Mountains and rivers are waiting for you to return

Chapter 2: Ten Years of Rebirth
The plant veins outlined by fine lines are crisscrossed and numerous.

It is clearly a dark brown color, but if you could magnify it a thousand times and then look at it again, the subtle movements and changes would only make people feel extremely gorgeous.

There is no weight on the limbs.

Pei Nai always felt like he was floating in mid-air, like a light feather, drifting independently, unable to mobilize any body functions and without consciousness.

The surroundings are in chaos.

She didn't know how long it had been, she just felt like she had been hanging for a long time.

There was nothing around her, and the only thing she wanted to do was to touch and cling, letting her grow towards the edge and touch the ground.

Like the eternal silence.

Suddenly, a force arose from the side, pulling and dragging her outwards.

Until this force slowly stopped, and in an instant the body lost its long-lasting lightness and became extremely heavy.

etc?.
I felt dizzy and it hurt like something was going to explode.

Was it her imagination? Or was it real?

Before she fainted again, a hoarse voice sounded beside her ears, breaking her long-lasting peace: "The opportunity has arrived, it's time to return."

The moment she opened her eyes, a large amount of white light pierced in, and her eyes hurt so much that she had to close them again.

Some people around were exclaiming, and Pei Nai slowly narrowed his eyes.

The blurry objects gradually became clear, and what came into view was the carved ceiling of an embroidered bed.

There were gauze curtains hanging on all four sides, a crimson purple color, quiet and elegant, which fully demonstrated the beauty of a girl, but it was not the color she would choose.

Pei Nai's heart sank.

She turned her head and saw a woman dressed solemnly and gracefully sitting very close to her on a wooden chair beside the bed.

The woman was wearing a lotus silk skirt with a pipa collar. The flowers in her hair were brightly colored, and the pearls and jade jewelry on her head were crystal clear, all of which showed the wealth of this family.

The woman stared at her with a hint of surprise in her eyes, then turned to the maid and said, "Mingzhi has finally woken up. Go and send someone to tell her father."

The maidservant received the order and hurriedly left the room, but there were still two maids standing in the distance, with their heads lowered, secretly observing the situation here.

Pei Nai was a little confused and tried to sit up using his elbows.

The woman helped her up, then took the cup from the servant and handed it to her, "Drink some water quickly, you must be very thirsty."

Pei Nai raised his eyes to look at her, but saw only gentleness in the woman's features, and she didn't seem to have any intention of harming anyone, so he took the porcelain cup and drank it all in one gulp.

She looked at the woman's facial features and felt that they were familiar, but she couldn't find the source of the familiarity.

"Where is this? And who are you?" Pei Nai asked after handing the cup back to the maid.

The woman looked confused and said, "This is the Ju Mansion. I am your aunt, your mother's sister. Your mother..."

The woman paused and asked the person next to her in confusion: "Yes, where is Mingzhi's mother? Why is she not here?"

The person next to him bent down and reminded her respectfully and carefully, "Madam, you have forgotten again that Miss Mingzhi's mother passed away years ago. It was because of this that Miss Mingzhi's father brought her to the capital and temporarily lived in the Ju Mansion."

Mrs. Ju's face gradually changed. She took out a handkerchief from her sleeve, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and kept muttering, "How could this happen?"

Pei Nai was confused. After thinking for a while, he could only put on a sad look and patted Madam Ju's shoulder.

But what confused her most at this moment was not the reaction of the woman in front of her, but the reason why she was here.

She had paid attention to her hands when she drank the water just now.

She had practiced martial arts for many years and had many calluses on her hands, but the hand she used to pick up the cup just now was clearly soft, tender and delicate, very different from before.

Before she woke up, she heard a vicissitudes of life voice, saying to her: "The opportunity has come, it's time to return."

What the hell does this happen?

Madam Ju in front of her suppressed her sadness and said to Pei Nai with red eyes: "Mingzhi, don't be surprised. I have a bad memory and I can't remember things in recent years."

Pei Nai smiled at her awkwardly and wanted to ask, is it really just “a little bit bad”?
"Mingzhi, are you hungry? Have some cakes first." Mrs. Ju was very enthusiastic and seemed to have forgotten Pei Nai's doubts about her identity just now.

Pei Nai waved his hands and was about to politely refuse, but suddenly he felt a hard object under his tongue, which was extremely uncomfortable.

She turned her head away, avoiding the sight of others, reached out and touched it, and immediately her head made a buzzing sound.

She realized that the foreign object under her tongue was a "hunshu slice".

She knew the name of this thing because when she was young, her father Pei Hao once put a piece of something that looked like a tree chip, which had just been fished out of boiling water, under her tongue.

The moment that thing touched her tongue, it stretched out its roots and drilled into her tongue, becoming one with it.

The "tree slices" did not cause her any pain, but she could feel the tree tendrils wriggling in her tongue, which was very strange.

She asked her father, and her father said that it was "hunshu slices" which could protect eyesight, resist aging, and had no harm to the body.

Although Pei Nai thought that his father was using the efficacy of wolfberry to deceive people, since it was given by his father, he simply left it alone and never thought of picking the piece of tree.

As time went by, the "hunshu slices" gradually melted inwards and almost became one with the tongue.

After her father passed away, no one knew about this except her and Gu Jinheng.

But now, after a long sleep, she woke up and appeared in someone else's body. Even her "shaded tree pieces" were bulging again, just like the first time they came together, making her uncomfortable.

"What's wrong, Mingzhi?" Mrs. Ju asked with concern.

The maid stood up again and reminded the confused mistress, "Miss Mingzhi's tongue must be uncomfortable. Yesterday, the master put a piece of medicine under her tongue, saying that it could save her life."

"Master?" Madam Ju thought for a moment, "Yes, there seemed to be such an old monk yesterday."

"The master took the herbs out of the boiling water and placed them under the lady's tongue. She immediately began to breathe again." The maid added with admiration.

Madam Ju's memory became clearer. "Yes, Mingzhi had been dead for several hours, but he managed to revive her. This old monk must be the reincarnation of a great immortal. We should thank him."

The maid was helpless, but seemed to be used to it. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Did I thank you?" Mrs. Ju was trying hard to recall.

Pei Nai remembered that her father had once mentioned a monk friend from Yiliang to her, and immediately felt that there must be some connection between them. She hurriedly interrupted them and asked, "Where is that old monk now?"

Madam Ju looked back at the maid beside her. The maid understood and explained, "He stayed in the mansion overnight and left this morning."

"Where did you go?" Pei Nai asked again.

"To the north, he said he wanted to go back to Yiliang, so he should be leaving from the north gate."

Pei Nai was anxious to get out of bed. She had never seen the old monk Yiliang before, but she had a persistent idea in her mind.

She had to find out what was going on.

She was clearly on her way to Guancheng and would be fighting against the Wu clan soon, so why did she find herself here after waking up?
No, Pei Nai looked down and realized that even this body was not his own.

She was thinking about something and wanted to solve the mystery. She turned over and got out of bed out of habit, but her body had not recovered yet. She fell headfirst when she exerted force.

Fortunately, Mrs. Ju was quick-witted and caught her, helping her sit back on the bed, thus saving her from the fate of falling to death.

Pei Nai wanted to cry but had no tears. For the first time in her life, she experienced the feeling of being physically fragile.

There were hurried footsteps outside and someone pushed open the door.

"What a coincidence! You come just as Mingzhi wakes up." Mrs. Ju turned around and said in surprise.

The maidservant reminded her, "Madam, you were the one who sent someone to inform Magistrate Tang just now."

The middle-aged man was wearing a light green official uniform, with a hint of tears in his eyes. He walked over and said, "Mingzhi, it's good that you woke up. Dad was very worried about you."

"I..." Pei Nai couldn't bear to tell them the truth, so he gritted his teeth and made up a story: "After I woke up from my illness, I forgot everything. Thank you, father and aunt, for your concern. But Mingzhi wants to chase after that master now, so I must thank him so that I can have peace of mind for the rest of my life."

When everyone heard her say that she had forgotten everything, they looked at each other in silence for a long time.

Madam Ju hesitated for a moment, then nodded in understanding, "Aunt will ask someone to prepare the carriage and bring a few guards with her now, so don't worry."

But the old monk had already left in the morning, so how could Pei Nai not be anxious?
"No need to bother, just give me a good horse." Pei Nai said quickly.

Madam Ju lowered her head and spoke carefully: "Mingzhi, have you forgotten that you can't ride a horse?"

"I..." Pei Naiqiang calmed down and thought that he really had to bow his head under the eaves. "You are right, I forgot about this. Then I really have to trouble my aunt to prepare a carriage for Mingzhi."

Madam Ju smiled back at her gently, "Then change your clothes first, we'll wait for you outside."

The people in the room left one after another, leaving only a little maid to help her change clothes.

The maid brought a pile of clothes.

Pei Nai took it and shook it open. It was a floor-length skirt, but it was almost pure white.

She frowned slightly. Since she opened her eyes, all the fabric colors she saw were the ones she disliked in the past.

It is extremely elegant and simple, suitable for a lady from a noble family, but not for her.

"Is there any clothing that's not so plain?" Besides, when it comes to traveling, this long skirt that drags to the ground is really not conducive to movement.

This white is so eye-catching
She couldn't understand why he was so reserved.

"Miss, today is the tenth anniversary of Madam Yingwu's death. The government has previously issued a notice that this year it must be treated as a national memorial day. You must wear plain clothes when going out. This is the rule. You can wear it." The little maid looked at her, looking completely innocent.

Pei Nai smacked his lips secretly.

This posthumous title, Lady Yingwu
Suddenly, a tall female image appeared in her mind, strong and sturdy, walking towards her.

Which emperor gave the posthumous title?
She's Madam Yingwu, why not Madam Supreme and Unparalleled Divine and Martial?
Wait! Emperor.

Pei Nai suddenly remembered that after her memory was blacked out, she appeared here in a daze, and there were many things she had not figured out yet.

"Um, what year and month is it tonight?"

"Miss, it's July, the ninth year of Chongde." The maid answered respectfully.

"Chongde?" Pei Nai muttered to himself, confirming that he had never heard of the reign title Chongde before, and then asked, "What is the name of the current emperor?"

Unexpectedly, the little maid was stunned and knelt down hurriedly: "Miss, please don't make things difficult for me. How dare I mention the name of the emperor?"

The sound of the knee hitting the ground made her heart tremble even though she grew up in a military camp.

"Stop kneeling, get up quickly, your knees are really strong." Pei Nai exclaimed.

The maid stood up and patted the dust off her cotton and linen skirt and said, "Thank you, Miss Rongen."

Discussing the emperor's name in private is indeed against the rules and regulations. I guess she won't say it, so let's try another method.

Pei Nai said, "Then let me ask you, is it okay for you to nod or shake your head?"

The little maid nodded sincerely.

"The second son of the late emperor, Xiao Bin?" Pei Nai asked tentatively based on the changed reign title.

The little maid thought for a moment and shook her head.

"That is, the third son of the late emperor, Xiao Mingyi?"

Seeing the little maid nod, Pei Nai breathed a sigh of relief, "Then do you know Gu Jinheng?"

The little maid's legs went weak and she almost fell to her knees again.

She looked around and said in panic, "Miss, you can't talk about Lord Duan Ding in private. It is rumored that his internal strength is so strong that he can hear sounds five miles away. If he is heard, he will be beheaded."

"Duke Duanding?" Is this another promotion in title?

Pei Nai smiled and said, "That's not an exaggeration. He can't hear from that far away. You can talk as you like."

The little maid shook her head and dared not say another word.

"Do you know where he is now?" Pei Nai asked persistently.

The maid hesitated for a moment and answered her: "I don't know about this, but I do know that Duke Duan Ding's Mansion and Duke Ju's Mansion are only two streets apart."

"By the way, you just said, this is Chongde."

The little maid added: "The ninth year of Chongde."

Pei Nai was suddenly shocked. After Xiao Mingyi ascended the throne, the reign title would be changed. So now it is ten years later? ! !
She was completely stunned.

The little maid stretched out her hand and waved it in front of her eyes, "Miss? Miss?"

It took Pei Nai a moment to come back to his senses, digest this unacceptable reality, and dispel the depressed feeling in his heart.

"Then do you know what major events happened ten years ago? Can you tell me about them?"

The little maid shook her head in embarrassment, "I don't know much, and I'm not good at speaking, so I can't explain it clearly."

"Then Marquis Duan Ding. No, it's Lord Duan Ding, what about his previous wife Pei Nai? What happened to her?" Pei Nai was confused and urgently needed an answer.

"Miss, you are talking about Duke Duan Ding's first wife, the last heir of the Pei family, the former commander of the Pei family army, the heroine who chased the northern spears from the three mountains and the unparalleled heroine of Tianyao, Pei Nai?"

Pei Nai let out a loud noise, and she couldn't close her mouth when the little maid read out these titles.

I even had the illusion that I might not be the person they were talking about.

Then she nodded tentatively, "I think so."

The little maidservant said sincerely, "She is the Madam Yingwu whom I just mentioned to you. Today is her memorial day. Madam Yingwu died on the battlefield ten years ago and sacrificed her life for her country. After her death, she was posthumously named Madam Yingwu. Oh, but this is just an abbreviation. The full name of the title is: Supreme Unparalleled Madam of Divine Martial Arts."

It was as if a bolt of lightning struck Pei Nai's head, and she was stunned.

(End of this chapter)