Chapter 10

Seven days is equivalent to a modern week.

Lin Qiang, biting a blade of grass, leaned against the cypress tree with his arms crossed, his mood somewhat complicated.

Before he knew it, he had been in this strange world for a week, but he still had a sense of unreality, as if it were all just an absurd dream.

Perhaps, when he wakes up, he will still be struggling to survive in a VIP ward of the hospital, and then a doctor will come to report to him that the cancer cells have spread again.

He stretched out his palm, opened it, and then clenched it again, feeling the power flowing through his body.

Did this young, strong body of a twenty-year-old truly belong to him? Only after being reborn did he understand. Living healthily was more important than anything else.

When Lin Qiang returned to the village that evening, he went to the training ground and practiced hand-to-hand combat against wooden stakes for an hour until he was drenched in sweat and exhausted. Only then did his depressed mood improve slightly. Afterward, he took a cold bath in the river and returned to his room with wet hair.

"Where did the chief go off to?"

Having slept all day, Yuan Qiong was now full of energy. She was determined to extract some information from this burly man with the thick beard, who seemed to have a powerful backer.

Lin Qiang smiled immediately when he saw her.

"I just took a shower."

Seeing this little girl would make him happy. He liked her cleverness, especially when she was scheming, her eyes seemed to light up, which was very cute.

Lin Qiang pulled a chair to sit on the edge of the couch, then took a cloth to dry his hair, casually asking as he did so, "What did you say to Yuan Liu Niang today that made her try to kill herself there?"

Yuan Qiong was startled; had he figured it out?

"What I said, didn't the chief hear it too? She wanted to kill herself, what does it have to do with me?"

"oh."

Lin Qiang smiled and responded, but it was unclear whether he believed him or not.

"The room next door isn't cleaned up yet, it's a bit messy. You can sleep in my room tonight, I'll sleep in the next room."

Lin Qiang placed the towel in his hand on the shelf and, ignoring Yuan Qiong's objections, forcefully carried her to the bed in the inner room.

Pressing the humiliated girl down into the blankets, Lin Qiang stared into her eyes and said in an unquestionable tone, "Don't cause trouble. You know you don't have the right to say no!"

Yuan Qiong was startled by the aura he unintentionally released. As if burned, she quickly looked away, her heart pounding wildly in her chest like thunder.

"Okay," she responded almost inaudibly, ceasing her struggle. Her face, flushed red to the roots of her neck, was turned toward the inside of the bed, whether from shame or anger, it was hard to tell.

In this situation, she had no choice but to compromise.

Being carried to bed by a man is too shameful! This is something she never dared to even imagine before!

“I see you have some meager internal strength, so you must have some martial arts foundation. Don’t move around too much these next few days, get well soon, and I’ll teach you some moves, so you don’t get sold off as soon as you go down the mountain with your mediocre skills.” Lin Qiang lifted his clothes and sat on the footstool in front of the bed, turning to her and saying, “Don’t worry, I don’t have any pedophilic tendencies, and I’m not interested in a young girl like you.”

Who are you calling a novice?!

Who are you calling a little brat?!

Yuan Qiong turned around and glared at him: "Then let me down the mountain now!"

"Your parents are gone, what are you going down the mountain for? It's dangerous for a young girl to wander around outside. What if you run into your enemies again?"

"It's none of your business!" Yuan Qiong pulled the blanket up and looked at him. "As long as you let me down the mountain now, I'll..."

I'll take pity on you and let the people in your village go!

Of course, this despicable bandit leader can't be let go! How dare he treat her so disrespectfully, he must... he must be castrated! Yes, castrate him and make him a eunuch for her!

The thought of the black-bearded man serving her with his delicate fingers made Yuan Qiong burst out laughing.

"What are you laughing at?"

Lin Qiang was completely baffled by her laughter.

"If I let you go down the mountain now, you might not even see the sun rise tomorrow before being eaten by wild beasts!"

“You said you would release my servants, that they would protect me.”

"That won't do either!"

If this little girl leaves, he'll be bored to death all alone in this village, facing those bandits every day.

"Forget about it. Since you said I'm your savior, then your life is mine. I said no, and that means no."

"You..." Yuan Qiong was speechless with anger, turning her back to the bed and sulking. She should have known better than to say that!

"Girl, don't be angry, let me tell you a story."

He had always dreamed of telling his daughter fairy tales before bedtime, just like the fathers in TV dramas.

Lin Qiang was secretly thrilled; his dream was finally halfway to come true!

Yuan Qiong remained facing inward, her eyes closed, ignoring him.

Lin Qiang didn't mind and continued, "A long, long time ago, there was a mermaid kingdom in the ocean. There lived a little mermaid who was the Sea King's youngest princess, and also the most beautiful princess in the ocean..."

"What is a mermaid?" Yuan Qiong finally couldn't help but open her eyes and turn around: "Are there kings in the sea?"

"Mermaids are animals with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a fish. Just as there are kings on land, there can certainly be kings in the sea."

"Human upper body, fish lower body... are you talking about the merfolk of the East Sea?" Yuan Qiong's eyes sparkled: "Have you ever seen a real merfolk? Do their tears really turn into pearls?"

"Why does this little girl have so many questions?" Lin Qiang said, both amused and exasperated. "If you want to hear the story, don't interrupt."

All right......

Yuan Qiong stopped talking, blinking her wide fox eyes as she waited for this unheard-of story, having completely forgotten her anger.

"When the Little Mermaid was little, her grandmother would often tell her fascinating stories about the sea..."

As Lin Qiang narrated, Yuan Qiong seemed to have opened the door to a new world. Imagining that there were many mermaids in the deep sea, living like ordinary people on land, was truly a wonderful thing.

"Finally, when the first ray of sunlight appeared over the sea, the Little Mermaid turned into sea foam and disappeared forever."

Yuan Qiong blinked: "Disappeared?"

Lin Qiang nodded: "It's gone."

"it's over?"

"it's over."

“............”

So short? She's still waiting for a miracle!

"Is there anything you'd like to say? About the characters in this story?" Lin Qiang asked.

"No." Yuan Qiong frowned, clutching her blanket, still wondering why it was so short!

Lin Qiang was quite surprised; he had thought that, given her personality, she would scold the little beauty for being stupid.

"Don't you think the Little Mermaid is a bit silly?" he couldn't help but ask.

Yuan Qiong nodded, but there was no contempt as he had imagined, only indifference: "It is a bit silly, but it is her own choice. Everyone has the right to choose, and everyone must be responsible for their own choices."

This girl has a really good attitude.

Lin Qiang stood up with a smile: "How about I tell you a story every night from now on?"

Yuan Qiong nodded quickly: "Okay!"

"Then you should go to sleep early. I'm going back to my room to rest too. Goodnight."

Lin Qiang lowered the simple cloth curtain for her, then closed the door and went out.

As Yuan Qiong listened to the footsteps gradually fading away, the relaxed expression on her face disappeared, and her expression became serious.

This guy with the big black beard is no ordinary person.

His strange attitude towards her made Yuan Qiong even more wary.

To this day, she still can't figure out what this bandit is up to.

Perhaps this village holds some secret she is unaware of...

*

At this time, in the Prince Cheng's residence in the capital of Yan.

A palace maid, carrying a lantern, led the way with her head bowed. Yuwen Zhe, sitting in a wheelchair, was pushed by servants towards the back garden. Under the moonlight, this prince, known as the disgrace of the royal family, was exquisitely beautiful, like a jade sculpture, his features so handsome that even the moon paled in comparison.

The woman in the back garden watched as the fifth prince was pushed closer and closer, taking a long time to recover her senses. She sighed inwardly. Such an outstanding man, yet he's crippled. What a pity...

"Your Highness, Her Majesty sent me to inform you that Consort Xian has had her tongue cut out by the Crown Prince and has been thrown into the Cold Palace. It seems we've alerted him. What if Yuan Qiong returns and traces it back to Her Majesty...?"

"Reassure your empress." Yuwen Zhe's exquisite features were devoid of any human warmth: "Yuan Qiong is not coming back."

"What does Your Highness mean?"

Yuwen Zhe closed his eyes and said no more.

The servant behind him gestured for the woman to leave, and she reluctantly went.

Once the garden returned to silence, Yuwen Zhe finally opened his eyes. His eyes, which had been completely still just moments before, were now filled with complex emotions.

I'm back.

I, Yuwen Zhe, have been reborn.

Wenluo, I will never let you suffer like that again. I will definitely make you happy.

This time, I will have no regrets in my life. Beauty and power, I want them all!

Author's Note: Yuwen Zhe: I've been reborn. I am the chosen one. I will kill Yuan Qiong, marry Wen Luo, become emperor, and reach the pinnacle of life!

Lin Qiang: Who did you say you killed?

Yuan Qiong: Who did you say you wanted to kill?

*

Thank you to the little angel who threw the [landmine]: Even the top bunkmate who's terrible at naming things only has one name;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!