Chapter Thirty-Seven
The sixth sense has always been a mystery.
Upon entering the wormhole, Mo Yinghuo truly felt that the black sphere before him, which had seemed like a void to him from the outside, was now real. The wormhole was indeed not a hole, but more like a tunnel with no end in sight, the surrounding scenery appearing and disappearing as if it existed.
In a moment, she found herself standing in a lush, verdant forest, feeling as if she were truly within it.
Yet, she could clearly see everything around her. Birds sang, flowers bloomed, rivers flowed, animals chased each other, the strong preyed on the weak—Mo Yinghuo could see this beautiful world, a world without people or scheming.
No, she didn't see, she felt; her eyes weren't enough to see.
“It is consciousness, that is the land of Yunxiu Kingdom hundreds of millions of years ago. Only through perception can one witness such a vast world.” A deep voice gently whispered in Mo Yinghuo’s ear.
She knew it was Zhao Shu.
Suddenly, several enormous creatures, like terrifying lizards, charged forward on two legs, their mouths filled with dagger-like teeth, tearing apart the smaller animals in a bloody frenzy. Mo Yinghuo's eyes widened. Although he knew this had nothing to do with him, the feeling was so real that he couldn't help but feel a cold sweat trickling down his back.
Suddenly, all was dark. Mo Yinghuo panicked and clenched her fist, but grasped only empty air. She hurriedly looked to her side, but Zhao Shu had vanished again. Mo Yinghuo gasped. She knew that Zhao Shu had always been beside her, but he had ended up in another universe.
Suddenly, a bright white light appeared before their eyes, and heavenly fire struck the ground, spewing out molten lava. Those enormous creatures, as well as all kinds of small animals, forests, and rivers, were all wiped out and wiped out.
Images flashed rapidly before Mo Yinghuo's eyes: monkeys on trees descended to the ground, crawling on all fours, then slowly stood upright, picking up stone tools to attack other animals... A ball of fire illuminated the faces of people dressed in animal skins, dancing joyfully in a circle; a spear thrust out, and a group of people hunted in the jungle... She suddenly realized that the wormhole was telling her something.
What is it? Could it all be true?
Mo Yinghuo recalled Zhao Shu's words. That's right, hundreds of millions of years ago—a very, very long time ago—the wormhole was telling her how humans appeared on this land. With this clarity, Mo Yinghuo watched each scene that appeared before her with even greater focus. It was incredible, she couldn't help but marvel inwardly. This was how wormholes traversed time, traveling through thousands, even tens or hundreds of millions of years. Past, present, future—there was no truly present moment.
Suddenly, a little monkey hesitantly offered Mo Yinghuo a peach. She paused, smiled, and just as she reached out her hand, a glint flashed in her eyes, and Mo Yinghuo found herself floating in the vast expanse of stars.
Not far away, a figure lay quietly, dressed in black, seemingly blending into the starry sky. His hands were behind his head, his legs casually crossed, his black hair flowing freely. His profile was strikingly handsome, with a small scar faintly visible at the corner of his eye. Without a doubt, Mo Yinghuo knew it was Zhao Shu.
Could it be that he disappeared during the night because he couldn't get used to sleeping in the tents and came here to rest alone? Well, military camps are inherently crude and simple, and since there's such a nice place here, why should he stay with them in the army camp, covered in their stench?
Perhaps he was asleep, Mo Yinghuo realized that this was the first time he had ever seen Zhao Shu so casual.
The Milky Way is scorching hot, the bright moon is cool and refreshing. Resting my head on this starry sky, what does it matter if the long evening is endless? With the crimson river and the night glow as my companions, the magnificent landscapes and bustling cities of the human world are rather dull. It is better to carry a pot of wine or, like Zhao Shu, lie idly on the Milky Way with my head on my arm.
The most beautiful women in the world should be like this.
Mo Yinghuo looked around; all was silent except for her own shallow breathing, as if afraid of accidentally waking the person resting with their eyes closed not far away. She hovered quietly in the interstellar space, not daring to make the slightest movement.
It was pitch black and silent, but not the usual kind of darkness; it was simply because it was boundless. All around were twinkling lights, both far and near. For some reason, Mo Yinghuo felt a surge of self-deprecation. Looking at the figure not far away, he dared not take a step closer, afraid that his presence might taint the figure in the slightest.
Yes, no wonder he doesn't allow people to get too close to him, and is even more annoyed by any physical contact with him. How could Xinghao's beauty be tainted by too much dust and blood? Mo Yinghuo was so ashamed that he dared not take another step forward.
As carefree and unrestrained as she has always been, and as defying the laws of nature as she was born, she now felt a sense of timidity and inferiority that comes with being an ordinary person.
Unbeknownst to Mo Yinghuo, Zhao Shu, in another part of the wormhole, was also experiencing subtle emotional fluctuations.
The moon rises above the willow branches.
A palace with a golden roof, red doors, double-eaved roof, and vermilion doors on the same platform, is magnificent and splendid yet retains an antique charm.
“This is the royal palace of Yunxiu Kingdom,” Zhao Shu said thoughtfully.
Unlike Mo Yinghuo, Zhao Shu was already familiar with the environment inside the wormhole. He strolled leisurely into the palace, as if wandering in his own backyard. Unfortunately, the Nightfall Star people could only touch the surface of the five-dimensional universe, perhaps even a superficial understanding based on their own limited perception. He could walk and observe, but that was all he could do.
Zhao Shu looked up at the starry sky, the moonlight flowing down like a river of loss, drifting in the boundless sea of knowledge. For him, what was he searching for in these daily journeys between stars?
Jingxu Palace.
Three elegant and timeless characters caught Zhao Shu's eye. A few steps led up to him, the cool night air washing over them. On either side, tall, graceful trees swayed in the breeze, their petals falling in layers. The palace's four corners curved gracefully upwards, playfully resembling four swallows about to take flight. Though night had fallen, the scenery, like the palace's name, was truly delightful.
A piercing scream tore through the sky. Zhao Shu's expression didn't change much; in a moment, he entered Jingxu Palace.
A dozen or so people dressed in exotic clothing, one of whom had a curved saber hanging from his waist and a khaki boot, viciously stepped on a woman, a bloodthirsty smile on his face, staring at the imposing and handsome man in front of him with eyes like a wolf eyeing its prey.
"Father...Emperor." Blood smeared at the corner of the woman's mouth, her jet-black hair tied up high, her pale face with two striking eyebrows. Even though she was being trampled underfoot, it couldn't hide her striking beauty, especially the cinnabar mole at the corner of her eye, which looked like a fine needle had pierced it, showing her exceptional stubbornness and unyielding spirit.
A strange look flashed across Zhao Shu's calm face. He recognized the woman; it was Mo Yinghuo, the young princess.
Beside the young princess were two noblely dressed boys, younger than her, who, unlike her, stared in terror at the person dressed in nobility who had suddenly appeared in Jingxu Palace. Zhao Shu remembered that man; he was the late Emperor of Yunxiu Kingdom. Kneeling beside him was a woman, her lips trembling and pale, pleading with the late Emperor to save their child; she was likely one of his concubines.
"Your Majesty, there are two princes and one princess. Keep one for you to choose from." The khaki boots rubbed and kneaded the princess vigorously, causing her teeth to chatter in pain, but her gaze remained sharp.
He spoke with unusual ease, as if he were holding a plate of fruit and asking which one you wanted to choose.
Zhao Shu clenched his fists tightly.
Zhao Shu knew that the Princess would be alright, since he had seen her, but for some reason, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
"Princess," the late emperor replied without hesitation, his tone extremely calm, as if he had known she would ask this, or that he already had the answer in his heart.
With a swift movement, the sword rose and fell, and Mo Yinghuo, trampled on the ground, had his pupils wide open, his eyes bloodshot, his lips slightly parted, the sound he was about to make seemed to be thwarted by the shock before him, and he stabbed back with each blow, his struggle instantly turning into submission.
Just watching quietly...
One cut, two cuts, three cuts...
Then, one cut, two cuts, three cuts...
The blood of youthful ignorance flowed unknowingly, slowly reaching a young girl favored by heaven, staining her snow-white clothes.
From then on, it could never be washed clean again.
"Why? Why shouldn't she, the eldest princess, die?" A sinister voice drifted out from the woman beside the late emperor.
"I'm sorry, Consort Jing." The late emperor's gaze remained fixed on the eldest princess, whose body was stained with blood.
That woman was Consort Jing.
Unable to bear such a shock, Consort Jing, dressed in a green fish-scale robe, was covered in blood, which bloomed like large red flowers. She smiled silently and sinisterly, her weak hands cupping a shallow pool of blood, her lips gently sucking it. Her pale complexion returned to its rosy hue, making her indescribably beautiful.
The young princess watched intently, with utmost concentration.
...
The one stepping on the young princess was clearly the leader of this group. He released his foot with satisfaction, as if nothing had happened, and casually said, "I'll come again when I have time," before disappearing one after another with a dozen or so people from beyond the Great Wall.
Zhao Shu stared at the wormhole, which was almost invisible to the naked eye, and coldly uttered two words, "Useless."
Mo Yinghuo was like a docile and weak white sheep. From the moment the knife fell, he remained motionless, like a dead man, lying coldly on the ground, staring coldly ahead, his pupils unable to focus even slightly.
For a moment, Zhao Shu felt that the young Mo Yinghuo seemed to see himself.
The guards arrived in a panic. The late emperor said calmly, "The Third Prince and the Fifth Prince were assassinated while protecting the Eldest Princess. They shall be given a grand funeral."
After she finished speaking, the guards were terrified by Consort Jing's chilling, sinister laugh, which sent shivers down their spines. Before they could react, she had already sat on the young man, Mo Yinghuo, and her soft, boneless hands gripped his neck tightly, leaving red marks that instantly crept up his fair and smooth neck.
The young Mo Yinghuo did not react at all, nor did she struggle, make a sound, or move. If it weren't for her eyes, which had lost their luster, still being wide open, the guards would have thought she had lost consciousness.
After a moment, the eunuch beside the late emperor reacted and shouted, "Why aren't you pulling it open yet?"
Suddenly, everything went black before Zhao Shu's eyes, and everything disappeared. He was already used to it; when he used wormholes for interdimensional teleportation, the wormholes would always take him on unpredictable interdimensional journeys.
In the past, he could always go back to the past and see his younger self. Apart from the first time he was surprised, the second and third times... after that, he would look at the pictures that passed by, and his expression would never show the slightest ripple.
He felt that those bygone days were neither good nor bad, nothing that needed to be changed, and he had no ability to change anything. He didn't want to grasp anything, nor did he know what to grasp; his heart would occasionally drift into the vast expanse of space, only to return to the night sky.
The starry sky is dazzling and boundless, making it seem all the more adrift.
Just as coming to Yunxiu Kingdom was to fulfill a promise made to his mother, it was also to avoid certain mundane matters of life that he did not know how to refuse.
However, the people of Nightfall have never understood why, when wormholes allow people to travel through space, they almost always return to the past, and very rarely travel to the future. Records in Nightfall's books only mention two instances of travel to the future, and then they are only briefly mentioned, making one doubt their veracity.
Researchers on this planet can only deduce a somewhat plausible reason based on various clues gleaned from books and interstellar travel—like traveling back in time only to observe. What about the future? Human desires in the present moment are uncontrollable, regardless of good or bad. If a thought arises at this very moment, it will lead to earth-shattering changes in the future.
If things change, is that unreached place you arrive at after traversing the universe real or fake? The interstellar space is vast and boundless, but the people of Nightfall are always convinced that there are some tightly sealed things that you cannot touch.
Otherwise, the universe would inevitably revert to its initial state of chaos.
This time, perhaps because I brought that general from Yunxiu Kingdom with me on the interdimensional teleportation, it was different from before, and I took a few steps in that person's life.
However, these few steps seemed to have left something on that person silently.
Zhao Shu walked to a back garden, not too big or too small, with tall trees and fragrant flowers, a small bridge and flowing water, a white pavilion, and a woman in yellow.
It was the younger princess, two or three years younger than before. Zhao Shu carefully observed her. Wu Xi was still young, her body not yet fully developed, her face still showing signs of immaturity, her spirit radiant, and her eyes and brows full of smiles.
Holding a book in one hand and a leaf in the other, she leaned against a lush green tree, her willow-like body beginning to stretch. Her eyes were slightly lowered, her brows and eyes full of smiles, and she occasionally kicked the tree trunk lightly with one foot. The gentle breeze caressed her white clothes, making them exceptionally bright and beautiful.
What a radiant and beautiful young girl! Zhao Shu suddenly thought to himself. Mo Yinghuo beside him also possessed a similar aura, but compared to this girl from the same person, she lacked the purity of a book and a leaf.
"The Eldest Princess."
A deep, caring voice.
"Father, Mother."
Mo Yinghuo raised her eyes, her smile growing even brighter. She put her feet down, casually tucked the leaf into her book, straightened up, and strode briskly toward the two of them.
...
A golden triangular flag with a large black "金" (gold) character engraved in the center. A biting, cold wind howled.
Zhao Shu knew at a glance that this was the main battlefield of the Yunzhao army. Inside the general's tent were three people he had recently become most familiar with.
"General, something terrible has happened! The Hu Kingdom has suddenly attacked the border of Yunxiu Kingdom!" A soldier rushed into the tent.
Zhao Shu gazed at the woman in silver armor before him. Compared to before, she had grown from a chubby boy into a mature and elegant figure, her entire being exuding a refined and graceful air. Her face remained fair and delicate, but a cold and gloomy aura enveloped her, a sinister smile playing on her lips. She drew a silver dagger from her waist and planted it in the map spread out on the table. The blade gleamed, poised to strike Xijin.
"Deputy General Gongliang and Deputy General Shurong, you two will lead half of the Yunzhao Army to secretly infiltrate Xijin. One of you will block the main force of Xijin from its supply camp, and the other will cut off the retreat route of the Xijin soldiers," Mo Yinghuo said calmly, staring at the map on the table.
Gongliang Zhong frowned in deep thought, but remained silent.
Upon hearing the Princess's words, Shu Rong hurriedly asked with concern, "Princess, there are 200,000 Western Jin soldiers on the other side. If the two of us take half of the Yunzhao army with us, we still need to send some of the remaining half to deal with the Hu soldiers..."
After listening to Shu Rong's words, Zhao Shu roughly understood the situation in his world—the Yunxiu Kingdom and the Xijin army were locked in a stalemate, and the Hu Kingdom had suddenly launched an attack on the Yunzhao army. His gaze fell on Mo Yinghuo's face, and he was somewhat curious about how this Yunxiu Kingdom general would deal with the situation.
While the two deputy generals, Gongliang Zhong and Shu Rong, were anxiously watching the ants on the burning board, Mo Yinghuo crossed his arms and smiled, saying, "Therefore, I must rely on the two deputy generals to cut off their retreat and supply lines as soon as possible."
Gongliang Zhong suddenly spoke, asking simply, "General, can we hold out?"
Mo Yinghuo nodded. "Twenty days is no problem. Yun Zhaojun is no pushover." She paused, then suddenly looked to her side.
Zhao Shu's breath hitched. Their eyes met, and Mo Yinghuo slowly walked over, a cunning and unruly smile on his lips. As he drew closer, Zhao Shu completely forgot that he had a variety of ways to dodge.
He stood there, stunned, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. He swallowed hard, afraid the person in front of him would notice, and a light sweat beaded on his back. Never before had Zhao Shu been stared at so blatantly by Mo Yinghuo. He felt every inch of his body tremble slightly. He unconsciously clenched his slightly damp fists, tensing his body. A sudden burning sensation surged through him. His gaze remained fixed on the eyes of the person approaching him, as if the world around him had frozen. He couldn't look away, and his eyes gradually misted over, becoming slightly damp.
Suddenly, Mo Yinghuo reached out a hand and brushed past the blood-red earlobe. Zhao Shu instinctively tried to back away, but before he could take a step, he crashed into the tent wall. His low breathing was mixed with panic and unease. He hurriedly raised one hand to try to block, but he had already turned half his face away, his expression cold and sullen, trying to conceal his true feelings.
Mo Yinghuo calmly took a sealed letter from a small cloth bag hanging on the wall. Looking at the already opened letter, he couldn't help but smile. A cool, moist breath immediately landed on Zhao Shu's slightly bulging neck, gently creeping up behind his ear and then spreading throughout his body. His mind instantly flashed back to everything that had happened inside the dark coffin. His heavy back slumped weakly against the wall, his hands gripping and releasing repeatedly…
Suddenly, Mo Yinghuo turned his head as if he hadn't seen them and walked towards Gongliang Zhong and Shu Rong.
At the same moment, Zhao Shu realized that Mo Yinghuo couldn't see him. His face wore an unnatural composure, with an embarrassment of having almost capsized in a ditch. Even though he could traverse wormholes as easily as he did, he would still be in such an embarrassing predicament.
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