General Qing Jiang died on the Great Wall.
That night, a thousand years ago, the Imperial Tutor, along with seven experts no weaker than General Qing Jiang, pursued General Qing Jiang and his two companions. With nowhere left to retreat, General Qing Jiang stayed behind to hold them off, engaging the Imperial Tutor and his seven masters in a fierce battle, allowing Princess Yu Shu and Lian He to escape.
That night, General Qing Jiang, with his singular might, slew three masters and grievously wounded the Imperial Tutor!
Though he broke through the encirclement, he was separated from Princess Yu Shu.
Their identities were already special, and they dared not draw attention. After being separated, it became even harder for them to meet again.
In that era, every parting could be a final farewell.
Helpless, General Qing Jiang could only find a secluded spot to nurse his wounds. Unfortunately, his injuries worsened, and he died filled with regret not long after.
Of course, during the time General Qing Jiang was recuperating, many other events occurred, but General Qing Jiang did not elaborate at this moment.
As for what happened after his death, General Qing Jiang knew nothing.
Therefore, he didn't know what became of Princess Yu Shu, nor how Lian He transformed from a mere maidservant to possessing her current strength. He also didn't understand what that skull imprint signified.
Lian He wept and said, "After we lost contact with you, General, we fled for another three years. During that time, the Princess continuously searched for your whereabouts but never found you. Finally, the Princess made a ruthless decision to see you..."
"What decision?" General Qing Jiang's heart clenched.
Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong were also moved by General Qing Jiang's expression.
"The world is vast. For us two to find you amidst the sea of people would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Therefore, the Princess decided to allow herself to be captured by the Imperial Tutor. The purpose was to spread the word, hoping that you, upon hearing the news, would come to reunite with her..."
Upon hearing this, General Qing Jiang exclaimed in anger, "She was being foolish! We had just barely escaped the Kingdom of Qing Jiang, and the Imperial Tutor's methods are brutal. If she fell into the Imperial Tutor's hands, do you think she didn't realize how tragically she would end up!"
Lian He's sorrow was immeasurable. "I tried to advise the Princess at the time, but she had given up everything for the sake of reuniting with you. Moreover, the Princess said that if you two could escape the Kingdom of Qing Jiang once, you could certainly escape a second time. Therefore, she could endure any hardship, as long as she could see you, she was willing to do anything!"
"Foolishness! Utter foolishness..."
General Qing Jiang gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and sighed with a furrowed brow for a long time, seemingly unable to bear hearing what happened next.
The rest of the story would have to be told by Lin Zitong.
Lin Zitong asked, "What happened later?"
Lian He replied, "We two quietly returned to the Kingdom of Qing Jiang and appeared directly before the King of Qing Jiang. After the King of Qing Jiang apprehended us, he then notified the Imperial Tutor to return to the kingdom. We also took this opportunity to spread the news, but... but we never received any word from you, General."
Yan Shouyi and General Qing Jiang sighed simultaneously. At that time, General Qing Jiang had likely already died.
This was destined to be a fruitless wait.
"We didn't wait for you, but the Imperial Tutor came. The Imperial Tutor had suffered losses at our hands repeatedly. In the end, the Princess returned to the Kingdom of Qing Jiang herself. This greatly displeased the King of Qing Jiang with the Imperial Tutor, and the entire court mocked the Imperial Tutor's incompetence. The Imperial Tutor became even more enraged and subjected the Princess and me to severe torture, trying to force your whereabouts out of us."
"We naturally didn't know your whereabouts. The Imperial Tutor tortured us for three months, making us endure immense suffering, before he was finally convinced that we truly did not know your whereabouts. Coincidentally, at this time, an envoy from the northern great kingdom paid a visit to Qing Jiang. The King of Qing Jiang ordered the Imperial Tutor to prepare a presentable gift. The Imperial Tutor, in his cruelty, killed the Princess, took her spine, and fashioned it into a bone chain, presenting it to the ruler of the northern great kingdom!"
"Scoundrel, scoundrel, scoundrel!!!"
General Qing Jiang's teeth were gritted, and he couldn't help but pace back and forth, regretting that there was nothing before him, or he would surely smash it to pieces to vent his hatred!
Lian He had also cried herself out by this point. She said weakly,
"After the Princess died, I also lost all hope. I remained in prison for several years. Later, when the Kingdom of Qing Jiang fell, I escaped with the prisoners and lived among the common people. I made inquiries everywhere but could not find any more news of you, General. However, through my extensive inquiries, I did manage to gather some information about the Princess."
"It is said that the Imperial Tutor hated you and the Princess to the bone back then. Thus, even after reducing the Princess to ashes, he was still not satisfied. The Imperial Tutor made a total of two bone chains and split the Princess's soul in two, sealing them separately into the two bone chains. One bone chain was given to the northern great kingdom, and the other bone chain, after the fall of the Kingdom of Qing Jiang, vanished along with the Imperial Tutor."
"I was constantly searching for the Imperial Tutor, hoping for an opportunity to avenge the Princess. By chance, I met a disciple of a folk sect and became her pupil. However, my heart was consumed by the Princess, so I pleaded with my master for help. I found the bone chain that the King of Qing Jiang had presented to the northern great kingdom that year, and using a secret technique, I sealed my own soul into it. Thus, my soul followed the Princess into reincarnation. But after several lifetimes, the Princess was merely an ordinary mortal, until this life, when I was awakened..."
The question of why Lian He appeared within Lin Zitong now had an answer.
And her tragic life, it seemed, was not yet over.
Lin Zitong silently wiped Lian He's tears away and hugged her gently. Lin Zitong understood in her heart that no princess would be so kind to a maid, nor would any maid be so loyal to a princess. The bond between Princess Yu Shu and Lian He was likely friendship, or even kinship.
In that feudal era, such affection was hard-won.
For the sake of this affection, Lian He could unhesitatingly offer her soul and endure several lifetimes of reincarnation, all to fulfill a lifelong wish.
"Lian He, you have suffered," Lin Zitong said softly. "Although I am not Princess Yu Shu, I still thank you on her behalf."
Lian He quickly shook her head, "I am the Princess's maid; all of this is as it should be!"
"Nothing in this world is a given. Everything you have done is so difficult. A simple thank you is not enough to repay what I and Princess Yu Shu owe you," Lin Zitong said. "In this life, you are no longer my maid; you are my good sister."
"The Princess and I... good sisters? This cannot be... How can this be!" Lian He was momentarily stunned.
Yan Shouyi sighed. With the mindset of their era, breaking through such class-bound thinking was not easy.
This matter could only be approached slowly. As they interacted more with Lian He, there would naturally be no problem.
Lian He's story had concluded, but a new issue arose with General Qing Jiang.
General Qing Jiang's face was grim, his fists clenched tightly. His usually deep eyes were now drowned in hatred.
"Imperial Tutor... though a millennium has passed, my hatred has not diminished in the slightest. Now, I hate myself even more for dying too soon, for not being able to tear you to shreds...!! Yun'er... you died so tragically!"