Shen Manyun was far away from them, amidst a bustling crowd, and for some reason, she found herself inexplicably busy.
The disguise Xinglan had given her was so perfect that everyone mistook her for a palace servant from Luodu.
She was being called here and there, and Shen Manyun, fearing exposure, played her part diligently, working hard.
While helping Xinglan tidy up the tent, Shen Manyun suddenly remembered that she had come to see the female protagonist from the book.
Yet, after all this busywork, she had only caught a glimpse of her back.
But she didn’t know what to do, so she continued to play along until Xinglan tugged at her sleeve and said,
“Sister Manyun, think of an excuse to run. I’m… I’m exhausted.”
“An excuse?” Shen Manyun quickly gathered the dishes on the table. “I can’t think of one.”
“Then just run,” Xinglan grabbed her wrist and found an inconspicuous spot to slip away from the crowd.
“Hey, who’s going to clean up the stuff on the table?” Shen Manyun was still thinking about her duties.
“Sister Manyun, why are you so obedient?” Xinglan tilted his head, studying her.
“If you don’t do it, they’ll just call someone else over to take the fall.”
“Let’s go. If anyone tries to stop us later, I’ll knock them out,” Xinglan rubbed his wrist.
He was starting to act up, and Shen Manyun thought Xinglan’s emotions might spiral out of control again.
So, she led him toward the tent where the female protagonist was.
Being closer to the female protagonist might help Xinglan calm down, Shen Manyun thought.
Xinglan whistled leisurely behind her, his eyes glinting mischievously.
He realized that Shen Manyun was surprisingly rule-abiding, so he had to play along to get her to focus on the “real task.”
Shen Manyun had been tricked by Xinglan, and in her urgency, she performed exceptionally well, hiding skillfully along the way and successfully approaching the center of the camp.
“We’re almost at the Grand Ritualist’s tent. Are you feeling better now?” Hiding in the grass, Shen Manyun turned to look at Xinglan.
Xinglan nodded repeatedly. “I don’t feel as angry anymore. Take me a little closer.”
Shen Manyun led him through two more checkpoints, arriving at the heavily guarded central area.
The female protagonist’s tent was pure white and very conspicuous.
Xinglan finally saw his target, let out a cheer, and darted out from Shen Manyun’s side.
Shen Manyun reached out to stop him but found that he had transformed into a shadowy figure, blending seamlessly with the tree shade.
There was no way he’d be exposed.
The hand she had extended to call him back slowly dropped.
He didn’t really need her to take care of him.
He just wanted to see the female protagonist, and she was merely tagging along.
Everything and everyone had nothing to do with her.
Shen Manyun thought blankly, feeling momentarily lost, unsure of what to do.
She wanted to go back, but when she turned around and saw the heavily guarded sentries not far away, she grew anxious again.
She had already forgotten how she had managed to sneak past them in her earlier panic.
If she tried to go back now, she’d surely be caught.
Would she have to hide here until dawn?
The celebratory music of the night was melodious, and the lights were dazzling.
Figures moved in the brightness, while Shen Manyun hid in the shadows of the bushes, not daring to make a sound.
She decided to wait here for Xinglan to return, crouching under the tree until her legs went numb.
Shen Manyun didn’t feel lonely, but as she watched the dazzling lights, she couldn’t stop blinking, feeling increasingly drowsy.
Perhaps she shouldn’t have come here with Xinglan in the first place.
Had she been a burden to him?
If he hadn’t needed to sneak in with her, he might have already met the Grand Ritualist he’d been longing to see, right?
But at that moment, a clear voice from behind shattered her troubled thoughts.
“Ah, so this is where you’ve been slacking off instead of finding my lost hairpin!”
The voice rapidly approached from behind, sending a chill down Shen Manyun’s spine.
Had she been… discovered?
Shen Manyun didn’t know what punishment awaited her, an uninvited guest who had crashed the Grand Ceremony Master’s birthday banquet.
Would Yan Feiguang be implicated?
But if she didn’t say anything, perhaps no one would know she was from Wuwang City.
Would she be imprisoned?
Or executed?
If she died in this world, what would happen?
If this was a dream, would she wake up?
Shen Manyun’s mind was a mess.
She didn’t dare turn around or respond.
What if the person hadn’t actually seen her?
“Hey, I’m talking to you-” The owner of the voice suddenly slapped her shoulder.
Shen Manyun nearly jumped out of her skin and turned to look.
Under the moonlight, she saw a face of unparalleled beauty, though its youthful expression made it appear somewhat adorable.
“Why aren’t you responding why aren’t you addressing me as Princess? Has the Grand Ceremony Master stolen your soul? Where’s my hairpin? Did you even look for it? If it’s not found tonight, you’ll be held accountable!”
The.. girl…no, the princess-barraged her with a series of questions.
There was only one princess in Luodu, the future ruler of this nearly collapsed regime.
She was the last princess of the Luo Dynasty before its fall.
Her story had been described in the original book, and now Shen Manyun was actually seeing her in person.
She felt a bit dizzy.
Shen Manyun thought to herself, I’m not her subordinate.
I can’t just lie to her.
This princess was far too reckless, mistaking her for a maid without even confirming her identity.
“I’m not…” Shen Manyun patiently explained, “Your Highness, you didn’t ask me to find your hairpin.”
“You weren’t before, but you are now. Go on-” The princess gave Shen Manyun a push.
“Can’t you see what you’re wearing? How dare you ignore my orders?”
Shen Manyun found herself inexplicably assigned a task and, just as inexplicably, began to carry it out.
She listened as the princess reluctantly described her movements near the heroine’s tent.
“Alright, I walked around the tent, stopped at the back for a while, and then noticed the hairpin was missing when I returned.” Shen Manyun repeated the princess’s words, afraid she might forget.
“Don’t say it out loud ” The princess covered her mouth.
“What’s the big deal? Is there anywhere I can’t go?”
“If you walk around the tent, you’ll definitely find it.” The princess crossed her arms and looked down at Shen Manyun as she declared this.
She was much taller than Shen Manyun, her height almost matching that of a grown man.
Shen Manyun nodded under the long shadow cast by the princess’s figure.
“Alright, I’ll go look for it.” She patted her numb legs.
This was actually a good opportunity to look for Xinglan, though she wasn’t sure what she’d do if she found him.
Still, having a purpose was better than nothing.
At least she hadn’t been caught as an intruder yet.
That was already a stroke of luck.
Shen Manyun walked forward and, when questioned by the guards, remained calm.
“The princess sent me to find her hairpin,” Shen Manyun said softly.
“The princess’s hairpin still hasn’t been found?” the guard muttered.
“Go ahead.”
And so, Shen Manyun found herself outside the heroine’s tent, still somewhat bewildered.
Once she had a task to focus on, she carried it out with calm determination.
When Shen Manyun came to her senses, she realized she was already not far from the female lead.
Wait, is this even possible?
Shen Manyun looked around.
She didn’t see Xinglan here, but she noticed traces of Yan Feiguang.
Guarding the tent were Yan Feiguang’s trusted aides, whom Shen Manyun had seen coming and going from his city lord’s residence.
Xinglan had used an illusion spell on her, so no one could recognize her.
The guards exuded an intimidating aura, making it impossible for anyone to approach.
Following the route the princess had mentioned, Shen Manyun began searching near the tent.
The princess’s movements here were strange and suspicious.
Shen Manyun walked close to the wall, her demeanor somewhat furtive.
Finally, she spotted a glint of a hairpin in a corner behind the tent and hurried over to retrieve it, as it had accidentally gotten caught under the tent.
But she didn’t realize how close she was to the female lead.
The area behind the tent was her private space, and here, Shen Manyun could almost hear every sound from inside the tent.
Sure enough, as she strained on her tiptoes to retrieve the princess’s hairpin, she heard Yan Feiguang’s voice coming from inside the tent.