She You
The underwater world was chaotic, light distorted, sound swallowed. Yuan Ming felt the sky grow hazy, the sunlight no longer glaring. A flowing, cool barrier separated her from the world, like a child in its mother's womb, calm and light.
Until a kind thick branch caught Yuan Ming, a layer of skylight broke through her eyes, and she felt suffocating pain. She was once again rejected by the King of Hell and was excluded from the gates of the underworld.
Yuan Ming slowly opened her eyes, her eyelids heavy with weight. Her eyelashes were covered with water, making it difficult for her to observe her surroundings. She shook her head and rested for a long time on a thick branch. The life-saving branch came from a leaning tree on the river bank. Yuan Ming climbed the branch and reached the shore. The tiger claw wound on her shoulder had been washed white by the river water, and the coagulated blood clots could be seen, white and red. Yuan Ming smiled helplessly, thinking that her life was really tough.
By the way, where's Rulan? Yuan Ming struggled to stand up and looked helplessly at the river, but there was no sign of Rulan.
"Rulan, are you there?" Yuan Mingdong looked around and asked tremblingly, but the only answer she got was the breeze mixed with the sound of rushing water.
Yuan Ming's pupils dilated slightly, and her snow-white fingers inadvertently grasped the edge of her clothes, leaving a light wrinkle. She looked upstream, but the riverbanks were bare on both sides. She had no choice but to drag herself downstream.
The mist grew thicker, and the sky darkened. Yuan Ming couldn't tell if the water droplets on her forehead were sweat or river water. She felt like a lonely soul wandering the road to the underworld, desperately searching for her companion.
Suddenly, two figures appeared not far away, one standing and one lying. Yuan Ming opened his eyes wide, trying to see clearly through the mist. But the two figures were vague, their outlines blurred by the light, neither clear nor complete, like ghosts drifting in the night.
Yuan Ming couldn't help but yell, "Who is it?"
The voice, shrouded by the mist, seemed so weak and feeble. But the figure standing nearby seemed to have heard it, turning his head and observing her. Yuan Ming was slow to react, realizing she shouldn't have been so hasty and alerted the enemy. She had no choice but to wrap her arms around herself tightly, her eyes flickering with alarm and uneasiness.
"A Ming, is that you?" the figure said.
Yuan Ming was startled. The voice was low-pitched, but it made her feel as if time had flown back, and the fragments of her previously blurred memories were now reconnected. She unconsciously took a step forward and asked, "General She You, is that you?"
The figure slowly approached, his face becoming clearer. He was dressed in a plain green robe, his white beard reaching down to his chest, his eyes full of compassion, his white hair and youthful appearance. If you hadn't told me, who would have guessed that this old man with a sage-like demeanor was once a military commander who roamed the battlefield?
She You smiled and said, "Your Highness Yuan Ming, it's been a long time since we last met."
"Yeah, it's been a long time." Yuan Ming's eyes felt slightly hot, and the first tear broke free, leaving a tear mark. More tears followed, wetting her eyelashes and blurring her vision.
It had been a long time since they last saw each other. The moment Yuan Ming saw She You, the tension in her heart was released, and all her strength and forbearance collapsed in an instant.
She was like a child at this moment.
Seeing this, She You's expression became even more compassionate: "Your Highness must have suffered a lot. Come to my home and stay. As for this girl, do you know her?"
The fallen figure was a girl, with a faint moisture emanating from her body. Her hair was scattered and stuck to her forehead, with a few strands of hair still dripping with water. Even her skin was covered with a layer of fine goose bumps in the cold wind.
This turned out to be the unconscious Rulan.
Yuan Ming wiped away her tears and hurried forward to check. Fortunately, Rulan was only unconscious, with only a few scratches on her body, which were not fatal. Yuan Ming carried Rulan on his back and said to She You, "This is my companion. Thank you, General She, for saving her life. I will have to trouble you again later."
She You stroked his white beard and said, "Your Highness's eyes reveal many unspoken experiences. I think you have experienced a great change. There is no need to be polite to me. Please follow me."
Yuan Ming followed She You through the dense forest path to a simple wooden house, dotted with fireflies, a dreamy and warm atmosphere under the starry sky. After Yuan Ming settled Ru Lan, he stepped out of the doorway to see She You building a bonfire and roasting two medium-sized carp on wooden forks.
Seeing Yuan Ming, She You handed her the grilled carp with a kind smile: "Eat it."
Yuan Ming took the carp and took a small bite. He found the fish meat fresh and tender, but unfortunately there was no seasoning, so it tasted a bit bland.
"Why did Your Highness come to this desolate mountain?" She You asked.
Yuan Ming lowered his head slightly, with warm orange-red flames dancing in his pupils.
"A lot of things have happened, some of which I don't even think are real. Before I came to see you, I even doubted my memory, but my body doesn't seem to be deceiving me. The suffering is real, and the pain is real. General She, do you believe in the existence of divine power in this world? For example..."
Yuan Ming wanted to say rebirth, but he couldn't utter those two words. Faced with She You's puzzled look, Yuan Ming could only say, "For example, prophecy."
"Your Highness, are you trying to say that you've encountered something strange and bizarre? In my opinion, the world is full of strange things, and encountering anything is not surprising. Your Highness, don't worry about it. Why not look at tomorrow? The best medicine for many lost people is nothing more than desire. Knowing what you want will bring clarity."
Yuan Ming listened attentively. Although many mysteries remained unsolved in his mind, he felt better. He nodded and said, "General She is right."
She You handed Yuan Ming a roasted carp and said, "Give this fish to the unconscious girl. I am poor here, not even as poor as ordinary people. Your Highness, please don't mind."
Yuan Ming jokingly said, "Nothing. Thinking back to the time when I traveled extensively with the general, sleeping in the open air was common. Why would I mind?"
"Your Highness is joking, but that was indeed a long time ago. Even now, when I think of the troubles and fun Your Highness caused, I still can't help but savor the fun. The youthful energy of young people is something an old fellow like me really yearns for."
Under the light of the fire, Yuan Ming and She You talked for a long time. Yuan Ming found that the memory of his past life, which had been vague before, became clear again.
That's strange.
On the other hand, She You's long white beard swayed with his laughter, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were stretched out, and his eyes curved into crescents with laughter. Yuan Ming was also infected and started laughing too.
She You's hearty laughter slowly died down, and he added a few more pieces of firewood to the fire. He then changed the subject: "Your Highness, you definitely didn't come to see me to reminisce about the past. What difficulties did you encounter? Tell me."
Yuan Ming spoke softly, bowing and saying, "General She is incredibly foresighted. I've indeed run into trouble. General She lives in seclusion in the mountains, surrounded only by verdant hills and clear waters. Information from the outside world doesn't easily reach me. Actually, I'm no longer a princess; I've been demoted to a commoner by the Empress."
A hint of surprise flashed in She You's eyes. He stroked his beard and motioned Yuan Ming to continue.
Yuan Ming wore a bitter smile as he continued, "I was reckless and ignorant, and fell into someone else's trap. Now I know that the sharpest knife in the world is not the enemy's sword, but the betrayal of blood relatives."
"Blood relative? That can only be Her Highness Yuan Zi."
After a long silence, She You finally spoke, "Your Highness has had a smooth life in the first half of his life. It's hard not to be arrogant at the top, but one false step can lead to eternal damnation. As Your Highness self-deprecatingly said, you once thought that in the struggle for power, the most important thing to guard against was the daggers and arrows, but you forgot that the most deadly thing is often a gentle stab in the back. I hope Your Highness will remember this lesson in the future."
Yuan Ming bowed deeply to She You and said, "I will follow your instructions."
"It's getting late, Your Highness, please go and rest."
Yuan Ming hesitantly stood up, took a few steps, and turned back to observe She You's expression. She You's eyes were fixed on the fire, and he didn't show any sadness or joy. Yuan Ming knew that she had come to this point and there was no need to say anything more. She You already knew her intentions, but would he help her?
Memories of the previous life flooded into Yuan Ming's mind. She vaguely remembered the first time She You saw her fallen from grace. He seemed to be crying at that time. Yes, he couldn't stop crying. He angrily cursed the former empress and Yuan Zi, and tremblingly carried Yuan Ming on his back, bringing her to this isolated mountain.
At that time, Yuan Ming's appearance was completely ruined, her body was broken, and she refused to eat or drink. Seeing Yuan Ming's sorrow and silence, which was more than a broken heart, She You cried every day.
In order to get Yuan Ming to eat, She You thought of many ways, such as traveling thousands of miles to buy expensive cakes, mixing sweet honey into water, and using smelly leaves to force Yuan Ming to speak, and then force Yuan Ming to drink all of these.
It could be said that during that time, She You used his own methods to prolong Yuan Ming's heartbeat and also made Yuan Ming develop a sweet tooth. However, no matter how sweet something was, it would eventually become cloying, and Yuan Ming could not continue to live like this.
She still remembered what She You said when he pulled her back from the void: Your Highness, do you want revenge?
The word "revenge" was like a boulder on a calm lake, stirring up waves in Yuan Ming's heart. She felt a long-lost power surge in her chest: anger, unwillingness, and the nourishment she needed to survive.
For the first time, Yuan Ming, looking like a dead person, turned her head towards She You. Seeing She You's graying hair and swollen eyelids, she looked like a pitiful old man running back and forth for the younger generation. Her lips, which had been silent for a long time, moved, and she uttered two vague syllables: revenge.
She You forced a smile, as if an invisible hand were pulling at him, forcing it into a smile that didn't reach the depths of his eyes. He sat beside Yuan Ming, under the same roof, each acting out their own despair.
Afterwards, She You used his prestige to gather his old subordinates and began recruiting soldiers. With the help of various forces, Yuan Ming was able to fight Yuan Zi.
She You personally returned Yuan Ming to the altar, believing her to have been redeemed and to have passed away peacefully. However, only Yuan Ming herself knew that she had merely avenged her great vengeance, embarking on a self-destructive career as a tyrant.
In past lives and present lives, a question briefly lingered in Yuan Ming's mind. Why did She You go to such great lengths to help her? Was it just to accompany her on her travels across the country for those few short years?
She You, who was sitting by the fire, smiled back at Yuan Ming and waved, signaling him to go and rest. Yuan Ming then realized that he had been watching for a long time, and then turned back into the house with a bit of embarrassment.
In the quiet night, all doubts are buried, waiting only for the next day, and the next day after that, to reveal the truth...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
