Chapter 78 078 It stretched out its tongue and licked the golden cage again and again...
when!
Ding ding ding ding—
When the words "Princess Manjushri" reached her ears, Lu Yuanyuan's vision went black, as if she heard the sound of a death knell falling from the sky.
What an unexpected and divine turn of events!
So the system sent her back to the past not in the body of a princess of Yan, but in the identity of Yue Hong's aunt?
The system is so unethical. Knowing that she would be facing such a shocking scene as soon as she opened her eyes, it should at least have given her a heads-up.
In that short time, a rather young palace maid returned, respectfully carrying an exquisite sandalwood tray with a clean, silver-plated leather whip coiled on top. The whip was thinner and longer, with denser spikes.
Lu Yuanyuan: "..."
A pale-faced palace maid presented the whip with both hands, saying obsequiously, "Princess, the new whip has arrived."
Lu Yuanyuan was unaware of the cause and effect of the current situation, but she really had no interest in whipping people—even monsters counted. So she turned her head away and said, "No need, let's stop here."
The young palace maid kept her head bowed, responded with a sound, put away her whip, and retreated the way she came. The pale-faced palace maid glanced at the bronze water clock in the corner of the palace and lowered her voice: "Your Highness, it's almost dusk. You should go to Xihan Palace."
The hour of You (5-7 PM)? The Palace of Washing Lotus?
Lu Yuanyuan was completely confused and couldn't understand a single word, but she forced herself not to show her doubt, kept a straight face, and calmly said, "Oh, go ahead."
Everyone present was a mortal; they shouldn't have the eyes to see that she had possessed the princess. However, being in an unfamiliar environment, it was best to act cautiously and not easily disrupt the original owner's usual routine. Following the original owner's daily path would also make it easier to gather information.
Lu Yuanyuan stood up from her chair, glanced at the blood-stained little monster in the cage, and couldn't help but say, "You... don't let it die."
The palace servants all knelt down: "Yes, Your Highness."
Stepping out of the dark and oppressive palace, one finds a spacious garden. It is summer, and dusk is approaching. The garden is a riot of colors, lush and verdant, with clusters of flowers adorning the branches and releasing a sweet fragrance in the breeze.
Lu Yuanyuan sat in the sedan chair, and two palace servants steadily carried it away. She observed the scenery along the way without showing any emotion, feeling somewhat puzzled.
The surroundings were too unfamiliar, unlike the Yong Kingdom's imperial palace. She couldn't find any relevant memories in her previous body's memories as a princess of the Yan Kingdom.
Soon, Lu Yuanyuan arrived at the legendary Xihan Palace. It turned out to be a place specifically for bathing and soaking, decorated in a magnificent style. It seemed the original owner of this body knew how to enjoy life, liking to take a bath before meals.
The pool water, with its wisps of steam and a refreshing fragrance, seemed to have been mixed with something. The palace maids removed Lu Yuanyuan's jewelry and clothes, neatly hanging them on the screen, and even offered to help her wash. Lu Yuanyuan, uncomfortable with strangers touching her, quickly said, "Alright, you can all leave now. I want to bathe alone today."
The two palace maids hesitated, but ultimately said nothing and obediently withdrew.
Once their figures disappeared behind the door, Lu Yuanyuan took off her last piece of clothing, soaked in the pool, and splashed water on her face. There were too many people earlier, and her mind was a mess; now she finally had some time alone to sort things out.
A mirror stood by the pool. Lu Yuanyuan walked to the mirror, parted the water vapor, and looked at the unfamiliar face reflected in it.
The original owner was very young, around fourteen years old. Her features were undeniably those of a beauty. If one were to use a flower as a metaphor, she would be like a vibrant lotus in a painting. However, this painting was unpainted. The original owner's face was pale, her eyebrows and eyes were dark, and she exuded a faint ghostly aura.
Yue Hong's aunt, Princess Wenshu Yue Fengzhu.
Lu Yuanyuan touched her chest, and through her sternum, she could feel her heart beating. She was certain that she was a living human being, but her health was poor, which was why she looked so pale.
Oh, right, she remembered this princess; she eventually died of illness.
A very thorny problem suddenly jumped into Lu Yuanyuan's mind.
The original owner and Yue Hong were aunt and niece, but only four years apart in age. The original owner died of illness when Yue Hong was eleven. And the original owner's current face makes her look at least fourteen or fifteen years old.
In other words, the deadline for her mission is probably no more than a year. She must find Yue Hong as soon as possible before the original owner of this body dies, and spend more time with him so that the reincarnation flower can bloom.
Lu Yuanyuan leaned against the pool wall, splashing some hot water on her shoulder, pondering her next move. Perhaps the water was too hot, she felt a little dizzy, and the rippling water seemed to be getting closer and closer. The next moment, with a splash, she felt nothing more.
...
When Lu Yuanyuan woke up, she found herself lying in a bed and wearing soft pajamas.
Lu Yuanyuan: "..." Did she faint from taking a bath?
But she had only been in the water for less than five minutes, so it seems the princess's health was worse than she had imagined.
The surroundings were quiet, with no palace servants present. Lu Yuanyuan propped herself up on the bed, her long, black hair cascading down to her waist. Her palms felt cool; looking down, she saw small cuts on the skin. She guessed that when she fainted in the bath, she had instinctively grabbed a stone to maintain her balance, causing the cuts. They had already been treated.
At this moment, her head was no longer dizzy. She looked out the window and saw that the sky had completely darkened. Her stomach made a series of rumbling sounds.
Since forming her golden core, Lu Yuanyuan hadn't experienced such intense hunger in a long time. Returning to a mortal body this time, it was truly difficult to go from luxury to frugality.
She put on her shoes, intending to go out and ask someone to bring her some food.
The bedchamber was large and empty, magnificent and splendid, with layers of curtains. Lu Yuanyuan walked to the door and was about to push it open when she suddenly heard two somewhat familiar voices outside, mixed with soft sobbing.
Lu Yuanyuan paused.
"Don't cry. When the princess wakes up and sees you crying, she'll be even angrier."
"The princess left the palace for this summer retreat to recuperate; she's never fainted in a medicinal bath before. She has to return to the palace in five days, and I'm scared..."
"Alas, I'm definitely going to get a beating from Eunuch Shen."
"I'd rather be beaten," the sobbing palace maid sniffled, her voice trembling. "The princess's methods of punishing servants are so terrifying. In the past, when someone combed the princess's hair and hurt her, the princess would whip them until their face was covered in blood... It was only after that ugly thing came along that she attracted the princess's attention. When the princess was in a bad mood, she would take it out on it, even taking it with her when she left the palace to escape the summer heat. Our lives became much easier after that..."
"Shh! Do you want to die? Don't talk about the princess."
After a moment of silence outside, the little palace maid who had been crying spoke softly again: "That ugly thing... will it be beaten to death if it keeps getting beaten like this? Tell me, what exactly is it? Sometimes I think it looks a lot like a person, but it can't talk and doesn't seem to understand us."
"It shouldn't die, right? I heard that the Imperial Preceptor caught it at the border between the mortal realm and the cultivation world, and gave it to the princess to play with. Even if you burn it or cut it with a knife, it will be fine in a couple of days. How could a human do that? It must be a monster."
"Aren't all demons supposed to be able to shapeshift? It looks so weak and ugly..."
...
Lu Yuanyuan, inside the door, held her breath, her heart pounding slightly.
Only when she could no longer hear any sounds coming from outside did Lu Yuanyuan clutch her chest and slowly back down to the bedside.
There was too much information; she needed time to process it.
From the conversation between the two palace maids, we can see that the original owner of this body was not an easy person to get along with; she was eccentric, cruel, and extravagant. She would punish the palace servants to vent her frustrations at the slightest provocation.
That little monster was probably a strange toy given to her by the Imperial Advisor.
Sure enough, as soon as the little monster arrived, it immediately absorbed the original owner's firepower and officially became the original owner's punching bag.
Lu Yuanyuan: "…………"
Help! In Yue Hong's description, she couldn't see at all that Princess Manjushri was such a Spartan-like terrifying figure.
It's likely that Yue Hong and his aunt have had a distant relationship since childhood.
And this place was indeed not the Yong Kingdom's imperial palace, but merely a summer retreat. Fortunately, it seemed the original owner would be setting off back to the imperial palace in five days, so she should be able to see Yue Hong soon.
Just then, there was a knock on the door of the bedchamber. Lu Yuanyuan leaned against the headboard, pretending to have just woken up, and said, "Come in."
The palace servant with his face painted white, the one the other servants called Eunuch Shen, was the original owner's most trusted lackey. He personally led a group to deliver dinner. Upon seeing that Lu Yuanyuan was awake, he knelt down with a thud: "Princess, you're awake..."
"Alright, alright." Lu Yuanyuan waved her hand with a headache: "Aren't there two people kneeling outside? Let them go back."
Eunuch Shen was taken aback: "Yes, Princess."
"And what about the thing in the cage? How is it now?"
.
Given her status, if Lu Yuanyuan says she wants to see someone, that person will come to see her, not the other way around.
After dinner, the palace servants followed orders and brought over the cage for today. No one dared to ask why, nor did anyone dare to meet Lu Yuanyuan's gaze.
This shows that the original owner was actually quite frightening. One advantage of this stereotypical image is that even if she, who had taken over someone else's body, did something outrageous, no one would dare to question her.
Lu Yuanyuan said with a stern face, "You all go out, I'll stay with it for a while."
Once the palace doors closed, she was finally all alone in the vast palace.
No, to be precise, there's also what's in the cage.
Lu Yuanyuan walked up to the cage. She could tell that the cage wasn't some powerful magical artifact. The fact that it could trap the little monster meant that its magical power wasn't very strong.
The blood in the cage had been washed off, and a piece of raw meat was placed at the bottom, neatly shaped, clearly untouched.
It seems that this is how the people here have been "raising" this little monster these days.
Lu Yuanyuan frowned and squatted down, her gaze sweeping over his torn and bleeding body. She grabbed the cage bars with her hand and asked, "Hey, can you hear me?"
The little monster remained motionless and unresponsive to calls. If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of its chest, it would have truly looked dead.
Although the crisscrossing whip marks on the body were not Lu Yuanyuan's doing, seeing the little monster's miserable state up close still made her, as a normal person, feel compassion.
Moreover, she had seen it in Duan Lansheng's sea of consciousness.
Now, by a twist of fate, she has temporarily become Yue Hong's aunt, and she has seen it once again.
She and this little monster must have a special connection.
She had initially intended to release it, but seeing its half-dead state, Lu Yuanyuan changed her mind. Even if she released it, given its weakened state, it probably wouldn't survive outside. It was better to keep it with her for now. As long as she didn't harm it, no one would dare to bully it.
Lu Yuanyuan squatted in front of the cage, waiting until her eyelids started to droop, but the little monster still didn't turn over to give her any response.
Forget it, let's talk about it tomorrow. It's getting late, and her body can't handle staying up all night.
Lu Yuanyuan blew out the light, rustled back to bed, took off her coat, and went to sleep.
The bedchamber darkened, and the silvery moonlight, like flowing water, spilled onto the latticework windows.
In the stillness of the night, the little monster in the golden cage silently opened its eyelids, and in the darkness, it seemed as if two golden-green light bulbs had appeared.
Like a limbless reptile, it panted softly, wriggling laboriously at the bottom of the cage, its whip wounds bleeding. Oblivious to its surroundings, it slowly stopped in front of one of the bars of the golden cage, tilted its neck back, and sniffed carefully.
After sniffing for a while, it slowly opened its mouth, stuck out its scarlet tongue, and licked the vertical bar of the golden cage again and again.
—The vertical pole that Lu Yuanyuan once held in her palm.
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