Not only had Yun Ruoyao and Yi Qianying failed to harm Yun Ruoyao, they had even caused Pei Ziao to fall into the lake and into a coma.

The servants who had followed them on their trip carried the unconscious Pei Ziao into a carriage before rushing him down the mountain.

The whole way down, Yun Ruoyao and Yi Qianying’s faces were grim. They didn’t know how they were going to take responsibility for the incident, and Yi Qianying appeared to be particularly shaken as she tried to take care of Pei Ziao.

Yun Ruoyan faced the window, seemingly uncaring. She merely glanced at the other three people in the carriage from time to time, a small smile dancing on her lips.

In her past life, she was the only one who was panicking at this moment, and the other two girls were simply there for the show. This time, their identities were reversed, and she became the innocent bystander. It appeared as if the heavens had finally taken pity on her and given her the opportunity for revenge.

Her gaze landed on Pei Ziao’s body. Perhaps because of how cold the lake had been, his handsome face was turning blue and white, and his body would tremble and shiver uncontrollably.

In order to establish a marriage with the Yun family, he was even willing to jump into a half-frozen lake for an ugly and useless girl like her. Pei Ziao had really given his all for this goal, and it was little wonder that her past self had been tricked by his antics. As soon as she thought of this, Yun Ruoyan wrinkled her nose and looked away.

“Oh, what shall we do? Young Master Pei still hasn’t woken up! Could something have happened to him?” Yi Qianying exclaimed as she tried to wipe his damp hair with her handkerchief.

“That lake was so cold that Young Master Pei must be chilled to death. Look at how white his face is! It seems like it’ll be a grave illness at the very least.” Yun Ruoyao’s face was lined with worry.

As soon as the two of them had finished speaking, they turned towards Yun Ruoyan simultaneously.

“What are you looking at me like that for, sisters?” Yun Ruoyan asked, faking surprise. “If he’s sick, you should bring him to a doctor, and I’m no doctor.”

Yun Ruoyao and Yi Qianying’s faces were both filled with shock and disbelief at her words.

“Sister, aren’t you worried about Young Master Pei at all?” Yun Ruoyao questioned. “He’s always been kind toward you, and the reason he jumped into the lake was in order to save you! As your sister, I’d even thought that the two of you were close to establishing marital relations!”

“Sister, your eyesight must be failing you,” Yun Ruoyan quickly replied, looking toward Yi Qianying and Pei Ziao. “Clearly, it’s Qianying who’s closer to Young Master Pei. I even heard that, the day she was punished for stealing the pearl ornament, Young Master Pei secretly brought her quite a few tasty morsels to stave her hunger. Ruoyao, you need to open your eyes wider.”

As soon as Yi Qianying heard these words, her face immediately turned red, and she was just about to speak when the servants spoke up from outside. 

“Young ladies, we’ve returned home.”

The carriage stopped right then, and Yun Ruoyan quickly leaped up. But before she could get out the door, Yi Qianying grabbed her by the hand. “Are you going to leave just like that? How about Young Master Pei?”

“Send him back to the Pei estate, of course.” Yun Ruoyan cocked her head. “What else are you planning on doing, sister?”

Faced with Yun Ruoyan’s bluntness, Yi Qianying was clearly at a loss for words. Based on her understanding of Yun Ruoyan, the fact that Pei Ziao had ended up in such a sorry state because he was trying to help her would surely have caused her to feel responsible for this state of affairs, and she would surely agree even to a marriage proposal from him at this point.

However, the Yun Ruoyan standing in front of her appeared to be wholly unmoved.

“Young Master Pei jumped into the lake on your behalf, so don’t you think you should stay behind to take care of him, sister?” Yi Qianying asked in a huff.

Yun Ruoyan peered at her. “It seems like you’re doing a fine job of that, Qianying. Young Master Pei would be a good husband, and although the Peis aren’t as highly reputed as the Yuns, they’re not too far off from your station. As for such a good opportunity to present yourself to the Peis, I won’t fight you for it.”

These words of Yun Ruoyan were truly heartfelt: she had no intention to mire herself in the false pretenses that Pei Ziao and Yi Qianying appeared to have such a knack for.

Given their matching skills and talents, it would truly be a pity to not have them be together.

“What’s more, I fell into the lake myself too.” Yun Ruoyan indicated her drenched clothes. “If I don’t return to my residence to get a change of clothes, I might fall sick myself.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she ignored the two girls and quickly walked into the Yun estate, leaving Yi Qianying and Yun Ruoyan to stare at each other.

When she got back to her rooms, Peony and Xi Lan hurriedly asked her about what had happened upon seeing her appearance as they prepared a bath and dry clothes for her.

“I fell for a scheme, but didn’t end up too much worse for it.” Yun Ruoyan dismissed her maids as she shrugged off her wet clothes and entered her bracelet’s pocket dimension.

“Qiu~” As soon as Yun Ruoyan entered the dimension, the mystical beast Qiuqiu leaped onto her lap, staring at her with wide amber eyes.

“Congratulations, mistress, you’ve obtained a real big treasure today,” Qiuqiu chirped happily, and then it stood upright on two feet and danced a little happy jig.

Yun Ruoyan knew that Qiuqiu was speaking of the Feilai Blade, and that it was a well-known weapon even among the ones listed on the family register, but what really made her smile was how excited Qiuqiu seemed about it.

“Mistress, look!” Qiuqiu’s body moved in a certain direction. Yun Ruoyan looked over in that direction, and amidst the fog, she saw a curious purple glow. Yun Ruoyan walked over and saw the Feilai Blade, hovering in mid-air.

It was crescent-shaped, suffused with a dim purple glow, and made of what appeared to be black iron. When she walked closer, Yun Ruoyan could feel a slight chill emanating from the blade.

“Mistress, as far as I’m aware, the Feilai Blade is razor-sharp and can change its shape at will, but I’ve never heard of it having a chilly aura as well…” Qiuqiu fluttered around the blade, its expression serious. 

“Perhaps it’s because it was hidden in a half-frozen lake for so long that it took on some of the chilly nature of the area.” There hadn’t been much of an introduction to the blade in the family register, and Yun Ruoyan could only make a guess as to what had truly happened.

“That’s indeed a possibility.” Qiuqiu propped up its lower jaw with a claw, thinking.

At this time, Yun Ruoyan continued walking closer and closer to the blade, as if there were some magnetic attraction drawing her forward.

Subconsciously, she stepped forth once more, slowly stretching her hand towards it.

“Mistress, be careful!” Qiuqiu, who had fallen into a stupor, suddenly shouted out loud.

“Ouch!” At the same time at which Qiuqiu spoke, Yun Ruoyan let out a pained exclamation.

As her hand crept closer and closer to the blade, the blade lashed out at her, almost as if it were a wild beast that had suddenly been jolted awake.

All she felt was a purple haze, and her fingers suddenly went cold. There was a cut on the middle finger of her right hand, about three inches long, from which blood began to stream.