Ink Blade

Rebirth (part 1)

Chu Yan never thought that he could do it all over again.

However, as he awoke once more, the first person that caught his eyes was Qiu Quan, his personal maid who had died before his eyes at the last moment.

Chu Yan almost thought that he had gone to the underworld. But the "Qiu Quan" in front of him was not the familiar mature face, but was a lot greener, and looked to be only in her 20’s.

In other words, the person in front of him was Qiu Quan who was in the prime of her life in Chu Yan's memory.

"Master," Qiu Quan's figure was hidden outside the heavy curtain decorated with tasseled gold thread, holding a tray in her hand, with an exquisite porcelain bowl on it, "This is a freshly warmed hangover soup, Master, drink it before resting .”

Hangover Soup?

Surprised and feeling doubtful, Chu Yan propped himself and sat up, and a corner of the brocade quilt slipped down to his waist. Only at this moment did he suddenly realize that he was lying on the bed in his bedroom without any pain or injury.

Looking around, he saw the tables, chairs, bed cabinets, screens and mirrors, all of which were old furnishings in the Zhongqian Hall in his memory. Many of them were which he had evidently thrown away and destroyed.

The faint sunlight passed through the exquisite pear wood window, and spread delicately on a pair of painted porcelain vases. On the wall at the head of the bed hung the saber "Xuan Hong", which was used by the master of Jiuzhong Palace in the past. 

The tranquil incense was leisurely burning in the gold and copper four-legged incense burner, and everything was so comfortable and peaceful.

Chu Yan suddenly closed his eyes, pressed his painful temples hard and took a deep breath.

Is it Zhuang Zhou dreaming of a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming of Zhuang Zhou?

Is he trapped in a dream now, or was everything in the previous life just a big dream?

(t/n Zhuang Zhou's dream of a butterfly is an idiom in Chinese- it means Zhuang Zhou dreamed that he had become a butterfly, a dancing butterfly. I am very happy and carefree, not knowing that I am Zhuang Zhou. Suddenly he woke up from the dream, but it was Zhuang Zhou who was lying stiff on the bed. I don't know if Zhuang Zhou dreamed and turned into a butterfly, or a butterfly dreamed and turned into Zhuang Zhou? Later refers to a wonderful dream, or used as a metaphor for the vagaries of life.)

Chu Yan was silent for a long time, then narrowed his eyes and looked at "Qiu Quan" from beginning to end. Secretly concentrating on his dantian, he found that although his internal force was much weaker, it was much deeper than when he was poisoned by Bai Hua before his death. Counting the time, it could be inferred that he went back six or seven years ago.

He tentatively asked, "Qiu Quan, was this Master drunk last night?" 

Qiu Quan held the hangover soup, nodded and replied, "Answering the Master, the Master drank with Young Master Bai Hua until midnight last night."

Young Master Bai Hua?

...Drank until midnight?

Chu Yan became speechless again.

Could it be that he really…is fortunate enough to do it all over again?

Looking at Chu Yan, Qiu Quan simply stared at him without saying a word, neither putting down the bowl she was holding, nor holding it up. She thought that she did not say anything wrong, but the Palace Master behaved abnormally today.

She pondered about whether she should ask, but Chu Yan finally came back to his senses and she heard him ask, "What year is it now?"

Qiu Quan became confused, but still told him the year. Then Chu Yan immediately asked next, "What month and what day?"

Qiu Quan still respectfully answered what month and day, silently considering whether she should persuade her master to drink hangover soup first to sober his mind.

Chu Yan repeated that day several times in a low voice, and his eyes gradually cleared up. However, at the next moment, Chu Yan's face changed suddenly, he got up from the bed, grabbed a large robe and put it on hastily, "Ah Ren is in the Punishment Hall!?"

"Yes…” Qiu Quan was startled, and opened her mouth to answer. But Chu Yan, who was almost in a hysteria, rushed out of the door, past the maid's side, and disappeared in a blink of an eye.

****

Jiuzhong Palace, Punishment Hall.

Chu Yan used his lightness skill to the extreme all the way, and his heart was burning with anxiety. He remembered this day clearly. 

Mo Ren had been with him for more than ten years already. He always did things in a decent way, he was cautious everywhere and dared not to overstep his authority. Moreover, with his deep love and respect for Chu Yan, let alone being punished in the Punishment Hall, even ordinary punishment was rarely done on him.

The first time Mo Ren committed a serious crime that required punishment in the Punishment hall was in the third year after Chu Yan met Bai Hua, and in the second year after Bai Hua was admitted to the Jiuzhong Palace by Chu Yan, that was.....yesterday!

At this moment, Chu Yan no longer cared whether this rebirth was a dream or an illusion. He only knew that he could no longer just sit back and watch that person suffer the slightest bit of pain. He didn't care about the guards of the Punishment Hall who saluted him all the way, and he didn't care about its Hall Master who heard about his arrival and came to watch.

He went in like a flash of shadow, however, in the middle of the journey, the sound of whips breaking through the air was heard.