Miss Jun felt she should be thinking about something, but actually had no thoughts at all, and the fierce wind was attacking her at the same time.
"Friend, if you want to look at me, then come down and look; can you see clearly from so far away all night?" Zhu Zan's voice followed.
Miss Jun only felt a numb, intense pain in her legs, and uncontrollably fell forward to her knees.
Before her, the steps progressively lowered as she collapsed forward, just like the time she had fallen from the wall of the Duke of Cheng's residence.
Miss Jun only felt the world spinning, and with a flop, she was already lying face down on the ground.
The ground was paved with smoothly laid bluestones, and Miss Jun felt like a pancake slapped down on it.
Her tears surged forth immediately.
Sometimes tears aren't because of the desire to cry but a natural human reaction, from too much pain.
"Dammit! Is this the standard for female agents of Jinyiwei now?" Zhu Zan's voice was still loudly exclaiming nearby.
"Did they send the wrong person? Are you sure you shouldn't be working in a brothel?" He said as he approached, but Miss Jun didn't get up, still lying on the ground, the pain gradually subsiding, and the fatigue from a night of running making it impossible to rise once she lay down.
Miss Jun simply continued to lie there, looking sideways at Zhu Zan.
Zhu Zan also saw her face and his eyes widened in shock, as if he had seen a ghost.
"You?" he said.
Miss Jun looked at him.
"Yes, what a coincidence," she said.
Zhu Zan looked her over, appearing a bit surprised and somewhat amused.
"So it was you following me all night?" he said.
Miss Jun wiped her tears with her sleeve, slowly getting up.
"You knew someone was following you?" she asked.
"Of course I did," Zhu Zan said, "But these people are such that, although I have to beat them, if they want to follow, I let them follow. They can't bother me anyway. It's like hitting them with a stick and then giving them a sweet date."
Nonsense.
Miss Jun lowered her gaze.
"How is that nonsense? Haven't you heard that a wise man does not fight with a madman?" Zhu Zan saw through her thoughts and said, "Giving these madmen some sweetness makes them feel powerful and makes my business easier."
Raving.
Miss Jun got up and walked towards her own grave.
Her own grave, sounds strange, doesn't it?
"Hey, what are you doing?" Zhu Zan said.
Miss Jun had already reached the grave, and her body started trembling uncontrollably.
Princess Jiuli's grave marker.
She looked at the characters on the tombstone; she could recite the inscription even with her eyes closed.
She closed her eyes, trying to feel this complex emotion, but no sooner had she closed them than a faint, peculiar scent reached her nostrils.
The offerings of fruits that had been placed in front of the grave had lost their former fragrance; the only fresh thing here was that strange flower.
Is this what Northern Birch flowers smell like?
Miss Jun couldn't help but open her eyes.
No, it wasn't the scent of flowers, it was the smell of medicine.
Her gaze fell on the stone platform in front of the tombstone, the flower had been tossed aside, hanging from the tombstone, with two small bottles and the remaining spilled fluid.
The liquid.
What kind of liquid was this, that could revive dead wood and make withered flowers bloom?
No way...
Miss Jun could not bother with her sad reflections, picked up some liquid with her hand, and sniffed it closely, incredulous.
"What is this?" she turned and asked Zhu Zan nearby.
"Water," Zhu Zan replied briskly.
Miss Jun spat.
"Is water from your home like this?" she retorted irritably, wiping the liquid again, "Is this not from the Immortal Ziying Plant?"
Zhu Zan raised an eyebrow.
"Knowing it, yet you ask," he said.
Before his words had even finished, Miss Jun had already stepped up to him, almost bumping her head against his chin.
Zhu Zan cried out as he stepped back, but Miss Jun had already stretched out her hand and smeared the liquid across his clothes.
"This is from the Immortal Ziying Plant; do you realize how precious it is?" she said urgently.
Her master had taken so many years to find one plant, and she too had only come across one so easily, this Zhu Zan!
She felt both anger and urgency but didn't know what was appropriate, so she instinctively raised her hand and fiercely slapped him.
Only wishing she had a whip in hand right now.
Zhu Zan dodged quickly in three swift motions.
"You have issues, woman," he said. "Of course I know how precious the Immortal Ziying's Plant is, you didn't need to tell me."
Miss Jun stopped in her tracks and glared at him hatefully.
"You know and yet you still ruined it!" she shouted.
Zhu Zan's eyebrows shot up.
"Ruined?" he scoffed with full disdain. "Just because the 'preciousness' you mentioned wasn't used, you think it's ruined? What's precious to you may be precious in one way, but for me, this is the most precious use."
Miss Jun turned to look back at the flowers on the tombstone, which were no longer as fresh and had slowly turned gray and withered under the morning light.
"Just this lousy flower..." she pointed and started to say.
Her words were cut off by Zhu Zan.
"That's none of your business," he stated, before turning and walking away.
Miss Jun gritted her teeth with anger.
"Don't walk away," she called out.
Zhu Zan turned back and pointed at her, his face devoid of his former playfulness.
"I don't care who you are, nor why you are following me again. You better stop bothering me," he said coldly. "Who are you to judge what's valuable? Don't forget your life was saved by this herb. If you think I wasted it, is your life that cheap?"
Being scolded while he pointed at her nose, Miss Jun felt a mix of shame and annoyance but calmed herself down.
Her emotions were too turbulent.
Seeing her own tomb suddenly, then encountering Zhu Zan, whom she had never interacted with before as he laid flowers at her grave, and finding out that the Immortal Ziying's Plant was used in such a way.
All these events clashed together; she indeed couldn't control her emotions.
Miss Jun clenched her fists to calm herself.
"Princely Heir Zhu, that's not what I meant," she said, softening her tone. "It's not about the Immortal Ziying's Plant, it truly is yours now, you decide how to use it."
Zhu Zan glanced at her, muttered something under his breath, apparently surprised by the change in her demeanor.
"Good," he said and then turned and walked away.
"Princely Heir Zhu," Miss Jun hurriedly called out again. "Why are you in the capital? Do you know Princess Jiuli?"
Zhu Zan didn't turn back, and upon hearing her, he simply broke into a run.
That scoundrel!
Miss Jun hastened after him.
"Why are you running!" she yelled, her temper flaring again, "Stop right there."
But truly, when it came to running, she was no match for Zhu Zan, especially since she had fallen quite hard before, and the figure in her sight grew further and further away.
As the morning got brighter, and being close to the capital, the road became busier with more people walking, seeing Miss Jun running out of breath and somewhat disheveled drew surprised gazes.
Miss Jun ignored these stares and kept running with clenched teeth, although the smell of herbs had already dissipated a lot and the road traffic of pedestrians and animals diluted the scent, she could still faintly track it.
Ahead, she saw the city gate. Unlike the casual comings and goings at night, there was now a long line in front of the gate, numerous government soldiers and Jinyiwei in flying fish uniforms stood at the gate, searching the crowd with stern expressions.
They were looking for Zhu Zan.
Miss Jun, seeing the faint figures ahead, was puzzled.
How was he going to get into the city?
This was different from the night; having been deceived, these people were now alert.
Entering the city now was like getting caught red-handed.
Even if seeking someone's protection, he should find another opportunity.
Miss Jun saw Zhu Zan join the line of people.
Seeing what trick he would play next.
Miss Jun hastened her steps, just as she neared, she saw Zhu Zan in the crowd, suddenly raising his hand in impatience.
"Can we move faster?" he shouted loudly, pushing forward.
This caused the already irritated crowd in line to grow restless.
"What are you doing?"
"Stop pushing!"
"Hurry to reincarnate, grandson!"
The jostled crowd burst out in curse words.
This stirred the entire gate into chaos.
Zhu Zan continued to push forward.
"Let me through first, and you all can follow easily," he said.
This comment incited more cursing from the people.
The city gate's government soldiers started to reprimand and ran over to the scene.
Could he still sneak in amidst the chaos?
With so many government soldiers, Jinyiwei, and common people, a fight was not going to be easy.
Miss Jun tensed her grip.
Yet, rather than drawing a weapon amidst the shoving crowd, Zhu Zan suddenly raised his hand high.
"I am Zhu Zan!" he shouted, "I am the Duke of Chengguo's heir! Come on, catch me!"
Miss Jun was stunned.