"..."
Annie took the letter, still cool with the night's dew, and twirled it between her fingers. She glanced toward the old maid as she walked away, pursed her lips, then looked down at the neat handwriting on the envelope.
She had indeed planned to hand it straight to that dummy, Lin Daiyu, but for some reason, she changed her mind. A crafty, inquisitive glint flashed in her emerald eyes.
"I've got nothing better to do, anyway..."
() Heh heh.
She muttered softly and looked around. Seeing that no one was paying attention—and that the little maid had already turned back and dozed off again—she raised two fingers and gently brushed them across the seal on the envelope.
The next second, the seemingly simple seal melted away without a sound, like snow beneath the scorching sun, without causing the slightest ripple of spiritual energy.
"..."
(c)
Then she brazenly pulled out the two sheets of paper inside and read them at a glance in the moonlight filtering beneath the veranda, accompanied by the gentle glow of the stone lantern outside the courtyard.
The handwriting matched the envelope's. The letter was written on standard immortal official stationery, the ink steady and the wording serious, yet touched with a teacher's characteristic concern and a hint of barely perceptible curiosity:
Dear Niece Daiyu,
It has been several months since we parted at the Rongguo Immortal Estate.
I still remember how, during our lessons, you displayed such intelligence and quick comprehension, memorizing everything after a single reading and writing with a lively grace. Your words were often astonishing. You were truly an uncut gem, your brilliance already shining through even before you had been polished.
Now that you have safely arrived in the Divine Capital, enjoying the care of your grandmother and the