Idle flowers and shadows

Introduction (1)

If she could choose again, she would only wish to be born as an ordinary woman, riding side by side with her beloved, roaming the world together.

The north wind whipped up yellow sand, obscuring the sky and the sun.

She couldn't see the way she came.

Two days ago, news came from the desert border that the Holy Sect's leader had suddenly passed away. The Holy Sect had a change of leadership overnight, and the members were filled with panic. At that time, Hua Mengyuan was drinking coarse tea in a simple little shop when, in an instant, her teacup fell to the ground and shattered into a thousand pieces.

That day, he said, "You should leave."

He said, "I don't want to see you again."

Her hands trembled slightly—she hadn't expected him to be so impatient, committing such an immoral act before even waiting for the succession. Compared to the sudden death of the cult leader, was her being merely banished as his wife a form of mercy?

She stood up and ran outside, but a guard rudely grabbed her: "Young Madam, the young master forbids you from returning to the palace."

She wouldn't listen: "I want to see Ah Xiao! Cheng Ji can't stop me from seeing the child!"

The guard pointed a finger, and her vision went black. She collapsed limply, no longer able to struggle.

When she awoke again, it was already past midnight. Staring blankly at the bright moon outside the window, she couldn't help but burst into tears. Her three years of marriage had ultimately failed to withstand his ambition. She had thought he was sending her away simply because of a letter from an old friend, but it turned out to be nothing more than an excuse!

She wouldn't let him disobey her, so he couldn't let her stay by his side any longer. What others saw as a deep and loving relationship turned out to be nothing more than this.

However, Hua Mengyuan ultimately failed to enter the pass as she wished.

A day later, a group of unidentified men in black cornered her and her entourage outside Yama City. They were pursued relentlessly, forcing them back into the desert. The guard, stabbed multiple times, died in the raging sandstorms of the Gobi Desert.

The man in black wore a garment embroidered with a sand scorpion symbol, indicating he was a member of the Demon Palace's guards.

—He was determined not to let her go and would not be at ease until he had killed her.

Her tears had dried up. The world was vast, yet she was all alone, surrounded by a desolate desert with nowhere to go.

There will be no warm embrace ahead, and behind you, only pursuers are close behind.

The wound on her leg throbbed with excruciating pain, blood sticking her skin and clothes together. She could walk no more; footsteps grew closer on the distant sand dunes. She could even picture the cold glint of their knives—two feet two inches long, broad blades capable of severing bone with a single blow.

She let out a long breath, gazing at the crescent moon on the horizon. The fear in her heart inexplicably vanished, replaced by an unusual calm.

Does everyone, like her, recall those unforgettable memories of their life before they die?

At this moment, she was not thinking of her husband of three years, but of a young man with a smile as bright as the sun.

That day, just like today, was marked by a cold, frosty moon and a biting north wind.

They huddled together for warmth. Three days had passed without food or water, and neither knew when they might suddenly die, making them cherish their remaining time all the more.

At that time, she didn't know Ji.

To be with one person for life, every girl dreams of this.

When Hua Mengyuan was seventeen, her father betrothed her to the only son of the Sword Saint. However, this seemingly perfect match ultimately became a disgrace for her, because the young hero, praised by all, eloped with another man the night before their engagement!

Hua Mengyuan was always a proud and aloof woman. She could not bear such an insult and ran away from home in a fit of anger, determined to find a man who was better than that man to appease her resentment.

She headed north, preparing to leave Tongyun Pass to the west. In the desert beyond the pass lived the only person in the world capable of withstanding the Sword Saint's twelve fragments of the Heaven and Earth technique—the leader of the Demonic Sect. She had heard rumors that the leader's only son possessed extraordinary talent, and that when he was a little over ten years old, he had sparred with a junior Sword Saint, winning by only half a move.

She wanted to find this person, and she also wanted to make the man who abandoned her look at her with new respect and never dare to belittle her again!

A young girl's thoughts are always tinged with a touch of willfulness and stubbornness. To make it easier to move around, she concealed her stunning beauty and disguised herself as an inconspicuous little girl. A month before her eighteenth birthday, in Fengle Plain, she met Su Shijie, the young chieftain of Black Wind Village.

Introduction (2)

Her mount had died in the jaws of wolves, and she had her eye on Su Shijie's tall black horse, but he was disdainful, scoffing, "A young lady like you, robbing someone in broad daylight, aren't you ashamed? If you're so capable, come and take it yourself!"

She was unconvinced and actually tried to take the horse. Although she lost, he was very principled and eventually let her ride his horse, claiming that walking would help her practice her lightness skill. At first, she didn't take his words to heart, but seeing how hard he worked chasing the horse every day, she occasionally let him ride with her once or twice. Over time, it became a habit, and she stopped avoiding the idea.

He was going to the Thirty-Six Kingdoms of the Western Regions, while she was going to the Demon Realm Desert. They accompanied each other for over a month until they reached the border.

Shijie was a cheerful boy with light tan skin that contrasted sharply with his pearly white teeth, making him shine like the sun. She liked him very much and wanted to be his friend for life.

We're just friends.

Because he wasn't the kind of man she envisioned—not gentle enough, not refined enough, and a bandit at that. Besides, when a man and a woman can be so close and talk about everything, where is the love in that?

In the early spring of the following year, Hua Mengyuan resolutely set foot on this land.

But a sudden sandstorm in the Gobi Desert stopped her in her tracks. The sandstorm struck in the dead of night, and before she could disguise herself as a young girl, Su Shijie grabbed her and pulled her out of the inn.

The deserted village shop behind them was quickly ravaged by the wind and sand, tilting precariously. He pulled her along, racing against the gale, until they found a small rocky hill to take shelter from the storm.

Still catching his breath, he was about to say a few words of comfort when he suddenly froze and fell silent.

"Xiaomeng, you...how could you..."

Knowing she could no longer hide it, she had no choice but to reveal the truth: "Shi

……