Sludge suction system

Caught completely off guard, Ruan Quan and Xiao Zha were pulled into the time portal by its powerful gravity. The surrounding scenery spun and reformed wildly like a shattered kaleidoscope. After a dizzying spin, the two landed with a thud in a lush, flower-filled garden.

Ruan Quan struggled to her feet and found herself dressed in a gorgeous, exquisitely embroidered ancient long dress. Looking around, she saw pavilions and towers scattered about, with streams and bridges flowing around them, exuding an antique charm. Xiao Zha shivered and was about to speak when he realized something was wrong with his surroundings and cautiously looked around.

Before they could even sort out their thoughts, a series of hurried footsteps approached. A middle-aged woman dressed in silk with a kind face rushed into the garden. Upon seeing Ruan Quan, she first breathed a sigh of relief, then feigned a scolding and said, "Yunniang, you little rascal, you sneaked into the garden again, making your mother look for you everywhere."

Ruan Quan was startled, realizing that she had transmigrated and become Liu Yunniang. She forced herself to remain calm, bowed slightly, and said, "Mother, I'm sorry to have worried you." The woman stepped forward, gently tidied Ruan Quan's hair, took her hand, and said, "Come, come back to my room with me. I think the flower and bird painting you embroidered is quite good. I think it will be finished with a few more strokes."

Ruan Quan had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow her "mother" back to the room. Upon entering, an unfinished embroidery piece came into view, its needlework delicate and its colors vibrant. However, Ruan Quan knew nothing about embroidery and felt a surge of panic. Fortunately, her mother didn't linger, offering a few words of advice before leaving.

After her mother left, Ruan Quan hurriedly closed the door, let out a long sigh, plopped down in a chair, looked at Xiao Zha with a worried expression, and said helplessly, "This is terrible, I don't know how to do embroidery at all, I almost gave myself away just now."

Xiao Zha paced back and forth in the room, scratched his head with his paw, and after thinking for a moment, said, "Don't rush, let's observe this embroidery first, maybe we can figure out some tricks." Hearing this, Ruan Quan had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to the embroidery frame to examine it carefully.

The flowers and birds on the embroidered cloth seemed to come alive; the texture of the feathers and the folds of the flowers were all vividly depicted with delicate needlework. Ruan Quan tried to pick up the needle and thread, but her hands wouldn't obey her commands. Either the thread would get tangled up, or the needle would prick her fingers, making her wince in pain.

Little Zha watched anxiously from the side, occasionally nudging Ruan Quan with its paw to encourage her. After struggling for a while, the small piece Ruan Quan embroidered was crooked and out of place with the original exquisite embroidery.

Just as she was worrying, a maid's voice came from outside the door, saying that her cousin Liu Xinyi had come to visit. Ruan Quan's heart skipped a beat. She remembered that Liu Xinyi had always been jealous of Liu Yunniang's status as the legitimate daughter, so she was afraid that Liu Xinyi's visit was not well-intentioned.

The door opened, and Liu Xinyi, dressed in an elegant embroidered dress, gracefully walked in, a seemingly kind smile on her face, but a hint of barely perceptible contempt in her eyes. Seeing Ruan Quan in front of the embroidery frame, she feigned surprise and said, "Oh, Sister Yunniang, you've been embroidering for so long, how come you've only made so little progress? Have you been unwell lately, and even your specialty, embroidery, has become rusty?"

Ruan Quan was displeased, but she still forced a smile and replied, "Thank you for your concern, sister. I'm just not feeling well today. Is there anything I can help you with?" Liu Xinyi walked closer, casually looking at the embroidery. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly, and she said meaningfully, "Little sister, you'd better work harder. There's a small competition in the family in a few days. If you lose, you'll lose face for the eldest daughter of the Liu family."

After saying that, Liu Xinyi exchanged a few more pleasantries and then turned and left.

Ruan Quan sat on the edge of the bed with a solemn expression, a hint of anxiety in her eyes. She frowned slightly, looked at Xiao Zha who was squatting beside her, and asked in a low voice, "Xiao Zha, tell me in detail what exactly happened to the original owner of this world, Liu Yunniang? I need to find out the situation first."

Xiao Zha lightly jumped onto the table, shook its fur, cleared its throat, and began to speak: "Listen carefully, this Liu Yunniang is quite famous in Lincang Kingdom. She was born into a family of embroiderers who have passed down their craft for generations, and everyone in her family is a master embroiderer. From a young age, she displayed extraordinary embroidery talent, with a unique understanding of color matching and needlework techniques. The things she embroiders are truly lifelike, every stitch and thread is so delicate that it's astonishing; saying it's exquisite is far from enough. Because of her superb embroidery skills, she was spotted by someone in the palace and selected to enter the palace, becoming the Empress's personal embroiderer, specializing in making various exquisite embroidered items for the Empress."

Ruan Quan nodded slightly, listening intently, signaling Xiao Zha to continue. Xiao Zha licked its paws and continued, "During her time in the palace, she met Chu Li, the hostage sent by Fengyu Kingdom. This Chu Li was incredibly handsome and elegant, with deep, bright eyes that seemed to hold endless stars. Moreover, he was exceptionally talented, proficient in poetry, prose, military strategy, and everything else. His appearance in the palace immediately attracted the attention of many, including Liu Yunniang. Every time he spoke with her, he would offer insightful and novel perspectives, captivating her with just a few words. Yunniang's heart gradually became completely devoted to him, filled with love and affection. To help Chu Li escape his predicament in the palace, Yunniang spared no effort in using her family's connections and her influence within the palace, trying every possible method to ensure his well-being."

"And what happened? Chu Li was nothing but a heartless bastard." Little Zha's voice was tinged with indignation as it lightly scratched the table with its little paws. "His approach to Liu Yunniang wasn't genuine; he had ulterior motives. He exploited Yunniang's trust and affection to extract a great deal of confidential information about the Lincang Kingdom from her. This information was crucial to the Fengyu Kingdom, and it was through this that the Fengyu army achieved victory after victory on the battlefield, ultimately destroying the Lincang Kingdom. And Chu Li, thanks to these achievements, returned to the Fengyu Kingdom and smoothly became its emperor."

Ruan Quan's brows furrowed tightly, her eyes flashing with anger. She couldn't help but clench her fists, asking anxiously, "What about Yunniang? What happened to her in the end?"

"When the city fell, Liu Yunniang was unfortunately captured by the enemy." Xiao Zha sighed, its tone heavy, and a trace of sadness appeared in its eyes. "Only at this moment did she wake up from her dream and realize that Chu Li, whom she had always deeply loved, had been scheming against her all along, using her from beginning to end. But before she could recover from this huge blow, Chu Li, in order to prevent her from revealing more secrets and to eliminate his own guilt and unease, actually killed her with his own hands. Poor Yunniang never imagined that the person she loved with all her heart would treat her so cruelly."

Upon hearing this, Ruan Quan felt a surge of anger. She clenched her fists and asked Xiao Zha with a solemn expression, "Xiao Zha, so our mission this time is to change Yun Niang's fate and take revenge on that hostage, right?"

Xiao Zha looked up at Ruan Quan and said, "Yes, Master, we need to avenge Yun Niang in order to find out the whereabouts of the totem fragments."

"Can you sense the energy of the totem fragments in this world?" Ruan Quan pressed.

Xiao Zha scratched his head, pondered for a moment, and then replied, "I can't sense it right now, but since there are some special things in this world, the totem fragments should also have their own unique energy. Perhaps it's related to Liu Yunniang's experiences, or we can find clues in some secrets of the Lincang Kingdom."

Ruan Quan nodded slightly, a hint of anticipation in her eyes: "Hmm, that makes sense. Liu Yunniang is the Empress's personal embroiderer in the palace, so she might have access to information related to the energy of the totem fragments. We need to start with her life and experiences to see if we can discover anything."

Xiao Zha added, "And there's Chu Li, the hostage from Fengyu Kingdom. He must know a lot of secrets in this world. Perhaps the energy of the totem fragments is related to the situation and power struggles between the two countries."

Ruan Quan's eyes hardened: "That's right. We need to pay more attention to the people and things around us, and look for any clues that may be related to the energy of the totem fragments. Let's start by investigating the people and things around Liu Yunniang."