Chapter 19: The Strange Disappearance

Xin Che recalled his third sister, Xin Ningyu. “During her first-birthday grab ritual, my mother prepared account books, jewelry, and rouge for her to choose from. But she went straight for my father’s sword hanging at his waist.”

“Since she was young, she followed me and our second brother, playing with swords and spears. She never cared for poetry, storybooks, or silks and satins—she loved military texts and weapons instead.”

Xin Che’s words completely overturned Jiang Lili’s impression of Xin Ningyu.

“Third Sister seldom came out. The few times I saw her, she was always surrounded by a group of older women protecting her, afraid she’d bump into something.”

“I didn’t expect it.”

Jiang Lili sighed. So Xin Ningyu’s claims of illness to avoid attending gatherings of noble ladies in the capital weren’t due to poor health but lack of interest.

She had truly believed Xin Ningyu was a frail beauty, worried that the girl might not survive the journey to marry far away.

“Not only is my third sister far from weak, but she’s also brimming with energy and has extraordinary skills. Her mastery of the red-tasseled spear is unmatched.”

Xin Che’s expression showed both helplessness and frustration as he thought of his troublesome sister. “My mother worried that her fierce reputation would make it hard to find a suitable match for her, so she told everyone that the third sister was a frail beauty unfit for socializing.”

“Even when she did go out, the group of older women around her wasn’t there to catch her if she fainted. They were there to stop her from picking a fight if she encountered something she didn’t like. They even picked strong women specifically to hold her back!”

“Pfft—”

Jiang Lili couldn’t help but chuckle at Xin Che’s explanation. This third sister was truly an intriguing character!

“With her skills and strength, I’m not worried about her safety on the journey to her marriage alliance,” Xin Che admitted.

But his voice carried an undertone of worry. “Too much strength can lead to a breaking point. I fear her fiery temper might clash with the brutal khan of the grasslands, and those savages might humiliate her.”

He clenched his fists tightly. His family had spent their lives defending the borders and shedding blood on the battlefield. Yet Emperor Qingning had sent the Xin family’s only daughter to marry at the border in exchange for peace.

Jiang Lili couldn’t help but imagine the collision of personalities between Xin Ningyu, a sister with overwhelming combat prowess, and Yan Chaoyue, who had transmigrated to become the Khan of the grasslands. What kind of fascinating chemistry would spark between them?

Thinking carefully, Jiang Lili realized that if Yan Chaoyue could cling to Xin Ningyu’s “thigh,” perhaps they could temporarily secure their survival—and Yan Chaoyue might even keep his position as the Khan a little longer.

Mulling this over, Jiang Lili proposed to Xin Che, “Guan Yue’s close friend happens to be traveling in the Boer Grasslands tribe you mentioned. He’s made many connections there, including a life-and-death bond with someone who is a trusted confidant of the Khan!”

“Why don’t I ask Guan Yue to pass along a message to his friend, requesting that this confidant of the Khan look after your third sister? That way, she might have an easier time in a foreign land.”

Hearing her suggestion, Xin Che’s furrowed brows relaxed slightly. “The Khan’s confidant? Who might that be? Does Master Guan know their name?”

To his knowledge, not everyone in the grassland tribes was war-hungry. Some generals even advocated for peace.

Jiang Lili quickly shook her head. She couldn’t possibly admit that the so-called confidant was the Khan himself!

Xin Che fell into thought. “Then I’ll leave this matter in your hands and Master Guan’s care.”

“No problem! Leave it to me!” Jiang Lili responded with a sweet smile and snapped her fingers.

The more she thought about Yan Chaoyue possibly needing Xin Ningyu’s protection, the more interesting the situation seemed.

Xin Che smiled along with her. “If there’s anything you need me to do, just say the word.”

“Just focus on protecting me during this exile journey!”

After all, she was carrying the hopes of her entire class now!

Xin Che nodded. “I’ll make sure you stay safe and sound.”

After finishing her conversation with Xin Che and wandering around the mountain village for a while, Jiang Lili checked their group chat, where Yan Chaoyue was still messaging anxiously.

[Yan Chaoyue: @Jiang Lili, what do I do? I’m just a veterinary student—I can’t even save myself!]

(99+ New Messages)

Jiang Lili clicked her tongue. Yan Chaoyue might not be reliable as a person, but he sure had a lot to say.

[Jiang Lili: Alright, let me give you some good news. The Princess Dunlun, Xin Ningyu, who is about to marry into your tribe, hails from a martial arts family. She’s the sister of the Great Sheng Dynasty God of War, equally skilled in martial arts and well-versed in military strategy.

When she arrives, treat her well and do your best to cling to her for support, got it?]

Yan Chaoyue, overjoyed, immediately stopped his incessant complaints.

[Yan Chaoyue: I’ll issue orders right away to prepare everything properly!]

Just as Jiang Lili thought Yan Chaoyue would finally calm down, he started whining again.

[Yan Chaoyue: But what do I do right now? It’s the second day of the grassland hunting season, and now there’s a bonfire feast. I haven’t caught a single thing!

I saw the scheming looks in my two younger brothers’ eyes—they’re clearly plotting to humiliate me again.]

Jiang Lili sighed and sent him a perfunctory reply.

[Jiang Lili: Just grow a thicker skin. You’re the Khan of the grasslands now. What can they do—cook you as the main course on the spot?]

Not wanting to waste more energy on this weak-willed man, Jiang Lili decided to ignore Yan Chaoyue. A grown man crying and whining at every little setback—how ridiculous!

After sending her message, Jiang Lili glanced at their still incomplete group chat and started toying with its mysterious interface, wondering how it all worked.

Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps reached her ears. She looked up to see a middle-aged man with the appearance of a hunter rushing toward her, carrying a pair of wild geese in his hands.

“Sister, could you do me a favor and watch these geese for me?

“I ate something bad on the mountain and my stomach hurts—I need to run to the outhouse!”

Before Jiang Lili could respond, the man shoved the geese into her hands and bolted out of sight.

Curious, Jiang Lili lifted the wild geese to get a closer look.

This was Jiang Lili’s first time holding wild geese in her hands; before, she could only see their fleeting shadows in the sky.

Up close, the geese were a dull gray-brown color and nearly half her height. Their large beaks looked a little intimidating.

Jiang Lili distastefully held the geese a little farther away, worried that the bird might peck at her.

Fearing the geese might escape, she tightly gripped the rope that bound them, then sat down on a nearby wooden post in the village to wait for the hunter to return.

While waiting, Jiang Lili continued to explore the chat interface. She had just noticed that the icon for sending red envelopes in her chat window had changed from gray to red, as if it had been activated.

Considering the recent changes, she realized this icon had lit up after her encounter with Guan Yue.

Could it be that meeting offline with someone in the group unlocked new features for the chat?

Curious, Jiang Lili tentatively clicked the red envelope icon. A red envelope cover appeared in the group chat immediately.

Group Prompt: [Jiang Lili sent a regular red envelope.]

Hmm? Jiang Lili was confused. She didn’t have any money on her—how could she have sent a red envelope?

Just as she was trying to make sense of this, she felt something was missing.

Jiang Lili looked down at her empty right hand.

Wait? Where were the geese she had been holding in her right hand?!

Jiang Lili jumped to her feet in shock.

No way. Her big pair of geese had just vanished like that?!

How was she going to explain this to the hunter when he returned?!

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