The Ziling Dynasty? It seems that such a dynasty existed in history more than a thousand years ago, but due to the debauchery of its rulers, it had a very short existence in history.
What? She is currently living in the Ziling Dynasty, more than a thousand years ago?
Qi Yu stared at Chu Xiyin's astonished face and asked, "What's your name?"
"Qi Yu, it's me, Chu Xiyin! Young Master Hua doesn't remember me, and you don't remember me either?" Chu Xiyin asked blankly.
"Should we remember you?" Hua Shao gently lifted Chu Xiyin's chin, smiling as he looked her over.
Chu Xiyin forcefully broke free from Hua Shao's hand, turned her head away, and didn't bother to answer.
"Little girl, you've got quite the spirit! I'll make an exception and take you in as a concubine." Hua Shao elegantly stroked a strand of Xi Yin's long hair, his slender middle finger gliding along her hair from the middle to the ends. His handsome face was gradually filled with an air of wickedness.
"No way!" Chu Xiyin and Qi Yu said almost in unison.
"Young Master Hua, have you forgotten what Lord Mo instructed us to do?" Qi Yu glared at Young Master Hua with a serious expression. When he got serious, his expression was truly frightening. His thick eyebrows formed an inverted V-shape on his face like caterpillars, and his eyes gleamed coldly like two sharp swords.
"Oh, I know, I know. I was just teasing her." Hua Shao scratched his hair like a child, then blinked his sleepy eyes and stared intently at Chu Xiyin, saying, "What a pity! Marrying me is better than marrying that person! Although I'm a little more handsome and have a few more women around me, at least I'm still very gentle with women. But, he..." Hua Shao hesitated thoughtfully, then looked at Chu Xiyin with sympathy and said earnestly, "Girl, take care!"
Qi Yu ignored him. He looked at Chu Xiyin, his eyes showing the same pity as Hua Shao's. However, that gaze only lingered on her for a brief moment before disappearing. As if afraid of being noticed, he quickly winked at a masked man in black Hu clothing behind him. The man in black nodded respectfully to Qi Yu, then suddenly stepped forward, knocked Chu Xiyin unconscious, hoisted her onto his shoulder, and shoved her into the carriage. This series of actions was so fluid and fast that it was hard to notice that someone had suddenly disappeared from one's side.
"Oh, what a pitiful woman! So young and beautiful, and she's going to be offered up to that tyrant for nothing!"
“Watch your words. If the people at the Purple Wind Mirror hear you, you could face legal trouble… But being sued isn’t the scary part; what’s scary is…”
"Hmph! That tyrant!"
Amidst the jolting of the carriage, Chu Xiyin vaguely overheard the conversation between the two drivers. She wondered if the "Emperor," "tyrant," and "decadent ruler" they spoke of were referring to Yi Yang, the infamous founder of the Ziling Dynasty, known for his debauchery. And if so, was the pitiful woman they spoke of referring to herself? Were they going to offer her to Yi Yang? No, no, absolutely not! How could she, a pure and innocent girl, be ruined by a tyrant known for his debauchery? In her heart, Chu Xiyin cursed the mysterious man who had brought her into this world a thousand times over.
"Um, um..." The two drivers seemed still immersed in their hatred for the tyrant and didn't hear Chu Xiyin's weak call at all. So, she raised her voice a few decibels and shouted, "Brothers in front, please brake, oh, no, please stop the carriage!"
Hearing the poor woman's cries from inside, the two drivers brought the carriage to a stop. One of them pulled back the curtain and asked with concern, "Miss, are you feeling unwell? Is the carriage going too fast?"
The boy was about thirteen or fourteen years old. Judging from his voice, he was the same young man who had just been cursing the tyrannical emperor. Chu Xiyin carefully examined the boy. His skin was as white as paper and seemed quite supple. If she were in modern times, she would definitely be tempted to pinch his cheeks if she encountered a child like that. However, looking at the boy's conservative clothing and then at her own sexy lace nightgown, she knew she absolutely couldn't do that now. Otherwise, this cynical child might label her as a lewd, wanton woman!
"Miss, is there anything I can do for you?" A chubby little boy poked his head in. His question reminded her of her important mission: to escape this place, find the mysterious man, and return to the modern world.
"I'm not some young lady, my name is Chu Xiyin. If you'd like, you can call me Sister Xiyin. By the way, may I ask how I should address you two young men?" Chu Xiyin tried to get on the good side of the two young men.
The chubby little boy said, "My name is Xiao Dong." Then the little boy stretched out his chubby finger and pointed to the fair-skinned little boy, saying, "His name is Xiao west."
Xiao Dong, Xiao west? Dong Xi? That sounds a bit strange.
"Xiao Dong, Xiao Xi, can you please let your sister go? I'll tell you a secret: your sister doesn't belong to this world. She comes from a world a thousand years in the future. So, your sister can't stay here, do you understand?" Chu Xiyin explained desperately.
Xiao Dong and Xiao west looked at Chu Xiyin blankly, then exchanged surprised glances.
Xiao Dong scratched his round head with his chubby fingers and said, "Sister Xiyin, we don't understand what you're saying."
Chu Xiyin lowered her head. She decided to give up explaining such a profound question to the two children, because she simply couldn't explain it. Even she herself didn't understand how she had come to this place, and most importantly, even if they let her go, she didn't know where to go or how to get back.
Chu Xiyin sighed and waved her hand, looking helplessly out the window. The road where the carriage was parked was lined with towering trees. Chu Xiyin had never studied tree species, so she didn't know their names. Some resembled plane trees, their straight branches stretching powerfully towards the sky, like two rows of well-trained soldiers, motionless, guarding this land. Ahead of the carriage, clouds swirled, and mountain peaks could be vaguely seen. Their destination shouldn't be the imperial city, because the imperial city couldn't possibly be built on such a remote mountain.
"Did you overhear my conversation with Xiaodong just now, sister?" Xiaoxi's expression showed a maturity beyond his years.
Chu Xiyin lowered her eyes and silently nodded. A tear, like a beaded curtain, slid down her fair face. She didn't understand why she was crying.
Xiao Dong pulled a dark blue square handkerchief from his shirt and handed it to Chu Xiyin, frantically trying to comfort her, "Sister Xiyin, don't cry, don't cry. Xiao west and I will help you."
Xiao west chimed in with a look of indignation, "Yes, we will absolutely not let you marry that tyrant!"
Xiao Dong added innocently, "Yes, yes, we'll plead with your godfather for you. He loves me and Xiao Xi the most, and he'll never let you marry that idiot... emperor."
Chu Xiyin took the handkerchief. It had a faint sandalwood scent, and inhaling it, she slowly calmed down. Yes, she would definitely find a way to leave this place. She'd just have to take it one step at a time!
Xiao Dong and Xiao west exchanged a glance and drove the carriage into the depths of the clouds.
Above the carriage, something seemed to be following them closely, as lightly as the wind...
Behind them, a carriage was chasing after them at an extremely fast speed.
Chapter 8 The Mysterious Temple
The carriage jolted along, and Chu Xiyin felt as if her body was about to fall apart, her head spinning.
As we approached the mountaintop, a cool autumn breeze swept into the carriage, instantly filling the small space with a faint sandalwood scent carried on the wind.
Chu Xiyin lifted the carriage curtain, gently leaned out, and looked towards the mountaintop. The summit was shrouded in thick, swirling clouds, like a fairyland. A yellow building loomed faintly in the center of the mist. Chu Xiyin frowned slightly and lowered the curtain again. How could Qi Yu and Hua Shao be in this dynasty? And why didn't they recognize her? Where was she going? Who was Lord Mo? If he was going to offer her to the Emperor, why bring her to such a remote place? Since she could travel from the cabinet to this world, did that mean there was also a path back to her world in this one? A series of questions troubled her.
Chu Xiyin placed her right hand on her forehead, while her left hand repeatedly stroked her lower lip—a habit she had when deep in thought. Suddenly, a horse neighed, and at the same time, a faint panting sound came from above the carriage. That sound? That damned man?
"Is that you?" Chu Xiyin looked up and asked, looking at the top of the carriage.
There was no response. Could it be that she was hallucinating again?
The carriage stopped, and before Xiao Dong and Xiao west could lift the curtain, Chu Xiyin quickly crawled out of the carriage, jumped to the ground, and looked up at the top of the carriage. Sure enough, there was nothing there! But saying there was nothing was not right, because she clearly saw a black, human-shaped mist above the carriage.
"Sister Xiyin, what's wrong?" Xiao Dong asked, staring at Chu Xiyin with curiosity. As she spoke, her chubby, red cheeks trembled, making her look incredibly cute.
Xiao west was quite alert. He quickly jumped off the carriage and followed Chu Xiyin's gaze to look up at the carriage. He seemed to sense something, and his eyes instantly filled with murderous intent.
The humanoid black mist dispersed in the air at an extremely fast speed, disappearing completely in a short moment.
With two neighs, one high and one low, a luxurious carriage slowly came to a stop in front of Chu Xiyin. To her surprise, the carriage was unmanned! In front of the carriage, two tall and strong horses, one brown and one black, held their heads high and strutted gracefully in front of Chu Xiyin, showing off their smooth and shiny coats.
"Damn it! That beast! It runs so fast!" Hua Shao cursed as he climbed out of the carriage.
"Pfft!" Chu Xiyin was shocked by Hua Shao's messy hairstyle.
Hua Shao, who was originally bowing, gracefully raised his head upon hearing the sound.
"Girl, what's with that expression?" Hua Shao asked, staring at Chu Xiyin with his big, dreamy eyes.
Chu Xiyin pointed to Hua Shao's messy, unkempt hair and bit her lip hard to suppress her laughter.
Hua Shao stepped gracefully down from the carriage, his unruly hair flailing rhythmically across his head as he walked. Chu Xiyin loosened her teeth and burst into a cheerful laugh.
Hua Shao quickened his pace and walked up to Chu Xiyin, pressing down on her trembling shoulders and forcing her to look directly into his eyes.
In Chu Xiyin's clear and bright eyes, Hua Shao finally saw his own strange hairstyle.
Another "Ouch!" sounded. Hua Shao released Chu Xiyin's shoulder. "What would happen if Mo Tong saw this?" he said, quickly running his hand through Chu Xiyin's long, beautiful hair. Sure enough, Hua Shao was most concerned about her hair! Chu Xiyin was amused by Hua Shao's actions and couldn't stop laughing.
"Aren't you going in yet?" Qi Yu, with a serious expression, strode towards them past Hua Shao's shoulder. Hua Shao stopped what he was doing; his previously messy hair had been neatly straightened. Ignoring Qi Yu, he grabbed Chu Xiyin's shoulder and carefully examined her through her eyes—left, right, front, and side—before smiling with satisfaction. He then straightened his coat, opened his arms wide, and exclaimed dramatically, "Oh! Tongtong, Brother Hua Shao is here!"
Chu Xiyin turned around and was surprised to find that the yellow building she had seen from the carriage was actually a temple!
"Come in quickly!" Hua Shao waved to Chu Xiyin from the temple entrance.
Qi Yu looked at Chu Xiyin with an indescribable complexity in his eyes.
"Brother Qi Yu, Brother Hua Shao, wait for us!" Xiao Dong patted the horse's back, jumped off the carriage, and shouted to Qi Yu and Hua Shao.
"Sister Xiyin, let's go in quickly!" Xiao Dong took Chu Xiyin's right arm and pulled her towards the temple without waiting for her to leave.
After securing the carriage, Xiao west silently followed behind them. He had a slight frown, his eyes were like cold swords, his lips were tightly closed, and his hands hung at his sides seemingly naturally.
Chu Xiyin stopped at the main entrance of the temple and looked up at the plaque above the entrance. The plaque was dark purple, and in the center of it were three large, golden characters: Cloud Mist Temple.
There is a couplet on both sides of the main gate of the temple: "The clouds cannot reveal the traces of the Buddha, but the mist sometimes shows the traces of the immortals."
Chu Xiyin silently recited the two lines of the couplet in her heart. At first glance, she did not feel that there was anything wrong with it. However, after reading it a few times, she felt that the couplet was a bit strange, but she could not quite put her finger on what was strange about it.
"Sister Xiyin, why aren't you leaving?" Xiao Dong gently tugged at Chu Xiyin. "Don't be afraid, your godfather is a very nice person! Right, Xiao Xi?" He turned his head and looked at Xiao west expectantly.
After a long while, Xiao west finally came to her senses and nodded blankly to Xiao Dong.
Chu Xiyin didn't really care whether the godfather Xiao Dong and Xiao Xi talked about was a good person or not. What she cared about was how to return to her original world and how to avoid marrying Yi Yang—the most debauched and cruel emperor in history.
The temperature on the mountain was different from that at the foot of the mountain. Chu Xiyin was only wearing a thin nightgown, and her body naturally could not immediately adapt to the sudden cold weather.
"Sister Xiyin, you're so cold! I'll take you to Sister Tong and have her help you change into some pretty clothes." Xiao Dong squinted, looking at Chu Xiyin with excitement.
"Get out of the way, I'll take her there." Hua Shao ran to Chu Xiyin's side with lightning speed, pried Xiao Dong's hand off, put his arm around her shoulder and said, "I've been wanting to say this for a while now, your clothes are so weird, I wonder which small country you bought this cheap stuff from?" After saying that, Hua Shao released Chu Xiyin's shoulder, used his index finger and thumb to lift her sleeve and feel it, clicked his tongue and showed a look of disdain.
"Alright! Then take her to change her clothes. We'll go find Lord Mo first." Qi Yu turned around and said this seriously. He winked at Xiao Dong and Xiao west, then led them straight to a side room in the center on the left.
"Come on! I'll take you to meet my sweetheart!" Hua Shao said with a beaming smile, pulling Chu Xiyin to the right.
"Tongtong, open the door! It's me! Hua Shao!" Hua Shao's slender fingers tapped rhythmically on the wooden lattice door.
The door creaked open, and Hua Shao slapped it down, almost hitting the other person in the face.
Hua Shao awkwardly removed his hand from the other person's face little by little, "Tong...Tongtong".
A pair of bright, lively eyes jumped into Chu Xiyin's eyes, those eyes holding a hint of adorable anger. Then, those eyes slowly moved down, fixing on Hua Shao's hand that was holding Chu Xiyin's hand, and in an instant, the anger transformed into jealousy, burning in her eyes.
Hua Shao reacted quickly and released Chu Xiyin's hand, saying, "Tongtong, this is a poor girl who is to be presented to the Emperor. Help her tidy up; her clothes are really shabby!"
"Really? Then come with me!" The girl paused for half a second, then the jealousy in her eyes instantly turned into sympathy. She took Chu Xiyin's hand and walked into the room.
Hua Shao tried to follow him in, but with a "smack," his handsome face was slammed shut outside the door.
"My name is Mo Tong. What's your name, young lady?" Mo Tong asked as he picked up a piece of clothing from the bed.
Chu Xiyin sized up the girl, who looked to be about 16 years old and still had a youthful appearance, and softly replied, "Chu Xiyin."
"Xiyin, what a nice name! What do you think of this dress? It's brand new, I was just about to try it on. Why don't you try it on and see if it fits?" Tongtong handed the dress to Chu Xiyin, and seeing her standing there dumbfounded for a while, she pouted and pretended to be angry, saying, "If you don't try it on, it means you don't like me!"
Chu Xiyin had no choice but to take the clothes and slowly walk behind the screen.
"Don't you need my help?" Tongtong asked from behind Chu Xiyin.
Chu Xiyin shook her head. Although they were both girls, it was better to handle such a small matter as dressing herself. However, as soon as she stepped behind the screen, Chu Xiyin was dumbfounded. The clothes of ancient women were not ordinary at all. There were thin belts, leggings, and wide-sleeved robes... How could one person possibly manage to put on such clothes?
"Is it ready?" Tongtong urged from outside the screen.
"Okay...it'll be done soon," Chu Xiyin replied hastily.
"So white!" Tongtong appeared behind Chu Xiyin without her noticing, startling her so much that she quickly covered herself with her clothes.
"Huh? What kind of clothes are these?" Tongtong pinched Chu Xiyin's pink shoulder strap high, and gently let go, leaving a red mark on her fair shoulder.
To prevent Tongtong from asking any more questions, Chu Xiyin shoved the clothes in her hands into Tongtong's arms, saying, "You help me put them on!"
After getting dressed, Chu Xiyin shook her body uncomfortably. This ancient costume was so uncomfortable! The sleeves were so big that two bottles could fit in them, and the waist was tightly bound, making it difficult to even breathe. There was also a fancy bow tied at the back, which was definitely not her style.
"Let me comb your hair," Tongtong said, pulling Chu Xiyin in front of the bronze mirror. She quickly tied her hair into a pretty bun and then applied some powder to her face.
"So beautiful!" Tongtong brought her little face close to Chu Xiyin and said with envy.
"Has Sister Xiyin changed her clothes? Godfather wants you to come see him!" Xiao Dong called from outside.