Infinite hate became Madam Laiâs desire to live.
When she opened her eyes again the surroundings had already changed places. No longer lying on the street, sheâs now comfortably lying in bed of a luxurious room. Understanding this place must belong to some wealthy individual, her face immediately changed for the worse as she struggled to get up.
Over the years she had been accustomed to the ridiculing words and faces from those rich snobby people in the city. Despite their good outer skin, their hearts are rotten to the core.
Thankfully the coffin faced Dao Nu was standing guard at the doorway outside, otherwise Madam Lai wouldâve escaped by herself without informing anyone.
âIf I were you I would not leave.â
Just as Madam Lai was hesitating on what to do next now that she canât get away, a voice interrupts her train of thought after the door swings open. This was swiftly accompanied by the fragrance aroma of food and the delicate footsteps of a young girl.
The newcomer wore a dress of white with eyes like the twinkling stars of the night. If this wasnât Ye Ling Yue then who else can it be?
Not to be left behind, Feng Shen follows closely behind her, making the pair a romantic scene like that in a painting.
Truly, Madam Lai have lived for twenty eight years but this was the first time she encountered such a enchanting sight. If not for her throbbing pain striking at her senses still, she might really believe sheâs currently inside a celestial palace.
âYour Highness.â Dao Nu breaks the trance of the woman by announcing his young lord status, sending Madam Lai back to reality.
Realizing sheâs been rude, she took another look around the room and the manâs refined appearance. Through these clues, plus the culturally different ornaments placed around the cabinets, itâs not hard for her to guess who the young man was.
The Phoenix Manor, this here was the residence of the Phoenix Lord of North Qing.
âAre you the Phoenix Lordâs royal consort?â She sends another long look at the girl, causing Ling Yue to shy away from that statement.
Meanwhile in the back, Feng Shen was enjoying every second of it and left the woman to continue the misunderstanding.
âIâm just good friends with him, were⦠were not in that kind of relationship. Anyways, do you not recognize me after only a few days?â Embarrassed by the situation, Ling Yue hastily brought the mask she used for the auction out to divert the topic.
When seeing the familiar mask again, it finally dawned on Madam Lai on who these two were.
âYou are that young man from that day? Aigh, blame me for being slow. Why didnât I realize it then that those bank notes with the stamp can only come from the Phoenix Manor of North Qing.â
As the former mistress of the Sha Sect, Madam Laiâs keenness wasnât bad. In fact, she had suspected Feng Shenâs identity as soon as she received the money that day, but never in her wildest dream did she expect the young man to be the Phoenix Lord himself. The most she assumed was a member of the household, or maybe even a manager of some sort.
It canât be helped. According to what she knew, the Phoenix Lord may be handsome beyond compare, but its also well known heâs a sickly boy which doesnât match up with the one standing here today. Then thereâs this girl in front. If sheâs not the royal consort then who was she?
âThank you two for saving me, but I am an unsophisticated woman so I fear I might dirty this room. My injuries are good now so please allow me to take my leave.â Despite the kindness she received thus far, the perception she had for the wealthy hasnât changed at all. After giving her thanks, Madam Lai wanted to leave right away.
âIf I were you I would never go. The toxins accrued over the years inside your body wonât permit you to live past the third month. Do you want your children to lose their mother too when they have no father to begin with?â Not stopping the woman either, Ling Yue went ahead and placed the medicine down from her hands.
âWhat have you done to my daughter and son!â As soon as she heard her twinâs name, her emotional self poured out instantly.
Through the short interaction they had in the auction before, Madam Lai knew very well the girl before her had an astonishing level of knowledge in the use of poisons and medical healing.
Take her injury here for example. To be able to walk again after only one night gave proof to her conjecture that the girl was more than meets the eye. Nevertheless, Madam Lai also had no delusions about this girl coming with ulterior motives.
âMother, Little Squeak and Little Crow is too fun to play with!â A very young boy and girl came hopping in with their flushed cheeks at this moment, their arms still holding the two little fellas.
At the sight of their motherâs image, the boy and girl rushed over immediately and flung themselves onto Madam Laiâs arm on each side.
In other peopleâs eye, this toad skinned woman may be ugly and unsightly on the outside, but to these two children, sheâs the most important âmotherâ that canât be replaced.
âXiao Nan, Xiao Bei, what are you two doing here?â Seeing the twins safe and sound, her tense heart became relieved.
Note: Xiao Nan, Xiao Bei means Little North and Little South in Chinese. Itâs almost bordering on the line of nicknames.
âMadam Lai, your ex-husband Yang Qing already knows about your children. After he learned of your survival yesterday, he had his people investigate and found out you gave birth to a pair of twins after he expelled you. Heâs done so many evil deeds over the years, do you really want your children to follow in his footsteps?â Unnerved by the news, the woman heavily grasps onto the kids, refusing to let go.
Yang Qing may have been cured of his injury years ago through Madam Laiâs effort, but it also came at a price and that was he canât seed anymore offspringâs.
âMother, I donât want to leave you.â The one called Xiao Nan cries out first, followed quickly by the one called Xiao Bei, âMe too mother. I will become big brother Dao Naoâs apprentice and beat up the bad man.â
Like a plague, the twins started to cry out in tears after noticing their motherâs frightened appearance.
âDonât cry, mother will definitely protect you two.â Making a turmoiled face, Madam Lai eventually makes up her mind after looking at Ling Yue.
âMiss Ye, please help me. As long as you help me then I will serve you forever.â With her children by her side, she kneels down to the floor with them and starts kowtowing.
âAunty Ye, please help our mother.â The twins started to follow their motherâs lead and began begging with their childish voice.
âI can help you, but before that you have to reinvent yourself.â Using her index finger, Ling Yue gently caresses the disgusting layer of skin on Madam Laiâs face.
âMy face can still be saved?â After spending so many years in her current state, she had long given up on saving her appearance. But as a woman, who doesnât like to be beautiful? And through the words today, hope reignites itself within her heart.
âYes, but the process will be painful so you must endure.â Following this statement, the guest room inside the Phoenix Manor became filled with the thick heavy scent of medicinal herbs throughout the day.
Collecting dozens of poisonous insects, Ling Yue had these bugs bite away the rotten layer of skin on the womanâs face. Then using over a dozen of the beauty enhancing pills she got from the old dwarf, Ling Yue mashed them into a fine paste and smothered them across Madam Laiâs underlying flesh. Through this method, new skin will take hold on the surface.
Finally, after nearly two long months of waiting, Madam Laiâs outer skin was fully healed, returning her to her primed state.
Both afraid and excited, Madam Lai slowly opened her eyes in front of the mirror after Ling Yue unwrapped her bandages.
Seeing her new look for the first time, she couldnât resist uttering a loud shriek of pure emotion!