Zhen Jiu’er’s heart clenched tight in an instant.

Losing her composure a little, she strode quickly up to Lu Beicheng and asked urgently, “How do you know that?”

Lu Beicheng looked at her, and she looked back into his eyes, black as the stars of a deep night sky.

Only then did she realize that even with Lu Beicheng seated in his wheelchair and her standing, the two of them were somehow still at eye level.

This man’s height, by her estimate, was close to one meter ninety!

Standing before him, Jiu’er felt hopelessly small.

“Ninth Master, how do you know that Bei Mu City is the imperial capital of the Bei Mu Kingdom? Who told you?”

She was quite anxious, her emotions plain on her face, impossible to hide.

But Lu Beicheng remained just as cool and detached as ever.

There was no warmth at all in his gaze either. “Hm? An elderly person told me.”

Jiu’er couldn’t help feeling he was mocking her.

But since she herself had concealed the truth first, she had no grounds to demand honesty from someone else.

“Then, Ninth Master, could you possibly—”

“It’s very late.” Lu Beicheng flicked his fingertips. “Miss Zhen, if you’re not planning to climb into my bed, then please go back and rest.”

They had to set out early tomorrow morning — the butler should have already made that clear to her.

Climbing into his bed… Zhen Jiu’er’s face flushed faintly, and she instinctively stepped back twice, shaking her head.

Climbing into someone’s bed wasn’t something she was particularly interested in.

Unless he were Ninth Imperial Uncle… though even then, it wouldn’t be right to do something so reckless and improper as climb into his bed.

Ninth Imperial Uncle would tease her mercilessly for it.

Ninth Imperial Uncle — she really did miss him so much.

A trace of dejection showed in Jiu’er’s eyes, even her voice taking on a lower, quieter note: “All right, I won’t press further. But could you at least give me a definite answer — is Bei Mu City truly, without doubt, the imperial capital of the Bei Mu Kingdom?”

“A history spanning a thousand years — I can’t give you that answer.”

Lu Beicheng turned away and continued pouring himself wine.

There was an inscrutable depth to his words: “Perhaps I too am still searching for the answer.”

Zhen Jiu’er kept feeling that something about him was strange.

It wasn’t that he himself was strange — it was that sometimes, he really did resemble Ninth Imperial Uncle.

But if he really were Ninth Imperial Uncle, there was no way he wouldn’t remember her.

Her nervous, uneasy hands slowly clenched tighter. She parted her lips, looking at his handsome, striking profile, wanting to say something yet holding back.

After a long moment, she finally couldn’t help herself and called out tentatively: “…Ninth Imperial Uncle.”

He showed no reaction at all.

But he had clearly heard her.

So he really wasn’t Ninth Imperial Uncle after all.

Zhen Jiu’er let out a long breath, thoroughly disappointed: “Then I’ll go back and rest now.”

Since they were setting out for Bei Mu City tomorrow anyway, she would just have to go find the answer herself.

Perhaps she could find some trace of Ninth Imperial Uncle there…

…

That night, with matters weighing on her heart, Zhen Jiu’er tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

When she woke the next day, the dark circles under her eyes were unmistakable.

Anyone who didn’t know better might have thought she’d been up to something sneaky the night before.

“Miss Jiu’er, Ninth Master is waiting for you in the dining room.”

A maid came to help her pack. “Miss Jiu’er, I’ve prepared your clothes and daily necessities. Let me know anytime if you need anything else.”

Jiu’er glanced over the items casually.

Skincare products, sunscreen — all of it prepared already.

So this really was, truly and completely, the twenty-first century.

But this twenty-first century wasn’t quite the one she knew.

She couldn’t find any of the people she used to know, none of the team she’d once trained with.

This wasn’t the world she recognized.

A parallel timeline, running alongside the twenty-first century she knew…

Her head ached.

Jiu’er tapped at her temple. “No, that’s enough.”

Following the butler into the dining room, the moment that familiar figure came into view, in an instant, she was lost all over again…