"Phew. So hot."
It must be summer.
Sweat poured down her face after walking only a short distance.
Normally, I wouldn't even notice this kind of heat thanks to my immunity to extreme temperatures.
Soye grumbled inwardly.
To make matters worse, her stubby little legs got her nowhere.
She wandered through the Tang Clan village, looking around.
Truth be told, Soye had been looking forward to this.
Sure, it's just where the branch families live, but isn't this still the legendary Sichuan Tang Clan?
After a brief stroll, she came to one conclusion.
"Did the Sichuan Tang Clan go broke after all?"
Even for a branch family village, isn't this place far too rundown?
Soye frowned.
Though tucked far away from the heart of the Central Plains, Sichuan was a wealthy region.
It sat relatively close to the western regions, and bordered Yunnan to the south.
The Silk Road, stretching westward, ran directly through the province.
On top of that, Sichuan's signature colored silk—Shu Brocade—was the ultimate luxury.
And the undisputed ruler of this affluent province was none other than the Sichuan Tang Clan.
Yet, the village was run-down, entirely unbefitting of their stature.
Moisture-cracked pillars.
Chipped roof tiles.
Sunken, uneven roads.
Though the place looked tidy on the surface, there was a distinct feeling that no real maintenance was being done.
Maybe they gave me that thin, watery porridge not out of concern, but because they were flat broke.
Thinking about it that way sent a shiver down her spine.
No… let's not jump to conclusions. They say a wealthy family's wealth lasts three generations even after they go bust.
She shook off the terrifying thought.
"Oh?"
Soye spotted someone slipping out of a fairly large pavilion.
From her attire, she looked like a maid.
But her behavior was suspicious.
Hunched shoulders.
Darting eyes scanning the surroundings.
The maid even skillfully tucked something into her waistband.
Soye's eyes sparkled.
To think I'd find a kindred spirit out here.
A thief always recognizes another thief.
Soye decided to pretend she saw nothing.
For starters, she was currently in a child's body.
People caught doing shady things hate witnesses.
It was wise to avoid risks she couldn't handle.
She started backing toward the nearest corner, only to immediately realize her mistake.
My legs are too short!
As if heaven were playing a cruel joke, the maid turned her head in Soye's direction.
The moment their eyes met, Soye flopped face-first onto the ground.
"Oww!"
She deliberately flailed her arms and legs, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Making it look like she had tripped mid-sprint.
"Who… Lady Soye?"
The maid strode over at the commotion and frowned.
"What are you doing out here?"
Soye wanted to ask, "Do you know me?" but that wasn't how a normal child would react.
"Sniff. Waaaah!"
She burst into tears.
"Waaaah! Hurts! Nanny, nanny!"
Flustered, the maid scooped her up.
Just then, another figure approached.
"What is going on here?"
Still sniffling, Soye peeked at the newcomer through wet lashes.
It was a middle-aged woman exuding an air of authority.
"Branch head."
The maid quickly pulled Soye closer and lowered her head.
"Hic. It hurts. Hurts."
The maid pressed Soye's head against her chest and answered carefully.
"T-the young lady said her room was too stuffy… so I brought her out for a bit."
Would you look at this? She's a pretty good liar.
Buried in her arms, Soye could feel the maid's heart pounding wildly.
She was clearly terrified at having crossed paths with the branch head.
"How can you be so careless while attending a sick young lady?"
Sure enough, Soye's knee was scraped and oozing blood.
Did I throw myself a little too hard?
"I will send some medicine, so return to her pavilion."
Clicking her tongue, the branch head turned away.
"Thank you, branch head."
Bowing again, the maid scurried away while clutching Soye tightly.
"Phew."
After walking for a while, the maid must have thought they were far enough away because she set Soye down.
"Ugh, seriously. What a mess."
The maid didn't even bother to glance at Soye's scraped knee.
Instead, she scowled down at her own clothes, now smeared with tears and dust.
Soye dramatically heaved her shoulders, faking her sobs.
"You never take a single step outside your pavilion, so what got into you? Ugh, whatever."
She shook her head in exasperation at the sniffling child.
"What am I even doing, arguing with a kid? Anyway, let's get you back."
Muttering about the branch head sending medicine, the maid grabbed Soye's wrist and yanked her along.
"Oww!"
That wasn't an act—it genuinely hurt her.
The maid scowled, snapping back.
"Your legs are perfectly fine, so why are you being such a crybaby?"
"Huuurts… Nanny."
"Nanny this, nanny that. You shouldn't have left your pavilion in the first place. Actually, how did you even get all the way out here?"
The maid grumbled, lost in thought.
"Nanny…"
When Soye cried out for her nanny again, the maid glared, threatening her.
"Your crying is giving me a headache. Stay quiet, young miss."
Seriously…?
Just then—
"You!"
Gong-hui was standing right in front of them.
"What kind of disrespect are you showing the young lady?!"
"N-nanny."
The maid went pale and bowed her head.
"Oh my goodness, my lady! Did you fall? I was wondering where you went."
The nanny fussed over her, scooping Soye into her arms.
"The branch head said she would send some medicine."
The maid spoke while keeping her head bowed.
"Got it."
Gong-hui spun around coldly.
Wrapping her arms around her nanny's neck, Soye stared intently at the maid, who was still bowing.
She's awfully polite now. Did she ignore me just because I was a kid?
Soye tilted her head.
In the end, she was brought back to the very room she had escaped from.
Her nanny applied the healing powder sent by the branch head, treating her knee very thoroughly.
With a bit of exaggeration, the bandages were nearly a finger's width thick.
"Just when did you slip out?"
Giving Soye's cheek a gentle, painless pinch, the nanny stood up.
"I'm going to go wash the clothes you wore today. You absolutely cannot go outside again!"
With those strict instructions, Gong-hui exited the room.
It seemed like security would be tight for a while.
Pulling off another stunt like today's was going to be nearly impossible.
But it wasn't completely fruitless.
Fumbling through the folds of her clothes, Soye pulled out what she was looking for and placed it in her palm.
It was a rather crude scent pouch.
She scratched her chin.
It's been a while since I've picked a pocket.
Rusty as she was, she'd still pulled it off.
Though my short arms made it a bit difficult.
If her nanny hadn't appeared right on time, she might have dropped it.
Whatever that maid stole was probably inside here.
She gave the pouch a light squeeze and felt something like a slender gourd.
"What's this?"
Opening the pouch, she found a miniature gourd.
It was only about the size of a child's finger.
Soye tilted her head.
Don't people usually steal money? Or jewelry?
Cash was the ultimate prize, and a smart thief always went for items that were easy to liquidate.
Of course, this being the Tang Clan, they were bound to have incredibly expensive poisons lying around.
After all, the Sichuan Tang Clan threw around poisons more expensive than gold as if it were water.
But poison, however valuable, was hard to offload.
It was also easy to get tangled up in a crime, and the chances of being tracked down were high.
Besides, this gourd is completely empty.
The lack of weight told her instantly.
She couldn't help but wonder why anyone would bother stealing a completely empty gourd.
Half of her curiosity stemmed from her boredom; the other half was a nagging sense of unease.
Why steal an empty gourd? People don't take risks without a clear motive.
To find out for sure, she'd have to open it.
However, that was dangerous.
Her body was still incredibly young, and she had only just recovered from the poison. If she ended up poisoned again, she might not make it back from the brink of death.
Granted, since I'm a direct descendant of the Tang Clan, I must have some natural resistance to poison. But even so…
Soye had no intention of gambling with her life.
She only had this one life—or rather, a second chance at one.
And she wasn't about to throw it away just to satisfy her curiosity.
Should I poke around for that maid? That girl must have realized by now that the gourd she risked so much to steal is missing.
The problem was figuring out how to cross paths with her again.
Soye only knew her face and hadn't even caught her name.
Still, the maid had recognized her, and that one-sided familiarity was something she could use.
Soye touched her chin.
Playing hide-and-seek in this massive village? Looks like I'll be pretty busy for a while.
That reunion came sooner than expected—and so did everything else.
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