Chapter 843: Little Miss Rouge

"Yanzhi, did you draw little turtles on Father's papers again? Just wait until he comes back—you're going to get a beating!"

An image slowly appeared in the purple fog in the air.

Within the scene, a little girl, round-faced and adorable, was holding a brush with which she had just drawn a number of little turtles on some official-looking documents. An older girl had noticed her actions. Though the little girl was initially startled, she relaxed upon recognizing her sister.

"Well, Father didn't buy me any peach blossom cakes! Sister, don't tell Father it was me, alright?" Yanzhi pleaded.

"Father's almost home. You'd better run if you don't want him to catch you red-handed. Go on!" her sister chided.

"Okay, okay! Sister, you're the best. Keep it a secret, alright?" Yanzhi stuck her tongue out playfully before tossing the brush aside. She took her sister's hand in hers and bolted off quickly. Her sister sighed in exasperation, knowing that Father would find out anyway.

Sure enough, soon afterwards, an angry shout echoed through the house. Both sisters were called over and forced to kneel as punishment.

While Father, Mother, and Brother sat at the table for dinner, Yanzhi and her sister remained kneeling on the floor.

Their stomachs rumbled as they watched everyone else eat. Tears welled up in Yanzhi's eyes and trickled down her cheeks.

"What are you looking at? When you make mistakes, you'll have to face the consequences! Do you want to join them on the floor? Keep eating," Father barked.

Mother and Brother didn't dare refute Father. They resumed eating.

Meanwhile, Yanzhi's sister tugged on Yanzhi's arm, as if in consolation.

"Sister, I'm sorry for dragging you into this," Yanzhi murmured.

Just then, with everyone preoccupied with their meal, her sister seized the chance to slip something small into Yanzhi's mouth—a piece of candy, sweet beyond belief. Where had her sister gotten it?

She looked at her sister in amazement,who winked back at her and made Yanzhi grin. Her eyes curved into grinning crescents. The two girls continued to enjoy their secret moment, unnoticed by one and all.

After dinner, with Father out of the house once more, their punishment came to an end. By then, however, all the food had been finished.

"Mother, you ate everything! Sister and I have nothing to eat," Yanzhi pouted.

"You little rascal, you're always causing trouble! Here, I kept your favorite dish in the kitchen for you—chicken drumsticks." Her mother smiled as she brought some dishes over.

"Chicken drumsticks?" Yanzhi's eyes lit up.

"Yanzhi, try to stay out of trouble, alright? Here, I got you some candied hawthorns today." Brother secretly brought her a stick of candied fruit.

"You're the best, Big Brother!" Yanzhi exclaimed.

That evening, while the rest of the household chatted and laughed, Yanzhi ate her fill.

At night, right when Yanzhi and her sister were about to sleep, their father entered their room.

"What are you doing here, Father?" Yanzhi exclaimed.

Father handed her a small box. "Next time, you can't scribble all over my papers, understand?"

"I, I..." Yanzhi pouted.

Father gently tousled her hair, set the box down, and left the room without criticizing her further.

Outside, she could faintly hear her mother speaking. "Husband, aren't you going to rest yet?"

"You go to bed first. I need to rewrite the report to the emperor. It has to be flawless."

Inside the room, her sister murmured, "Look, Yanzhi! Father's going to have more work because you were doodling over his papers!"

"I-I didn't know!" Yanzhi grimaced.

"Let's see what Father brought you. What an exquisite box! I'm going to open it, alright? Ah, peach blossom cakes? Father must have gone out just to get them for you!" Yanzhi's sister exclaimed.

Yanzhi gazed at the pastries in surprise and delight. "Thank you, Father..."

The two siblings shared the peach blossom cakes with each other, then went to bed.

The next morning, a loud, stern shout woke the household. "Surround the house! Don't let even a single fly escape!"

Yanzhi was roused from sleep amidst the sudden chaos. Her siblings and mother were all pale and worried.

"Mother, what's going on?" Brother asked anxiously.

"Your father's been framed. They're accusing him of treason, and the soldiers outside are here to seize everything. You have to run!" Mother replied, her voice trembling.

"What?!" The three siblings were stunned.

Mother strode straight up to a cupboard and slid open a hidden compartment that led to a small tunnel.

"Hurry! Crawl through this tunnel and don't come back. Never come back! Disguise yourselves well. You'll have to survive on your own. Live on no matter what!" she cried, pushing them into the hidden passage and sealing it behind them.

"Mother?" Yanzhi cried out, still not fully comprehending what was happening.

"We have to go," Brother urged.

Yanzhi's siblings guided her through the tunnel.

The three siblings continued crawling through the tunnel, only to hear screams and shouts echoing from behind.

"There's a passage here, but the opening is too small for us to fit inside!"

"We were ordered to catch everyone, dead or alive. We'll bring down the whole tunnel if we have to!"

A series of loud shouts followed as the tunnel began to shake violently.

"This isn't good. Hurry! We're going to be buried alive if we don't hurry!" Brother urged.

"Go, Yanzhi! Hurry!" Sister added.

Yanzhi sobbed as she crawled for her life.

"Brother, what's wrong?!" Sister suddenly exclaimed.

"A huge rock struck me. Leave! Go on without me!" Brother hissed.

"I won't!" Sister cried out.

Another loud rumble shook the tunnel. More rocks and dirt rained down from above, completely burying her brother alive.

"Brother!" Sister cried out.

But there was no reply.

Sister had no choice but to wipe her tears and push Yanzhi onward.

"Let's keep going, Yanzhi. Let's keep going," she whispered, sobbing as they crawled forward.

The two sisters didn't know how long they crawled before they finally emerged into the sunlight. They found themselves in a secluded valley near an estate owned by their family. A few servants were still tending to the property.

They found the old steward and tearfully recounted everything that had happened.

The old steward's initially kind demeanor shifted and hardened. He summoned a few servants to lock them in the woodshed.

Betrayed, the two sisters slumped against each other in despair.

Even so, her sister, resourceful and determined, rubbed her hands against the stove until the rope around her wrists frayed. She found a small dog hole by the corner of the wall, one so small that only little Yanzhi could squeeze through.

"I won't be able to escape, Yanzhi. Remember, once you're outside, smear dirt on your face, get a change of clothes, and don't trust anyone. Just run!" Sister told her tearfully.

"I don't want to!" Yanzhi cried.

"Listen to me, or I'll never forgive you. Live on. You have to survive! Come back and rescue me one day," Sister urged.

Only when Sister threatened to kill herself did Yanzhi agree to run. Sister smeared soot from the stove on Yanzhi's face and pushed her outside.

It was a dark, stormy night. In the rain, Yanzhi ran out of the estate and into a grove farther away. In the distance, she saw the old steward leading a group of soldiers directly to the manor.

"You've done very well. Once we catch them both, I'll request that this estate be handed to you," the captain of the guards said.

"Thank you, Captain," the old steward replied, bowing.

Yanzhi etched their faces into her memory. She rushed away, not daring to look back. As she ran, she cried and sobbed.

"Father, Mother, Brother, Sister..."

Xiao Nanfeng watched the scene unfold from within the hall, silent. Was this what lay at the core of Madam Rouge's heart? A childhood memory that had marked her for life?

The scene continued, depicting Yanzhi's harsh journey as she became an orphan overnight. Her clothes were tattered, her face covered in dirt. She ended up as a beggar in a certain city, bullied by the other children on the streets. Finally, a cultivator noticed her potential and took her in.

Yanzhi had thought the cultivator was a disciple of some righteous sect, only to discover otherwise. The man was actually a minor ringleader in an assassins' guild. He brought her into the organization and trained her alongside other children. Yanzhi overcame countless life-threatening ordeals with her innate talent and unyielding spirit, eventually growing into a graceful young woman.

The cultivator, having noticed her beauty by then, began to harbor improper thoughts for her. Yanzhi narrowly escaped his advances and, in a decisive moment, killed him. She took over his position in the assassins' guild.

One of her assignments was to infiltrate a battlefield, where she disguised herself as a soldier. Her exceptional combat skill earned her numerous accolades, and she quickly advanced to the rank of general. With her military position, she leveraged the accumulated power of her forces to eliminate the head of the guild and take over the entire organization.

Given her charisma and keen intelligence, and the support of an entire guild of assassins, Yanzhi grew into an even more formidable force on the battlefield. Eventually, she returned to seek her family, only to find that they had all perished, her sister among them. She exacted revenge on those responsible, one by one.

Over time, Yanzhi's heart froze over. Her reputation as a formidable general spread, and she became known as a warlord of unmatched might. When the emperor of her kingdom sought to marry her by force, she refused. Soon after, the emperor met his end in a coup, and civil war broke out. Yanzhi rallied her forces, seized territories, and joined the battle for supremacy. She ultimately unified the land and crowned herself emperor.

Madam Rouge's life was filled with tragedy, resilience, and anguish.

Xiao Nanfeng watched on with a heavy sigh as her life story unfolded.

Just then, however, the scene flickered. Yanzhi returned to her childhood.

"Yanzhi, did you draw little turtles on Father's papers again? Just wait until he comes back—you're going to get a beating!"

"Well, Father didn't buy me any peach blossom cakes! Sister, don't tell Father it was me, alright?"

The same scenes from before came into view.

"What? Is the dream looping? Has Madam Rouge failed? Is she going to be trapped in this endless cycle?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned in worry.