"It's so cold!"
Opening the door and being greeted by a cold gust of wind, Sun Liu couldn't help but shiver, feeling somewhat resentful of the Six Bureaus' night patrol system.
But when he saw the room still lit by candlelight in the distance, his eyes suddenly filled with reverence.
"Is Constable Bai still there?"
"Yes!"
"I heard Constable Bai is also going to challenge the Human Gate. Could it be tonight?" Sun Liu rubbed his hands, exhaling white breath as he asked his patrol companion, "I heard Constable Bai has only been at this rank for two months. Can she challenge the Human Gate so quickly?"
"She's extremely diligent!"
His companion rebuked him: "She comes to practice martial arts at the fifth watch. Which of the brothers on night patrol at that time doesn't know Constable Bai?"
"Is she almost catching up to Madam Shen from back then?" Sun Liu asked.
"Madam Shen is on another level, but Constable Bai is also beyond what we can imagine..."
"Impressive..."
"Shh, keep it down!"
The two carried their lanterns, whispering as they walked past the buildings.
Inside the room, Bai Yuyu gradually withdrew her gaze from the fleeting light on the window paper.
She had naturally heard the two people's praise outside.
But she felt no joy in her heart.
Throughout her practice of martial arts, Bai Yuyu had heard countless praises, with many far more exaggerated than what these two had said. She had long been immune to such flattery.
Only when people outside compared her to Shen Yao did the young girl's eyes show a flicker of emotion.
'I'm still quite far from Sister. How did she manage to do it?'
'Entering the eighth rank in one month—that wouldn't be possible even without sleep!'
Bai Yuyu sighed.
She compared herself to Shen Yao not out of any secret resentment, but simply because the young girl habitually compared herself to the most outstanding person among her peers.
They were friends; she wouldn't be jealous.
But she still had the desire not to fall behind others.
Although Bai Yuyu was the daughter of the Bai family, with an open-minded personality and lively demeanor, she was still a warrior after all.
And warriors have a famous saying.
The ultimate in martial arts is competition!
This was also the fundamental principle of Great Xia's martial governance.
"And then there's the Human Gate..." For some reason, Bai Yuyu suddenly let her thoughts wander. "Could there be someone in the Human Gate who levels up even faster than me? Maybe even faster than Sister."
—No, no, no, that's unlikely.
The little girl shook her head like a rattle drum:
"How could there be so many geniuses in Heyang City. You're already a formidable warrior! Don't underestimate yourself, Bai Yuyu!"
She clenched her fists, puffing up her cheeks to encourage herself.
Dong!
Dong!
Dong!
Outside the window, the bronze gong of the third watch echoed through the long street.
○
When the gong sounded.
On the other side, in the imperial palace.
The Ninth Princess, Jiang He, was also feeling very nervous about the upcoming Human Gate test.
Everyone had different ways of dealing with pressure. Shen Yao would practice martial arts, Bai Yuyu would bounce around, Mu Qinglan would stare at empty space with dead-fish eyes, as if her eyes were about to release rays to eliminate all annoying things.
As for Jiang He, she would crouch in a corner—
Becoming withdrawn.
She was originally someone who feared interacting with people. Now that she had to compete on the same stage with strangers in the Human Gate, even forming alliances and cooperating, it was indeed quite difficult for her.
But being withdrawn was one thing; avoiding the challenge was another.
She was a princess after all.
She was crouching in the corner only as a way to relieve pressure after checking everything she needed to do.
After watching her for quite a while, Ning Shuyu finally said in a helpless tone:
"I mean, it's just the Human Gate. There's no need to be so nervous. You have extraordinary talent and are apprenticed to me, a second-rank master. With such strong abilities, it's the others who should be nervous."
The girl in the corner didn't respond, only her shoulders slightly rising and falling.
"Just think of it as practice for making friends," Ning Shuyu persuaded gently.
"And perhaps you can make new friends in the Human Gate. After all, in there, the ritual will make you unable to recognize each other's appearances. As long as you don't say it, no one will know your identity as a princess. And after coming out, you won't remember each other's appearances either."
What Ning Shuyu said was actually nonsense.
Anyone with a bit of experience could tell she was making it up.
But it didn't matter. Her intention was simply to prevent the child from being too nervous. As for making new friends in the Human Gate test? In all her years and with all her experience, Ning Shuyu had never seen such a thing.
Everyone was a stranger, and there might even be conflicts of interest. How could they make friends?
Through spiritual connection?
"..."
But although the pep talk was fake, after crouching in the corner for a while, Jiang He did obediently come back and sit properly opposite her.
Ning Shuyu was completely taken aback.
But seeing Jiang He's slightly expectant eyes, she steeled herself and continued to fabricate along the lines of what she had just said:
"You see, in the test, no one can remember each other's faces. Even if you let yourself go, no one will know. So it's at this time that you can see through others' true nature, isn't it?
You certainly wouldn't want to make friends with bad people. Those who are genuinely kind to you in the test would definitely be genuinely kind to you in reality. Don't you think that makes sense?"
Jiang He carefully digested what Ning Shuyu had said.
Her confused eyes gradually widened.
"That makes sense..."
She believed it.
Ning Shuyu's original intention was just to boost her morale. Seeing that she was almost completely taken in by her nonsense, she quickly added some clarification:
"But don't trust others too easily either. Remember, until the very end, no one knows the true face behind another's mask."
After thinking for a moment, Jiang He nodded obediently: "I understand."
What do you understand!
Ning Shuyu was trembling inwardly.
Honestly, she had been about to confess to the girl sitting opposite that she was just deceiving her, that there was no such thing as making friends from the test, and that she shouldn't be fooled by her.
But seeing the slight hope in Jiang He's eyes, she swallowed the truth that had almost reached her lips.
—This child had been lonely for too long...
Well, let's not shatter her fantasy.
After all, such a thing couldn't possibly happen.
Yes, absolutely impossible.
Ning Shuyu felt somewhat relieved, shook her head, and sighed a breath that dispersed in the cold, clear moonlight.
○
The cold moonlight spilled onto smooth, fair legs.
In the room, Mu Qinglan slowly opened her eyes.
Outside the window, the bright moon hung high; the night was deep. The third watch had arrived.
It was also time for the ritual to begin.
"Ah Qi."
Mu Qinglan called softly, taking out a handkerchief to carefully wipe the dust from her slender fingers.
The black cat leaped from the shadows and crouched on the girl's lap.
Looking at the ritual array at her feet, the white-haired girl smiled somewhat provokingly:
"Let's go.
Time to blow up some fish."