Quand l'amour approche, c'est comme la neige

Chapitre 57

Upon hearing this, Yongye picked up the roasted chicken leg and said with a smile, "I'll eat it as I walk!" The chicken leg smelled delicious, and she needed energy tonight.

As she left the manor, dusk was falling. If she wanted to consider the bigger picture, she should have ignored Yuepo and continued playing the role of the prince, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. However, she couldn't.

Yongye strolled leisurely to the riverbank.

A gentle evening breeze blew, and a layer of white mist rose from the water, gradually thickening to the consistency of milk. It was impossible to see through or understand it.

Yongye stared blankly, feeling that this scene was exactly like the River of Oblivion in the Yellow Springs, with all the souls hidden in the mist. If she could come again, would she be reborn as a human? Yongye couldn't help but take a few steps forward. The water submerged the soles of her shoes, and the spring river water still carried the biting cold of winter, making her shiver.

It's as if everything is new from the moment of reincarnation.

She'd rather be an idiot than wake up in this body. She'd rather be a fool, foolish enough not to face it all. It wasn't until the words "Peony Courtyard" reached her ears that she felt as if struck by lightning.

Reincarnated and thrown into a brothel? Her hearing suddenly returned to normal, and she could hear the shadow occasionally muttering in her ear: "Don't let anyone find out you're a woman... You can't take a bath... You must strictly control your water intake, and you must relieve yourself at the same time... If you don't want to go to the brothel, if you still want to go home... I know you can hear me, you can't... I brought you here, so I will protect you..."

The shadow's voice came from the distant horizon, word by word, every few days it would ring in her ears.

"Everyone experiences loneliness." A voice rang out from not far away.

Yongye turned her head in surprise, a throwing knife already stuck in her palm. She asked in a trembling voice, her expression impassive, "Who...is it a ghost?"

"Haha!" A loud laugh came from the other side of the thick fog. The person was amused by Yongye's fear. "We meet again. Do you remember me?" The fog cleared, and Feng Yangxi appeared three zhang away from Yongye, dressed in black, looking disheveled. His face was thin, with a full beard and thick, dark eyebrows. The sharp, seductive eyes that had pierced Yongye's during their fight now seemed gentle.

Yongye looked at him, then suddenly burst into laughter and exclaimed, "So it's you! Crazy brother! What are you doing here?" The knife remained motionless in his palm, and sweat had already beaded on his back.

"As soon as I arrived, I saw someone walking into the river, and then I realized it was you!" Feng Yangxi chuckled as he approached, scrutinizing her from head to toe. He sighed, "I just realized that the person I saved years ago was actually the Prince Duan's heir! Why would the heir come to this secluded place alone at night?"

He didn't notice anything unusual about me! Yongye breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on the grass, the throwing knife disappearing without a trace. She hugged her knees and looked at the thick fog on the river, saying quietly, "You said that everyone is lonely. It's just that while Master Feng's martial arts are unparalleled, Yongye has greatly disappointed Father."

Feng Yangxi sat down, Yongye's face filled with dejection. So what if she didn't know martial arts? With the power of Prince Duan and the prestige of her maternal grandfather, who in Anguo would dare bully her?

He turned his head and stared at the fog-shrouded water. Everyone has their worries, don't they?

Is there really such a thing as a perfect, carefree life? He smiled with relief, but there was also a hint of melancholy in his smile.

Yongye was very grateful for Feng Yangxi's silence. She didn't want to talk right now, and she didn't want to engage in scheming.

The two sat silently without saying a word.

Feng Yangxi suddenly took off her cloak and draped it over Yongye: "When I saw you on the street that day, you didn't look well. I heard you've been sick for a while. Are you still not cured?"

Yongye buried her face in her hands, constantly applying the disguise potion, too lazy to wash it off. Occasionally, when she washed it off, Yihong would be exceptionally happy, thinking that Yongye looked radiant that day, and even the Princess Consort would take the opportunity to invite her to dinner. She could only be close to her parents for a few days a month, and the whole family felt it was a hardship.

Everyone is waiting, everyone is enduring.

Was it worth it for her to sacrifice Yuepo alone?

Yongye turned his head and smiled at Feng Yangxi: "Hero Feng is a first-rate hero in the martial arts world. My father also respects him very much and has always wanted to befriend you."

Feng Yangxi's lips moved slightly, his eyes gleaming in the darkness: "I'm used to being alone and don't like associating with the powerful and wealthy."

Lies! Yongye's heart slowly calmed down. A great hero? Bullshit! The lie just slipped out: "Yongye is in poor health and cannot share my father's worries, which makes me very sad."

Feng Yangxi, knowing that Yongye was the heir apparent of Prince Duan, naturally guessed the reason behind it all. He couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for Yongye. Prince Duan, a man of unparalleled martial prowess, only had such a sickly son, which inevitably caused him distress. The heir apparent was probably troubled by these things. He gently comforted him, saying, "A true man should strive to be worthy of heaven and earth. Consider the former prime minister of Anguo, Yu Dan, who served as prime minister at the age of seventeen. He had no martial arts skills whatsoever, yet he stood in the court, and even the most powerful generals, capable of splitting stone tablets and shattering rocks, treated him with utmost respect. The King of Qi unified thirty-six tribes to establish his kingdom, becoming one of the three great hegemons alongside An and Chen, relying not on military strength but on strategy and prestige. Chen secured its kingdom with three great ministers, none of whom were skilled in martial arts. Yongye is a bit weak and doesn't know any of the eighteen martial arts, so why be discouraged?"

"Yes, Prince You is gentle and polite, respectful and refined, but who knows how insidious he really is!" Yongye thought to himself. But his eyes slowly brightened, as if he had figured something out. He smiled, stood up, and bowed to Feng Yangxi: "Thank you for your guidance, Great Hero Feng. Yongye understands."

Feng Yangxi looked at her with a smile, seeing that Yongye radiated a moon-like glow. Although her complexion wasn't good, her features were captivatingly beautiful. Her melancholy evoked pity, but now, her smile radiated a spirit that overshadowed her physical beauty, possessing a unique charm that drew people in. The Princess of Jing'an, who was infatuated with her, wasn't solely attracted to her appearance. Thinking of this, she blurted out, "Appearances are just a shell. Yongye doesn't need to interpret people's intentions based on that. The other day I saw that little princess..."

Yongye blinked and interrupted him, then smiled: "Master Feng has been dressed in black for seven or eight years without changing, is it because you disdain clothing?"

Seeing that she was unwilling to mention Princess Rose, Feng Yangxi blinked and slowly said, "I have no money!"

Yongye burst out laughing, reached into his robes and took out a purse, picked out a small gold ingot, pulled Feng Yangxi's hand and placed it in his palm, saying, "I consider you a friend, this is my greeting gift. Don't think it's vulgar, it's a sincere gift from me. It's just that the timing is wrong, otherwise, I would have made you a new set of clothes!"

She kept talking, as if afraid that Feng Yangxi would misunderstand her.

Feng Yangxi looked at the gold ingot in her palm with a wry smile. After thinking for a moment, she took out a small wooden plaque from her bosom. The three characters "Feng Yangxi" were written on it in a flamboyant style. She placed it in Yongye's bosom and said with a smile, "If you ever encounter difficulties in the future, you can use this wooden plaque to do something for me."

Good heavens, such a good thing! I've struck gold! Feng Yangxi, you gullible idiot! Yongye happily took the wooden plaque, turning it over and over to examine it several times, then innocently asked, "Is this Master Feng's Jianghu token? Once this plaque is revealed, both the righteous and the wicked will avoid us?"

"Hehe, a friend from the martial arts world is giving me face. You can keep it." Feng Yangxi felt that this Prince Duan's heir was still innocent and naive. Having stayed in the Prince's mansion for so long, he was truly like a piece of unpolished jade. If he weren't Prince Duan's heir, he would be a good friend to make.

Yongye glanced at the sky, then smiled and said to Feng Yangxi, "I grieve for you alone by the river, the moon shines lonely on this long night. Until we meet again."

A deep meaning filled Feng Yangxi's eyes as she murmured Yongye's words several times, feeling an unexpected sense of kinship with this Prince Duan.

Little did he know that as Yongye slowly left, he was so smug that he almost burst out laughing.

Cao Cao said, "I would rather betray the world than be a defeated villain." A ruthless glint flashed in Yongye's eyes. She would rather be a hero than a defeated bandit. In this life, she would never again put herself in danger because of her soft heart. She was not alone; she also had her gentle mother and her father, who was devoted to serving his country.

At this moment, Yongye regained his confidence.

She had thought it through years ago. She couldn't be a chivalrous young hero who won women's hearts by day, nor could she be a philandering thief who stole women's affections by night. This body, a girl's body, would bring her immense trouble, but a new life should bring new joys. She was already trying to adapt and was amazed to discover the many differences between men and women.

She is more easily moved to tears than before. She only admires women and has no longer the impulsive desire to possess them that she once had.

What they have in common is the heart within their chests: strong, decisive, and ruthless.

Will she ever fall for a man? Yongye's eyes held a mixture of curiosity and longing, tinged with disdain. She knew men's tricks all too well. Winning her heart wouldn't be an easy task.

Thinking about it, his mood suddenly lifted. He casually tossed the wooden plaque in his hand, and Yongye chuckled wickedly, "Feng Yangxi, I may not be able to beat you, but I can still outsmart you with underhanded tactics!"

And you, Li Tianyou.

Yongye smiled as he gazed in the direction of Prince You's residence.

How did Yongye become a woman? —Q&A