"Danger!" Before Chu Xiyin could finish speaking, a sharp dagger had already pierced Chunhua's heart.
Chunhua turned her head, her eyes filled with an indiscernible mix of surprise, hatred, and sorrow. She slowly uttered two words, "Your Majesty...Your Majesty."
Yi Yang's lips curled into a dangerous smile. "Ugly woman, thank you! You've removed an obstacle for me!"
He forcefully pulled out the dagger that was piercing her heart, and in an instant, blood gushed out, staining her plain white dress red.
He knew from the beginning that she wasn't Chu Xiyin; he was just using her—using her love for him and her hatred for them—to get rid of the people he wanted to get rid of!
"Your Majesty, did you ever love me?" Chunhua asked painfully, clutching his shoulders.
“Love…” He looked at her, his eyes still clear and innocent.
A hint of joy flashed in Chunhua's eyes.
"I've never known what love is! Foolish woman, you're nothing but a pawn in my game! But you're a very useful pawn; I love you dearly!" His words pierced her ears, each syllable sharp and clear...
He laughed wildly, while she was in excruciating pain!
She slowly took the pendant from her chest, gently pressed it, and poured the drop of bright red blood into his mouth...
He stared at her in surprise, grabbed her collar, and said, "You wretched woman, what did you feed me?"
"Heartbreak Powder!" she sneered.
Yi Yang loosened her collar, rolled to the ground in pain, and curled up into a ball.
Those painful hallucinations tormented him relentlessly.
That year, he was sent to the Kingdom of Peony as a hostage and became Empress Xingya's male concubine. At that time, he was only thirteen years old.
Xingya constantly abused him; if he did anything that displeased her, he would inevitably suffer torture.
In the middle of the night, he would often let out heart-wrenching howls, unable to bear the excruciating physical pain. However, his cries did not elicit her pity; on the contrary, she tormented and abused him even more cruelly…
Hatred planted a terrifying seed in his young heart.
When Yi Yang was fifteen, Xing Hui led a rebellion with her male concubines and mistresses, and it was he who denounced them. He knew that with their strength, they were no match for her.
And the reward he received from Xingya was eternal freedom.
Yi Yang returned to the Ziling Dynasty, but from that moment on, a huge shadow loomed over his heart. He hated women, especially the beautiful ones! He became cruel and ruthless, and the sight of blood excited him immensely. Yet, deep down, he craved love more than anyone else.
Chunhua gave him the love he wanted, and on the one hand, he greedily enjoyed this love, while on the other hand, he vehemently rejected it. Therefore, he abused her, and only by watching her scream in pain could he find his cruel self again in this contradiction.
Chunhua held his head tightly, and he peacefully stopped struggling in her arms until his breathing ceased...
He owed her an "I love you," but she didn't care. As long as she could be by his side, she had no regrets in this life.
Chunhua slowly closed her eyes, a tear rolling down her cheek. "Your Majesty, we can finally be together forever!"
The fire had spread across the entire back mountain. Seeing that the emperor was dead, the two guards, no longer caring about Chu Xiyin, slunk away from the back mountain.
"Chuan..." Chu Xiyin ran towards the firelight.
Snap! She was struck hard from behind and lost consciousness.
Chapter 51 The Promise of a Thousand Years
"Chuan!" Chu Xiyin suddenly jumped up from the bed.
Tongtong stared at her with her big, teary eyes.
"Tongtong! Where is the Fourth Prince? I just had a dream, I dreamt of a huge fire. He's dead, they're all dead..." Chu Xiyin kept shaking Tongtong's shoulders as she spoke.
Tongtong turned her face away, bit her lip, and sobbed without answering.
"You're awake..." Siqi entered through the door, carrying a bowl of porridge.
"Siqi, tell me, where are the Fourth Prince and the others?" Chu Xiyin stared blankly at Siqi, hoping to hear a reassuring answer from her.
"Drink this porridge first!" Siqi's charming eyes seemed unusually dim.
Chu Xiyin shook her head, lowered her eyes, and slowly said, "Tell me, are they... all dead?"
Siqi closed her eyes, and a stream of hot tears rolled down her cheeks. She nodded and slumped down on the edge of the bed.
"Tongtong has no relatives left! Father is dead, brother is dead, and Hua Shao is dead too..." Tongtong rushed into Chu Xiyin's arms and hugged her tightly, crying.
"You still have me, and you still have Siqi," Chu Xiyin said, patting her head to comfort her.
After a long while, Chu Xiyin seemed to remember something, pushed Tongtong away, took out a lock of Hua Shao's hair from her bosom, and handed it to her, saying, "This is what Hua Shao asked me to give you. He asked me to tell you that he only loves you in this life."
Tongtong held Hua Shao's hair and cried even harder.
Chu Xiyin glanced at Tongtong, then at Siqi, and suddenly felt a wave of dizziness, collapsing lightly onto the bed...
The night was deathly still.
The moon was covered by layers of dark clouds, and Chu Xiyin's room was eerily dark...
"Xi Yin... Xi Yin..." The ghostly calls echoed again and again in the empty room...
Chu Xiyin opened her eyes groggily, and a dark shadow slowly became clear in front of her.
"Is it that ghost?" Chu Xiyin looked at him with surprise.
“Come with me!” He took her hand; his hand was still icy cold.
The ghost led her to the back mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, Chu Xiyin saw the bodies of Chunhua and Yiyang intertwined. She took out the clean handkerchief from her bosom and gently placed it inside.
"In your next life, you must be happy and be yourself!" Chu Xiyin said to her.
A smile seemed to curve at the corners of her lips, a smile as honest and simple as when she first met her.
On the mountain, charred corpses piled up in heaps. Chu Xiyin closed her eyes sadly, letting the ghost lead her by the hand and walk up the mountain.
The ghostly voice said softly, "We've arrived!"
The fragrance of thousand-year-old sandalwood is so strong it's almost suffocating.
She lowered her head, slowly opened her eyes, and was shocked to find a black heart-shaped birthmark on the back of his right hand.
"Chuan!" She looked up and gazed at his retreating figure.
The ghost paused for a moment, then hurriedly let go of her hand.
"Are you Yi Chuan?" Chu Xiyin walked up to him and touched his mask.
The ghost remained silent; beneath the mask, its melancholy eyes gleamed with tears.
"I want to see your face!" Chu Xiyin gently removed his mask.
This time, he did not refuse.
His face was covered with scorching scars, but she recognized him; he was her prince, he was her Yichuan!
He looked at her. After waiting for a thousand years, she finally remembered everything!
"Chuan!" she called softly, tiptoed, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed his cold lips.
This kiss, which was a thousand years overdue, ignited his heart, which had been frozen for a thousand years, like a raging fire!
He suddenly hugged her tightly and returned her kiss with deep affection!
As dawn slowly broke, a thick fog enveloped the mountains.
The only thousand-year-old sandalwood tree on the mountain that hadn't been completely consumed by the fire suddenly flashed with golden light, sucking Chu Xiyin and the ghost inside.
"The Buddha's traces are nowhere to be found in the clouds, but the immortals' traces are sometimes revealed in the mist." So this is the secret hidden in Yunwu Temple!
In that blinding light, the ghost tightly gripped Chu Xiyin's hand. "Xiyin, remember our promise! See you in the next life!"
The ghost abruptly released her hand, transforming into a black shadow and disappearing into the light...
bite--
An alarm clock woke Chu Xiyin up.
She looked up abruptly and found that the story outline was soaked with her tears.
A ray of sunlight streamed into the room. She glanced at the rosewood cabinet, which stood calmly in the sunlight as always…
Chu Xiyin touched the sandalwood prayer beads on her wrist, smiled, and dialed Mo Yun's number on her phone. "Hello! Teacher Mo, I have an even better story. Would you like to hear it?"
Mo Yun readily agreed to meet her at Xiyin Pavilion.
When they arrived at Xiyin Pavilion, Mo Yun still waved his short, thick arms enthusiastically at her. She ordered a cup of black tea as usual and sat down by the window.
Chu Xiyin composed herself for a moment, just about to speak, when Mo Yun suddenly stopped her, mysteriously opening his notebook and saying, "My daughter is back from America."
Chu Xiyin looked curious. She often heard Mo Yun mention his daughter, but she had never even seen a picture of her.
“Come and look at her photos, isn’t she beautiful?” Mo Yun opened a photo and showed it off to Chu Xiyin.
Chu Xiyin leaned closer. The girl in the photo had a ponytail and a very charming appearance. Beneath her charming face lay an arrogant and haughty air!
"Very beautiful!" Chu Xiyin smiled faintly.
Mo Yun turned off the computer with a smug look on his face.
Chu Xiyin gazed at the bustling crowd outside the window, the bright sunlight gently shining on her face. Watching the tea leaves swirling in her teacup, she suddenly looked up and said, "Teacher Mo, I want to go back to my hometown for a few days!"
"Great! Anyway, there's no rush for this book! I want to spend some quality time with my daughter!" Mo Yun's excitement hadn't subsided yet.
It was already dusk when we came out of Xiyin Pavilion.
Chu Xiyin called Hua Shao and Qi Yu, wanting to invite them out for a meal to say goodbye.
"Oh, you're leaving so soon? Tongtong and I are shopping!" Hua Shao still sounded surprised.
"What? You can't bear to part with me?" Chu Xiyin said jokingly.
"That's right, that's right! Now that you're gone, who will keep me company with drinks and conversation?" Hua Shao laughed loudly on the other end of the phone.
"Alright, alright! I won't argue with you anymore. Bring Tongtong along!" Chu Xiyin laughed and hung up the phone.
Qi Yu was always punctual and arrived at the agreed-upon restaurant well in advance.