The Male Lead’s Backyard is on Fire [Transmigration] - Chapter 5

His voice was hoarse and magnetic, carrying a heavy undertone of threat that felt especially oppressive in this atmosphere.

Yu Chi Li was about to speak up when she saw Lu Yunkui walk straight past her. He stood before Liu Luoyi, looking down at her from his height. Liu Luoyi did not yield; she tilted her head back to meet his gaze directly.

Yu Chi Li raised an eyebrow, feeling a flicker of annoyance. Had she really just been ignored like that?

“Your courage is growing bolder by the day,” Lu Yunkui sneered. “Not only are you carrying a weapon, but you actually dared to strike me? Liu Luoyi, oh Liu Luoyi, truly the most poisonous thing is a woman’s heart. Do not forget that your father and brother are both in my hands. Do you believe that I could make your brother’s life a living hell tonight?”

Liu Luoyi clenched her fists at his words. She glared at Lu Yunkui with resentment. “What are you going to do to him?”

Seeing her desperation, Lu Yunkui relaxed instead. A smile curled on his lips. “I am but a minor official with few means. I would simply have him experience everything he has already gone through, once more.”

Liu Luoyi’s vision went dark. A rush of blood surged to her head, and she nearly fainted. She could only stare at Lu Yunkui with eyes wide with fury, unable to speak.

Standing behind them, Yu Chi Li looked from one to the other, feeling quite curious. What kind of sinister tactic had Lu Yunkui used to provoke Liu Luoyi to such an extent?

“Whatever you want, I will comply,” Liu Luoyi said after a long silence.

Lu Yunkui’s smile brightened. “You will know what I want once you come with me now.”

“Fine.” Liu Luoyi closed her eyes, her heart filled with bitterness. This was likely her fate. Lu Yunkui held her two weaknesses in his grasp, leaving her unable to live in peace yet unable to seek death.

Just then, Yu Chi Li let out two heavy coughs, breaking the eerie atmosphere.

Lu Yunkui frowned, his expression showing deep impatience. However, by the time he turned around, his face had returned to a spring-like warmth. “Li’er, do not be willful. It is not that I am ignoring you, but this lowly servant was bold enough to cause injury during the day. I am taking her away to teach her a lesson.”

“Oh, during the day?” Yu Chi Li spoke with unearned confidence. “I was the one who hit you.”

“What?” Lu Yunkui’s expression shifted.

“As my man, you were out there flirting and fooling around. If this were back in our Northern Territory, you would have been dragged out and beaten to death with sticks long ago. For now, I have only given you a tiny lesson,” Yu Chi Li said with a beaming smile.

Lu Yunkui looked at her as if she were a madwoman, momentarily lost for words.

In the past, Yu Chi Li would have been completely submissive to him. Yet in the last two days, she seemed even harder to deal with than Liu Luoyi. This sensation of things slipping out of his control was highly unpleasant.

“Li’er, have you been possessed? You claim you did all of this?” As Lu Yunkui asked, he pulled back his clothing to reveal the wound Liu Luoyi had carved into him.

“That is correct,” Yu Chi Li admitted quite cheerfully.

Beside them, Liu Luoyi looked at Yu Chi Li in surprise. She saw the Princess standing there calmly, her figure tall and elegant, showing no fear whatsoever. Liu Luoyi was bewildered as to why Yu Chi Li would help her time and time again.

Lu Yunkui had always been a man of deep calculation. Faced with Yu Chi Li’s massive transformation, he quickly regained his composure and continued in a soft voice, “Li’er, you misunderstand. I share an irreconcilable enmity with this servant; I would never do anything untoward with her. Besides, my feelings for you are deep. How could I ever be moved by a mere slave?”

What an Oscar-worthy performance, Yu Chi Li thought to herself.

But Yu Chi Li feared nothing. If it was a contest of who had the thickest skin, how could she possibly lose?

She extended a slender finger and began to idly toy with a strand of her high-bound hair. She smiled and said, “I believe you. However, this Princess has never been able to tolerate a thorn in her eye. If one truly gets stuck there someday and I decide to pull it out by the roots, it would not be impossible.”

She pointedly emphasized the words “this Princess.”

She had not expected that in this life she would get to enjoy the perks of using power to suppress others. It felt wonderful.

Sure enough, Lu Yunkui’s face turned visibly dark. He nodded slowly, then suddenly grabbed Liu Luoyi with no regard for her well-being and strode out the door.

Liu Luoyi followed numbly, nearly tripping several times. She did not look back at Yu Chi Li, and Yu Chi Li did not speak up to save her again.

Liu Luoyi did not trust her, and trust was not something that could be forced.

Once the sound of footsteps faded, the stunned Xin Ran suddenly rushed forward. She threw her arms around Yu Chi Li’s waist, hugging her tightly, and began to wail loudly.

Yu Chi Li was speechless.

“What is wrong with you? Let go of me first!” Yu Chi Li struggled, but she actually could not break free.

Good grief, how does a young girl have this much strength?

Yu Chi Li gave up. “What are you crying for?”

“Princess! You are finally back! This is how the Princess used to be, riding horses and being arrogant and rude! Ever since you met the son-in-law, you changed completely. Now, you have finally changed back! Xin Ran… Xin Ran is so happy! Waaaah!”

Yu Chi Li felt a headache coming on. Could she not use idioms properly?

“But Princess, when did our Northern Territory start dragging unfaithful men out to be beaten to death?” Xin Ran looked up to ask.

“I made it up,” Yu Chi Li said righteously.

“You said I changed. In what way have I changed?” Yu Chi Li asked. This was the perfect opportunity to fish for information and understand this body’s background.

Xin Ran let go, wiping her tears as she spoke. “Everything has changed. The Princess used to have great ambitions. You grew up in the military camps with the King, and your skills in riding, archery, and martial arts were second to no man. Now, you are content to live in this small, secluded courtyard for the sake of the son-in-law. He has even strictly forbidden you from practicing martial arts, let alone riding and archery.”

“In my eyes, the Princess is by no means a woman meant to be kept like a pet. You are the indomitable Princess of the Northern Territory. It is a waste of all the training the King gave you; it has all gone down the drain.”

As she spoke the last sentence, Xin Ran lowered her voice. She was intentionally trying to remind Yu Chi Li, though according to her mistress’s former temperament, such words would have surely sparked a fit of rage.

However, things were different now. Her Princess was resting her chin in her hand, lost in thought.

Yu Chi Li did not care at all about the hidden meaning in Xin Ran’s words. She was entirely immersed in the shock of her own identity.

According to Xin Ran, she was not just a simple Princess. With phrases like “training” and “indomitable,” was it possible she originally had the chance to inherit the kingdom?

A surge of wild joy rose in Yu Chi Li’s heart. My god, a female heir! Could I be like the emperors in movies, ruling the world and commanding the winds and clouds?

But almost immediately, that fire of joy was doused by cold water. Stuck in this manor, controlled and utilized by Lu Yunkui at every turn, she was currently nothing more than a tool who could not even protect her own life.

Xin Ran watched as her Princess’s expression shifted from excitement to tragedy.

“Then… my father, the King, how is he now?” Yu Chi Li asked tentatively.

“Ever since the Princess severed ties with the King, he has never asked about you again. He only occasionally sends people to deliver gold and silver, but he has never said a single word. Princess, if I may speak bluntly, the King was so good to you, yet you spoke such harsh words to him for the sake of a mere Lu Yunkui. You truly broke his heart.”

Xin Ran decided to risk it all today and speak her mind. She had held these words in for too long and had never dared to say them.

“What did I say again?” Yu Chi Li asked.

“You said the King only raised you to use you. You said he obstructed your love in every way just because he did not want you to be happy. You said you wanted to sever all ties with him,” Xin Ran said expressionlessly.

Yu Chi Li truly wanted to slap herself. To be this stupid and unable to distinguish good from bad, the original owner was quite the talent!

Over the next few days, Yu Chi Li did not see Liu Luoyi or Lu Yunkui again. She stayed cooped up in her room all day, either chatting with Xin Ran or finding books to read. She finally managed to understand the current state of the world.

The country she was currently in was named Yan. It was powerful and prosperous, located in the Central Plains. Her homeland, the Northern Territory, was located to the north as its name suggested. It was home to ethnic minorities who, through their bravery and skill in battle, had carved out their own territory.

And this body truly did know martial arts; in fact, the skills seemed quite impressive. It must not have been easy for the King of the Northern Territory to train her since childhood.

The King did not have many children. The original owner’s mother had passed away early, and the King never took another consort. He only had her and her older sister, Yu Chi Die. However, Yu Chi Die had no interest in politics and knew nothing of riding or archery.

This meant that because of the original owner’s willfulness, the Northern Territory would eventually face defeat, leading to the destruction of the country and their home.

Every time Yu Chi Li heard about these things, she felt a sharp pain of anger in her chest.

On this day, Yu Chi Li was once again coaxing Xin Ran to tell her stories of the original owner’s childhood. Just as they were getting into the conversation, a maid walked in, lowered her head, and said, “Princess, the young master is looking for you.”

Yu Chi Li waved her hand to dismiss her. Xin Ran stepped forward and asked, “Princess, do you want to change your clothes?”

“No need.” Yu Chi Li simply smoothed out her wrinkled skirt and walked out.

During her time here, Lu Yunkui had not visited her once. One could imagine what kind of life the original owner had lived. Now that he was suddenly calling for her, it surely was not for anything good.

Lu Yunkui’s study was in a quiet corner that required walking through the garden to reach. The garden was not large, filled with various plants and scattered rockeries that formed a small landscape.

From a distance, Yu Chi Li saw a person standing on top of a rockery, stretching out an arm to prune a tree. The person nearly slipped several times, looking very precarious and shaky.

Yu Chi Li grumbled to herself, Who would dare climb that high without even using a ladder? If they fall onto those rocks, they would lose half their life.

She held her breath and moved closer, looking up. The person almost lost their footing several times, making Yu Chi Li’s heart skip a beat in sympathy.

“Hey! It is just pruning branches, why are you so slow!” Suddenly, a shout came from nowhere, startling Yu Chi Li.

At the same time, the person above lost their balance and fell straight down. Without time to think, Yu Chi Li instinctively reached out to catch them.

To make matters worse, as the person fell, a large amount of scattered branches and leaves fell as well, landing right on Yu Chi Li’s face and obscuring her vision.

Then, she felt a heavy weight hit her, and she fell flat on her back onto the ground.

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