In early February, the winter snow on the mountain had yet to melt when a sudden, fierce rainstorm whipped up the heavy snow and mud. The linden trees in the forest were covered in white, and as the wind and rain raged, snow fell violently. A crazed horse carrying a rider tore through the tranquillity of the snowy landscape.
Song Tangning was still trapped in the nightmare of being strangled, struggling desperately but unable to break free, when suddenly, she was thrown out into the air. The reins cut into her fingers as her body slammed heavily into a snowdrift. Before she could even react, she tumbled downward, rolling uncontrollably.
"Whoosh!—" Her calf struck a jagged rock, and the wind howled past her ears, scraping her face. Song Tangning was in so much pain that she almost fainted.
She flailed her hands, grabbing onto the nearest rock, her arms scraping against the rock wall and leaving long streaks of blood. Her body was battered as she crashed into the slope’s underbrush, but she managed to catch herself in a crevice and finally stabilize.
Gasping for breath, Tangning was disoriented as she stared up at the broken tree branches above. The suffocating sensation of her neck being twisted in her dying moments mingled with the searing pain in her body. Below her lay an endless snowy forest, and in the distance, she could faintly hear the mournful cries of horses.
Where was this…? The mountain?
She had somehow returned. Returned to the time when she was fifteen, to the incident at Lingyun Temple when her face was disfigured by accident.
That year, her half-sister Song Shulan had just entered the manor, and with her pitiful background, she quickly won the favor and sympathy of her older brother. Whenever Song Shulan shed a tear, she would captivate her cousin and her childhood fiancé, who had always cherished her.
Because she had quarrelled with Song Shulan, her three closest family members had abandoned her in a desolate, uninhabited forest, letting her fall off a snowy cliff, breaking her leg and ruining her face.
Cold rain pelted her face, and blood trickled into her eyes, stinging her pupils. Song Tangning gritted her teeth, trying to climb back up, but as soon as she moved, she slipped further down.
Despair filled her heart. She had just returned—was she going to die again?
"I think I heard something from this direction. Huh, there’s a horse here… Master, should we check it out?"
"Check for a dead body?"
"…True, if someone fell from such a height, they’re probably already dead…" Song Tangning heard the muffled voices from the slope above, sounding as if they were about to leave. Despite the shock and confusion of being reborn, she desperately clung to the rocks and shouted, "Is there anyone up there? Help! Save me!!"
The area above fell silent, and soon, a head poked out.
"Wow, still alive after all that?" Song Tangning couldn’t see who was above through the rain but caught a glimpse of the person’s clothing.
She quickly pleaded, "Brave warrior, I am the second daughter of the Song family, niece of Princess Cheng, and my uncle is Song Hong, the Deputy Secretary of the Central Secretariat. Please, save me. My family will surely reward you handsomely." As she spoke, rain mixed with blood trickled into her mouth, making her choke and sway.
The person above was surprised, "Master, it’s the young lady from the Song family."
"A Song family member?" The earlier voice was clear as jade, "Bring her up."
"Yes." The person on the slope obeyed and jumped down, causing the loose rocks to tumble.
Song Tangning closed her eyes in fear, screaming as she was about to fall, but the person grabbed her firmly, lifted her, and leaped back up.
The man’s lightness skill was exceptional, and in no time, they reached solid ground. When Song Tangning finally stood in the snowy forest, certain of her rescue, her knees buckled, and she collapsed.
With blood blurring her vision, everything before her appeared in shades of red. She raised her head toward the carriage in front of her and said, "Thank you, brave warrior, for saving me…"
"Brave warrior?" The intricate copper walls and redwood structure, and a hand extended from the window.
When the curtain lifted, revealing a chiseled face with a stern, handsome profile, her pupils contracted, and she froze in shock.
Red skies, red earth, red carriage.
And…
Xiao Yan…
Song Tangning’s face turned deathly pale. She had never expected that the person who saved her would be Xiao Yan’s subordinate.
Xiao Yan had risen from the ranks of the eunuchs to become the head eunuch of the Imperial Household, commanding the capital’s military forces with the emperor's favor. He wielded the terrifying Black Armored Guards, tasked with eliminating those who harbored dissent against the emperor.
Anyone who caught his attention never met a good end, and the number of people who died at his hands was countless.
Everyone in the court feared and despised him, viewing him as a treacherous eunuch, but his power was unrivaled. Even the highest nobles had to bow and address him as “Lord Xiao.”
Xiao Yan was known for his cruelty and ruthless methods. He had no family, no ties, and no scruples. Yet, in her previous life, he had become the greatest support for her half-sister, Song Shulan, who was born of a concubine.
Song Tangning hung her head low in fear, recalling the years she had been imprisoned by her family, overhearing the guards’ occasional gossip.
They said that Lord Xiao had recognized Song Shulan as his adopted sister.
They said that Lord Xiao took special care of this sister.
With Xiao Yan’s protection, no one dared to belittle Song Shulan. Everyone in the capital elevated Song Shulan because of her newfound status, even though she was officially just a concubine’s daughter, living in more luxury than a princess.
Song Tangning would never forget how, after falling off the cliff on the mountain and disfiguring her face, she was imprisoned by the Song family for years because of her “jealousy” toward Song Shulan. Meanwhile, Song Shulan married Lu Zhinian, her childhood fiancé to whom she had been betrothed for years.
On their wedding day, Song Tangning had finally managed to escape amidst the chaos, only to run into Xiao Yan, standing in front of her elder brother Song Jinxi, wearing a crane cloak.
"Who is she?" Xiao Yan asked coldly.
Her elder brother, Song Jinxi, replied with disdain, "Just a madwoman from the family, disturbing the Lord."
"If she’s mad, keep her under control." With just one sentence, she was forcibly dragged back.
That very night, she was strangled to death in her room. Her last memory was of the person behind her, who said ominously,
"Who told you to disturb someone you shouldn’t have?"
……
The suffocating grip of the white silk around her neck made Song Tangning’s breathing come in sharp gasps. It was as if she could see her own head tilted and her eyes wide open in death, unable to close.
Panicking, Song Tangning tried to shrink back, but she unexpectedly bumped into Cang Lang’s leg.
Seeing the young girl’s face turn pale from the cold, Cang Lang picked up an umbrella and tilted it towards her. “Miss Song, are you alright? Such heavy rain in this remote place—how did you end up here alone?”
Song Tangning lowered her eyes to hide her fear. “I didn’t come alone. I came with my elder brother to offer incense at Lingyun Temple.”
“Offer incense?” Cang Lang was surprised. “Lingyun Temple is quite far from here.”
Song Tangning was scared of Xiao Yan and wasn’t sure if he had any dealings with Song Shulan at this moment. She didn’t dare to speak ill of Song Shulan and chose her words carefully. “My elder brother had to return to the capital for an urgent matter, so he left me at the temple and asked me to wait for someone to pick me up later. I foolishly wandered off and lost my way…”
“Lies.” The person in the carriage spoke coldly. “There are main roads for offering incense, and there are paths down the mountain. Even if you were to act recklessly, you wouldn’t have managed to drive a horse here alone.”
“I…” Tangning shrank back.
“Who sent you here?” Everyone in the capital knew that Xiao Yan went up the mountain every year on this day to worship. This woman claimed to be going to Lingyun Temple but took the paths he used to ascend and descend the mountain.
Recently, Xiao Yan had been investigating some past events involving the interests of several prominent families in the capital, touching upon many sensitive issues. Having clashed with these people for years, there were certainly those who would go to extreme lengths to harm him.
Who had investigated his movements and sent a Song family girl as a pretext to get close to him and take such a dangerous gamble?
Xiao Yan’s gaze turned cold and ruthless. “Speak honestly and I’ll leave your corpse intact.”
Song Tangning panicked immediately. “I am truly a Song family daughter. I haven’t deceived you, sir. I only lost my way and ended up here…”
Xiao Yan’s eyes remained fixed on the trembling young girl on the ground. Her tender face was covered in scratches, her almond eyes were bloodshot from crying, and she curled up like a wounded animal. Despite this, he felt no pity. “Kill her.”
“You little white-eyed wolf, trying to harm my master?” Cang Lang, who had previously shown concern, now gripped her neck tightly.
The terror of being strangled overwhelmed her. Song Tangning grasped the carriage’s axle and desperately flailed on the ground. “Master, please spare me!”
“Oh?” From the carriage, a cold laugh could be heard. Xiao Yan looked down from above. “Don’t you recognize me now?”
Though it was a light-hearted remark, Tangning felt as if her skin would be flayed off in the next moment. “I didn’t intend to deceive you, sir. I just didn’t recognize you at first…”
“And now you do.”
“I…” Song Tangning’s scalp tingled with fear.
Xiao Yan chuckled lightly. “What, afraid of me?” His anger seemed to dissipate, as if he were a very amiable person. Yet, Tangning’s throat was tense. “No, I’ve only heard that you prefer peace and quiet.”
“Where did such nonsense come from?” Xiao Yan appeared intrigued, leaning on the window with his lips slightly curved.
“I most enjoy the noise, especially when skin is being flayed. The mingling of flesh and blood with the screams of those begging for their lives is the most delightful sound. The skin, peeled from the top down, in one whole piece, is quite beautiful.”
“……” Seeing her face turn ashen, Xiao Yan’s smile faded, and his expression turned icy.
“Throw her down.”
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T/N: From this to the biggest simp in like five chapters.
WOAH!!! He's quite ruthless. Thank you for translating this novel. I'm looking forward to reading this. Hoping it's good.
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