Rebirth: The Time-locked Girl
Chapter 151 Who dares to touch Princess Yongning’s belongings? [1st update]

Chapter 151: 151 Who dares to touch Princess Yongning’s belongings? [1st update]

Sheng Yunyi thought, if Ye Wanlan were dead, then there wouldn’t be a second person who could compete with her for Jiang Circle resources based on beauty and appearance.

Guided by Madam Sheng’s teachings, she was accustomed to observing words and expressions, and she naturally noticed that Zhou Hechen’s attitude towards Ye Wanlan was starting to change and soften.

After mingling in the Jiang Circle for so many years, she understood these young masters and clearly knew their flawed nature—

The things they can’t have are the best; once obtained, they immediately lose their meaning.

Over the years, she had always acted upon this truth.

It just never occurred to her that Ye Wanlan, too, had learned the same tactic from somewhere and kept feigning disinterest.

Sheng Yunyi could not help but brace herself, but before she could deal with Ye Wanlan, Ye Wanlan was already dead?

While she felt relieved, she also had some worries; after all, no one could compete with a dead person.

She only hoped that after Ye Wanlan’s death, it wouldn’t block her path to climbing higher.

Sharing the same thoughts but with different logic, Madam Qin let out a long sigh of relief.

After several encounters with Ye Wanlan, almost every time she suffered a crushing defeat. During their last confrontation, even her own son, Qin Xian, could not be saved.

Even more so, Ye Wanlan had barely shown her face before she sent Qin Xian to prison.

Madam Qin was still unaware of the relationship between Ye Wanlan and Bureau 723, but it didn’t matter; she only needed to be cautious and avoid going against Ye Wanlan.

Of course, she would absolutely not share this with the other families in Jiangcheng.

What a joke, no matter how much she socialized with Madam Zhou on normal days, they were still competitors; why would she give away hard-earned intelligence voluntarily?

She would love for the Zhou Family and the other families to fiercely contend with Ye Wanlan, while she, the Qin Family, could sit back and profit from their conflict.

Madam Zhou didn’t know what the two were thinking, but her feelings towards Ye Wanlan were nothing but distaste and mostly indifference, "What goes around comes around. Coveting what does not belong to oneself for too long will invite lightning strikes."

"Madam is right," Steward Zhou chuckled, "This Miss Ye had quite the skill, making the Young Master thunder with rage several times. Now that she’s gone, the Young Master doesn’t have to think about it anymore."

Madam Zhou hummed indifferently, "Such a small household yet so many thoughts."

At first, she was worried that Zhou Hechen might really marry Ye Wanlan into the Zhou Family, but that worry was now utterly gone.

The smile on Sheng Yunyi’s face was somewhat stiff; she pursed her lips, her gaze becoming a shade darker.

Things she shouldn’t be thinking about...

"Aunt Zhou, Aunt Qin," Sheng Yunyi stood up, polite and respectful, "My mother is looking for me, I’ll take my leave first."

"Go ahead," Madam Zhou waved her off, then called Steward Zhou, "How is the investigation of Heyuan’s car accident going?"

Hearing this, Madam Qin narrowed her eyes slightly.

"It’s still underway," Steward Zhou hurriedly replied, "but indeed, it’s quite challenging, especially since it’s been over two years."

Madam Qin asked casually, "How come you suddenly started investigating the car accident?"

Madam Zhou replied vaguely, "Heyuan has been unconscious and I just wanted to find something to do, otherwise I really couldn’t stand it."

Madam Qin nodded and slowly drank her tea.

Meanwhile, Sheng Yunyi returned to the Sheng Family and reported everything that had happened today to Madam Sheng.

"You did well," Madam Sheng said indifferently, "Now that the only threat to you has disappeared, as long as Zhou Hechen is convinced that you are his lifesaver, he will always treat you well, and you can get more resources from him."

Sheng Yunyi nodded obediently, "Yes, mom, I will do as you say."

Affection?

Sheng Yunyi pulled at the corners of her lips.

That elusive thing—what compares to the tangibility of status and power?

She just wanted to climb higher; she wasn’t doing anything wrong.

**

In the darkness, Ye Wanlan and Yan Tingfeng continued their journey.

"Miss Ye, we are about to get out," Yan Tingfeng’s arm tightened, preventing the person on his back from slipping off, "Are you alright?"

"Very good, just extremely hungry," Ye Wanlan closed her eyes, "I’m mentally reciting dish names."

Yan Tingfeng was taken aback, clearly not expecting someone with Ye Wanlan’s personality to say something so adorable.

After a few seconds, he couldn’t help but break into a grin, "So, what dishes would you like? Tell me, it might make you feel a bit better."

"Sweet and sour pork ribs, silver fungus and lotus seed soup, braised chicken with chestnuts, tofu with egg wrapped meat..." Ye Wanlan listed the dishes unhurriedly, "And a few bowls of rice too."

The Qingyun Pendant muttered, "Her Royal Highness’s tastes have changed from before; wouldn’t that mean Lord Prince Yan will have to learn new dishes all over again?"

After walking for some time more, the stones above loosened, and suddenly the light shone brightly.

"We’re out, we’re out!"

"We’re here, no need to search anywhere else."

For Yan Tingfeng, the erstwhile Supreme Martial Arts Master, this height was nothing.

After all, he was only sealed in ice and asleep for three hundred years by an Art and Method; his body was still the same, and his martial arts foundation had not been lost.

With a light tap of his toe, he effortlessly leaped onto the ground.

"Young Master!" Bing He exclaimed in surprise, "You’ve finally come out, and Miss Ye—"

Yan Tingfeng glanced at him, signaling him to be silent, and spoke faintly, "She just fell asleep; I will take her back, and you can call off Bureau 723."

Bing He immediately clamped his mouth shut and nodded.

With steady arms, Yan Tingfeng walked towards the tent area.

At this time, Lin Huaijin, Khor Peiqing, and Lin Wenli had also arrived, accompanied by Jiang Zhengxue. The four had flown in on Jiang Zhengxue’s private plane, which allowed them unfettered access.

"Wanlan!"

"Sister Lan, Sister Lan!"

"Ah Lan?!"

Seeing Ye Wanlan being carried out on Yan Tingfeng’s back, Lin Huaijin quickly stepped forward, anxiously examining her injuries: "Are you hurt? Why is there such a big gash on your hand?"

"Uncle, I’m fine," said Ye Wanlan, who had woken up three seconds ago. "Why did you come over without giving a heads-up?"

"What kind of thing is that to say?" Lin Huaijin glared at her. "We’re family. How could I rest easy knowing you’re in trouble?"

Ye Wanlan’s heart was moved, and her expression softened.

To reassure Lin Huaijin, she said, "Uncle, I want to eat something."

"Got it, got it," Lin Huaijin promptly revealed a thermal container. "Your aunt is so thoughtful; worried you might be hungry, she even made your favorite sweet and sour pork ribs."

Ye Wanlan was about to reach for the spoon when Khor Peiqing held her back: "Your hand is injured, let me do it."

Her crescent-shaped eyes smiled: "Thank you, Aunt, you’re the best."

Khor Peiqing didn’t say a word, and merely opened the thermal container.

Bing He and Tie Ma, following Yan Tingfeng’s instructions, pushed over a cart full of items.

Then, Lin Huaijin could only watch, eyes wide, as Ye Wanlan polished off more than a dozen dishes.

Lin Huaijin: "..."

When had his niece become such a voracious eater!

Having eaten with Ye Wanlan several times at Jiangcheng University’s cafeteria, Lin Wenli had grown accustomed to her appetite.

Outside, Bing He continued to report to Yan Tingfeng: "We haven’t traced the tomb robbers yet; they’ve been very cautious. The equipment around Yan Mountain has failed, making the search quite difficult."

"Hmm," Yan Tingfeng responded indifferently, "keep looking until they’re found."

"Yes, Young Master!" Bing He saluted. "The elite squad from Agency 723 has already left, but their captain complained to me about not getting to see you."

Yan Tingfeng lifted his eyes slightly: "I will be back in a while, and give them extra training."

Bing He: "..."

He silently mourned for his brothers before moving on to pop a bottle of champagne to celebrate.

Finally, he wouldn’t be the one suffering!

**

After replenishing her energy with a meal, Ye Wanlan took a rest for a while, and her strength recovered considerably.

She went out for a walk; at this moment, the sun had already set, leaving only the afterglow of the sunset.

The Qingyun Pendant suddenly spoke: "Your Highness, I sense the location of the Tongxin Pendant!"

Ye Wanlan raised an eyebrow: "You have such an ability?"

"Hehe, after all, the Tongxin Pendant and I were born from the same mother, of course, I can sense it," said the Qingyun Pendant proudly, "but perhaps, it’s not as smart as me and can’t speak."

Ye Wanlan remained noncommittal.

She had been to several museums and seen many antiques, some even older than the Qingyun Pendant, but none had shown any sign of speaking.

She could ascertain that there must be a trigger for an antique to speak.

What exactly that trigger was, she couldn’t yet guess, given there was only one example of the Qingyun Pendant.

Ye Wanlan nodded: "Alright, where is it? Let’s go."

The tomb robbers hadn’t been found nor had they shown themselves, but she was eighty percent sure they were at the location of the Tongxin Pendant.

"This way, yes, that’s right," the Qingyun Pendant said excitedly, "rest assured, Your Highness, we will be the ones to find the Tongxin Pendant!"

At this very moment, inside a cave.

"Boss, the trapdoor is halfway open, but we can’t move it any further," said a young man, sweating profusely. "We have been here for two months and haven’t gotten any good items."

"Stop talking, keep your cool," commanded a middle-aged man as he approached, "give me a glove, I’ll feel my way in."

After putting on the glove, he carefully felt his way into a small hole, and indeed touched something very hard.

The middle-aged man didn’t get greedy and immediately pulled back his hand.

In the palm of his hand lay a jade pendant.

"The Tongxin Pendant!" The middle-aged man recognized the jade pendant at once, overjoyed, "This is Princess Yongning’s Tongxin Pendant!"

The Dragon Stone Type jade, embellished with gold, shone brilliantly even in the dark, as radiant as a myriad of stars.

At the very center of the pendant was carved a phoenix, surrounded by a flying dragon, with an outer ring of ancient openwork craftsmanship.

Such workmanship is no longer possible to replicate in modern times.

History books had once described Princess Yongning’s Tongxin Pendant, complete with restoration drawings.

Now, seeing the real item in front of him was a completely different impact.

The middle-aged man didn’t dare to imagine the astronomical price he could fetch if he transported the Tongxin Pendant out of the country, not to mention the selling point that Princess Yongning had worn it from a young age.

He wiped the dust off the Tongxin Pendant: "Pack it up, we can pull out now."

Then, a voice whispered behind him: "Hasn’t anyone told you that you shouldn’t move cultural relics?"