My Partner Always Wants to Dig My Grave - Chapter 35

Si Wan was jolted back to reality by Guan Yue’s pat on her shoulder, and then she heard Guan Yue speak.

“Si Wan, do you have any clues now?”

Hearing this, Si Wan’s gaze once again fell upon the carefully written name on the invitation. For some reason, she spoke without preamble.

“It’s written wrong.”

As she spoke, the corner of her eye unconsciously glanced at the face beside her, but she didn’t notice any change in the other’s expression.

After hearing Si Wan’s words, Guan Yue furrowed her brows and muttered to herself.

“That’s really strange. When did ancient nobles become so frugal?”

Si Wan also couldn’t figure out why she was so certain it was a mistake. After frowning slightly, she handed the paper to someone else to keep safe.

As Si Wan passed the paper to another person, Sheng Zhen glanced at it when their hands touched. The candlelight flickered slightly, and Sheng Zhen, as if thinking of something, withdrew the hand she had intended to extend.

In the end, Sheng Zhen only pursed her lips lightly and did not stop Si Wan’s actions.

The candlelight swayed, revealing the entire mural clearly to everyone’s eyes. Even the two hidden figures deep in the bamboo grove were fully visible before them.

Si Wan carefully skirted around the items set up for the flower banquet and stood before the bamboo grove mural. The vividly carved painting made it seem as if they were looking at a real bamboo grove. The two figures, whose faces were indistinguishable, appeared as though they were about to step out of the painting.

A gentle breeze brushed against her cheeks, and her vision was filled with lush green. With every step she took, a rustling sound rose from under her feet, but it was soon drowned out by the swaying bamboo grove stirred by the wind.

The slender figure walked alone into the depths of the bamboo grove. The laughter and chatter from the banquet behind her gradually faded, yet the events of the banquet lingered in her mind.

She paid no mind to the abrupt halt of the zither music, nor did she look back, unaware that a pair of eyes behind her were watching her. After a moment of contemplation, the observer rose and left the banquet.

The deeper she went, the more the bamboo grove’s profound solitude seemed to envelop her. Yet it was still preferable to the forced pleasantries and laughter at the banquet.

Her hand moved to the soft sword at her waist. With no one around, the murderous intent in her eyes was undisguised, and the sharp, oppressive aura she exuded made one instinctively want to submit.

Under the glint of the cold blade, bamboo leaves rustled down like rain, dousing her anger.

At the sound of applause, a flash of killing intent instantly crossed the depths of her eyes. In the blink of an eye, the sharp edge of her sword was pressed against a fair, delicate neck. The fluttering bamboo leaves carried a chill, causing the threatened person to raise an eyebrow slightly and curl their lips into a polite, courteous smile, concealing a fleeting admiration.

“General, impressive skills.”

As they spoke, they showed no fear of the lethal blade at their neck and took another slight step closer, their eyes carrying a hint of appraisal.

“It’s just not very honorable to do it here.”

The sword-wielder did not lower her blade. Watching the small wound on the other’s neck bleed, the vivid crimson stood out starkly, yet it only made her expression colder.

She sneered, her tone laced with sarcasm.

“The front is even less safe than here.”

Her sudden departure from the banquet had no clear reason. It was because, while the Eldest Princess was playing the zither, someone had deliberately urged her to perform a sword dance.

The Eldest Princess’s tacit approval seemed to make them forget that she had tens of thousands of souls under her command.

Listening to her sarcasm, the princess’s expression turned cold. Before she could speak, the other woman sneered again, her tone distant and polite.

“Was Your Highness intentional at the banquet?”

Even though she had long resided in the borderlands, she was not foolish. With a little thought, she understood the mastermind behind it all.

The Emperor intended to betroth the princess to her, and the other party merely wanted to embarrass her with this scheme.

At this realization, the woman’s expression shifted.

The princess met her gaze directly. Though momentarily intimidated by the coldness in her eyes, she quickly smiled and stepped closer, as if the sword at her neck were merely a decoration.

Seeing the sudden proximity, the woman frowned and instinctively stepped back, only to bump into the bamboo behind her. With no room to retreat, she was trapped.

Confident that the other woman would not dare harm her, a hint of arrogance flashed across the princess’s face. The cold gleam of the blade held no threat to her.

The woman, who had never been cornered like this, stared at the princess with a sharp, murderous intent in her eyes. Yet she knew all too well that she could not simply kill her.

Realizing this, she lowered her gaze and averted her eyes. Fearing she might accidentally slit the princess’s throat, she sheathed her sword.

Seeing this, the princess glanced at the sword and chuckled, openly admitting, “Yes, I have no intention of marrying you.”

The woman’s expression remained unchanged, her voice icy as she replied, “And I have no intention of marrying Your Highness either.”

Hearing her response, the princess let out a scornful laugh, her already striking features becoming even more radiant. She took a step back, creating distance between them.

The princess resumed her dignified posture, but the woman knew it was merely a facade. Though displeased, she did not show it. Then, the princess spoke again.

“I know I am at fault, so I have ordered some rare treasures to be sent to your residence as my apology.”

The woman, her face still cold, was about to refuse when the princess, anticipating her intention, cut her off.

“I once visited your residence and guessed you might like these items. Do not refuse them.”

With that, the princess, as before, gave her no chance to decline and turned to leave.

“Return now. I will ensure my people behave and will not offend the general again.”

The woman sheathed her soft sword without looking up and replied indifferently, “Thank you for Your Highness’s kindness, but I fear I am unworthy of such gifts.”

Hearing her words, the princess paused mid-step and glanced back. The woman was already walking in the opposite direction. With a light leap, her slender figure vanished over the high wall.

Yet, in the next moment, the bamboo beside the princess toppled over, narrowly missing the hem of her robe.

The commotion alarmed the palace guards, who rushed to the princess’s side. Seeing the fallen bamboo, they exclaimed in fear, “Your Highness, there is an assassin! Are you unharmed?”

The princess stared silently in the direction the woman had disappeared. The flawless, polite smile on her face faded, replaced by a slight frown. She snorted coldly, doing her utmost to conceal her frustration.

“It is nothing. General Si was merely practicing her martial arts.”

With Si Wan’s abilities, she could have left the princess’s residence without a sound. Yet she deliberately caused such an obvious disturbance, undoubtedly, it was her way of retaliating.

Si Wan’s gaze remained fixed on the sword-wielding figure in the mural before her. Unfamiliar memories swirled chaotically in her mind, flashing in fragmented sequences that sent sharp pains through her head, causing her to furrow her brows tightly.

Just then, a cool hand gently touched Si Wan’s forehead, smoothing out her furrowed brow.

Sheng Zhen’s voice gradually overlapped with the Princess’s in her memories, abruptly pulling her thoughts back to the present.

“Si Wan…”

Sheng Zhen’s hesitation differed from what she remembered, it wasn’t guilt but rather concern for her.

“Have you… remembered something?”

She cautiously probed, watching as Si Wan rubbed her temples without responding for a long while. The hope in her eyes dimmed.

Though Si Wan didn’t see Sheng Zhen’s expression, she seemed to sense something as Guan Yue approached curiously. She stepped forward, moving in a certain direction.

“Hey, Si Wan, where are you going?” Guan Yue called out.

At the sound of Guan Yue’s voice, everyone’s attention turned to Si Wan.

Sheng Zhen watched the path Si Wan had taken, a flicker of complex emotion passing through her already dimmed eyes. She murmured something under her breath.

Si Wan didn’t know why she was heading toward that corner. She was merely following the faint traces of memory, moving in the direction where the general in the mural had last departed.

Suddenly, her footsteps halted as the ground beneath her sank, followed by the sound of mechanisms turning.

Hearing the noise, Guan Yue thought Si Wan had triggered some hidden trap in the tomb. Just as she was about to rush over and pull Si Wan back, Si Wan had already retreated cautiously to their side.

As Si Wan’s feet settled, the tomb chamber trembled slightly, like a minor earthquake.

The shaking beneath their feet elicited looks of panic from the group, but Si Wan’s calm and detached voice soon reassured them.

“It’s fine. Don’t be afraid.”

No sooner had Si Wan spoken than the candles in the tomb abruptly extinguished, plunging the chamber into darkness.

In the pitch-black tomb, the vibrations underfoot seemed magnified by their senses, like clawing demons crawling up from the abyss, ready to pounce.

Si Wan stiffened, hurriedly shaking off the hand that had reached out to her.

The owner of the hand paused in surprise, then stepped out from behind Si Wan, holding a lantern. In a soothing tone, she said, “Don’t be afraid, Si Wan.”

Her pale hand held an exquisitely carved slender wooden rod, from which hung a lantern wrapped in expensive, delicate gauze. Inside, a night pearl emitted an overly bright, pale light, illuminating precisely where Si Wan stood.

The fear in Si Wan’s eyes eased slightly as she turned her head to look.

In Sheng Zhen’s hand was the same lantern she had carried that day.

“Why is it so dark?! Where are the flashlights?!” Guan Yue exclaimed urgently.

Hearing the others complain about the darkness, Si Wan’s expression shifted. The light in Sheng Zhen’s hand was visible only to her.

Just as Si Wan was about to hand her flashlight to Guan Yue, Sheng Zhen stopped her with a slight shake of her head, her face unusually grave.

“Si Wan, you’ve found the way forward, but the path ahead must not see a single glimmer of light.”

Si Wan froze at Sheng Zhen’s words, then listened as she spoke again, her tone serious.

“There are hidden mechanisms. One misstep, and you’ll die without a burial place.”

Si Wan dared not question whether Sheng Zhen was exaggerating. The crossbow arrows they had encountered during their first descent alone had been deadly enough, let alone now, with Sheng Zhen issuing a specific warning.

“Professor Guan, use my flashlight first.”

Someone tried to hand a flashlight to Guan Yue, but Si Wan’s expression immediately darkened as she urgently spoke up to stop them.

“Don’t turn it on. There’s a trap mechanism.”

Guan Yue’s hand, which was about to take the flashlight, paused. Unable to pinpoint Si Wan’s direction in the darkness, she randomly spoke toward a general area.

“Didn’t you already trigger the mechanism?”

Though Guan Yue had her doubts, she still heeded Si Wan’s words and refrained from turning on the flashlight. The others, frightened by Si Wan’s warning, nervously avoided any sudden movements.

“P-Professor Si, what should we do now?” someone asked in a trembling voice.

Si Wan’s calm demeanor instinctively made them feel reassured, but their fear intensified again after a low rumbling sound echoed.

Squinting, she peered through the faint light and saw that a door had appeared in the area she had just walked through.

“All of you, retreat to the corridor first.” Si Wan said, narrowing her eyes as she observed the newly appeared door.

“What about you?” Guan Yue, hearing Si Wan’s words but unsure of her intentions, asked with concern.

“I need to retrieve something.” Si Wan replied.

Guan Yue directed the others to feel their way back to the corridor in the dark. Frowning deeply at Si Wan’s words, she exclaimed, “You can’t see anything either! What are you looking for?! You said there’s a trap mechanism, and we don’t even know what the danger is, yet you’re going to-”

Before Guan Yue could finish her sentence, she felt a forceful push that sent her stumbling out of the tomb chamber. When she finally saw who had pushed her, her breath hitched, and as she inhaled sharply, she couldn’t help but curse.

“Si Wan, have you lost your mind?!”

Si Wan looked at the fuming Guan Yue, her expression unchanged. Unable to find an explanation, she simply didn’t bother and said calmly, “I’ll be back soon.”

With that, she ignored Guan Yue behind her and disappeared back into the darkness.

As if suddenly remembering something, Si Wan turned to Sheng Zhen beside her and said, “Don’t extinguish their lights.”

Sheng Zhen chuckled lightly, curling her lips as she replied, “This princess is not that petty.”

…