2 The Soul Is Now Nestled In (Part 1)

In a bedchamber, fine, lavish, and richly embellished furnishings adorned the room, giving off an elegance and grace impression. Gold-plated phoenix lamps hung on the wall while the dividing screen was artfully refined. With an antique style, everything seemed like furniture from ancient times.

The reason Chu Yu began to suspect that it was not a joke was that it dawned on her after sobering up that she could have died.

Prior to her awakening, the last memory she had was of a plane crash. Although it was not a pleasant recollection, she had no choice but to face reality.

After the incident, she found herself in an unfamiliar place amidst five young men. She neither felt any shred of pain nor found any signs of bruises on her body. The decorations in the room were unimaginably extravagant and classically elegant, but her hand... 

Chu Yu peered at the hand that she raised before her eyes. This was definitely not her hand! The bone structure was uniform and delicate. On her fair and flawless skin, there were no scars, coarseness or old calluses. This pair of hands undoubtedly belonged to one with an extremely pampered life and was absolutely not her own which she was all too familiar with. Her real hands would have been slender and strong from the mountains and uncultivated forests she had climbed and forayed.

This was the most obvious and prominent shred of evidence.

It was definitely not a joke. None from her acquaintances could have pulled this kind of prank on her, at least, not to this elaborate an extent.

In her past life, Chu Yu often spent her leisure time reading popular online novels. Among them were mentions of time travel and reincarnation into another's body apart from exchanged souls and rebirth. Although it was creative and interesting, Chu Yu had never taken them seriously. She always thought of such tales as enchanting fantasies that were merely a figment of her imagination. However, when such irrefutable evidence was forced upon her, this impossible possibility resurfaced in her mind.

Unfamiliar surroundings, unfamiliar young men, as well as an unfamiliar body...

Apart from time travel, Chu Yu could not think of any other more rational or reasonable explanation.

She felt her vision turn blur and was overcome by momentary blackness. It almost felt like she was about to faint, and her heart constricted intensely. She found it almost impossible to foresee a circumstance like this to such an extreme extent, yet she could only accept the reality that was unfolding right before her as she began to ponder what she would need to do next.

The young man's accent was somewhat strange. His pronunciation and way of speech were completely different from the Chinese of modern times. It sounded like the dialect of a different place which Chu Yu was not familiar with. However, to her surprise, she was able to understand it without any difficulties. It was as if she originally knew it like the back of her hand.

Chu Yu was well aware of the pronunciation used in ancient Chinese. After undergoing thousands of years of civilization changes, the language had evolved and become somewhat different from the Chinese of ancient times. However, this was not what she should delve into at the moment. 

Her more pressing concern at present was, 'Who am I? Where am I? And at what point in time?'

The turmoil of panic, fear and being at a loss raged through her heart, but when logic had been pushed to its limits, a robotic-like calmness settled over her as if rationality had detached from her mind while she coldly observed, pondered, and assessed her surroundings.

This young man had called her "Princess" and judging from his clothes, he was most likely not from the Qing or the Yuan Dynasty1. Hence, these two dynasties could be ruled out. However, her present identity… Could she really have been a princess? 

Thoughts revolved in her head at this moment while several ideas flitted across her mind as she tried to steady her voice to speak up. "All of you, rise up and put on your clothing first."

As soon as those words left her mouth, she regretted it. What if they noticed her sounding different? What should she do then? However, in an instant, it also abruptly occurred to her that her tone and speech had changed along with her body.

The mystery of the change in her vocals could also be put on hold for the time being as Chu Yu distinctly caught sight of the surprise that flashed through the depths of the young man's pitch black eyes. He was the first young man who had stood up. Although it was only for an instant, the sensitive Chu Yu did not miss it.

'Did I say something wrong?'

Chu Yu's heartbeat sped up as insecurities plagued her with restless speculations. Fortunately, the surprise she saw in the young man's eyes only flickered for a split second but was replaced by an expression of what looked like a faint smile. "Princess, it seems like there's something different about you today." He then inclined his head to gesture and ordered the four young men, "All of you may leave first. You shall be summoned in if there's anything else later on." 

His words seemed to be influential. The four young men, who initially did not move although Chu Yu had asked them not to crouch down earlier, stood up in succession and put their clothes on upon hearing his orders. Chu Yu even heard the faint sound of one of them sighing in relief, making her even more doubtful and unsettled.

Four of them detoured from the dividing screen at the doorway and departed one after another. The young man with the refined demeanor and Chu Yu were the only ones left in the room. In spite of the naïve and harmless appearance of the young man, Chu Yu still felt apprehensive and ill at ease. She softly remarked, "You may also leave."

She needed space with ample quietness to gather her thoughts. Since this young man had called her "Princess", then supposedly she would also have some authority.

"Princess?"

The astounded young man did not expect to meet such similar treatment as well. Looking upon Chu Yu's face, his expression afterward turned odd. Apparently looking slightly confused, almost in a sense that he might be accusing her of some wrongdoing, she felt guilt eating at her although she already had her hands full with her own concerns at that very moment. Hence, she could not spare that much worry about someone else's feelings.

The young man's expression revealed a thread of intrigue while waiting for Chu Yu to revoke her command. He finally gave in when he realized none was forthcoming as he nodded his head slightly. "Since that's the case, I shall take my leave. However, in the event that you are in need of any help, Princess, please call for me anytime."

With that, the young man who called himself Rong Zhi left the bedroom in an orderly manner, following the footsteps of the four men before him. He left in a steady manner as the shadows cast by his silhouette in the dim light gave off a lofty chill that contrasted starkly to the warmth portrayed by his facial appearance.

At this moment, Chu Yu was left alone in this huge, spacious room. She was consumed by waves of destitution, which left her with a forlorn sense of loneliness in its wake. Taking a few deep breaths, she suppressed the vulnerability that was frantically rising within her.

Even while she was lost in the uncultivated forests, alone and groping for a way out in the dark, never once did she ever experience such feelings of dismay and bleakness.

This situation had already gone beyond her control.

Still wrapped in the silk covers, Chu Yu absent-mindedly went in search of clothes to cover her body. Close to the bed, there was a square table, atop which were several pieces of clothing neatly arranged in a pile. There were various layers of large and small ones in bright folds which made Chu Yu feel slightly overwhelmed and dizzy as she momentarily felt at a loss choosing which to wear first.

Without waiting for her to ponder further, a timid female voice floated in from outside the door that was shielded by the dividing screen. "Princess, I'm You Lan, and I'm here to help you with your change of clothes."

Initially, Chu Yu paid no heed to her. Then, an idea suddenly occurred to her as she lightly pursed her lips and invited in a clear voice, "Come in."