Chapter 130: Discovery

Seeing that the little one was sticking to her mother and wouldn’t let go, Pear Blossom stood up and went to Qingmei Village.

It was already too late to go to Meng Village at this hour, so she decided to first arrange for some manpower.

There would be two groups: one would go to Meng Village with her tomorrow morning, and the other would be led by Dalinzi to look for people according to the teacher’s list.

Although Pear Blossom already had a solution for the salt mine issue, she couldn’t let anyone know about the existence of the system, so there were still some appearances to be maintained.

By the time she returned from the village, night had fallen.

Since it was a rest day, the kitchen maids had the day off as well, so dinner was prepared in the backyard by herself.

Xinghua, Cui’er, and Yuer worked together to prepare a hearty dinner.

The little one hadn’t seen her mother for a long time and even needed to be fed by Dong Yun herself.

Dong Yun had been busy for over a month without much rest. Today, with her daughter back, she forced herself to relax and played with her a bit before and after dinner. They ran around the yard for a short while, finally giving her old limbs some exercise.

The mother and daughter were very happy together, enjoying the moment.

Meanwhile, at the Yue Lai Inn, Li Lianxin sat at a table, her maid wiping her hair.

“Madam, the city of Jinyang is so dilapidated, the population is sparse, and most of the people are poor. They don’t need much salt. Why did the master insist on sending you here?” the maid asked, puzzled.

Li Lianxin sneered. “The salt route is just a cover. My dear father isn’t after just these trifles. Of course, money is always welcome.”

The maid was even more confused. “Then what is the master really after?”

“Yinzhou is an important hub connecting Toubei and Tounan, and Jinyang County has a strategic location. Li Xuan just wants to use the salt route to build connections with the counties of Yinzhou, making it easier to control them in the future and team up with his aunt to grab a share of the profits!”

“You mean his aunt from Xisai?”

“Who else?”

The maid asked, “So, when the master tried to win over Zhang Xiaoshi, was it also for that person?”

Li Lianxin nodded.

The maid continued, “When we passed by Wanyang on the way here, Zhang Xiaoshi seemed indifferent towards you, as if he had lost interest.”

Li Lianxin said, “If nothing unexpected happens, Zhang Xiaoshi has already chosen another master. But I am curious to see who has the ability to make someone like him decisively abandon Li Xuan and choose another path!”

The maid replied, “I think, even if it’s not this person, Zhang Xiaoshi would’ve changed his mind sooner or later. When the four great families, Li, Wu, Gu, and Qian, tried to win him over, they later found him too rough and unrefined. If I were Zhang Xiaoshi, I’d be disheartened too. But if the four families find out he’s found a new master, they might regret it.”

Li Lianxin shook her head. “I don’t know if the four great families will regret it, but Li Xuan certainly won’t be happy. After all, it was he who recommended Zhang Xiaoshi, wanting to push him as the leader of Tuo East. Even though it didn’t work out, the two of them still kept close contact and never broke off. I’m quite eager to see how Li Xuan will react when he finds out Zhang Xiaoshi has betrayed him!”

The maid smiled. “Anything that makes the master unhappy will surely make the madam happy.”

Li Lianxin curved her lips, her eyes cold.

“Remember to submit a letter of introduction to the city lord’s residence tomorrow. We need to pay a visit to this Lord Murong.”

The maid quickly agreed.

---

The next day, Pear Blossom left early, heading to Meng Village before dawn with her team.

The village head had already been notified and was waiting for them at the village entrance. Upon their arrival, there was no unnecessary small talk, and they headed straight into the forest.

After walking for about thirty or forty miles, Pear Blossom’s system became active, pointing out the location of a rich salt mine ten miles away.

They continued walking until the old village head stopped and told them that this mountain was the salt mine from which the villagers could obtain salt when they couldn’t afford to buy it. Upon seeing the scattered, multicolored ores, Pear Blossom furrowed her brows and said to her companions, “Wait here. I’ll go take a look around.”

And upon her inspection, she found a salt mine.

When she notified everyone and began digging out the white crystals from the middle of the mountain, everyone was astonished, and even the old village head couldn’t help but click his tongue in admiration.

“Commander, you really have an eye for spotting things. Even though you’ve never been here before, you managed to find a salt mine right away. Truly impressive.”

Pear Blossom felt a little guilty, replying vaguely, “This salt mine is hard for plants to grow, so it’s easy to identify. It’s just good luck. I happened to spot it while riding around.”

The next steps involved mining and boiling the salt, but since they hadn’t yet found salt workers, Pear Blossom couldn’t make a decision until she reported to Dong Yun. So, after filling a large sack, she returned to Jincheng.

However, she didn’t expect that her secret salt filtering experiment, following the system’s method, would be discovered by Dong Yun.

Dong Yun stared at the pure white salt crystals in front of her, her eyes flashing with complexity.

She turned to look at the kneeling members of the Fog Hidden Army, the same ones who had gone with Pear Blossom to Meng Village, and asked, “The village head of Meng Village said that you found the salt mine just by taking a quick look. Is this true?”

The men, who had never seen her act this way, felt uneasy but still nodded stiffly.

“It’s true. The general entered and spent less than half an hour before he found that salt mine.”

Dong Yun turned her back, and her expression immediately grew cold.

“Alright, I know. You’ve worked hard. You may leave now.”

The group was momentarily unsure of the situation, but they left nervously, unsure of what to make of it.

Dong Yun stood still, her thoughts swirling like a storm.

The details she had once overlooked now replayed in her mind like vivid images.

She felt something was off, especially with Pear Blossom over the past two years. Pear Blossom had shown some truly unbelievable capabilities in certain aspects.

Some of the coincidences seemed too improbable to be mere coincidences!

Like how Old man Liu had been secretly hiding grain, only for her to stumble upon it.

Earlier, when Baihu Villa still existed, she had won a thousand taels of silver at their gambling house simply by using her mental arithmetic skills to count the cards.

There was also the time when she was kidnapped by Zhang Xiaoshi and others; she had somehow managed to find her way back and overheard their plans just in time to solve the problem decisively.

After parting ways with Zhang Xiaoshi, it had been pouring rain. That little cabin, hidden on the mountain and so far away, was practically invisible, and surrounded by dense forest—how did she know there was a hunter’s cabin there?

And when she said she had heard a deer herd nearby that evening, was it really because she had heard it?

She hadn’t thought much about it before, assuming Pear Blossom was reliable and capable. But now, in hindsight, everything seemed too strange.

When she went to find the salt mine, it was as though divine help guided her—she always found it without fail.

She even figured out a method to filter the salt herself and managed to assemble the equipment without any background knowledge. This wasn’t something just anyone could do!

The more she thought about it, the colder she felt, and the more uneasy she became.

The girl she spent every day with seemed to be hiding something from her.

In the middle of the night, she lay in bed with her eyes wide open.

The sound of the door opening gently reached her ears, followed by deliberate, slow footsteps.

As the footsteps neared the bed, she quickly closed her eyes.

The person’s breath came closer, and her lips were soon lightly brushed.

The kiss quickly ended, and the footsteps retreated toward the adjoining room.

After a while, the faint sound of water could be heard—she was bathing.

About fifteen minutes later, the soft sound of footsteps returned. The bed sank slightly as a warm, damp body pressed against her side.

Dong Yun slowed her breathing.

The person lay beside her, turning toward her, their breath tickling her ear. Soon, her cheek was lightly brushed.

A hand took hers and placed it on her stomach, gently following her breathing, rising and falling with it.

It seemed like the person was preparing to sleep.

Dong Yun finally moved, turning to her side.

Pear Blossom sensed her movement and softly called out, “Sister.”

Dong Yun hummed in response.

Pear Blossom, hearing her voice, felt a twinge of desire and wrapped herself around her.

This was a signal of wanting affection, and Dong Yun knew it. But at that moment, her heart was conflicted.

This person had been hiding so many things from her. Had her previous honesty been just an act, or was there some misunderstanding?

Pear Blossom kissed her lips, but when she didn’t receive a response, she assumed she was tired and reluctantly let go.

“Sister, if you’re tired, then sleep well.”

She lay back down and nestled beside her.

The warm breath gently brushed Dong Yun’s neck, as intimate as usual.

Dong Yun’s heart stirred slightly. She lowered her head, and following the direction of the breathing, brushed her lips against Pear Blossom’s.

Pear Blossom froze for a moment, then smiled in delight, leaning in like a puppy, her tongue licking her lips.

Dong Yun’s heart softened. After all these days and nights, wasn’t this what they had been doing, being affectionate and close? If her heart had turned to someone else, she would have noticed.

Even if Pear Blossom was hiding something from her, how could the affection she showed her be fake?

Lost in these thoughts, Dong Yun suddenly felt a chill as the other person had lifted her clothes and was now burying their head there.

The familiar sensation swept over her, and her toes curled in response.

She still remembered the matter she had been thinking about all night and struggled to push her away.

But Pear Blossom didn’t loosen her grip, instead drawing out the moment.

It wasn’t until Dong Yun let out a pained hiss that Pear Blossom finally relented.

“Sister~” Pear Blossom raised her head, looking somewhat unsatisfied.

Dong Yun pulled her clothes together and sat up, saying, “You go light the lamp first.”

Hearing her tone, Pear Blossom realized something was wrong and obediently got up to light the lamp.

When the lamp was lit, she returned to the bed and found Dong Yun leaning against the headboard, staring at her intently.

Pear Blossom’s heart skipped a beat, and the warmth she had felt dissipated by half.

“Sister, what’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?” She asked worriedly, reaching to check Dong Yun’s forehead, afraid she might be sick or unwell.

It wasn’t hot or cold—it seemed fine.

But the gaze Dong Yun was giving her still made Pear Blossom’s heart race.

“I’ll ask you. How did you find the salt mine?”

Upon hearing this question, Pear Blossom’s heart tightened, and she had a sinking feeling. She had been too careless lately, and the system’s secret might be exposed!

“It was an old villager from Meng Village who led me there,” she answered weakly.

Dong Yun replied, “The village chief from Meng Village took you to a small salt mine with a lot of impurities. But you managed to find a larger, purer salt mine on your own. And it wasn’t even open-air. Tell me, how did you know there was such a massive salt mine hidden deep in the mountains, dozens of miles away?”

“Also, those tools and equipment in the left courtyard, those salt grains as white as snow—how did you come up with the method of filtration without the guidance of an experienced salt worker?”

When the other person brought this up, Pear Blossom knew it was over.

Her heart raced, and her mind spun, trying to find a reasonable explanation.

At this moment, No. 9 also sensed the crisis and reminded Pear Blossom in her mind: “Host, we have a confidentiality agreement. You can’t tell anyone about the system!”

Pear Blossom certainly remembered, but now that Dong Yun was suspicious and probing, she needed to give the other person an explanation.

No. 9 added, “Why not just make up a story about having some special skills and brush her off?”

However, before she could speak, Dong Yun suddenly asked, “Are you Pear Blossom?”

The question startled Pear Blossom, and she quickly responded, “Sister, I am Pear Blossom, of course! Who else could I be if not Pear Blossom?”

Dong Yun shook her head, “Pear Blossom isn’t as smart as you, nor as capable. She’s just a silly little girl.”

Pear Blossom was truly panicked now. She rushed forward and hugged Dong Yun’s arm, saying, “Sister, I really am Pear Blossom! I’ve always been silly, you know!”

“You’re not telling the truth. How could Pear Blossom possibly smell the salt mine location from ten miles away? How could she possibly know how to process those poisonous salts into edible fine salt? Who are you really?”

“I am Pear Blossom,” Pear Blossom looked at Dong Yun, gritting her teeth, “Sister, I just have some extra things in my head. Please don’t think of me as a monster, okay?”

Hearing this, Dong Yun knew her earlier suspicion was true—this girl was indeed hiding something!

But at the same time, she felt somewhat nervous.

For a moment, she even wondered if her little girl had been replaced with someone else.

If that were the case, was she still the same girl who had been by her side day and night, obedient to her, and spent nights together in bed, sharing everything?

Pear Blossom, noticing Dong Yun’s silence, grew even more anxious.

She called out urgently, “Sister…”

Dong Yun saw her look, seemingly on the verge of tears, both silly and dazed.

Her gaze and tone were still filled with the usual attachment to herself.

“When did those things start appearing in your head?”

Pear Blossom thought for a moment, “More than a year ago.”

Upon hearing this, Dong Yun’s heart, which had been hanging, relaxed a bit. She and Pear Blossom had become close around that time. If she had truly been replaced, wouldn’t the person she loved be the one who had been swapped?

Moreover, nothing had really changed. It was just that Pear Blossom had some extra knowledge now.

She was still the same person.

Dong Yun visibly relaxed.

“When did you start liking me?”

Pear Blossom thought for a moment, “A long time ago, I liked you the moment you came to the village.”

Dong Yun retorted, “How old were you back then?”

Seeing her scolding look, Pear Blossom finally felt a little more at ease.

She mumbled, “I couldn’t control myself back then, I didn’t plan anything. I just liked seeing you, being close to you…”

Dong Yun quickly stopped her. It would make her feel guilty if they discussed this too much, considering how young Pear Blossom had been when she first arrived.

“Is it really just extra knowledge in your head?”

Pear Blossom nodded.

She added, “Sister… can you just leave it at that? Don’t ask more about it…”

Dong Yun was stunned.

The girl knelt obediently in front of her, looking pitiful, seeking her trust.

Dong Yun thought for a long while before reaching out to cup her head, inspecting her from all angles and saying, “Will these extra things in your head affect your continued feelings for me?”

Pear Blossom chuckled, reaching out to hold her waist. “No, they won’t. These things are mostly knowledge and experience, helping me gain more perspective and understand more of what’s going on around me. I’m more worried—if I didn’t have this, I’d be so dumb and silly. Would you still like me, Sister?”

Hearing that it was just knowledge and experience, Dong Yun immediately felt more at ease. She held Pear Blossom’s head gently and said, “When I liked you, you weren’t this smart.”

Pear Blossom’s eyes curved into a smile, kneeling on the bed and resting her head on Dong Yun’s chest. “You never believed that you’d like silly me.”

Dong Yun heard this and pulled her out, looking her in the eye. “Although I really need a smart you to help, you must never, for the sake of becoming smarter or stronger, recklessly give up something to make deals with an unpredictable, immeasurable force. Do you understand? I’d rather you remain that silly you than risk losing yourself or being taken over.”

She loved Pear Blossom, the living, genuine person, the one who was sincere and transparent, the girl who looked at her with such love.

Not a tool that could do anything.

Pear Blossom felt guilty. Wasn’t she doing a deal with the system after all?

But fortunately, the system wasn’t trying to replace her or fundamentally change her. They were just mutually benefiting.

But if we go back to the “Pioneer 3,” if it had succeeded, what would be the difference between that and being taken over?

She shuddered at the thought, shaking her head. “No, it’s not possession. I’m still me.”

Dong Yun finally pulled her up and asked, “Besides this, is there anything else you’re hiding from me?”

Pear Blossom thought for a moment, “Yes!”

Dong Yun’s eyes narrowed.

“I want you to fight for that position and become the crown prince.”

Dong Yun finally smiled, “What, do you want to be the empress or the emperor’s consort?”

“Either is fine, as long as I can spend my life with you, it doesn’t matter what I am.”

Dong Yun finally felt at ease.

This silly girl, as long as she’s still her, it doesn’t matter if she has a little more or a little less in her head.

Seeing that Dong Yun had finally let down her guard, Pear Blossom’s heart also settled back into her stomach, and she rubbed against her.

That heart that had been scared out of its wits needed to be comforted with a little snuggle.

However, with her gentle rub, the clothes that had been loosely gathered around her chest spread apart, revealing a patch of white and full flesh under the dim light.

Pear Blossom’s eyes instantly turned deep, and she no longer cared that she was still being tested. She directly buried her face in it.

Dong Yun’s mental burden was gone, and seeing Pear Blossom lean in, she didn’t dodge. She let her do as she pleased.

Watching her bury herself in it, her mouth making sucking sounds, Dong Yun couldn’t help but feel a wave of shame, but she couldn’t hide the satisfaction it brought. When she couldn’t bear it any longer, she lifted her shoulders and offered herself up.

Until Pear Blossom had her fill, she moved downwards.

Dong Yun remembered the thing she had been coaxed into doing in the cave, and suddenly a strange excitement arose within her.

She took the initiative, pulled Pear Blossom’s collar, pushed her down on the bed, and breathed out like a fragrant breeze.

“Are you thirsty?”

Pear Blossom understood this kind of veiled language, especially since she was already looking for water below. But there was a difference between seeking water herself and being actively fed. After being asked and blocked by Dong Yun, her throat suddenly felt dry and burning, and she wanted to pin her down and drink the water herself.

But seeing Dong Yun above her, looking down at her, seemingly unwilling to let her drink so easily, she could only croak out, “Thirsty…”

“Want to drink?”

“Want…”

Dong Yun pulled Pear Blossom’s hand and placed it on the edge of her undergarment.

Pear Blossom’s heart pounded. She obediently helped her pull it down and threw it at the foot of the bed.

And Dong Yun, from her superior position, knelt down.

The delicacy was right before her eyes, its tempting aroma filling her nose, just a slight tilt of her head and she could reach it.

Pear Blossom’s heart raced, her blood rushing to her head.

She could no longer hold back. She raised her shoulders, lifted her chin, and leaned in.

But Dong Yun straightened her knees, slightly lifting her waist, preventing her from succeeding.

“Sister—” Pear Blossom hummed softly, unhappy that Dong Yun was teasing her.

“Are you going to keep secrets from me?” Dong Yun pressed her shoulders against the pillow, pinning her down.

Pear Blossom quickly shook her head, “Never again, never again…”

Dong Yun was satisfied. She finally released her hand, bent her knee, and sat down a little lower.

Seeing that Dong Yun finally granted her the reward, Pear Blossom couldn’t hold back any longer. She tilted her head and met Dong Yun, a slight touch, and her mouth was filled with the fragrant sweetness.

Dong Yun was extremely comfortable. She tilted her head back, squinting her eyes, letting Pear Blossom serve her inside and out.

When she looked down, seeing Pear Blossom’s head bobbing back and forth in a patch of black shadow, her body involuntarily tightened.

Thinking about how this honest and simple girl had kept this secret from her for so long, she gritted her teeth, ignoring the flood that was about to burst, and lifted her body.

Pear Blossom was happily eating, but suddenly couldn’t reach it anymore. She let out a whimper, slightly raising her head, looking at Dong Yun with a pitiful expression.

Dong Yun looked at her lips, glistening with water under the candlelight, a feeling of itchiness arose in her heart, but she forced herself to hold back. She said, “Beg me to give it to you.”

Pear Blossom didn’t even think, “Sister, please, give it to me…”

“What if I don’t want to give it to you?”

Pear Blossom was anxious. The feeling of seeing it but not being able to eat it made her unbearably thirsty. It was as if ten thousand ants were crawling in her heart. She pleaded desperately, “Good sister—I was wrong, give it to me—I won’t hide anything from you anymore…okay…please…”

Dong Yun never intended to tease her, after all, she was also suffering. Seeing Pear Blossom’s appearance, she finally softened.

Pear Blossom was afraid that Dong Yun would escape again, so she reached out to hold her waist, trapping her.

Her mouth was no longer gentle, she came at it fiercely, even her teeth bumped against it.

Dong Yun felt pain and pleasure. She hissed, gently twisting Pear Blossom’s ear, scolding her softly, “If you keep bumping me with your teeth, I’ll swell up and I won’t let you do whatever you want anymore.”

Threatened by Dong Yun, Pear Blossom finally behaved. She retracted her sharp canine teeth and used her tongue to treat Dong Yun with the utmost tenderness. She couldn’t help but take advantage of the breathing gap to accuse, “Sister, you’re bad—”

Dong Yun was feeling happy at this moment. She said intermittently, “I’m bad? I think I…I’m just too indulgent of you…”

In this kind of thing, the stronger person always has the advantage. Therefore, it was always Pear Blossom who controlled the rhythm. Now that Dong Yun occasionally reversed the situation, she tasted a different kind of happiness, a sense of control different from being plundered and barely able to bear it. It was a little fresh, a little exciting, so when she reached the peak, it was especially overwhelming.

Soon, the area around Pear Blossom’s chin and lips was wet with glistening beads of sweat.

They were both happy.

Dong Yun reached down, Pear Blossom’s area was no different from hers, the sheets beneath them were already soaked.

But that wasn’t hers.

It turned out that her Pear Blossom, when moved, wasn’t as wooden as she appeared on the surface. She secretly leaked water in the sheets.

Dong Yun was happy in her heart. She got off and leaned down.

When Pear Blossom realized what Dong Yun was doing, she suddenly gasped, holding Dong Yun’s head as she leaned down.

She called out softly, “Sister…”