Chu Yunxi has been dead for eight years.
For the full eight years, she was trapped in a run-down temple by an old ghost.
Day and night, he ceaselessly taught her medical skills.
The old ghost said that she was greatly blessed, and that her medical skills could let her achieve whatever she wished for.
Chu Yunxi chuckled. As a lone wandering ghost, how could she possibly be greatly blessed?
Until this day, on a cloudless day, a sudden thunderbolt struck out of the clear blue. Chu Yunxi rushed out of the temple and saw the old ghost standing under the scorching sun, his spiritual body almost dissipating.
"Dong Old Ghost! Have you lost your mind? Ghosts can't be in the sunlight!"
Chu Yunxi shouted at him from the shadows, but Dong Old Ghost just flashed a radiant smile.
"Girl, in these eight years, I have imparted all my unparalleled medical skills to you. Now all that's left is this final great fortune."
Chu Yunxi was taken aback, "Dong Old Ghost, what do you mean?"
"Sacrifice my soul to grant you completeness."
Just as the words fell, a lightning bolt as thick as a waist dropped from the sky, hurdling towards the old ghost with an irresistible force.
"Girl, in the thirty-fourth year of Yuanhe, a household in the capital with the surname Dong was falsely accused of treason and executed. After you return, please shield this old man's family."
In the blinding lightning, all that Dong Old Ghost left was this one sentence. Then, a massive wave of impact overwhelmed her. Chu Yunxi's entire spirit was pushed into becoming an ethereal shadow, with the sound of the wind sweeping past her ears, sounding like a sigh...
"Eat... Yunxi, eat..."
Chu Yunxi felt like something was touching her lips in her haze. It was somewhat dry, causing a prickling pain on her lips.
"Yunxi, eat... hurry and eat..."
Chu Yunxi suddenly opened her eyes, her severe gaze turned somewhat bewildered when it fell upon the dilapidated room.
The next moment, someone beside her occupied all her visual attention.
Chu Yunxi stared blankly at the woman in front of her, who was trying to stuff half a piece of hard, dry steamed bread in her mouth. Tears welled up and poured forth from her eyes.
She was still alive!
"Yunxi, don't cry, ah niang* will protect you! No one can bully my Yunxi!"
*Ah niang represents mother in Chinese
The woman in her sight stretched out her hands, making a shield-like gesture. After a moment, she passed the hard piece of bread in her hands to Chu Yunxi, then picked up a bowl from the ground filled with half a bowl of plain porridge.
Chu Yunxi held onto Madam Liu tightly, torrents of tears flowing, yet the smile at the corner of her mouth was getting bigger and bigger.
She had been reborn! Reborn back to when she was fifteen! The thirtieth year of Yuanhe Era!
This was the great fortune given by the old man!
Given this, in this lifetime, she will avenge those who have wronged her and protect those she should.
The old man's last wish, she will certainly help fulfill it!
"Yunxi, don't cry, let ah niang hug you, don't cry..."
Chu Yunxi's heart immediately softened. In this world, only two people truly cared for her, the foolish Liu clan's girl, and her uncle.
Before Chu Yunxi could say anything, the woodshed door was suddenly pushed open.
"Ah! I knew it was you, you lowly thief, stealing porridge and steamed buns! I'm going to beat you to death today!"
The one speaking was Sister Chen's housewoman, a lady over her forties, with a flat nose and small eyes, fat as a pig, and a face full of spite!
She hastily picked up a wooden stick nearby and aimed it at the woman from the Liu clan.
Immediately, Chu Yunxi protected the Liu woman in her arms, glaring directly at her.
"How dare you!"
Chu Yunxi had grown up in a humble environment, living in hunger and cold, toiling away. As a result, she was skinny and her complexion wasn't quite pleasant, save for a pair of gleaming big eyes.
Her glare held a shocking meaning.
"You little brat, who do you think you are! Protecting your foolish mother! As if thieving is justified!"
Chen's housewoman was about to strike at them both.
Chu Yunxi had the will to resist, but after two days without food, escaping death from starvation was already a chunk of her luck. How could she have the strength to fight against the stout and well-fed woman from Chen's house?
Regarding the Liu woman, being foolish, she had no special skills, she only knew how to hide.
Welcoming the oncoming stick, Chu Yunxi barely managed to protect the Liu woman, and took the heavy hit. She quickly shouted out.
"Uncle Chen will be back tomorrow, if my mother and I are injured, you won't be at ease either!"
After Chu Yunxi spoke, the Chen's family indeed halted, filled with embarrassment.
Chen Er was the head of the village and also her man, who had always been protecting Mrs. Liu and Chu Yunxi. If it weren’t for him, the two of them would have probably died a long time ago. How could they have survived until now?
“You wretched girl, consider yourself lucky!”
The Chen's family gritted their teeth and spat these words out, looking at the bowl of porridge placed on the ground, they strode over and kicked it over.
“Are you two worth the porridge? I wouldn't even feed it to the dogs!”
She spat out these words with sour hatred, huffed, and then turned away.
Chu Yunxi stared at her plump figure retreating, grinding her teeth, she swore to avenge the years of resentment.
Turning around, seeing Mrs. Liu still crouched in the corner, Chu Yunxi tenderly helped her up.
Mrs. Liu was simple-minded. After so many years, she had grown accustomed to being beaten, unaware of the concept of resistance.
“Mother, don't be scared, she's gone.”
It was as if Mrs. Liu suddenly remembered something, her tears couldn't stop falling.
“Yunxi hurting... mother listens... won't hit Yunxi... Yunxi is hungry, Yunxi eat...”
Mrs. Liu said, picking up a hard, dry bun from the ground and pushing it into Chu Yunxi's hand.
Tears started to drop uncontrollably from Chu Yunxi's eyes, she softly comforted Mrs. Liu, “Mother, I'm fine, not in pain, Yunxi is alright. Please, don't cry.”
Chu Yunxi wiped the tears from Mrs. Liu's face, then picked up the broken bowl on the ground, filled it with snow water from the old vat in the corner of the woodshed, and soaked the bun in it.
She has to eat it even if it doesn't taste good, only by not starving to death could she take revenge!
This estate, is the Chu family's countryside manor.
The Chu family, is the Department of Rites Minister in the capital city, holding a high-ranking position of the third rank.
Chu Yunxi, is the eldest legitimate daughter of the Chu family!
Madam Liu, is a proper and respectful Minister's wife.
Unfortunately, that scum Chu Tianxing, already had a concubine before his marriage to Madam Liu.
Madam Liu and that concubine, coincidentally gave birth on the same day. Madam Liu had a massive hemorrhage, giving birth to a daughter.
The concubine, smoothly and safely, birthed a pair of twins, a boy, and a girl.
Only after three days, Chu Tianxing brazenly wanted to welcome the concubine back. Meanwhile, Madam Liu received the devastating news that her only younger brother died on the battlefield. Under this double blow, she went insane.
Chu Tianxing labeled Chu Yunxi as a harmful star of disasters . Madam Liu hadn’t had her confinement period yet, but she was sent to the countryside by him, along with the newborn Chu Yunxi.
That concubine, she was directly escalated as his main wife.
As if they, mother and daughter, had never existed, they were discarded in the countryside to await death.
Thank heavens, under the care of Chen Er, these mother and daughter managed to survive. However, it turned into hell when the wife of Chen Er was married to him.
In her previous life, when Chu Yunxi was sixteen, that uncle, who should have “died” on the battlefield, suddenly became a general who had contributed significantly to a large scale war. Only then did the Chu family bring her back. It was also then she found out about her true identity.
Sadly, the night before Madam Liu received this news, she was violated and murdered.