Chapter 4: Rebirth from Nirvana

In the eighteenth year of Tianhe, during the third month of spring, the flowers bloomed and the weather grew warm.

Inside the most luxurious ‘Zuyan Pavilion’ of the Mu Estate, maidservants were busily coming and going, carrying hot water or medicinal soups as if some great event had occurred.

In the inner chamber, a pale woman lay on the bed, unconscious and muttering incessantly in her sleep. A maid in green clothes by the bedside continuously wiped the sweat from her forehead, her brow furrowed with deep anxiety.

"No..." The woman on the bed suddenly let out a cry, her eyes snapping wide open. She stared fixedly ahead for a long time, as if a person trapped in a nightmare had suddenly jolted awake. It took a long while before the mist in her eyes slowly dissipated.

At that moment, a pair of hands pressed against her forehead, and a sigh of relief escaped. "The fever has finally broken. Miss, you really scared Wanqing to death. You've been unconscious for so long; everyone was terrified."

The sickly beauty on the bed, however, did not speak. She stared blankly at the girl dressed as a maid beside her. She called herself Wanqing... Wanqing... But she remembered that Wanqing had been sent away to serve a groom a year ago and had died of illness shortly thereafter.

As if frightened by something, the beauty on the bed suddenly sat up with a burst of strength from nowhere. Her eyes were wide, her gaze scanning everything around her—from the bed curtains to the room's furnishings—before finally landing on the long embroidery frame not far from the bed. The hand hidden beneath the quilt clenched instantly; had it not been for her sharp fingernails digging into her palm, she would have thought this was merely a dream, an utterly absurd dream.

However, the stinging pain in her palm reminded her that all of this was real.

She hadn't died, she hadn't died... Her fingers touched her cheek in a daze. There were no pits or uneven scars; instead, the skin was smooth and delicate. She froze instantly, staring blankly as if possessed.

What on earth was happening? She clearly remembered being in the woodshed in the backyard. The agony of that day surged into her heart like a nightmare. She suddenly pursed her lips tightly, clutching her chest and gasping for air. A terrifying thought invaded her mind, making her already pale complexion turn as white as paper. She opened her mouth, and a low, hoarse voice, like that of an old woman, escaped: "Give me a mirror."

Wanqing was slightly stunned, casting suspicious glances at her mistress, but she still obediently turned to fetch a small round mirror, saying, "Miss is already frail, and then you fell into the water. Although it is already the end of the third month, the lake water is still icy cold. The doctor said Miss needs to rest quietly for a few days before she can get out of bed."

The woman on the bed acted as if she hadn't heard Wanqing's words. The hand holding the mirror trembled violently as she stared intently at the delicate beauty in the reflection. Though she looked somewhat haggard, her exquisite features were still unmistakable. Her pale lips were pressed into a thin line, slightly cracked and looking very exhausted.

When she had collapsed amidst the raging fire that day, her face had already been a bloody mess. The searing, burning pain was still fresh in her memory. Yet, the person in the mirror only looked somewhat weak; the face that should have been covered in scars was perfectly intact. She threw the mirror away as if driven mad, fear welling up in her eyes. She began to tremble all over, shaken speechless by this sudden turn of events.

"Miss, what's wrong?" Wanqing finally noticed something was amiss and hurried over, looking at her with concern. "Are you feeling unwell somewhere? I'll go call the doctor."

"No need." She spoke to stop her, firmly grabbing Wanqing's hand as she tried to leave. Wanqing looked at her unusually behaving mistress in confusion before awkwardly letting go. After a long while, the woman finally managed to calm her emotions. "I'm still a bit dizzy. Tell me, what happened?"

She had to confirm certain things. She clenched her fists, staring at Wanqing with a tense expression.

"Master Shen came to the estate today. The Eldest Miss and the Second Miss went together to see him and accidentally fell into the lake. Miss has been unconscious for several hours. The Second Madam heard the news at the villa and is already rushing back. Although the Third Madam is bedridden, she has sent Sister Lianying over several times to inquire about Miss's condition," Wanqing said slowly and steadily.

She was completely stunned. Fragments flashed rapidly through her mind: falling into the water, Master Shen coming to the estate, being unconscious...

Shouldn't these things have happened four years ago?

Prefect Shen was a longtime family friend of her father. When the eldest legitimate son of the Shen family, Shen Yi, passed the imperial examinations and returned to Linyang City, Prefect Shen brought him to the Mu Estate to pay their respects. She had heard that Master Shen was exceptionally handsome, and out of curiosity, she had secretly gone to the garden, where she encountered Lanxi. Lanxi told her that Prefect Shen intended to form a marriage alliance with the Mu family, and even hinted that if a marriage were to occur, it would surely be with the legitimate daughter of the Mu family.

In reality, although the four daughters of the Mu family had not yet reached the age of marriage, the entire Linyang City knew that all four were beauties capable of making fish sink and birds fall. Thus, ordinary families did not dare to aim too high. However, the Shen family was different. The eldest son of the Shen family enjoyed imperial favor and was destined for a bright future; furthermore, Shen Yi's uncle was a person of some standing in the capital. Therefore, if Master Shen sought to marry a daughter of the Mu family, it would certainly not be considered an overreach.

It was just that Liu Yun had taken it for granted that if the Mu family and Shen family discussed marriage, it would naturally be her, the eldest legitimate daughter, who would come first. Because she had not yet reached the age of marriage, the engagement could not be finalized. In truth, her father did have such intentions. Although Shen Yi had never explicitly said so, his every gesture showed affection toward her. Thus, Liu Yun had always believed he liked her; even later, when the two families discussed the marriage, he did not refuse. She never expected that he would actually kill her child along with Lanxi, and destroy her as well. She couldn't help but wonder: when he found out she was dead, would he feel even a shred of guilt?

Thinking of this, she secretly mocked herself. To be harmed by them to such an extent and still be so naive. That man's heart was black, just like her seemingly gentle and kind sister. Their hearts were filled with nothing but the desire to destroy her and the child in her womb—the child her father had beaten to death.

She was originally the Eldest Miss of the Mu family, the legitimate daughter left by the deceased Matriarch, Mu Liuyun. Her father had sent her to live under the care of the Second Madam, Lady Lin. Lady Lin had spoiled her to the extreme, which was completely different from how she treated her own biological daughter, Lanxi. The Second Miss of the Mu family, who was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, was the one truly favored by everyone. This legitimate Miss of the Mu family held nothing more than the title of a legitimate daughter; she spent her days being idle and arrogant. On the surface, everyone treated her with respect, but behind her back, they whispered that she could not compare to the Second Miss's grace and virtue in the slightest.

However, the more willful she was, the more Lady Lin pampered her.

Looking back now, Lady Lin had truly been calculating.

The fragments of the past flooded into her mind. She used all her strength to force herself to calm down. The current her was no longer the her of before. The humiliation and torture she had endured that day had allowed her to see many things clearly; it was no exaggeration to say she had been reborn.

After a long time, she began to laugh softly. The laughter was laced with coughing, sounding desolate and tragic, appearing extremely abrupt in the dark night.

Was it because she had died with eyes wide open that Heaven had given her a chance at rebirth? To let her be reborn into her fourteen-year-old self, four years in the past.

She still remembered that before she died, she had sworn a poisonous oath: even if she turned into a vengeful ghost, she would return to the Mu Estate. She would not let a single one of those who harmed her go free.

Did the Heavens hear her plea and thus give her another chance to choose? If that was the case, she would certainly seize this opportunity. This time, she would never again stand still to be passively beaten. Those hatreds, those vendettas—she would reclaim them one by one. No one would escape.

"Is Eldest Sister awake? Cousin Yanran and I have come to see her." Suddenly, the voice of the Mu family's Second Miss, Mu Lanxi, came from outside the door, carrying a hint of warm gentleness that made one feel comfortable deep in their heart.

Liu Yun curled her lips into a faint smile. *How wonderful. We meet again, my dearest sister.*