Inevitable Return

At this moment, Lei Mingxing deeply regretted leaving her dagger behind, without it she was forced to use a pointy branch she found on the ground, to scratch open the soles of her feet and palms of her hands until blood flowed down in a steady stream before quickly pressing them against the tree trunk, this way she easily held on to the tree.

Immediately after she felt her blood begin to drain slowly, without any hint of the flow reducing even after a few seconds of pressure, but there was not a single drop of blood rolling down beneath her hands. Even after she withdrew her hand out of curiosity, except for the bright red blood starting to flow out of the open wound on her palm, there was not a hint of crimson anywhere on her skin, or even the tree for that matter.

All that was left was a slightly brighter glowing mark in the shape of a hand on the crystalline surface. And only half a second later, even that vanished into thin air.

Lei Mingxing observed this with a somber expression on her face, cold sweat began to wet her back and bead on her forehead as goosebumps covered her body, her muscles drawn taut. After just a few seconds she could feel her jaw cramping from how strongly she was clenching it.

Just what was wrong with this tree? The more she interacted with the more her blood ran cold...

But it didn't matter, she had to hurry and climb up so she could get out, never thinking about it ever again. Also, although the blood the tree absorbed was barely a trickle, an amount she would usually not even bat an eye at, the tree somehow slowed her regeneration and the more it absorbed, the worse a feeling Lei Mingxing got.

With that, Lei Mingxing hurried to make her way up the extremely tall tree .

It was an incredibly taxing endeavor, just like everything she had done that day, and just as mind-numbingly repetitive. Climbing up, or rather, crawling up, as there wasn't any skill involved beyond lifting her limbs to place them higher one step at a time, with the only problem being that it yet again focused on all the same muscles in her arms, shoulders and calf, her neck and abdominal muscles were also beginning to ache.

And the heavy leather boots she had wrapped in her outer robes and slung around her shoulders didn't help in the slightest, restricting her range of movement while simultaneously weighing her down.

So with her limbs shaking like a leaf in the wind, it took her almost 40 minutes until she finally reached the first branches and with them, the base of the treetop. Relief washed over her as she pulled herself onto the branch, allowing her muscles to relax to some extent, even if her palms and soles were still pressed against the wood so they wouldn't heal while she rested. Nonetheless, she needed a short break before she tackled the next step in her escape plan and began maneuvering between the branches until she reached the outer most of them and could use them to jump over the wall into the moat.

Just as she was about to push herself up to start the (almost) final step of her escape plan, Lei Mingxing froze, shooting a glance in the direction of the Memorial Hall.

"...-ally, our Ancestral Temple would be off-limits for ordinary guests, but since you will soon belong to the family, there is no harm in making an exception just this once, is there? Also, I wholeheartedly understand having an interest in the Lei Family's extensive history, it's famed around the entire Ren Continent after all and may even give an introspective on one's own past, haha. As you probably heard, the Weeping Light Willow was planted right at the dawn of the Lei Dynasty and has protected.."

The moment, Lei Mingixng realized who the two unexpected guests were, she couldn't help sucking in a short breath before losing all courage to breathe again. Keeping the air in her lungs until she couldn't bear it anymore and had to spit it out, all while unblinkingly staring at the two figures below her. Not daring to move even an inch.

Lei Jiahui was proudly introducing Xia Beilian to the entirety of the Lei Family History, starting from the more than vague tales of their far-back ancestors who hadn't even left behind their names. The only thing that truly persisted from their generation was their fabled beauty, 'unsurpassable by even the highest gods'.

This alone had awakened the strive to further beauty and perfection in the hearts of their descendants.

But despite how passionately Lei Jiahui presented the stories of the past, Lei Mingxing saw from way up the tree that Xia Beilian wasn't interested in the slightest, even if he nodded occasionally in accordance with the crown prince's retelling, his entire focus was on the tree before him. He carefully eyed it up and down, as if looking for something.

Lei Mingxing's blood ran cold, wondering for a very brief moment if it was her he was looking for. But he couldn't know that she was up there, he can't know! So she just pressed her body tighter against the thick branch, praying that he wouldn't notice her in the myriads of shadows the tree's glowing leaves created.

Minutes passed, and roughly a quarter of an hour later, Lei Jiahui finally concluded his explanation with: "But after you marry my sister, you can return whenever you desire. Anyway, it has become quite late, our honored fathers must have already finished their discussion..., we should head back."

These were the words Lei Mingxing waited for and she breathlessly listened for Xia Beilian's response.

"Indeed, Crown Prince. Thank you for graciously enlightening me on the history of your family, it would have been utterly shameful of me as future brother-in-law to be so ill-informed on the ups and downs of my wife's family..."

"Not to worry, Prince Beilian, it's the least I can do as brother-in-law to ensure a smooth union between our families..., shall we?", after Lei Jiahui's sentence ended, Lei Mingxing's heart almost lept in joy and she fixedly watched as the two moved to the Memorial Hall.

Her face was pale from the lack of blood and exhaustion after having her blood continuously drained for almost an hour straight and clinging to the branch beneath her with all her strength. Even with her astonishing regeneration (although it had been weakened by the willow), losing this much blood didn't pass without leaving a mark. Her whole body was covered in cold sweat and her limbs felt stiff. Precisely because of this, she couldn't wait to finally continue her plan, hastily pushing her upper body up from the wood and pulling her legs close, Lei Mingxing stood up, longing to stretch her muscles after so long.

Only for her vision to darken even before she had fully straightened her back.

Startled by the sudden dizziness and disorientation that made her head spin, Lei Mingxing instantly stopped all her movements. But even in her half-straight posture, she felt like she was swaying unsteadily side to side, about to fall, so she reflexively sunk to her knees with her arm stretched out in front, to prevent falling forward.

But her right hand only grabbed air while her left barely planted itself on the outermost edge of the branch, causing Lei Mingxing to fall forward with a quiet gasp. An acute fear of falling down the 30 meters she had scaled, shot up Lei Mingxing's spine and she instinctually stepped forward with her right foot in an attempt to catch herself, instead it only made the whole thing worse. Because of the sudden jerk, Lei Mingxing moved forward even more abruptly. Panicking, Lei Mingxing fished chaotically around for the branch with her right hand, ultimately grabbing the bottom of the branch, sticking to it with her upper body hanging down towards the earth.

Having averted the sudden crisis, Lei Mingxing let out the breath she had been holding, just then she felt something on her back slip, soon after a soft thud sounded from down below. The bit of blood that she had left instantly drained from her face, leaving her white as a sheet while her heart pounded frantically against her chest, drowning out all sounds, praying that the boot had gone unnoticed.

Still, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the two figures inevitably return and crane their necks, a moment later they called out in recognition.

"Sister!"

"Princess Mingxing!"

Small Theater:

Lei Mingxing: You damnable traitor!

Boot: ...

Lei Mingxing: I've bought you with my hard-earned money and cared for you, but that's how you repay me? You white-eyed wolf! White leather boot!

Boot: ...