Chapter 1: Bound to a Powerful and Tragic Man! "Big Brother, I don't want to die."...
In late summer and early autumn, a refreshing breeze and a bright moon grace the deep mountains and empty valleys.
A dark shadow fell from the high cliff, tearing through the mottled night, and was swallowed by the shadows of the trees.
With a loud thud, it crashed into the ground.
"Ouch...it hurts..."
"Phew—I'm not dead, that's great."
The wind died down, the clouds dispersed, and silence returned.
The woman in black, lying on her back on the ground, slowly opened her eyes and looked around.
What comes into view are towering ancient trees and steep cliffs.
A chilling wind blew, and a strong smell of blood filled the air.
Suddenly a gust of wind arose, and a startled cry pierced the valley.
Ning Lu suddenly sat up.
Where am I?
"hiss--"
The excruciating pain, like bones falling apart, pulled him back to the ground.
"Did I fall and die?"
Ning Lu closed her eyes and patted her forehead.
After her stand-up comedy show ended, she came out of the bar through the back door and went straight onto the pedestrian overpass. There she saw a rare full moon. A new joke popped into her head, and she stopped to type it up, leaning against the railing.
Suddenly, a food delivery scooter veered from the non-motorized vehicle lane onto the sidewalk and honked its horn at her. In the ensuing chaos, she accidentally bumped into a dilapidated old fence.
And then—
A flash of white light appeared before her eyes, and to the astonishment of the crowd, she performed a spectacular freefall, plunging into the flashing, continuous stream of cars.
The alternating howls of wolves and chirps of insects sent chills down one's spine for no apparent reason.
Ning Lu noticed the difference in the fabric of her clothes and reached out to touch her arm.
These are not her clothes.
I subconsciously looked around, and then looked up and saw the full moon in the sky.
This moon...
It was clearly the same circle she saw before she fell.
The damp, sticky ground beneath them was clearly not asphalt.
Ning Lu mustered her strength and tried to stand up again.
So, she died and had to cross the Bridge of Helplessness?
As he tried to get up by turning over and bracing himself on the ground, he stumbled and tripped over a tree branch, falling to the ground again.
She felt dizzy and lightheaded, her legs felt numb and weak. A jumble of chaotic memories, not belonging to her, flooded her mind.
A dozen or so masked men in black attacked with swords. The leader had a scar the size of a bowl on the half of his face that was exposed, and his squinting eyes, accompanied by a mocking smile, made him look even more repulsive.
"The new emperor has ascended the throne and has been ordered to suppress them. You will all submit."
"When the birds are all gone, the bow is put away; this is truly the way of Prince Jing."
"Shut up! You dare to make false accusations even when you're about to die!"
"She's in dire straits. Enough talk, capture her alive!"
"Don't even think about it!!"
They plummeted, feeling weightless, with the howling wind and men's curses echoing in their ears.
The memory abruptly ended.
The cold, disdainful laugh of that woman's voice, along with her knowing tone that seemed to have seen through everything, drifted away in the night wind, leaving only a very faint layer of sorrow and loneliness.
Ning Lu looked up at the rugged cliffs, her gaze tracing a parabola along the edge of the protruding rocks, circling a few times before settling on her own position.
So high...
She is still alive.
Could she be—
I've traveled through time?!
Ning Lu tugged at her night clothes, which had been torn by tree branches, and then her gaze fell on her fingers, which were covered with calloused scars.
If nothing unexpected happens, the female voice in my memory should be her own voice.
Based on her extensive reading of novels, it is highly likely that the time of her falling off the overpass overlapped with the time of the original owner's fall off the cliff, which led to the current situation.
So, it could be time travel, or it could be a soul swap.
Regardless, at least we survived.
Ning Lu didn't linger in the joy of escaping death for long before the terrifying atmosphere before her pulled her back to reality.
Alone in the desolate mountains.
She knew nothing about this new body except for the fragmented memories in her mind, like snowflakes.
and……
Ning Lu recalled the words the original owner had spoken before jumping off the cliff, about the bird being put away and Prince Jing, and shivered for no reason.
"Why is there a scene where they're being chased?"
"I've never even played a murder mystery game before, and this is with the Crown Prince and Prince Jing... it's so complicated..."
Ning Lu sighed and tried to stand up again.
She considers herself the most ordinary, useless, fragile liberal arts female college student of the 21st century. After graduation, she is a "three-nothing" product: no experience, no internship, and no background. The only part-time job she had before transmigrating was a desperate begging job she got when she was at her wit's end.
If the original owner of this body was carrying some shocking secret or injustice, she probably wouldn't be able to bear it, so she shook her head, unwilling to think about it anymore.
The most urgent thing is to leave this godforsaken place and find a way to travel back in time.
"I can't handle this. Let's switch back as soon as possible and each mind our own business."
Ning Lu rubbed her aching body and muttered to herself.
Although she lived a very... frugal life, at least her life was not in danger.
She's a simple creature who, despite having studied for many years, can only barely make ends meet by telling jokes. She has no desire to get involved in complicated relationships.
In the brief moment she was lost in thought, dark clouds obscured the moon.
Lightning struck from the sky, tearing through the pitch-black night and instantly illuminating the mountains and forests as if it were daytime.
A clear human figure appeared in Ning Lu's line of sight.
The man was dressed in dark blue robes, leaning against an ancient tree, his face as pale as a corpse and covered in blood.
Boom!!
"sky?!"
A sudden clap of thunder startled Ning Lu, who covered her mouth and gasped in surprise, her body trembling in the wind like a withered autumn leaf.
Ning Lu didn't care about anything else. She took a deep breath, used both hands and feet to stagger to her feet, and stumbled back a few steps before crashing into the rock wall.
"Help...help...what is that...a corpse...a body?"
"Everyone else's time-travel stories are about entering the palace and taking down scumbags, but mine is all about wilderness survival?"
The surroundings fell into darkness again. Ning Lu subconsciously touched her body, hoping to pull out a handy weapon to protect herself.
It was empty; nothing was gained.
Wearing black clothes, being chased, and bravely jumping off a cliff—this is clearly the setup of a martial arts master. How could he not even have a hidden weapon or a knife?
After turning over the body again, Ning Lu finally gave up and timidly glanced in the direction of the corpse, clasping her hands together in a prayer-like gesture.
"Amitabha Buddha...no offense intended..."
"It's alright, it's alright. Ning Lulu, there's always a way out."
"But sister, you're an assassin, why don't you bring more weapons when you go out? You're just..."
Noticing the marks left on the ground, and remembering what the scarred man had said before she fell off the cliff, she realized she was in dire straits.
...
Sorrow welled up within me.
Ning Lu sighed and admitted defeat: "Fine, I guess you haven't had an easy time either."
"For the sake of our near-survival, I'll try my best to stay alive for you a little longer."
Ning Lu rubbed her hands and face, stretched her body, looked around, chose a seemingly safe direction, and ran away.
...
After an unknown amount of time, Ning Lu gradually slowed down, resting her hands on her knees and panting heavily.
The more I think about it, the more frustrated I feel.
She has never done anything immoral in her life. At most, when she couldn't find a job, she would make up jokes about weird HR people and the person in question would hear them.
She's already reaped what she sowed; there's no need to torment her like this now.
She... she really didn't deserve this.
The wind stopped at some point.
In the dead of night, the mountain forest was suddenly eerily quiet.
The pounding of his heart seemed a bit out of place at that moment.
Goosebumps stand on end; the body senses something is wrong before the brain does.
The jagged rocks resemble menacing masks, while the fir trees sway silently.
The pungent smell of blood lingered around my nose, inexplicably raising goosebumps.
Even more bizarrely...
Lying under that tree in front of us...
Isn't that the man from just now?
She just picked the exact opposite direction.
Ning Lu stared in disbelief, then turned and ran.
It was him.
Let's try a different approach.
It was him again.
One more time…
It's him again!
On the fifth time she passed over the mud pit she had created when she landed, Ning Lu finally gave up struggling.
Either you're lost in a maze, or you're just wandering around in circles.
In short, she can't escape.
"Is there a system? Can you tell me why this is so troublesome? Is this older brother the original owner's destined partner?"
There was no response.
Do I need to win him over?
Silence.
So, she not only got the script for wilderness survival, but she didn't even have any cheat codes?
"It would be great if there were a navigation system..."
Ning Lu glanced up again in the direction of the figure and couldn't help but mutter to herself.
"Whether it's the official couple or the target of a romance, the premise is that he has to be a living person."
She had never seen a dead person before, and being timid, she simply didn't have the courage to approach and examine them.
Running won't get you very far, and the fear is genuine—a stark dilemma.
Ning Lu decided not to choose either option. She decided to take a gamble, stay put, and wait for dawn to break.
Escaping may be shameful, but it can be useful.
As she sat down on a thick, sturdy tree nearby, she inadvertently turned her head and caught a glimpse of shimmering light behind her.
Ning Lu stood still, then slowly turned her head away after a moment's hesitation.
Behind them, a faint, shimmering green light rose and fell, scattered in all directions from the bushes.
Is she hallucinating due to excessive stress?
Why did I suddenly feel that there were many invisible life forms around me, and even the oxygen had become thin?
She stared at the pulsating green light in front of her and stiffly swallowed.
No way!
Could it be what she's thinking?
Green shadows swayed, the wind rustled, and wild beasts growled.
The scene before her was too horrifying, and her survival instincts repeatedly warned her that this was not the time to give up and do nothing; she had to make a quick decision.
Ning Lu resigned herself to her fate. While her brain was racing, her feet had already started moving.
One step, two steps... she was gradually getting closer to where the man was.
Right now, he is not only the only confirmed human species in this desolate mountain, but also her only chance of survival.
She wished he were alive.
At least, it shouldn't be a dead person.
Tonight's events were far too bizarre. She simply couldn't bear it any longer.
Finally moving to the man's side, Ning Lu stopped two steps away from him, her voice trembling.
"Hello…"
"Excuse me…"
The trembling final note was dispelled by the sudden autumn wind.
No one responded.
Very well, she remained silent, just like the HR person had politely declined her resume.
Ning Lu had no choice but to take another half step forward and, mustering her courage, squat down beside him.
Hesitantly, his hand, before reason could intervene, brushed aside the strands of hair in front of the person's eyes.
It was completely different from the image of blood splattering and a grotesque face she had imagined.
The person in front of me had fair and radiant skin, and well-defined features, resembling a refined gentleman.
As for... that little bit of blood at the corner of his mouth...
It's truly the perfect finishing touch to the "beautiful, strong, and tragic" trope in TV dramas.
Ning Lu swallowed hard, unable to resist, and sighed.
"This is so beautiful!"
He looked the man up and down, his gaze settling on his chest. His left side was stained red with blood, suggesting a fatal wound.
Without the added atmosphere of lightning, the man wasn't as scary as she had imagined. Ning Lu relaxed a little, quickly checked his wounds, and reached out to check his breathing.
A faint breeze brushed past her fingertips, and Ning Lu's pupils suddenly constricted, a surge of joy welling up in her heart.
Great news! Thank God!
Overjoyed, she forgot all her fear and immediately knelt down beside the man, trying to shake him awake.
Before her raised hand could even touch her shoulder, she was suddenly restrained by a brute force and slammed heavily to the ground.
Before he could even groan in pain, a chill seeped into his bloodstream from the skin of his neck.
Ning Lu, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly choked up and realized something was wrong.
Before she could speak, the man's cold voice seeped down from above.
"You're really bold to come back."
have to.
She's obsessed with sex.
Forced pairings aren't necessarily romantic partners; they could also be enemies.
"Brother...are you misunderstanding something?"
Ning Lu twisted her body and tried to struggle a couple of times, but found that she was completely suppressed by that person, so she gave up resisting.
"How about... you let me explain first..."
"Is the list there?"
The man didn't respond, but instead pressed the blade of his dagger down another half inch and continued to interrogate him.
"Brother... no... young master... I don't know what you're talking about."
She was pinned to the ground, unable to see the man's expression.
All that could be heard was his hoarse voice, his rapid breathing, and…
She could feel the coldness of his fingertips even through his clothes.
She was wrong; this person was probably more terrifying than a dead man!
Ning Lu pursed her lips, feeling uneasy.
Circumstances dictate that Ning Lu gave up struggling, slumped to the ground like a dead body, sighed, and spoke slowly.
"Brother, I saw you sitting here, your life hanging in the balance, and I kindly saved you. Perhaps you would be willing to let me go and find out what's going on first?"
The dagger pressed against his neck deepened silently.
In the silence, the oppressive aura pressing down on her shoulders only increased.
Okay, he doesn't want to.
Ning Lu didn't even need to look to know that the man was scrutinizing her with his X-ray-like eyes.
Otherwise, she wouldn't always feel a chill down her spine.
"Who sent you?"
"Who could have sent me here? I'm so unlucky. I barely escaped death one minute, and woke up here the next."
Then I encountered a ghost and couldn't run away.
As the saying goes, a woman's intuition is never wrong; she said we should run away as fast as we could.
If she were still the original owner of this body…
wrong……
Ning Lu turned her head with difficulty, revealing half of her face, and glanced at him.
Do we know each other?
Are you being hunted down too?
Ning's mouth moved faster than her brain, and she asked a question.
The man hesitated for a moment, then switched hands with the dagger, grabbed the back of her neck, and pulled her close to his eyes for a closer look.
Their eyes met, and Ning Lu was certain that this was the most terrifying look she had ever seen in over twenty years.
Its chilling sharpness, its undisguised contempt and mockery, was even more terrifying than the eerie green fluorescence seen behind the tree.
My heart pounded, and I almost stopped breathing.
She was using someone else's body after all, so she couldn't just give up. Ning Lu pointed in the direction where she had woken up and struggled to fight again.
“I… my name is Ning Lu. When I woke up, I saw you lying here unconscious.”
The man's gaze did not follow her gestures; instead, he narrowed his eyes, moving back and forth between her eyes and mouth to determine whether it was true or false.
"After I found you, I was going to leave, but..." Ning Lu bit her tongue and quickly changed the subject: "Uh... I was worried that you might get eaten by wolves in the middle of nowhere, so I came to check on you..."
"In other words, my original intention was to save you. Moreover, young master, I feel that if you... want to kill me... now is not a good time."
Seeing that he raised his eyebrows to signal her to continue, Ning Lu felt that she had seen hope, so she quickly sped up her speech and continued to exert herself.
"Look, it's nighttime, in the middle of nowhere, and wild animals roam. You're injured, making you an easy target for them, and you can't move easily..."
Seeing his expression harden slightly, Ning Lu quickly lowered her tone and tried to soothe him: "Of course! I could tell at a glance from your movements. You must be a highly skilled martial artist, a peerless master... But... but... in this situation, having a helper is better than having none, don't you think?"
The man before me exuded a chilling aura that was tempered by the moonlight, and his profile was so pale it was almost translucent.
Ning Lu wouldn't be surprised if he fainted in two seconds, but she felt that he would definitely kill her in the second before he passed out.
But he didn't faint or say anything; he just kept staring at her.
This gave Ning Lu the illusion that the two of them were not very familiar with each other, or at least not about to fight immediately.
She breathed a slight sigh of relief, composed herself, forced a fawning smile, and pointed to the bleeding wound on his chest.
"How about I treat your injury first?"
As the ancients said, if you want to do well, you must have a keen eye for opportunities.
When it comes to survival, face and all that are meaningless.
Before the man could respond, lightning flashed through the air, thunder roared into the dark forest, and a strong wind howled.
In the desolate depths of the mountains, the howling of wolves rose once more, echoing from near and far, high and low.
Noticing the person in his hand shudder, the man gave a soft snort, shifted his gaze from her face, and looked towards the distant bushes.
As his gaze descended from top to bottom towards the ground, a fleeting look of surprise in his eyes was replaced by amusement.
Ning Lu belatedly realized that she was looking at it from his perspective.
A tightness gripped my throat; utter despair washed over me.
Eight wolves, spread out in a fan shape, surrounded the two of them, closing in step by step.
The clouds hung low, the air was stagnant, and it was hard to breathe.
Turning back, the person beside me held a dagger in his hand, leaned forward, and lowered his eyes, already in a defensive posture.
However, the corners of his mouth were turned up, and his breathing was shallow and rapid.
Why does he seem excited now?
Ning Lu's mind went blank, and she instinctively grabbed his wrist.
"Big brother, I don't want to die yet."
A note from the author:
----------------------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com