Chapter 1: Rebirth in a Mass Grave

"Caw, caw, caw..." In the sky, crows circled in flocks, while a few scattered vultures perched on lifeless, withered branches nearby, their brown eyes staring fixedly at a newly added corpse not far ahead.

The corpse lay motionless. With the scorching sun directly overhead, it wouldn't be long before the delicious, rotting flesh could be enjoyed.

Unable to contain itself, a crow flew forward and began pecking at the corpse.

Pain. A piercing ache radiated from multiple parts of her body, and her consciousness gradually cleared. There was killing intent. She snapped her eyes open and lunged her fingers toward something on her body, only to grab hold of a wriggling, lively crow.

The crows on her body scattered in a frenzy, and even the two vultures on the branch flapped their wings and departed. The young girl looked at this world in confusion; the pain of several places being pecked open by crows sent stabs of bloody agony through her. Was she still alive?

Standing up in a daze, she found herself amidst a landscape of skeletal remains and corpses strewn about haphazardly. Some were already decayed, while others were fresh. There were countless insects and ants, and severed limbs were visible everywhere. This place, shrouded by trees and filled with a ghostly, eerie atmosphere, was actually a mass grave?

But her body should have been reduced to ashes by the great fire long ago; how could her original body still be intact? She lowered her gaze and saw that she was wearing a white dress. Neither the style nor the color of the clothing matched her previous preferences. So... had she been reborn?

Closing her eyes, those events flashed through her mind one by one. She remembered clearly: she had been framed and sent to prison. Escaping would have been easy, yet she had stubbornly wanted to see exactly what place she held in his heart.

He sat high above, his bright yellow dragon robe dazzling to the eye, with a seductive female concubine standing by his side. The concubine, heavily made up, clung tightly to the man's side.

In a coquettish voice, she said, "Sister, although you were momentarily possessed by a demon and did such a thing to me, your younger sister has never blamed you. Today, I have come specifically to see you off. I hope Sister forgets all the unpleasantness of this world. Have a safe journey; I can only see you this far."

Though she spoke words of regret, the triumph in her eyes was unmistakable.

Bound upon a high wooden frame, the girl had cast a cold glance at the woman. She had been too stingy to even offer a single word in response. This woman had never entered her eyes, from beginning to end.

"Qianyin, if I said it wasn't me at all, would you believe me?" She merely turned her head to look at that man. The one she had cared about from beginning to end was only him.

"At this stage, is there even a need for that?" If he merely tilted his head up, he could see the sorrowful elegance in her eyes, but his gaze remained cold, and there wasn't a single superfluous expression on his handsome face.

As his indifferent words drifted over, she offered no defense, allowing the great fire to burn away every last shred of her delusional devotion.

She examined this body. Although her clothes were tattered, the skin beneath them was fair and tender. Such a body could not compare to her previous, scar-ridden form.

Originally, her body had been covered in countless large and small scars, most of which were left behind while she struggled and fought alongside him. She once had a sword wound on her chest—a strike she had taken for him to protect him, passing only half an inch from her heart.

Even now, she still remembered how his usually indifferent face had never shown such a look of terror. Although her body had been in excruciating pain, she had found it difficult to hide her happiness.

She had thought that he must love her just as she loved him. What did it matter if she died for him? But she had never expected that the man who had climbed over countless withered bones to follow her through life and death would ultimately be reduced to nothing by a single fire set by him.

"Hahahaha..." A girl's laughter rang out from the forest, filled with desolation. Crows flew wildly, and amidst the white bones, the girl's silhouette stood straight, her body trembling slightly as if she were hopelessly lost in her memories. Her hands were clenched tight, her nails digging deep into her flesh, yet she felt not a hint of pain.

After standing there for a long while, she finally understood her situation. Since Heaven had given her another chance at life...

Then, Su Qianyin, from this day forward, I shall never encounter you again!

The woman stepped fearlessly over the blood-soaked bones and left the mass grave with a resolute back.

After the woman departed, two people hurried toward the area from a distance. One was dressed in ink-black robes, possessing an extraordinary handsome face and an aura of chill that enveloped his entire body. His previously calm expression was, at this moment, unusually anxious. His long, narrow eyes were slightly upturned, and in his hand was a circular wooden board with a pointer aimed straight in one direction.

Beneath his feet were only grim white bones; the person he sought was not there. He placed the compass in his hand on the ground and, disregarding his expensive clothing, knelt down to frantically grope through the corpses. "Where is she? Where is she?"

The other was a white-haired old man. Seeing the man's panicked expression, he said, "Do not be anxious. Everything has its destiny."

"Master, could something have gone wrong? She should have been reborn at this hour and in this place. Aside from a pile of withered bones, where is there any sign of a living person?" The panic on the man's face deepened, and he murmured under his breath

"This is the last chance. If we miss it, there will be no more chances, A-Jiu..."

"Qianyin, let us go. She is no longer here." A red slip of paper, with only half a corner remaining, appeared in the old man's palm.

Seeing the paper in his hand, the man's eyes lit up. She was still alive.

"No one knows whose body she has been reborn into. From now on, perhaps you will never meet again, or perhaps when you do meet, you will become fated enemies. All of this is fate, a tribulation, and also a connection. Things have reached a point beyond our control. From now on, we can only follow Heaven's will, do our best, and let things take their course."

The man's eyes turned dark. In the end, he was still one step too late. What was once within reach was now at the edge of the world. He stood there, feeling a sense of profound loss, his gaze drifting toward that unknown distance.

His black robes snapped loudly in the cold wind, but he seemed not to hear it; the chill of the wind seemed to settle upon his exquisite brows.

Outside the mass grave.

The girl looked at the sky and judged her location based on the terrain. Only the west and east sides of the city were mass graves. Judging by the sun, it must be the west side of the city.

Once she walked this stretch of road, she should be out. Unknowingly, the girl clearly felt the surrounding environment change. Instinctively, the atmosphere here felt somewhat gloomy, and a chill rose behind her back at some unknown moment.

"Hiss, hiss..." A sudden sound in the air made her heart tremble. Turning her head, she saw a giant python lurking in the forest.

The python's small, sharp, triangular head was looking toward her. Its scales were smooth, with a black spot above and below its eyes. It slapped the ground with a short, thick, impatient motion, its reddish-brown eyes staring fixedly at the girl.

At this moment, the girl felt as if thorns were piercing her back. She stood frozen, not daring to move, knowing that a single lapse in attention would result in being swallowed by the python.

The python stared at the girl before it. The girl held her breath, trying her best to keep her breathing light and slow. One person and one snake stood there for a long time.

Just then, a rustling sound came from her ears. Could other snakes be coming? The girl was greatly alarmed, and her peripheral vision couldn't help but glance toward the source of the sound. The python clearly noticed as well; the frequency of the tongue flicking from its mouth grew faster, as if it were exploring the humidity of the air and other information.