Staring at the vaguely familiar old face, Lin Qingge searched her memory and called out the other person's name:
"Uncle Wang?"
"Lin Yatou, there's no time, hurry and come with me!"
Uncle Wang waved his hands incessantly. Lin Qingge hesitated for a moment before finally stepping forward.
"Quick, quick, quick!"
Under Uncle Wang's hushed urgings, Lin Qingge, dragging her heavy wedding dress, squeezed into the closet.
In the end, she didn't forget to carefully close the closet door.
Arriving in the secret passage, Uncle Wang took down the torch that had been hung on the wall beforehand and beckoned Lin Qingge to move forward.
As Lin Qingge surveyed the situation in the secret passage, she curled her lips into a smile that wasn't quite a smile:
"Say, old man, aren't you going to explain?
Don't tell me you were performing magic and accidentally teleported into my room?"
"Well, that..."
Uncle Wang's eyeballs rolled around as he chuckled and explained:
"Ever since you left, Lin Yatou, I've been bored out of my mind, so I started digging pits in my own house for fun. Then, as I was digging, I dug all the way to your place, Lin Yatou.
It couldn't be helped, we're neighbors!"
"Old man, do you think I would believe that?"
Lin Qingge glanced at the secret passage, which was wide enough for two people to walk side by side, and then reached out to touch the smooth wall.
A secret passage of this scale, let alone half a year, even the entirety of Uncle Wang's life might not have been enough to excavate it single-handedly.
Upon hearing this, Uncle Wang couldn't help but quicken his pace:
"Lin Yatou, the situation is urgent now, don't dwell on this secret passage."
"A secret passage in the room where I've lived for years that I didn't know about, shouldn't I ask about it?"
Meeting Lin Qingge's stubborn gaze, Uncle Wang couldn't help but sigh helplessly:
"Lin Yatou, let me tell you the truth.
The place you were just in was not your boudoir in Dalin Village, but Xiaolin Village!"
"Xiaolin Village?!"
"Yes, that kid Lin Yan, according to the furnishings of your boudoir, set up an identical one in Xiaolin Village, and then brought you there and locked you in, making you think you were still in your boudoir in Dalin Village.
Even to ensure it was realistic enough and to prevent you from noticing anything amiss, Lin Yan had people move all the items from your boudoir in Dalin Village over."
"No wonder I always felt something was a little off. I thought it was because I was used to the large mansion and returning to Dalin Village suddenly made me uncomfortable, but it turns out it was because of this!
But what is Lin Yan's purpose for going through all this trouble?"
Lin Qingge had only been away for half a year, but upon returning to Dalin Village, she suddenly felt that the place she had lived in for three years was so unfamiliar.
Not only did she have a new identity as royalty from the previous dynasty, but even the grinning Uncle Wang next door had become enigmatic.
At this moment, Uncle Wang handed over a bundle:
"Here, Lin Yatou, this is for you."
Lin Qingge accepted it and opened it, finding that the bundle contained her flintlock pistol, various medicinal powders, and other travel essentials. She looked at him excitedly:
"Old man, have you changed professions after not seeing you for a while?"
"Tsk, I'm just a trickster, isn't it normal for me to know a few unconventional skills?"
Lin Qingge, who was also the magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture and skilled in this art, unusually didn't retort but nodded in agreement.
"By the way, old man, where are you rushing me to?"
"It's a matter of utmost urgency!
Lin Yatou, you have no idea, that kid Lin Yan has made Xiaolin Village like an impenetrable fortress, not even a fly can get in.
It took me all my might to find this secret passage that had been abandoned for over a hundred years!"
Hearing this, Lin Qingge's suspicion grew even stronger:
"Old man, I remember you haven't been in Dalin Village for many years, how do you know about secret passages from a hundred years ago so clearly?"
"Uh..."
Having let slip, Uncle Wang quickly feigned indignant anger and changed the subject:
"Lin Yatou, that kid Lin Yan is really something else!
He's set up a diversion at your house, luring away those who came to snatch the bride, intending to catch them all in one go!"
"What did you say?!"
Lin Qingge's voice suddenly rose. Forgetting she was wearing a wedding dress, she directly lifted the hem of her skirt and started running.
But due to her unfamiliarity with the secret passage, she had to turn her head and shout:
"Old man, what are you dawdling for? Hurry up and take me there!"
"Tsk tsk, you young folks have no respect for elders."
Although Uncle Wang said this, his movements were not hesitant, and his speed was so fast that Lin Qingge, even running, couldn't keep up.
After running through the winding secret passage for a long time, they finally stopped.
Uncle Wang took a deep breath, then raised his hand and slowly pushed open the heavy stone door in front of them.
???
"Old man, so you're also a martial artist?"
"Not at all, I just learned a few moves for strengthening the body.
They are all skills not worth mentioning."
Lin Qingge, with no time to listen to Uncle Wang's humblebragging, strode out of the secret passage.
Then, relying on her memory, she found her home in Dalin Village.
From afar, she could see chaos in the courtyard.
Led by Hua Jinrong, who had recovered, and Yan Tinghao, who did not faint at the sight of blood, the martial arts faction was engaged in a fierce battle with the villain faction led by Liu Chenfei.
Amidst the chaotic scene.
Lin Yan, the instigator, broke through the window uncontrollably and flew out of the house.
Following him out was Leng Ningyue, from whose hair tips emanated a bone-chilling coldness.
Leng Ningyue was seen fending off the encircling enemies while protecting the bride as she walked out.
Lin Qingge watched with her own eyes as the bride, whose figure was similar to hers and who wore a large red bridal veil, pulled a dagger from her sleeve and stabbed the unsuspecting Leng Ningyue!
Her body moved before her brain could catch up.
Bang—
When Lin Qingge came to her senses, she had already pulled the trigger of the flintlock pistol.
Leng Ningyue, sensing danger, was about to step forward to block the sudden attack for the person behind her, but a fleeting glance at the familiar face made her decisively release her grip.
The bullet hit the impostor bride's wrist, and in pain, the bride had to drop the dagger.
The next moment, a cold glint sliced across the impostor bride's neck.
But the one who struck was not Leng Ningyue, but Hua Jinrong, whose lips curved into a smile.
"Oh dear, I thought an adult was in danger, so I rushed over to protect you. It seems I used a bit too much force~
An adult like you is magnanimous, surely you won't blame this student, right~"
Unfortunately, the impostor bride did not have a chance to answer.
Blood gushed from her neck, splattering Hua Jinrong all over his face.
But Hua Jinrong didn't wipe it, letting the crimson stain bloom like a plum blossom by his eye.
"Adult, how could you not inform this student about such a major event as getting married~"