24

After Ji Yan left the shed, Lin Kai kept working. Though his mind buzzed with excitement about the newly gained skill and the knowledge about beasts, he knew he couldn't slack off—his task still needed to be finished.

It took him an entire day to clean everything. Halfway through, he was ready to give up. Not all the sheds were filled with fur and waste; some, especially the last one, were packed with a sticky, slimy mixture that nearly made him gag several times. It was sheer willpower that got him through the ordeal.

"Ugh, no wonder that bastard ran away," Lin Kai muttered with a grimace, thinking about how Ji Yan had disappeared midway through the task. Now it all made sense. It seemed Ji Yan had a real bone to pick with him—this wasn't just a coincidence. The brat must have planned this little trick all along.

As Lin Kai made his way back toward his room, his thoughts simmered with frustration. Should he teach that kid a lesson? Maybe he could drag Ji Yan back here and throw him into that disgusting pile, pretending it was an accident. The idea sounded better the more he thought about it. He couldn't just let himself be bullied like this; payback was due.

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Lin Kai barely paid attention to where he was walking. It wasn't until the sweet fragrance of wildflowers hit his nose that he snapped out of his daze.

"Hmm? What's that smell?" The scent was overpowering, like thousands of flowers blooming all at once, their essence gathered right beneath his nose.

Lifting his head, Lin Kai blinked in surprise. Before him lay an exquisite flower garden with neatly crafted wooden paths and soft lamps lighting up the night. The beauty of it all left him feeling as though he had stepped into a painting—flower beds swayed gently in the breeze, filling the air with their fragrance, while the stars above twinkled in the dark sky.

But then, something else caught his attention. A figure, sitting alone amidst the serene garden.

'Wait... Is that a woman?'

Narrowing his eyes, Lin Kai looked closer. The figure sat motionless, head down, her face partially hidden by a curtain of hair. For a moment, his heart raced with fear. He had heard plenty of eerie stories in his previous life—people walking alone at night only to stumble across a woman with hair covering her face, twisted legs, and a cold, ghostly presence.

Gulping nervously, Lin Kai's first instinct was to run. But just as he was about to turn, he froze, recognizing something familiar.

"Wait... isn't that the woman I met earlier today?" Squinting through the dim light, Lin Kai took a hesitant step forward. Sure enough, the figure became clearer. The woman sat absentmindedly, and even from a distance, the red handprint on her cheek stood out under the lamp's glow.

"She hasn't noticed me?" Lin Kai frowned. He stood in a dark area where the light barely reached, so it wasn't surprising that she hadn't seen him yet.

He hesitated. On the one hand, he didn't want to startle her. She was clearly someone important in the Ji family, and he had no interest in leaving a bad impression. On the other hand, he had no idea where he was and needed someone to point him in the right direction.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Kai cleared his throat and started humming a tune, hoping to catch her attention without alarming her.

Sure enough, the soft hum seemed to pull her out of her daze. She slowly lifted her head, her eyes meeting his as she recognized him.

"Lin Kai?"

"That would be me," Lin Kai replied with an awkward smile, trying his best to look harmless.

"What are you doing here so late?" she asked, frowning as she glanced around, as though only now realizing the time. "Shouldn't you have finished your work by now?"

Lin Kai bit back the curses he wanted to scream, but instead, he smiled politely. "I was cleaning the shed. I had to do everything myself, you know."

"I see." Ji Yulan gave a small nod and then drifted back into her own thoughts, her gaze fixed blankly on the ground in front of her.

"..." Lin Kai was speechless. Shouldn't she ask why he was working alone? And why did she seem so... uninterested? Something was clearly off, especially with the red mark on her cheek.

Seeing she was in no mood for further conversation, Lin Kai sighed and gave up on trying to talk about Ji Yan. He still needed directions, though.

"Do you need something else?" Ji Yulan asked after a long silence, looking at him with tired eyes. Her tone made it clear she wanted to be left alone.

Lin Kai scratched his nose awkwardly. "Uh... Can you tell me where the servants' houses are?"

"He... Heh... Hehe..." Unexpectedly, Ji Yulan let out a soft, bitter laugh. Her laughter seemed to be filled with despair and helplessness.

"Heh... looks like we're both lost, aren't we?" she said, her voice filled with sorrow. Her frail voice was so pitiful that even the coldest person would feel a tug of sympathy and Lin Kai was no exception. Hearing her words, he let out a deep sigh, his face heavy with emotion. She wasn't wrong. He didn't have any idea what was happening to her, and truthfully, he had no intention of finding out. But in that moment, he realized they shared something—just like her, he was lost in this strange, unfamiliar world.

"Come, sit beside me," she said, patting the spot next to her on the bench. Lin Kai hesitated but eventually sat down.

For a while, they sat in silence, with Ji Yulan deep in thought and Lin Kai unsure of how to start a conversation.

Finally, Ji Yulan broke the quiet. "Tell me... if you were stuck in a situation where you wanted to leave but couldn't... what would you do?"

"Huh?" Lin Kai was caught off guard by the sudden question. He thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I'd either find a way to take control or just give up and hope for a miracle."

"A miracle, huh?" Ji Yulan sneered softly. "Everyone hopes for a miracle, but miracles never come. It's just false hope... empty words from the weak to comfort themselves. The real miracle is accepting your misery and understanding that nothing can truly be changed.."

Her words surprised Lin Kai. This graceful woman was clearly carrying a heavy burden.

"Sigh..." Lin Kai took a deep breath, it looked like it was going to be a long night ahead and his plans of going back to his room and testing his new skill were about to be put on hold.

He shook his head firmly. "No."

Ji Yulan looked up, startled by the conviction in his voice.

"I believe in miracles," Lin Kai said, perhaps for the first time, speaking his true feelings.

"You see, I had a friend. From childhood, he was quite intelligent. He came up with various schemes—schemes that would make tons of money."

As Lin Kai spoke, his eyes seemed to drift away, lost in the memory.

"He thought that by doing this, he would be loved, that blessings would come pouring in. But the world didn't see it that way. The people he trusted most, his own family, betrayed him. In the name of love, they locked him in a small, dark room, forcing him to come up with new ideas while they enjoyed the sweet fruits of his labor. And so the boy grew…"

Silence filled the air as Lin Kai paused to catch his breath. Ji Yulan, who had seemed uninterested earlier, now appeared lost in the story. Her distant expression softened, as though she were imagining herself in that dark, lonely place.

"He didn't get to go outside or have fun. No friends, no freedom. The books were his entire world, and he believed that this was his life, forever. But then..." Lin Kai looked up at the boundless starry sky. "A miracle happened."

"What happened then?" Ji Yulan's voice was soft, her eyes wide with curiosity.

Lin Kai gave her a knowing, gentle smile. Taking a deep breath, he continued, "One day, when he woke up, he found that everyone around him had vanished. His parents, his relatives—everyone who had taken advantage of him—gone. Disappeared without a trace."

"For the first time, he was truly free. For the first time, he felt like he could live for himself, instead of for others."

Lin Kai finished his story with a soft smile, his voice almost a whisper. "So, I'd say that was a pretty big miracle."

Ji Yulan stared at him in silence, her gaze lingering. Under the soft glow of the lamp, she looked delicate, almost fragile. Her bright, innocent eyes coupled with the red handprint on her cheek evoked a deep sense of pity.

She studied the boy in front of her, who was more than a decade younger, as a small smile slowly formed on her lips. Gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she asked, "Where is your friend now?"

"He's dead," Lin Kai replied flatly, his voice devoid of emotion, as if it was something insignificant.

"How?" Ji Yulan's eyes never left his face. She seemed completely absorbed by his words like his face was the most interesting thing in the world at that moment.

"He lost his purpose," Lin Kai said with a forced chuckle. "Like a moth that spends its life in the dark, yearning for the flame. But it forgets that its very existence stems from that darkness. In chasing the flame, it leaves behind what kept it alive and loses the meaning of its existence. In the end, it turns to ash."

"Is that what your friend believes?" Ji Yulan's voice was soft, almost a whisper, but there was a sharpness to it, like she understood more than she let on.

"Is that what he thinks?" Ji Yulan's voice was soft, almost a whisper.

"Yes," Lin Kai answered without hesitation.

The two sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. After a moment, Lin Kai stood up. "I should take my leave. Can you point me in the right direction?"

After their conversation, he had no intention of staying any longer. He just wanted to return to his room.

"There," Ji Yulan said, pointing in the direction and giving him a few instructions.

"Thank you," Lin Kai said with a bow, ready to leave. But before he could take a step, Ji Yulan's voice stopped him.

"I know Ji Yan has been troubling you these past few days. You don't have to worry about him anymore."

Lin Kai's heart leaped in relief. That bastard had been bothering him for days, and now, with Ji Yulan's assurance, he finally didn't have to worry about it anymore.

Just as he was about to leave, Ji Yulan stood up, gently patting her white robe. Her complexion looked much better now. "Before you go… if your 'friend' were still alive, do you think he would have found his purpose in life?"

Lin Kai froze, his breath catching. His usual calm expression faltered, replaced by a distant look. After a long pause, he shook his head with a bitter smile.

"I think... he would still be searching for it."

"I see..." Ji Yulan's voice was soft as she gazed at him. Her eyes followed his figure as he walked away, disappearing into the distance.