April is usually rainy, but today is a rare fine day.
The sky is extremely high and clear, sunlight spills into the Tung flower district, coating it with a light golden hue. Clusters of blooming purple tung flowers nestle in the misty emerald greenery, resembling snow that bends new branches. When the wind blows, they seem like flowing clouds of late spring.
Amidst the swaying flower shadows, several women are chatting casually while mending shoe soles.
Among them, one of the women suddenly showed a suspicious expression, raised her chin, and gestured for the others to look behind her. She muttered in a low voice, "You see, that's the beggar who angered Lord Ji's third son. He was beaten so badly at the time, yet he didn't die."
A group of people turned their heads in unison, and the black bamboo sleep, bathed in the gaze of the crowd, was quite calm. She sat casually on the steps to sunbathe, holding a dry and hard cold bread roll in her hand and gnawing it ferociously.
She had only bitten into the bread a few mouthfuls when a clear, gentle, and kind voice came flying over the wind: "Excuse me, were you just talking about Lord Ji's third son?"
U Zhu sleep glanced at it and saw that there were two people who were out of place under the tung flower tree. A man and a woman, about twenty years old, were both wearing jade belts and hair combs, their snowy robes like frost, with very bright silver threads embroidered with double carp fish patterns on the hem, indeed a demeanor of utter immaculate.
Disciples of the Wují Sect.
U Zhu sleep narrowed her eyes that were blinded by the flash, and since she was reborn three days ago, it was not until she saw the slightly familiar sect mark that she felt real for the first time.
Exactly, a rebirth.
In her previous life, U Zhu sleep had a born sword heart and divine bones, a once-in-a-century exceptional talent, and her cultivation speed was one thousand miles a day. By the age of seventeen, she was half a step away from becoming sacred. She was acknowledged by the divine sword as its master and became the first person on the Sacred Pillar.
She could be said to be the youngest and strongest First Sword Master in the cultivation world, recognized by all.
Later, the Tianli Catastrophe occurred, and the demons from Nàilu Sect escaped from the seal during the chaos. They rampaged in the human realm, slaying indiscriminately and shedding rivers of blood. At that time, only she wielded her sword to penetrate into the rear of the battlefield.
In a life-and-death situation, she perished together with the demon, carrying a scorching blaze. As she resealed the barrier, both her body and soul were burned to ashes, a death so complete that even the possibility of becoming a ghost was gone.
So U Zhu sleep was really surprised that she didn't expect herself to open her eyes again.
Three days ago, when she woke up, her stiff body was curled up in an abandoned derelict temple. The wounds on her body had already ulcerated, and her clothes were almost soaked in blood.
U Zhu sleep's mind was suddenly filled with a new memory: the previous body had been an orphan without parents or a name, a small beggar whose intelligence was not particularly sharp. Since she had come to understand the world, she had been living by begging.
Three days ago in the evening, she was like always begging in the city, but unexpectedly ran into Lord Ji Qing, the third son of the Ji family, and a woman outside the Temple of the Moon Goddess.
The Ji family was a wealthy household in the Tung Flower District, and Ji Qing was particularly notorious for his brutality and arrogance, with no one daring to provoke him. When he saw the previous body spoil his mood, he immediately became furious, took off his horsewhip, and chased after her, lashing her viciously for a distance before finally feeling satisfied. He drew blood on her back with sixty-five whip strokes.
The previous body was beaten to a pulp, had no money for treatment, and staggered back to the abandoned temple where she usually stayed. She didn't survive, and she died on a chilly spring night.
Since she had been reborn in the body of this nameless beggar without any reason, U Zhu sleep naturally intended to avenge her.
Judging from her bone age, the little beggar looked to be only about sixteen or seventeen years old. At such a young age, she had suffered so greatly and died so tragically; it was truly pitiful.
However, the body she had inherited was too weak, with poor nutrition and severe injuries. The most important thing was that her spiritual root was very mixed, and it couldn't be fully integrated with her soul.
Whenever she tried to cast a spell, it felt as though tens of thousands of soul-absorbing nails had simultaneously pierced through her veins, causing an obstruction and intense pain that she couldn't bear.
To solve this problem, either a rare treasure would need to be used to slowly nourish the body, or the bones and muscles would have to be shattered and reformed, a process with a one in nine chance of survival.
However, at the moment, survival is more important.
U Zhu sleep hurriedly staunch the wounds, dug some wild medicinal herbs to eat, and rested for two days. She replaced her other set of old clothes and searched every corner of the abandoned temple. It was only under the statue of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, which was criss-crossed with fine cracks, that she dug up three copper coins from under it.
One steamed bun costs one coin, and seeing her plight, the kind-hearted shopkeeper also gave her an extra cold bun for the night.
While U Zhu was lost in memories, a pair of snow-white boots stopped in front of her, followed by the young man's clear and melodious voice coming from above: "Miss, I have some questions about Lord Ji Qing, the third son of the Ji family. May I trouble you?"
U Zhu sleep swallowed the dry steamed bun in her mouth with difficulty and raised a distorted face to look over.
At just sixteen years old, and with malnutrition, she looked slightly thinner than her peers. The coarse cloth shirt she wore was patchwork, clearly having been stitched repeatedly.
The dry, yellowish-brown hair was tied loosely with a white ribbon that had become washed out. On her thin and pale face, there were obvious bruises and bloodstains, accompanied by staring white eyes and twisted features. At first glance, it looked quite impactful.
The young man who subconsciously put his hand on the hilt of his sword: "……"
U Zhu sleep reached out to feel around beside her, and seeing this, the young man quickly bent down and picked up a bowl of water with a missing corner from the steps, handing it to her.
She didn't hesitate and took a big gulp, which helped dislodge the bun stuck in her throat.
Whew! I just narrowly avoided becoming the first Sword Master in the cultivation world to choke to death on a steamed bun!
Seeing U Zhu sleep's expression relax, the young man also heaved a sigh of relief. He introduced himself, "My name is He Ting Shuang, a disciple of the Wuji Sect. May I ask your name, Miss..."
He Ting Shuang?
U Zhu sleep had no impression of that name. However, that was to be expected, as she had already learned from her investigation. She died in the 127th year of Ling Huan, and forty-six years earlier, the new alliance master of the Alliance took office and changed the year number to Shen Yan.
Now it is the 46th year of Shen Yan, and a full hundred years have passed since her death.
A hundred years may not be long for a cultivator, but it is still real time, and anything can happen.
U Zhu sleep put down the water bowl, interrupting He Ting Shuang's words: "My name is A Mian. You can ask whatever you want to know, He Senior."
He Ting Shuang paused and got straight to the point, "A Mian Miss, I've heard that three days ago, you had a conflict with Lord Ji Qing. Could you tell me what the cause of the conflict was? And also, where were you for these three days? I would be grateful for any information."
U Zhu sleep narrowed her eyes, guessing that something must have happened to Ji Qing.
But she kept her expression calm on the surface, and her eyes reddened instantly as if on command. She choked out, "It wasn't a conflict; it was one-sided resentment. I was just passing by, and he accused me of dirtying his eyes and ruining his mood, so he beat me up. I was hurt badly and had no money for treatment. These past three days, I've been hiding out in an abandoned temple outside the city, and fortunately, heaven has mercy on me. Otherwise, I would have died."
As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeve, revealing her thin arm covered with shocking whip marks.
He Ting Shuang was usually a gentle person, and he couldn't help but show empathy. From his alchemical pouch, he took out a small, round brown pill and offered it to U Zhu sleep with a gentle voice: "Miss A Mian, this is Huichun Pill, which will be good for your injuries."
U Zhu sleep's dark eyes lit up with excitement and gratitude. "Oh my gosh, thank you, Senior He! You're such a kind-hearted person."
He Ting Shuang returned a warm smile, finding the little girl quite adorable.
U Zhu sleep took the pill and subtly sniffed it. The scent of lingtong grass and huo xiang grass indeed made it a Huichun Pill, and the color and vitality suggested it was even a medium-grade one.
Huichun Pill, even though only a second-grade spiritual pill, has a price and effect that are double that of an inferior-grade one. He Ting Shuang is willing to give this to a stranger he's only met once, which truly makes him a good person.
U Zhu sleep smiled at He Ting Shuang, popped the pill into her mouth, and chewed it noisily.
Huichun Pill is specifically used to treat injuries, and its medium-grade quality makes it more effective and quicker to take effect. After she took the pill, her pain wasn't as severe, and the marks on her body looked less noticeable.
U Zhu sleep felt that she was somewhat better now. She looked at He Ting Shuang, with a face full of innocence, and asked, "Senior He, what has happened?"
Before she finished her sentence, a very impatient female voice suddenly echoed, "He junior, I asked you to look for clues. Why are you interfering again?"
