Waves of pain washed over her and Zihou cursed inwardly. It was an intense explosion of sensations. Was she not dead yet? Otherwise, how could she still feel such intense pain?Oh yes, what about Mo Jun? If she was still alive, did it mean Mo Jun was also alive?
Zihou"s heart constricted at the thought of Mo Jun. She was the one person in the entire world whom she trusted wholeheartedly, and the depth of their relations.h.i.+p was beyond description.
They had grown up together, trained together, and escaped the organization together. They had also carried out rescues and committed a.s.sa.s.sinations side by side. Their relations.h.i.+p was unshakable!
If Mo Jun was no longer around, what was the point of her living on?
But before Zihou could expand on those thoughts, a deluge of foreign memories flooded her mind…
The Vast Lands, Western Chu, grandfather, her parents, her big brother, the Prime Minister"s estate, the Royal Palace, a place where one"s ability in martial arts determined one"s fate, Seventh Prince…
Countless memories swept through her mind until Zihou suffered such a splitting headache that she nearly fainted.
"Ah!" Zihou shrieked into the skies, unable to withstand the intense pain.
The somber atmosphere within the Martyr General"s estate instantly changed at the sound of her shrieks…
"My child, you have finally awoken!" A n.o.ble-looking, middle-aged woman in a purple dress cried out the moment she saw the bedridden Zihou sit up suddenly. They were in an exquisitely-decorated room set within a courtyard called Mu Xuan Court.
"Hou-er, you finally woke up. You have made your mother so worried!" The middle-aged woman sat up and pulled Zihou into her arms and patted her on the back with trembling hands. Even her voice was obviously still quivering with a lingering fear!
The usually-calm Zihou was in a rare daze when she felt the all-encompa.s.sing warmth and heard that strange, yet vaguely familiar voice.
She shook her throbbing head gently and gradually opened her eyes.
Zihou blinked at the strong sunlight. After getting used to the light, an ancient, oriental sight greeted her eyes.
A Chinese canopy bed with pink silk screens. Bright red bedspreads covered in red peonies. A vanity table with a blurred bronze mirror. All these things, plus the image of the crying middle-aged woman before her, merged with the foreign memories lodged in her brain. Zihou finally regained her senses.
It was like she had died but wasn"t dead!
More precisely, it should be said that the brave and formidable Zihou of the 21st century had died. But her soul or consciousness had been reborn in this strange and mysterious world, into the body of a young lady with the exact same name as her.
Zihou didn"t know whether to laugh or cry. She never imagined that she would one day go through transmigration…
"Hou-er, are you awake?" The door to the room was pushed open and an anxious figure hurried in.
Zihou pushed the middle-aged woman aside to size up the others in the room.
She was the young mistress of the Martyr General"s estate, and the woman before her was her mother, Zhao Xinrou. Meanwhile, the handsome, stern-faced man standing behind her and clad in blue was her father, General Wei s.h.i.+rong. Another solemn-faced man standing by a table and dressed in a gray robe was her grandfather, the great Martyr General Wei Guoting.
The Martyr General"s estate had been a great and patriotic force and made exceptional sacrifices to fight for peace and prosperity for Western Chu. However, over the past few years, the dark and shady political infighting within the royal courts and the power struggle among the various n.o.bles had seen the Martyr General"s estate gradually fall out of favor.
As far as Zihou could tell from her newly-acquired memories, these people treated the previous owner of her body very well and doted on her a lot. However, that young girl had been rather slow-witted and foolish, p.r.o.ne to reckless behavior without any thought about the consequences. Add to that her ardent crush on the Seventh Prince, that young girl had been the target of much bullying and ridicule by the other n.o.ble ladies. Her lack of intelligence had been the cause of her eventual demise!
Zihou lowered her eyes slightly at that thought, as a cold glint flashed across her eyes. She then once again lifted her face and gave a faint smile. "Father, mother. I"m fine. You don"t need to worry about me anymore."
"I"m glad you are fine, as long as you are well…" Zhao Xinrou cried with joy and relief.
"Hou-er, don"t be so impulsive next time…" As thrilled as Wei s.h.i.+rong was at his daughter"s recovery, he didn"t forget to remind her.
"Humph!" A cold snort sounded out from behind. "Since a young age, you have never thought twice before doing anything. You have never learned your lesson no matter how many times you succ.u.mbed. Now that such a major incident happened, let"s see if you finally grow some sense!" It was that old man who had been standing silently by the table. Wei s.h.i.+rong and his wife sighed but held their tongues.
"Haha…" Zihou chuckled. Her face was pale and pallid and devoid of makeup, but that radiant smile instantly brightened up her countenance. It was a rather astonis.h.i.+ng sight.
"Foolish girl. I can"t believe you are still laughing at a time like this." The old man admonished after being momentarily stunned by Zihou"s laughter.
The more you loved someone, the harsher the scolding would be. The old man had been a general all his life and had never been the kind of person who showed his emotions easily. Nonetheless, his love for Zihou went deeper than the deepest oceans.
"Grandfather, Father, Mother." Zihou stopped smiling and put on a solemn expression. She glanced at all three of them. "I have been brash and impulsive all these years and brought much trouble to you. After my near-drowning incident, I understand many things now. I promise to turn over a new leaf and never give you cause for concern again."
Zihou spoke gravely. In her previous life, she was an orphan and had always been all alone as far as she could remember. All the way until she met Mo Jun, which had been like finding a s.h.i.+ning star in the dark skies. She finally had light and direction. However, as close as she and Mo Jun were, Mo Jun was unable to provide Zihou with the care and concern one got from one"s elders. Zihou had hankered after this kind of warmth all her life and had finally attained it now.
She wanted to cherish it!
As for her previous life, she was no longer able to go back. She also knew Mo Jun was not around anymore and there was nothing left for her back there. So she might as well cherish what she had before her.
"Hou-er, you… are you being serious?" Zhao Xinrou stammered. Everyone was thunderstruck and dazed by Zihou"s words.
"Yes. The Zihou of before is gone. The Zihou from now on will live a more radiant and fulfilling life!" Zihou nodded, her voice full of pep and confidence.
She had always been a bold and adaptable person. She had a lot of pride and was not one to concede defeat. Since she had been given a new lease in life, she would definitely live it to the fullest!
"Good, good! You"re indeed my daughter. Truly formidable! I believe that our Zihou will have a bright future ahead of her!" Wei s.h.i.+rong clapped proudly, having been moved by Zihou"s energy.
"Humph. You just know how to boast!" The old man remained derisive. However, his relaxed brows and the expectant glint in his eyes betrayed him!
Zihou smiled and rubbed her nose. He was such an adorable old man!