Encounter
The next day, Rulan supported Yuan Ming as they walked along the muddy road. Yuan Ming noticed that Rulan was looking at him from time to time, so he turned to look at her.
Facing Yuan Ming's sudden gaze, Ru Lan was like a frightened little rabbit, stammering, "Why...are you looking at me?"
As she spoke, Rulan's ears turned slightly red. Yuan Ming understood that it was just her little girl's shyness, so he joked, "Look at mine first."
Rulan denied it, "I... I didn't. I just, I just didn't think you were from Mucheng." She tilted her head and continued, "Mucheng is close to the northwestern border. Beyond the border is the northwest yellow sands. The further north you go, the fewer people there are. In recent years, the border has become increasingly unstable, and many people are heading south. And you look so... unique. You don't look like a local at first glance."
"Miss Rulan, I am indeed not from Mucheng."
Yuan Ming didn't want to hide anything from Rulan, so he revealed his identity directly. Rulan was silent all the way after hearing this.
Arriving outside Rulan's hut, Yuan Ming lowered his eyes and said, "I escaped when the guards were careless. I guess they're still searching for me. Yuan Zi won't let me go, and I don't intend to let her go either. As you can see, I'm half-mad. For revenge, I'll do anything. If you're worried about me getting you into trouble, rest for a while tonight. I'll leave tomorrow."
Yuan Ming stared at Rulan blankly, with hope in her eyes, but a sense of disgust arose deep in her heart, as if the memories before her death were still chasing her, making her very disgusted with herself for pretending to gain sympathy.
Yuan Ming hoped that Rulan would accept her, take her in, and heal her, but she also knew that she would most likely bring disaster to Rulan, just like in her previous life. Yuan Ming's lips trembled slightly, and ultimately selfishness prevailed, and she held Rulan's hand tightly.
Rulan took Yuan Ming's pulse with her right hand, hesitating for a long time before finally speaking: "Your heart disease is very serious. Don't underestimate it. If you don't treat your heart disease, you will develop heart disease, and slowly, your body functions will be damaged. You said you want revenge, but in my opinion, you may not live to see the moment of revenge."
Yuan Ming paused. The old guys in the Imperial Hospital in his previous life also said that Yuan Ming had a heart disease and would not live long, but Yuan Ming lived for several years. Even if he died in the end, he committed suicide, not died from some heart disease.
So even though Yuan Ming knew she sometimes lost her mind, she never really took it to heart. Whether she went crazy or died, it didn't matter. As long as her enemies went to hell, she didn't ask for anything else.
But when Rulan said this, Yuan Ming was confused again. Living again would only mean killing Yuan Zi again. What would happen after that? What was the point? She had already done it in her previous life.
Confusion, entanglement, and helplessness crept onto Yuan Ming's face. Rulan saw it all. She patted Yuan Ming's hand gently and said softly, "Thoughts are not good for overthinking. Don't overthink. In your current mental state, you can't come up with the most reasonable answer, and it will only add to your sadness."
Rulan helped Yuan Ming into the hut. Seeing Rulan busying herself, Yuan Ming couldn't help but ask, "Are you willing to take me in?"
Rulan: "It is a doctor's mission to save the dying and the wounded. Your wound is not healed yet, so please stay with me for now."
Yuan Ming stayed there like this. Rulan followed her words and practiced it every day, lighting calming incense for Yuan Ming by her bed. Although she didn't say anything, Yuan Ming knew that she was more concerned about her own illness.
Yuan Ming prefers to call it heart disease as heart death.
In her previous life, Yuan Ming cradled Rulan's body as she lay half-dead on the street. She wanted to find a coffin for Rulan, but it was a pipe dream. The disheveled Yuan Ming was a foul-smelling monster in the eyes of passersby. No one wanted to pay any attention to her. She exhausted all her strength to crawl out onto the street, but she no longer had the energy to speak to anyone.
In the bustling crowd, no one cares about a beggar in the corner. But a stray dog looking for food on the roadside will not give up the opportunity to snatch food just because you are dirty.
At night, several skinny wild dogs surrounded Yuan Ming because the body in Yuan Ming's arms reeked of rotting flesh. It was another nightmare. The wild dogs devoured Ru Lan's body, and Yuan Ming's hands, face, and feet were also gnawed by the wild dogs.
Yuan Ming didn't know how she managed to survive. When she woke up from her coma, she found herself dragged out of the city. There was a moldy steamed bun next to her. Yuan Ming instinctively crawled over it like a wild dog and ate it. Then she heard someone laughing not far away.
Those people were Yuan Zi's men. Yuan Ming understood everything while biting his steamed bun. Yuan Zi didn't want Yuan Ming to die easily. She wanted to see Yuan Ming live like a beggar, like a dog.
If Yuan Zi was Yuan Ming's long-standing enemy, Yuan Ming might feel better, but she happened to be Yuan Ming's biological sister, the sister Yuan Ming once respected.
These experiences were like poison, corroding Yuan Ming's heart. When she got through everything and returned to the imperial city, she didn't even have any feelings for Yuan Zi, so she slashed Yuan Zi's neck with a knife. Seeing her mortal enemy fall, Yuan Ming was not happy because she had lost the ability to be happy.
After rebirth, those memories are still rooted in Yuan Ming's heart. Even though his body has not been horribly destroyed by the previous life, his mental state remains the same. Insomnia, irritability, violence... these have become Yuan Ming's heart disease. Yuan Ming clearly sees new hope, but does not have the courage to grasp it.
Seeing Yuan Ming, still frowning and distressed in her dream, Rulan felt deeply pressured. Heart disease requires heart medicine. This was the first time Rulan had encountered Yuan Ming's condition, and it was so serious. Rulan understood that external medication couldn't change a patient's state of mind; it could only serve as a supplement. Ultimately, she had to be the one to lead her through this heart disease.
After Rulan left, Yuan Ming gently opened his eyes and looked at the darkness outside the window.
A group of men in black with knives were gathered outside the hut, staring intently at the inside. These uninvited guests were Yuan Zi's men who had been planted on Yuan Ming's way to exile.
In this life, Yuan Ming did not return to Changmu City. Since this group of people did not find Yuan Ming at the bottom of the mountain, they would definitely expand the search area, and it would only be a matter of time before they found Rulan's residence.
Seeing that the lights in the house were off, the leader led two of his men into the room on tiptoe. They were indeed quite capable and opened the door without making any noise, but they didn't know that behind them, Yuan Ming was looking at them as if they were dead.
A bloodthirsty impulse surged into Yuan Ming's mind, and in a trance, Yuan Ming returned to the state of a tyrant.
Yuan Ming raised the corner of his mouth. What a bunch of ants, looking for death here!
With a snap, the door was shut, and the intruders immediately drew their swords and took a defensive stance.
Yuan Ming spent the first half of her life as the most honorable princess, studying under famous teachers and generals. Her knowledge and martial arts were outstanding. In addition, with Rulan's careful care in recent days, Yuan Ming's injuries have recovered well, and she is now terrifyingly strong.
Yuan Ming took out Rulan's small medicinal knife and, like a ghost, slashed the neck of the nearest person. Unlike the useless beggars, however, these men reacted quickly. Seeing one of their companions fall, they immediately located the enemy in the darkness and thrust their swords at Yuan Ming.
Yuan Ming turned sideways, and the sword blade cut a shallow gash on her shoulder. The pain stimulated Yuan Ming's brain, making her extremely excited. She was still the tyrant, capricious and violent, and she would take anyone's life if she said so.
Yuan Ming, holding a small knife, fought desperately with the remaining two. Her moves were ruthless, and each strike went straight to the enemy's vital points, without caring at all about exposing her own body to the enemy's swords.
The remaining two were also unlucky. The order they received was to find the exiled deposed princess. Their superiors also specifically said that they must not kill the deposed princess because the triumphant new princess had not tortured her own sister enough.
Faced with Yuan Ming's desperate fighting style, the two men felt intimidated. They were stabbed many times and jumped out of the window in a panic, rushing into the night.
Yuan Ming's eyes went red with anger, and he chased after him regardless of anything.
The scene was very strange at one point. Under the moonlight, the two strong men who were fleeing looked in a miserable state, and behind them, a crazy woman named Yuan Ming, waving a sharp knife, was chasing them madly, like an evil ghost seeking souls.
The three chased him from the bamboo forest to the official road, and by the time they reached the horizon, the fish had already turned pale. The two strong men were exhausted, but Yuan Ming was unusually energetic.
At this time, the two were really scared and had to stop and beg Yuan Ming for mercy.
Yuan Ming was truly frantic at this point. She couldn't tell what the two black shadows before her were, and instinctively chopped, stabbed, and swung wildly. As she watched the two shadows disperse, oozing a glaring red, she realized something was wrong. How could the world be turned upside down?
While Yuan Ming was in a trance, the sound of horse hooves was heard on the official road.
Zhong Yingqi led a team of people and set off for the Northern Frontier at daybreak. As he walked on the official road, Zhong Yingqi was still holding back his anger. Years ago, he volunteered to go to the Northern Frontier garrison, but was punished by his father. If it weren't for his third uncle's intercession, he really wouldn't be able to go to the Northern Frontier.
Things were already unpleasant, and a while ago, his father sent another letter saying that His Highness Yuan Ming was planning a rebellion. Zhong Yingqi saw this and thought that his father was really going to great lengths to force him to return, even making up such a flawed lie about His Highness the Princess rebelling. Unexpectedly, this outrageous lie actually came true. By the time Zhong Yingqi arrived at the Imperial City, everything had been settled.
Zhong Yingqi refused to believe that His Highness Yuan Ming would rebel, and planned to return to Northern Frontier to mobilize more troops. However, his mischievous father took advantage of his bath and ordered the servants to take away his clothes. Zhong Yingqi was then detained in the mansion. His father threatened that he would never be allowed to return to Northern Frontier, but fortunately, his third uncle saved him again.
When Zhong Yingqi thought about his old father being furious at home, his anger subsided a lot.
The team continued to move forward and happened to run into Yuan Ming who was in a trance.
At this moment, Yuan Ming's eyes were dull and she didn't move at all. She held the hilt of the knife with both hands, and the blade was stuck in a pool of blood - it looked like a corpse with a hole in it.
Zhong Yingqi narrowed his eyes and raised his hand to signal the team to stop.
The unconscious Yuan Ming seemed to hear some noise and raised her head very stiffly towards Zhong Yingqi who was riding a horse. Then, she remained like that for a moment before fainting.
Zhong Yingqi and a soldier beside him dismounted their horses and approached Yuan Ming. After taking a look at Yuan Ming's face, the soldier was shocked: "Brother, this woman looks like the princess. Could it be..."
"Shut up!"
The soldier knew he had said something wrong and immediately shut his mouth.
Zhong Yingqi frowned. Everyone in the capital knew that the deposed princess had been exiled to the south of the Yangtze River, but they were almost in the northern border. How could she be here? Could it be that she just looked like...
There was a small rustling sound in the grass beside the official road, and the soldier shouted: "Who is there?"
A frightened little girl was brought before Zhong Yingqi by a soldier. It was Rulan. She trembled and said, "Your Excellency, our family was robbed. I know a little martial arts, so I chased them out and fought them. I accidentally got in your way. I... I'm taking her back now. Please forgive me, Your Excellency."
Zhong Yingqi was very kind to Rulan and asked, "Miss, is this your biological sister?"
Rulan was stunned for a moment. Zhong Yingqi didn't give Rulan time to react and asked, "Hurry up and tell me, what are you thinking about?"
Rulan: "She's my dear...sister."
Zhong Yingqi's expression changed instantly, and he snorted softly, "You're playing tricks on me. Do you think I'm blind? Come! Take these two suspicious people back to Northern Xinjiang."
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