"Who sent the letter?" Xie Lanzhi asked curiously.
Si Xitong then told her everything that had happened during her coma, including that she had changed her name to Xie Lanzhi, become the sworn sister of the matriarch Xie Lanbai, and inherit her lineage. From now on, the matriarch would be her grandmother. Due to her seniority, she was ranked after Xie Shangguang.
"So I have to call Xie Shangguang my brother. I'll have a new brother now."
"Good little brother! Tough as a beet." Xie Lanzhi's eyes crinkled with laughter. A shadow was cast on the windowpane at the doorway, swaying and trembling, but he dared not come in, probably frightened.
Compared to these intangible things, Si Xitong was more concerned about her future.
At this moment, the letter in her hand caught her attention. After opening it, she found that it was not the handwriting of the matriarch; it seemed to be someone else's.
The letter contained the name of a Taoist priest from the deep mountains, who told Si Xitong that he had obtained six years of divine secrets. However, only three of those six years were allocated to Xie Lanzhi, which greatly worried Si Xitong.
"Madam Lu, come and take a look."
After scanning the letter, Lu Qing fell into deep thought. Then she looked up at Xie Lanzhi, then at the letter again, repeating this process three times.
Finally, she took out Artur's belongings from her pocket: a letter and a Tai Sui amulet.
"I have been pondering the purpose of Artur's relics for some time now, and I can now analyze the letter from the Taoist priest in the deep mountains."
When Lu Qing was talking about serious matters, she habitually picked up Qianqian, who was holding an apple in her two little hands and nibbling on it like a little squirrel.
She didn't forget to ask, "Does your sister want an apple?"
Xie Lanzhi shook her head.
Lu Qing said, "What the Taoist priest in the deep mountains means is that someone took away the other three years. Since the marshal suspected that Wang and you are the same variable."
"So I can roughly interpret the message in these two letters as the three years that Wang Fen took away from the Taoist priest in the deep mountains to secure."
"The State Sorcerer and the Taoist Priest from the Deep Mountains are from the same school and can use the same Taoist techniques to see through the same mysteries. This means that the State Sorcerer may have set a trap for you, Marshal, in advance."
A glint flashed in Xie Lanzhi's eyes: "Artu mentioned the matter of a double before he died."
Lu Qing raised the Tai Sui talisman in her hand and said, "Perhaps the main function of this talisman is to divert the attention of the Heavenly Dao, then Artu should be the king's substitute."
"So, Wang and Artur were born on the same day, month, and year, the same day as you, Marshal. If Wang can use Artur as a stand-in, does that mean he can also use you as a stand-in?"
These words were spoken.
The logic is undoubtedly the same. Since there needs to be a substitute born on the same day, month, and year, then all three of them were born on the same day, including Xie Ying. But Xie Ying is dead. Therefore, those born on the same day could potentially exchange places as substitutes.
Furthermore, considering that the Taoist priest in the deep mountains spent six years trying to obtain the secrets of heaven, but three years were missing, those missing three years must not be with Xie Lanzhi, nor with the deceased Artu, so there is only one person left.
Achina!
Upon hearing this, Si Xitong's face darkened. She never expected that this life-or-death struggle against fate was not only a setup, but also concealed a hidden conspiracy.
Whether Lanzhi goes to Niliupei or not, she cannot escape this calamity. It would be better for her to go to Niliupei and face the life-or-death situation.
Now that the life-or-death situation is resolved, the next round of divine punishment will be in three years.
She tried to calm herself down and said, "Since Aqina can use Artu and even Lanzhi as substitutes, then conversely, can Lanzhi also use Aqina as a substitute?"
Lu Qing nodded: "Logically, they should be interconnected. However, Aqina has the State Witch by his side, and the Taoist priest from the deep mountains, who was originally comparable to the State Witch, has left and disappeared without a trace. I'm afraid Your Highness is at a slight disadvantage."
"The letter said he would return in three years." The thought of possibly facing divine punishment again in three years made Si Xitong gasp for breath: "So, is this familial reunion just a delaying tactic?"
"No one knows what fate has in store." Lu Qing felt there was still a chance. As long as the marshal accomplished his mission, why not save his life?
Seeing her beloved wife's worried expression, Xie Lanzhi moved her hand, wanting to get up, but was quickly pressed down by Si Xitong: "Don't move."
"Little Phoenix, I'd like to speak with you alone." Xie Lanzhi secretly gestured for Lu Qing to leave.
Lu Qing carried Qianqian out.
When only the two of them remained in the room, Xie Lanzhi truthfully confessed that this world was not a real world for her in her previous life, but a book.
Si Xitong's face showed astonishment, but she was a living, breathing person, not a fictional one.
Xie Lanzhi was still a bit groggy after waking up. She shifted her position on the pillow and said, "If, I mean if this were a real world, but someone wrote it into a novel and published it in my time, and it became a wildly popular work."
"So...there were already strangers in my time."
And she's also Emin's friend!!
“If that author might be from this world, then Aqi might be from the future, someone who has been reborn,” Xie Lanzhi said. “Only this answer can explain why there could be two variables.”
"According to my spacetime paradox, if each parallel world has a self, once this balance is broken, two identical people cannot be allowed to exist in one world. Therefore, one of them must be killed in the same world to maintain the balance of order."
"Then there is another counter-argument. According to Lu Qing's father, there cannot be two variables in this world, otherwise humanity will perish. However, since both Aqina and I are in this world, there is a delicate balance of having a substitute."
"Does this mean that although Aqina and I are both strangers in a foreign land, because we are strangers from different worlds, even if humanity is torn apart, it hasn't reached the point of catastrophe?"
This is the speculation that Xie Lanzhi summarized.
Chapter 144 The Road to the Restoration of Anyi
The message from the Northern Prefecture traveled north to Baiweng Palace.
With a sorrowful expression, Shan Yuhou took the letter inside. The hall was silent, devoid of joy or sorrow; no one knew what the king inside was thinking.
They simply informed the whole country of Artur's death in battle.
The entire Xiongnu kingdom was in uproar! Their greatest warrior had died at Nilupo.
Upon receiving the king's order, the royal shaman immediately entered the palace.
The royal shaman bowed to the person behind the curtain: "Your Majesty, how are you feeling?"
“Thanks to you for helping me gain three years.” Aqina’s voice was more lively than before. He said, “I have been here for almost a year and will soon be leaving the pass.”
The royal shaman said, "Your Majesty, I need to go into hiding for a while. I will return to the palace in three years to protect you."
Aqina paused for a moment, then said, “You used Xie Ying to extend my life by three years, which is a great favor to me. Whatever you want, I will grant it to you.”
“I don’t care about money or status. You can pursue your ambitions as you wish, but the Taoist priest in the deep mountains has discovered that I’ve been tampering with things.” The national shaman said, “He’s furious right now and might come looking for me. Who knows, he might even take action against me then.”
Achina said, “I will send someone to kill him.”
“No, only my senior brother knows this Heavenly Deception Technique. If he dies, even I won’t be able to save you.” The State Sorcerer said, “For now, you should make good use of these three years and start planning.”
"Altu and Xie Ying are your double substitutes. Although Xie Ying survived by chance, it's hard to guarantee that she won't discover your identity."
Please pay more attention to this matter.
Aqina fell completely silent.
The shaman then left the White Elder Palace.
The figure behind the yellow curtain suddenly stood up. The curtain was lifted by an ugly hand covered in peeling skin, and Aqina stepped out. He was pale, with deep-set features, but his piercing gaze was chilling.
"Artur".
"Send someone to summon the Grand Master."
"Yes!" replied the guard outside the hall.
Three days later, Xie Jun and the newly promoted army of Jinghua Prefecture were officially integrated into the Jinghua Prefecture Army, which took control of Jinghua Prefecture.
Xie Lanzhi felt completely relaxed. She stood in the courtyard with her arms outstretched and took a deep breath: "It feels so good to be alive again."
Si Xitong rushed back from the county office and saw her running out for some fresh air. She quickly took out her outer robe and draped it over her shoulders.
She reminded him, "Your body isn't what it used to be, so you need to be extra careful to keep warm."
On the first day of Xie Lanzhi's recovery, she tried to mobilize her internal energy but found her dantian empty, which made her feel dejected.
All that internal energy she'd used for so long was gone just like that. Heaven had taken away her golden finger; she probably wouldn't be able to do whatever she wanted in this world anymore.
She said somewhat dejectedly, "I know, even if I lose my inner strength, I still have brute force."
"I can still practice external martial arts."
Just hope she doesn't encounter someone like Artur who's overpowered in the future, otherwise she won't be able to handle him alone.
Si Xitong pulled her under the eaves and told her not to stay out in the sun for too long, just enough.
Xie Lanzhi brought over chairs, and the two sat down. She suddenly became concerned about the situation in Beifu. Two months had passed, and she estimated that a considerable amount of coal had been mined out again.
Now that coal mines have been discovered in Jiujin, they no longer need to go to great lengths to find them, so the coal mines in Beifu are less attractive to her.
"Little Phoenix, didn't I say a few days ago that Aqina might know the future in advance? You need to be prepared." Xie Lanzhi thought about how little she could help her in the future, and she became dejected.
What could be worse than losing your cheat program?
Si Xitong wasn't as worried as she was. She said, "You said I'm the protagonist, so Heaven will definitely favor me first. So..."
"So?" Xie Lanzhi asked, puzzled, seeing her beloved wife keeping her in suspense. "What do you plan to do?"
Si Xitong smiled, but didn't tell her directly.
Meanwhile, Anyi, as the steward of the Hu Xiongnu lord's mansion, was terrified by the assassination attempt on the Hu Xiongnu by the righteous men of Huayin, causing many of them to move away. Now, only the Hu Xiongnu who were tied up with their mission and could not leave Huayin remained.
The righteous men of Anyi treated her as a lackey of the Hu and Xiongnu, and the people in the surrounding area cursed her as a coward, calling her a lackey of others.
Even the latrine-shoveling men under Anyi's command still trusted her. Anyi was deeply moved. One night, while relieving himself, he discovered someone had sneaked into the mansion to assassinate a Hunnic. He was tripped by her foot and scared away.
The next day, the Huns promoted her to Junior Guard Commander, giving her command of a hundred men. They also rewarded her with a thousand gold pieces.
An Yi used the money and her privileges to purchase 500 shi of grain, which she then distributed to impoverished areas and starving people. Unexpectedly, the 500 shi of grain won the approval of the righteous men, clearing her of suspicion as a lackey, and many began to follow her. When the Hun people learned of this, they ordered her arrest. An Yi immediately led her righteous men to raid the Hun man's home.
Because it was night, the people of Anyi were numerous and powerful, and with the help of those inside and outside, they raided the Hunnic people's home overnight, taking away all their grain and gold, and moving them to a village.
Just then, soldiers from Huayin were in the village. They immediately recognized Anyi. Anyi thought the soldiers had come to arrest her, so she tried to resist. Unexpectedly, the soldiers were pro-war and excitedly told her that they had gathered 30,000 righteous men who were willing to follow her.
An Yi was deeply moved and decided to wage a war to restore his country and reclaim it!
So she gathered 30,000 people and wanted to tell them to charge. When she stood on the roof to raise her arms and shout, she saw a bunch of people holding rolling pins, carrying poles, and even dung scoops as weapons.
She slipped and rolled off the roof, fracturing her leg. Then, the war to restore the kingdom with 30,000 men was temporarily aborted because the king had broken his leg.
The raid on the Hunnic homes immediately caused widespread panic. Even the most righteous uprisings in the past had never resulted in such a large-scale operation, yet this time it triggered a chain reaction. This was because Anyi, being kind-hearted, did not kill the Hunnics, but merely drugged and bound them.
When the Hun awoke, they found themselves, their homes, and their guards stripped completely naked, leaving nothing behind. They were terrified and wet themselves.
Because of Anyi's betrayal, coupled with the Hun people's own conjectures, they speculated that the Huayin people planned to infiltrate the mansion in large numbers to gain the Hun people's trust, and then steal from the Hun people's homes.
I heard that a hundred people have committed the crime and emptied the homes of the Huns.
It was virtually impossible to guard against, and the Huayin people, who had originally followed the Hu and Xiongnu, also faced a huge crisis of trust. The pro-peace faction was even suspected of having ulterior motives by the Hu and Xiongnu and suffered setbacks.
This incident terrified the nearby Hun people, who rushed to Beifu overnight, no longer daring to be neighbors with the Huayin people. No one knew when they would be robbed. The Hun people were few in number, and the Huayin people were untrustworthy; who knew if they would still have their heads the next morning?