Should I tell her about myself first?
Watching her eyes dart away, then return with a trace of anticipation, I slowly began to speak, but I didn't know where to start.
"I don't really know how to explain it. How about you ask, and I'll answer?"
"All right... First of all, where are you really from? I've always been curious."
"My hometown... How should I put it? It's very, very far away. So far that I can't go back."
"Can't go back? Is it one of those legendary forbidden lands?"
"No, it's even farther. So far that no one's ever been there. I came here because of... an accident."
"I don't really understand... Since you can't explain it clearly, I won't ask. Could you tell me what your life was like before? Did you have many friends? What about your family?"
What was my life like...
"To put it simply, my old life was very ordinary—ordinary enough to put your mind at ease. People in my hometown all lived according to a set pattern. There were rules for what you should do at each age, and how to get rich if that was what you wanted."
"That sounds kind of boring..."
"It was boring, but it was hassle-free. As long as you followed the pattern and didn't break the law, you could make it through life without a hitch."
"I see. What about your relationships with other people?"
My relationships with other people... Actually, I didn't want to talk much about that. But we were sharing our feelings, after all. If I didn't show her my true self, how could I expect her to bare her heart to me?
"My relationships with other people... They were even more boring.
"I was always a well-behaved kid. I never did anything out of line, and I listened to adults as long as they weren't being too unreasonable. Thanks to that, I was always a good child in my parents' eyes and a good student in my teachers'.
"No matter what I did, I liked to keep things at a certain 'level.' My grades were always 'pretty good, but not quite top of the class.' I was the same with people my age. I smiled at everyone and deliberately went along with them to a certain extent, no matter how annoying they were. Once we were done, I'd leave right away, without drawing too much attention to myself.
"Even with my playmates, I unconsciously kept my distance. We'd have fun while we were together, but I never felt much sadness when it was time to part. So I got along with everyone, and I even had a few acquaintances I could just barely call 'friends,' but I never had a single close friend in the truest sense."
"I see... I'm not sure how to respond to that."
"It might sound a little strange, but most people where I come from are like that."
"You just said you never felt much sadness when parting, but you seem to miss home a lot."
"That's true... I used to measure how close to get to people by whether we got along when we were together and didn't feel sad when we parted.
"But I was too naive. Whether it's parents or classmates, you'll never know how important those seemingly insignificant things really are until you've truly lost them. So now... I regret it a little. I never had a real close friend."
As I said that, I couldn't help feeling a wave of sadness.
Wait, I'd meant to comfort Si Nan Ying. How had I ended up making myself sad instead?
Si Nan Ying listened quietly without saying anything more. Only after my emotions had settled did she speak.
Si Nan Ying... Maybe this girl was actually good at understanding people.
"Well, since you've opened up to me, it'd be awkward if I didn't say anything in return. Let me ask you this first, Xiao Ye: how much do you know about the Si Nan Family?"
"Hmm... The Si Nan Family used to be the royal family before the unification. They still wield enormous power, and most of the emperors come from the Si Nan Family. In other words, the Si Nan Family and the Cleon Family are the ones who truly rule the Tianyuan Kingdom."
"Not bad. The so-called emperor and Prime Minister are ultimately just puppets of the Lineages. The heads of the two great Lineages are the ones who truly hold power. Especially now, with the Cleon Family firmly suppressed. Whoever becomes Patriarch of the Si Nan Family will have the whole kingdom in their grasp!"
As she said this, every trace of youthful innocence vanished from Si Nan Ying's face. Her expression turned utterly serious.
"When the old Patriarch gets too old and frail to manage things, it's time for a new one to take over. At that point, those eligible to succeed split into factions, tearing off their masks and using every means at their disposal to bring down their rivals and claim the position. They show no mercy, even when their opponents are family!"
"But," I asked, "don't great Lineages need to stick together? If they fight like that, won't their enemies take advantage of the chaos?"
"In the past, the competition wasn't so brutal, because the Si Nan Family still had enemies like the Cleon Family to worry about. They had to consider outside threats while fighting for power. But now that all their enemies have been completely suppressed, they can fight without a care."
"That's brutal... Are you telling me this because it's time for a new Patriarch to take over?"
"That's right..." Si Nan Ying's expression darkened in an instant. "The current Patriarch—my father—is getting weaker by the day. He's taken all kinds of Spiritual Medicine and had countless healers with special abilities treat him, but nothing has helped. He probably won't last more than a few years, so the succession ceremony is happening much earlier than it used to. I'm the youngest of the siblings. I have four older brothers and an older sister. I have no talent for detection abilities, and my sister has made it clear that she won't take part in the struggle, so in practice it's my four brothers who are competing..."
"...Which of your four brothers has the upper hand?"
"I'm not sure, but probably my second brother. Grandpa Hong said that nearly half the elders support him."
"What about your sister?"
"She's very strong and a top student at Central United Academy. The Si Nan Family has some influence there, and my sister happens to serve as the family's representative. She's very useful to them, so there's no need to worry."
"And what about you?"
"..."
Seeing her fall silent, I could more or less guess what was going on. The Si Nan brothers were fighting over power and would recognize no family ties if it meant winning. Si Nan Ying, the youngest, had little influence and couldn't even control her own abilities. No matter how things turned out, she could only be pushed around by others...
"Just to be safe, have people ever died in past succession struggles?"
"Almost every time. Grandpa Hong secretly told me that Father personally killed his younger brother and sister during his own struggle for power. In his first year as Patriarch, he even killed every relative who'd tried to challenge him for control..."
I couldn't help sucking in a sharp breath. Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han had hardly gone that far. Killing off every relative who challenged him... Si Nan Ying might well meet the same fate. Even if she survived, the only future waiting for her would probably be some rotten arranged marriage. She'd have no freedom left.
Thinking back to our first meeting in that gloomy little building, she'd been so kind and eager to help, so unbelievably adorable. It was impossible to believe she'd been carrying all this on her shoulders the whole time...
Compared to her, what did my little troubles amount to?
As I looked at her, a strange feeling welled up inside me. I couldn't describe it, but it stabbed at my heart like an awl, again and again, until even my thoughts grew muddled. I closed my eyes, gently touched my chest, and tried to sort through the thoughts in my head.
Now, I had two choices.
One: part ways with the Si Nan Family and search for clues about the "World Crossing Gate" on my own. It would undoubtedly slow me down, but I wouldn't have to worry about getting caught up in a terrifying succession struggle.
Two: stay by Si Nan Ying's side and return to the Imperial Capital with her. I suspected the Si Nan Family might have a close connection to one of the materials needed for the World Crossing Gate, the "Gleaming Gold South-Pointing Compass." Staying with the Si Nan Family would undoubtedly speed up my investigation, but I might end up getting dragged into trouble.
Which should I choose?
I closed my eyes and pondered. Reason told me to choose the first option, while my feelings urged me toward the second. Which way should I go?
Before you continue