Reborn Spoiled Girl Tames the Regent

Chapter 154 A Cage in the Name of Love

At 3:45 AM, the rain had not yet stopped, and the thin mist was beginning to dissipate.

The mountains and forests in the depths of winter were soaked by last night's rain, with snow still clinging to the branches and mist swirling around the eaves.

Jiang Mian sat in front of the bronze mirror, quietly smoothing her hair and brushing her fingertips across the new wound on the side of her neck.

A thin line, yet shocking to behold.

She sighed softly, her heart churning with emotions, but she ultimately suppressed them.

He got up and went to A-Yun's room.

I knocked on the door and went inside, where I found her writing.

Jiang Wan asked curiously, "A-Yun, what are you writing?"

“Oh, just writing a few words.” A-Yun replied with a smile, putting away the letter in her hand. “I had a teacher teach me a few words a few months ago, so I’m just practicing.”

Jiang Mian leaned closer for a look.

The paper is printed with orchid and vermilion patterns, making it clearly a special product.

Such beautiful paper, it's a pity it wasn't paired with any pretty words.

She joked, "Your paper is quite nice, but the handwriting is strangely stiff, just like the rubbings on the paper."

"Miss Jiang, please don't tease me. I've been practicing this writing style for quite some time now." She paused, then asked, "What brings you here so early?"

Jiang Mian pursed her lips and said, "I want to go down the mountain immediately."

"Now?"

"Mm." Jiang Man nodded.

A-Yun put down her pen and said, "Let's eat something first, and I'll take you down the mountain when the rain stops."

As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Mian caught a glimpse of a dark shadow flashing past the window.

She frowned slightly and politely declined A-Yun's offer: "No need, just send a few people to take me to the mountain pass."

“That won’t do. The mountain road is far. I’ll only feel at ease if I deliver it myself.”

Jiang Wan shook her head: "I'm a grown woman, don't you trust me?"

"No, that's not appropriate. I still want to..."

Jiang Wan pressed her hand down, removed the paper and pen, and said, "Just listen to me. It'll get brighter as we walk, there won't be any problems."

A-Yun lowered her eyes and remained silent. Seeing that she was determined to do so, she did not try to persuade her further: "Alright, I'll go call someone. Please sit for a while."

At midday, the rain subsided slightly, but clouds and mist still lingered around the mountain peaks.

A-Yun sent several people to escort Jiang Mian.

Jiang Wan looked at the escorting people; they were very thin and their faces resembled children's. A look of doubt crossed her face: "They..."

A-Yun patted her shoulder with a smile: "Don't worry, I picked these out myself."

Jiang Wan nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

After saying goodbye, Jiang Mian followed the group sent by A-Yun out the door.

The mountain path was muddy, and the group remained mostly silent.

After walking for about half an incense stick's time, around a bend in the mountain forest, a person suddenly appeared from the side woods.

Wearing a rain awning, he walked calmly towards the group.

The lean man was the first to spot him, his eyes turning cold: "Wu Que? The master didn't say you were traveling with us."

"Oh, my master instructed me to go down the mountain today to inquire about news in the martial arts world."

He answered without changing his expression.

After saying that, he walked steadily to Jiang Mian's side.

Jiang Mian kept her head down, not saying a word, and silently followed beside him.

After walking for a long time, they finally reached the ancient pine forest at the foot of the mountain. The lean man spoke up: "You must be tired after walking for so long, Miss Jiang. Why don't you rest here for a while?"

Jiang nodded.

The group immediately stopped and spread out to keep watch.

The sparrow stood to the side, its eyes darting around, sensing that something was amiss.

He watched their reactions, slowly approached Jiang Wan, and was about to make a move when, unexpectedly—

A sudden gust of wind arose, causing leaves to flutter in the air, and several dark figures suddenly darted out from the forest.

The blade flashed through the wind, its cold light like lightning, heading straight for him.

Clang——!

Wu Que reacted extremely quickly, but was still half a step too slow; he slashed her shoulder with his blade, and blood splattered everywhere.

He staggered backward, glaring at Jiang Wan through gritted teeth: "You dare to cheat—!"

Jiang Mian stared at him coldly: "Do you think you can make me do things for you just because of a few words?"

She recalled that when she was talking to A-Yun earlier that day, she caught a glimpse of a dark shadow outside the window and knew that a crow was eavesdropping at the door.

So she took a pen and paper and wrote down everything that had happened that day, including what A-Yun had deliberately arranged...

"Jiang Man." Wu Que clutched her shoulder and staggered to her feet. "Could it be that you've fallen in love with that beast?"

"Love?" Jiang Wan's heart clenched. "Between him and me, it's probably not something that can be explained by love or not. Do you think knowing his background means you know everything? Let me tell you, even if Xiao Hengzhi is to die, he can only die by my hand."

The crow's face twitched with anger as it stumbled and ran toward Jiang Mian.

Before he could get close, several people immediately pinned him to the ground and slashed his ankles twice.

"Ah—!" He fell to the ground screaming.

The lean man approached and said, "The master has treated you well. I thought you would have behaved yourself long ago, but I didn't expect you to still be thinking about Wu Ke! He locked us in cages back then. If it weren't for the master, we would still be inhuman beings!"

"Pah!" Wu Que spat. "Why don't you talk about how good Wu Ke has been to you? If it weren't for him, you would have lost this hand!"

"This was bought with my brother's life!"

"He was trying to run away, which is why he fell off the cliff!"

"enough!"

A single stab to the throat, and blood splattered everywhere.

The raven's anger hadn't subsided, but its body collapsed to the ground like a rag doll.

The forest returned to silence.

The lean man's chest heaved violently as he slowly spoke, "The master said... if necessary, no survivors may be left..."

Jiang Mian stood there, her fingertips trembling slightly.

She looked down at the corpse at her feet, and a cold wind carrying the stench of blood rushed towards her.

She had seen dead people before, but a chill still ran down her spine.

In these mountains, everyone is stained with blood, and blades are hidden everywhere.

The girl who was once kidnapped to the Drunken Sound Pavilion is now the owner of a household that raises bloodthirsty red slaves.

Jiang Mian lowered her eyes, her hands, hidden in her sleeves, still trembling slightly.

She suddenly felt that time was like a knife, severing old acquaintances and leaving behind entirely new appearances.

At that moment, it was as if she no longer recognized anyone, not even herself.

After descending the mountain, it was already night.

Jiang Mian did not go to the Prince's Mansion, but went directly back to the General's Mansion.

Now that I've left, I don't want to go back.

Moreover, there are many things that need to be reconsidered now.

But the mess in the garden gave her a headache.

After the fire at their residence, her father sent people to repair it, but they were soon dispatched to garrison the area. She was imprisoned in the Prince's mansion, and by the time she learned that Xiao Hengzhi had already ordered the work to stop, too many things had happened to give her the opportunity to find someone to start the repairs again.

So at that time, there wasn't even a decent house.

Hey......

She sighed softly, and a cold draft swept through the room.

After searching around, I chose a room that barely had a collapsed roof to rest in.

The room was quiet and simply furnished. The old wooden bed creaked, and the window paper was torn at the corner. The wind squeezed in through the gaps, carrying the chill of the remaining snow in the mountains, and brushed against the hair at her temples.

She didn't light a lamp, nor did she want to.

I collapsed onto the bed, feeling completely drained by exhaustion.

In this new life, she flees, tests, schemes, and endures, taking each step with a clarity that is a hundred times heavier than in her previous life.

She was no longer that naive and gentle little girl, but she never imagined that one day she would be so tired that she couldn't even muster the energy to be angry.

Xiao Hengzhi's background, the dying roar of the crow, A-Yun's transformation, the sound of a knife slicing through a throat in the mountains...

The sounds came one after another, echoing repeatedly in my mind.

It was like a nightmare, suffocating.

But the tiny stinging sensations emanating from her limbs reminded her that all of this was real.

What's most suffocating is Xiao Hengzhi's face.

That face she had seen countless times now seemed so unfamiliar that she could hardly recognize it.

Jiang Mian closed her eyes, her mind a jumble of thoughts, memories of the past flooding back.

She suddenly remembered herself when she was young.

Xiao Hengzhi was only eight years old when he first entered the general's mansion.

That year, the snow fell heavily. Jiang Li teased him by deliberately placing his rice bowl on the snow and kicking it over when he came to get it.

Jiang Wan saw him kneeling in the snow, silently picking up the rice scraps, eating very slowly.

She went to question Jiang Li about why he had mocked her like that.

Jiang Li only replied, "I made a bet with someone to see if he would get angry. It seems he really is a coward."

She still remembered Xiao Hengzhi from that time, kneeling in the snow holding a bowl, like a stray little animal, so pitiful.

His mother said he was timid and needed extra care.

So she knelt down beside him and took his icy hands in hers.

Later, whenever he was bullied, he would look to Jiang Mian for help.

But Jiang Wan only now realized that back then, he was raised like livestock, and survived by fighting with beasts, a ruthless... Red Slave.

Those bullying incidents meant nothing to him.

So, in fact, from that time onwards, Xiao Hengzhi had already woven this cage to bind her.

Now he stands above everyone else, adorned in splendor and glory.

However, she was afflicted by the Spring Bitter Powder and was bound and entangled by him, unable to be free...