Qingquan Village, Su Residence.
"Brother Hesheng, I'm sorry, it was my fault."
"No, don't kill my parents!"
"Lin Wanru, I hate you, may you die a wretched death!"
Su Xiao burned with fever for three days and three nights, her mind in a haze. Memories from her past life intertwined with the pain of this one, plunging her into a state of delirium.
In her muddled consciousness, a sweet liquid seemed to flow into her belly, bringing a long-awaited coolness to her feverish body.
On the morning of the third day, she finally awoke from her nightmares and opened her eyes under the hopeful gazes of her family.
"Xiaoxiao, you're finally awake."
Xu Shi, seeing her daughter regain consciousness, was moved to tears.
For the past two days, she had kept vigil by the bedside, crying until her eyes were swollen and her voice hoarse.
When she spoke, the raspy tone startled even herself.
"Mother…"
Su Xiao looked at her mother's kind eyes and gentle brows, her confused gaze gradually focusing.
"Xiaoxiao, this time, you really must thank Prince Rui."
Xu Shi reached out and gently stroked her daughter's cheek. "If it weren't for Prince Rui using his only life-saving pill to save you, you might never have woken up…"
"Mother, how many days have I been asleep?"
Su Xiao asked weakly, catching her breath.
"Three days."
Xu Shi's eyes dimmed with sorrow.
"Have Brother Hesheng's family been buried?"
Su Xiao struggled to sit up from the bed. "I want to go pay my respects and kowtow before their spirits."
Xu Shi was startled and instinctively pressed her shoulders down. "You're so weak right now, you can't go…"
"Mother, please let me go."
Su Xiao's eyes were resolute. "If I don't do this, I'll feel guilty and uneasy for the rest of my life."
Xu Shi thought of the words her daughter had muttered in her delirium, her eyes flickering with unease.
What had her daughter experienced to have such nightmares?
Prince Rui had also heard those ramblings.
She had seen clearly how his expression had changed at that moment—his gaze as cold as frost, enough to send shivers down one's spine.
Su He and his wife doted on their daughter. After much hesitation, they finally agreed to her request, accompanying her back to Yongquan Village to pay respects to He Sheng's parents and family.
Su Xiao knelt before the mourning hall and respectfully kowtowed three times.
Dressed in plain mourning clothes and extremely weak, she looked especially pitiable.
Xu Shi shed a few more tears as she helped her daughter up.
Su Xiao swayed unsteadily, almost unable to stand, but a newfound determination flashed in her eyes.
In this life, she would not live for herself.
She would sharpen herself into a sharp blade, piercing the hearts of her enemies.
She would avenge Brother Hesheng and his family, making Lin Wanru pay the price.
In this life, she would settle things with her once and for all.
Xiao Jinyan dreamed again.
On the night he heard Su Xiao's delirious murmurs in her coma, he had another absurd dream.
In the dream, he seemed to live through a brief segment of a life.
When he fell into the Qinhuai River, it was not the Su family who saved him, but another household.
While recovering from his injuries, he learned from intelligence gathered by his Shadow Guards that Lin Wanru had repaid kindness with betrayal. He kept this in mind, planning to settle accounts with her later and use it as an opportunity to bring down the Prime Minister's residence. He ordered his subordinates to secretly protect the only surviving young girl from that family as she made her way to the capital.
Unable to find a way to seek revenge, the girl sold herself into a brothel.
Moved by a rare sense of pity, he took her under his patronage under the guise of a benefactor, preserving her chastity.
He had originally thought she was merely a pawn in his game, never expecting that by a twist of fate, their paths would intertwine.
After becoming the Crown Prince, he was mistakenly poisoned by an aphrodisiac drug. In a moment of desperation, the Shadow Guards abducted her from a brothel and brought her to his bed.
By then, she had already transformed from a naive young girl into a stunningly beautiful and enchanting woman.
The antidote she provided to cure his poison ended up ensnaring him even deeper.
He fell under her spell, sinking into it, unable to extricate himself.
He could see that her flattery had ulterior motives, yet he still doted on her. When she became pregnant, he allowed her into his residence.
He had arranged everything for her, never expecting that unforeseen events would arise just before their departure.
The Crown Princess, consumed by jealousy and hatred, took her life.
Upon receiving the news, he rushed back from the palace. Seeing the lifeless bodies of mother and child lying in a pool of blood, his heart ached so fiercely he nearly went mad.
He ordered all the servants involved in her death to be beaten to death, confined the Crown Princess to a secluded courtyard to fend for herself, and then led his troops to the border to defend against foreign invaders.
On the battlefield, strewn with severed limbs, a poisoned arrow shot toward him from behind.
He fell to the ground after being struck, and suddenly opened his eyes.
A dream, so vivid it felt as if he were living it.
Even after waking, the pain of the arrow piercing his heart still left him breathless.
Su Xiao, Liu Qinghan…
Who exactly was she?
Why did she appear repeatedly in his dreams?
And why, in the dream, were the family who saved him and Lin Wanru swapped in roles?
Su Xiao returned to the Su family and respectfully kowtowed three times to her adoptive parents, bidding farewell to the two relatives who had raised her for many years.
She could no longer act willfully, arbitrarily changing the present and bringing disaster to more people.
Only by leaving could her adoptive parents and their family live safely and peacefully.
As for her, she was destined to go to the capital and face the impending storm of bloodshed.
Not only did Feng Rao notice that his master had been in a bad mood these past two days, but even the Shadow Guards who came to deliver messages could see it.
All the guards of Prince Rui’s residence were trembling with fear, speaking in hushed tones, afraid of provoking their master’s displeasure.
The turning point came so suddenly. The moment the Su family’s young lady agreed to accompany the master back to the capital, the guards clearly felt the dark cloud hanging over their heads dissipate, as if the sun had broken through the clouds, revealing a glimmer of hope.
All the guards were immensely grateful to the Su family’s young lady. They prepared the most comfortable carriage for her to spare her the hardships of the journey.
Thinking they were being considerate, the guards were taken aback when their master’s face darkened upon seeing the two carriages.
His cold, piercing gaze felt as if it could flay them alive.
Fortunately, Feng Rao reacted quickly, swiftly tossing the miscellaneous items into the carriage and inviting her into the master’s carriage. Only then did the master’s expression soften slightly.
The guards secretly breathed a sigh of relief, all giving Feng Rao a thumbs-up in admiration.
That fellow truly lived up to being the master’s most trusted confidant and guard—his ability to gauge the master’s intentions and flatter him was unparalleled.
One couldn’t help but admire him!
Xiao Jinyan had something on his mind and wanted to find an opportunity to verify it. Naturally, sharing a carriage made it more convenient.
Su Xiao, unaware of his thoughts, was preoccupied with something else entirely.
In her previous life, as a fragile young girl who had not yet undergone the Ji-pin ceremony, it would have been impossible for her to travel such a long distance to the capital alone.
Someone had guided her along the way.
That person was encountered in a dilapidated temple outside the county town. Though dressed in tattered clothes like a beggar, he was actually a highly skilled wandering physician.
At that time, her entire family had just been murdered, leaving her deeply traumatized and nearly driven to madness. After crawling out of the river, she stumbled dazedly and collapsed at the entrance of the City God Temple.
An old wandering physician saved her. After learning of her ordeal, he felt great sympathy for her.
She wanted revenge and begged the physician to take her as his apprentice.
The old physician refused, saying his medical skills were meant to save lives, not to take them.
He was a kind man. Though he rejected her, he could not bear to abandon her entirely. Under the pretense of wandering aimlessly, he traveled with her, stopping and starting along the way, until he finally escorted her to the capital city.
Before entering the city, he asked her if she still intended to seek revenge.
She answered yes, and he shook his head regretfully.
Perhaps he had already gained some insight into her character and changed his mind about not taking an apprentice.
Or perhaps he foresaw her fate and wanted to save her life.
Back then, blinded by hatred, she failed to grasp the hidden meaning in his words, missing the only chance to alter her tragic destiny.
In this life, she wondered if that old wandering physician would still be at the City God Temple.
If he was, would there be an opportunity to persuade him to take her as his apprentice?