Repeatedly broken branches

The last night in Xingquan Town was exceptionally peaceful. Even the wind seemed unusually gentle, as if it knew they were leaving and whispered its reluctance in their ear. However, there were still three days until the competition. After deducting the travel time, there was only one day left. After resting for so long, it was time to set off. After all, the main purpose was still to participate in the competition. If given the opportunity, she really wanted to settle down in Xingquan Town. It was a peaceful place, and although the people weren't very enthusiastic, there were still a few kind-hearted people, like Granny Yang, who was very kind.

The carriage moved very slowly. Since that day, Ling had become less talkative. Every day, after preparing lunch and dinner, Granny Yang would call Xiao Mu down to eat, but Ling was nowhere to be found.

Xiao Mu couldn't find a reason to actively seek out Ling, and Ling acted very coldly.

So, in the carriage, Ling remained silent, but suddenly gave the only soft blanket to Xiao Mu, covering Xiao Mu's knees and tightly wrapping her legs.

Ling was resting with her eyes closed. Xiao Mu tried her best to create a topic of conversation, but Ling didn't move an inch and didn't dare to speak.

Is it because she still harbors resentment that she didn't jump down to save him last time?

"Aya, how long will it take to get to Hisamitsu?" she suddenly asked, looking at him innocently.

Ling didn't look at her. She pulled back the curtain, looked outside, and said, "About forty li away." After saying that, she closed her eyes again and didn't move.

Xiao Mu was in a dilemma. When men get angry, they can be just as fierce as women.

"Aya, are you hungry?"

"Not hungry."

"How much longer until we reach Jiuguang?"

"You just asked, it's forty li."

Xiao Mu stared intently at Ling, her voice soft, "How long are you going to stay angry?"

Aya suddenly opened her eyes, glanced at her indifferently, and a hint of doubt appeared in her eyes. "Angry?" His tone was indifferent, completely different from before.

"You're just angry, aren't you? Otherwise, why haven't you been talking to me?"

"If you don't want to come to Jiuguang with me... I can go by myself..."

Ling looked at her coldly and said sharply, "I don't want to accompany you? What makes you say that? Or do you think it's inconvenient for you to meet with certain people with me here?"

"Some people?" Xiao Mu frowned. "Who are you referring to as 'some people'?"

Ling said indignantly, "You know it in your heart, I don't need to spell it out for you, do I?"

"Someone? Who else is she?" Ling clearly didn't know her true identity. If she had someone in her heart, it would be Yu Yanjing. Who else could it be? But he couldn't possibly know about Yu Yanjing. Otherwise, he was working in the palace and couldn't possibly not tell him. Or perhaps, Yu Yanjing already had a new love and really didn't need her anymore.

"He doesn't love me anymore..." Xiao Mu lowered her eyes, her tone calm.

Instead of answering, Aya asked, "So you still love him? Is that right?"

"Ah."

Xiao Mu couldn't lie. She really still loved Yu Yanjing. How could you just let go of someone you love? Even if you say you've let go, you still remember them in your heart. Why lie to yourself? So what if you can't let go? He's still happy. Does that mean I have to suffer?

A mist welled up in Ling's eyes, and she said without hesitation, "Then go find him! Why make yourself sad? Oh right... he already has a woman by his side! Of course you can't find him!" A mocking smile appeared on his lips. Zhou Tingxi was already married, and she was nothing now. Even if she went to find him now, what difference would it make?

Has a woman?

Xiao Mu looked incredulous. "How is that possible?" He already has a woman so quickly? Well, he's an emperor, isn't it normal for him to have women? It's normal for him to have several in one night, let alone one woman, even a whole room full of women, he could do that, right?

She's just stupid; she believed his lies.

Ling Feng said calmly, "It's normal for men to have women. If they don't have women around, they'll naturally go looking for them. Do you think you're that special in his eyes?"

"He told you himself?"

"No, I've never seen him."

Xiao Mu grabbed his sleeve, gritting her teeth as she said, "Then how did you know!"

Her eyes reddened, and her voice trembled.

Is Zhou Tingxi that important to you? If he's so important, why are you still involved with him? If he's so important, why did you divorce him?

Aya shook off her hand. "I don't know. This has nothing to do with me, and I don't want to know!"

Xiao Mu's eyes were indifferent, her expression numb. She said with a sense of loss, "Yeah, how would you know? You're not him. If you were him, you could ask him why he didn't want me anymore."

Pain crept into Aya's eyes.

Yes, he is not himself, and he is not as good as him, so why provoke him again and again?

The air fell silent instantly, except for the sound of the car wheels rolling over the ground.

Xiao Mu lifted the curtain, looked outside, and sighed. She was good at calming herself down. Whenever she encountered something upsetting, she could persuade herself to let it fade away little by little.

However, she couldn't reconcile with this matter. She just wanted to know why, why Yu Yanjing was like this, what was the reason, was it her fault or his own?

Was he afraid of avalanches? Was he afraid that they would affect him and cause him to lose his life?

Ling stole a glance at her, her mind racing. She could clearly hear her own heartbeat, but she didn't have the courage to break the silence.

He's not him, so how can he make her happy?

Perhaps their relationship should be ended by Aya. After accompanying her to the competition in Hisamitsu, he will return to the palace and never see her again.

The carriage entered Jiuguang, and Zhou Tingxi's residence was just ahead. Ling lifted the curtain, turned to look at Xiao Mu beside her, and said indifferently, "Aren't you going in to take a look?"

Xiao Mu frowned. "Why should I go in and take a look?" Did Ling know something? Did she know her identity?

"After all, you used to live there, so you must have some feelings for it, right?"

Ling's words were loaded with meaning, and her feelings were directed at Zhou Tingxi.

Xiao Mu said decisively, "What feelings are there? Since we're divorced and he's married, and I even sent him a wedding gift before his wedding, we're even. As for... you don't actually think I'm still hung up on Zhou Tingxi, do you? Hahahahahahahaha... It's not him. He betrayed me. Why would I still be hung up on him? It's not like I'm unwanted. I'm still an innocent young woman. Why would I be sad and heartbroken for someone like him? Your mind is too simple."

Xiao Mu found it amusing. It turned out that the person Ling was referring to was Zhou Tingxi, not Yu Yanjing. In other words, Yu Yanjing was unmarried, while everyone knew that Zhou Tingxi was married. No wonder Ling knew about it too.

As for her identity, it's no wonder Ling knew. He was from the palace, and with a simple investigation, he could find out everything about her. She also blamed herself for hiding it; it wasn't anything dishonorable. If they knew, they knew.

"So you have someone else in your heart?" Ling's tone was indifferent, as if mixed with a lot of other emotions. His eyes looked at Xiao Mu tentatively, and he himself did not know what he was hoping for.

Xiao Mu nodded. "Yes, we're friends. I don't want to lie to you, but... you definitely won't believe me if I tell you..." She laughed self-deprecatingly. "Your Emperor and I... once had a relationship. I don't know if we both loved each other, or maybe it was just wishful thinking on my part. On our way to find Zhou Tingxi, we encountered an avalanche. I begged Zhou Tingxi to save me, but when we arrived, we found nothing. Zhou Tingxi and I were caught in a second avalanche. I was unconscious for more than ten days, and still, there was no news of the Emperor... Later, Zhou Tingxi and I divorced, and I went to Chaoyang Kingdom with Xiao Shao and the others, all to find the Emperor, but I couldn't even get into the palace... Tell me, if it were you, would you believe it? It all seems like a drama; who would believe it?"

Ling felt utterly ridiculous. What was he suspecting about her? What reason did he have to suspect her? Since she could take such a deep root in his heart, she must have something about her that made him love her so much.

He hesitated whether to reveal that he was Yu Yanjing, but how could he say it? Wasn't he Ling from the beginning? Their initial encounter was something he never expected, and he never imagined that their reunion would be so smooth and coincidental. Now that he was Ling, how could he tell her that he was Yu Yanjing?

You don't believe it either, do you?

He hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "I believe you. You don't sound like you're lying."

He dared not raise his head, for fear of meeting Xiao Mu's gaze.

Xiao Mu's eyes lit up strangely. "Just take it as a joke. Anyway, I'm planning to forget him..." she said calmly to Ling.

Aya looked up, a hint of insecurity flashing in her eyes. She asked absentmindedly, "Why? Don't you love him anymore? Or... have you fallen for someone else?"

Xiao Mu found it funny. Why did Ling use the word "again"? From beginning to end, apart from her love for Zhou Tingxi in her previous life, there was only Yu Yanjing in her heart in this life. So what was there to say about "again"?

"No, I think being alone is fine. I don't have to worry about so many things. Living is tiring enough. I've escaped death several times. I really don't have the energy to think about love and romance. If he cared about me, he would have come to find me. But I've waited so long, and he hasn't come. Right now, I just want to make my shop bigger and better. What's the use of anything else? Oh, by the way, when we go back to Chaoyang, please take his sword back to him for me, and return this bracelet to him as well." Xiao Mu took off the white jade bracelet from her wrist and placed it in Ling's palm. She looked at it reluctantly for a few moments before looking away.

She said so much, every word filled with sorrow, every word a farewell. What reason was there to tell her that he was also looking for her? Perhaps there was no place for him in her heart anymore. Who made him hesitate so much?

There shouldn't be any hesitation, right?

Ling turned her head and tore off her disguise. When she turned her head again, Xiao Mu saw Yu Yanjing's face, the face she had been longing for day and night, the face with a cinnabar mole!

Xiao Mu was stunned for a long time, unable to believe it.

Ling is Yu Yanjing, and Yu Yanjing is Ling?

Ling... and Yu Yanjing, Han Xingbai, all have different appearances.

“Ling…you?” Xiao Mu stared at Yu Yanjing, speechless, all the words stuck in her throat, and all the words seemed indifferent.

Yu Yanjing's lips curled slightly. "Still called Ling?" He put the white jade bracelet back on Xiao Mu's fair wrist and said softly, "How can a king's gift be returned?"

A king? He had never referred to himself as a king in front of him before.

Xiao Mu was somewhat frightened, her red lips parting slightly as she asked, "Are you... Ling in disguise?"

Although Ling is sometimes very similar to Yu Yanjing, their personalities are completely opposite. Although Ling can be very cold to me at times, she is usually very caring and can even cook. I can't believe that an emperor can cook!

Yu Yanjing has a fiery temper; he can explode at the slightest provocation. Even though he can be gentle at times, he is not as emotionally stable as Ling.

Yu Yanjing gritted his teeth and said, "I am the real deal, both of them are me, so how can you say I'm impersonating someone else?" Finally, he didn't have to pretend anymore. Now that his identity had been clarified, he no longer had to pretend to be patient and endure everything. The feeling of releasing himself was really great.

Xiao Mu's hair stood on end. "You are definitely Yu Yanjing."

Yu Yanjing's madness was terrifying, making people want to run away as fast as they could. Although he wasn't pointing a knife at them, just one look in his eyes was enough to see the madness and murderous intent in them. With just one look, he could break through a person's psychological defenses.

"So, why were you pretending to be Aya by my side without telling me?"

Yu Yanjing said with a somber expression, "If I said that I didn't come to find you intentionally, and that it was purely a coincidence on the road to Luyang, would you believe me?"

Xiao Mu remained unfazed. "I don't believe it. Even if it was a coincidence, why did you pretend not to know me when you got on the carriage? Even if you wanted to play around, you should have stopped after playing for so long. If I hadn't brought it up, how much longer would you have continued playing around!" Her expression changed drastically. As soon as she finished speaking, she glared angrily at Yu Yanjing, waiting for his excuses.

Yu Yanjing looked at her with unusual seriousness and said solemnly, "I didn't pretend not to know you, and I wasn't playing games... I was just unsure if you were you. I don't remember anything before the avalanche... I traveled all over Jiuguang and even went to the Western Regions, but my memories of you were still blurry until I met you on my way to Luyang... Even though it was our first meeting, I felt like I had met you before. And then... after all the things we went through together, I became even more certain that you are you... But I thought you still couldn't let go of Zhou Tingxi, so... I never dared to reveal my true identity."

Xiao Mu listened, confused. "You said your memories of me are hazy, what do you mean?"

Could it be that Yu Yanjing has lost her memory? Bah! She also survived the avalanche, how come she didn't lose her memory? She doesn't believe it!

Yu Yanjing said calmly, "When I woke up, I had already been rescued, but I forgot how I encountered the avalanche, why I was in the Southern Territory! Also, in my dreams and in my mind, the image of a girl often appears, very blurry, only her eyes are clear! But from the first moment I saw you in Luyang, I felt that you looked like her!"

"You? You have amnesia?" Xiao Mu looked at Yu Yanjing suspiciously.

He nodded. "Yes, that's what the imperial physician said, but I don't believe it. I've searched everywhere for you. I don't know your name, I don't know what country you're from, but I knew that one day we would meet again. But I never expected our meeting to be so ordinary, so ordinary that I even feel that you are not yourself. Isn't that ridiculous?" Yu Yanjing lowered his eyes, his heart filled with sorrow. Yet he still couldn't remember everything that had happened between them. If Xiao Mu knew, wouldn't she be very disappointed?

Xiao Mu's gaze softened slightly. She knew the truth: Yu Yanjing was still alive and well. Wasn't that enough? As for why he turned into Ling, hadn't he already explained? What else was there to be upset about?

Xiao Mu wrapped her arms around his shoulders and lifted his head. Yu Yanjing looked up, his eyes slightly red. He didn't know why, but although he couldn't remember, he felt an indescribable pain in his heart. Xiao Mu took in everything about him without hesitation. She cast aside all distracting thoughts, gently closed her eyes, lifted her chin, and tenderly kissed the cinnabar mole under Yu Yanjing's eye. His eyes trembled, and his heart raced. Xiao Mu, still wanting more, kissed him again. Damn it, Yu Yanjing couldn't move. His whole body was weak and powerless. He leaned on the soft couch, thoroughly enjoying himself, letting Xiao Mu tease him at will.

Xiao Mu lifted his chin, her eyes fixed on him with gentle, watery gaze, as if he were her prey. Yu Yanjing's eyes shone like stars, his Adam's apple bobbed, and a blush crept across his face. He... became nervous.

After looking at him for a long time, Xiao Mu's lips moved slightly. "This mole is very beautiful."

She released Yu Yanjing's chin and leaned lazily against the couch. How could she have acted like that? She hadn't seen Yu Yanjing's true face many times, but she was particularly fond of his beauty mark under his eye. Seeing it again was a rare treat, and she couldn't help herself. Now she was panicking. Would Yu Yanjing kill her? After all, she had just taken the initiative to seduce an emperor!

The carriage suddenly stopped.

It took Yu Yanjing a long time to calm down. He pursed his lips, looked at Xiao Mu, and said lightly, "We've arrived."

Xiao Mu was surprised that he didn't react at all; it was really embarrassing!