[Vol. 1] Chapter 23 - A Bulge in the Robes
Psshh. Psshh.
She applied the perfume all over herself.
The smell of overwhelming, thick, sharp citrus assailed her nose. Her nose crinkled, but she had no choice. She had to cover up her identity.
Based on her interactions with Chen Mingyuan and from this perfume, that girl's intention was probably to make it seem like the original body was trying too hard.
"Thank you, great ancestor," she thanked Chen Mingyuan. Inadvertently, her rival had helped her a lot.
Now came the real mission. She believed Lu Xiashi wouldn't be arriving anytime soon.
The golden rule of any game: never, ever skip searching for hidden loot. Thinking of this, a Cheshire cat-like grin spread across her face.
She considered herself someone who knew this game like the back of her hand. If she wanted to survive, aside from training herself, artifacts and items could increase her chances!
Loot, loot, loot~!
Closing the door behind her, she looked left and right cautiously.
To the left, the path led upward toward the peaks, the proving grounds, the misty trials.
To the right, the path led downward toward Elder Guang's place.
"Where is the kitchen..." she muttered under her breath. That's right, the kitchen. Her first stop. The kitchen was where she'd find loot.
grumble.
Definitely for the loot.
Like a headless fly, she walked around.
BANG!
She flinched and turned toward the source of the sound. The familiar training ground. She only frowned before turning her attention back to finding the kitchen.
Very well then. Information gathering!
There were some servants around, going about their work. She approached one of the maidservants and asked, "Where is the kitchen?"
The senior maidservant almost peed herself before answering, "To answer the young miss, the kitchen area is by the servant quarters!"
It seemed the heavens thought she wasn't suffering enough already and had sent a great buddha to cross her path—that buddha being this young miss Xiaolan.
It was early morning and clearly not time for food delivery yet. The maidservant, Sister Hong, worried that this young wolfcub would be aggressive so early in the day, said,
"Do you want me to prepare food for you, young miss?"
It couldn't be helped. Sister Hong was very familiar with this young miss. After all, Lin Xiaolan's past great deeds were so "great" they'd make even a veteran like her tremble.
"Just lead the way. I'll deal with things myself."
Xiaolan answered while observing the senior maidservant's expression in front of her.
This was the same maidservant who had taken her laundry when she first transmigrated. Practically the first face she saw in this world.
Sister Hong's face paled as if her lifeline were being held. Technically, it really was. If a young Alpha heir were injured while with her, the one to face punishment would be her!
However, Xiaolan's eyes squinted at her so intensely that she couldn't protest. With an expression as if prepared to die, she led the young miss to the servant area.
The servant area was located a short distance from the heir's residence. Xiaolan noticed that the servant quarters weren't in one whole area but were divided and distributed so servants could serve more easily.
And nearby one servant quarter was specifically the kitchen.
"Thanks," Xiaolan thanked the maid and said, "You can go now. I don't want to hold up your work."
Sister Hong had an expression as if looking at a stranger. She had experienced so many shocking things in just one day. The young miss, Xiaolan, whom she considered quite familiar with, said... thank you?
Alphas were prideful by nature, and it was rare for "thank you" or "sorry" to be heard, especially from the arrogant young miss in front of her.
Sister Hong snapped out of her state and hurriedly bowed, then left in urgency. She had once heard rumors about an eerie scream just yesterday, late afternoon when the sun was almost gone. Had some creature replaced the young miss?
Xiaolan scratched her own cheek, looking at the fleeing back. She came to a deep realization.
Had she gone out of character? Ah! She'd have to try and learn more about the original body...
But first, she looked at the building in front of her.
With a shhhkkk, she slid open the kitchen door and immediately went into scavenging mode.
She rummaged through cabinets only to find spices and various ingredients, peered inside paper lanterns, and then started checking every pot.
A shadowy figure pushed themselves against the wall, adapting a pose of such dramatic stillness they could have been a garden gnome trying to blend in, holding their breath. Why is someone here?!
Not a single pot was left unopened. Most were filled with water or spice powders, but finally, in an empty pot, Xiaolan found a pendant! "Aha~! Loot!"
Too bad there was no system to tell her what it was, but she pocketed it anyway. It was a waist sash pendant, deep red and frayed at the ends, rotting away from years of casual wear.
She felt a cold sensation seeping through.
"Holy! Is this... yin energy?" Oh my god, oh my god! Brimming with excitement, this discovery made her want to explore even more.
The spy's eyes narrowed as they felt the faint, cold feel of yin energy from the pendant. A cultivator's artifact? In a kitchen pot?
Seeing her looking around like some stray cat that had just heard the 'pspsps' of impending doom made them stiffen. Aaaahhh! The intel!
While Xiaolan was distracted by her loot, the spy moved. Silent as a ghost, they slipped to another pot, retrieved the copied security schedules and Lin family profile.
Swiftly, and completely unaware of the figure now on the ceiling holding on for dear life, Xiaolan combed every inch and cranny until she had practically stripped the entire kitchen bare of all hidden loot!
Only when Xiaolan left did the shadow figure fall with a thud onto the ground. No matter what, they had to find another place to hide the intel.
***
"Since we're still in the early stage, all this loot is probably low-grade," she muttered, staring at the pile of items she'd gathered.
Sitting in a lotus position in front of her were: a cracked bronze mirror disc, a tuanshan fan, a pair of chopsticks, and some ceramic teacups.
It was hard to tell if they were actual loot or just... ordinary junk.
"Young Miss!" a voice cut through her loot-sorting trance. Xiaolan looked up to see an adult guy striding toward her. Huh? He knows me?
Quick! Hide the loot!
With a flurry of motion, she scooped all the items into the folds of her robes, the fabric bulging suspiciously. She smoothed her expression into what she hoped was nonchalant composure.
"Yes~?" she chirped, her voice a little too high.
"Where were you?! Why are you not in your room?" the man asked, his tone a mix of frustration and genuine worry.
"Young miss Xiashi is waiting for you. You'll be late!"
She looked up at the figure properly. He had broad shoulders and a sturdy posture. A guard, perhaps?
"Young Miss," he said, sighing heavily at her obvious confusion.
"Elder Guang informed you yesterday to prepare yourself for her visit."
"Remind me again?" Xiaolan chuckled nervously.
With each step, her face contorted into a constipated expression, desperately trying to keep the jumble of treasures hidden in her robes from clattering to the ground.
"Didn't you say you prepared yourself yesterday? Xiashi is your cousin, and she will be staying here." The man grumbled.
His look plainly stated that there should be limits to even her brand of disrespect.
Xiaolan could practically read the word "disrespect" scrolling across his forehead. Clank. Clank. The items in her robes chimed in agreement.
"Ah! I'll go ahead and see her!" she exclaimed, excusing herself quickly in a desperate bid to escape before she aroused any more suspicion.
"Young Miss!" the guard called after her. "Miss Xiashi is in receiving hall!"
Receiving hall! Pah! As if she was going to march straight there. She needed to stash her loot first!
Spotting that the guard hadn't followed her, Xiaolan seized the chance and ducked behind a decorative screen, her eyes scanning for a hiding spot.
Her gaze fell upon a maid crouched by the koi pond, the hem of her attire splattered with mud. A maidservant!
Miscalculation! There was nowhere else to hide the loot! The pots? They were already overflowing with her earlier "findings." The baskets? All earmarked for laundry! Gah!
Then she recognized the face. Wasn't this A-Ling? A plan, desperate and brilliant, formed in her mind. She'd just bribe her!
A-Ling, a maid with wide, anxious brown eyes and hair neatly tied into a bun, froze. Her simple, pale uniform and apron did little to hide her nervous energy.
"Ah! Young Miss?" A-Ling gasped, her eyes widening comically as they fixed on the very prominent and suspicious bulge distorting Xiaolan's robes.
Without a second thought, Xiaolan unraveled her robes, which from any other standpoint would have looked like she was about to do something utterly scandalous and suggestive.
And it was. Worse, it had been seen. From the shadows, a figure saw it all. It was Lu Xiashi.
"A-ah—!" Xiashi cut her own gasp short, slapping a hand over her mouth as she shrank behind a large decorative urn.
This was supposed to be a simple walk in the yard, not an intrusion into some kind of play... and a scandalous one, at that.
In the world of subtle poisons and political intrigue, this was the equivalent of setting oneself on fire to get someone's attention.
An assortment of cracked mirrors, fans, chopsticks, and ceramic cups tumbled forth, held precariously in the fabric she'd made into a makeshift sling.
"Quick, A-Ling!" Xiaolan hissed, her eyes wild. "Hold out your apron!"
A-Ling stared, mouth agape, as the young mistress dumped a small mountain of suspicious items into her outstretched apron.
A cracked bronze mirror, a worn fan, several chopsticks, and a set of chipped teacups clattered together in the soiled fabric.
"Keep them safe!" Xiaolan commanded, her voice a frantic whisper.
"Don't let anyone see them! Especially not a tall, grumpy guard!"
Before the stunned maid could form a single question, Xiaolan was already spinning her around by the shoulders and giving her a light shove toward the servants' quarters.
"Go, go, go! I'll find you later! There will be a reward! A big one!"
...A reward? Xiashi's mind whirred. With what funds? With what influence?
A-Ling scurried away, clutching the jangling, lumpy apron to her chest, utterly bewildered but conditioned to obey.
Due to Xiaolan's constant tinkering and looting, her robes were in an unseemly state. She fixed herself up.
Her long dark hair was neatly retied into a simple style that highlighted her sharp, inquisitive brows and bright eyes.
Her clean robes made her fair skin glow, though she already missed the comfortable, practical feel of her forest-green tunic.