Floating life reflects two lotuses

The night was deep, and moonlight, like water, spilled into the courtyard of the princess's residence. The journey had left Xiao Jinlian exhausted, both physically and mentally, but the information she had just heard kept swirling in her mind: Lingjian, runes, Luoyuan, her mother. These fragmented words, pieced together, seemed to tell a truth she hadn't yet fully grasped.

Silan followed quietly behind her, her face revealing little emotion, while Liheng maintained his cold expression, keeping close behind. The three remained silent until they entered the study, where Silan spoke softly, "Princess, no outsiders will hear us here, we can talk here."

Xiao Jinlian sat down, gently placing the fragment in her hand on the table, her gaze fixed on Silan: "Now you can tell me, Silan, who exactly are you? And what is 'Lingjian'?"

Silan slowly knelt down, bowed her head and said, "Princess, I have never hidden anything from you, it's just that the time is not right yet. The truth is not something you should bear right now."

Xiao Jinlian sneered, her tone sharp: "The time isn't right yet? Silan, I was almost killed by those men in black. My mother's name appeared in this struggle, and you're telling me the time isn't right yet? I don't need your protection, I need to know the truth!"

Silan looked up at her with a complicated expression, and finally said in a low voice, "Okay, I will tell you, but this is just the beginning. The real answer... you have to find out for yourself."

Silan stood up, placing her palm beside the rune fragments on the desk, her gaze lingering on the faintly glowing symbols. After a moment, she said softly, "Lingjian is an organization that has been passed down for thousands of years." Her voice was low and steady, yet carried an undeniable heaviness.

"We only allow women to join, and we have only one mission—to protect the rune fragments in the Luoyuan Contract, and the unspeakable secret behind the runes."

“The Luo Yuan Contract…” Xiao Jinlian repeated softly, the words sliding across her tongue like a strange sense of destiny, “What exactly is it?”

Silan slowly said, "A thousand years ago, Luo Yuan was a powerful and all-powerful wizard, and also the guardian of this land. He signed a contract with the royal family, using rune fragments as shackles, which served as both protection and restriction. The contract granted the royal family a certain mysterious power, but it also brought a curse—in every generation of the royal family, someone would pay the price for the power of the runes."

Xiao Jinlian's eyes trembled slightly, as if she had suddenly realized something: "You mean... the power of the runes led to the sacrifice of the royal family?"

“That’s right.” Silan nodded, her voice calm and serene. “Runes are a double-edged sword. They can bring immense power, but they can also become endless shackles. Luo Yuan divided the runes into seven pieces and scattered them in different places to prevent these powers from being misused. And Lingjian’s duty is to guard these fragments and ensure that their secrets are never discovered by evil people.”

Xiao Jinlian lowered her head, gazing at the fragments on the table, her fingertips lightly tracing the ancient symbols. The faint light seemed to respond to her touch, like a whisper from antiquity. She murmured, "Then what is my mother's connection to these?"

Silan lowered her eyes, her voice low: "Your mother was once a member of the Spirit Stream. To ensure that the secret of the runes is not discovered by the outside world."

“She’s gone.” Xiao Jinlian’s voice trembled slightly, her fingers clenching unconsciously. “If all of this was her mission, why did she never tell me? Why did she leave me to face it all alone?”

Silan slowly raised her head, her eyes filled with deep regret and helplessness: "Perhaps... it's because she believed that you would eventually unravel all of this yourself. She knew that the power of the runes would only respond to those who were truly compatible with them, and you, Princess, are the one destined by fate."

Just as Xiao Jinlian was about to speak, Si Lan added, "There's one more thing you need to know... The members of Lingjian possess another ability of runes—the exchange of souls."

"A soul exchange?" Xiao Jinlian frowned, her expression revealing shock.

Silan nodded and continued, "While guarding the Spirit Valley runes, we also studied their power. The runes contain a power to transcend time and space. Some members of the Spirit Valley can use the runes to exchange their souls with people in another time and space, and then exchange them back through a special method. However, I don't know exactly how to do it, because very few people possess such an ability. Even within the Spirit Valley, only a very few people know the full extent of this secret."

Xiao Jinlian froze, the image of Chu Wanlian flashing through her mind in an instant, along with the various experiences of their soul swap. She asked in a low voice, "What are the conditions for switching back? Or... how can I control it?"

Silan shook her head, a hint of regret in her eyes: "Princess, that's all I know. The power of runes is complex and dangerous, even the oldest elders in the Spirit Valley cannot fully master it. I only know that this exchange is never accidental, but guided by some kind of power."

Xiao Jinlian closed her eyes, took a deep breath, her mind a jumble of confusion. While Silan's words had cleared up some of her doubts, they had only deepened them.

"So, the exchange of souls is the power of runes?" she asked in a low voice, her tone filled with complex emotions.

Silan nodded: "Yes. But this is only a part of the power of the runes. The real secret hidden behind the runes is far more terrifying and important than the soul exchange. Perhaps... you are destined to find all the fragments in order to truly unravel the mystery."

Silan's words stirred up Xiao Jinlian's emotions, but she quickly calmed down and turned her attention back to the rune fragments. She stared at the ancient symbols, the patterns she had seen in the bamboo forest and by the pool appearing in her mind.

“These runes… are some kind of language,” Xiao Jinlian said softly, her fingertips lightly gliding over one of them. “If these are part of a contract, then they must contain clues.”

She took out paper and pen and began to trace the runes on the fragments one by one, carefully studying every detail. Li Heng stood to the side, remaining vigilant, but when he saw Xiao Jinlian's focused expression, a complex emotion flickered in his eyes.

“The arrangement of these runes doesn’t resemble a normal record,” Xiao Jinlian suddenly looked up. “They’re more like… some kind of map.”

“A map?” Li Heng frowned and walked to her side. “You mean, these symbols point to a certain place?”

“That’s right.” Xiao Jinlian nodded and pieced together several fragments of runes. “Look here, the patterns of these symbols are very similar to the layout of the imperial mausoleum.”

Li Heng's expression turned serious: "You mean, the next fragment might be in the imperial tomb?"

“Yes,” Xiao Jinlian said firmly. “The secret of the runes may be hidden deep within the imperial tomb, and only by finding all the fragments can we unlock the true truth.”

“Even so, wouldn’t it be like walking into a trap for you to rush to the imperial mausoleum?” Li Heng’s voice was calm, but with a hint of anger. “Those men in black are very likely already watching you.”

“I have no other choice.” Xiao Jinlian raised her head, her eyes filled with determination. “If the power of the runes is closely related to the fate of the royal family, I cannot back down.”

Li Heng was silent for a moment, then finally sighed: "I'll go with you. No matter what, I won't let you face this alone."

Silan stood aside, watching them quietly, and finally spoke: "Princess, you must be careful. The secrets of the runes are far more complex than you imagine, and the royal tombs... are not places you can easily set foot in."

Xiao Jinlian nodded, her gaze resolute: "No matter what, I must find the truth. Even if the road ahead is fraught with danger, I will never back down."