"Chirp chirp... chirp chirp..." (???)
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"Did you hear that, Sister Shuihe, what's that sound...?" (Cao Cang Lian)
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Cao Cang Lian tightly clutched Lin Fan Shuihe's clothes, leaning against her back, stiff all over.
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"....Yes, I think I heard it too." (Lin Fan Shuihe)
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Lin Fan Shuihe's answer made Cao Cang Lian even more frightened, her body trembling uncontrollably.
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However, as the two of them stopped moving, the sound disappeared again.
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At this moment, a thought flashed through Lin Fan Shuihe's mind.
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She tentatively took two more steps, sure enough, she heard the "chirp chirp... chirp chirp..." sound again.
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"...The sound is back!!!" (Cao Cang Lian)
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Cao Cang Lian restrained her impulse to scream and whispered to Lin Fan Shuihe.
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"Yes, I heard it too." (Lin Fan Shuihe)
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However, for some reason, Lin Fan Shuihe, who was a little nervous just now, was not nervous anymore.
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There was even a hint of a smile on her face.
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"Although today is my first time at Nijo Castle, I have read in travel articles before about this. "(Lin Fan Shuihe)
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"In the corridors of Ninomaru Palace in Nijo Castle, the floor makes a sound similar to a nightingale's chirp when people walk on it. This is due to the nails on the transverse boards supporting the floor rubbing against each other, making that noise." (Lin Fan Shuihe)
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"The sound in the Honmaru Palace should be the same principle." (Lin Fan Shuihe)
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"The best evidence is that when we are still, the sound disappears, but when we move, the sound comes back." (Lin Fan Shuihe)
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With Lin Fan Shuihe's explanation, Cao Cang Lian gradually stopped being afraid, and her body tremors also ceased.
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Cao Cang Lian took a few steps herself, heard the "chirp" sound, then stopped, took a few more steps, heard the sound again, and stopped.
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This repeated several times.
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Cao Cang Lian became proud.
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"Oh oh oh, so that's how it is!" (Cao Cang Lian)
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"Sister Shuihe, you're such a tease, why didn't you say so earlier, scaring me!" (Cao Cang Lian)
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"Hmph, cursed nails, I'm not afraid now!" (Cao Cang Lian)
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"Let's go!" (Cao Cang Lian)
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Cao Cang Lian, who was shaking like a sieve just now out of fear, now regained her composure, swaying her little butt, proudly walking in the front.
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Later, the two of them arrived at the top floor and finally saw people.
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"Miss Cao Cang, Miss Shuihe, you are both welcomed, please take a seat." (Figure)
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The sudden bright light made it hard for the two to see who was speaking to them, but they could tell it was a female voice.
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Upon reaching the fifth floor, after their eyes adjusted to the light, they saw a woman wearing a suit uniform.
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The entire fifth floor was very spacious, somewhat similar to an attic but much brighter and more spacious.
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The floor had a square structure with spacious sliding doors on all four sides, each leading to a balcony surrounding the entire floor, offering a view of Nijo Castle and even part of Kyoto City through the balcony.
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Just standing and gazing at the scenery was refreshing.
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Inside the castle tower, a slightly long wooden table was set up, along with utensils for three people.
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All the utensils and furnishings seemed to be original to the castle tower, exuding an air of nobility beneath their quaint appearance.
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At each corner of the table stood four women in suit uniforms.
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The most crucial host position was vacant, and looking around, Bai Yaxin's figure was nowhere to be seen.
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"Please take your seats first, Mr. Bai will join us shortly." (Suit Woman)
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"Sure, climbing five floors tired me out..." (Cao Cang Lian)
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"Cao Cang, wait a moment." (Lin Fan Shuihe)
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Before Cao Cang Lian could sit down, she was reprimanded by Lin Fan Shuihe.
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Then, Lin Fan Shuihe said to the suit-clad female server.
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"It's okay, we'll wait for Mr. Bai to arrive before we sit together." (Lin Fan Shuihe)
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To their surprise, right after Lin Fan Shuihe's words, a middle-aged man's hearty laughter came from a corner of the castle tower.
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"Hahaha, it's so nice to see the older sister being so considerate and polite!" (???)
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The person who emerged from the shadows was none other than Bai Yaxin.
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He was dressed in a pure black suit with a blue and white striped tie, walking over calmly.
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"No need to be restrained, let's all sit down." (Bai Yaxin)
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Seeing Bai Yaxin appear, the five women in suit uniforms in the tower all bowed in unison to greet Bai Yaxin and cheerfully called out in unison, "Good afternoon, Mr. Bai!"
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Without prior arrangement and yet achieving such a uniformity, it seemed that these were Bai Yaxin's dedicated staffers.
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To enjoy such treatment on their first meal together, it's no wonder Bai Yaxin has such loyal subordinates.
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"Hello, Mr. Bai." (Lin Fan Shuihe)
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"Mr. Bai, hello!" (Cao Cang Lian)
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"Good good, you two girls, please sit." (Bai Yaxin)
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After Bai Yaxin took his seat at the head of the table, Cao Cang Lian and Lin Fan Shuihe also sat down in turn.
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"You've worked hard to come here." (Bai Yaxin)
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"Yeah, climbing five floors was tiring..." (Cao Cang Lian)
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Before Cao Cang Lian could finish her sentence, Lin Fan Shuihe covered her mouth.
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"Not at all, it's our honor to have lunch with Mr. Bai." (Lin Fan Shuihe)
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Lin Fan Shuihe perfectly portrayed the image of a hardworking elder sister looking after an ignorant and impolite younger sister, so much so that even the veins on her temple seemed to throb with every heartbeat.
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As if she were ready to teach her sister a lesson if necessary.
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Observing this small detail, Bai Yaxin couldn't help but smile.
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"Well, don't worry, relax, treat it as having a meal at your own home." (Bai Yaxin)
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In the midst of the conversation, the servers in suit uniforms had already served hot tea.
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The quality of the tea was evident just by the aroma, refreshing the senses.
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But Cao Cang Lian had no time to appreciate it, as she was still pondering how Bai Yaxin suddenly appeared.
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The design of this castle tower clearly had only one staircase passageway, and Bai Yaxin didn't come up the stairs.
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Did he pre-hide somewhere? The tower appeared spacious with no place to hide.
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That meant there was probably a secret passage.
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With a secret passage, it all made sense.
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With Bai Yaxin's cautious and almost pathological mindset, arranging a private secret passage to deal with emergencies would be nothing out of the ordinary.
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—We hope that everyone participating in this "final mission" will take note of this.
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Cao Cang Lian, who appeared carefree and nerveless on the surface, kept chatting and laughing while her mind raced at high speed.
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To make this "Feast of Hongmen" a true "Feast of Hongmen".
