Hammer in her left hand, sword in her right, the eldest sister is connected to both worlds.

Chapter 140 The Only Red Thread

As the sun set, Xue Lan and the others finally rounded the street corner and disappeared completely from the long street.

No one knew that in the shadows of the Thousand Embroidery Pavilion, General Cao, leaning on his cane, patted his chest, feeling as if his heart was about to leap out of his throat.

The middle-aged man murmured, "It really is her."

It really was that immortal master I had met once at Luoxia Mountain.

"Should we tell His Majesty? Alas."

The old, hoarse sigh disappeared into the wind.

Yu Niang's family lived in the northern corner of the capital. It was a row of neat bungalows, without any particularly conspicuous restaurants or guild halls. The residents were all ordinary people like Yu Niang.

Yu Niang laid out clean bedding for Xue Lan: "You two girls, since you're going to stay here for a while, why didn't you bring your usual bedding?"

Xue Tong glanced at Xue Lan. It wasn't that the two of them didn't want to bring bedding; it was that they didn't have any bedding at all.

She herself is a system, and at night she simply transforms into her original form and returns to the system space.

As for Xue Lan, she was a night owl, and since she was blind, she wasn't afraid of hurting her eyes by working on things at night. So she simply spent the whole night working on those jewelry pieces.

So, since they arrived in the capital, apart from the first two nights when they slept well at the inn, the two of them hadn't slept for seven or eight days.

[Sister Yu Niang, we just didn't want to trouble you too much. It's alright, we'll be going back to the shop after the New Year anyway. A set of bedding for each of us is fine.]

Yu Niang thought about it and agreed, so she stopped asking.

"Sister Yu Niang...why don't I see your mother?" Xue Tong asked Yu Niang, looking around the room.

Yu Niang poked her forehead: "Didn't you already meet her? She even said she wanted to embroider a white wolf pouch."

Xue Lan, who was listening, suddenly realized that the little girl had been pestering her to draw as soon as she returned at noon today, so that she could ask the embroiderers of Qianxiu Pavilion to embroider a purse.

【He Xiuzhang is your mother!】 Xue Tong was clearly surprised, her mouth agape.

She knew that Yu Niang's mother was the head embroiderer of Qianxiu Pavilion, but she didn't expect to be so lucky as to run into her as soon as she went in.

The little girl glanced furtively at Xue Lan, looking somewhat guilty.

Yu Niang smiled and went to the courtyard to fetch water, leaving only Xue Lan and Xue Tong inside the house.

Xue Lan knew the little girl was still being coy, so she spoke first: "That's why you insist on me drawing a picture for you."

Xue Tong gave a soft "hmm," muttering, "What's the use of giving it to you? You can't draw for me anyway."

"A blind man painted a masterpiece, and you take it outside? Do you want me to turn into a monkey?" Xue Lan said with a smile.

"Take it and show it to others, but don't say it was drawn by your older sister."

Hearing this, Xue Tong, who had been somewhat dejected, brightened up immediately and smiled, repeatedly saying yes. However, Xue Lan remained expressionless, facing Xue Tong the whole time.

Those greyish-white eyes seemed to be... looking at Xue Tong.

Xue Tong didn't know where she got this strange idea from. Xue Lan's gray-white eyes seemed to be more intimidating than her previous black eyes or the blue eyes she had during her demon soul form period.

Unable to bear the stares, Xue Tong decided to break the awkward atmosphere: "I'm going out to help Sister Yu Niang."

Before Xue Lan could even nod, the little girl ran into the yard, as if a dog was chasing her.

Xue Lan sat cautiously on the edge of the bed, recalling what she had just seen on Xue Tong.

Xue Tong has no cause and effect.

Perhaps because of her otherworldly soul, Xue Tong was completely free of any karmic connection.

Even though she and Yu Niang were already comfortable, even though she had already met Yan Chengxue.

Even though Xue Lan already knew her background, she still had no connection whatsoever with the Yuanming Realm.

Unlike Xue Lan, who was entangled in karma, Xue Tong was too pure. Apart from the karmic thread that Xue Lan had previously connected her to through the Sun-Tracing Mirror, she had no other ties to anyone else.

It's as if everything we did, all the laughter and joy, all the plans and tasks...

It's all for the sake of going home.

Xue Lan had previously made a deal with the so-called main system, saying that if things reached an irreversible point, she would want a chance to make amends.

The condition was that Xue Tong be sent back.

It's laughable now that I think about it. Even if Xue Lan hadn't helped her, she would still have been able to go back.

The longing for one's homeland and loved ones is a force that will always pull a person forward and keep them searching.

Xue Tong helped Yu Niang fetch water in the yard, and while Yu Niang went to cook, she started sweeping the yard.

As soon as He Xiuzhang entered the house, she saw Xue Tong with her sleeves rolled up, working.

Xue Tong gave He Xiuzhang a sweet smile: 【Hello, Aunt He!】

He Xiuzhang also revealed a gentle smile. Xue Lan had already walked to the door and was leaning against the door frame with a faint smile.

He Xiuzhang looked over here. She had heard her daughter talk about Xue Lan's eye condition that afternoon, but she was still a little shocked when she saw it now.

This was clearly no ordinary eye ailment; the entire eyeball was covered by a white film. Coupled with the child's extreme thinness, his grayish-white eyes made him look even more pitiful.

Xue Lan noticed He Xiuzhang's gaze and slowly curtsied: "Is it Aunt He who has returned? I am Xue Lan, and I apologize for troubling you, Aunt."

He Xiuzhang's voice was gentle, and she sounded like a reliable woman. She stepped forward, took Xue Lan's wrist, and led her to the center of the courtyard: "You sisters can rest assured and stay here. When we have time, Yu Niang and I will accompany you to see Doctor Zhang."

Xue Tong heard about Doctor Zhang again and asked curiously, "I think everyone in the capital knows Doctor Zhang. Is he really that skilled?"

He Xiuzhang smiled and looked at Xue Tong: "That's natural. Doctor Zhang was originally the military doctor of Shengyu Army. He returned to the capital when he got old. Legend has it that when the commander of Shengyu Army was still Prince Jin, Prince Jin was poisoned by a demon, and it was Doctor Zhang who cured him."

Xue Tong looked at He Xiuzhang's expression and thought it seemed genuine. She wondered if she should take Xue Lan to try her luck and see what the odds were.

He Xiuzhang spoke with Xue Lan and the other woman in the courtyard for a while, then went to her room. Xue Tong saw her come out carrying a red dress and sit down on a small stool at the entrance of the main room. She began to sew it stitch by stitch.

"Mother, it's getting dark, please don't hurt your eyes," Yu Niang said as she came out of the kitchen.

"You are my only daughter!" He Xiuzhang looked at her daughter tenderly.

"Mother will sew this sleeve closed."

Xue Lan listened to their conversation and couldn't help but smile knowingly.

Xue Tong looked at the scene before her, her eyes welling up with tears. A nameless sadness enveloped her heart.

It made her feel like a piece of her heart was missing, and she really wanted to cry.

So the little girl returned to the room that Yu Niang had prepared for the two of them.

A moment later, Xue Lan heard a soft sobbing sound.

When she returned to the room, she saw the little girl squatting on the ground, holding her head and making whimpering sounds like a small animal.

Xue Lan touched her head: "Why are you crying?"

Xue Tong didn't know the reason, so she didn't answer.

Fortunately, Xue Lan did not ask any further questions. She simply stroked Xue Tong's back and looked at the only red line on her body.

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Hello, my dear readers. As you all know, the readership of this book has plummeted, with only 400 readers and a mere 20 comments after more than 300,000 words.

I humbly request that you, my readers, recommend my book. Thank you all, I am deeply grateful!