The sight of Yue'er in her bright red wedding dress stunned not only Fang Niubizi and Kang Pangzi's martial uncle, but even I was taken aback.
If it were just her attire that was problematic, I could have accepted it. But the fact that she had killed dozens of people, such a shocking scene, was something I had never witnessed in my ten-plus years of life, not even in movies.
Though my neck was pressed by Fang Niubizi's steel sword, I felt as though my stomach was churning like a stormy sea.
Gag—
Only when I felt like I was about to vomit my stomach out did I weakly collapse onto the ground. The wound on my shoulder, which had stopped bleeding, began to bleed again due to my distress, dyeing half of my body crimson.
At this moment, my earlier sense of relief had vanished. Looking at the serene expression on Yue'er's face, I found it difficult to comprehend. How could she have changed so much? In the blink of an eye, she had transformed into Nie Xiaoqian from *A Chinese Ghost Story*! This transformation was too sudden.
As the last scream faded, the entire camp fell into silence. The gentle mountain breeze blew through the dilapidated tents, making 'whooshing' sounds, as if mocking the injustice of the scene.
"Who exactly are you?"
Fang Niubizi's steel sword was once again pressed against my neck, and he hid himself behind me, his trembling body betraying his current state of mind.
"Heh heh… Haven't you figured out who I am? It seems your Longhu Mountain is nothing special. After so many years, how can you still be so uninspired?"
Yue'er's voice had lost its usual playfulness, sounding unfamiliar and filled with icy coldness, creating a sense of distance. If her voice hadn't remained the same, I would have suspected Yue'er was possessed by a vengeful spirit.
"You… are you Fifth Princess?" Fang Niubizi asked, his voice trembling slightly.
Hearing this, I almost burst out laughing. Was this old fool scared silly by Yue'er? How could Yue'er possibly be Fifth Princess?
Fifth Princess was a spirit, not a living person. How could she appear before everyone in broad daylight? Let alone him, who had barely reached the strength of a Ghost General, even the Fifth Prince wouldn't dare to stand in the sun during the day.
"You old scoundrel, have you gone mad from her scaring you? Have you ever seen a spirit walk in the sunlight?"
Fang Niubizi's response was a sharp rap on my head, nearly knocking me unconscious.
"Shut up, you little beast." He then turned his gaze back to Yue'er, "Who are you?"
Yue'er brushed her long black hair, removed the red veil from her face, and looked at Fang Niubizi with a smile, "Who do you think I am?"
Seeing the face beneath the veil, I was stunned, because the person before me was not Yue'er at all, but another face. Her slender eyebrows were like two steel blades, and her eyes were a strange red, giving me an incredibly dangerous feeling.
"You… how is this possible? Didn't you vanish into thin air? How did you… again…"
Fang Niubizi became extremely agitated upon seeing this, his face filled with terror. Even the steel sword at my neck left, and he retreated uncontrollably.
Kang Pangzi's martial uncle fared even worse. With a loud shout, he fainted instantly. The ant gu controlled by him scattered everywhere, as if they had seen their natural predator.
Seeing this, Yue'er seemed very pleased, a cat-and-mouse smile lingering on her face as she looked at Fang Niubizi. "You Longhu Mountain dare to go back on your word, so why can't I return? Let this little fellow go, and I might consider leaving you a way out…"
Before Yue'er could finish speaking, the steel sword was back at my neck. I felt speechless, but with the sword at my throat, my speechlessness turned into frustration.
Perhaps due to excessive blood loss, I felt dizzy. But I told myself I absolutely could not faint, because the subsequent conversation might involve secrets from ten years ago.
If I wanted to know what happened ten years ago, this was undoubtedly the best opportunity. I told myself this in my heart, but my eyelids felt heavier and heavier. Then, I felt a pain in the back of my head, and after that, I knew nothing more.
…
I was awakened by the blinding sunlight. The ceiling was white, and everything around me was white. Seeing the words "xxx Hospital" on the blanket, I knew I was in a hospital.
Creak—
The sound of the door opening interrupted my thoughts. Since I didn't know who had brought me here, I continued to close my eyes and pretend to be unconscious. Then, a pungent smell of disinfectant entered my nostrils. I opened my eyes a crack and saw a nurse wearing a mask. After changing my dressing, she turned and left.
"Who brought me to the hospital? Could it be Yue'er?"
"Yue'er? That name sounds so familiar. Who is she? Why can't I remember?"
Sharp pains, like needle pricks, shot through my brain. The more I tried to recall Yue'er's name, the more my head throbbed. I fainted again before I could remember who Yue'er was.
I was awakened again by a commotion. To understand the situation, I didn't rush to open my eyes but listened carefully to their conversation.
"He has been unconscious for seven days. When will he wake up?" The voice was agitated but sounded incredibly familiar.
"Sir, please don't get agitated. According to our assessment, he should wake up in the next few days. We cannot rule out some special circumstances, after all, he lost a lot of blood. Surviving itself is already…"
"Enough. I don't care about all that. You took the money, and I must see him alive."
This time, I finally recognized the speaker. It was Sun Chuang, who had absconded with the money. The thought of him abandoning me in Molu Village made my teeth itch with hatred.
Consequently, my heart began to beat rapidly, causing the heart monitor beside me to emit a beeping sound.
Then, I saw the doctor pry open my eyelids, and Sun Chuang, with an excited expression on his face, was beside me. The doctor then conducted a series of tests on me and told me that I could be discharged in a few more days before leaving the ward.
At this moment, only Sun Chuang and I were left in the room. Facing this scoundrel who had abandoned me alone in Molu Village, I had the urge to get out of bed and beat him up. However, my body felt weak, and the thought could only remain a thought.
"Why are you here?"
As soon as the words left my mouth, Sun Chuang fell to his knees with a thud. Tears flowed down his face like a burst dam.
Slap, slap—
"Qingyun, I'm sorry. It was my fault. I shouldn't have abandoned you alone in Molu Village. You must forgive me. I was truly wrong."
Sun Chuang slapped himself while repeatedly kowtowing, leaving me completely bewildered. I had no idea what game he was playing.
I coughed and said, "What are you doing? This is a hospital. Get up first."
"If you don't forgive me, I won't get up. All mistakes are mine. I shouldn't have left you alone in Molu Village…"
I was truly annoyed by his crying, and coupled with my inability to remember what had happened before I came to the hospital, I couldn't help but shout, "If you want to cry, then get out of here and don't bother me."
Sun Chuang was taken aback for a moment, then wiped the tears from his face. "Qingyun, you've forgiven me, haven't you?"
I grunted, agreeing with his statement. After all, he was a distant relative of my master, and creating too much of a rift would make it difficult to explain to my master.
The most important thing now was to figure out how I got to the hospital, who sent me here, and what happened before I arrived.
"How did I get to the hospital?"
Sun Chuang brought over a chair. Although his expression was still a little reserved, it was much better than before.
"To tell you that would be like telling a child about their mother – it's a long story. It all started three days ago…"