Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell
Where exactly do I fall short of you, my king?
His hands clenched into fists so tightly that his bones cracked.
As Wen Youqing stepped out of the courtyard, a gust of cold wind quietly swept over her face.
The breeze was cool and refreshing, but it couldn't extinguish the raging fire that had already risen high in my heart.
The man following him kept a close eye on his master's reaction. He observed carefully and had just noticed the dagger that his master was gripping tightly. Therefore, he was certain that his master was angry.
Therefore, he silently took a step back. However, this time his luck was not as good as before. Wen Youqing caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye and said coldly, "Go and accept your punishment."
When the man saw Wen Youqing slow down, his heart was in his throat. But when he heard the words "accept punishment," he breathed a sigh of relief, lowered his head, and replied, "Yes."
Li followed the firelight through the dark passage. The area was slightly damp, the air was filled with the smell of earth, and the ground had become somewhat sticky.
Candlelight flickered on the wall, its flames dancing like a dance. Under the dim light, Li Yin's shadow stretched extremely long, and his black figure quietly covered the ground.
As Li Yin walked, his path came to an end, and all he could see was a stone wall. He reached out and gently knocked on it, only to hear a few dull "tap-tap" sounds.
Li Yin looked up and noticed a slightly thinner patch on her head. She smiled gently, remaining calm and composed.
She then frowned slightly, as if thinking about how to get out. While she was deep in thought, a familiar voice came from above.
The voice, slightly aged yet carrying a sense of warmth that made one feel at ease, said, "Hey, kid, don't you know how to look up?"
Upon hearing this, Li Yin smiled knowingly and said, "Master."
The man smiled, and then a rope was thrown down, and a faint light shone above his head.
Li Yin tugged gently before pulling on the rope and applying force. But before she could turn over, the person above pulled her up with a single, forceful motion.
The man was very strong, and Li Yin was thrown onto the grass, his face covered in dust.
This is a large courtyard, brightly lit, with candlelight everywhere, especially around the spot where Li Yin was just now, which was completely surrounded by candlelight.
She propped herself up with her hands, sat down on the ground, and turned her head to look at the old man who had pulled her up.
The old man had white hair and a gray beard, his face bearing the marks of time, with deep wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, but his slightly upturned phoenix eyes were surprisingly handsome.
He wore a simple linen robe, never spoke of money, and spent his life wandering in the mountains and forests, observing the lives of ordinary people.
This was Li Yin's stereotype of his master, but now this old man had actually come out and even arrived here.
The thought of killing someone made her feel a little scared when facing the old man, but if she had to choose, she would still do it. After all, she had done it, so there was nothing to regret.
To her surprise, the old man didn't ask about that. Instead, he praised her actions, saying, "Very good, my dear child. You made a very good decision. I am very pleased with you."
Upon hearing this, Li Yin looked at the old man with a slight bewilderment. The old man smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes lifting slightly. He stroked his beard and then said, "You little rascal, didn't you just leave that kid?"
Upon hearing this, Li Yin finally understood what the old man meant. She said, "My relationship with Senior Brother Wen is nothing more than a business transaction. Master, you can rest assured."
The old man chuckled upon hearing this. He raised an eyebrow and said, "You've already kissed and hugged, yet you haven't developed genuine feelings?"
Li Yin was stunned for a moment upon hearing this. She had never thought about this question before, but she nodded blankly at this moment. Now, her mind was made up to leave, and there was no turning back once the deed was done. Besides, she no longer wanted to have anything to do with Wen Youqing.
They were now even. She lowered her eyes, and the old man saw everything clearly. He said earnestly, "That kid is not to be trifled with. He's like a leech. You should change your identity and name before you come out again."
Upon hearing this, Li Yin nodded and said, "Disciple, remember your master's teachings. Within three days, find a suitable identity and then change your appearance."
Upon hearing this, the old man smiled slyly. He released his grip on the tuft of beard he was holding, then reached into his clothes and pulled out a list of names.
The book was a little thin, so he just opened it gently, flipped through it, and stopped after less than two pages. He handed the page to Li Yin and pointed to it.
He spoke in a weak voice to a woman named Lisa: “This is an envoy from the Western Frontier. She fell into the river a few days ago and unfortunately died. She was a princess who came to offer tribute and was sent to marry a foreign ruler. Those people needed a beautiful woman to take her place. So, when Master told her your name, that person gave me a bag of gold.”
Li Yin: "..."
So, she was sold off by the old man. She should have been more wary when she heard the word "princess." Really...
But old man, didn't you never look at gold, silver, or treasures before? Why are you looking at them now?
Curious, she asked, "Master, don't you never look at these mundane things?"
Upon hearing this, the old man raised an eyebrow and said, "I am only human, and besides, this is an opportunity delivered to our doorstep. It's like killing two birds with one stone. Since it's offered to us, why would we refuse it?"
Li Yin said, "But, Master, I'm afraid my face will be recognized."
Upon hearing this, the old man laughed and said, "What is the purpose of disguise? Besides, Taoist priests from the Western Regions have a habit of covering their faces, so wearing a veil can also conceal some of their features."
Li Yin nodded slightly upon hearing this, but the old man hadn't taught her this art of disguise.
She immediately looked up and saw this. The old man slapped his forehead and said, "How could I have forgotten about this?"
Then, he picked up a lantern, got up, opened the door, took out a gold bar from the room, handed it to Li Yin, and said, "Take this, it will be useful in the future."
Li Yin said: "..."
She thought the old man remembered that he hadn't taught her the art of disguise when she saw him hand her a gleaming gold bar.
She said, "Master, you have never taught your disciple the art of disguise."
Upon hearing this, the old man frowned slightly. He clearly remembered that he had taught him, so how could he not have? Could it be that he had misremembered due to his old age?
He didn't investigate further, but instead turned back into the room and took out the bottles and jars needed for the disguise and a sharp, gleaming knife.
He sat down next to Li Yin and then opened all the bottles and jars one by one. A faint herbal fragrance lingered around Li Yin's nose.
The aroma, at first whiff, is slightly bitter, but upon closer inspection, it is like a lotus emerging from the water, carrying dewdrops, pure and serene, light and lingering.
The old man poured all of this into his hand, then gently rubbed it before applying it to Li Yin's face.
This is only the first step, but... it's far from enough. We can't rush it; we need to wait until this dish is dry before making any further moves.
The wait was a long process, but the old man's face turned serious. This was always the case; he was usually carefree and irresponsible, but when it came to getting things done, he was extremely serious, almost like a completely different person.
A gentle breeze blew by, but in this empty courtyard, there were neither flowers nor trees, so there was no fragrance of flowers, nor the sound of leaves rustling softly as they swayed gently.
After this layer dried, the old man took a small knife and carefully carved on Li Yin's face. In just a short while, he changed some of Li Yin's most distinctive features, making his eyebrows and eyes look resilient, but also with a hint of murderous intent, giving him a sense of majesty and solemnity.
After the carving was finished, the old man took a bottle from the side, poured out some more, and then covered Li Yin's face with it.
This time it will only take a short while.
He stood up, dusted off the dirt on his bottom, and then said, "I may have other things to do in the future, and if you have any problems, I'm afraid I won't be able to help you. But, please remember the word I gave you last time."
The old man's whereabouts were elusive, something she was already used to. But why did this sound like a farewell? She wondered if it was the bleakness of the autumn wind or the chill of the lonely moon hanging high in the sky that gave his words a touch of autumn.
The old man took a few steps, then stopped and turned back. He instructed Li Yin, "Someone will come here to find you tomorrow. You just need to cooperate. Your current identity can help you find out what you want to know."
After saying this, he lifted his foot and left. His gray-clad figure gradually walked out the door, slowly disappearing into the darkness and vanishing silently into the alley.
Just as night fell, a gray figure appeared. He swept past all the beggars, who were all poorly clothed, with disheveled hair, sallow-faced and emaciated, like living skeletons.
They huddled together for warmth in deserted street corners, dreaming of a windfall and a better life. But dreams are just dreams, fleeting illusions.
But as the gray figure passed by them, it blocked a bit of the autumn chill and left a gold bar in the begging bowl.
The next day, one person woke up first. When he saw what was in the broken bowl, he was stunned. Seeing the bright yellow thing, he rubbed his eyes and wiped his face. After making sure that he hadn't seen it wrong, he smiled and his face lit up with joy.
He excitedly shook the person sleeping beside him, whose body temperature was slightly cold, and said, "A-Luo, look!"
He spoke excitedly, and his movements were also very excited. He shook the man awake, but the man still looked sleepy. He was about to ask a question.
The person beside him cupped his head in his hands, making him look at the gold contained in the broken bowl. His eyes widened immediately.
He excitedly took the item, put it in his mouth, covered it with his teeth, and bit down hard. His teeth ached, and he burst into tears of joy, saying, "This...this...it's true! We've struck it rich!"
The two then embraced and celebrated together.
And this wasn't just happening to them; beggars throughout the entire capital were being driven away and beaten.
However, the news spread slowly and had not yet reached the ears of the imperial nobles, nor had it reached Li Yin's ears.
Last night, she washed up and changed her clothes before going to bed. However, washing up was very troublesome because her face couldn't get wet, otherwise it would fall off. She had to keep her head tilted back the whole time.
There were a few slightly hurried knocks on the door, and the person knocked and called out, "Princess Shangya."
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