An Xin stared at the bird carcass on the ground, her eyes narrowing. Just as she was about to pick it up, a hand snatched it away. An Xin looked up and saw a man in black robes, handsome with refined features, examining the dead bird and saying, "How tragic."
An Xin glanced at him, then casually reached for another bird carcass, but his hands snatched it away again in a flash. He shook his head and sighed, "Human life is so cheap, let alone birds?"
An Xin remained expressionless, slightly bending down to reach for another bird carcass. The man immediately bent down, but An Xin's hand holding the bird carcass suddenly changed direction, delivering a vicious uppercut to the man's chin.
The man was clearly caught off guard, but his agility was exceptional, and he dodged in an instant. An Xin, however, managed to grab the last bird carcass in her hand while he dodged, examining it closely. She frowned slightly; there were still no wounds. So how did these birds end up here? An Xin looked up at the sky. Could they have been in flight?
If someone dies while flying, how does that happen?
The man in black looked An Xin up and down with interest, then stepped forward and said, "A young woman like you would definitely scream if she saw a bird carcass. Aren't you afraid?"
An Xin walked a few steps forward indifferently and found another bird carcass in the grass. However, this bird carcass was injured, while the other bird carcasses were uninjured. Why was this one injured? An Xin stared at the dried bloodstains, her lips slightly pursed. Her gaze fell on a sharp rock next to the bird carcass. There was blood on the tip of the rock. An Xin wiped it with her fingertip and frowned slightly—it seemed that her guess was correct. These birds had probably fallen suddenly from a high altitude, and this injured bird had crashed into the sharp rock and was thus injured.
Falling from a great height...
An Xin looked around, her gaze finally settling on Broken Peak Mountain. It wasn't far from here. Could the deaths of these birds also be due to that omnipresent "killer" from Fengxian Village?
The man in black stepped forward and said, "I just killed these birds. Didn't expect that, did you?"
An Xin paused abruptly, her gaze finally settling on the man in black before her. She said calmly, "Has anyone ever told you you're a gossip?"
The man in black's lips twitched suddenly.
An Xin ignored him and walked quickly toward Duanfeng Mountain.
The man in black stroked his chin and said, "She really is an interesting girl. No wonder Yan Zhen was so upset about her!" He quickly followed after her, grinning, "I really did kill these birds. Is there anything wrong with that?"
An Xin said calmly, "Congratulations, killing a bird doesn't cost you your life. Other than that, there's nothing wrong with it!"
Ye Qi laughed heartily and said, "Interesting, interesting! I like you, how about you like me too?"
An Xin looked at him as if he were crazy and asked, "Why did you give up treatment?"
Ye Qi: "..."
An Xin ignored him. The injured bird had probably not only crashed into a sharp rock, but it was also possible that this lunatic was responsible. However, the three bird carcasses were definitely not his doing. Even if he were a top expert, An Xin felt that there was no such person in the world who could easily kill a flying bird without leaving a scar.
What could cause a bird to suddenly fall from the sky and die...? Could there be poison gas in the air? Poison gas... An Xin was suddenly alarmed and stopped moving forward, instead quickly walking around.
Birds are gregarious, and this bird might have companions. If it does... An Xin pushed aside the grass and felt a chill run down her spine when she saw what was in front of her!
Dozens of bird carcasses lay scattered there, a sight that sent a chill down one's spine.
Ye Qi's expression changed when he saw the scene before him, and he said in a deep voice, "My move just now actually killed so many... It seems pretty impressive!"
An Xin checked them one by one, and they all died under mysterious circumstances.
That's strange...
The strange man is dead, so the murderer can't be the strange man anymore. If it was man-made, why would the murderer kill these birds for no reason? Besides, catching birds is difficult enough, let alone killing them in groups.
An Xin suddenly looked towards Broken Peak Mountain, her expression changed drastically, and she exclaimed in surprise, "I understand!"
Ye Qi was taken aback and asked, "Know what?"
An Xin turned and ran back, hurrying along the way. She paused slightly as she rushed into the An residence—the courtyard was full of people!
An Youwei, Xu Ruolan, and Luzhu all knelt on the ground, but the boy standing in front of them made An Xin suddenly narrow her eyes.
"How dare you! You've come to see the Emperor, why aren't you kneeling down?" A shrill voice, neither male nor female, rang out. An Xin lowered her eyes and looked at the young man.
Indeed, he is that little emperor!
The young man, dressed in a yellow robe and wearing a golden crown, already possessed a certain majesty, yet still appeared somewhat immature. He gazed at An Xin with great interest, trying to detect any surprise in her eyes.
He was originally traveling incognito as a young nobleman, but now he appears before her as the emperor. Anyone would be surprised, right?
An Xin looked at him calmly and said frankly that she really didn't want to kneel down. This kind of feudal custom was acceptable to an ancient person, but for someone who had transmigrated from a previous life, kneeling down like this would be a huge mental hurdle. Besides, this boy was about the same age as her, so what kind of thing would it be for her to kneel down to him?
"Xin'er, why aren't you paying your respects to the Emperor?" An Youwei said in a low voice.
Xu Ruolan also glanced anxiously at An Xin.
An Xin pursed her lips. Oh well, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. If she sees this little emperor often in the future, she can't possibly never kneel down! Let alone the emperor, even the royal family would probably have to kneel down when they see him.
An Xin has always been one to act immediately once she makes a decision, but at this moment, she is at ease.
Before he could even bend his knees, he heard a lazy voice behind him say, "What brings Your Majesty to the An residence today? I've been looking for you for ages."
At this moment, An Xin really felt like she had met a savior. Looking back, Yan Zhen walked slowly towards her, gently waving her embroidered folding fan. Her face was like a datura flower in bloom, and her eyes were shimmering as she looked at her.
An Xin raised an eyebrow and gave him a thumbs-up, seemingly casually, meaning: Perfect timing!
Yan Zhen chuckled softly, then shifted her gaze to Huang Yixuan.
Huang Yixuan smiled and said, "I heard that your osmanthus wine is quite special, so I came to try it." Huang Yixuan's gaze fell on An Xin, and he frowned slightly. He had not gotten the result he wanted earlier.
"Osmanthus wine..." Yan Zhen said with an air of familiarity, "It's fragrant and has an endless aftertaste; it's truly delicious. Lord An has already sent some to the Right Prime Minister's residence, but I wonder if there's any left in stock at home?"
An Youwei broke out in a cold sweat. Because the osmanthus wine was very much to the Right Prime Minister's liking, he had specially brewed a lot. However, the aging time was too short, and he was afraid that the taste would not be as good as the one the Right Prime Minister had tasted for the first time.
Thinking this through, An Youwei said in a trembling voice, "Your Excellency, there is some, but it's still relatively new, so the taste might not be as good as it used to be..."
Yan Zhen smiled and said, "In that case, Your Majesty need not drink. The Right Prime Minister's residence has a century-old vintage in stock. How about Your Majesty sample it?"
Huang Yixuan made no attempt to hide his disappointment, saying, "But Wan insists on drinking that osmanthus wine. An Youwei, even if it's not aged enough, you should still get a jar to try."
An Youwei hurriedly replied, "Your subject obeys the decree." He had never imagined that the wine he had brewed to prepare for his daughter's marriage years ago would now be favored by the Right Chancellor and the Emperor. Truly, life is unpredictable...