Deep within the tomb residence, inside the halls.
Staring at her fair, delicate fingers, Xun'er was dazed, as though she had yet to fully awaken from her unconsciousness.
"Was I... saved?"
She murmured softly, as if speaking to herself.
There was no doubt that her memories of that time had felt so real.
To save her clan from peril, to reclaim justice for her mother, she had chosen the most dangerous and loneliest path—to strike a bargain with a demon.
The scene of snatching the wine and drinking it flashed through her mind. Xun'er felt a faint ache in her throat and lungs, and a lingering fear rose within her.
"Sure enough, unless you force yourself into a dead end, you'll never find the courage to break the cauldrons and sink the boats."
Xun'er sighed softly, rubbing her chilled hands. As though consoling herself, she murmured, "Father carries old wounds in his heart, and the Elder Council has seized this chance to wrest power away. Given my standing in the clan, this may be the only way."
At that thought, she immediately lost any desire to keep lying around. Forcing herself to perk up, she rolled over and sat up in bed, her little feet swinging as she felt around the floor from memory.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, the fuzzy sensation against her toes made Xun'er cry out softly in surprise.
She looked down and saw a pair of small, pale pink slippers lying neatly beneath the bed at some unknown time. Four gem-like beads glimmered atop them like two pairs of smiling eyes.
"Are these... toy bears?"
Xun'er blinked, staring fixedly at the pair of pink bears that seemed to be looking back at her. For some reason, she felt a trace of surprise.
"Senior Xiao Xuan actually keeps such novel