Chapter 40: Perhaps It's an Old Friend (1)

  It's that dream again, under an ancient and elegant tree, Zifu sat with one hand supporting his forehead, his face calm and peaceful. He slowly opened his eyes, and there he smiled at me: "You're here!"

  Suddenly, the scene shifted, and Zi Feng's eyes, which had been gazing at me with a hint of mockery, suddenly flashed with a fierce light as he chopped down towards Song Minghui. Song Minghui's blood spurted out like a fountain, and he fell backwards, tumbling down the mountain cliff.

  I wanted to cry out, but my mouth was blocked by something and I couldn't make any sound. Then, some strange moaning sounds came from beside my ears, followed by the sound of children's giggles. I tried to open my eyes and quietly looked around. There were three pale-faced women huddled together, shivering with fear. I looked in the direction of the noise and saw that not far away, on a woolen blanket, two white things were entwined like snakes.

  Even I, a person who lived in the 21st century and saw countless advertisements with fair-skinned stars, couldn't help but marvel at the child below me, whose skin was so white and tender it seemed almost translucent.

  But what was brutally torturing her delicate skin and icy muscles was a lean and slender young body. The youth lifted his head, and because of the twisted handsome face, the sparkling purple pupils were flashing with an unusual glow. He suddenly looked at me, and I quickly closed my eyes.

  What should I do, what should I do? I didn't expect to encounter such a stimulating scene as soon as I woke up, and it's still that purple-eyed bastard who's the main actor. It seems that the purple float was indeed cast in the wrong womb. What about Jinxiu? Does his memory also retain everything like mine? He remembers everything clearly from his past life, and now he's come to this world... it looks like he's going to stir up another huge commotion...

  As I indulged in wild thoughts, a very strange and extremely pungent smell suddenly rushed into my nostrils. I felt as if someone was constantly scanning my face, then the smell mixed with masculine sweat and a strong odor that spread throughout my body. My nose became increasingly itchy, and finally, I couldn't help but let out a loud sneeze.

  So I had no choice but to open my eyes, and in front of me sat a young man, casually flaunting his robust physique, with hickeys and scratch marks all over his snow-white skin, a pair of purple pupils shining like amethysts, looking at me with the excitement of a predator and a hint of inexplicable curiosity, that face was exactly the same as the peerless beauty I saw in the underworld, androgynous.

  I opened my eyes wide and stared straight at those purple pupils, the years of being with Jin Xiu replayed in my mind like a movie, finally freezing on the moment when Jin Xiu first opened her eyes to me after she was born. After all, who was it that dragged my fate into hell, was it Jin Xiu or this blood-soaked, heaven-defying young man in front of me?

  If he is Zihong, after drinking Mengpo soup, he may not remember the affairs of his past life. If it's Prince Zi Yue Duan Yue Rong, then he must think I'm Yuan Feiyan and have utilitarian value. The Double Seventh Festival was long ago, and at that time, the lights were dim, he might not be able to see my appearance clearly. Song Ming Lei's words before falling off the cliff are still in my ears, yes, I promised him, no matter how difficult, how bitter, I must survive...

  The purple-eyed youth and I stared at each other in silence, he suddenly stretched out his hand to touch my face, I was greatly frightened, jumped up suddenly, instinctively shrunk back from those few prisoners, took a few steps away from the man in front of me, maybe it was because of my appearance that pleased him, he burst into loud laughter.

  Just as I was pondering whether to pretend to be crazy, or faint, or take my own life, a soft voice called out: "Young Master Wang, has that Original Non-Smoker woken up yet?"

  The girl with fair skin and slender waist behind the youth walked over, her pure white skin unblemished. She leaned against the back of the purple-eyed youth, her beautiful eyes gazing at me with a hint of coldness: "Is she really Yuan Feiyan? I've heard that Yuan Feiyan is the most beautiful in the world, but today I see her, and she doesn't look that great."

  "She was naturally not a smoker," the purple-eyed youth pulled on the slender jade hand with white skin, and pressed a kiss on it. However, his purple eyes flashed mysteriously at me, staring into my eyes and smiling: "Green water, you should know that rumors are often unreliable."

  Yang Lüshui, who was originally famous throughout the country, was also his father Wang's first favorite.

  Yang Lüshui coquettishly hugged Duan Yuèróng: "Why did that young prince still keep her in the royal tent? I heard she shot and injured Hu Cānjūn, and he's furious about it. Why not give her to Hu Cānjūn instead?"

  "That won't do, I still have great use for her." The purple-eyed youth smiled as he stood up and left me. I quickly closed my eyes, not daring to look at his back.

  There was a beastly smell in the room, and the atmosphere of terror of the captured prey. I quietly felt my body, and the brooches on my chest and wrist were already gone. I looked around and found them. Yang Lüshui helped Duan Yuèróng put on her clothes, while Duan Yuèróng lazily raised her arms and glanced at us with a smile, saying to Yang Lüshui: "Give these few people new clothes, when I come back later, we'll enjoy them together, how about that?"

  I felt a wave of nausea in my heart, but Yang Lüshui turned around with a flirtatious smile, her white teeth slowly biting onto her red lips as she whispered: "Then, Young Master Wang should come back early, ah!"

  Duan Yuehong lifted her chin and gave a long, hot "Duan-style" kiss, making me feel embarrassed all over, then walked out of the military tent with a satisfied expression.

  As soon as Yang Lüshui's figure disappeared, her sweet smile immediately changed. She turned around, cold and terrifying. She squatted down, scanning us with her eyes, looking at a very pretty girl to my left, who seemed to be called Chū Ruì. She was also from the mistress' quarters. In the past, Jǐn Xiù and Chū Huà often laughed in front of me about how much she loved beauty, going crazy over it. Every day, she would hold a copper mirror, and if anyone touched her makeup box, she would fight with them. If not for the Nánzhōu invasion, the original mistress might have already given her to one of the Yuán family's relatives as a concubine.

  Yang Lüshui used her long fingernails to draw on Chun Hua's face, then burst out laughing warmly and said: "Really didn't think Xi'an also has such a beautiful daughter, what's your name?"

  Chu Yun dared not raise her head, and trembled as she said: "Chu... Chu Yun." Yang Lüshui smiled strangely: "Chu Yun, new-born tender bud, dewy and delicate, indeed a name that matches the person. No wonder Young Master Wang wants to take a few more glances at you."

  Chu's eyes didn't dare to look at her, and her face turned even paler. Yang Lüshui smiled and said: "In our place, there is a kind of fruit called lychee, the outer skin is very rough, but inside it is white, tender and sweet, just like your face. Tell me, where is your outer skin?"

  Her five fingernails scratched, and Chun Hua's face, as white and tender as a lychee, immediately became bloodied and blurred. All of us kids were shocked, and Chun Hua let out a mournful cry. I wanted to jump over to help her, but it was too late. Her entire face had broken out in blisters, and then turned black. A foul odor of rotting flesh spread out, and we all shrieked in terror. But Yang Qing Shui laughed happily: "Ha! I thought it was a lychee, but it's actually a wax apple! Haha!"

  She summoned a soldier to come in and asked him to drag out Chunhui's body. The soldier looked at Chunhui's black body and stuttered: "Green, Green Ji Niang, if the young master comes back and asks, what should we say?"

  Yang Lüshui sneered: "With so many in the army, do you think Young Master Wang would really bother to ask about it? Hurry up and go!"

  The soldier immediately dragged the body of Chun Hua out, Yang Lüshui seemed to be unhurried, picked up a jade cup from the table, took a light sip, and smiled at the frightened children: "You think you can take advantage of your youth? With me here, none of you will dare to move against Master Wang."

  She glared at me with a cold smile, walking up to me: "Yuan Feiyan..." Then her face turned cold, and she slapped me in the ear, letting out a soft snort: "After Master Wang is done with you, how will this delicate body of yours serve the entire army?"

  She threw her head back and laughed loudly, my anger burning fiercely, just about to rush forward to slap her back, but one of the kids grabbed me tightly and whispered in my ear: "Be careful." I turned my head around in surprise, carefully identifying the kid with disheveled hair in front of me, who was actually Zhenzhu, the calm and composed big sister from the Purple Garden.

  At this time she called in two more soldiers: "Take these few to bathe and change clothes, and say on the way that they are the king's men, so as not to let other military accounts be seized."

  We were pushed out of the military account, and I couldn't help but cover my eyes from the bright sunlight. As we walked, I realized that we were in the Zi Xiu Mountain Villa, probably inside the Zi Garden. Zhenzhu treated me as if I was Yuan Feiyan, with a very respectful attitude. In my heart, I thought that I would never let the enemy look down on me, so I held my head high and looked at them as if they were nothing. The Nan Zhao soldiers were scattered around the fire pit, constantly blowing their mouths or whispering to each other, their eyes flashing with a gaze that seemed to strip us bare.

  A shrill cry echoed, and in front of the Rong Baotang, a high gallows was erected, with a person suspended in mid-air, his upper body stripped, skin torn and flesh exposed, no longer resembling human form. The one wielding the whip was a bare-chested Nanzhao general, with a strip of cloth wrapped around his left arm, his hand moving ceaselessly as he whipped, his mouth continuously cursing in the Nanzhao language.

  This child has a few points of familiarity, the incomplete pearl amber on her right ear pendant is shining with a miserable light in the sunlight, my heart contracted, that was the first painting.

  "Zhenzhu grasped me and said in a cold, low voice: 'If you rush out, you won't be able to protect yourself.'"

  I flung my hand, drew out the dagger from the waist of the little soldier beside me, and rushed over to knock down the commander. With one swing of the knife, I cut off the rope that was hanging Chi Hua, and brought her down. Chi Hua's body was covered in blood, but her small face was spotless, with no trace of blood. Her eyes were tightly closed, and it seemed like she only had breath going out, not coming in. I held her tightly, suppressing my tears and rage, and softly called out her name.

  That scar-faced Nanzhao general got up, shouting loudly. When he saw it was me, he became even more furious. The little soldiers escorting me quickly blocked in front of me, with bitter faces and continuously kowtowing: "General Hu, these people including Yuan Hong and those few women are all wanted by the young master, I'll take her away now, please don't be angry."

  "This General was still in his Huren dancer mother's womb when his old man was fighting wars in the south and north, this time it was also his father who led the vanguard, but all the credit was taken by him alone," General Hu cursed loudly, attracting soldiers from other military camps to gather around: "If not for that smoke covering me up and shooting me, I should have been the one to get her, playing with her for three days and three nights, he's got it good, grabbing her and hiding her away, now putting her out again to ruin my good fortune..."

  In the midst of Hu Canjun's curses, Chu Hua slowly came to, looked at me and forced a smile: "Really good fortune, indeed managed to survive." I smiled softly at her: "Don't worry, Chu Hua, you won't come to harm either."

  "Don't lie to me, it's probably all over for us... The masters have all escaped, leaving us behind. We've been wandering around and now we're in trouble. Luckily, I can still see you before I die," Chuhua said with a desolate smile: "Chuhua is innocent, that fat pig couldn't get me, so he beat me to death." Chuhua hugged me tightly, thought for a moment, and suddenly fear flashed in her eyes: "The old people say that if you don't have clothes when you go to the underworld, the little ghosts won't take you. Please, you must find some clothes for Chuhua to be buried in, don't let her be trampled on like this, without even a piece of clothing to cover her shame... just... just gone."

  My tears finally flowed down, and even the usually cold-faced Pearl showed a sad expression, kneeling beside me, looking at Chuhua, covering her mouth and sobbing. Another child had already burst into loud crying: "Chuhua."