章節 3: Chapter 3: Rebirth
Yu Lingxi opened her eyes and found herself back in the thirteenth year of Tian Zhao.
In the previous moment, she was floating in the secret chamber of the Regent Prince's mansion, filled with frustration and panic. The next moment, she plunged into darkness, waking up in the boudoir of the general's residence, crying.
Her delicate and weak face reflected in the copper mirror on the dressing table, with snow-white cheeks so tender they could be squeezed out like water, presenting the freshness and brightness only a young girl possessed.
She pinched her palm, feeling pain. She had indeed returned to the age of fifteen.
After a brief moment of confusion, immense joy surged in her heart. Taking a few deep breaths until her eyes were less red, she eagerly got up, pushed the door open, and hurried towards the flower hall.
Blaming Ning Yin? Of course, she did. With no grave or tomb, the panic of becoming a lonely ghost lingered in her heart. She wished she could immediately find Ning Yin and bite a piece of flesh off him!
As someone who had died once, bearing grievances and seeking revenge was nothing to be afraid of.
Unfortunately, she didn't know where Ning Yin was now. Even in her past life, Ning Yin kept his past tightly hidden. No one knew where he went during the five years he was banished from the palace and what kind of life he led.
What people remembered was his appearance when he returned from the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, turning the royal palace into the battlefield for his revenge.
At this moment, Yu Lingxi realized how little she knew about Ning Yin. Moreover, there were more important things to do at present.
She missed her father and mother, yearning for the time when she was still…
The Fallen Home from her previous life!
The Grand General's mansion stood majestic and prosperous, surrounded by the deep hues of autumn, presenting the most familiar sight from memory. Yu Lingxi's breath quickened, her cheeks flushed. She wished she could rush towards the embrace of her parents with the wind at her feet.
Just as she crossed the courtyard, a familiar and gentle female voice came from the flower hall, "When will you set off?"
A deep and robust male voice replied, "In ten days."
It was her parents! Yu Lingxi's heart filled with wild joy as she lifted her skirt and hurried up the stone steps.
Inside the hall, the woman fell silent for a moment before complaining, "Must you set off for the expedition at this time? Our eldest daughter is not at home, and our second daughter is still ailing every year. I, alone, how can I manage?"
The man reassured, "The imperial edict has been issued. How can I disobey it? It's just a minor skirmish; my dear, don't worry."
Like a bucket of cold water pouring down on her, Yu Lingxi froze outside the door. She almost forgot that in the autumn of the thirteenth year of Tian Zhao, her father and elder brother were ordered to the northern expedition and were betrayed, meeting a bitter end in battle.
Calculating the time, what her parents were discussing... was probably about this matter.
Her elated heart had yet to soar into the sky when it crashed back into the abyss. This northern expedition was the root cause of all calamities. If her father and brother had not gone north, the Yu family wouldn't have declined, and she wouldn't have become a vulnerable girl who inexplicably died on Ning Yin's bed...
"Yu Sui, you've just recovered from your illness. Why are you exposing yourself to the wind again?" The woman noticed her standing outside and quickly put down her work to greet her.
The familiar nickname gave her a comforting strength. Due to her childhood frailty, no medicine seemed to help, so her mother went to the Cian Temple and prayed for these two characters, hoping for her "Sui Sui" to always be peaceful.
"Mother!" Yu Lingxi's emotions overwhelmed her, and she tightly embraced this delicate and gentle woman.
Everything seemed to settle like dust.
"What's wrong, Sui Sui?" Lady Yu patted her back, thinking she was just being playful.
"It's just... I miss you." Yu Lingxi shook her head. The events of her past life surged to her lips but couldn't be spoken. Everything had passed, and she couldn't bear to make her mother sad.
Yu Lingxi looked at the tall man walking towards her, her eyes welling up, "Father."
Her father still had the appearance from her memories, rugged features, a hint of frost on his temples, and the lion embroidered on his official robe exuded a majestic aura. Behind him, the eldest son, Yu Huanchen, dressed in a sky-blue military uniform, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, looked at his sister with a smile, "You recovered from an illness, why do you seem so dull?"
These were the two main pillars of the Yu family, Yu Lingxi's safe haven.
Yu Lingxi's gaze fell on her father's index finger, where the beast-shaped ring symbolizing the family's honor and grace shimmered in the candlelight. In her previous life, her mother handed her this ring, instructing her to live well. However, she failed to fulfill that promise...
In this life, she was determined to make up for all the shortcomings!
Summoning her courage, Yu Lingxi spoke softly, "Father, elder brother, can you both refrain from going north?"
General Yu's tiger-like eyes softened, comforting her, "No, my good daughter."
Yu Huanchen leaned against the window, wiping his sword, and said cheerfully, "The Emperor has summoned us. It's a trust in the Yu family. How can we refuse to go? Besides, it's just a small matter. Mother, don't worry."
Taking a step forward, Yu Lingxi couldn't hide her urgency, "What if this expedition is a trap? There are many martial generals in the court. Why did the Emperor specifically choose father and elder brother? In a minor matter to solve, does the Yu family need both its generals to go together?"
General Yu chuckled.
He raised his rough big hand and gently touched his daughter's hair, "My good daughter, still too young to understand. A prosperous country ensures peace for the people. How can your father, a military man, be afraid of death and act cowardly?"
As expected, the answer he gave was within her expectations, and Yu Lingxi's heart sank, her eyes becoming moist.
Throughout their lives, her father and brother were warriors, unafraid of death, they never feared the petty. Even if she revealed everything about her rebirth, her father and brother would still choose to go north for the expedition.
They were such people, loyal and brave, considering the emperor's command as important as the heavens.
Moreover, in her previous life, before she could discover who the traitor was around her father, both of them met their tragic end.
She couldn't provide convincing reasons to make her father and brother change their minds.
Taking a deep breath, Yu Lingxi pinched her fingers, smiled when she looked up, "Daughter understands. Take care, father and brother."
General Yu affectionately said, "Go rest, recover your health, and wait for your father's triumphant return."
Yu Lingxi sweetly responded, "Yes," and took her leave with a respectful bow.
The moment she stepped out of the flower hall, the smile in her eyes faded, replaced by a look of sorrow.
As night fell, the lamps glowed softly.
Yu Lingxi sat in her robe, leaning on the bed, unable to sleep for a long time.
The grim scene of the funeral entering the capital in her previous life was still vivid. She couldn't just stand by and let her father and brother embark on the expedition.
Being fragile and lacking the formidable skills of her elder brother and sister, she couldn't go to the battlefield to protect her father.
The only thing she could do was to prevent her father and brother from falling into the enemy's trap.
What to do?
Is there any way to convince her father and brother to decline the northern expedition without incurring the emperor's displeasure?
Yu Lingxi regretted her lack of strategic skills. If it were Ning Yin, he would have a thousand ways...
Ugh! Why did she think of that madman again?
She slapped her cheeks: Yu Lingxi, oh Yu Lingxi, have you forgotten the consequences of your previous life?
"Miss, it's late. Please wash up and get some sleep."
Hutao entered the room with supper, even considerately preparing a small lotus leaf plate of chili powder, its pungent aroma wafting in the air.
Seeing this familiar seasoning, Yu Lingxi was moved for a moment.
Despite her delicate constitution, she had a peculiar preference: a love for spicy food. No matter what she ate, she liked to sprinkle a heavy dose of chili powder.
When she first entered the Regent Prince's mansion in her previous life, Ning Yin instructed her to make tea. She habitually added a small pinch of chili powder... The result was foreseeable. Ning Yin, his eyes reddened by the spiciness, smirked and threw her and the tea out of the hall.
Since then, the trace of chili powder disappeared from the mansion, replaced by plain soup and light dishes every day, leaving Yu Lingxi feeling stifled.
But now, that madman had no say in her affairs.
Yu Lingxi refocused her wandering thoughts, added a full half-plate of chili powder to the chicken porridge, then drank it all in one gulp, placing the jade-green bowl back on the table.
After the spiciness, a long-lost warmth spread through her limbs.
Ah, refreshing!
Yu Lingxi felt her chaotic thoughts becoming clearer, so she decided to pour the remaining half-plate of chili powder all at once.
Just as she was about to drink, Hutao pressed it down and advised, "Miss, have less spice. You'll need to take medicine later."
Only then did Yu Lingxi remember that her fifteen-year-old self was like a medicine jar, unable to go anywhere other than taking medicine every day. She had to give up with a sigh.
A sudden inspiration struck Yu Lingxi's mind, and she abruptly straightened up.
Medicine...
Right, why hadn't she thought of this? There was still this method.
She remembered that in her previous life, when she first entered the royal mansion, Ning Yin particularly liked concocting "poisons" for a while.
He experimented with snakes, insects, and poisonous plants in a side hall, while Yu Lingxi nervously served tea by his side. He never hid the prescription from her.
Among the prescriptions, one had a peculiar toxicity. After drinking it, a person would experience a cold wind-like illness, weakness throughout the body, and even breathing as faint as a tortoise's breath. This condition would last for several days, but it wouldn't be life-threatening.
Yu Lingxi was so certain because Ning Yin had asked her to test the poison herself.
She recalled being forced to drink that potion, feeling her strength slowly leaving her body. Convinced that she was going to die, she pitifully crawled onto the bed, lay down, and awaited death.
Whether the prescription hadn't been successfully developed or for some other reason, she slept in a daze for seven or eight days. When she woke up, she saw Ning Yin calmly looking at her, supporting his temples with a smile, "Stop looking, you're still alive."
Not only did Yu Lingxi not die, but she also unexpectedly benefited. After those few days of sleep, she felt refreshed and had no recurrence of old illnesses for an entire year.
If her father and brother took this medicine, they could easily deceive everyone, feign illness, and excuse themselves from the northern expedition!
As if a ray of light had pierced through the darkness, Yu Lingxi was extremely excited.
She couldn't wait to put on her clothes and commanded the maid, "Hutao, prepare paper and ink! Quickly!"
Yu Lingxi was grateful for her photographic memory. In less than the time it took for a tea ceremony, she memorized over twenty medicinal ingredients from the prescription.
Her father was an upright person, disdainful of deceit. If he knew this medicine was intended to avoid the responsibility of quelling the rebellion, he would surely refuse to drink it.
Yu Lingxi didn't dare to announce her plan openly. She chose two trusted maids and sent them off in haste to buy the ingredients.
After two days of hustle and bustle, most of the medicinal ingredients were gathered. Only one ingredient, "Nine Abyss Fragrance," proved elusive, and no one in the entire capital seemed to know what it was.
In the chamber, sunlight slowly moved from the antique shelf and vanished at the window sill.
All the shopkeepers claimed to have never seen Nine Abyss Fragrance. Could she have remembered it wrongly?
"It's impossible to be mistaken."
Yu Lingxi carefully checked the prescription, dipped a piece of pastry into chili powder, and put it in her mouth.
Nine Abyss Fragrance was a medicinal catalyst, and Ning Yin had placed it at the forefront of all the medicinal ingredients. She remembered it distinctly.
Since Ning Yin could obtain this medicine in her previous life, she was sure she could too.
However, the question remained: where should she go to get it?
Just as she was pondering, a servant came to report, "Miss, the Princess of Qingping Prefecture from the Tang Duke's Mansion is here."
Yu Lingxi was momentarily stunned before she recalled who the Princess of Qingping Prefecture was.
Before she could get up, a young girl in red military attire strolled into the courtyard, crisply calling out, "Sui Sui, I heard you're unwell again. How are you feeling now?"
Seeing this vigorous figure, distant memories rushed to Yu Lingxi's mind, overlapping with the girl before her.
Tang Buli, the only granddaughter of the Tang Duke's Mansion, was clearly a bright young lady with the name of a boy. She was Yu Lingxi's handkerchief companion during her girlhood.
In her previous life, after the decline of the Yu family, Yu Lingxi stayed at her uncle's mansion, cutting off contact with the outside world. However, Tang Buli continued to write comforting letters to her.
Later, Tang's old lady passed away, leaving Tang Buli an orphan. She soon married and became a wife. Yu Lingxi never had a chance to see her again until Yu Lingxi's death.
"What are you thinking about?" Tang Buli, a straightforward person, picked up the prescription that Yu Lingxi had placed on the table, and asked, "Nine Abyss Fragrance? Why did you circle this medicine?"
With memories from her previous life, Yu Lingxi trusted her and sighed as she lay on the table, "I urgently need this medicine to save someone. But all the major pharmacies in the capital say that this medicine has disappeared, unavailable for any price. I've searched for a long time and still can't find it."
"So, is it precious?"
Not sure what came to her mind, Tang Buli glanced around, propped up on the table, and said mysteriously, "There might be a place, but..."
Yu Lingxi's eyes lit up, "But what?"
Tang Buli touched her chin, scrutinized Yu Lingxi's charming and delicate figure, and said mysteriously, "But that place isn't suitable for a delicate lady like you to go."
Yu Lingxi became interested, "Where is it?"
Tang Buli chuckled and beckoned with her finger, leaning close to Yu Lingxi's ear, she said, "Desire Realm Immortal City, where all desires come true."
Hearing this name, Yu Lingxi paused.
In the underground of the capital, Luoyang, there was a constantly lit Golden Market.
It was a place where sunlight couldn't reach, where human life was as cheap as ants. It was filled with splendid performances, bloody duels, and unseen black-market transactions.
Even during the years when Yu Lingxi was greatly favored, her family never allowed her to approach the Desire Realm Immortal City.
Because the people who lived there were not decent folks.
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