Chapter 63

Early this morning, just as Xiao Changyuan left the inn to storm the imperial palace, Yun Pianpian immediately packed her bags and fled.
She took all the silver notes with her, not leaving a single copper coin for Xiao Changyuan.
After all, Xiao Changyuan was about to enter the palace and become emperor.
These silver notes would be useless to him anyway.
Before leaving, Yun Pianpian deliberately changed into Xiao Changyuan's clothes, tied up her lush black hair with a jade crown, tightly bound her full chest with smooth silk, and darkened her face with ash, disguising herself as a young gentleman.
She was worried that as a weak woman traveling alone, she might encounter danger.
Disguising herself as a man would make her feel safer.
Yun Pianpian took Buling Buling with her.
In the past, Xiao Changyuan never allowed her to hold the dog.
So this time, she was determined to hold Buling Buling to her heart's content, as revenge for Xiao Changyuan's autocratic tyranny.
Buling Buling obediently nestled in Yun Pianpian's arms, so happy it felt like fainting.
The mistress's embrace is so warm and soft!
After leaving the inn, Yun Pianpian never let Buling Buling's feet touch the ground again, holding it in her arms the entire time. Without even realizing it, she was doing to Buling Buling what Xiao Changyuan had done to her, even though Buling Buling loved being held.
Yun Pianpian rented a carriage from a carriage shop.
She deliberately chose a young coachman who looked honest and kind.
At three quarters past the hour of the Snake, after the guards checked her travel permit, they allowed her to pass.
The inconspicuous green, curtained carriage rolled out of the city, its wheels rumbling.
Yun Pianpian wanted to go to Hengzhou. While eating plum blossom pastries in Xuzhou, she had heard that Hengzhou's Jade Scale was extremely famous. After serving as Xiao Changyuan's rag doll for so long, her waist and legs were sore and aching. She wanted to go to Hengzhou to eat some Jade Scale to nourish her body.
Along the way, she would also drink the famous local Ling wine and enjoy some Cloud Mist tea.
Thinking about all the delicious food in ancient times, Yun Pianpian felt that her future life would be absolutely wonderful.
She could finally attain the freedom she had always dreamed of.
Yun Pianpian lifted the carriage curtain and gazed at the towering city gate gradually receding into the distance.
Her mind began to wander.
By now, Xiao Changyuan should have finished his bloody purge of the imperial palace, right.
In the original story, after Xiao Changyuan regained his memories, he went on a killing spree in the palace, single, handedly reclaiming the throne. The palace was filled with rivers of blood and corpses everywhere, no imperial guard could stop him. And now, since Xiao Changyuan had apprenticed under two of the Four Great Masters, Wan Shanke and Jiandi Yue, his martial arts had reached an even higher level. Those imperial guards would be even less of a match for him.
He should succeed smoothly this time.
I wonder if the great tyrant will fly into a rage when he discovers she has run away?
Will he regret everything he did to her during this time?
Would he come to regret his actions and thoroughly amend his ways?
But all of that had nothing to do with her anymore, she was heading to a broader, brighter world, to savor delicacies from across the land and enjoy the freedom she had fought so hard to attain.
Xiao Changyuan sat in the inn, his handsome face ashen, his jaw tight, as he listened to the guard’s report with boiling fury.
The moment he realized Yun Pianpian had fled, he immediately ordered the city gates sealed and dispatched the Five, City Military Command to search for her. Buling Buling was a valuable clue, the small white dog was highly conspicuous. The commander quickly located the South City guard, who had inspected Yun Pianpian’s travel permit. The guard was brought to the Fulai Inn to report.
“Your Majesty, the Empress departed the capital by carriage at three, quarters past the hour of the Snake this morning.”
The South City guard knelt on the floor, trembling uncontrollably, not daring to look up at Xiao Changyuan’s expression.
At noon that day, all officers of the Five City Military Command had been mobilized to search for someone. It wasn’t until the commander questioned the South City guard that he learned of the day’s shocking events: their long, buried emperor was not only alive but had reclaimed the throne in a bloody purge of the inner palace, intending to bring a beloved empress back to the palace. Yet, at this very moment, the empress had fled. The entire capital was now on edge, terrified of being implicated.
The South City guard held his breath, not daring to move a muscle.
Then, from above, he heard the tyrant’s voice, cold, low, and seething with suppressed rage.
“Was she holding the dog when she left?”
Though the guard didn’t understand why the emperor would ask such a question, he instinctively felt a wave of fear and stammered in reply, “The Empress was holding the small dog in the carriage the entire time.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, a deafening crash echoed through the room.
Xiao Changyuan slammed his palm down, shattering the wooden table. His eyes burned crimson, as if dripping with blood.
Splinters of wood scattered at his feet.
The officials kneeling in the inn turned deathly pale, pressing their foreheads to the floor in terror, afraid of provoking Xiao Changyuan’s wrath.
They feared the fate of the table would soon be their own.
Xiao Changyuan’s voice was dark and menacing, like a vengeful demon clawing its way out of hell, dripping with bloodthirsty intent.
“Gather all the troops in the capital. Search for her beyond the city walls.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The crowd hurriedly dispersed from the inn.
Xiao Changyuan’s handsome face was icy, his eyes shadowed and tinged with a bloody gleam.
He had forbidden her from holding Buling, yet she had dared to defy him in secret. She had left the city gates at three quarters past the hour of the Snake, proof that she had fled the inn the moment he departed. This was no impulsive decision; it was a plan she had long been plotting.
At this thought, Xiao Changyuan's heart swelled with uncontrollable fury.
He had never imagined that Yun Pianpian would run away.
His Pianpian, with a timid heart smaller than a rabbit's and a disposition gentler than a kitten's, would always nestle softly and sweetly in his arms no matter how harshly he treated her. When she slept, she would even unconsciously rub her cheek against his chest and burrow deeper into his embrace.
She was so utterly dependent on him.
She behaved as though she were his possession.
He thought he could control her like this for a lifetime.
He believed he had already claimed her as his own.
Never did he expect her to leave so silently, so ruthlessly.
This hypocritical woman, this deceitful liar.
She had promised to atone for her sins to him forever, to stay with him always.
Yet, after deceiving him once, she dared to deceive him a second time.
Truly unforgivable.
The officers and soldiers of the Five City Military Command were all dispatched. Even the elite cavalry, and the infantry stationed outside the city were sent out. The capital was thrown into a state of panic. Seeing so many soldiers with long swords at their waists patrolling the streets, the people thought the Mo Kingdom was about to go to war again, and they were terrified out of their wits. Only after inquiring around did they learn that the Emperor’s Empress had gone missing.
Wait, since when did the Mo Kingdom have an Empress?
And wait, hadn’t their Emperor passed away over twenty days ago?
The commoners, who were slow to receive news, breathed a sigh of relief and cautiously began discussing the Emperor’s gossip.
They never imagined that the tyrant with his violent temper and unpredictable moods would fall in love with a woman and become so utterly infatuated.
What was most thrilling was that the woman had abandoned him.
This was even more bizarre and unbelievable than the tales in supernatural storybooks!
It was well worth risking their lives to discuss it in secret for three days.
Xiao Changyuan had once lived like a nightmare in everyone’s hearts.
There was not a trace of mortal warmth about him.
The people believed Xiao Changyuan was a natural, born weapon of humanity, a monster who killed without blinking, a demon who had crawled out of hell.
But because of the Empress’s escape, they began to see a glimmer of humanity in him.
Thus, the commoners’ assessment of the tyrant Xiao Changyuan gradually shifted from “a cruel, ruthless, and tyrannical emperor” to “a pitiful tyrant who, though cruel and ruthless, loved his Empress deeply and was abandoned by her.”
The Emperor of a nation, the master of the world, an invincible weapon of humanity, had actually been abandoned by a woman.
How pitiful indeed.
The green curtained carriage traveled five hundred li in a day.
Yun Pianpian’s carriage had departed from the capital at the third quarter of the hour of the Snake, and by the time the sun set, it had only covered a little over three hundred li.
As the sky gradually darkened, the coachman stopped the carriage by the mountain path.
With no villages ahead or inns behind, and no relay station in sight, the two had no choice but to spend the night in the desolate wilderness.
The coachman lit a bonfire in the clearing. Yun Pianpian lay down some distance away from him. She lifted her eyes and glanced around, her heart suddenly growing uneasy at the sight of the silent, secluded mountains in the dead of night.
She hugged her sparkling bundle tightly.
Leaning against a tree trunk, Yun Pianpian pretended to doze, but she dared not truly fall asleep.
As a young woman, she felt a natural wariness toward this unfamiliar world.
The bonfire crackled fiercely, and suddenly, faint footsteps reached her ears.
Yun Pianpian’s eyes snapped open.
She saw the coachman approaching.
Yun Pianpian was instantly on guard and asked in a deliberately gruff voice, “What do you want?”
She had been pretending to be a man all along, careful not to reveal even a hint of her true identity, always speaking in a rough tone.
The coachman moved closer to Yun Pianpian and pulled out a dagger from his sleeve. The blade gleamed coldly under the moonlight.
“Hand over the bundle you're carrying, or I'll kill you.”
Yun Pianpian’s heart sank like a stone.
It was precisely because she feared something like this might happen that she had deliberately disguised herself as a man and chosen a coachman who appeared honest and kind.
Yet, she had still ended up in danger.
This world was far more treacherous than she had imagined.
Naturally, Yun Pianpian refused to give him the bundle.
She knew that if she handed over the money now, she would likely not survive either.
The coachman held the dagger with practiced ease, his posture and expression revealing his familiarity with such acts. He must have robbed passengers frequently, and the fact that he was still working at the carriage station meant none of his victims had ever reported him. Only the dead could not speak.
Most likely, those people had already met their end at his hands.
The only option now was to flee.
Yun Pianpian feigned compliance and said calmly, “Fine, I'll give you the bundle.”
Hearing her words, the coachman gradually let his guard down. From the moment he first laid eyes on this young master, he had pegged him as an easy target, frail, weak, and defenseless, likely a spoiled runaway from a wealthy family who had quarreled with his parents.
The coachman often took advantage of his position to rob such easy prey. These naive and timid individuals would usually hand over their money without resistance, after which he would kill them and dump their bodies in the wilderness.
Over the years, he had never encountered any mishaps.
He assumed this time would be no different.
Seizing the moment when his guard was lowered, Yun Pianpian suddenly scooped up a handful of gravel and dirt from the ground and flung it into the coachman’s face. Grit and stones got into his eyes, blurring his vision.
Yun Pianpian shouldered her bundle and made a run for it, but before she could take more than two steps, the coachman caught up. Just as he reached out to grab her clothes, Buling Buling suddenly leaped out from her embrace.
With sharp claws extended, it viciously scratched the coachman’s face. The dagger fell from his hand, and he clutched his face, howling in agony.
Yun Pianpian picked up Buling Buling and dashed into the dark wilderness.
She ran until she was breathless, not daring to stop, fearing the coachman might catch up at any moment. Deliberately veering left to avoid a straight path, she watched the bonfire's glow fade into the distance as her surroundings grew darker.
Only when it was pitch black did Yun Pianpian dare to halt.
She climbed up a tree, trembling all over, her blood running cold with fear.
The joy of newfound freedom in her heart was gradually replaced by a long, ignored sense of dread.
All this time, she had stayed by Xiao Changyuan's side, a master of martial arts.
By his side, Yun Pianpian felt secure.
But now that she had left Xiao Changyuan, it was as if she had lost her protective armor, she would have to face the world unarmed.
It was terrifying.
After leaving Xiao Changyuan, Yun Pianpian felt that the darkness of the wilderness seemed even more frightening than before.
Only then did Yun Pianpian realize that the flip side of freedom was danger.
It came at the cost of safety.
Yun Pianpian spent a nerve, wracking night hiding in the tree, but the coachman never came.
As soon as the first light of dawn broke, Yun Pianpian, carrying Buling Buling, made her way through the forest by the faint glow. She no longer dared to travel alone by carriage or take mountain paths. She wanted to settle in the nearest county town first and then make further plans.
“Your Majesty, traces of the Empress have been found in the wilderness over three hundred li away.”
After the commander reported this news to Xiao Changyuan, his face turned icy cold. He immediately mounted his steed and galloped out of the city at full speed.
In the wilderness over three hundred li from the capital, Xiao Changyuan came across a coachman who had been blinded.
The coachman was covered in wounds, likely from torture.
Xiao Changyuan asked in a low, grim voice, “Where is the Empress?”
The soldier who had interrogated the coachman cautiously replied, “Last night, this coachman tried to rob the Empress's bundle, but her dog clawed his eyes out. The Empress took the chance to escape, and her whereabouts are unknown. I have already sent men to search the area for her.”
Hearing that the coachman had attempted to rob Yun Pianpian, rage surged in Xiao Changyuan's heart. He drew a long sword from a soldier's waist and swung it fiercely at the coachman, cleaving him in two. The sound of blood gushing forth filled the air, and everyone present paled in terror.
Xiao Changyuan was furious, wishing he could slice the coachman into a thousand pieces.
But at the moment, he had more pressing matters to attend to.
“Which is the nearest county town from here?”
His Pianpian was more timid than a rabbit.
Having been frightened, she would surely not dare to continue her journey now.
The soldier answered, “It's Sishan County.”
Xiao Changyuan mounted his horse again and ordered the soldiers, “Leave half the men here to continue the search. The rest, follow me to Sishan County.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
As soon as Yun Pianpian entered Sishan County, she caught the attention of Wang Ce.
Wang Ce had fallen in love with Yun Pianpian at first sight beneath the Yunhai Waterfall on Lingxu Mountain. Later defeated by Xiao Changyuan, he thought he would never see the beauty again. To his surprise, he spotted Yun Pianpian in Sishan County today. Though she was disguised as a young gentleman, Wang Ce recognized her instantly. He led his servants to block her path.
“Do you remember me, miss?”
Yun Pianpian was about to buy two steamed buns to satisfy her hunger when Wang Ce stopped her. It took her a moment to react before she remembered she had seen this person on Lingxu Mountain. Instantly frightened, her voice trembled slightly as she said, “My husband is right behind me. He'll be here any moment.”
Yun Pianpian wanted to use Xiao Changyuan to intimidate Wang Ce.
But Wang Ce had no idea who Xiao Changyuan was.
Having grown up being pampered and admired like the moon, he had come to truly believe he was the moon himself.
Wang Ce laughed, “That's even better. When your husband arrives, I'll have the perfect opportunity to teach him a lesson.”
With that, Wang Ce reached out to touch Yun Pianpian's face. Terrified, she shrank back, and Buling Buling leaped out from her arms, ready to claw Wang Ce's face to shreds. But the servants immediately shielded Wang Ce. Among them were a few martial artists, and Buling Buling, being just a dog, couldn't handle so many people. Seizing the chance, Yun Pianpian fled, only to accidentally run into a dead end.
Wang Ce chased after her and, seeing it was a dead end, sneered coldly.
“You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. Don't blame me for being ruthless.”
Yun Pianpian panicked, “Stay away from me!”
Wang Ce grinned maliciously, “I'm coming closer. What can you do about it?”
“My husband won't let you get away with this!”
“Then I'll have my way with you first. They say, 'To die under the peony, even as a ghost, is to be romantic.'“
Wang Ce excitedly grabbed Yun Pianpian, intending to tear off her clothes and have his way with her right then and there.
But his head suddenly separated from his body, blood gushed out and his wide, eyed head rolled to the ground with a thud.
Warm blood splattered onto Yun Pianpian's face.
Terrified, she shuddered violently, her face deathly pale.
Overwhelmed with fear, she collapsed to the ground, weak and drained.
Yun Pianpian looked up in a daze.
Xiao Changyuan stood there, his handsome face icy cold as he stared at her, his dark, sinister eyes were bloodshot, his voice as frigid as frozen ice.
“Dare you run away again?”
Yun Pianpian's eyelashes fluttered, scalding, crystal-clear tears streamed from her eyes.
She immediately threw herself into Xiao Changyuan's arms.
Her eyes red, she sobbed and trembled.
“I won't dare anymore!”
She would rather be Xiao Changyuan's ragged cloth doll for the rest of her life than die at the hands of such lowlifes.
She now had a third option.