The man with the golden mask tried several times to wake the girl, but she remained unresponsive. Without any further delay, he lifted her fragile body and moved towards the horse. He carefully tied her to him, mounted the horse and rode through the forest fast yet carefully.
Meanwhile, In the General's Mansion
A young maid stood in the backyard, her eyes darting nervously towards the backyard wall from time to time.
"Méi Lian!" the sharp voice of the chief maid broke through the light.
"Y-yesFang Māmā," Mei Lian's voice trembled as she quickly bowed.
For a second, her soul left her body.
"What are you doing in the backyard this hour?" Maid Fang's voice is cold and suspicious.
"I.. I…" Mei Lian opened her mouth to explain.
"Fang Jiejie… Jiejie…" sudden footsteps approached them.
"What?" She snapped.
"The young miss… young miss…." She didn't get a chance to finish.
"Miss Qianyi….. " Mei Lian screamed and ran toward the front yard without a second thought.
Her heart started to pound with fear. "What if something happened to young miss? I hope she will be fine". She prayed bottom of her heart.
The sounds in the front yard woke up the general and his wife from their sleep.
Madam Shen, the mother of the General's first daughter, wrapped a coat around her and hurried out, just in time to see maid Fang rushing toward the noise with her lantern in hand.
"Fang, what's going on?" she asked, her voice sharp with concern.
The old chief maid stopped just long enough to bow slightly.
"Madam… the Young Miss…" Chief maid's voice cracked, something rare and unsettling.
Madam Shen didn't wait for her to finish. She lifted her skirt and rushed forward alongside her.
"Miss Qianyi", Mei Lian cried out, already kneeling in the yard as the tall, masked man approached. His clothes were soaked, and he held Xu Jian in his arms with a strange mix of care and detachment.
"Miss Qianyi... What happened to her?" Mei Lian asked the man. He didn't answer her, yet she knew what he meant.
Without a word, she guided him toward her young mistress's room. He followed Mei Lian and the Chief maid inside the house.
He gently laid Xu Jian on the bed. And looked at her. Her skin was still pale, and her body limp, but her chest rose faintly.
She was breathing.
The masked man assured that she was breathing and stood back, slightly greeted the General, and stepped away.
The General gave a silent nod to Madam Shen, then followed the man outside.
Madam Shen's eyes remained locked on her daughter's still form. She turned to the maids, voice calm but firm:
"Quickly. Remove her wet clothes and bring warm blankets."
Then she snapped at the doorway, "Send for the household physician… now."
Mei Lian knelt beside the bed, wiping at Qianyi's damp hair with shaking hands.
Madam Shen sat on the edge of the bed, brushing a hand across her daughter's cheek.
"Qiān'er… what happened to you?" she whispered, her composure finally beginning to crack.
Meanwhile, outside the General's mansion
The General stood quietly under the night sky, his arms folded as the man with the golden mask approached.
"I hope this incident won't reach anyone's ears." The General's voice was calm but firm.
The masked man gave a short nod.
"I assure you. No one saw anything. My mouth is sealed."
Without waiting, he turned and walked off into the darkness. The general stood in the same position for a while; his eyes were drawn. He had no idea what to do. His look said that the battlefield is easier than to console his family.
Madam Shen appeared beside her husband, her eyes filled with concern.
"What happened?" she asked softly.
The General glanced toward the house, where their daughter had just been carried in.
"Nothing to worry about," he replied. "Everything will be fine."
Then, more quietly, as if convincing himself:
"We have to cover up what happened. If anyone sees her like this, the humiliation would be unbearable."
He sighed.
"This girl…"
Madam Shen gently touched his arm, offering silent support.
In the Midnight
A thick silence blanketed the mansion.
In her sleep, Xu Jian stirred.
Her mind was awake, but her body refused to move. Voices echoed in the distance, none familiar. But one name called out again and again:
"Yùlán Qiānyī…"
Voices started to echo through her ears. Once again, everything went dark.
Three Days Later
A soft breeze brushed her cheek.
"Jiějie…" a familiar voice called out.
"Jiějie…" Yicheng's voice. Gentle. Warm. Smiling like the sun.
She saw his face, bathed in sunlight, the kind of memory that glowed.
"Jiějie, get up." He reached out a hand toward her.
She tried to take it.
But just as her fingers brushed his palm
Darkness swallowed him.
"Yicheng… Yicheng!" she cried, panic rose in her chest.
Then something within her soul forced her awake.
Her eyes opened.
Wooden beams crossed an unfamiliar ceiling. The scent in the room was strange. She smelled an herbal yet clean smell.
Her heart pounded.
"I'm… still alive," Xu Jian whispered.
She remembered.
The water, the man with the golden mask.
And then…
"Yicheng…" The name slipped from her lips like a prayer.
She sat up slowly, ignoring the ache in her body.
She pushed herself toward the door.
"This must be a traditional clinic," she reasoned, the smell of herbal made her think like that.
"I need to find Yicheng."
Her feet were unsteady, but she would pull herself forward.
"dìdì…" she called weakly. No answer.
She searched room after room, not a single soul. No sign of Yicheng or no sign of any living being. Yet she didn't stopped.
Finally, she reached the outer gate. She set her foot outside
A carriage stopped in front of her.
A man stepped down.
Her breath caught. She couldn't believe her eyes
"Diē…" she whispered, eyes wide.
It's him, her father, the one she lost twenty years ago. He was the same, same walk, same figure. And here he is, alive and stronger, standing in front of her.
She collapsed to the ground with sorrow.
"Diē…" she cried, reaching out to him.
"Qiān'er!!!" his voice came out, that's the same warm voice she remembered.
He rushed towards her; behind him, another figure stepped from the carriage.
Graceful. Familiar.
"Niáng…" Her mother… alive.
"Qiān'er!" Madam Shen also rushed forward and wrapped her daughter in her arms.
The warmth of that hug pierced every cold corner inside her. Her father knelt beside her and tried to help her get up.
Xu Jian didn't understand what was happening. It's like a happy family reunion.
Her father, who loved her the most, stood beside her, and her mother, who was innocent and kind, looked at her with a puzzled face.
Another tear fell down her face. She cried, she cried her heart out. Both parents hugged her with love.
"You are alive... I never thought I would see you all". Everything felt like a dream come true.
"Where is dìdì? Yicheng… Is he here too?" she asked both her parents.
They shared a glance in confusion.