Shangguan Liqian finally let out a long sigh of relief once she heard the sound of Luo Wushuang’s departing footsteps.
Her beautiful eyes fluttered shut, and before long, she drifted into a deep slumber.
However, she hadn’t been asleep for long when that strange dream from before returned.
The scene was as eerie and unsettling as ever; she still couldn’t see anything through the gloom. But from the intermittent bursts of Buddhist chanting echoing in her ears, she could guess that this dream was a continuation of the last one.
Just as Liqian was wondering why she kept having these dreams, a voice that wasn’t entirely unfamiliar suddenly rang out.
“Has Your Majesty truly made a final decision?”
It was the voice of Master Yujing from her previous dream. Driven by curiosity and doubt, Liqian continued to listen.
After a moment of silence, a weak but resolute voice replied.
“My mind is made up. I ask the Master to proceed.”
Hearing that familiar voice, Liqian’s heart skipped a beat. She was now absolutely certain she hadn’t misheard—that was Luo Wuyan’s voice.
Before she had actually met Luo Wuyan in person, she only had a vague feeling that the voice in the dream was familiar. Perhaps it was because when she had been a wandering spirit in her past life, the Luo Wuyan she saw lacked the imposing aura of an emperor, making it difficult to connect that voice to the person.
But after seeing Prince An today, Liqian was certain that the young sovereign in her dreams was indeed Luo Wuyan.
If that’s the case, then her Empress must be Shen Youran…
As she was thinking, Master Yujing’s voice drifted over again.
“Your Majesty must remember: though Dragon Qi can protect the body, it also harms demons. If the Time Regression Array is successful, you can only choose one of the two. You must not be greedy, lest you end up losing both your power and your person.”
Liqian was stunned. A Time Regression Array? An array that could turn back time?
If that were true, then Luo Wuyan’s rebirth must have been an opportunity she fought to obtain for herself.
But what about me? Why was I reborn?
Holding onto this question, Liqian tried her best to analyze the meaning behind Master Yujing’s words. Choosing “one of the two” likely meant telling Luo Wuyan that she couldn’t have both the throne and Shen Youran.
Sure enough, a moment later, Luo Wuyan’s firm voice rang out.
“I only want Sister Youran. The throne was never what I desired.”
She decisively changed how she referred to herself, abandoning the imperial “We” for a simple “I,” making her stance clear.
After a long sigh, Master Yujing’s voice seemed to turn much more benevolent.
“Your Majesty was born with a destiny of great wealth and honor. Even if you are not the Emperor, you still possess a Kingly Aura. After the regression, the Empress’s soul will be unstable. It would be best if she could be nourished by that Kingly Aura.”
“I will remember. Thank you for your trouble, Master.”
The gloom and madness had faded from Luo Wuyan’s voice. If one listened closely, they could even detect hints of gratitude and hope.
Following another long sigh, Liqian sensed the environment around her becoming bizarre.
The ethereal chanting grew faint and distant, replaced by the indistinct sounds of wind and rushing water. Then, countless strange forces began to surge toward her from all directions.
Liqian didn’t know what state her body was currently in, but she felt the agonizing sensation of her very soul being squeezed.
She wanted to struggle, but she couldn’t move at all. It seemed that ever since she entered this dream, she had lost all control over her physical form. She couldn’t speak, she couldn’t move; she could only passively endure the way this power flaunted its dominance, venting its strength upon her.
Just when she thought she was about to be crushed into nothingness by this eerie force, the pressure vanished as mysteriously as it had appeared.
In an instant, the nausea and discomfort disappeared without a trace. Liqian even began to doubt if everything that just happened had been an illusion.
Until…
A cacophony of voices exploded in her mind. Amidst the chaos, a sudden bolt of thunder crashed right next to her ear.
Immediately following was a bone-chilling cold. Even in her dream, Liqian shuddered from the frost. Her eyes flew open.
She found herself staring straight into the eyes of Luo Wushuang, who had just finished threading the pearls and was about to wake her for dinner.
The Empress’s narrow phoenix eyes flickered with a hint of guilt. Then, a look of pleasant surprise crossed her face.
“Sister, you’re awake! I was just about to call you for dinner.”
The newly awakened Liqian couldn’t quite snap out of her dream state yet. Her mind was filled with the bizarre scenes from the dream—the conversation between Luo Wuyan and Master Yujing, and the crushing weight of that irresistible, eerie power.
Her intuition told her that these things had actually happened.
Perhaps in her past life, Luo Wuyan really did give up her imperial status for the sake of Shen Youran. She might have even paid a heavy price for the demon she loved…
From that perspective, perhaps Luo Wuyan was someone who valued love and loyalty. However, Liqian wouldn’t let her intuition convince her that Luo Wuyan posed no threat to Wushuang.
I still need to be on guard against that person…
Immersed in her own thoughts, Liqian didn’t notice Luo Wushuang speaking to her.
Seeing that Liqian was just staring blankly at her without any reaction, Wushuang couldn’t help but ask with concern, “Sister, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Sensing Wushuang’s worry, Liqian finally returned to her senses.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
After saying that, Liqian fell silent again.
Everything in the dream was too bizarre. Forget the fact that she had no way to explain it; even if she did, no one would believe her.
Moreover, knowing that Luo Wuyan’s rebirth wasn’t a coincidence made her doubt the nature of her own.
Luo Wuyan had requested Master Yujing to set up a Time Regression Array for the sake of the demon she loved, thereby gaining a second chance.
But what about me? Why was I reborn?
Liqian’s brow furrowed slightly. Her clear eyes instinctively fell upon Luo Wushuang, who was still watching her with a worried expression.
Was my rebirth because of Wushuang?
Given how maddened Wushuang had become after her death in the previous life, if there were an opportunity, Wushuang certainly would have…
But thinking it through, it seemed unlikely to be Wushuang. In her previous life, Liqian had watched with her own ghostly eyes as Wushuang was buried with her in the Imperial Tomb.
After that… her soul had lingered in the palace for a long time. By then, Wushuang should have already entered the Underworld. How could she have had the chance to help Liqian be reborn?
Unless Wushuang has some powerful connections in the Underworld.
The thought made Liqian want to laugh for some reason. How could that be possible? She must have been influenced by the dream to start overthinking like this.
Still, without knowing the reason, she felt a lingering sense of unease.
After a long internal sigh, Liqian looked at the worried person before her and repeated, “I’m really fine. Don’t worry.”
No matter the reason for her rebirth, since she had been given a second chance, she would not betray Wushuang’s deep affection, nor would she easily forgive those who had harmed her in her past life.
For now, aside from the unexpected variable that was Luo Wuyan, everything was progressing for the better.
