Sunlight shone down on her face, sharp and glaring. The figure on the bed frowned as if trapped in a nightmare. In her dream, a red-clad young man summoned icy daggers from his palm, thrusting them toward her heart.
“No! Don’t kill me!” Bai Shuo let out a piercing scream and bolted upright, her surroundings gradually coming into focus. The familiar fragrance of incense and the golden-yellow pear wood canopy confirmed she was home, in her own room at the Bai residence. Just yesterday, the wedding canopy had been dressed in celebratory red, but now it had returned to its usual, simple decor.
“How am I back here?” Bai Shuo winced as a sharp pain shot through her forehead, images flashing through her mind: the terrifying events on Mu Xiao Mountain, Wu De the donkey, Long Yi Pig, the slaughtered bandits, A-Zhao lying unconscious, and those cold, murderous eyes of the demon youth.
“A-Zhao!” Bai Shuo snapped out of her trance, her face going pale as she leapt off the bed, nearly stumbling.
“Miss!” Tao Hua, who had just entered the room, rushed to catch Bai Shuo before she fell and immediately called out, “Quick, go tell Madam! Miss is awake!”
“Tao Hua? What’s going on? Wasn’t I in Wei City? How did I end up at home?” Bai Shuo’s head was throbbing as she struggled to comprehend the sudden change. She had risked everything to seek immortality, almost died in the process, and now woke up back at home!
“Mi–Miss…” Tao Hua stammered. Bai Shuo grew more impatient and pushed her aside. “Forget it, I’ll go ask Father! This feels like I’ve seen a ghost!”
Hearing the word "ghost," Tao Hua remembered the warning from the crown princess and quickly blocked her. “Miss! You can’t leave the courtyard!”
“Tao Hua!”
“Miss, the master said if I let you leave this courtyard, every servant in Shuluo Courtyard would be dismissed!” Tao Hua, who had always obeyed Bai Shuo, seemed determined this time.
Bai Shuo stopped, unwilling to implicate her lifelong companions, though frustration burned inside her. “Fine, I won’t go. But tell me—how did I get back? And A-Zhao—is he alright?”
Tao Hua’s expression darkened, and she hesitated again.
“Tao Hua, say something! If you won’t, I’ll find A-Xi!” Bai Shuo’s urgency broke Tao Hua’s resolve.
“You and Young Master Chong were… brought back by a donkey.” Tao Hua spoke with resignation.
“A… donkey? Not a person?”
Tao Hua shook her head. “At dawn, when the city gates opened, you and Young Master Chong were seen riding in on a donkey through the mist. The donkey went straight to the General’s mansion and nudged open the gates. The entire city has been talking about it. The master has ordered that you are not to set foot outside this residence.”
Tao Hua’s voice trailed off. Bai Shuo held her head in her hands, barely able to process it all. “And… where’s that donkey now?”
“The master said it saved you and should be well cared for. It’s being looked after in the backyard.”
Bai Shuo couldn’t help but find it strange; the donkey was apparently clever. Then it struck her as odd. “Did Father only forbid me from leaving the mansion?”
“Yes.”
“He didn’t make me kneel in the ancestral hall? No whippings?”
Tao Hua shook her head.
“That’s strange… I caused such a huge scene, and yet I don’t have to kneel in the ancestral hall…” Bai Shuo muttered, confusion clouding her mind.
Tao Hua helped her sit back on the bed. Just as Bai Shuo was about to speak, a voice filled with sorrow echoed from the doorway. “Shuo’er!”
Madam Bai, supported by a maid, rushed into the room and embraced Bai Shuo tightly. “My Shuo’er, thank heavens you’re awake!”
“Mother…” Bai Shuo, who feared little, was always unnerved by her mother’s tears. She patted her back gently to comfort her. “Mother, it’s alright, I’m fine now.”
“Fine?” Madam Bai dabbed her eyes, barely containing her tears. “You slept for five days, nearly scaring me to death!”
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