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At that moment, she wanted to tell him not to be sad, to let him know that even if she died, she would still miss him. But she couldn't come out; no matter how much she waved, he couldn't see her.
She knew she was truly dead, her soul floating away with the wind, slowly flying out of the mountains, going further and further.
In the past, she had heard people say that after death, ghost messengers would appear. However, she waited for a long time but did not see the rumored Ox-Head and Horse-Face appear.
On the ground, a battle was still raging among the Yan Army, Chu Army, and Wei Army. They were in a chaotic fight, many people shedding blood; the ground shook with their cries of battle.
Unfortunately, none of this mattered to her anymore. She was a dead person; did it matter who won or lost?
As she was flying, she suddenly saw two people being chased by the Wei Army ahead—a man and a woman. One was her cousin Ju Dan, and the other was someone she recognized—Zheng Lan, who had a good relationship with Qi.
She had always liked her sister Ju Dan because they looked very much alike. Seeing her in female attire felt like looking at herself. Her father intended for her to marry Ju Dan; the decree had been issued long before she went to battle. Upon hearing the news, she felt worried for her; as a woman, she ultimately could not bring her happiness.
Now Ju Dan was with a man—probably fleeing from marriage. She was happy; with Ju Dan's personality, it seemed likely that she would elope. She must really love this man.
She flew over to get a better look at the man's face when suddenly countless arrows shot toward them. One struck Ju Dan in the back, blood gushing out. The man picked up Ju Dan and ran away frantically. She followed behind them, watching as they passed through the Wei Army and reached a secluded place.
There was a village there, with a river outside—it looked like a very quiet place. They stopped in front of a cottage. Zheng Lan pleaded with a man standing in front of the cottage to save Ju Dan, but the man shook his head repeatedly in refusal.
She felt very angry watching this unfold and flew over to warn him, to tell him he must save Ju Dan. But no matter how loudly she called out, the man could not see her; no one heard what she said.
As Ju Dan's head slowly drooped down as if she were losing consciousness, she flew over and shook her body in an attempt to wake her up. Just then, a purple light suddenly appeared above her head. She screamed and then knew nothing more. When she woke up again, she had become San Chun and entered the body that originally belonged to Ju Dan.
And while Ju Dan was dead, she lived on.
She did not know why she was reborn, but the guilt towards Ju Dan was deep; sometimes she even thought that if it weren't for her, perhaps Ju Dan could have lived.
How could she face Ju Rong, to see this father who loved his daughter so deeply?
Recalling those past events, her heart ached as if it were being scratched by a hundred claws. Suddenly, the carriage shook violently; she swayed and almost hit her head hard against the window, causing her to wince in pain.
Is this the retribution spoken of? She touched her forehead, lifted the curtain of the carriage to look outside, only to find that it was the Wei Army inspecting pedestrians. Dong Dong had urgently urged the horse, which caused the carriage to shake.
The officials did not make things difficult for them; they merely glanced inside the carriage and let them pass.
The carriage rushed along the long street. At this time, Main Street was already in chaos, with soldiers running everywhere. The Wei Army's Flying Tigers and Flying Wolf Squad were out capturing people. The common folk were spreading rumors that Chengyang Jun had come back to life and had scared Rong Huan to death.
Zhong Xue's army had already ambushed near Wei Palace before the funeral, and several noble ministers' residences were surrounded by people, just waiting for a signal to act. He was always ruthless and would never leave any survivors, just like those who had offended him in the past never ended well; this time he would definitely unleash a massacre.
Looking at the chaotic scene, San Chun couldn't help but sigh softly and urged Dong Dong to hurry along.
When they left Fengling Duke's Residence, Zhong Xue had slipped a token into Dong Dong's hands, and they managed to exit the city smoothly.
Turning back to glance at Daliang City, the bronze rings on the city gate glimmered in the sunlight, and the eighty-zhang high gate tower cast a huge shadow on the ground.
Finally able to leave this place, to be away from Zhong Xue, yet her heart did not feel joyful; instead, there was a faint sense of loss.
Stepping out of the carriage and sitting beside Dong Dong, she took a deep breath, feeling the gentle breeze brush against her cheeks. She imagined that above her head was warm spring sunshine, beside her ears were chirping spring insects, before her eyes were budding spring trees, and beneath her feet was lush spring grass...
Having left him behind, she would no longer have to bear family burdens and could pursue her own happiness peacefully. What a joyful thing that would be...
The carriage sped away, gradually disappearing from view until the city gate was no longer visible. She turned her head and focused on the road ahead.
With Dong Dong accompanying her, she had saved herself a lot of trouble, but he had always been extravagant with money and soon spent all their silver. For the remaining time, they could only make do with some dry buns.
Dong Dong was used to eating lavish meals and couldn't swallow the dry food. He turned to her, watching her eat heartily and seemingly enjoying it, and asked, "Do you really like eating buns?"
She shot him a glance. "Are you looking at me with your chicken eyes or your belly button?"
If it weren't for his poor financial management, she wouldn't have to suffer like this. She didn't know if it was her bad luck dragging others down or if it was others' bad luck dragging her down; it seemed that whoever she followed was always at their poorest—Qing Rushi, Zhong Xue, and now Dong Dong.
Fortunately, Dong Dong was good at spending money and even better at stealing it. In remote areas where there were no people to steal from, they would worry about money no more when they reached bustling places.
In the past, she hated thieves and looked down on bandits, but now she found herself less resistant to those who made a living by their skills. She even felt that spending the money he stole wasn't such a big deal.
They traveled slowly, stopping frequently to enjoy the scenery. At every beautiful spot, they lingered for a few days; after a month of travel, they had only covered half the distance.
On their way to Handan, they heard that Wei Kingdom had declared war on Qi State. This news was both expected and unexpected. Zhong Xue had long wanted to wage war against Qi State; Qi State was wealthy and had been biding its time for years, raising its people plump and prosperous, which had drawn the ire of those in famine-stricken areas. Moreover, with Zhong Xue's ambition, it was impossible for any nation to grow too powerful without posing a threat to him; this war was bound to happen sooner or later.
However, given his impulsive nature, he should have started the war six months ago. It was surprising that he managed to hold back until now; perhaps it had something to do with his injury.
On the day of the declaration of war, Zhong Xue personally presented seven major grievances against Qi State. The most sensational accusation was that Qi State's Yuchang Jun had violated his Concubine Dream Consort, causing an uproar among those who heard it. Setting aside whether Yuchang Jun had ever been to Daliang or not, even if he had visited, it wouldn't be easy for him to seduce Dream Consort.
Some said Chengyang Jun was looking for excuses to frame Qi State. However, others believed there was some truth to it; as Wei Kingdom's Chengyang Jun cared greatly about his reputation, who would publicly expose such an embarrassing incident unless it were true? Thus, this claim held considerable credibility.
Zhong Xue continued to accuse Qi State of having a heart of a tiger and wolf, seeking to grow powerful at the expense of Zhao and Wei nations by sowing discord between them for his own benefit. Fortunately, due to years of friendly relations and familial ties between the two nations, they avoided internal strife among their rulers. King Qi's actions indeed violated the principles of rulership—being disloyal to his superiors and unjust to his subordinates—causing discontent among his people.
Actually, his words are not entirely baseless. King Qi indeed intends to form an alliance with the Zhao State to resist the Wei Kingdom. However, Zhong Xue is one step ahead, having established a relationship with the Zhao State first. The so-called marriage alliance likely refers to Zhao's intention to betroth a princess to Zhong Xue.
San Chun believes that regardless of whether these accusations are credible or true, Zhong Xue's military actions against Qi State are certain. Even without these incidents, he would fabricate other reasons, just like the situation with Yuchang Jun and Dream Consort, which may not have been entirely true. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that Dream Consort encountered Yuchang Jun after escaping from Fengling Duke's Residence.
Using his own tactics against him, Zhong Xue plays this move exceptionally well. During the chaotic times when the four states were at war, Qi State instigated Chu State to attack Wei Kingdom. Now, they seek to ally with Zhao State against Wei Kingdom. When Qi State was laying its nets and making plans, how could they have anticipated this outcome?
Given Wei Kingdom's strength, declaring war on Qi State must have been a well-considered decision. Zhong Xue never engages in battles without confidence; this time he likely calculated that Qi State would have no external support. Currently, both Chu State and Qin State have needs from him and would not assist Qi in any way. With the marriage alliance with Zhao State and Yan State remaining neutral, the smaller nations pose little threat.
What Zhong Xue did not anticipate was that Qi State mobilized troops to resist the enemy, uniting the nation in a common cause. For seven consecutive days, Wei Kingdom's army failed to advance even an inch along the border between the two states. Unfortunately, the forces stationed at the border were all of Qi State's military; if Border City were breached, Wei Army could march straight in and reach Qi State's capital without difficulty.
San Chun had led troops in battle for several years and always paid close attention to the wars among various states. She feared that the conflict between Qi and Wei might spill over into Yan State, so she listened intently to any news of warfare along their journey. Dong Dong was idly worrying about things that did not concern her; San Chun ignored her concerns. However, this made their journey slower; it took them nearly two months to finally arrive at Handan City.
Seeing the city gate from afar filled San Chun with surprise. This was her first visit to Handan. Previously, Ji Xun had invited her to come; he had promised that if she ever visited, he would wait ten miles outside the city for her arrival.
But circumstances have changed; given her current status, it is difficult even to meet him, let alone have him wait for her. Nevertheless, she believes he must still think of her in his heart, just as he would pay respects at her grave or mourn her by Fen Shui River—she will always hold a place in his heart.
Upon arriving in Handan, they naturally wanted to enjoy its famous cuisine. Dong Dong talked about Handan's delicacies all along the way and mentioned the renowned Zhao Family Crispy Fish until she was drooling. As soon as they entered the city, they found a restaurant, ordered several dishes, had a few drinks, and watched the bustling crowd in the market—it was quite pleasant.
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