RMSPT _ 02

Chapter : 02 

How Could She Be Xie Zhaoshen?

Even if she just sent him a letter?

No matter how much he detested Chu Yun, he would never stand by and do nothing.

Zhaixing’s eyes glistened with tears as she looked at Xie Zhaoshen in bewilderment. “Miss, why are you cursing yourself?”

Xie Zhaoshen snapped, “Because I feel like it!”

Zhaixing was taken aback. “It’s not that Miss hasn’t fought back—openly or covertly, she’s made things difficult for them plenty of times. But… when you’re living under someone else’s roof, you can’t afford to completely burn bridges.”

Xie Zhaoshen let out a cold laugh and cursed again, “Serves her right!”

Back then, knowing full well the predicament Chu Yun was in, he had proposed an early marriage to at least give her a place of her own to stand. But not only did Chu Yun refuse, she deliberately chose the most cutting words to hurl at him.

Zhaixing’s eyes welled up again. “Miss, why are you cursing yourself again?”

Xie Zhaoshen was speechless. “Never mind that. First, find a way to contact me—contact Young General Xie.”

He had inexplicably possessed Chu Yun’s body, which meant Chu Yun had most likely possessed his.

Zhaixing asked, “What? Young General Xie is back?”

Xie Zhaoshen frowned. Before setting out, he had sent Chu Yun a letter informing her that he would be taking a detour via Jiangzhou. But judging by Zhaixing’s reaction, she seemed completely unaware of this?

Then, thinking of how the Meng family had schemed to force Chu Yun into marriage, it dawned on him—his letter had probably been intercepted by the Mengs.

Xie Zhaoshen licked his left canine again. That kick earlier had landed in the wrong place—it should have been aimed at Meng Zhuo’s groin instead!

Xie Zhaoshen said, “Yes. Find a way to contact him as soon as possible.”

Zhaixing replied, “Miss has a few shops in Jiangzhou, and the people there are loyal to her. This servant will send someone to contact Young General Xie right away.”

Wiping away her tears, Zhaixing rose to leave. But at the door, she turned back and asked anxiously, “Just now, the young master said he wanted to divorce Miss. What are we going to do?”

A murderous glint flashed in Xie Zhaoshen’s eyes again. “Let him go to hell!”

Zhaixing froze. Ever since Miss lost her memory, she had suddenly become terrifying. Not daring to say another word, she hurried out to find someone.

After Zhaixing left, Xie Zhaoshen picked up the bronze mirror and stared at the face he had both hated and longed for over so many years.

How fickle fate was. The noble daughter of the capital, once so dazzling and proud, had fallen to such a state.

If he hadn’t possessed Chu Yun’s body, he would have loved to mock her mercilessly!

But then another thought struck him. In the battle against the Rouran, despite his outstanding military exploits and his appointment as general, the price had been a body covered in scars. The deepest one, aggravated by the constant travel, still hadn’t healed.

This was going to be a disaster.

Chu Yun, that crybaby, used to run after him when they were children. If she so much as scraped a nail-sized patch of skin on her elbow, she’d sob endlessly, making it look like he had bullied her.

If Chu Yun had to endure all the pain and injuries he carried, she’d be howling and wailing, crying until the sky turned dark.

At that thought, Xie Zhaoshen felt a wave of despair.

His glorious reputation was probably going to be ruined at Chu Yun’s hands!

—

“AAAAHHHH!”

“It hurts! It hurts!”

“It’s killing me!”

The room echoed with screeching that sounded like a pig being slaughtered. The physician Lin, who was applying the medicine, broke out in a cold sweat, while the personal guards nearby all stared in shock.

Deputy General Du Huan finally couldn’t take it anymore and said to Physician Lin, “What’s wrong with you today?! Why are you causing the general such agony?”

Physician Lin wiped the sweat from his brow. “The medicine is the same as always, and my application technique is routine.”

Du Huan asked, “Then why is the general screaming like this?”

It wasn’t just Du Huan—everyone else was equally baffled.

Their general was the man who, wounded and bleeding across two hundred li of snowy plains, could still raise a spear and wipe out an entire Shuo desert army. Back then, even when his wounds were scraped to the bone, he’d only furrowed his brow. So why, over a month after the injury, was he suddenly yelling out in pain?

Chu Yun, delirious with fever, could barely make out a few words. Lost in a haze of pain, her thoughts in disarray, she assumed that her venomous aunt had finally dropped all pretense and was directly carving into her flesh with a knife.

No—wait. Why were there several male voices in her boudoir?

Panic broke out in a cold sweat. Could it be that carving her flesh wasn’t enough—were they also going to destroy her chastity?

Damn it all!

Even if she died, she would not be manipulated by them.

Struggling to open her eyes through the searing pain, Chu Yun saw several burly men and immediately felt her vision go dark. In a hoarse voice, she said, “How much silver did she give you? I’ll pay ten times.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she froze.

This…

This wasn’t her voice.

Her voice was as melodious as a warbler’s song, but what had just come out was rough and raspy.

Of course, the unpleasantness wasn’t the most important thing—the most important thing was that this was a *man’s* voice!

Chu Yun told herself she must have misheard, so she steadied her mind and tried again: “That voice just now…”

Terrifying!!!

“General! You’re awake?” Du Huan leaned in with concern, careful not to mention the pig-slaughter screams from moments ago.

General?

Chu Yun looked down and realized she was inhabiting a man’s body—one that looked strangely familiar.

Physician Lin brought over a bowl of medicine. “General, please drink this. It will break the fever.”

Chu Yun lowered her head and, in the rippling surface of the medicinal brew, saw a face she had both gnashed her teeth at and secretly missed for years.

Sharp brows slanting into his temples, eyes with a fierce upward tilt at the corners, pupils dark as a frigid abyss, and a slightly parted mouth of surprise revealing a canine tooth.

That face was all too familiar!

Xie Zhaoshen!

How could she be Xie Zhaoshen?

And where had Xie Zhaoshen gone?

Dazed, Chu Yun drank the medicine, the bitterness in her mouth reminding her that this was no dream.

Under the concerned gazes of everyone around, Chu Yun asked tremblingly, “W-what happened to me?”

Physician Lin said, “Your old wound hasn’t healed, General. You should have returned to the capital with the main force and rested properly. But you insisted on taking a detour to Jiangzhou, traveling day and night, which aggravated the injury. You’ve been burning with fever for an entire day and night.”

Jiangzhou?

Chu Yun blinked. Why was Xie Zhaoshen going to Jiangzhou?

Du Huan was quick-tempered, and now spoke with frustration, “Back when the general set out on the campaign, that woman was so afraid of being widowed that she rushed to break off the engagement! Then, as soon as her mourning period ended, she married someone else. Clearly, she’s not one to stay quietly at home. Why do you have to go through all this trouble for a woman like her?”

Chu Yun took a moment to realize that “that woman” referred to herself. She coughed and tried to defend herself: “Maybe… maybe she had her reasons?”

Du Huan scoffed, “What reasons could she possibly have? You didn’t even look down on the Chu family’s decline and were willing to honor the marriage contract—but she was afraid of being a widow and refused. Now that you’ve returned victorious, you’re still worried she might not be doing well and insist on visiting her despite your injuries.”

Chu Yun fell silent. Xie Zhaoshen was worried she might not be doing well?

More like he was worried she was doing *too* well.

Back then, when she had broken off the engagement with Xie Zhaoshen, the words she’d said were utterly heartless.

He was such a proud man—his eyes had turned red with fury, and without a word, he’d mounted his horse and ridden off, leaving her choking on a mouthful of dust.

Even if Xie Zhaoshen had truly detoured to Jiangzhou for her sake, it would be to mock her.

Chu Yun’s head throbbed—not just her head, her entire body ached. “How much longer until we reach Jiangzhou?”

Everything was a tangled mess before her eyes. She had to see Xie Zhaoshen first.