In the midst of her sleep, Mu Yunjin suddenly felt a suffocating sensation. When she abruptly opened her eyes, it seemed as if in this vast, chilling night, there were hands gripping her neck harshly.
Almost instinctively, Mu Yunjin reached out to seize the hands strangling her; then she counterattacked, and immediately a sound of a bone cracking echoed...
“Ahhh—”
A pained scream reverberated through the silent night.
Mu Yunjin sat up from the bed, locking her sight tightly on a certain spot through the intruder's breath, and spoke coldly, "You're quite fragile, who sent you?"
As she finished speaking, a faint footsteps sounded from outside the door. Subsequently, someone pushed the door open, and the feeble light finally brightened up the dark room.
"Miss, are you alright?"
Mu Yunjin didn't reply, but looked around the room through the light.
Afterward, she furrowed her brows, and finally saw a young girl with a lantern and an old woman who was clutching her wrist in pain standing in front of her.
And they were all dressed in ancient attire.
In a flurry of thoughts, Mu Yunjin felt somewhat surprised. She remembered clearly that she had taken up a mission and encountered a plane crash on her way. She was expected to be dead beyond doubt.
So why...
"Eh, Aunt Su, why are you here?" The little maid with the lantern suddenly said, looking surprisedly at the old woman.
Hearing the maid's words, Mu Yunjin discreetly recollected her thoughts, and fixed her gaze back on the old woman.
However, instead of showing fear under Mu Yunjin and the little maid's gaze, the old woman gritted her teeth and said, "Miss Yun tried to kill me in the middle of the night and broke my wrist. I must report this to the master immediately."
As the words left her mouth, the elderly woman struggled to rise.
Mu Yunjin was initially a bit dazed, but when she heard the elderly woman mention 'Third Miss', a myriad of images kept flashing through her mind, causing her to clutch her head in pain.
Mu Yunjin, the Third Miss of the Mu Manor, the most beautiful woman in the Western Yuan Empire, was looked down upon by her father for her lack of knowledge and timid nature. She had been trapped in this Flower Picking Pavilion all day, unable to go out.
The old woman in front of her was the wet nurse of her half-sister, Mu Lingzhu, Aunt Su.
Thinking of this, Mu Yunjin sneered, locking eyes with the smug Aunt Su, "This little matter, Aunt Su, there's no need to report to my father."
Aunt Su looked at Mu Yunjin, thinking she was scared. Her actions became even more intense, and she sat down on a chair nearby without minding the pain in her wrist. Her eyes gleamed, "Third Miss, you injured my hand today. How do you plan to resolve this?"
"Aunt Su, could there be some misunderstanding? How could the young lady harm your hand without reason?" Zi Xiang, the maid, couldn't help but speak up. She wanted to ask what Aunt Su was doing sneaking around the young lady's room at night, but thought better of it and didn't dare ask.
"Shut up. I'm talking to the Third Miss. When is it your turn to speak?!" Aunt Su glared at Zi Xiang, almost instinctively trying to slap her but was stopped by the pain.
Seeing this, Zi Xiang promptly stepped back and dared not speak a word anymore.
Mu Yunjin had finally gotten a grasp of the fact that she had been transported into a different world. Remembering the scene when she first woke up, she rubbed her neck that was sore from being choked.
After a while, a bloodthirsty smile crossed Mu Yunjin's lips. She blinked an eye and said, "Zi Xiang, dawn is near. Let me take on some trouble today. Go and feed the koi in the Lotus Pond."
"..."
"Splash!"
Suddenly, ripples spread across the quiet lotus pond, and several splashes broke the silence of the night.
Mu Yunjin stood by the lotus pond, arms crossed, watching the struggling figure in the water with a look of disdain.
Fortunately, when throwing this Aunt Su into the Lotus Pond, her mouth was gagged, or else things would not be fun right now.
Zixiang, who stood nearby, was terrified to the point of turning pale as she watched the scene. She turned her head to look at Muyun Jun, only to see her wearing a smile. In that moment, Zixiang felt that the person before her eyes was not the Muyun Jun she used to know.
"Miss, should we save Aunt Su while she still breathes?" Zixiang asked, casting a glance at Muyun Jun, somewhat indecisive.
With a light laugh, Muyun Jun's gaze still fell on Aunt Su. "Save her?" she mused. "So she can accuse us? Perhaps we will be the ones thrown into the Lotus Pond next."
At Muyun Jun’s words, Zixiang was taken aback, completely surprised that such words would come from Muyun Jun's mouth. It seemed that she really didn’t know her Miss all that well.
Casting a sideways glance at Zixiang, Muyun Jun noted that this girl who had grown up with her, the one who always stood up to protect her each time the real Muyun Jun was bullied, was undoubtedly one to trust.
"Let's go. We can go back now."
"What if Fourth Miss comes to our door tomorrow?" Zixiang voiced her concerns.
"Heh, I hope she will," Miss Muyun replied.
After taking a few steps, she heard a 'clang' sound. It felt like something had fallen from her clothing. Hearing the noise, Muyun Jun crouched down and picked up a moon-white jade pendant from the ground. Its glowing radiance permeated the area, adding a touch of light to the quiet night.
Through the white jade light, she could faintly make out the words 'Yun Jun' engraved on the pendant.
Muyun Jun examined the jade pendant. It was transparent and delicately crafted, surely a top-quality object.
"Who would have thought that I had such a valuable treasure on me?" Muyun Jun chuckled to herself.
