In her comatose state, Yan Luan was brought into a dream once again by the jade bracelet. But, unlike the wet-dreams that had occurred from before, she was no longer the participant and more like a bystander……
There were flowers everywhere, and she knew them to be the flowers of HuaiYin HouFu, but as a baby's cry echoed through the air, the flowers, as if responding to the baby's call, bloomed magnificently.
A child, probably around eight to nine years old, stepped into her view, and it took her a few moments to recognize him for Yan Jing. To her utter surprise, the tiny Yan Jing held the baby in his arms as he coaxed her tenderly.
The images faded and changed in a blink of an eye. The usually solemn HuaiYin HouFu was now decorated with various lanterns and ribbons as the entire household celebrated the first full-moon of the baby. High up on the stage, the fully-dressed up Princess YongKang held the baby in her arms as she revealed the child's name to the crowd.
"Luans are recognized as phoenixes, and a daughter of the Luan House is worthy of being recognized as a phoenix! Hence, I announce that my youngest child shall be named Yan Luan."
Yan Luan gasped in shock as she finally understood what was happening. This was not a random dream, as this was probably actual history of the real Yan Luan's life…
As the dream continued, the baby grew up wonderfully. Her looks bloomed strikingly as she aged, while her brother, who had always guarded and protected her, had gradually made a name for himself.
Everything was perfect.
But as they grew, the love in the teenager's eyes were no longer pure, and though the siblings were still close, their relationships were somewhat ambiguous. The younger sister would continue to depend and rely on her elder brother, but the brother began to suffer, as his love for her had grew into something he could never speak of.
The images changed once again, and this time, Yan Jing had returned triumphantly from war and filled with hegemony. Still, his gaze softened significantly when his adored sister jumped into his arms in glee at his return, but as he put on the white jade bracelet on her wrist, he suddenly felt an unavoidable urge and pecked her softly on her forehead.
As she stared at his eyes, so deep with emotions and adoration for the woman within his arms, Yan Luan felt a deep suffocation in her heart, as if it had been punctured by needles.
Everything changed when the young lady, now fifteen years old, was told that she would be engaged to Emperor QiLing. The news had sent Yan Jing into a despair, and it was like an endless nightmare for him.
After the news, the images began focusing entirely on Yan Jing. She watched him hid nearby, staring grimly at the conversation between the young emperor and his adored little sister while agonizing pain filled through him.
No! This wasn't Yan Luan's childhood! Yan Luan thought in shock as Yan Jing stumbled away in despair while pressing a palm over his heart.
The images were more alike to the history she knew from her days in school!
Sure enough, when the images changed, she watched silently as the intoxicated Yan Jing, with eyes filled with grief and despair, entered the young woman's room step by step……
The young woman struggled desperately in confusion as the man forced himself upon her, and as she screamed out in pain and hopelessness, Yan Luan felt as if she could vaguely remember the scrutinizing pain of the memory.
In the morning, after Yan Jing regained his soberness, he had pressed a dagger into her hands and, for the first time, told her about his love and despair for her. He held her hands tenderly as he directed the sharp point of the dagger towards his heart, wishing she could end his miserable life.
"Kill me, Ah Luan, kill me and end my love and pain for you……"
"Come, push the dagger here. This heart had beaten for you for the past fifteen years, it hasn't belonged to myself for a very long time."
"Please forgive my selfishness for causing such a nightmarish night for you, though it was truly the happiest moment of my life…" He caressed her hair tenderly, "But what's the point of living if we're destined to never be together… Come……"
His love for her had caused her damnation, and death was like a release to him. Yan Luan noticed that her hands were trembling uncontrollably as the young woman on the bed held shakily onto the dagger, it was so sharpened that the sharp point had pierced through his chest and made him bleed a little.
No! Don't die! Yan Luan screamed in pain, wanting to rush over to the couple but realizing that she could not move or make a sound.
Clang!
The young lady dropped the dagger onto the ground and proceeded to punch him on his chest as she cried out pitifully, she scolded him for him madness and hated herself for her weakness, but how could she kill him? He was the brother she loved the most after all…
Yan Jing stayed silent as he allowed her to vent her emotions, but his lips had curved up into a tender and loving smile as he hugged her tightly.
In the later years, they fell deeply in love. But their love had violated the world's ethics and the world did not treat them kindly, still, Yan Jing had never allowed his girl to be damaged at all. He had shouldered every single curse and rumors as he kept her safe within his arms.
They would embrace under the bright moon, or take slow walks through the gardens in spring. He would block her from the scorching summer sun, and take her out for hunting in autumn. He would find ways to keep her warm during the winter, even going as far as to serach and hunt for an albino fox, just so he would make her a fur coat, he had not spoken of his frozen legs, as her smile was everything he ever wanted.
The images sped up suddenly, only freezing at a red room. In the room, the young woman and the man who was hugging her from behind, were both dressed fully in a red wedding attire. They had crossed their elbows through one another and drank the couple wine in a single gulp.
"Ah Luan, you're now my wife."
"Husband~"
Warm and tender feelings spread through Yan Luan's heart, to the point that she wished for this moment to last forever… But alas, it did not.
She was not a stranger to Yan Dao, who had appeared occasionally throughout the years, but unlike this life, he had always followed her silently, hiding the same love for her deeply within his heart as he protected her together with Yan Jing.
Whereas Chu YunShang, who had been enchanted by Yan Jing, had been ruthlessly ignored by the man of her dreams for many years. Her heart had blackened in despair and she had used her close relations with Queen Dowager Chu to finally become a high-ranked concubine of Emperor QiLing, thus beginning to cause troubles and picking fights with Yan Luan.
After conceiving the emperor's child, she had immediately poisoned her husband and pushed the blame towards Yan Luan. She had even bribed many of the famous writers in history to write about Yan Jing's blood-thirst and violence, finally forcing Yan Jing to rebel against his very own country.
In this troubled times, Yan Jing had acquiesced to Yan Dao's existence, while Yan Luan was always protected by her two brothers. Many years later, Yan Jing had successfully won the battle and was crowned emperor.
But their efforts were all for naught, as Chu YunShang had managed to sneak into the imperial queen's chambers and murdered Yan Luan in cold blood…
After suffering for years and finally holding the world within his hands, Yan Jing had broken down in tears as he held her corpse in his arms, choosing immediately to leave with her. Princess YongKang had knelt before him as she begged her own son to ascend the throne and protect the citizens of their country.
"Mother, if I am to protect the citizens, who would protect my Ah Luan? She is all alone, and the road to the underworld is too cold… If I'm not there with her, she would be afraid……"
Men do not cry easily, but as Yan Luan watched her brother weep in grief, she finally understood what was love. True love is carved into our hearts, unforgettable and unreplaceable, not even death could split them!
He was finally convinced, choosing a vengeful path and had ordered against House Chu's existence.
In the later years, Yan Jing had became a qualified emperor, he had united the entire continent with an iron fist and was named the Emperor QiWu from history.
Meanwhile, upon receiving news of Yan Luan's death, Yan Dao had captured Chu YunShang on the exact same day and had skinned her alive, and finally burning her bones into ashes. He had refused Yan Jing's offer of giving him a title and had retired into the mountains, this was the reason why there were no records of him in the books after their sister's death.
It took him three years to locate the great wizard in the northern BeiJiang and had presented Yan Luan's white jade bracelet to him, begging the wizard to give all three of them a second chance to live. And perhaps lamented by the love story belonging to the siblings, the great wizard agreed.
Though, the price was Yan Dao's life, which he had readily agreed, while Emperor QiWu, too, had fallen in battle on the exact same day.
And as the great wizard placed the bracelet into Yan Dao's burning flesh within the furnace, the gears of destiny began to rotate once again……