Where Is She?

"Xiao Wan!" Ning Rou Li waved her arm at her, telling Zhu Xiao Wan to come.

Zhu Xiao Wan moved towards her and said, "Don't call me 'Xiao Wan'"

"Then what should I call you?" her eyes flickered, Ning Rou Li tiled her head slightly as she asked.

"Lian."

" Why-"

"Because Lian can't be our cousin," Ning Hai Heng interrupted and pointed at a poster, "our cousin is wanted."

"But the appearance is different..."

Zhuang Yang who followed Zhu Xiao Wan stopped walking to say: "But if you, her cousin calls someone 'Xiao Wan,' that person will be suspected regardless of their appearance."

"...Okay," Ning Rou Li said.

"Where's Lian?" The first one to notice that Zhu Xiao Wan was gone was Ning Hai Heng.

"Xia- Lian! Where are you?"

"Wasn't she here a moment ago?"

-----

Purposely letting herself got lost, Zhu Xiao Wan then started to browse the street. The reason she separated from the others was that she spotted Tang Rue. Zhu Xiao Wan walked closer to Tang Rue and acted as though she didn't notice Tang Rue was there.

Tang Rue was waiting for an auction to begin, she only went out because she heard that there was a rare elixir and that it was the antidote that she needed. However, she had been out for quite a while and was slightly hungry, hence, Tang Rue ordered Yu Xi to go and buy some food.

Zhu Xiao Wan eavesdropped on their little movements then she followed Yu Xi. Pursuing Yu Xi, she ended up at a street food cart.

"Can I get four soft steamed buns and some mung bean congee?"

"Ah yes yes!"

The woman got to work and was putting the steamed four steamed buns into a box when Zhu Xiao Wan stopped at her cart. With a veil on, she said in a low-toned voice, "I also want a mung bean congee."

"Ah, just one second!" The woman opened up her mung bean congee pot and started to scoop the congee into a container.

A pill appeared within the palm of Zhu Xiao Wan's hand, she then tossed the pill into the congee-filled container when the woman was looking away as she was reaching for the pepper bottle; no one noticed a thing. It was too swift that the woman didn't notice anything and there was no sound either.

Her contractual spirit was an instrument, so, she could control the sound waves of possibly all matters. Since she had only started her cultivation a few days ago, she could only control the sound of small matters.

"Here. Six coppers."

Yu Xi gave the women six copper coins and turned to leave, not paying much attention to Zhu Xiao Wan.

"Here, your mung bean congee, two coppers."

She paid and also turned to once again follow Yu Xi back.

"Your Highness, there are some steamed buns and congee." Yu Xi asked, "Which one does Your Highness want first?"

"...The buns." Tang Rue's face was covered but a veil, only the eyes were shown. Hence, it was easier to eat the steamed buns than the congee.

Taking a bite, Tang Rue's countenance beneath the veil suddenly became blue. Spitting it out into her handkerchief, she said in a low voice, "What is this rock-like thing?"

Yu Xi stared at the bun and yelled out in her heart, 'What's rock-like? This is a regular steamed bun, it's only because the ones that you'd eaten was of higher quality...'

"Give me the congee." Tang Rue was really irritated as her 'sickness' was making her temper worse.

Zhu Xiao Wan looked around and found somewhere to sit. She opened the container and spooned up a spoonful of congee. Letting it cool, she put it in her mouth as she watched Tang Rue having difficulty eating with her veil.

Slowing down her eating pace, Zhu Xiao Wan finished the mung bean congee around the same time as Tang Rue finished hers; she was also wearing a veil.

Throwing the empty container away in an alley, Zhu Xiao Wan took off the outer robe of her garment and changed it to a light violet one. She also took off her veil and put a simple hairpin on her head.

Pulling out the wheelchair, she placed it down and sat on it. Zhu Xiao Wan wheeled herself back to where Tang Rue was. "Princess You Yan?"

Tang Rue was fixing her veil and checking the time, the auction house was about to be open. Hearing the familiar soft and melodious voice, she felt like a luck was not bestowed upon her today. "Xue Lian? Why are you here alone and where's your brother?"