RE: Intertwined Destiny

Wrong place, wrong time

Munching on the plain bun, Bai Shuyin stared at the hairpin in her hand, blinking at it while the item seemed to mock her. She wasn't certain but in the long run, the hairpin was back in her hands again. The white-haired girl pouted her lips, her legs dangling from her spot high up on the tree. 

Instead of going back to her place, she decided to loiter around the city. Her promise to accompany Wang Heiyue entirely slipped her mind. Buying a super-ass cheap bun that was as plain as flour, she took a stroll to clear her mind, though she wasn't entirely sure what she should be stressing about. 

In the end, she sneaked out of the city, heading towards the peripheral forest of Li Continent. Her being here alone was like courting death, but she could care less. She just wanted time alone with no one around, not even that little dragon. 

She had climbed up a tree, settling on the highest and the sturdiest branch. The moment she leaned her back against the bark of the tree and stared at the moon, the feeling of homesickness washed over her. 

She missed the food back at home, she missed bubble teas, missed her books and 2D handsome husbands, she missed her home, and more importantly, she missed her stupid drunk-ass uncle. 

After the loss of her parents, he was the only one she had despite none of them showing their love openly. While she buried herself in novels, he did the same with alcohol. Yet, she always noticed the pocket money left on the table every morning, or maybe sometimes dinner as well. 

While she had Wang Heiyue here, her uncle had no one left there. How was he coping, she wondered? It was ironic how they all left him through the same pathway of death. Bai Shuyin took a bit of the tasteless bun, forcing herself to swallow the rough texture of it. 

This was the only thing she could afford here. Back in her world, she wouldn't even glance at it. 

Bai Shuyin peeked at the hairpin again. That phoenix prince said she could sell it, pawn it if she wanted to. Though his exact words were "throw it" if you want, it would be so much better to make a profit out of it. 

She then scrunched her nose in disgust. What was she? A materialistic bitch? 

The way he worded it when he handed it back, forcefully if she might add, was tragic. With a kick-puppy look, he thrust the item into her hand and turned away like a woman who had just had her love rejected. Bai Shuyin sweatdropped, the situation was entirely too similar. 

How could she sell this thing after seeing his face look like that? The people here were experts in guilt-tripping, for sure. 

Bai Shuyin was on her last bite when a ruckus drew her attention. The girl swiftly sprung up, her head whipped around to find the source of the noises. From her position up above, she saw shadows running in between the trees. 

Her heart thumped rapidly, thinking of the worst-case scenario. She held her breath, eyes looking everywhere as the air stilled around her. 

"AHHHHH!!" 

Bai Shuyin almost jolted in fright at the blood-curdling scream. It was loud and piercing like the owner of this scream was in so much terror and fear that his life depended on it. 

She no longer needed to look for the source when she saw it out of the corner of her eyes. 

An old man, she saw. Dressed in what seemed to be expensive clothing; Bai Shuyin guessed he must be one of the officials, despite being torn in some places. The old man with messy hair ran with his life through the trees while screaming his lungs off. 

It didn't take long for her to notice what he was running from. 

A snake, a scaly navy-colored snake. 

Now she knew why the old man was fucking terrified. She almost lost her strength when she saw the size of the snake. 

It was huge. Enormous. 

If she had to describe it precisely, this snake was similar in size to a Titanoboa, if not bigger. 

Bai Shuyin pressed her back to the bark, trying to minimize her presence. Being swallowed by a snake was not one on her agenda. She covered her mouth, stilling all her movements as she hid. 

The old man tripped and stumbled, falling flat onto the ground and Bai Shuyin winced at the sound. Tears and snots all over his face, the old man tried to crawl away to no avail. 

The snake hissed at him, baring its sharp fangs at him, yet it didn't immediately pounce him. It merely circled the elder as if waiting for a command. And there, she heard it. 

"Not running anymore? Aren't you tired of running?" A young girl, barely the age of ten, sneered. 

"No—nooo, stop…! Who are you?! Y… You're not the ninth princess!!" The old man shrieked, pointing at somewhere that Bai Shuyin couldn't see unless she peeked out of her hiding place. 

The snake hissed warningly at him, reprimanding the elder to watch his tone. 

The young girl finally stepped up from the shadow, coming out of Bai Shuyin's blind spot. The white-haired girl's lips twitched, having thoroughly been rendered speechless. 

Li Fantong made her appearance. Her wealthy robes and sophisticated look were in contrast to the expression on her face. The young girl exposed a mildly astonished expression, putting a hand on her chest, she said, "Me? Eunuch Zhang, I'm hurt, how could you not recognize me?" 

Bai Shuyin blinked and suddenly a half-foot-long knife appeared in the original female lead's hand. She held the sword that was almost as tall as her, dragging the tip of the sword on the ground. 

The navy-scaled snake, as if knowing what its master's intention, slammed its huge body towards the elderly, pinning the man to the earth. The elderly crashed onto the ground, chest planted against the ground. His entire body was paralyzed and unable to move.

Li Fantong walked slowly towards the elder, tiny finger tapping at her chin as she pondered aloud. "Which leg should I go first? Left," She pointed at the left leg before moving to the right, "Or right?" 

"No… nooo, stop! Stop, stop, stopstopstopstop!!" He screamed and screamed, snots flying and staining the ground, yet no words of pleading came out of his mouth like his ego was too high to even beg for his life. 

"Awww~ Li Fantong is so confusedddd~" The girl pouted, whining childishly yet it sent chills down Bai Shuyin's spine. 

'What the hell?' Was the original female lead always acting like this? Bai Shuyin stared in disbelief at the scene below her. She gripped her hand that had unknowingly tremored, it shook so hard that even her other hand trembled as well. 

Dread. Fear. That was what she felt at the moment.  

As if the heavens were agreeing with her, a few claps of thunder sounded and a bolt of lightning split the sky.