Chapter 247: Diary

Those long bows number ten or more.

Their bowstrings range from forty to fifty centimeters up to one or two meters in length.

They are arranged in order from smallest to largest.

From them, I seemed to see the growth history of a girl.

Moreover, these long bows without exception have no arrows, but their strings are worn to a glossy shine, obviously each having been pulled countless times.

I raised my hand wanting to touch each of those long bows, my fingers hovering above them, but ultimately I could not bring myself to touch them.

I am afraid... afraid that if I touch them, they will weather away.

I withdrew my hand, turned, and looked toward the interior.

Against the interior wall stood a large bed.

That bed is made of paulownia wood and looks very sturdy.

Inside the bed lay several sets of silk bedding, washed very clean.

At the head of the bed stood a dressing table, also made of paulownia wood, with a wooden box placed upon it.

This wooden box does not belong here.

The wooden box was not locked, so I walked over and carefully opened it.

The wooden box has an upper and a lower layer; the upper layer is full of various wooden toys—rattle drums, spinning tops, little wooden figures, little wooden bugs…

All are toys for small babies.

Each is well preserved.

Beneath it, many babies' small clothes are neatly stacked, each hand‑stitched with fine seams, some embroidered with flowers.

Although each shows wear and patches, they remain clean and tidy.

The one who made these tiny clothes must have loved that little baby dearly.

I closed the wooden box and opened the drawer of the dressing table.

The first drawer held only two wooden combs, several hair bands, and a few wrist guards.

But when I opened the second drawer, I was completely stunned.

The second drawer contained three stacked golden half‑face masks.

Some are new, some old.

All are exactly the same as the one I saw in my dream!

So this cave is... the room where Feng Li Nu once lived?

This is where she grew up from childhood!

I turned back to look at those ten or so long bows on the east wall; my heart ached and a mist instantly rose in my eyes.

Yes.

When Feng Li Nu was still an egg, the Great Witch secretly brought her back to Cangwu Mountain.

She was originally hatched in Cangwu Mountain.

She lives here—what's so surprising about that?

I picked up one of the masks, held it up to the not‑very‑clear bronze mirror, and placed it on my face.

It fit perfectly.

The golden half‑face mask covered my rotted lower‑right cheek completely.

I removed the mask, placed it on the dressing table, and did not put it back in the drawer.

Then I saw the lowest drawer.

That drawer was locked.

I scanned the cave, my gaze finally settling on one lamp; I strode over, reached under the lampshade, and felt a copper key.

I inserted it into the lock; with a click, the lock opened.

Pulling open the third drawer, I saw several small portraits and a parchment notebook inside.

The small portraits all depict a man—a man I know all too well.

Those features—the outline, the brows and eyes, the pair of amber vertical pupils—could belong to no one but Liu Junyan.

But back then, his gaze was clearer and brighter.

Not like his present profound and deep demeanor.

The girl's feelings are all hidden in these few small portraits.

She… has always had him in her heart!

Opening the parchment notebook, I discovered it was a diary.

The first third of the diary is very childish.

Today I was punished to kneel for one incense stick.

Today I was punished to kneel for one hour.

Today I was struck on the palms twenty times; my hand swelled and I couldn't hold chopsticks.

Today my knees were worn raw from kneeling.

Today I was punished to kneel…

Scattered entries fill the pages; the handwriting starts crooked and misspelled, then becomes neat—most of it records punishments.

It resembles a grudge ledger.

Kneeling is the most common punishment, filling almost the entire first third.

I suddenly realized that the smooth meditation stone against the outer wall is probably where Feng Li Nu was made to kneel as a child.

Uh…… worn so smooth, indeed she must have knelt a lot.

In the middle part of the diary, Feng Li Nu's frenzy can be seen.

Pain!

Why treat me like this?

Why force me to do these things?

So annoying.

I really want to escape…

Such words almost pierce the parchment.

I think this period must have been Feng Li Nu's state of mind when tormented and controlled by the innate curse, forced to be a provider for Feng Li Shu.

But she didn't describe the details.

An identity never recognized, she exists like an invisible person in the entire clan; she is cautious.

So cautious that her suffering cannot be described.

Until…

"Today I met someone in a cave; his fish got burnt, hey."

Such a short sentence, yet it feels like a powerful big hand tightly gripping my heart.

A burnt fish……that was how Liu Junyan and Feng Li Nu first met.

Liu Junyan once drew this story for me.

Originally Liu Junyan didn't burn the fish; it was because Feng Li Nu, unable to get it, snatched it hard, causing the fish to burn.

They didn't know each other until they fought.

This seemingly annoying beginning left a deep imprint in both of their hearts.

Feng Li Nu's state of mind changed completely from this moment.

"This time on a mission I ran into him again, and we hunted down a wild bear monster together."

"He has a white fox as a childhood friend."

"His swordsmanship is excellent."

"……"

"The white fox hinted to me that he hopes to ascend and become a dragon; will he really ascend?"

"This time he didn't come; the white fox invited me to Gui Shi—what happened to him?"

"He seems to have something on his mind."

"……"

"No chance left… after all… no chance…"

The diary ends here.

My feelings went from a bewildered chuckle in the first third, to understanding and pity in the middle, then to turbulent ups and downs at the end—leaving only a soft sigh.

This diary records Feng Li Nu's entire life, yet it doesn't record any important details.

She knows her fate, she is unwilling and even loathes it, but ultimately cannot change anything.

This Cangwu Mountain is her birthplace and also her prison.

Although she could walk out of this prison, she has never freed herself from its bonds and confinement.

An innate curse is like an invisible shackle that binds Feng Li Nu's entire life…

I closed the diary, gently put it back in its place, stacked a few small figurines on top of it, locked the drawer, and returned the copper key under the lampshade.

I stood before those dozen or so long bows, staring for a long time.

Finally I unconsciously murmured: "Ah Li, look, although Cangwu Mountain has no willow trees, he yet stirred the waters of the Ice Sea, sending me back to Cangwu Mountain—he… did it!"

"We ended up together in the end."