The afterglow of the setting sun was like a sea of red flames, illuminating the capital in a bright red color.
The brick walls and tiles were inlaid with golden edges facing the setting sun. In the northwest part of the city, there was not only a government office, but also a residential courtyard in Jade Rabbit Alley.
Smoke billowed in the small alley. It was dinnertime, and the aroma of food drifted in the air from every household. The adults who usually sat and chatted in the alley, and the children who ran all over the alley, had all returned home to eat.
Therefore, when Li Xiao pushed open the door of the small courtyard with a plate of fried fruits, what she saw was a quiet and peaceful small alley under the setting sun.
More than half a year ago, her mother was burned to death by the frightened villagers because she revealed her ability to 'telekinesis' in front of the villagers.
She and her brother fled in a hurry, but got separated from him on the way …
She fled with great difficulty, alone, and experienced unimaginable pain and disasters. Only then was she able to come to the capital alive more than two months ago.
She didn't know if her brother had also arrived in the capital.
She stood at the door, wearing loose gray clothes that were like a cloth bag. Her face was covered with a gray cloth. The warmth of the early spring could be seen, but she was still wearing a large dirty gray hat.
She wore unsuitable, sloppy clothes made of coarse cloth, and a hat and cloth that covered almost her entire face. Only a pair of big, round eyes were exposed. They were moist, like a timid little animal.
Recently, there was a rumor in the capital that there was a monster that ate pregnant women. It was especially dangerous at night. Li Xiao, who had just arrived in the capital for a few months, became more cautious.
Although many people didn't believe in the nonsense of 'man-eating monsters', Li Xiao, who was once hunted down as a 'monster', believed in it.
She herself had a strange ability!
Monsters weren't necessarily monsters. Maybe they were people with special abilities like her, her mother, and her brother.
Li Xiao stood at the door of her own house and timidly looked around the alley. Her big eyes blinked.
Seeing that there was no one around, she walked towards the door of her neighbor's courtyard. The way she walked seemed to take a lot of courage.
She held the fried fruits in one hand and knocked on the door with the other.
She knocked very softly, as if she was touching the door … There was no response from the courtyard.
She lowered her head and sighed. Instead, she knocked harder.
"Dong dong dong!" After knocking three times, he decided to go all out and knocked three more times. "Dong dong dong!"
The sound of hurried footsteps came from inside. When they reached the door, the footsteps stopped for a few seconds.
Li Xiao tilted her head and pricked up her ears to listen carefully. She seemed to hear the sound of clothes being tidied. In this courtyard, there lived a robust and handsome young man. Although his appearance was rigid, his eyes were always gentle. He was about nineteen to early twenties.
Li Xiao had once seen him through the crack in the door. The way he strode under the sun was very enviable.
According to the neighbors, he was from the Supreme Court and seemed to be a very powerful official.
Her cheeks were slightly red. She forced herself to stand up straight and stared at the dark red door in front of her.
"Kacha." It was the sound of the door lock sliding open.
"Creak …" The door was pulled open from the inside. A young man stood inside the door, wearing a white gown. The belt around his waist was loosely tied. Half of his long hair was draped over his shoulders, and a few strands were slightly disheveled in front of his chest.
He was indolent and handsome.
"What's the matter?"
The young man's voice was consistent with his appearance. They were both robust, but his tone was elegant and gentle, making people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze.
Were all the officials of the Dali Monastery so gentle and beautiful?
Li Xiao's face became even redder. She lowered her head and handed the porcelain plate she was holding to him. She shyly whispered: "I … I just moved in next door. My name is Li Xiao. This … this is the fruit I fried. Please eat it."
"Ah!"
The man's voice carried a bit of joy. Although Li Xiao's gift wasn't anything good, he felt a lot of positive emotions from Li Xiao's kindness.
He looked at Li Xiao and saw that the little girl was short. She probably only reached up to his chest. He couldn't help but reach out and pat the big hat on her head. He said with a smile: "Thank you. My name is Wang Yi. You can call me Big Brother Wang."
As he spoke, he reached out and took the plate of fried fruit. He even brought it to the tip of his nose to smell it. Then, under Li Xiao's expectant eyes, he revealed an expression that said 'it smells so good, I want to eat it'.
Li Xiao's eyes were sparkling. The ends of her big cat eyes were slightly raised. She had the innocence of a young girl, but also a bit of seductiveness that didn't know about the world.
Wang Yi looked at her and was stunned. He thought for a moment and said: "It's getting late. Go home early. Don't run around."
"Okay." Li Xiao nodded vigorously.
Suddenly, in the shadow of the courtyard behind him, a black shadow seemed to squirm slightly. But when she looked carefully, the black shadow stopped.
She thought for a moment. She must have seen wrongly.
Then, both of them reached out to close the door. Just like that, their fingers touched.
Li Xiao retracted her hand as if she had been electrocuted. Her reaction startled Wang Yi.
But he quickly reacted and said with a smile: "Go back quickly."
After saying that, he closed the door with a smile.
When he closed the door, Wang Yi had already looked into the room. His face hung an even wider smile.
Therefore, he didn't see Li Xiao standing at the door. She was motionless and her eyes looked as if she had seen a ghost.
The dark red wooden door was closed in front of her with a bang. Li Xiao's hands were clasped in front of her chest. Her body language showed that she was in a state of confusion and fear at the moment.
— — When she touched someone's skin, Li Xiao could see what would happen to the other person in the future.
Some were things that would happen a long time in the future. Some were things that would happen immediately. Sometimes, it was things that would happen in the future, even for several days. Sometimes, it was just a fragment of a few seconds.
She had this ability for as long as she could remember.
Pursing her lips, Li Xiao paused for a few seconds in front of Wang Yi's courtyard. Then, she lowered her head and hurried back home.
After closing the courtyard door and locking it, she stood there in a daze. Her gaze unconsciously fell on the wall that was shared with Wang Yi's house.
When she touched Wang Yi's hand, she saw the scene of his future — —
In the dark room, Wang Yi's abdomen was cut open vertically. Blood and internal organs flowed out … — —
Only this scene, hidden in the darkness, was enough to make one's heart jump.
At that time, he was wearing the same clothes as what she had seen just now. It should have happened today.
The sky was dark. Even the oil lamp in the room was not turned on. She could only see his death through the faint moonlight coming in from the courtyard — — It should have happened a few minutes later.
Li Xiao's mind kept repeating that scene. Darkness, blood, and the painful expression on Wang Yi's handsome face … — —
It was a heavy and depressing scene.
Originally, there was still the light of the moon and the mottled shadows. Gradually, dark clouds covered the moon. The entire world was shrouded in darkness and terror.
Li Xiao hurriedly took a few breaths. Her small hands reached out of the overly wide gray sleeves and grabbed the front of her clothes.
Her eyes stared at the simple courtyard, but the scene of Wang Yi's death kept replaying in her mind.
She pulled the front of her clothes, as if the person who was killed was her.
She bit her lower lip. There was no way she could take her eyes off the wall.
She wanted to run into the room and crawl back into her bed!
She looked down at her toes and muttered, "Don't meddle in other people's business. You'll die … … Don't meddle in other people's business. If you expose yourself … … you'll die … … don't meddle in other people's business … …"
His muttering became slower and quieter, and his voice became softer and softer.
… … She thought of the big brother who had smiled at her, patted her head kindly, and used such a gentle voice to tell her not to run around at night. Now, he was about to die in such a miserable way.
In her mind, she still remembered his expression when he sniffed the fried fruits she made. He was really like a big brother, making his little sister laugh.
What about her big brother?
They escaped from the village together and rushed to the capital together to find their family. They ran until they were separated … … Now, she was in the capital, but what about her big brother?
Where was he?
Did he die tragically like Wang Yi?
Tears welled up in her eyes. She held them back and used her sleeves to fiercely wipe her cheeks.
No!
Big brother must be alive!
He must be alive!
She finally pursed her lips and stared at her feet in silence.
It was only a few seconds, but Li Xiao felt like it had been a long time.
Her heart beat faster. She clenched her fists and suddenly turned around. Her two fair hands pressed hard on the lock. Her right hand grabbed the lock handle and pulled it up, then to the right. Her left hand pushed hard — —