"Sorry to have kept you waiting. Nice to meet you, I am the Magistrate's personal guard, Sanhua."
Just as Rover was waiting in boredom, a steady voice came from the entrance.
Looking toward the sound, the first thing that caught her eye was the white hair that was especially effective against her, along with a pair of unusual crimson eyes.
Whether it was an illusion or not, just making eye contact with those eyes made Rover feel as if she had been seen through.
A solemn and dignified expression paired with a small beauty mark at the corner of her lips made this girl resemble an empress from the far north, someone to be admired from afar but not to be approached lightly.
Her white hair, black sleeveless off-shoulder top, and jet-black short skirt added a touch of cold restraint to this personal guard.
And those black stockings that were especially effective against Zane…
Rover recalled how Zane had stared at her thighs the moment he met her, and couldn't help but compare herself to Sanhua.
'Next time I might try wearing pantyhose…'
While Rover was staring blankly at Sanhua, Sanhua was also observing her. That slightly dazed expression, and that gaze identical to Zane's…
"The Magistrate is not currently within the border court, but before leaving, she has already prepared a gift for you as well as items she wishes to entrust to you."
As she spoke, Sanhua handed four tokens to Rover.
"The Magistrate asked me to tell you that while she is away, you may seek out what these tokens point to. They will allow you to obtain the information you seek in advance."
"Within three days, the Magistrate will surely meet with you."
Rover stared blankly at the four tokens in her hand and immediately felt overwhelmed.
A sugar pill, a small device, a leaf, and a seed…
Sensing her confusion, Sanhua explained, "The Magistrate asked me to convey that these tokens are not meant to trouble you with riddles, but serve as proof and signals."
"As they were prepared in haste and conveyed in such an obscure manner, the Magistrate also feels quite apologetic."
But after hearing the explanation, Rover became even more confused and scratched her head.
"But how did you know I'm the guest the Magistrate mentioned?"
A faint light flickered in Sanhua's right eye as she replied softly, "With the Magistrate absent, I cannot confirm on her behalf. But…"
At this moment, in Sanhua's eyes, the girl before her was radiating a brilliant glow from head to toe.
"My eyes can see the frequency of living beings. You are very special… your frequency is the same as the Magistrate's."
"The same?"
"Yes. Untwisted, real, in its original state."
Although Rover couldn't personally understand what an "untwisted frequency" was like, it didn't stop her from figuring out why Sanhua recognized her.
"Then what about Zane?"
Clearly, Sanhua hadn't expected Rover to suddenly bring up Zane. After thinking for a moment, she answered, "He… has no frequency."
"What!?"
Rover was startled. According to Sanhua, all living beings had frequency, so why didn't Zane?
"I don't know the exact reason. I've asked the Magistrate about it as well. But both the Magistrate and Lady Changli have remained silent on the matter."
"Who is the Lady Changli you mentioned?"
"That lady is the teacher of both the Magistrate and Zane."
Rover knew she couldn't get any more information from Sanhua. If she wanted answers, only the Magistrate could resolve her doubts.
So after Sanhua helped upgrade the permission level of her gourd, she said her goodbyes and prepared to leave.
"Rover, please wait a moment…"
Just as she reached the door, Rover turned back in confusion. At this moment, Sanhua's usually cold and solemn face showed a rare trace of hesitation and concern.
"I have a personal request. I hope you can agree to it… please take good care of Zane."
"Don't worry, leave it to me." Rover patted her chest, and the soft curves there bounced slightly with the motion.
After seeing Rover off, Sanhua had just let out a sigh of relief when, from the corner of her eye, she spotted a white-haired figure peeking in through the doorway like a thief.
Sneaking into your own home like that, there really was no one else like him.
Sanhua sighed silently and walked over, her long legs wrapped tightly in pantyhose.
"What is it? Did you mess up again?"
As the third person who had spent the most time with Zane, seeing him act so guilty made it obvious, he had probably messed up again.
And not just any mistake, but the kind that would get him beaten badly by Magistrate Jinhsi.
Seeing Sanhua approach, Zane's eyes lit up. He didn't hide anymore and immediately lunged at her.
"Hey~ Sanhua, long time no see, you've gotten even prettier. Come, let me give you a kiss…"
Shing!
Zane suddenly felt a chill at his neck. Lowering his head slowly, he realized a sword had somehow appeared at his throat.
In an instant, Zane rediscovered himself… and the peace of his childhood.
"Um… Sanhua, please make sure you hold that sword steady. If your hand so much as shakes, my head might go on a trip without me."
Watching this living clown of the border court doing his antics again, Sanhua sighed helplessly, "If you could just put this kind of effort into, ah…"
Midway through her lecture, she suddenly felt her hand go light. When she came back to her senses, the sword had already been snatched away and thrown aside by Zane.
In the next moment, she felt herself fall into a warm embrace. Strong arms wrapped tightly around her, and a faint blush spread across her slightly cold face.
Perhaps startled, her soft hands clutched tightly at the boy's clothes. Though they were so close, she didn't dare lift her head to meet his gentle gaze.
While she was still dazed, Zane had already carried her to a chair and gently set her down.
"Yes, that's the expression. You're clearly so pretty, Sanhua, but you're always keeping a straight face. Smile more, girls look best when they smile."
Hearing his words, Sanhua froze for a moment, her hands unconsciously touching her cheeks.
'Smile?'
'Who?'
'Me?'
Feeling the faint curve at the corner of her lips, Sanhua suddenly didn't know what to do. After so many years, she had gradually forgotten how to smile.
Even now, she still remembered that day…
She stood once more on that battlefield where blood and fire intertwined, for the things that had once again been taken from her.
Many years ago, it was her eyes, her village. Back then, she had no power to resist. And at that time, standing in the midst of battle, wind and snow were both her curse and her weapon.
Her eyes were stabbed with pain by countless Tacet Discords, her ears filled only with distorted, piercing screams.
Amid the raging snowstorm, the scene before her gradually overlapped with that nightmare she hadn't seen in years.
She saw dozens… even hundreds of corpses piled together, like a massive, terrifying Asura. And unlike before, when she looked closely, she recognized every face, they were all people from her side.
In the illusion, the demon within her tore apart her now hollow shell, rushing forth with a violent blizzard.
No longer was she controlling her power. Instead, it devoured her, driving her toward destruction. The power born from her curse was laughably insignificant before the cries of despair.
'…So nothing has ever changed.'
Until she was defeated by the Tacet Discords and anomalies, collapsing to the ground in exhaustion, she murmured softly, letting out a powerless sigh.
Sanhua didn't know how many wounds she had. She only felt the last trace of warmth leaving her. She returned to her childhood dream, lying once again on that snowy ground, cold wrapping around her as her body seemed to melt into the snow.
Just as the world was about to fall into complete silence and darkness, a patch of white entered her blurred vision.
"…Snow…"
She reached out, wanting to touch that coldness, but her fingertips were instead wrapped in warmth.
...No, that wasn't snow.
Sanhua blinked with difficulty. Gradually, a clear figure of a boy appeared in her vision. Beside him stood a girl, she had never seen frequencies like theirs before.
The two stood in front of her. Lightning seemed to flow at the girl's fingertips. The chaotic blizzard raging around Sanhua was drawn toward the girl, and the disordered frequencies gradually stabilized under her guidance.
Spring thunder echoed across the sky, the flow of seasons turning. Like a divine being answering a prayer, the girl shattered the battlefield's anomalies in an instant with dazzling lightning.
And that boy, who had no frequency at all, stayed by her side from beginning to end, protecting her, blocking the attacks from the Tacet Discords.
Ice melted, snow dissolved. The piercing screams in her ears gradually faded. What she heard now was no longer the cries and wails of the battlefield, but the sound of wind, birds, and the earth coming back to life.
At that moment, it felt as if she had finally stepped out of that snowy night from years ago. Time began to flow through her life once more.
From that instant, looking at those two young smiling faces, Sanhua understood her cause and effect…
Feeling a faint joy in her heart along with an indescribable emotion, Sanhua watched as the figure who stirred her emotions gradually walked away. Beside her was the warm tea he had poured for her.
"Honestly… all you ever do is bully people…"
The empty hall echoed with the girl's soft murmur, and also with the feelings she could never speak aloud.