ReadNovel Chapter 1583 - 1565
Chapter 1583 - 1565
Fifth Space-Time.
A white expanse, the scenery enveloped in layers of white fog; Ru Xue stands rooted to the spot, unsure whether to move or not.
She cannot see the path beneath her feet, nor can she make out the tips of her shoes...
"Is anyone there?"
A clear, melodious voice rings out, met with a silence as profound as death.
Could this be the so-called Hell?
She is meant to go to Hell; she should go to Hell. The gates of Heaven will never open for her...
She lowers her eyes, looking at a vivid mark on her wrist where the blood has dried, a hideous scar striking her heart, but she feels nothing, neither pain nor the warmth of her surroundings...
Even with tears streaming down her face, without touching them, she doesn’t realize she can no longer sense heartache.
"Ru Xue..."
An empty voice suddenly echoes; Ru Xue looks around, trying to find the source, but no matter how she listens closely, it seems to come from all directions and from the empty sky, for apart from her, there is no other silhouette.
Just when she thinks she’s hallucinating, the voice resounds again, "You should go... leave... return to where you belong."
Where she belongs?
Indeed, she should head to Naihe Bridge for a sip of Mengpo Soup, then proceed to Hell.
She takes a deep breath and pulls a faintly helpless smile. Perhaps forgetting is a liberation.
At the first step forward, she falters into emptiness, her body plummeting downwards, eventually losing consciousness.
...
Ah, the pain, with the slightest movement, her body feels a ripping agony. Ru Xue wants to open her eyes, but her eyelids feel weighted as if pressed by a heavy jack, refusing to open.
In her subconscious, she faintly hears several voices.
"Is she truly our Princess Consort?"
"So beautiful."
"Yes, everyone says beauty often leads to a tragic fate; I wonder if our Princess Consort can overcome this phase."
Princess Consort?
Ru Xue is baffled. Could there be ancient people in Yama Hall? Hundreds of years have passed without reincarnation, while she, new as can be, will have to wait for ages...
Wait!
She seems to have forgotten something crucial!
She hasn’t drunk the Mengpo Soup?!
Ru Xue finds herself utterly wretched. King Yama, can’t you show some mercy and let me quietly go to Hell? Carrying memories of a past life is unbearably painful.
As she pities her situation, chaotic and frantic voices reach her ears again.
"Greetings, Prince."
"How is she?" A voice pure and untainted, yet resonantly low and rich, magnetic in its quality.
"The Princess Consort... still hasn’t... hasn’t awakened, but the imperial physician said she’s past the dangerous phase, though... though due to excessive blood loss, it’s uncertain when... when she’ll wake."
Her peripheral vision catches a glimpse of a purple robe hem lined with golden embroidery, glimmering with the brilliance of dawn, and the bearer’s innate authoritative aura instinctively makes her tremble, words brokenly spoken before burying her head in her arms.
"Prince, you should attend the morning assembly." A servant standing beside the so-called Prince, bowing deferentially.
"Mm."
The man utters but a sound and strides away, leaving behind a room of coldness, never once having glanced at the woman on the bed.
As if the person lying there held no relevance to him.
Yet last night they were entwined so fiercely upon the bed...
Three thousand strands of hair spread across the bedding, the face bare of any cosmetics, pale as snow, devoid of color, her deep black eyes fixated like dark grapes on the ceiling.
The moment the man steps out, she awakens.
The first thing she sees is the six-foot-wide sandalwood canopy, draped in golden fringed curtains, studded with tassels; the breeze ripples through, lifting gentle waves. She softly turns to survey the old-fashioned decor, elegant yet luxurious, sandalwood aroma subtly pervades, speckles of sunshine gleaming through the carved window, she can even see a few blossoming peach flowers in the courtyard...
Can Hell truly be this opulent?
Ru Xue longs to sit up and gaze intently, but every movement brings a piercing pain, making her gasp.
The sound alarms the still kneeling servants, who rise quickly and gather around the bed.
"Princess Consort, you’re awake."
"Princess Consort, are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
"Physician? Physician? The Princess Consort is awake."
In an instant, the cold room turns into chaos, once-grim faces now lit with a hint of joy.
Only Ru Xue, with eyes as clear as autumn skies, looks bemusedly at the young girls clad in ancient costumes, their faces brimming with a joy akin to a long-awaited reunion.
After a while, she weakly opens her mouth, a raspy voice croaking out with difficulty: "Who are you?"
Upon hearing her, everyone is stunned.
A pretty young girl particularly looks teary-eyed, misty with confusion. What will she do if her mistress doesn’t recognize her? With a voice tinged by sobs, she says, "I am your maid, Princess Consort, don’t you remember me?"
Her words spill, tears cascading down her cheeks like running water, and the surrounding servants begin to sniffle softly, creating an echo that disturbs Ru Xue.
After a while, she comprehends what her maid said: Princess Consort? Bridal retinue?
Who is the Princess Consort?
Is it her?
Heavens, is the Hell under King Yanluo’s management so colorful?
Moreover, King Yanluo treats her generously; she enters Hell only to become a Princess Consort. Yet one thing baffles her: aren’t the dead supposed to be numb? Why does she feel a stabbing pain with each movement?
Frowning deeply, she silently muses, is this the price of entering Hell without drinking Mengpo Soup? Or a penalty for her indifferent attitude towards life in her past existence?
If it’s the former, she’ll have to endure; who expects to faint before taking a single step?
If it’s the latter, she finds it amusing; Hell appears surprisingly humane.
Seeing the maid turned into a tearful figure, Ru Xue wishes to console but realizes she’s inept at soothing, so she says, "Stop crying, your tears give me a headache."
Attempting to prop herself up partly in bed, a maid promptly approaches to position a pillow against her back.
"Princess Consort, the Prince instructed that when you awaken, you should drink this potion."
A maid arrives at her bedside with a bowl of something black.
Ru Xue hesitantly reaches to take it, but the maid who claimed to be the bridal maid intercepts it, "Princess Consort, let me assist you with drinking it."