Seven Unfortunate Lifetimes Chapter 5 (1/2)

Chapter 5

Avoiding the guards’ eyes, I climbed the backyard wall. After going through a big circle, I was finally at the general’s backdoor. The general’s mansion was ablaze. Beside the sound of the fire, it was deep silence.

I stared at the backdoor for a long time. If I went in and came face to face with a killer, I wouldn’t be able to collect Lu Hai Kong’s body but will also give up my life. It’s not worth it.

My thoughts took a turn and I remembered that at the east of the general’s mansion, there’s a doghole. That place is hidden. Even if there are still killers in there, they won’t find me.

It’s just that after all these years accepting the human ideology, I felt that crawling through a doghole, is not a glorious thing. Going again today, I don’t even know if my body can still pa.s.s through the doghole.

But when I found the doghole, I discovered that there was already someone in the doghole. The one, whom I wanted to collect his corpse; Lu Hai Kong. Half of his body was outside the wall, the other half was still inside the wall. I didn’t feel embarra.s.sed and mused: “It seems that I really can get past the doghole.”

However, now it’s not the right time to express my feelings.

When Lu Hai Kong heard my voice, he slowly raised his head. His always clean face was blood stained. His always translucent eyes, is now like dust. A vast gray. He absent-minded stared at me. Without any emotion, like a puppet.

I knelt down. In the flickering firelight, I saw that a side of his right eye has been burned. I can’t differentiate between the whites and the eyeball. All was muddy.

He’s stuck in the doghole. It’s such a ridiculous sight. But I couldn’t find it amusing.

I stuck my hand out. But something made me hesitate to touch him.

“Lu Hai Kong.”

He didn’t respond. He’s only blankly staring at me. I blinked. I don’t know why my heart hurts. I repressed that feeling and gently poked his forehead.

“Are you still alive?”

“Yun Xiang.”

His voice was weak.

“I’m still alive…”

It doesn’t sound like an answer, but more like a question he’s asking me.

The inexplicable feeling in my heart got stronger. I couldn’t help myself from touching his head. Not light, not heavy I patted his head. His hair felt sticky. I guess he must’ve escaped from a pool of blood. Losing your family overnight is a cruel thing for a ten year old.

“I’m still alive.”

I stared at him. His black left eye slowly reflected my image and his right eye…I’m afraid that he can never use it again.

He looked at me for a moment before asking: “Did you come here to save me?”

“Originally I came to find your corpse.”

His eyes darkened and he nodded.

“But now I’m here to save you.”

I grabbed his hand and asked: “Are you tightly stuck?”

He seemed to not dare say a word, blankly staring at me. Before he could say something, I felt his body being pulled back inside. It seems like on the other side of the wall, someone is pulling at Lu Hai Kong’s legs, dragging him back inside. Lu Hai Kong’s eyes got bigger looked at me. He was so scared that he couldn’t speak.

I hugged him tightly, not letting go. On the other side of the wall someone said: “There’s someone outside helping him.”

“Let’s cut his legs. So he’ll never be able to escape again.”

There are still two people on the other side of the wall! They actually want to slay Lu Hai Kong’s legs. My heart quivered. I suddenly got an idea.

“Father! Quickly bring the Xiang Fu’s1 guards. The killer inside want to cut Lu Hai Kong’s legs.”

“It’s Xiang Ye’s2 daughter.”

“That ruckus causing devil? The two killers were quiet for some time then one said: “Withdraw!”

Victory came too sudden. I didn’t think that my name will be more useful than my father’s name. After suppressing a chuckle, my face darkened again… The killers are so afraid of me. What for image do I have in the commoner’s hearts?

There’s no time to think more. I ruthlessly pulled Lu Hai Kong. Grabbed his hand and dragged him in the direction of Xiang Fu.

“For now, you go hide at my place.”

Lu Hai Kong stopped walking. In the air filled with smoke, he quietly said: “Yun Xiang, I can’t go to Xiang Fu.”

“Why? Are you afraid that my father won’t protect you?”

Lu Hai Kong looked at the ground and didn’t answer me. He’s now obviously a dirty kid, but strangely, I felt that his mind is more complicated than my mind, which also has the memories of hundred years of living as a cloud spirit.

He was silent for a long time before saying: “Yun Xiang, I’m going to go outside of the capital…only outside…need to go outside.”

He’s spoken with such a strong voice. He must be determined. I intuitively felt that he’s hiding many things. I also felt that from this moment on, Lu Hai Kong’s life will change. Moreover, I also felt that my time to choose has come. Go back to Xian Fu or go with Lu Hai Kong to the outside the capital? I looked up at the sky. Suddenly I’ve a strange feeling.

Emperor Li, so you’ve been waiting here for me! If I’ve drunken the soup of oblivion, this life, I would’ve been a normal Xiang Fu young miss. If Lu Hai Kong wasn’t t delayed by me for five years at the nether world, he would now be the same age as me. Two people who are engaged, falling in love with each other. Miss Xiang Fu doesn’t have the heart to leave the general’s young master full of hatred, will go with him to the north. She willingly abandoned her comfortable life, only following the general’s young master. So the first act of the play “little wife chasing husband” is staged like this, at this bad time.

Lu Hai Kong must’ve thought too much after seeing my sorrowful look. He turned and began walking in the opposite direction.

“Yun Xiang, till we meet again.”

Hearing a ten year old say such a deep sentence, after the trauma, my heart missed a beat. I scratched my head irritably and muttered softly: “Alright, alright. I admit defeat. I’ll not change fate again. Besides I need  to avoid having to receive punishment again after I go back.”

But it didn’t seem filial if I just go. So I picked up a burned wood and casually wrote on the wall: Father, your daughter eloped with a gentleman. Don’t lose spirit and take care of your body.