Chapter 5 Who Raped Her

  After having breakfast, Liuyun put on a face mask and got ready to go out for a stroll.

  Lao Ka saw it and smiled bitterly: "Xiao Yun, can't always wear a mask? Got to think of a way!"

  "Spread the word that Liuxu, the evil young master, was born with an evil curse and that's why he committed all sorts of atrocities in the past. Half a month ago, he received treatment from a mysterious person and had the curse lifted, so he won't be doing any more evil deeds."

  Liu Yun thought for a moment and said to Lao Ka, then slipped out of the back door onto the street.

  The warm sunshine pours over me, making me feel utterly relaxed and lethargic.

  Liuyun likes this feeling, he thinks the human body is like a solar charger, and such sunshine makes people full of energy. In the past, every morning when he got up, as long as it was sunny, he would come out to bask in the sun.

  Look up at the blue sky and watch the busy passersby around, and Yunyun feels that this world is becoming more and more real in front of him.

  Taking in the sights on the street, a familiar scent wafted into Liú Yún's nose. She sniffed harder, it was somewhat similar, and then sniffed again, even more so.

  "Baozi! This is the taste of baozi!"

  Liú Yún suddenly became excited, he really couldn't think of it, that in this world there was still the existence of Baozi.

  He quickly located the baozi shop and sprinted towards it. Upon entering, he found not only baozi but also green bean porridge and some exquisite small dishes, which left him pleasantly surprised.

  "Bring two bowls of porridge and two baskets of buns, and bring a few more small dishes." Liuyun exclaimed excitedly.

  "Please wait for a moment." A gentle and sweet voice replied, "Xiao Qiang, send two baskets of buns, two bowls of porridge, and some small dishes to the young master."

  "It smells so good." When the fellow named Xiao Qiang brought the buns to the table, Liuyun's nose immediately stuck up and took a deep sniff.

  That scent, later Flowing Cloud said, is like the feeling of first love.

  Take a bite of the bun, and then drink a mouthful of porridge. Liu Yun was almost moved to tears by the familiar taste. This world still has some familiar things, and the feeling of loneliness suddenly becomes lighter.

  A few small dishes, all made with the cheapest vegetables, but after the owner's careful processing and seasoning, they are full of color, fragrance, and flavor. From now on, I'll skip breakfast every day and come here to eat buns instead. Flowing Clouds immediately made up her mind.

  After eating two baskets of steamed buns, Liuyun got up and paid. "Waiter, I'd like to... pay the bill."

  "Two silver coins, sir." The soft, sweet voice replied, and then a girl walked out of the store.

  "Baozi Xi Shi." This was the first impression the girl had of Liu Yun. Her eyebrows were like distant mountains, her eyes like autumn water, and when she moved, it was as if a delicate flower was reflected in the water; when she was still, she seemed like a weak willow swaying in the wind. The simple clothes on her body made people feel that she was pure and innocent, just like a girl from next door. The only thing that detracted from this impression was that those watery eyes of hers seemed somewhat empty and expressionless.

  "Get another basket wrapped up." Liuyun stopped her daydreaming and decided to buy another basket for Lao Ka.

  "Excuse me, how do I pack?" The girl looked up at the strange man wearing a mask and asked in confusion.

  "Oh, just wrap it up for me, I'll take it away." Liú Yún hastily explained.

  Liu Yun took out a gold coin and handed it over, turning around to leave.

  At this time, several young people dressed in bright clothes came into the store, and after finding a seat, one of them started shouting in a mysterious and eerie tone.

  "Water spirit sister, bring two of your buns for brother to take a bite."

  "Here's your money, take it." The girl known as Water Spirit trembled all over, holding back tears, and handed seven silver coins to Flowing Cloud.

  Liuyun, who had originally planned to leave, took the money and decided to stay and see what would happen.

  "I'm talking to you, Ling'er sister. Are you going to speak up or not? How about that bun of yours, are you going to give it to your brother or not?" The sarcastic voice sounded again.

  At this time, a sturdy young man carrying two baskets of steamed buns walked over and placed them heavily in front of the few people.

  "Here, the baozi you wanted."

  "Scram, you little brat! We want Ling'er's baozi, right, brothers?"

  "Right, haha."

  The young man glared at his companion fiercely and turned around to laugh loudly with the people who came together.

  "If you want to eat something, then eat; if you don't want to eat, then leave! Don't come back and bother Sister Ling'er again." Xiao Qiang seemed a bit afraid of these few people, saying in a low voice.

  With a loud "slap", Xiao Qiang was slapped hard on the face. Shui Ling'er, who had been silent all along, rushed to Xiao Qiang's side.

  "Are you okay?" She stretched out her hand and stroked Xiao Qiang's face, tears streaming down.

  "Ling'er sister, I'm fine. Don't forget, I'm Xiaoqiang who can't be beaten to death."

  After finishing speaking, Xiao Qiang puffed out his chest and stood in front of Shuiling'er, "You can hit me as much as you want, just please don't bother Sister Ling'er."

  Seeing the poor siblings, Liú Yún couldn't help but take two steps forward, hesitating whether to help them or not. Shuǐ Língér, however, shook her head at him.

  "Haven't you had enough of being played by men? Now you've found another young man to cling to?" One of them chimed in, taunting her.

  "Damn it, you bastards!"

  Xiao Qiang got angry, turned around and rushed into the kitchen. In a moment, he came out with a vegetable knife.

  "Whoever dares to fart again, I'll kill him!" Xiao Qiang's desperate tone seemed to intimidate the young men.

  "Little brother, don't be foolish! We won't say anything more, we won't say anything more!" Several young men looked at the gleaming kitchen knife and began to take out steamed buns, no longer making a sound.

  Shuiling took the kitchen knife from Xiaoqiang's hand and said softly, "Xiaoqiang, don't do this, sister still needs to earn money for father's medical treatment."

  That weak and helpless figure deeply pierced Flowing Cloud's heart, and the integrity and conscience of a soldier awakened in him at that moment. He decided to find out more about the girl's situation and then think of ways to help her.

  Walking on the street, from time to time, you can see some teenagers wandering around on the side of the road.

  "Why are there so many homeless children during the Empire's peaceful times?" Liú Yún found it puzzling, and thus pulled over a vagrant child, handing him a silver coin.

  "Little brother, big brother has something to ask you."

  "What...what...do you want to ask?"

  The child looked at the silver coin in his hand with surprise, and then looked at Liuyun who was wearing a mask, stuttering to ask.

  "Why are you wandering around on the streets?" Liú Yún softened her voice, trying to make herself sound more gentle.

  "My father died in battle, my mother remarried, and our land was taken back by the nobles. I had no choice but to come out and beg for food."

  "What about those kids?" Liú Yún asked, pointing at a few vagrants on the street.

  "They're just like me. In the past few years, many people from here went to join the army and never came back."

  "Doesn't the country care about you?" Liú Yún's mood was somewhat heavy.

  "Government?" The vagrant shook his head, "This place is all run by nobles, and the nobles only know how to bully people."

  "Where is your mother?"

  "Mom remarried." The child's eyes stared straight at the silver coin in his hand and replied casually.

  The flowing clouds let out a long sigh.

  "These children are all martyrs' orphans and soldiers' descendants, yet they have fallen to such a state."

  He wanted to help these poor children, but then he thought again and felt at a loss: how could he help, and how many people could he help? Such things are too numerous in this world.

  Calm down and ask the wandering cloud about Shuiling'er's situation again.

  "By the way, in the baozi shop, there's a girl called Shuiling, do you know her?"

  "Uh-huh, I know her. Sister Ling is a very kind person and sometimes gives us buns to eat. That Xiao Qiang who had meals with us later went to help out at her store. However, Xiao Qiang said that there are often people trying to bully Sister Ling."

  "Oh, why?"

  "Those who bullied Ling'er's sister said she had been played by men, was a broken shoe, and everyone could wear it. Ling'er's father was also severely injured by the man who bullied her, and he still hasn't recovered yet."

  Although the child couldn't explain things very clearly, Flowing Clouds managed to glean the general idea from his words: a man had taken advantage of Water Spirit and severely injured her father. After the incident, Water Spirit was forced to open a shop to raise money for her father's medical treatment. Those young men, knowing that Water Spirit had been taken advantage of before, tried to take advantage of her again and kept harassing her.

  "Do you know who that bad person is who bullied her?"

  Liú yún has a strong impulse, he wants to tear that scum apart.

  "I don't know."

  After returning home, Liu Yun felt very annoyed. What he saw and heard that day made him feel uncomfortable all over his body, as if there was something stirring in his heart. So, he found Kasulo and talked about what happened on the street.

  "Uncle, tell me, why did those soldiers die for the Huo Yun Empire, but their descendants can only wander on the streets?"

  "For them, they are a burden." Old Ka said directly without thinking much.

  "What's wrong with these nobles, do they have pig fat in their brains? These damned nobles, this damned country, after their fathers shed the last drop of blood for the country and for the nobility, they abandoned them! Who will protect this country in the future?"

  Liu Yun loudly scolded until he completely forgot that he himself was also a member of the group with pig oil in their brains.

  "Xiao Yun, these words can't be spoken casually. Besides, most of these children won't starve to death, and when they grow up, they can join the army again. It's been hundreds of years like this, who will care? There have been no wars for a few years, maybe the nobles have already forgotten what war is like." Old Ka seemed to be accustomed to these things.

  "Although the world is at peace, forgetting war will lead to danger. Not caring for generals and soldiers, one will destroy their own Great Wall." The flowing clouds in his heart let out a soft sigh, while also giving rise to a sense of powerlessness.

  "Alright, maybe these things aren't our concern. By the way, do you know about that Water Spirit thing?" Liú Yún threw off her heart's troubles and asked again about the Baozi shop matter.

  "Hmm, I know. You also knew?" Old Ka was silent for a while before slowly responding, his facial expression extremely strange.

  "Hmm. Tell me in detail, I want to fix that piece of trash."

  "After Shuiling had an accident, I sent her money and also offered to use magic to heal her father's wounds, but she refused both."

  "Why?" Yunyun asked while chasing after him, thinking to herself: Uncle is a good person.

  "Because the one who raped her is you."

  It was a long time before Liu Yun finally came to, and he didn't even know when Lao Ka had left the room.

  "Because the one who raped her is you." This sentence shocked Liú Yún's mind, making her dizzy and seeing stars, her soul flying out of her body. The image of Shuǐ Líng's weak and helpless figure kept flashing before his eyes, her empty and rigid pupils, and in his heart, a voice was shouting angrily: "The one who harmed her is you!"

  Liu Yun had always known that "he" had done many evil deeds, but he never thought it would be so bad. However, what was most hateful was that "he" didn't care about this matter at all, and in his memory, there wasn't even a hint of a trace left behind, leaving him shocked for the time being.

  It's really funny to think about, after coming to this world for the first time wanting to help someone, but the culprit is actually myself. I wanted to find that scum and give them a good beating, but in the end, I can only fix myself.

  What should I do?

  "Xiao Yun, have a midnight snack." After a moment, Lao Ka seemed to be worried about Liu Yun and personally brought the midnight snack over.

  "Uncle, did I really do such a thing?" Liuyun's heart held a thread of hope, Uncle, you must tell me, just now you were teasing me. But the hope soon turned into a bubble.

  "Hmm. It was that one time, I almost killed you. A descendant of the Cade family did something like this, it's a great shame. But I couldn't bring myself to do it, so I wrote a letter to your father and had him take you back to the Imperial Capital."

  Liúyún felt a chill on the back of her neck. "Uncle, isn't there anything else?"

  "You little scamp, you almost died from just this one thing, and you still dare to have other things?"

  Lao Ka smiled. Liu Yun's timid and fearful appearance indeed made him feel that this child had improved.

  "What should I do about this? Am I supposed to destroy myself?" Flowing Cloud said with a bitter smile.

  "I told you, you have to take responsibility for what you've done." Old Ka put on an air of being uninvolved and looked away.

  "Think of a way to compensate them." With that, Old Ka left.

  What to do? The flowing water asked itself repeatedly. Although it was a mistake made in the previous life, he wanted him to stay out of it and pretend that nothing had happened, but Flowing Cloud couldn't bring himself to do so.

  "Since I've taken over his body, I have to face the mess he's made! Liuyun thought of that poor girl and decided to make some amends. But how exactly should she compensate her? Liuyun felt a headache coming on."

  Giving money? That can't solve the problem, it's just another insult to others.

  Apologize? That's just nonsense! If someone shot you in the head and then said sorry, what would you do?!

  Is it a matter of giving in? If things were as you said, then eloping and getting married would be sweet and romantic. But if that's the case, then all the women in the world are idiots.

  Atone for sin with death? Or maybe I shouldn't think about it, last time I died and came here, next time who knows where I'll end up...

  Liu Yun lay in bed, tossing and turning, sighing until dawn broke.