The Divine Stone’s incessant nagging finally ceased, and Ming Li began to feel the presence of her four limbs.
She opened her eyes to see golden bed curtains adorned with matching tassels. Two elegantly dressed, beautiful women stood by the side of the couch, their dark brows furrowed with worry, framing eyes brimming with unshed tears that made them look pitiable and endearing.
Ming Li raised her hand and flexed her fingers. This time, there was no mud; each joint was as white as a scallion.
The beautiful woman beside her saw that she was awake, and the tears she had been holding back finally spilled over. She pulled Ming Li into a tight embrace. "My poor Ari, you’ve finally woken up. If anything had happened to you, Mother wouldn't want to live anymore..."
Ming Li patted the woman’s back, following the movements etched in her memory. Her voice was slightly hoarse. "I’m fine, Mother."
She coughed twice and looked toward the other woman. "Aunt Qiu, could you please pour me a cup of water?"
It was enough to parch a dragon to death.
To maintain quiet, only the two of them had remained in the room. Of course, there had been three at first, but the moment she moved, that person had turned and walked out, leaving only a gentle silhouette behind—that must have been her elder stepsister.
Aunt Qiu quickly handed her the water.
No sooner had she caught her breath than the tearful woman began to question her again. "Ari, tell your mother the truth. What exactly happened at the hunt that day?"
"What is going on between you and that Seventh Prince? Did he use you as a human shield?"
"I know your temperament—there’s no way you would have risked your own life to save someone else!"
The woman sounded flustered, desperately wanting an answer.
The Seventh Prince.
Yin Xun.
His Highness.
Ming Li matched these three titles with the corners of her memory, thought for a moment, and spoke the truth. "He was being hunted, I happened to pass by, and I saved him."
"Mother, my head hurts a little. I’d like to lie down for a while."
This was the truth. The human body was rather weak, and it was struggling to accommodate her divine soul.
Realizing they had asked at the wrong time, the two women exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with shared concern. Still, they stood up and whispered their instructions. "Then your mother and Aunt Qiu will go into the courtyard. You’re injured, so you must get some rest, you hear? If you need anything, just call for your mother, and I’ll be inside in a heartbeat."
Ming Li nodded, and the two left, looking back with lingering reluctance.
Ming Li remained in the room to digest the memories discarded in the corner of her consciousness. The original owner of this body was Jiang Li, the fourth daughter of the Chancellor’s Estate and the bride-to-be of the Crown Prince. Because her fiancé, the Crown Prince, had shown clear favor toward her elder stepsister, Jiang Ling, at several banquets, the original owner had lost her temper during the hunt. She had forced Jiang Ling to mount a horse, intending to embarrass her in public, but before she could succeed, Jiang Ling fainted, and the Crown Prince appeared to rescue her. Naturally, the original owner was scolded, and in a fit of rage, she ran out of the camp.
Soon after, she was hunted down. The original owner was actually quite skilled in martial arts, but her assailants played dirty, and she ultimately died in a mountain ravine.
The Divine Stone had made a deal with the original owner when she was at death’s door, though the terms of the deal were quite baffling. In the consciousness space, the girl had cried while asking, "Is Crown Prince Brother trying to kill me?" The Divine Stone said no. Then, she surrendered her body and walked into reincarnation without looking back, leaving no instructions behind.
As for Yin Xun: the Seventh Prince of the imperial palace, born to a low-ranking palace maid. He had stayed in the Cold Palace until adulthood before being brought out at the request of the Second Prince, Yin Yuan. Because he was timid, the executioners treated him as a pawn to cover their own tracks. Yin Yuan had orchestrated the assassination attempt on the original owner and brought Yin Xun—who belonged to the same camp—along with them. If they both died together, the blame would not fall on the Second Prince.
Ming Li had saved him just after saving herself.
However, Ming Li remembered that she hadn't been injured at that time. She touched her shoulder. It felt as if a blade had pierced through her, sending a maddening pain radiating across her entire body.
So she asked the Divine Stone, "Who did this?"
The Divine Stone fell silent for a moment. "Who... who else could it be? The assassins, of course!"
"Fine. Yin Xun, is it?" Ming Li concluded, a cold smile touching her lips.
"No, no, no! Don't be rash, Little Master!" The Divine Stone, never expecting to fail so early on, hurriedly raised its voice to dissuade her.
Before it could say much more, it saw Ming Li use her uninjured hand to prop herself up and move slowly to the vanity mirror. Inside the mirror was a beautiful girl. Because of the excessive blood loss, her face was pale, yet she remained charming and spirited, her brows and eyes still holding a unique, haughty sharpness.
There were no scales on her forehead either.
Ming Li felt quite satisfied.
She decided to let that fellow live for a couple more days.
Outside, Aunt Qiu, concerned about other matters, had intended to go in and warm a pot of tea. Upon entering, she was startled to see Ming Li sitting at the mirror and rushed over to support her.
"Ari, you are badly hurt! Don't be so stubborn! If your wounds tear open, you’ll be the one suffering."
Madam Jiang rushed in as well. Just as she was about to lecture her, she saw the girl who had been comforting her aunt blink with sincerity. "Mother, didn't you have something you wanted to tell me?"
"What did the Seventh Prince do?"
Madam Jiang frowned even deeper. She hesitated, unable to find the words, and eventually looked toward Aunt Qiu for help.
Aunt Qiu spoke up.
"You have been unconscious for a whole day. Yesterday, it was the Seventh Prince who carried you back. The Seventh Prince said that since you, Ari, were severely injured and unconscious because you saved him, he had no choice but to... treat your wounds himself, and he saw your body."
Everyone in Shengdu knew that Jiang Li loved the Crown Prince. Now that such a scandal had occurred, her position as the future Crown Princess was likely in jeopardy.
Ming Li felt like laughing. He was clearly the one who had done the deed, yet he had transformed himself into her savior. How shameless.
"Then I truly must thank him." She curved her brows into a smile, showing no signs of distress or any other intense emotion.
Madam Jiang was stunned. Just as she was about to speak, the pale-faced girl continued, "If the engagement to the Crown Prince is gone, then so be it. I don't like the Crown Prince anymore; that Seventh Prince is rather interesting."
"Doesn't the Crown Prince like the second elder sister? Aunt, why don't you ask the second sister if she wants the Crown Prince?"