Chapter 130 - Thanks For Setting Me Free

The night in the Tu valley was exceptionally cold and dark, yet Li Juan felt like she was standing under the blazing sun as sweat beads started to rolling down from her neck.

"Our majesty will sing a song," Cheng Tao announced with a loud voice as he clapped his hands and encouraged Li Juan.

"Princess," "princess," The crowd cheered for Li Juan, who appeared dazed.

"Noona," Lee Tae Min pulled her sleeves and asked her to begin. She woke up from her thoughts and looked at him with idle eyes. "Sing,"

"Okay, okay I will sing," Unable to reject their requests, finally Li Juan agreed to sing a song.

"You guys asked for this, don't blame me later," 

She gave a warning and turned towards Lee Tae Min, who remained with a big fat smile on his face.

"Tae Min ah, will you help me?" 

"Anytime," He swept a glance across the crowd and started to play the chords.

In a moment Li Juan's soft voice entered their ears of the crowd who were eager to listen,

In the blurry memories from my dreams

I hear you calling me,

Your voice gets clearer and clearer

As it pulls me into the dream

When I looked at you in my dreams

That have only cold memories,

Painful memories in your tears

I'm trying to get you out from there

But you're a dream that'll disappear 

Like snow that melts under my touch

As your scent lingers in my head,

your smile brights up my day, yet

I'm endlessly drowning in pain

I search and search but I can't see you

Where are you? 

You promised to save me

But where are you now? 

As soon as Li Juan finished, the entire place has fallen into deep silence. The flickering of the flames and howling of mountain wind were the only sounds lingered in the atmosphere.

Li Juan glanced at Lee Tae Min in confusion, why everyone is silent?

After a moment, thunderous claps and praises started pouring in,

"How come you never told us that you are a singer?" Bai Yu's eyes gleamed like jewels as he hugged Li Juan. When he saw her hesitating, he thought Li Juan does not have any singing abilities, but the moment she started humming, he was left surprised by her soft and light voice, a complete contrast to her sharp visuals.

There was something bewitching in her voice, which left everyone in a dreamy state.

For those who were aware of Li Juan and her vivid dreams could understand why she choose this particular song and how it is related to her. 

Zhang Zhi Jun gazed at the woman who sat with a sheepish look on her pretty face, 

Li Juan's biggest dream was to search and find the queen who haunted her dreams for almost eight years. She found the queen and then why there is a melancholy hidden under her eyes?

He subconsciously turned his head towards Tang Wei Sheng as well as Liang,

Both of their face filled with guilty. As if they are sorry for leaving her alone. 

He was aware of the relationship between Tang Wei Sheng and Li Juan.

But what about Liang? Didn't he confess that he has someone he likes? Then what is the meaning of his moist eyes?

"You are happy now?" Li Juan asked Cheng Tao, "I am leaving then, bye goodnight," She literally ran away from there without waiting for anyone's reply.

As she walked into her tent, Li Juan searched for her journal which she used to keep an account of her daily activities.

After her memory loss, she started keeping daily journals, but nowadays she has been slacking off due to the busy schedule.

She took out the journal from her bag and began to scribble down the thoughts which are bugging her mind. 

Even after pouring her heart on to the paper, the uneasiness in her mind never ceased to exist. Li Juan plopped on to the makeshift bed and stared into the darkness.

Li Juan believed that once she finds the queen, the turmoils in her heart will settle down, but something else already started brewing in her mind. 

The masculine voice that rings in her dreams, the radiant smile flashes in her mind, the comforting arms and soothing scent which lingers in her blurred memories,

To whom it belongs?

It was tiring day and yet she was unable to sleep. After rolling in the bed for sometimes, Li Juan decided to take a walk outside. 

She walked out of her tent and looked towards the people sitting around the bonfire,

"They are still enjoying it," Li Juan sighed and took a look at the direction of the palace.

Under the dark sky, the majestic Yu palace remained bathed in the milky white light of the full moon. The gemstones in the top of the palace reflected the moonlight and set the entire place in a mysterious aura. 

"Set me free," a voice rang in her head,

Without evening knowing, Li Juan found herself heading towards the palace as if she was bewitched by an evil charm. 

The Yu palace, it was the place where her ancestors used to live for more than a thousand years.

If they haven't affected by the war, they would've remained happily in this place.

Bai Yu Yue and her army wouldn't have sacrificed their lives.

Like others, she must have got married and happily lived with her family.

The Yu clan wouldn't have become refugees and continued to live secluded.

Then her father wouldn't have left the palace and met her mother.

In two corners of the world, they would've remained alive and she wouldn't have born as their daughter.

What would have happened if the Yu clan decided to stay in their homeland despite the war? Every single one of them would have been annihilated.

The entire Yu clan would have exterminated from the earth without any survivors.

A single decision re-wrote the fate of the Yu clan.

The Yu clan and their kingdom still exist because of the decision taken by the Queen.

While the Yu clan found their home in another place, the Queen and others were left in this cold earth without any proper burial.

When the queen sacrificed herself and made the soul binding vow, she was bound to this land like a guardian spirit.

During her last moments did she wish to meet her family? Did she hope that someone will come and bring her home?

"Her home is where her people are, is that why she haunted in my dreams and asked her to save her?" Li Juan mumbled alone,

She found the queen, but what about her last words? Bai Yu Yue said that she cannot leave this land.

Can she go take the queen back to Yun city like this? What about the remaining of the man from Guan empire?

Li Juan sighed, she came to sort out her thoughts, however, after coming here her thoughts become a tangled mess.

Li Juan turned around and walked towards the campsite.

On halfway across the campsite, Li Juan ran into Ning Jing and Mei Lin who were searching for something.

As soon as their eyes fell on Li Juan, both of their faces darkened with a displeased look.

"Ah Li Juan, the heiress of Bai Corporation! The princess of Yu palace."

Mei Lin commented with a voice filled with mockery. "What are you doing here?"

Li Juan remained silent. She was not in a mood to have a conversation with them.

"Did majesty lose her way?"

"What do you want?" Li Juan ignored Mei Lin and looked at Ning Jing,

"You know what I want," Ning Jing's angelic face scrunched up with arrogance as she spoke.

Li Juan scoffed and stared at the woman who stood with evil eyes. She could guess the reason for their displeasure and the motive behind the sudden meeting.

Ning Jing feels threatened by Li Juan,

For all these days, she remained nonchalant despite Tang Wei Sheng's avoidance. She was sure that he won't leave her because of the power held by her family.

In order to stay in his position, Tang Wei Sheng required a powerful ally and Ning Jing was the right person for that. 

Even after finding about Li Juan, she didn't feel threatened. What threat she could receive from a person like Li Juan who lived like a rat? Nothing. She made sure to ruin Li Juan's dreams.

But she never expected such a turn of events.

Li Juan whom she didn't even consider as a contender rose into power and dared to challenge her with strong family background.

For the first time in her life, Ning Jing felt that she has become a tiny speck in front of someone.

She burned in the fear that Tang Wei Sheng will leave her and get back to Li Juan since he found that she is the young miss of the Bai family.

Ning family was rich, but their worth was lesser than the Bai family and for Tang Wei Sheng creating an alliance with Bai family will bring more power and strength.

Even Tang Fei who has been supporting her may turn in favour of Li Juan.

"I have already told you that I have no intentions of getting back to your fiancé." Li Juan casually said. 

"But it doesn't seem like that." Ning Jing narrowed her eyes and retorted.

"How many times should I repeat that Tang Wei Sheng is a closed chapter in my life?" Li Juan huffed in an annoying tone.

"You may not have any intentions to get back to him, but that man, he is obsessed with you".

"That's your problem, but not mine," Li Juan tried to walk away. Suddenly Ning Jing stood in front of her and blocked her way.

"As long as you stay alive, he will come after you." Ning Jing's eyebrows creased up as her eyes filled with a malicious glint.

"How about I make sure that he won't follow you?"

There is something wrong, Li Juan's mind took an alert. 

"Die bitch!!!" Mei Lin thrust a sharp knife onto Li Juan's stomach,

Before the knife reaches its target, Li Juan grabbed the silver blade of the knife and blocked it with her bare hands,

"Your plan sucks," She easily overpowered the Mei Lin and took control of the knife. "Using knives is a bad idea," Li Juan looked at the blood oozing out from the wound, "It leaves evidence. Even if you want to kill me, make sure to come up with a great plan,"

Li Juan threw away the knife into the dark woods.

"You bitch," Ning Jing rushed towards her,

Li Juan's eyes filled with a murderous glare as she blocked Ning Jing's advances and pushed her to the ground.

"I will allow you to run away," the corners of her lips curled up into a cold smile,

"Once I have lost my cool, I can't guarantee your life."

"What are you going to do?" Ning Jing seethed as she struggled to stand up. "Are you going to kill me? Do you think you can live after hurting me? Bitching around men and trying to steal what belongs to others."

Li Juan stared at Ning Jing as if she is an object to ridicule. Why she doesn't understand?

"WHACK!!!!!!!!"

Something hard hit Li Juan's head, she turned backwards and found Mei Lin with a stone,

"Really?" She asked with a sneer and looked at Ning Jing,

"I thought I made it clear,"

Even before Mei Lin could hit her again, Li Juan held her throat,

"Do you think that I kept her alive all these years to die in your hands?" A cold voice came out of nowhere, sending chills to Mei Lin's mind.

A sudden wind blew across the valley, under the moonlight, Li Juan's black eyes burnt like firestones as her gentle aura replaced with a bloodthirsty rage.

"Even I had second thoughts to ask her for blood and you venomous snakes, already spilt her blood?" 

She touched her wet hair drenched with warm and sticky fluid, only to realize that her wound started bleeding, "You hit her?" 

Mei Lin and Ning Jing looked at the woman before her eyes in disbelief.

Why is she talking like some other person?

The hold on Mei Lin's throat tightened with every single moment, choking her out, like a fish out of water, Mei Lin struggled to breathe.

"I don't want your filthy blood to stain the sacred place," Li Juan pushed Mei Lin to the ground and turned towards Ning Jing,

"Leave,"

Ning Jing rushed towards Mei Lin and helped her stand up,

"I'm leaving you two only because this girl, otherwise no-"

Even before she could finish her words a stinging pain started to spread over Li Juan's body.

Her vision started to blur, as she tried to walk towards the tent, Li Juan collapsed into the ground. 

Ning Jing crawled towards Li Juan and checked her pulses. 

"Is she dead?" Mei Lin asked in a panicked voice.

"She will!!!!, Let's go," Ning Jing said and dragged Mei Lin towards the campsite, leaving a bleeding Li Juan behind,

As the thick stench of blood lingered into her consciousness, Li Juan muttered under her breath,

"Thanks for setting me free, Lili."