# 1278
Chapter 1279: Lake Reflection
After leaving Mumu to bandage Si Xiaonan's wounds, Lin Qiye walked straight out of the room and closed the door behind him. He leaned against the wall and, after a long while, let out a helpless sigh.
In his mind, Si Xiaonan's actions from moments ago replayed, leaving him somewhat dazed.
He had only ever seen that level of stress response in startled stray cats—the more lacking in safety and more fragile they were, the more intense their reaction to external stimuli. In the instant Si Xiaonan had stabbed toward his neck with the blade, he had seen the helplessness and stubbornness in her eyes.
The obedient and supportive Si Xiaonan of Cangnan City; the cunning and decisive Si Xiaonan who deceived the masses in the mist; and the seemingly strong yet inwardly fragile Si Xiaonan from just now... which one was the real her?
Or perhaps none of them?
Lin Qiye couldn't tell anymore.
He remembered that their last meeting had been inside the Alchemy Hall of Kunlun Ruins.
Had it not been for Si Xiaonan's mention of the green hemlock flower that stirred his memories, he wouldn't have let her leave. Ultimately, even though Si Xiaonan had become an agent standing against Great Xia, the诡计之神, Lin Qiye couldn't bring himself to believe that the obedient and lovely Si Xiaonan of Squad 136 was a traitor.
And Jinian's existence proved this point.
Just as Lin Qiye was lost in thought, the door behind him opened, and a round, bandaged head poked through the gap, babbling something at him.
"辛苦了，木木。" Lin Qiye patted its head and turned to walk back inside.
Si Xiaonan had already dressed and was sitting by the window, her pale face finally regaining some color.
"Thank you." Si Xiaonan said sincerely.
"We're all family, there's nothing to thank." Lin Qiye waved his hand and sat down across from her.
Hearing this, Si Xiaonan froze, gratitude and tenderness appearing in her eyes for the first time in a long while. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and spoke seriously:
"I know you have many things you want to ask me... Go ahead, ask."
"Then let's start from the beginning." Lin Qiye looked into Si Xiaonan's eyes. "Starting from Cangnan."
Si Xiaonan was silent for a moment, her gaze fixed on the bright sunlight outside the window, then slowly began:
"Back when I was ten years old, I was chosen by Loki and became his agent..."
Si Xiaonan's voice echoed steadily through the room, calmly recounting everything from back then. Outside the window, the giant tree swayed with the wind, and scattered fragments of light fell into her eyes, shimmering like rippling water.
As Lin Qiye had guessed, Si Xiaonan had become Loki's agent before joining the Night Watch, buried deep within Great Xia as a hidden piece. When she learned that 【Shiva's Lament】 had been transferred to Chen Muye's hands, she was ordered by Loki to transfer to Squad 136. Her sole purpose for staying there was to find the right opportunity to seize 【Shiva's Lament】.
After the Cangnan Catastrophe, Si Xiaonan had been moving between the mist and Asgard until Loki announced his imminent push toward Supreme God status, then abandoned her alone in the temple and vanished without a trace.
"...So, the wounds on your body, were they all from Thor?" Lin Qiye's gaze swept over those charred lightning scars, his brow slightly furrowed.
"Some of them. The others came from agents I had conflicts with." Si Xiaonan slowly said. "After all, the God of Mischief's existence easily invites resentment. There are too many agents in Asgard who want me dead—it's only been held back because of Loki's presence.
This time, Loki abandoned me and let Thor torment me. In their eyes, that was a signal... a signal that Loki had given up on me."
Lin Qiye recalled Phil and the others he had slain before, nodding thoughtfully.
"You mentioned earlier that Loki has three days left before he breaks through to the Supreme God realm? Why did he set such a specific time? According to his personality, shouldn't he find a place to quietly break through, then come out to sweep away all obstacles in one go? Why so ostentatious this time?
Is there something special about this timing?"
"...I don't know. He didn't tell me anything." Si Xiaonan smiled bitterly.
Lin Qiye considered for a moment. "It's fine. Either way, knowing the time is a good thing. At least we can prepare in advance."
"By the way, where's Leng Xuan? Wasn't he with you?"
"He's in the 'Human Enclosure'..." She paused mid-sentence, as if remembering something, and slowly stood up.
"What's wrong?"
"It's about time. I need to go out."
"Where to?"
"Come with me and you'll see."
Si Xiaonan pulled up her black hood, concealing her entire face, and led Lin Qiye out of the room. They walked along the main road toward the southern edge of Asgard.
After passing through several streets and climbing over two mountain peaks, they arrived beside a emerald-green lake.
"Why are we here?"
Lin Qiye's gaze swept over this lake, which resembled a chunk of green emerald, somewhat puzzled. Though the scenery was pleasant, Lin Qiye had swept every inch of this place with his spiritual power and found nothing unusual. For Si Xiaonan, injured as she was, to go through all this trouble to come here, it couldn't simply be to look at the lake water.
Si Xiaonan didn't answer. She merely squinted at the lake's surface, where several crimson petals drifted like red ink on a green stone, gently swaying.
"Flowers?" Lin Qiye saw those petals too. His gaze swept over the barren surroundings, and his brow furrowed. "No... where could flowers come from around here?"
"These petals aren't on this lake's surface—they're in the reflection." Si Xiaonan walked along the lake's edge, pace unhurried. "This lake is like a mirror with thickness. On the other side of that mirror is Asgard's 'Human Enclosure.' These petals are reflections from the water on the 'Human Enclosure' side."
"Is this a passage connecting the 'Human Enclosure' to Asgard?"
"No, it can't really be called a passage, because only light can travel through the lake's surface. People and other objects cannot."
Si Xiaonan walked to a corner by the lake, as if sensing something, and quickly bent down, her eyes fixed intently on an imprint on a stone in the lake's reflection.
After a long while, she slowly stood back up, lost in thought.
"So, these are messages Leng Xuan carved for you inside the 'Human Enclosure,' then manifested through the reflection?" Lin Qiye figured out the principle and couldn't help but marvel, "What a brilliant method of communication."
"What did he say?"
Si Xiaonan took a deep breath, her expression turning grave again. "'Human Enclosure' is about to have trouble again."