"Phew. So hot."
It must be summer.
Sweat poured down her face after walking just 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 legs were so short that the distance she covered in all that walking was pathetic.
She wandered around the Tang clan village, letting her gaze sweep idly over her surroundings.
She had quietly been looking forward to this.
Sure, it was just where the collateral branches lived—but wasn't this still the legendary Sichuan Tang clan?
But after a brief stroll, she reached one conclusion.
Did the Sichuan Tang clan go broke after all?
Pillars cracked from moisture.
Chipped roof tiles.
Roads sunken and uneven.
Even for a branch family village, wasn't this place far too rundown?
Soye frowned.
Maybe they gave me that thin watery porridge not out of concern for my digestion, but because they were flat broke.
Thinking about it that way sent a chill down her spine.
No… let’s not jump to conclusions. They say a wealthy family's fortune lasts three generations even after they go bust.
She shook the terrifying thought away.
"Huh?"
She spotted someone slipping out of a rather large pavilion.
From the way she was dressed, she looked like a maid of the village.
But her behavior was suspicious.
The hunched shoulders and darting eyes checking her surroundings.
The skillful way she slipped something into her waistband to conceal it.
Soye's eyes sparkled.
To think I'd find a kindred spirit out here.
A thief always recognizes another thief.
Soye intended to pretend she hadn't seen anything.
For one, she was currently in a child's body.
People caught doing bad things hate witnesses.
It was wise not to face risks she couldn't handle.
She started backing toward the nearest corner, then immediately realized her mistake.
My legs are too short!
As if heaven were playing a cruel joke on her, the maid turned her head in her direction.
The moment their eyes met, Soye flopped face-first onto the ground.
"Oww!"
She purposely flailed her arms and legs, kicking up a cloud of dust.
It looked exactly 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! It hurts! Nanny, nanny!"
Looking flustered, the maid scooped her up.
Just then, someone approached.
"What is going on here?"
Still sniffling, Soye peeked at the newcomer through wet lashes.
It was a middle-aged woman who carried an air of authority.
"Branch head."
The maid quickly pulled Soye closer and bowed her head.
"Hic. It hurts. It hurts."
The maid pulled 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 wildly beating heart.
She was clearly terrified to have 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, because she set Soye down.
"Ugh, seriously. What a mess."
The maid didn't even spare a glance at the scraped knee.
Instead, she scowled down at her own clothes, now smeared with the child's tears and dirt.
"Huuuk."
Soye exaggeratedly heaved her shoulders, faking her sobs.
"You never take a single step outside your pavilion, so what got into you? Ugh, whatever."
Looking at the sniffling child, she shook her head in exasperation.
"What am I even doing, arguing with a kid? Anyway. Let's get you back."
While muttering about the branch head sending medicine, the maid grabbed Soye's wrist and yanked her along.
"Oww!"
That wasn't an act—it actually hurt her.
The maid frowned and snapped back.
"Your feet are perfectly fine, so why are you being such a crybaby?"
"It 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?"
Lost in thought, the maid grumbled.
"Nanny…"
When Soye cried out for her nanny again, the maid threatened her.
"Your crying is giving me a headache, so stay quiet. Miss."
What the heck?
"You!"
Hui Sagong 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."
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 because I was a kid?
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 to her knee and treated the wound very thoroughly.
With a little exaggeration, the bandages were about as thick as a knuckle.
"Just when did you slip outside?"
Giving Soye's cheek a gentle, painless pinch, her nanny stood up.
"I'm going to go wash the clothes you wore today. You absolutely cannot go outside this time!"
Leaving strict instructions, Hui exited the room.
It seemed like security would be tight for a while.
Another outing like today's would probably be difficult to pull off.
But, it wasn't completely fruitless.
Fumbling through the folds of her clothes, Soye pulled out the item she was looking for and placed it on her palm.
It was a rather crude-looking scent pouch.
She scratched her chin.
It's been a while since I've picked a pocket.
Rusty as she was, she'd pulled it off.
Though my short arms made it a bit difficult.
If her nanny hadn't shown up right on time, she might have dropped the pouch.
Whatever that maid stole was probably inside here.
She gave the pouch a light squeeze to check, and felt something like a long bottle.
The Sichuan Tang clan threw around poison more expensive than gold like it was water.
Historically, it was a wealthy territory.
The Silk Road ran straight through it, Yunnan to the south, the western regions within reach.
The Shu brocade alone had made the region legendary, and the Tang clan had been its absolute rulers.
So why did their village look like it hadn't been maintained in a decade?
"What's this?"
Opening the pouch, she found a small gourd bottle.
It was about the size of a child's finger.
Soye tilted her head.
Don't people usually steal money? Or precious metals?
The primary motive for theft is usually cash.
Thus, thieves go for prizes with high liquidity.
Of course, this being the Tang clan village, there were bound to be some expensive poisons lying around.
But poison, however valuable, was harder to offload.
It was also easy to get tangled up in a crime, and the chances of being tracked down were high.
Besides, this bottle… is completely empty.
Just picking it up told her nothing was inside.
Why steal an empty bottle? People don't take risks without a motive.
To check properly, she'd need to open it.
However, she only had one life—or rather, a second chance at one.
She wasn't about to gamble it away to satisfy her curiosity.
Should I poke around for that maid? She must have realized by now that the bottle 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; she hadn't even caught her name.
Still, the maid had recognized her, and that one-sided familiarity was something she could use.
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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