It must be said that when this man smiled, he actually looked quite handsome.

It’s just that he was built rather large and rough!

And slightly tanned.

After all, living on the grasslands year-round, not being completely dark was already quite good.

Bai Yin smiled and said, “Guard Lang, I’m different from your prince. He has Yunshu to warm that cold heart of his, but I don’t have anyone. I’m all alone!”

“…”

Lang Bo couldn’t help but feel some sympathy for him.

His own prince had Miss Ji, and he had Qin Xi!

Only Bai Yin was this pitiful lonely creature.

All by himself.

Just as he was about to speak some words of comfort—

Bai Yin spoke again: “Alright, go rest now. I still want to sit here alone for a while. But you need to leave the wine, and besides, you’re injured, so you shouldn’t be drinking anyway.” As Bai Yin spoke, he grabbed the wine back again.

He poured it fiercely into his mouth!

Afraid it would be snatched back.

Seeing his frowning, troubled expression, Lang Bo didn’t want to disturb him further.

“Fine, you drink by yourself. When my hand heals, I’ll drink with you for three days and nights straight.”

With that, he was just about to lift his behind and leave when he heard his prince’s voice.

His eyes lit up.

“They’re back.”

That expression was exactly like a loyal dog watching the house alone seeing its master return home, showing excitement and elation.

Jingrong and Ji Yunshu walked in holding an umbrella.

Just as they arrived, they saw the two of them.

One standing!

One sitting!

One beaming with joy!

One drinking in distress!

Completely two different states of life.

When Ji Yunshu saw Bai Yin like this, she couldn’t help but feel worried.

Wondering what had happened?

Lang Bo quickly walked over and asked, “Your Highness, Miss Ji, why were you gone so long?”

Jingrong didn’t respond to his question, but instead glanced at Ji Yunshu.

The two nodded at each other!

Each already understanding clearly.

Then Jingrong said to Lang Bo: “We’ll talk more in our room.”

And pulled Lang Bo away!

Ji Yunshu walked to Bai Yin’s side, then quietly sat down on the stone steps beside him.

“Brother.” She called out to him.

Bai Yin had just finished a sip of wine. He looked at her sideways, “Mm?”

“You have something on your mind?”

“No.”

She didn’t believe him!

Just as she was about to ask further…

Bai Yin took the lead and asked her: “How’s the case investigation going?”

“We’ve found some leads.”

“That’s good! It’s so late already, you should go rest first.”

But Ji Yunshu said: “It seems we siblings have never sat and talked like this before.”

Only then did Bai Yin realize this. He smiled, shaking the wine bottle in his hand, took a breath, and said helplessly: “I originally thought that after coming to Huyi, everything would proceed smoothly, but I never expected so many twists and turns along the way. Until now we still haven’t found that person.”

A sigh!

“We’ll definitely find them. Once this case is solved, Young Master Cheng will find a way to take us to the Ministry of Revenue.”

“I hope so.”

Ji Yunshu could tell he still had something else on his mind. She said, “Brother, whatever it is, you need to tell me.”

“I’m fine!”

“You can deceive others, but you can’t deceive me. Tell me, what’s wrong?”

Bai Yin met her gaze, but hesitated…

Not knowing how to say it.

Ji Yunshu didn’t press him urgently, waiting quietly.

After a long while, Bai Yin let out a heavy sigh, looking up at the night sky invaded by white snow, and said: “I don’t know why, but recently my mind keeps flashing with all sorts of strange things.”

“Things?”

“When I close my eyes, I feel those images are very clear, but once I wake up, they become very blurry again. I can no longer distinguish whether they’re dreams, or the memories I lost before.”

In fact, since arriving in Huyi, he had been dreaming of many images every night.

Those images were like photographs, flashing through his mind one by one.

But once he was awake, those images would disappear without a trace.

Vague and indistinct!

He couldn’t even remember a general outline!

Ji Yunshu gripped his arm and said, “This is a good thing! At least it proves that you’re slowly starting to remember things from before.”

“Perhaps, but…”

“But what?”

Bai Yin furrowed his brow: “I originally didn’t plan to tell you, because I was afraid you’d worry, so I also had Jingrong keep it from you.”

Ji Yunshu asked worriedly: “What is it exactly?”

“It’s about that person who’s been following us. I feel… I seem to have seen him before, and the sword in his hand, I also have an impression of it! But I just can’t remember much more.”

Eh!

Ji Yunshu was somewhat surprised.

She never thought that person would be in Bai Yin’s memory.

That meant—

“If those images appearing in your mind are the memories you lost before, then, before you came to Dalin, perhaps… you really did have some connection to that person and that sword! In other words, you knew each other before!”

Knew each other before?

That would have been over twenty years ago.

Bai Yin shook his head slightly.

“I don’t know!”

He himself wasn’t clear either.

And this was what worried him most!

He worried that he really had some entanglement with that person called Lian Que.

Ji Yunshu clearly understood his concerns, then held his arm and said: “Brother, regardless of anything, if you can remember things from before, that’s still a good thing! As for other matters, don’t overthink them. What’s meant to come will come.”

Bai Yin nodded, then suddenly asked: “But Yunshu, have you thought about what will happen after we learn about our origins?”

What will happen?

This…

Ji Yunshu shook her head.

Bai Yin asked: “Haven’t thought about it?”

“It’s not that I haven’t thought about it.” Her expression darkened slightly. She exhaled, her gaze looking into the distance, “I just don’t know how to think about it.”

After all, no one could predict what would happen in the future!

In this regard, it would be an enormous mystery.

At this moment, the snowflakes grew larger and larger!

The cold wind was piercing!

The two sat like this on the stone steps.

And talked about many other things!

…

The next day.

Li Cheng invited Jingrong and Ji Yunshu out early for tea.

That’s right, for tea!

Of course, Bai Yin and Lang Bo went along as well.

Originally, they had wanted to invite Song Zhi too.

But with the imperial examinations drawing nearer, he was busy preparing and simply had no time.

The group arrived at a teahouse.

They ordered several pots of hot tea and some small dishes.

Bai Yin and Lang Bo sat at another table.

Ji Yunshu and the other two sat at the adjacent table.

“Yesterday I wanted to treat you to a meal, but after finishing the case investigation yesterday it was already very late, so it could only be today.”

Li Cheng poured two cups of tea.

He pushed one to Jingrong.

And pushed one to Ji Yunshu. Jingrong picked up the teacup and smelled it—indeed it was good tea, but compared to the tea leaves from Dalin’s Jinjiang, it still lacked something.