She reached out desperately, grasping at anything, filled with profound regret for taking this mountain path just to save time. The sky had darkened in the blink of an eye, snow was falling, and one misstep sent her rolling down. With great effort, she managed to snag a dry branch root on the side, but the momentum of her fall slammed the medical kit strapped to her back directly into her forehead. Qi Yue’s vision went black...
She couldn't possibly die like this, could she? It would be too ridiculous.
Now look at this mess—never mind the future of her career, her very life was over first. Her ex-boyfriend would surely marvel at her foresight.
Qi Yue instinctively clenched her hand, unwilling to accept this fate!
The clenching startled her; dead people shouldn't be able to make such movements. Furthermore, her consciousness remained perfectly clear, and she could still feel pain—a pain that instantly intensified, feeling like a heavy blow directly to her abdomen.
Qi Yue cried out and sat up, clutching her stomach, just as the medical kit rolled off her body.
That cursed thing again!
It had smashed her head, now it was smashing her stomach, and this time, the box was packed to the absolute brim from her city supply run.
Qi Yue angrily lifted a foot, intending to kick the medical kit, but the motion froze her blood.
What were these strange clothes?
A white dress? A white gauze skirt? Who would change into such attire with an injured person at this hour? Besides, what emergency doctor would put an injured person in this during deep winter? Had they lost their mind? Deep winter...
As this thought flashed through her mind, Qi Yue slowly raised her head, only to realize the rustling sound she’d heard earlier wasn't tinnitus from a concussion, but the sound of a heavy rain falling outside.
Qi Yue’s mouth hung open, momentarily stunned.
Then, numbly, she turned her head. She saw classical carved wooden doors, windows, and the round entrance common in antique dwellings. Deeper inside, she could make out a bed draped with curtains...
A searing pain flared across her neck, eclipsing the aches elsewhere. Qi Yue instinctively reached up to touch it.
"A ligature mark, bruising..." she murmured out of professional habit. She looked up and saw that the roof was open, rafters exposed, and a strip of white cloth hung down from a beam, swaying gently.
A cacophony of hurried footsteps mixed with wailing cut through the sound of the rain from outside.
Qi Yue pulled her gaze from the beam and looked toward the door. A crowd surged in, growing clearer as they approached. Qi Yue couldn't help but rub her eyes.
"My heavens, am I dreaming?" she whispered.
This crowd was indeed composed of people, but none she recognized. Regardless of age, they all had their hair intricately styled and wore clothes no modern person would ever wear—as if they had stepped out of paintings, television dramas, or murals from ancient tombs...
They carried the fresh scent of turned earth, and they were making noise.
"...Wail, wail, wail, you’ll have plenty of time to cry later..."
"...Wuuu... Granny Liu, hurry and tell the Marquis..."
This group walked while weeping.
They rushed up the steps. Ah Ru glanced over, tears streaming down her face.
"The Eldest Young Mistress, she..." she choked out, the words catching in her throat.
Qi Yue sat on the ground, watching them with wide, colorless eyes, her lips slightly parted.
Ah Ru covered her face with her hands.
Two screams ripped through the air simultaneously, piercing everyone's eardrums.
"A ghost!"
Compared to Ah Ru, who shrieked and collapsed onto the ground, trembling uncontrollably, Qi Yue yelled while scrambling backward on all fours.
"You wicked little wench!" The leading woman, startled by the sudden shout, nearly tripped. When she clearly saw the figure—though disheveled, yet moving with agility—dart into the inner room, she instantly understood the situation. Her previously unsettled expression hardened immediately. She kicked Ah Ru, who was still screaming near her feet. "Someone, tear her mouth off! We still have use for that troublesome mouth!"
Three or four women instantly swarmed forward, using hands and feet to slap and cuff Ah Ru indiscriminately.
Ah Ru cried while trying to evade the blows. Ah Hao, who had collapsed behind Ah Ru when she started screaming, tearfully squeezed forward, shielding the older women, shouting, "I swear to you mothers, I'm not deceiving you, the Young Mistress truly hanged herself..."
But the words that the Young Mistress was truly dead never left her lips. Having endured two frights in such a short span, the two maids trembled like sieves, unable to catch their breath for crying.
The leading woman glared fiercely at the two girls, stepped inside, and first looked up at the strip of white cloth hanging from the beam, a cold smile touching her lips.
"Eldest Young Mistress," she called out.
No one answered from the room.
"Eldest Young Mistress, do you have any other instructions?" She didn't wait for a reply, asking instead in a mocking tone.
Silence still reigned inside.
"If you have nothing else, this old servant will take her leave. The manor is currently busy, and my health is poor. These two are supposed to help manage things, yet they've also been assigned to deal with the funeral at the honored aunt’s house. Nothing concerning the rites can be sloppy. It truly is an imposition on the Eldest Young Mistress. When this old servant finds leisure, I will return to keep the Young Mistress company." The woman spoke this lengthy speech slowly, then, without waiting for any reply from within, she turned to leave.
"Granny Liu, this..." one woman pointed toward the white cloth hanging from the beam, seeking instruction.
The woman glanced sideways into the inner room and let out a sneer from her nose.
"Leave it be. The Young Mistress is in poor health; climbing up and down is inconvenient. It will be easier to use next time," she said coolly.
This remark was truly treasonous, yet the women in the room showed no fear or surprise; instead, they all broke into smiles.
"Look how hurried she is, not even taking time to open an umbrella; her clothes are soaked. Quickly, order the kitchen to brew some soup to warm up Granny," another woman instructed.
A little maid scurried off. The rest, opening umbrellas or leading the way, crowded around the woman as she departed.
As this woman stepped out, she glanced sideways at the two maids still huddled on the ground.
Feeling the chilling sensation of her gaze on her spine, the two maids huddled closer together.
"It was lucky I didn't listen to you and run to tell the Marquis. Otherwise, with my old bones, right before the end, I'd have been broken by the antics of you two youngsters," she said slowly. "Ah Ru, you followed the Old Mistress back then. Now, instead of improving, you're becoming more reckless?"
Ah Ru and Ah Hao knelt on the ground, repeatedly banging their heads.
"I truly wouldn't dare lie to Granny Liu, I wouldn't dare lie to Granny Liu," Ah Ru cried.
The woman didn't even look at them, then continued stepping forward.
The group quickly moved away, and faint sounds of laughter drifted through the misty rain.
"...Finally got the guts to try mimicking the hanging after so long..."
"...Has the nerve to play but not the guts to face the consequences, truly useless..."
"...If she had actually died, that would have been for the best. Our Eldest Young Master could finally see the light of day..."
Listening to the unrestrained mockery, the two maids exchanged a glance, then clung to each other and burst into tears.
"Stop crying. The Young Mistress is fine; that’s a good thing. It’s better to take a beating and a scolding than to actually..." Ah Ru patted Ah Hao, saying through tears.
Ah Hao nodded.
The two helped each other up, ignoring the rain soaking their heads and clothes, and rushed into the inner room.
"Young Mistress?" they called out.
No one answered from inside. Ah Ru quickened her pace and entered, spotting the edge of a skirt peeking out from beneath the bed curtains.
"Young Mistress..." Her voice softened again. "Are... are you really alright? "
A hand tentatively reached out from the side of the curtain, pulled it, and the person inside was wrapped up even more securely.
No face to show, Ah Ru sighed. If this incident got out today, it would be the height of disgrace.
"Young Mistress, should I call a doctor..." she asked softly again.
"No need." A thin voice finally emerged from behind the curtain, seemingly startled, trembling, hoarse, and breathy.
Ah Ru stopped, turned to look at Ah Hao, and exchanged a glance.
"I'm fine," the voice came again, slightly stronger this time. Simultaneously, half a face briefly appeared from behind the curtain, quickly darting a look at Ah Ru before retreating. "You... you go out."
Ah Ru remained standing.
"You... hurry and change your clothes," the voice behind the curtain grew smoother. "I might catch a cold."
A cold? Ah Ru blinked. Did she mean...?
Considering the Eldest Young Mistress's temperament, she didn't press further.
"Then I will go down and change first, and return to serve the Young Mistress," she said.
A muffled "En" came from behind the curtain.
Ah Ru walked out. Ah Hao stood in the main room, her face pale, looking up at the white cloth hanging from the beam.
"Sister, this..." she asked timidly.
Ah Ru moved a stool, stood on it, grabbed the cloth, and quickly bundled it up in a few movements.
"Burn it," she instructed.
Ah Hao nodded, hurriedly helping to right the overturned chairs and stools on the floor, when she suddenly spotted a silvery-white box on the floor in the corner.
"Sister, what is this?" she asked.
Ah Ru looked when called, equally perplexed. It was square, marked with strange symbols and strange writing in red.
"We don't have this in our room, do we?" she said.
They had lived here for three years; they could identify every piece of furniture with their eyes closed. She reached out to pick it up.
"Don't touch it!" a sharp voice suddenly came from the inner room.
Ah Ru and Ah Hao jumped, turning back to see the Young Mistress peering out from behind the curtain with half her body showing.
"Yes, yes," the two quickly replied, stepping back a few paces. "Young Mistress, we will leave now."
Watching the two retreat with heads bowed, closing the door behind them, Qi Yue finally let out a breath of relief. Only after confirming that the two weren't eavesdropping outside did she step out.
She surveyed the surroundings, filled with shock and astonishment, her gaze finally settling on a bronze mirror nearby.
Qi Yue took several deep breaths, walking toward it as if approaching an execution ground. She first closed her eyes, then snapped them open.
In the mirror, a person with a silvery-round face, almond-shaped eyes, and unblemished jade-like skin stared back—a complete stranger.
She pouted, bared her teeth, and reached out to tug at her cheek; the person in the mirror did the same.
"Mama mia..." Qi Yue muttered to herself, finally setting the mirror down. Her gaze swept over the furniture, clearly antiques that couldn't possibly be a TV set, filling the entire room. "I've time-traveled..."
】 . div> BAIDU_CLB_LT_ID = "519311";