She smiled, her gaze lingering on my face as she looked me over carefully. "Yunmo, look, you and I look so alike. Sometimes when I look at you, I feel like I'm looking at myself. But our personalities are nothing alike. I would never do things like you; I will fight for what I want."
I stared at her blankly, the thought in my mind running wild like a runaway horse, traveling a hundred thousand miles in an instant.
She laughed even more seductively: "Xiao Mo, you don't know who the person I just mentioned I like is, do you?"
Looking at her smile and eyes, an answer seemed imminent, yet I desperately tried to stop myself from thinking about it. A nameless fear gripped me, a sense of unease piercing my back. A force of reason and clarity tried to stop me from speculating, but another powerful force raged within me, compelling me to think even more. Torn between these two conflicting thoughts, my heart felt like it was about to burst.
Yu Muxi looked at me and slowly said, "After our parents passed away, my sister and I were sold into an opera troupe. The troupe leader named me Meiduo, and I learned opera with a few other maids in the troupe, including Lanzhuju. Later, we were sold by Madam Qi to Guiyun Manor to serve the young master. No one could dislike someone like him, and I was no exception. Of the four maids, he only liked me. He said that my appearance was the kind of look he liked the most. But I never expected that there would be someone like you in this world, who also looks like you. No wonder he could tolerate the engagement with you for so long."
I was paralyzed, as if a biting wind had instantly pierced my entire body, and I began to tremble uncontrollably. I couldn't speak, I didn't even have the strength to ask a question. Yes, she was Meiduo, the later Mei'er, who filled the void after she left. No wonder Zhou Yicong called out "Meiduo" while holding my ankle before he died. He must have always admired her, knowing that she desperately wanted the "Chongshan Sword Manual," so after I arrived at Liujin Island, he wanted to take the "Chongshan Sword Manual" from me to win her favor.
"When your mother saw me at the Jiang family, she was very surprised. Perhaps she thought of you when she saw me, and out of love for the house, she felt sorry for me being a maid in the Jiang family. She took pity on me and sent me to the leader of the Yuanshan Sect to learn martial arts, hoping that I would have a good future."
“I’ve always been grateful to Aunt Gu, considering her my benefactor. Because of her, I had the opportunity to achieve my current status and have the means to stand shoulder to shoulder with Jiang Chen. By chance, I met someone from Jinbo Palace whose father was a protector of Jinbo Palace. He told me that Aunt Gu was Murong Qiao, the palace master of Jinbo Palace. And you are her daughter with Shi Jing. At the time, I didn’t take it to heart and didn’t tell anyone because I was grateful to Aunt Gu for her kindness and was willing to keep this secret for her. But later, I learned that you and Jiang Chen were engaged.”
She sighed and shook her head, a hint of pain and resentment flashing in her eyes.
"You can't imagine the bitterness in my heart. For so many years, I've practiced martial arts relentlessly to be worthy of him, to become my master's most prized disciple, and to inherit the position of sect leader. I've sacrificed so much; all my efforts were just to be worthy of him one day. And you, you did nothing, yet you were able to marry him with just a 'Chongshan Sword Manual.' Are all my wishes and efforts over the years just going to go down the drain? I'm so unwilling to lose him for a sword manual. I don't know where you hid that sword manual. I had Xiao Hebao search everywhere, but we couldn't find it. By the way, Xiao Hebao is my younger sister; her original name was Yu Muhe."
I stared blankly at her lips, listening to each word she uttered, my heart breaking. These things, like threads in a net, happened around me unintentionally, intermittently, sometimes there, sometimes not, but now suddenly they connected to form a dense net, enveloping me completely, making it hard for me to breathe.
"I thought that as long as I could get the sword manual, I could make him cancel the marriage. I could have taken your life, but your mother is, after all, my benefactor. My current status is entirely thanks to her, so I'm grateful and only want the sword manual, not to kill you. However, the men I sent out failed several times. Zhou Yicong also failed, so I had to think of another way. I know you and Yunzhou are in love, but you've missed each other because of repeated misunderstandings. So, I wrote a letter to Yunzhou, telling him that you are not siblings and that you can get married. But you refuse to rekindle your relationship. This really surprised me. What, could it be that you already have Jiang Chen in your heart?"
She emphasized her words, her voice becoming somewhat sharp. That rhetorical question sent a sudden, dull pain through my heart.
"There's no other way, so I have to tell you the truth today. I know how painful it is to be kept in the dark all the time."
Indeed, being deceived is painful, but I don't know whether it's more painful to be kept in the dark for a lifetime or to know the truth now.
She sneered, "Jiang Chen only got engaged to you because of the 'Chongshan Sword Manual,' haven't you realized that yet?"
My throat felt like it was stuck with a thorn, the pain unbearable, the pain gradually shooting down my throat and sinking heavily into my heart. I didn't want to hear her speak anymore, nor did I dare to look into her eyes. I desperately tried to convince myself that Jiang Chen and I had shared four years of friendship, and I couldn't erase everything he had done for me just because of a few words from her. I didn't believe that he was really with me only for the sake of the "Chongshan Sword Manual".
"Is he hiding a lot of things from you? If he truly likes someone, why would he keep so many secrets from you? The fact that he's doing this only shows that he's just going through the motions and doesn't care about you at all."
Those words struck at my Achilles' heel. Yes, he had kept so many things from me; I couldn't see through his intentions, couldn't guess them. If Yu Muxi hadn't told me, I would never have known that he and she had such a childhood sweetheart relationship. My vision blurred, like a whirlwind sweeping up fallen yellow leaves, swirling and obscuring my path. I had never felt so confused, so fearful, so helpless. I desperately wanted her to stop, afraid that if I heard another word from her, my trust in Jiang Chen would crumble to dust, vanishing into nothingness.
Unfortunately, she kept talking, dragging me into an icebox.
“Yunmo, even now, I still don’t want to hurt you. I invited you here not to do anything to you, but just to ask you to let me and Jiang Chen be together. Actually, it’s also for your own sake. Haven’t you always liked Yunzhou? I’ve invited him here for you, and he’ll be here in a little while.”
I was suddenly startled. She had actually invited Yunzhou along. What exactly was she planning to do?
She smiled radiantly, yet deftly fed me a pill. I was secretly alarmed, but helpless. I wondered what kind of hidden weapon she had used earlier; it was probably poisoned. At this moment, my whole body felt weak and powerless.
"Xiao Mo, don't blame me. Actually, you'll be grateful to me for letting you and Yun Zhou be together. You're with him, and I'm with Jiang Chen. We're both in love and we've found our own happiness. Isn't that better?"
I was involuntarily frightened and didn't understand what she meant. She smiled and carried me into the building, placing me on the bed.
"Yunzhou will be here soon. You two can consummate your marriage and become husband and wife, shall we?"
My heart nearly stopped in shock; she actually had such a plan.
She stepped outside and stood under the eaves, her graceful figure like a paper cutout before a candle. I stared blankly, feeling anxious and angry, yet unable to move. I didn't know what she had fed me, but in a short while, I felt feverish and extremely irritable.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps. The footsteps were unhurried, making a soft creaking sound as they walked on the wooden stairs. My heart pounded. Who was it? Yunzhou?
A soft "Xiao Mo" came from outside the door, calm yet full of deep affection; it was indeed Yunzhou's voice.
Yu Muxi turned to the side, looked at him with a smile, and softly called out, "Yunzhou."
Yunzhou slowly walked up to Yu Muxi and stopped a few steps away. A chill ran through me. I hadn't expected Yu Muxi to impersonate me. She looked remarkably like me. Under the lamplight at night, with her back to the light, could Yunzhou tell the difference?
The door was open, but the room was pitch black. He never imagined there would be anyone in the room, much less that he would be lying on the bed inside, watching someone impersonating him talking to him.
Yunzhou asked softly, "Why did you call me here?"
I was immediately disappointed. Yunzhou didn't realize that the person wasn't me, but Yu Muxi.
Yu Muxi didn't say anything, but took two steps forward and suddenly threw herself into Yunzhou's arms. "The one I've always loved is you."
She deliberately imitated my voice, lowering her voice to sound somewhat resentful.
I was secretly anxious, hoping that Yunzhou would see through the deception, but Yunzhou froze and stood there stunned.
Seeing this, I was extremely anxious, because her words would undoubtedly make Yunzhou even more flustered. And when she hugged Yunzhou, he could no longer see her face or expression clearly. I was so anxious that I was about to collapse.
Suddenly, Yunzhou's body went limp. I knew I was in trouble; Yu Muxi must have taken advantage of his panic and lack of vigilance to launch a hidden attack. Hearing such a confession now, the shock he felt was unimaginable. How could he possibly be wary of "me"?
Yu Muxi sighed, "You really like her. Just one sentence and you're completely bewitched, without any sense of defense."
My eyes stung, and I almost cried. How could Yunzhou possibly be wary of me?
Yu Mu'ao half-carried Yunzhou onto the bed and placed him beside me, laughing, "I've delivered my ideal husband to you. He's been drugged by my drug, so you can do whatever you want to him; he'll just think he's in a dream."
As she spoke, she began to undress Yunzhou. After taking off his outer garment, she removed his inner garment. I was both ashamed and anxious, but I couldn't speak to stop her, nor could I move.
Just as she was about to remove his underwear, she seemed a little shy and stopped, whispering, "I won't help you with the last one; you'll have to do it yourself. In a quarter of an hour, you can move your arms and legs. However, you just swallowed a Drunken Immortal Spring pill, which is both an aphrodisiac and a poison. If you refuse to use it as an antidote, you'll die from a broken blood vessel. In a quarter of an hour, the poison will take effect, and even a god wouldn't be able to stay conscious after taking this pill. Enjoy this night."
She smiled sweetly and placed my hand on Yunzhou's chest.
I was filled with shame and indignation, yet I couldn't move. In my anger, my eyes felt throbbing, and I couldn't speak or move, only glare fiercely at her. She, however, acted like a matchmaker, speaking gently, "Actually, you and he were originally in love, but there were some misunderstandings, and you were also engaged to Jiang Chen. This place is quiet and secluded, perfect for a romantic encounter. Once the deed is done, you won't have the face to marry Jiang Chen anymore, and then Palace Mistress Murong will surely grant your wish to be with Yunzhou."
She laughed heartily, lowered the curtain, and walked away quietly, followed by the sound of the door closing.
The room was completely silent. I could almost hear the rush of my blood. My body grew increasingly hot, burning with desire. Waves of indescribable urges surged within me like countless caged beasts, writhing wildly.
Looking for an exit.