Zhuo Nian slowly got up from the floor. The distance from floor to ceiling was less than two meters, and standing up gave her a sense of oppression. Coupled with the pitch-black environment, if there were a few more elements, it would be a perfect murder scene.
She walked out. Near the entrance, there was a large leather trunk. A girl about thirteen or fourteen years old was fast asleep beside it, her face ruddy, her breathing deep and peaceful, with no sign of waking.
Zhuo Nian ignored her and walked directly out of the cargo hold.
Footsteps echoed in the wooden corridor. The sound of cheap rubber-soled shoes on the floor was very distinct. This sound made both sides in confrontation tense up. Everyone's eyes focused on the exit. The sound grew closer, and in less than a minute, a simply dressed young girl appeared before them.
"Who's there!?"
Someone shouted nervously, accidentally revealing his position. The person opposite fired a shot, and he quickly ducked, narrowly avoiding the bullet.
"Damn it, where did this little dame come from?"
Someone fired a shot at Zhuo Nian, intending to deal with the suddenly appearing girl. But they didn't expect the person in front of them to suddenly disappear.
Everyone was greatly alarmed, thinking they had encountered a ghost. In their panic, the people opposite fired again. Gunshots rang out incessantly, interspersed with occasional curses and frightened screams. This girl who appeared and disappeared so suddenly had become a water ghost on the lake in their minds, scaring them out of their wits.
In the original plot, the original host was killed by these people. She was in someone else's body and naturally wouldn't be polite to them. With just a few small tricks, she played them all for fools.
After both sides had exhausted themselves, and many more had died, only a few people fled in terror. Zhuo Nian reappeared on the deck of the small boat, looking at the people splashing and disappearing into the water, a long-lost smile on her face.
The system was no longer afraid.
What was this scene like? It was like someone who was terrified of ghosts suddenly realized they were the ghost, and their fear turned into pride.
He was very proud now.
Zhuo Nian turned and walked back, waking the little girl next to the large leather trunk. She took the hand of the still sleepy little girl and walked out. The boat had already docked. It wasn't until her feet touched solid ground that the little girl fully woke up.
"Mmm... Who are you? Where's Ah Jiu?"
Zhuo Nian released her hand. "I don't know, maybe she's dead."
"Ah!" The little girl was terrified. "Ah Jiu is dead? When did she die? How come I didn't know?" Sudan Novel Network
"I don't know either."
If she hadn't come, this little girl would have been the sole survivor on the boat and a major obstacle in the romantic storyline of the male and female leads.
She was the sister of the male lead Bai Yueguang. Unlike Bai Yueguang, who only existed in memories and turned from pure to dark, she was purely white, with hardly a trace of impurity. Her first arousal after becoming an adult was spent with the male lead, which brought immense impact to the relationship between the male and female leads.
In the end, she died saving the female lead, becoming the shared Bai Yueguang of the male and female leads.
She was also the only one in the plot who wasn't pursuing the truth of the original host's death for selfish reasons. Therefore, Zhuo Nian brought her down.
However, karma seemed to still be at play.
Perhaps there was still karma from her helping the original host seek justice for her wrongful death.
"Then who are you?"
"No one." Zhuo Nian looked at Hai Cheng, where the sky was dimly lit. Not far away, vendors were already calling out their wares. The aroma of steamed buns drifted over, making one's appetite stir.
"Everyone on the boat is dead. Where are you going now?"
The little girl pouted, looking wronged and scared. Although she hadn't known Ah Jiu for long, she was the only person she knew in this strange place.
"Ah Jiu said she was going to take me to find my brother-in-law. I don't know where to find him. Sister, where are you going? Can you take me to find my brother-in-law? I can give you money."
"Who is your brother-in-law?"
The little girl shook her head. "Ah Jiu said my brother-in-law is the young marshal, a great hero, and very powerful."
Zhuo Nian found this little girl a bit foolish. She didn't have a 'mentally challenged' character setting. She was over ten years old, so could she really be this naive?
However, she didn't detect any abnormalities in her, so she decided to assume she was this way for now.
"There is only one young marshal in Hai Cheng, that is the Li family. You have money, find a rickshaw puller to take you there."
"Oh."
The little girl slowly walked away, looking back every three steps. Finally, she disappeared. Just as Zhuo Nian was about to leave, she came back and gave her two warm steamed buns, then ran away again.
Zhuo Nian smiled and shook her head.
She was truly adorable.
The cute little girl was watching her from a distance. She narrowed her eyes, holding a soft little object in her hand. It was a small, white glutinous rice ball, which she pinched, rolled, and kneaded, occasionally letting out a few protesting sounds. The sounds were childish and soft, with an appearance of utmost grievance.
"Wuwu..."
"Shhh~"
The little girl raised her index finger and whispered, her voice scattering with the wind.
---
Zhuo Nian didn't pay much attention to the strange little girl and the inseparable karma between her and the body she inhabited. To prevent her own random actions from damaging the completeness of the story, she didn't wander around but went to the Qin family, where she was supposed to go.
Based on her past experiences, no matter what, they would eventually meet.
Wandering around randomly would only be counterproductive.
The Qin family had moderate influence in Hai Cheng. The main family was in the jewelry business, belonging to the category of having money but no power. In this era where power was determined by force, having money without power was like a child carrying gold through a crowded market. If they didn't find a backer, they would be completely devoured.
The Qin family's backer was the Luo family, who were in the arms trade. Luo Yonghui, the second son of the Luo family, was the right-hand man of the male lead, Li Xiaoxian, and his entire family supported him financially. In the beginning, he helped Li Xiaoxian connect with foreigners to purchase firearms and suppress the other two factions.
Later, when Li Xiaoxian broke ties with those foreigners for national independence, Luo Yonghui followed him without hesitation. After Li Xiaoxian became the great president, Luo Yonghui also became a great warlord. The Li family prospered, and for a time, they were extremely influential.
This was a later development and not to be discussed for now.
The Qin family did not pay much attention to her arrival. Although Di Kun was a rare gem in the small town where the original host originally lived, to the Qin family, she was at most a "gift" sent out to win over people's hearts.
An old wet nurse from Madam Qin's side came to arrange her accommodation. The Qin family had over a dozen legitimate and illegitimate children. Those who were married had their own courtyards, while those who were not married lived together.
The Qin family was not short of money. The girls living together each had a spacious room, with servants to attend to them. Even for an unimportant collateral niece, Madam Qin arranged for two mediocre maids.
Their attitude towards her was indifferent, respectful but not intimate. After helping her put away her luggage, they asked if she had any needs.
Generally, those who arrived midway like her would inquire about the owner's affairs to some extent. However, Zhuo Nian had no intention of doing so. Her body was too frail, and after a day of travel, she was exhausted.
After dismissing the two maids, she retired early.