered for a moment, and a ruthless glint flashed in her eyes: "Since that's the case, I'd like to see what kind of trouble she can cause."

She turned and slowly walked towards the table. The jade stone emitted a faint, dark red glow in the candlelight, as if some power was dormant, waiting to be awakened. Consort Yan's fingers gently stroked the jade stone, a cold smile playing on her lips: "Princess, this time, I will not give you another chance to turn the tables."