Rebirth: The Time-locked Girl
Chapter 474 King of Yan sends a message, Heart Protecting Bracelet [2 more updates]

Chapter 474: 474 King of Yan sends a message, Heart Protecting Bracelet [2 more updates]

The box with eight faces hovered in mid-air, blooming like a flower, as six of its sides successively fell down, casting a faint and soft radiance.

Beiming Arts!

Ye Wanlan recognized at a glance that a Beiming Sect’s Art and Method had been left on the Exquisite Eight Treasures Box!

Once the box had fully opened, it fell back into Ye Wanlan’s hands.

What gently fell was an envelope, on which four characters were inscribed.

——Yingyue’s personal letter.

Ye Wanlan hesitated for a moment.

She naturally could recognize that this was indeed the handwriting of the Carefree King.

The Carefree King, Yan Shunhua, was extremely skilled in Zither, Go, Calligraphy, and Painting; his handwriting was unique and peerless at the time for its distinct personality.

No one had expected that what was inside the Exquisite Eight Treasures Box wasn’t the so-called treasures of the Carefree King rumored to exist, but only a letter written by Yan Shunhua to Hua Yingyue.

After a moment of uncertainty, Ye Wanlan still opened the letter.

[Hua Hua, you couldn’t have just seen this letter today, right? I knew it, you definitely wouldn’t bring my Exquisite Eight Treasures Box to your secret base!]

Ye Wanlan frowned slightly.

What connection did the Exquisite Eight Treasures Box have with the secret base?

Her gaze moved downward, continuing to read.

[I asked Xing Yun to set an Art and Method on this item so that it would open automatically when you brought it to your secret base; then, you would see my letter. I said only the blood from my heart could open this box — that was a lie to deceive you, and I didn’t expect you to actually believe it.]

So that was it.

Ye Wanlan came to a realization.

Yan Shunhua probably never anticipated that the casual lie he concocted would spread so wildly outside.

[You should read this letter carefully; after all, I spent an entire day agonizing over what to write.]

Ye Wanlan silently read on.

Within this letter, Yan Shunhua had written quite a few of his innermost thoughts.

There were several incidents she was present for, thus they were deeply imprinted in her memory.

What Yan Shunhua did and said, turned out to be entirely the opposite of what he thought.

[...I might be alone, but I have managed to accumulate quite a bit of wealth, and when I die one day, this money should all be yours. You might spend it on military pay, but you absolutely must not spend it on any man, nor let me know about it, or I’ll surely rise from my grave to curse you. Ah, but those are matters for after death. If one day you truly bring a man to my grave to pay your respects, there’s nothing I can do about it.]

The words were laced with Yan Shunhua’s usual playful banter, yet they also carried absolute sincerity.

Ye Wanlan let out a soft sigh.

Yan Shunhua’s feelings for Hua Yingyue were something she only truly confirmed after reading this letter.

Sometimes, despite countless names on the lips, they are merely a façade to conceal that one etched in the heart.

Unfortunately, this letter never reached Hua Yingyue’s hands.

The great battle that took place, what did it bury if not loyal spirits and heroic souls?

Ye Wanlan folded the letter neatly and placed it back into the envelope, then carefully put away the Exquisite Eight Treasures Box.

She stood up and walked through the secret base, tracing the memories of her past life.

Making an excuse to stroll alone was also to seek others like the one mentioned by Qingyun Pendant.

Even if history were to tear her apart with grief, she had to keep watching.

Only by understanding one’s enemies could one have a greater chance of victory in the future.

"Her Royal Highness the Princess, to your front left!" Qingyun Pendant spoke loudly, "It must be there, please go and have a look."

Jade Luan Pin scoffed, "Don’t lead Her Royal Highness the Princess astray."

Front left?

Ye Wanlan looked up, her eyes narrowing slightly.

She followed the direction Qingyun Pendant suggested, her hand feeling along the wall, searching for a mechanism.

"Click!"

A crisp sound echoed as a secret compartment sprang open, revealing a box.

"I told you I was right, Her Royal Highness the Princess!" Qingyun Pendant said triumphantly, "Our kind is right here."

Ye Wanlan opened the box, and what was inside sent a jolt through her heart: "This is..."

It was the Heart Protecting Bracelet that she had given to Hua Yingyue.

The bracelet was a water-blue color, as if streams flowed within.

Cool to the touch, its jade gleamed with a lustrous shine, a fine quality jade indeed.

"Oh dear, it’s asleep," Qingyun Pendant remarked, "Your Royal Highness the Princess, we’ll have to wait for it to wake up before being able to converse with it."

Ye Wanlan paused for a moment, clearly also somewhat surprised, "You can sleep too?"

"Of course." Qingyun Pendant replied honestly, "I used to sleep for three to four days straight."

Jade Luan Pin added, "Actually, it’s more accurate to say hibernation. Adequate rest allows us to recover energy."

Ye Wanlan nodded, she took off the Heart Protecting Bracelet and slowly put it on her left wrist.

In an instant, a bright white light flourished.

After a few seconds of darkness in her vision, a new historic flashback scene appeared before her eyes.

This was the Qinwang Mansion.

Not the ruins after being destroyed, but the residence when Hua Yingyue was still alive.

Ye Wanlan looked over and saw the woman put down her weapon and walk out of the Training Ground.

She looked up at the sun.

This time indeed was when Hua Yingyue practiced martial arts.

Hua Yingyue returned to her sleeping quarters, about to wash up and change clothes, when a lamp by the head of the bed that had always been turned off suddenly lit up.

A voice came from the lamp, "Is Yingyue there?"

The voice was the familiar chill of Yan Wang Hejia.

"Brother?" Hua Yingyue stopped her steps, "Brother, why did you suddenly use this lamp? Ah Lan said that this lamp only suffices for us to communicate twice."

This lamp was crafted by Han Yunsheng, also imbued with the power of Art and Method, capable of long-distance communication.

The first use of this communication had been exhausted when He Jia alerted her before Princess Yongning’s death.

This was the last time.

Given He Jia’s level of caution, he would not use it recklessly.

Hua Yingyue’s expression also gradually became solemn.

Because both her parents died, she was taken back to the palace by Ning Zhaozong and raised under the care of Princess Jing’an, thus she also called Princess Jing’an ’ adoptive mother’.

And because she grew up with Princess Yongning, she also followed Princess Yongning in calling He Jia ’brother’.

"There’s not much time, listen carefully to me—" He Jia spoke very quickly, "Foreign enemies are invading, Uncle Wang has fallen in battle, you and I must each defend the northwest and the Eastern Wilderness at all costs, we cannot allow them to enter Shenzhou!"

Hua Yingyue had never expected He Jia to drop such a shocking bombshell, she involuntarily exclaimed, "Uncle Wang has fallen?!"

During her childhood when learning martial arts, Xiang Qingtian would come at night to secretly teach her.

He would also talk to her about her parents and older brothers, about how brave they were, and how powerful her mother was.

Xiang Qingtian’s temperament was very peculiar, and she had even seen him draw a turtle on Princess Yongning’s face while she slept.

But undoubtedly, he had always been an elder who cared for the younger generation.

How could he suddenly have fallen in battle?!

The Eastern Wilderness and the Southern Frontier were extremely far apart, after becoming King Qin, Hua Yingyue rarely met with Xiang Qingtian.

"Yes." He Jia said softly, "In the final moment of his life, Uncle Wang used the Secret Method of Thousand-Mile Transmission to inform me of this news, and I immediately alerted you."

"Rest assured, brother." Hua Yingyue took a deep breath, "Even without your words, I would die defending the Eastern Wilderness."

As long as she drew breath, the Eastern Wilderness would not fall.

"Yingyue, and also—" He Jia’s words cut off at this moment.

Hua Yingyue lowered her head and saw that the lampwick inside the lamp had burned out.

Even though she wanted to know what He Jia didn’t finish saying, she had no time to dwell on it. She changed back into her armor, picked up her weapon, and hastily gathered the soldiers in the mansion, heading straight for the border.

"My lord, why suddenly march to battle at this time?" The deputy general still didn’t know what was about to happen, and asked with a smile, "Could it be that some blind foe wishes to invade Shenzhou? That band of thieves, never tired of wrongdoing, yet haven’t they all been driven back by you, my lord?"

"There is, but this time it’s different." Hua Yingyue spoke gravely, "Because the Southern Frontier has fallen."

Upon hearing this, all the soldiers were greatly shocked.

If the Southern Frontier had fallen, it meant the Prince of Chu had died in battle, the Divine Strategy Army had been defeated.

What kind of enemy could be so formidable?

Yet, as much as they were shocked, none showed any sign of weakness.

"Today, may well be our last battle for Shenzhou." Hua Yingyue’s gaze slowly swept across the soldiers present, "If they want to invade the Eastern Wilderness, they must step over our dead bodies first!"

Because the Southern Frontier not only had the Prince of Chu but also the Divine Strategy Army, comparatively speaking, the overall combat strength of the Eastern Wilderness was lower.

Everyone understood that if the Southern Frontier had fallen, then the Eastern Wilderness... had almost no chance of victory.

This was a battle they knew was doomed to fail.

But a battle they must still fight.

If they did not fight, even more civilians would suffer and die.

Firelight had already appeared on the horizon, and the thunderous roar spread from the depths of the skies, shaking the eardrums.

This aligned with what He Jia had described, the enemy... had arrived.

Hua Yingyue gripped the long whip in her hand, she looked up, "For Shenzhou."

Behind her, tens of thousands of soldiers shouted in unison, "For Shenzhou!"

Even in the face of certain death, they had no regrets!