Once the Clouds Returned

[Classic Angsty Chase-Your-Wife Drama]

The Fifth Princess, Chu Yun, had never had an easy life. She thought all her hardships had been leading her to meet Wen Sheng, her ray of light. But in the end, Wen Sheng became the hardest obstacle she had ever faced.

On the day Shengjing fell, every illusion was shattered, and Chu Yun was cruelly confronted with the bloody truth: love was a lie, and so were the vows. Growing old together had all been an empty fantasy.

In Wen Sheng's life, Chu Yun was nothing more than a pawn he could discard at will.

Before drinking the poisoned wine that would bring her death, Chu Yun asked one last time, unwilling to give up: "Did he issue the order himself?"

The Eagle Guard who had brought the wine nodded.

Chu Yun gave a bitter smile, tilted her head back, and drank it all. She remembered the day before the Buddha statue, when he had said, "May the princess get everything she wishes for." He had only meant that he hoped her dreams would come true, not that he wanted to spend his life with her and grow old together.

When Wen Sheng heard of Chu Yun's death, he asked, "Did the princess leave any last words?"

"Your Majesty, the princess left no last words."

Wen Sheng fell silent. She was afraid even to take bitter medicine. Would she have cried as she drank the poisoned wine, enduring pain that gnawed at her heart and bones?

Only later did he understand: the one who woke from midnight dreams with reddened eyes and a wounded heart was himself.

* One-on-one romance, both leads inexperienced, faked death, happy ending

* Unscrupulous hypocrite × kind and long-suffering little princess

Advance Notice

"After Returning the Destiny to Its True Owner, They Begged for Forgiveness"

[Told in third person]

The day I leapt into the Reincarnation Mirror, Qin Jue and Ming Ruo were bowing to Heaven and Earth, becoming cultivation partners.

That day, the year-round snow on Mingyue Terrace melted, and the sun shone brightly.

Mingyue Terrace had once been my home. Qin Jue had named it himself because my name was Mingyue.

I was exceptionally gifted, but I had to cultivate in a place of extreme cold, so he used his own cultivation to create snow that would never melt.

Three hundred years ago, Qin Jue found me and made me his sole disciple.

I was said to be his destined partner, fated to become his cultivation partner.

So Qin Jue loved me and treated me well. He even shielded me from the tribulation lightning when I advanced to the Mahayana stage, and was badly wounded in the process.

The senior brothers, senior sisters, and uncles at Songyang Sect all liked me too. They brought me food and toys, and helped me deal with problems big and small.

Then one day, Qin Jue brought a woman back.

She was Qin Jue's true destined partner, but a villain had conspired against her and switched their destinies.

Qin Jue said he would still keep me as his disciple and treat me well. Yet when Ming Ruo was injured, he accused me without hesitation, convinced I had deliberately urged her to trespass into the Scarlet Forest.

My senior brothers and sisters also solemnly told me how disappointed they were in me. I had already benefited from the situation, yet I had the nerve to turn around and bite the hand that fed me.

I had no way to defend myself.

I have always acted with integrity and cannot stomach going against my conscience. I no longer wanted to owe her anything, or endure accusations made up out of thin air.

I didn't want the cultivation I had gained through that borrowed destiny. I didn't want my spiritual roots, either. And I didn't want Qin Jue anymore.

I leapt without hesitation. Had I been a moment slower, I would have seen Qin Jue stumble toward me, only to catch the hem of my robe.

At that moment, the usually serene and otherworldly Immortal Venerable Hewei's face twisted. He looked as wretched as a dog.

I heard Qin Jue went white-haired overnight and suffered a qi deviation.

But what did that have to do with me?

He would never find someone whose soul had been scattered to the winds.

I didn't like the name Mingyue, so Mingyue no longer existed in this world. There was only Chaoyang.

Theme: Keep your feet on the ground, and you can build a better future together.