Chapter 3: Prelude: Waking Up One Day [Part 2]

It shouldn't be like this. She had already ordered people to beat her mercilessly and then throw her into the water to soak until she was half-dead; logically speaking, An Mujin should be dead by now.

It was all because of An Mujin that she, the legal wife, had ended up in such a pathetic state.

She wanted An Mujin dead, so that she could regain the Master's favor.

"Should I be dead?" An Mujin looked at the woman before her, a flicker of an unidentifiable emotion flashing in her eyes.

Her throat was parched, her lips were pale, and even speaking felt somewhat strenuous.

Her voice was not loud and carried a hint of dryness; combined with her colorless, pale countenance, she looked to anyone watching as if she were on the verge of death.

And yet, as if by some miracle, she still remained alive in this world.

"You should be dead! Why won't you just die?" Seeing An Mujin still having the energy to talk back to her, the woman felt a surge of rage.

A palm swung toward An Mujin's face.

*Slap!* The crisp, loud sound of the slap echoed throughout the woodshed.

However, the woman's face remained filled with fury, adding a touch of malice to her already disheveled appearance.

"I will remember this slap." Traces of blood faintly appeared on An Mujin's pale lips.

She simply lay there quietly amidst the pile of firewood, allowing the woman to torment her, but alas, her body was too weak at this moment.

Even if she wanted to resist, she was powerless to do so.

An Mujin closed her eyes, her pale face devoid of any expression.

She had certainly noted her first great gift upon being reborn: such a "wonderful" mother.

"Hmph, An Mujin, just lie here and wait for death. It would be best if you died immediately."

Seeing An Mujin lying powerlessly on the firewood, the woman let out a cold snort.

She picked up the half-dirty handkerchief she had previously thrown on the ground, a flash of disgust crossing her eyes.

But she quickly suppressed it. It was unknown where the tears came from, but her eyes suddenly overflowed like a river.

Pushing open the door to the woodshed, she "wept bitterly as she left": "Ah, my Mu'er, my poor Mu'er!"

...

With the woman's departure, the woodshed instantly returned to silence.

Lying on the firewood, An Mujin opened her eyes because of it.

She looked around her surroundings, a weak smile curling at the corners of her mouth. It seemed she had been reborn into the body of someone who was unfavored.