14 Anything that benefits me can be utilized.
◎The Reason for Time Travel◎
Cui Xun led Hua Yao through the busiest street and turned into an old, narrow alley.
“Hua Yao,” he said softly, his gaze fixed ahead, “is your name.”
"Mm," she replied faintly. She had no mind for anything else right now; she just wanted to see that extraordinary person as soon as possible.
After that, the two fell silent again.
After walking to the end of the alley and turning a bend in the mountain, you will see a bamboo house. The bamboo house is surrounded by a low fence, and a few wild chrysanthemums are planted next to it.
An elderly man in a white robe stood with his back to the doorway in front of a stone table in the courtyard. He could be vaguely seen holding a bamboo flute in his hand, which he was slowly wiping.
Hua Yao thought that such a traveler, even if he didn't live in a secluded mountain valley, would at least be in a bamboo forest or by a stream. She never expected him to be hiding in this bustling city.
However, it's not surprising that true masters often live in seclusion in the city.
...
“Mr. Bai,” Cui Xun called out.
The figure paused, his hands moving without stopping or turning around, and said, "The Duke is two days late."
“We were delayed on the way.” Cui Xun gestured for Hua Yao to follow him.
The two walked up behind the old man, and he slowly turned around. He was thin, with gray hair and a few strands of silver hair hanging freely by his temples.
He first glanced at Cui Xun, and when he looked at Hua Yao, his gaze lingered on her face for a moment.
He gestured for the two to sit down, saying, "This must be the girl you mentioned to me."
Upon hearing this, Hua Yao looked up at Cui Xun beside her. Had he mentioned her to this person?
Bai Wuchen's eyes darted between the two of them. "Girl, what brings you to this old man? Speak freely."
Hua Yao composed herself. Since the old gentleman was so straightforward, she didn't need to beat around the bush.
She sat up straighter and met his gaze directly. "Mr. Bai, I've come to ask you for directions."
She paused, then spoke each word clearly, “A path that might… defy common sense and connect different worlds.”
As she finished speaking, she noticed that Bai Wuchen's casual expression gradually faded.
He looked at Hua Yao, his eyes, which seemed to see through the world, calming down. He didn't answer immediately, but instead slowly stroked the bamboo flute.
After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice hoarse, "Girl, the road you asked about... it did exist."
Hua Yao's breath hitched, her heart pounded, and a flicker of hope suddenly rose, only to be followed by a decline and panic.
What does "existed in the first place" mean?
Sure enough, Mr. Bai's next words were like ice water poured over her.
“But the causes and effects in this world are interconnected. Someone intervenes in this cause and effect, getting entangled in other causes and conditions…” He shook his head and sighed helplessly, “and the path changes.”
Hua Yao listened to his words, her mind buzzing, and a slight soreness rose in her nose. That soreness went down her nasal cavity and stuck in her throat, making her feel very uncomfortable.
What does it mean that someone intervened in the cause and effect? What cause and effect? Who intervened?
Cui Xun, who was standing to the side, was also shocked. He had brought her here because he knew where her hopes lay and wanted to unravel the mystery surrounding her. He never expected it to end like this.
"You mean... I can't go back?"
Hua Yao's voice was so soft that she could barely hear it herself; it was as if all her strength had been suddenly drained away.
Before Cui Xun could sort out the complex emotions in his heart, he heard Hua Yao's trembling voice in his ear.
He glanced at her sideways.
Looking at her pale face, besides shock and a scrutiny of the situation, a strange sense of unease inexplicably arose in his heart.
Bai Wuchen looked at Hua Yao's expression and remained silent for a moment.
"The matter of cause and effect is the most difficult to explain. I can only see some traces." He avoided her gaze, stood up with his hands on his knees, turned and walked into the house, leaving Hua Yao with only his back. "Girl, clinging to the impossible only brings suffering to yourself."
"Sir! Please wait a moment." Hua Yao stood up anxiously, raising her voice with all her might, her voice filled with obvious panic and pleading. "You said someone has interfered with karma? What karma? Who is that person? How can I find him?"
“There’s a destiny at play,” Bai Wuchen said, waving his hand behind his back without stopping. “Let’s go back.”
Hua Yao's question fell heavily behind him.
"The disappearance of Miss Hua was her own doing, and I came here because of her. She is now in my original world, living my original life, right?" She kept asking questions, this question had been in her heart for too long, and now she wanted to find out everything.
Bai Wuchen slightly raised his eyes, his expression solemn, and stopped in his tracks.
“The book ‘Meeting the Ze and Reversing the Pulse’ records a method for traveling through time and space. She used this method to go to the world she wanted to go to, and I was the innocent victim.”
"Because the opportunities in this world are mostly equal, one comes and one goes, one enters and one exits, she goes, I come."
Her chest felt like it was blocked by something, and she could only utter muffled sounds, "But why me of all people?"
"What do you mean by... originally existed?"
"Is it because she wants to stay there forever, so I can never go back?" She was somewhat reluctant to confront her own speculation.
"Old sir, you must know all this. Please tell me everything."
He hadn't expected this girl to know so much. He turned to look at her and said, "Girl, knowing too much isn't necessarily a good thing for you."
Hua Yao anxiously walked to his side and bowed respectfully. "Old sir, please tell me who that person is and what I should do."
“This person is not Miss Hua Er, but someone who crossed paths with you in your original world.” Looking at her incredulous expression and the tears welling up in her eyes, he slowly shook his head. “What I have seen has been revealed to you in its entirety. Since you have come here, it is your destiny. You might as well let go of your obsessions and live your life well, so that you can be worry-free year after year.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she turned and disappeared into the shadows inside the house...
Hua Yao stood frozen in place, the sunlight falling on her, but she felt no warmth at all.
The longing to "go home" had been taut in her heart, connecting her to her very being. Now that the string had snapped, she felt as if she had collapsed.
Hua Yao tugged at the corners of her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes fell, and a few dry laughs escaped her throat.
Worry-free every year? How ironic, worry-free every year.
Cui Xun had gotten up at some point. He stood behind her, his brows slightly furrowed, noticing her slender figure trembling slightly.
Hua Yao laughed at herself. Was she ultimately destined to be cursed?
It existed, and it knows better how to make people feel pain than if it had never existed at all.
Her head was bowed, and an indescribable sorrow emanated from her...
I don't know how long I stood there.
When Cui Xun carried Hua Yao back to the inn, her eyes were vacant, and she looked like a puppet with its strings cut, without anything to rely on to control her.
--
Hua Yao fell seriously ill.
Cui Xun hired two efficient, quiet, and meticulous maids to take turns serving him in the room, ensuring that his medicine and meals were never lacking.
To avoid suspicion, he never entered her room alone. Even when there were servants present, he would only enter after ensuring that she was properly dressed and inquiring about her health.
When the news reached the government office, Hua Yanbo was extremely anxious. He assumed that she had been frail since childhood and had fallen ill due to exhaustion from traveling for several days. He immediately wanted to take her over to recuperate, but Cui Xun dissuaded him.
It is said that the second young lady's illness is not a common cold, but rather "internal injury and external invasion, with evil invading the lungs." Although her condition seems to have subsided slightly, the internal condition is not yet cleared. Her pulse is floating and slippery, making it inconvenient to move her.
His words were reasonable, his attitude was respectful, and he arranged everything properly. Hua Yanbo felt sorry for his daughter and had no choice but to give up.
With the day of his return to the capital to report for duty fast approaching, and Hua Yao still showing no signs of improvement, Hua Yanbo had no choice but to return to the capital first.
No sooner had he left than Cui Xun wanted to take him to his private residence.
...
In the courtyard in September, the buds of wintersweet, as small as grains of rice, are stuck between the branches and leaves, and some have grown to the size of soybeans.
As the courtyard gate opened, Cui Xun walked in steadily, carrying someone in his arms.
He held Hua Yao's head with his palm, the thin silk covering most of her face, only revealing a hint of sickly charm at the corner of her eyes, making her exceptionally pitiful.
Qin Feng and Qin Yan followed behind until Cui Xun entered Huayang Courtyard. Only then did Qin Feng let out a long sigh, "I just dealt with a few rebels along the way, so I arrived a few days late. When did she become so familiar with the Lord?"
Qin Yan didn't respond to that, only saying, "Since you're here, you're a guest. Say less."
Qin Feng pursed his lips, "A while ago, I saw that she was in great spirits, and her playful energy was almost as strong as mine."
“I suspect she’s faking it, since she even had the lord carry her in himself,” he said, getting even angrier as if he had just thought of something. “If you ask me, she’s got her eye on the lord.”
Qin Yan remained expressionless. "It's because the Lord has taken a liking to her."
Look at how protective he was just now! When has our lord ever been so gentle?
Watching Qin Yan leave, Qin Feng stood there, still not having reacted. After a sudden realization, he chased after him and pounced on him, "What? My lord... what did my lord take a fancy to her for?"
"Hey, you should explain yourself clearly."
--
Huayang Academy.
Cui Xun bent down and placed Hua Yao on the couch. Looking at her gently closed eyes, he pulled the brocade quilt over her carefully.
He got up to walk out, but his sleeve tightened.
He turned around and saw that her face was pale, her brows were slightly furrowed, and her fingertips were pinching the corner of his sleeve.
She didn't open her eyes, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke very softly, "You knew from the beginning that this would be the outcome."
Her voice was already soft, and now it was even weaker. "Your purpose... is not for me to persuade Prime Minister Hua, nor for me to bring up anything in front of him. The day we arrived in Luozhou, he saw you and me together, and you had already achieved half of your goal."
She loosened her grip on his sleeve with her fingertips, then slowly opened her eyes and forced herself to sit up.
Cui Xun tried to help her up, but she dodged him.
Hua Yao looked up at him sideways. "Whether I can go back or how I can go back has never been important." She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down, but her unsteady tone betrayed her. "You are just using the identity of Miss Hua, just taking advantage of the desire of someone who desperately wants to go home."
She scoffed at herself, "Everything was part of the Duke's plan... Lingzhou was just another pawn you used to lure me into this game."
Cui Xun's gaze was fixed on her face. He did not argue, because she was right.
His initial intention was to bring Hua Yao to Luozhou so that she would appear before Hua Yanbo alongside him. Hua Yanbo was a smart man and naturally understood the reasoning behind it. As for whether there was affection between him and her, it didn't matter. As long as Prime Minister Hua misunderstood, he would lose his composure for the sake of his beloved daughter.
He looked down at her, a half-smile curving his lips, and bent down to lift the quilt, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.
His movements were delicate and gentle, but his words were cold and indifferent: "I have never said that I am a kind person. Whatever I, Cui Xun, want to get, I will do whatever it takes to get it. Anyone who is beneficial to me can be used."
"You helped me achieve half of my goal, and I will let you see Bai Wuchen in return."
His hand was still adjusting the edge of the blanket on her shoulder. "As for what I said before about letting you return to your original world..." He smiled faintly, "I am just a mortal, how could I predict such variables?"
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