unedited
Nangong Lie looked at Murong Fuyao as he uttered, "Whoever obtains the Dream Spirit pearl shall obtain the world."
Her mouth twitched. "Then, you must tell me what it looks like."
He shook his head. "I haven't seen it. The Dream Spirit pearl is a priceless treasure. Only those who obtained it know of its appearance."
She blinked twice. "Are you telling me to look for something that I have no idea what it looks like?"
He stayed silent a moment before explaining, "That pearl is a divine object. It is different from ordinary treasure. Its main characteristic is it could shine."
She contemplated the problem a bit before nodding. "Good. I have a bit of an idea."
A hint of frustration flashed through his eyes. If it was before, she would have called him Brother Lie. However, now, her attitude was completely estranged.
When she noticed how daze he was, she spoke in a discontented tone. "Why are you still here? If people discover you, we will be done for."
Nangong Lie suddenly felt a pang of heartache. His Yao'er not only became a stranger. She even urged him to leave. His expression became tensed.
"Yao'er, I'll come to find you on another day."
He jumped out of the window as soon he was done speaking.
Time passed quickly. As the sun set, the bedroom door was pushed open.
Nangong Huo strode in. He swept the room a glance before his gaze fell on the woman on the bed. "Milady, there is a banquet in the imperial palace tonight. You…"
His words were interrupted by a fit of coughs. "Milord, I apologize but the sudden sickness made me unsuitable to attend the banquet. I am affected by the illness and can't get out of bed. Cough! Cough! Cough!"
He scowled a bit. "Rest well then." He turned around and left the room.
She snicked inside of her. How easy to fool him!
In fact, even if she couldn't complete the mission Nangong Lie assigned to her, he could not hold her accountable. However, for the sake of her curiosity, she would complete it. After all, it was said that whoever possessed the Dream Spirit pearl would hold the world in his hands. How could anyone resist such a temptation?
As night fell, Murong Fuyao slipped out of her room in black clothing, merging with the darkness as she traveled inside the estate.
With such a great opportunity to search without impunity, she decided to go into Nangong Huo's room first. Unfortunately, she found nothing. Then, she left for his study room. The result was also the same. Discouraged, she sat on the rooftop, a hand propping her chin in the same posture as the Thinker.
Where could that hidden door be? Should it be located in a place a person frequently stayed at? Nangong Huo passed most of his time in his bedroom and study room, but why can't she find any clue there?
"Kyah! Why are there melon seeds shell falling on my head?" A maidservant standing in front of the house touched her hair and picked up two melon seed shells.
Immediately, Murong Fuyao plastered herself on the roof, not daring to make a move.
Another maidservant giggled. "It must be from when you ate the melon seeds early today."
When she saw the two girls leaving, Murong Fuyao let out a sigh of relief. The melon seed shells was her doing. She was snacking while on a break and spat out the remaining which fell on the unfortunate girl.
She went back to work. After searching half of the estate, she still couldn't find anything.
She was getting tired and her stamina was drained from the efforts, leaving her panting for breath. She was taking another break when a realization suddenly hit her. She hadn't searched her room yet. What more, since it was her room, she didn't need to be cautious at all. After she came back to her room, she overturned everything she could, and finally, she found a suspicious hidden mechanism.
[][][]