A heavy silence once again settled inside the carriage. The group exchanged uncertain glances—had the young lady fainted from fear? Just as Wu Si stood helplessly outside, unsure of what to do next, a chilling voice drifted from within.
"If you're done talking, come in and help me."
The icy tone, quiet yet commanding, sent an inexplicable shiver down the spines of those standing nearby. Since when did noble ladies speak in such a cold manner?
Wu Si scratched his head and glanced back at his companions. Everyone instinctively stepped away, gesturing with their chins for him to go. Fine! He'd go—what, was Wu Si afraid of a woman now? He swallowed hard and climbed into the carriage in one swift step.
The moment he lifted the curtain and entered, he found himself locked in a gaze with a pair of piercingly cold eyes. Upon seeing the woman before him, Wu Si drew in a sharp breath.
Inside the carriage, the woman reclined slightly against the wall, dressed in brilliant red. Her gaze was unwavering, frigid, and sharp as a blade. Wu Si had never seen a woman with such eyes—eyes that made it hard to breathe. Then there was her face: two deep scars slashed across her right cheek, destroying any trace of former beauty. It was a terrifying sight. Was this the so-called beauty sent by the Kingdom of Haoyue? Had they kidnapped the wrong person?
As Wu Si studied Zhuo Qing, she was observing him in return. He looked to be in his early thirties, his messy hair tied with a cloth strip, his clothes patched and worn. His appearance resembled… someone from ancient times! Everything about this felt utterly bizarre.
Suppressing her growing unease, Zhuo Qing reached out and grabbed Wu Si's arm for support. But her strength failed her, and she collapsed again. Wu Si quickly steadied her—she was so light, almost alarmingly so.
As he helped her toward the carriage door, he suddenly reached for the ceremonial red veil and draped it over her face before escorting her out. With her limbs still weak, Zhuo Qing leaned heavily against Wu Si, relying entirely on him to walk. Her crimson wedding dress clung to her graceful figure, each step revealing her fragility. With her face veiled, the imagination ran wild.
A boy of about ten clicked his tongue in admiration. "Wow… women from Haoyue really are made of water! Even the way they walk is nothing like the women in our village!"
His teasing remark sparked a round of rowdy laughter. Wu Si glared at the boy and led Zhuo Qing to sit on a stone bench, momentarily at a loss for words.
Xiao Wuzi stepped forward and pulled Wu Si aside with a grin. "Brother Wu, I heard the Kingdom of Haoyue is famed for its beauties, and this one is said to be known across the lands. Since we've already taken her, why not let everyone see her face?"
"No!" Wu Si roared, scolding him. "We did this only to seek justice for our benefactor. Taking her was a last resort. If we start treating her like some spectacle, how are we any different from bandits and scoundrels?"
Xiao Wuzi shrank back and mumbled, "We just want to see what a so-called peerless beauty looks like. No one's going to hurt her…" What was going on with Brother Wu today? He was usually so easygoing.
Faced with the villagers' puzzled stares, Wu Si began to doubt himself. He lowered his voice, trying to reason. "Even so, it's not right. What woman wouldn't care about her appearance? Her face is… ruined. If we expose it, won't it break her heart?"
"Brother Wu…" Xiao Wuzi tried to argue, but before he could finish, a swath of red silk was flung to the ground.
Everyone turned. A face ravaged by scars met their eyes. Xiao Wuzi yelped, "Whoa! Mother of mercy—this is the famous beauty?!"
The villagers fell silent, stunned. A hush fell over the crowd, eerie in its suddenness.
Zhuo Qing met their burning stares with calm. Under their barrage of shock, fear, pity, and sympathy, she slowly lifted her chin. Her glacial gaze swept across the group, and everyone instinctively took a step back.
She had assumed those capable of kidnapping a person wouldn't be decent folk, but these villagers… they seemed oddly guileless.
A flicker of calm returned to her heart.
She asked, "Who did you say I am?"
This body wasn't hers. She needed to understand—who was she now?
Xiao Wuzi gulped. "You're a woman from Haoyue… sent as tribute to the emperor. But I heard the emperor gifted you to the prime minister. Then again, looking like this, I doubt even he'd want you…"
"Xiao Wuzi!" Wu Si snapped.
Zhuo Qing's expression didn't change. She continued, "Where am I?"
"This is Niujia Village. Just ahead is the imperial city of Huanyang in the Kingdom of Qiongyue."
Qiongyue? Huanyang? She had never heard of them. Drawing in a deep breath, Zhuo Qing turned to the crowd and asked in a clear voice:
"Have you ever heard of China?"
In perfect unison, everyone shook their heads.
They spoke Mandarin, wore ancient robes, yet didn't know of China? As far as she knew, her world held no such place. And she… was in a body not her own.
No matter how much she wanted to deny it, the truth was undeniable—she was in an unfamiliar world, in the body of someone deemed a "gift."
Heavens. Her head throbbed.
"Miss, are you all right?" Wu Si looked at her, bewildered. Just moments ago, she was icy and imposing—why did she now seem in such pain?
Zhuo Qing didn't answer. She needed to think.
"Brother Wu! Brother Wu!" A young man's excited voice rang out from the village. A lad in his twenties rushed forward, pushing through the crowd. Waving a sheet of paper like a trophy, Liu Yu shouted, "You're back! I finished it—Brother Wu, take a look!"
Wu Si awkwardly pushed his hand aside. "Look at what? I can't read."
Xiao Wuzi chimed in, rolling his eyes, "Yeah, you're the only one who can read around here! What's the point of showing us?"
Liu Yu scratched his head, embarrassed. "I… I only studied for two years with my father before he passed away. No one taught me after that."
"That's still better than us!" Xiao Wuzi snatched the paper and squinted at it, completely lost. "Brother Wu, why do we even have to write this thing?"
Wu Si smacked him on the head, took the sheet, folded it carefully, and sighed. "Didn't the officials say? We need a formal petition. We can't afford a legal scribe, so we have to write it ourselves. If the Prime Minister really comes, we'll need something to plead our case."
"Bet it won't make a difference." Xiao Wuzi shot a skeptical look at Zhuo Qing. "She's disfigured. You think the Prime Minister will still come?"
But the petition was vital. Whether their benefactor could be cleared of wrongdoing rested on this document.
Wu Si glanced at Zhuo Qing and suddenly had an idea. "Miss, could we trouble you to help us take a look?"
She looked every bit the lady of a noble house—surely, she could read.
Zhuo Qing pondered a moment, then replied, "Bring it here."
She was also curious. What had these simple, honest villagers done that required abducting someone? And she hadn't seen this world's script yet. This would be a chance.
She unfolded the paper—and went utterly blank.
Her mother was a classical Chinese professor, so she could understand a few traditional characters. But what were these loops and crosses and dots? Was their writing a mix of Chinese and symbols?
This was going to be difficult.
"Ahem." She cleared her throat and looked to Liu Yu. "Excuse me, may I ask you something?"
Liu Yu nodded dumbly.
"What do these loops and crosses mean?"
"Uh…" He blushed and scratched his head. "That's where I didn't know the word, so I drew pictures instead. That one means the food and blankets our benefactor gave us."
So that's what it was—when he didn't know a character, he drew a symbol in its place.