The hairpin in Yan Weichi’s hand was the very pair she had purchased at the pawnshop. Only today had she learned from a peddler that these hairpins had an extraordinary history, and that the phoenix feather motif was not something just anyone could wear. Seeing how the dealer at the gambling den was hot on her trail, tracing the "vine" of the hairpin to find the "melon" that was her, Yan Weichi had intended to dispose of them the moment she returned.
Yet, to her utter shock, one of the gold-wire hairpins was missing. Where could it have fallen? She dared not let the shifty-eyed servants in the mansion find it; otherwise, the secret of her swindling them for silver would be laid bare. Yan Weichi worriedly racked her brain, her expression suddenly hardening as a realization struck her. "Oh, no," she thought. "The day I was abducted, I believe I was wearing this very pair. Could it have dropped on the road? Or did it fall inside Hua Yu’s mountain cave?"
Looking at the single hairpin left in her palm, she couldn't help but furrow her brows. This thing was a ticking time bomb. Worse still, it wouldn't just attract enemies from the gambling den. If things were dug up and Shangguan Xi discovered her antics at the casino, he might begin to harbor deep suspicions about her behavior. In the world she hailed from thousands of years into the future, space-defying bracelets were common, but in this world, she would surely be branded a monster!
Chapter 23