love on the turquoise land

Chapter 11

The sound of a latch being pressed and the grinding of friction came from the window, indicating clearly that the person outside was trying to open it.

Although it was eerie to have someone passing by outside the window in the middle of the night, as long as the person wasn't coming for her, it would just be a momentary fright. But if they were coming for her, that would be different.

Moreover, the hotel's windows were installed on high floors and were the most common and easily pried latch windows.

Was someone coming for her? Had she offended anyone recently? Did she have any long-standing enemies haunting her? Did she carry any precious treasures coveted by others?

No, none of that. She had only arrived here seven days ago, and before that, she hadn't been to southern Shaanxi for over ten years.

For a moment, Nie Jiuluo thought about turning on the light, but then she thought better of it: turning on the light would easily alert the person outside, and they would disappear in an instant. At that point, it would be difficult for her to figure out the person's origin and intentions.

She needed to let this person into the room. Once they were inside, it would be easier to handle.

Nie Jiuluo held her breath and, taking advantage of the darkness inside the room, moved as lightly as possible towards the bedside table, trying to find something for self-defense.

Soon, her fingertips found a pencil, along with a pencil sharpener. She quietly retracted her hand, her eyes fixed firmly on the black shadow outside the window. At the same time, she used the blanket hanging over the bed edge to conceal her actions as she inserted the pencil tip into the sharpener's opening and slowly turned it.

She had sharpened pencils countless times before, and even without looking, she could roughly feel how the thin wood shavings spiraled down layer by layer, softly landing on the ground, and the sharpness of the pencil tip.

The window opened, and the sound of raindrops immediately became clear, the icy dampness quickly invading the slightly warm and stuffy room.

Afraid that the faint light in her eyes would alert the intruder, Nie Jiuluo closed her eyes slightly and focused on listening to the movements around her. Her back was starting to sweat.

She felt that this person was indeed coming for her.

Indeed, even with her eyes closed, she could sense the subtle changes in light and shadow in front of her - the person was already standing at the head of the bed, looking at her.

It wasn't for money. This person had no interest in valuables. Then why? Assault? Her beauty had indeed attracted a few boys to climb over walls and windows during her junior high and high school days, but those walls were no more than two meters high.

A rough sensation passed through her throat as the man's large, bony hand closed in, almost gripping half of her neck.

A sinister premonition surged into Nie Jiuluo's heart, and she almost instantly saw through the situation.

This person wanted to kill her!

Nie Jiuluo was furious. As someone who abided by the law, who the hell had she offended? Why would someone come to kill her right away?

If you wanted to steal money, I could shout and call for help.

If you wanted to assault me, I'd poke a few holes in you and let you bleed.

But if you wanted to kill me...

Just as the hand was about to tighten, she suddenly opened her eyes, swiftly raised her hand, and with all the strength in her body, fiercely stabbed the almost sweaty pencil into the man's left eye.

The man staggered back two steps, covering his eyes with a wailing cry of pain.

Nie Jiuluo didn't bother with him, rolling to the bedside and switching on the room light. Just as the light came on, there was a crashing sound of glass breaking from the window. Hurriedly turning to look, she saw the man had already rushed out from the open window, the force was so great that it shattered the glass on the side as well.

Nie Jiuluo rushed to the window and looked down. After all, when someone jumps out of a window, they usually make a loud noise when they hit the ground. However, aside from the crackling of the broken glass, there was no expected sound of a heavy object landing.

She quickly looked up again and vaguely saw a dark figure flash past the edge of the roof, and then there was no more movement. The entire process, from extreme chaos to unusual silence, lasted less than two minutes.

Although the sound of glass breaking was piercing, it was so late at night that nearby guests were all asleep and were not startled awake by the commotion.

Nie Jiuluo stood by the window, the wind blowing in through the broken glass hole, gradually cooling but leaving her sweating. She realized and quickly walked to the bedside to turn off the light. She felt safer in the darkness. With the room brightly lit, she could easily be observed, every move scrutinized.

Then, she sat on the floor with her back against the wall, facing the window, and opened the self-destructing app on her phone to send a message to "That Side".

Nie Jiuluo:
Something happened here, call me.

At the end of the message, there was still a countdown of ten seconds before the message self-destructed. Nie Jiuluo stared at the screen, watching the square characters being engulfed by flames and smoke. It was midnight, and she didn't expect an immediate reply.

However, less than a minute later, her phone rang, and the call was answered. From the other end came Xing Shen's gentle yet calm voice. "A Luo."

Nie Jiuluo briefly explained the situation. "The person sustained such severe injuries, it's impossible for them not to seek medical treatment," she said and continue fast. "Since you often visit Shaannan, I thought you could help inquire which hospital admitted such an injured person and who they are."

Xing Shen replied, "Don't hang up, I'll arrange it first."

It was only then that Nie Jiuluo sighed with relief. Her eyes had already adapted to the darkness indoors. She stood up, walked to the counter, and opened a bottle of mineral water, drinking half of it in one gulp.

After a while, Xing Shen's voice came through the receiver again. "A Luo?"

Nie Jiuluo put down the bottle of mineral water. "Speak."

"He crashed out of the window, didn't fall, and could climb to the rooftop immediately. Ordinary people... can't do that, right?"

This was put very tactfully. Nie Jiuluo said, "I don't think anyone can do that."

Xing Shen was very cautious: "It's not necessarily true. Martial arts experts who have undergone special training can. Who do you suspect the person is?"

"No one." After a pause, she added, "I'm just an ordinary person. My profession wouldn't attract such dangerous opponents."

The emphasis on the phrase ordinary person was deliberate.

Xing Shen asked, "Have you offended anyone recently?"

Who could she offend? Nie Jiuluo was generally gentle in her interactions, even if she lacked enthusiasm towards others, she was always polite. Nie Jiuluo replied irritably, "I complained to the travel agency, but I don't think they would go this far for that."