The Jiyang Galaxy had no sunlight in the early morning. The purple sky hung low, exuding a tranquil beauty.
Jiang Lijin sat in a wicker chair in the courtyard, holding a cup of tea that had gone completely cold.
Xiao Yi's abnormal behavior last night kept her worried. The main system losing contact, a system feeling tired—these anomalies all reminded her that the situation was far more complex than she had imagined.
This spiraling out of control was extremely frustrating.
She didn't initiate contact with Xiao Yi again. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but rather that she was afraid of disturbing its rest.
When this thought popped up, Jiang Lijin herself found it absurd. Since when did she start having this "fear of disturbing" a string of code?
Code didn't need rest, code didn't get tired, and code wouldn't say "I'm so sleepy" in a pitiful tone.
But Xiao Yi would.
A steaming cup of black tea was pushed to her hand, replacing the cold tea.
Chiron, wearing a well-tailored shirt, had returned to his gentle and refined appearance, looking like a completely different person from the madman on the table earlier.
He pulled out the chair next to her and sat down, holding a printed briefing in his hand.
"Tinia has released the second batch of evidence," Chiron turned a page, his voice warm and steady. "The Empire's Information Control Bureau can't ban accounts as fast as they are buying trending topics. Yunlan Group is burning money."
Jiang Lijin didn't reply. She picked up the hot tea and took a sip.
Chiron turned his head, his gaze pausing for a moment on the dark circles under her eyes.
"Didn't sleep well?"
"It was alright." Jiang Lijin leaned back against the chair, too lazy to explain.
What could she say? Say that her bound system had a problem, that it might not be a string of code but some unknown entity? Say that no one in the entire galaxy could help her answer this question?
She couldn't say it, and saying it would be meaningless anyway.
The courtyard door was pushed open.
Tianyan walked in front, twirling a folding knife in his hand. His fingers moved deftly, and the blade flashed under the purple skylight. Tianque followed half a step behind, with white hair and red eyes, his whole person exuding a freezing aura that kept strangers away.
"Boss." Tianyan's green eyes darted between the two, instantly noticing the irritation between Jiang Lijin's brows.
"This courtyard is too stuffy, do you want to go out for a stroll? There's a market today, it's quite lively."
Before Jiang Lijin could speak, Chiron closed the briefing.
"That sounds good. I'll go with you."
Tianyan's movements paused, and the blade retracted into its sheath with a crisp snap.
"The Director is busy with a myriad of affairs every day, so you shouldn't join in this kind of fun." He walked over with a smile and slapped an encrypted storage drive onto the stone table. The force was neither light nor heavy, just enough to make a crisp sound of metal hitting stone.
"Just intercepted internal communications. Those old geezers at the Academy of Sciences are trying to shift the blame, pouring the dirty water of the live experiments onto your uncle's head." Tianyan raised his chin, looking at Chiron with a beaming smile. "No one else can handle this matter except you."
Chiron glanced at the storage drive but didn't move.
"Just some petty tricks. They can't make any waves," Chiron's tone was steady.
But his fingertips pressed down on the cover of the briefing, his grip tightening slightly.
Jiang Lijin put down the teacup in her hand with a soft thud.
"Go do your work." She looked at Chiron, her tone leaving no room for negotiation. "Business is important. There can't be any mistakes on the main planet's side. If your uncle's position at the Academy of Sciences is shaken, it will be disadvantageous for us too."
Chiron stared at the storage drive for two seconds, then glanced at Jiang Lijin.
He knew very well that Tianyan did this on purpose. Choosing this exact moment to take out the intel, neither early nor late, right at the crucial juncture when he was about to accompany Jiang Lijin out.
But what Jiang Lijin said was also true; he really couldn't ignore his uncle's situation.
"Pavilion Master Tianyan has gone to a lot of trouble," Chiron's voice was low.
"It's only right." Tianyan smiled heartlessly. "We're all in the same boat, dividing the work and cooperating. I'll accompany the Director to study the intel, and let Tianque accompany the boss to relax. How reasonable."
Chiron didn't argue further.
He stood up, walked to Jiang Lijin's side, and bent down to pick up a light jacket from the back of the chair, casually draping it over her shoulders. His fingertips lingered on her shoulder for less than a second, as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately he just adjusted her collar.
"Come back early." These words were spoken very softly.
Jiang Lijin pulled the jacket closer, nodded, and stood up directly to walk outside.
Tianque followed without a word, his white hair fluttering in the wind.
Tianyan watched the two leave the courtyard, then turned back to meet Chiron's extremely ascetic face, his smile deepening a fraction.
"Come on, Lord Director." He sat down by the stone table and pushed the storage drive in front of Chiron. "Let's work some overtime."
Chiron stared at him for a full three seconds, then sat down.
...
Outside the courtyard was a broad street paved with bluestone slabs.
Tianque walked on Jiang Lijin's right side, half a step behind. This was an extremely standard bodyguard position, able to respond to emergencies without creating a sense of pressure for the person in front.
Before their eyes were antique wooden buildings, sharing the same stylistic lineage as Tianyan's mansion, with flying eaves and interlocking brackets, arranged in a picturesque disorder.
Crystal lanterns emitting warm light hung in front of every household, their orange halos looking exceptionally gentle beneath the purple sky.
People came and went on the street. Stalls sold steaming pastries, strangely shaped alien fruits, as well as wood carvings and daily necessities.
The sounds of hawking, haggling, and spatulas stir-frying mixed together, noisy but not grating.
Children chased and played at the street corners, laughing endlessly. They even saw a few elderly people with animal ears sitting under the eaves, smoking dry tobacco with smiles on their faces, while dried unknown plants hung on the wall behind them.
An alien little girl with small wings on her back ran past Jiang Lijin, hugging a fluffy blue ball in her arms, smiling to reveal a missing front tooth.
How was this a heinous capital of crime? It was clearly a peaceful and harmonious utopia!
"This is your black market?" Jiang Lijin stopped walking, her tone carrying undisguised astonishment.
"Mm," Tianque replied. Here, he was much more relaxed, no longer as vigilant as he was on the main planet.
Passing by a snack stall, a spicy meat aroma drifted through the air. The sweetness of the sauce and the charred fragrance of the charcoal fire mixed together, so rich that it made people unable to walk away.
Jiang Lijin's footsteps paused, her gaze locking onto the steaming grill.
The stall owner was a kind-faced, plump middle-aged man wearing a faded apron, skillfully flipping and roasting meat skewers on the iron griddle. The moment the sauce was brushed on, it sizzled, and white smoke wrapped in fragrance wafted straight into people's faces.
A familiar voice suddenly popped into her mind.
[Host, what... what kind of meat is that? It smells so good.]
Xiao Yi was awake.
Jiang Lijin raised an eyebrow slightly. This little thing was supposed to be resting, but upon smelling food... no, it couldn't smell at all; upon sensing food, it automatically revived.
[Weren't you resting?]
[I've rested enough... I definitely didn't automatically boot up because I smelled meat...] Xiao Yi's voice was a bit more energetic than last night, but only a bit.
Just as Jiang Lijin was about to reach for her optical computer to pay, a hand had already handed over a piece of rare metal.
"Two portions." Tianque spoke, his voice cold and his enunciation perfectly clear.
The plump vendor took the metal coins, looking up at the expressionless Tianque, who exuded a murderous aura. Instead of being afraid, he chuckled and stuffed two extra skewers of meat into the bag.
"You are a handsome young man. From out of town, aren't you?" The vendor nimbly arranged the meat skewers on greaseproof paper, packed them into a paper bag, and handed it over, chattering enthusiastically. "Our place here is remote, but it is peaceful! You have definitely come to the right place. Outside, those Federations and Empires are fighting and capturing people every day. If it were not for the Pavilion Master's protection, exiles and foreigners like us would have died on the mining planets long ago."
The vendor wiped the grease from his hands and pointed to the purple sky overhead, his eyes full of gratitude. "Although none of us have ever seen what the Pavilion Master looks like, he turned this blind spot into a sanctuary. As long as you follow the rules, anyone can live a good life here. Isn't that wonderful?"
Tianque took the paper bag, listening to someone praise his own biological brother to his face without any expression, not even blinking an eye.
He and Tianyan never appeared in public. Even on their own turf, the number of people who knew their true identities could be counted on one hand.
Tianque handed one of the portions to Jiang Lijin.
Jiang Lijin took the meat skewer and took a bite. The meat was firm and springy, and the spices were layered perfectly, offering a spicy kick with a hint of lingering sweetness.
[Host, Host! Is it good? What does it taste like? Is it spicy? Is the meat tender? Is it chewy?] Xiao Yi fired off a string of questions.
[It is spicy and quite tender. It is a bit like the roasted lamb skewers from the Blue Planet, but firmer than lamb.] Jiang Lijin replied in her mind, taking another bite.
[Boohoo, I really want to eat it too... If only I could share my Host's sense of taste...]
Listening to its words, the corners of Jiang Lijin's lips curled up slightly.
