Chapter 3: The Remaining Life

  Looking at the handsome guy in front of me with a helpless expression, I couldn't help but smile.

  "Uh-huh, go on!" I lazily urged him.

  He looked up at me and continued to be silent. This man is like toothpaste, squeezing out a little bit of talk at a time. I helplessly said: "Okay, then I'll ask you to answer."

  Seeing him seemingly acquiesce to my proposal, I continued: "What is this place?"

  "Hibiscus Fortress."

  Lotus Fortress? And Chicken Leg Fortress too! I held back my laughter and continued asking him: "What era is this?"

  "What's your age?" He looked at me with a puzzled expression.

  "What year and month is it now?" I struggled to express myself, communicating with ancient people was really difficult.

  "It is now the fourth month of the sixth year of the Chongqing era."

  "Huh?" I racked my brains in memory, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't recall which dynasty had the year title "Chao Qian". Wasn't this a part of history that I was familiar with?

  I asked with great suspicion: "What country is this? Who is the emperor?"

  His eyes flashed elsewhere. His face was calm and peaceful: "This is the land of Daqi. The current Emperor Xie Yun."

  His indifferent tone left me stunned. This was indeed not the history I knew. It seems that I have to survive here from now on. I've already lost my familiar historical backing. Looks like everything has to start from scratch.

  I forced a smile and shook my head: "Then tell me now. What was the identity of this body's original owner?"

  The words had barely fallen. Ling Yi's face darkened, as if he had sunk into a deep reverie. A thin mist veiled his eyes, and the tender feelings that once softened my heart reappeared.

  He indeed had a deep affection for the original owner of this body. But I didn't have the heart to care about these things anymore. Irritated, I urged: "Don't be stunned, continue speaking."

  Ling Yi was taken aback. He didn't care about my attitude. A voice that sounded like a murmur in a dream whispered: "Qingying, she is my wife."

  I nodded, and he continued: "She is the only daughter of Gu Taisi of Fengming Country. Three days ago, she married me from Fengming Country to Furong Fortress. Gu Taisi is my godfather, and we grew up together since childhood..."

  His voice was hoarse and obscure, I couldn't see what kind of emotions were hidden under his downcast eyes, but I could feel the extreme pain in his words. It turned out to be another story of childhood friends who grew up together, innocent and carefree. As he spoke, my heart gradually softened, and my emotions became tender.

  Alas, fate plays tricks on people. No wonder this house has been stuck in that moment of nuptial bliss. My nose felt a little sour, and I couldn't help but ask: "How did Qingying die?"

  "Who says she's dead!" Ling Yi suddenly roared in a rage.

  I was startled by his sharp voice, a moment ago still a sorrowful and weak man, but at this moment like a ferocious beast, with bulging veins on his forehead, crystal-like things in his blood-red eyes, his gaze piercing towards me.

  I stared at him in shock, numbly feeling his anger. Had he gone mad? Or was he deceiving himself? If Gu Qingying hadn't died, how would I be here? I started to comfort myself, perhaps he was just overly nostalgic, so unwilling to accept this fact. Forget it, I forgave his terrible attitude.

  "Yes, yes, yes, she's not dead!" I said soothingly, as if coaxing a child.

  Looking at the gradually extinguished spark in his eyes, I was somewhat puzzled and changed the subject: "Then what did you arrest me for?"

  He looked at me for half a moment, his eyes restored to their usual calmness, and said coldly: "I need your soul to preserve Qingying's body, so you just have to stay well and not harm yourself."

  What does it mean? A bizarre and absurd emotion rose in my heart, to keep her body? To make me a soulful puppet for him to admire? Or pretend to be Gu Qingying, the lady of Fuling Fortress?

  "Tell me the reason, or I won't agree to your request." I said firmly. I need to clearly know my situation.

  Ling Yi's eyes flashed, but she didn't respond.

  "Do you think this will satisfy me?" I sneered, "You took my soul without asking and now you think telling me a story will make me obey you?"

  I ignore his silence and continue to sneer coldly, "Since this body is now mine to use, do you think you can stop me from doing anything?"

  The threat was indeed effective on him, and he gritted his teeth, saying: "Fine, since you want to know so badly, I'll tell you."

  "Speak!" I said fiercely, and indeed there was a reason behind this.

  "For eighty-one days, you only need to take care of this body for eighty-one days. By then, Pingyang will have gathered the three souls and seven spirits of Qingying, and you can return this body to its original owner." He stared at me, enunciating each word slowly.

  I was startled and a vague idea suddenly emerged. I abruptly stood up and asked, "Is that to say that after eighty-one days, you will send me back?"

  "He smiled self-deprecatingly: 'I don't know where you came from, how can I send you back!'"

  "YOU!" His words were like a thunderclap on a clear day, exploding in my eyes with stars, I glared at him fiercely, "If you don't send me back, what am I supposed to do?" If I couldn't go back and this body returned to its original owner, what would happen to me? What would become of me? I didn't dare imagine the implications behind his words.

  "So if you want these eighty-one days to pass more comfortably, don't make things difficult for yourself. Maybe by then, I'll find another body and switch you out." He looked at me menacingly.

  Cold sweat slid down my spine, I struggled to digest this sudden information, my body started to tremble slightly, unable to distinguish between anger and fear. I glared at him venomously.

  "Give me a new body? Is it that easy? Are you trying to calm me down, but in the end, I'll just become a lonely soul? You're crazy, perverted, and vicious, despicable and shameless..." I furiously scolded him, with a lump of stagnant air stuck in my chest, my breathing uneven, my temples throbbing again, and cold sweat pouring down.

  "You want to put it so bluntly, I have no choice, but you're a clever person, can weigh the pros and cons yourself." He smiled coldly.

  His face turned into a demon-like ferocity in my eyes, the anger in my heart ignited itself, I stumbled forward, grabbed his collar, and glared at him with gritted teeth: "How dare you? How dare you do this..."

  My body trembled, making my footsteps unsteady. He furrowed his brow and supported my body, but I suddenly pushed him away and stumbled backward myself. Unconsciously, I reached out to grab something, and the crimson tablecloth was pulled into my hand, but it couldn't stop my retreat. The sound of "crash" filled the air as cups, plates, and wine bottles smashed to the ground, the sharp noise making my heart shrink.

  I was panting heavily, my eyes burning as if they were about to bleed, and all I could feel was the buzzing in my eardrums. "Ah..." I covered my head and let out a loud shriek, flailing my arms and knocking over the flower stand by the bed. The sound of shattering porcelain pierced my heart, and I felt a thrill of bloodlust. I swept away the table in front of me and began searching for something else to destroy. Everything was red, stabbing at my eyes like needles. I grabbed the red canopy on the bed and ripped it apart with a loud "riiiip". In a frenzy, I smashed everything in sight, and as the sharp sounds echoed through the air, scalding tears streamed down my face.

  No wonder, no wonder he said Gu Qingying didn't die, no wonder he asked me to take good care of this body. It turns out I'm just like a temporary spare phone card, once the value is exhausted, it can be discarded at will. It turns out I only have 81 days left to live. Absurd, absurd, Fang Ningxi, you're actually still moved by his love, actually still sympathize with him. It turns out he's just a demon, who can trample on others' lives for the sake of his beloved. It turns out that you are the one who deserves sympathy.

  I feel like I'm going to collapse, I throw everything within reach at him, but he dodges every time. I cry incoherently: "I want to kill you, you devil, I'll send you to hell..."

  The room was in a mess, I knocked over the wedding candles and set fire to the red silk on the ground, but he quickly put out the sparks. I picked up the broken pieces from the floor, but he snatched them away from me. He silently watched me smash things, watched me cry, watched me tremble, and watched this body of mine.

  My voice was hoarse and broken, my strength seemed to be completely drained, I fell to the ground, hugging my knees, the mournful cry gradually turned into a low sob, when my body's trembling subsided, I stopped sobbing, lifted my head and said indifferently: "Get out!"

  He still stood there, calmly saying: "Finished? Then you weigh it yourself and think about what to do."

  "Get out!" My voice was cold and devoid of emotion.

  He seemed stunned for a moment, stopped talking and turned around to walk out.

  "Halt!" I called out indifferently.

  He was taken aback and turned his head to look at me.

  "Have someone clean up this place. Also, prepare hot water for me to bathe and some food." I stared at the ground, my voice cold as ice.

  "Alright!" He chuckled softly, and I heard the door shut with a "bang", I knew he had left.

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