1 A Victim of Power Struggles

"Gu Jin! You are just a dog to our Zhen Family!"

Her younger sister looked at her with disdain and arrogance.

"You have been living high off the hog all these years because of the powerful Zhen Family. It's about time that you pay us back!"

Her young brother was pompous.

"We don't have such a daughter like you. You have brought shame to the Zhen Family!"

Her biological parents were apathetic toward her as if she was something unclean.

"We can't believe that you are such a person, Gu Jin! The Liu Family can't take you in as a daughter-in-law! Sign this divorce paper, and we will have nothing to do with you from now on!"

"We will make sure that your life is worse than death if you refuse to sign it!"

After the fallout, her mother-in-law started to show her ugly face.

Gu Jin began to experience all of this when she was a middle-aged woman.

In a city court.

"Gu Jin has been found guilty of committing murders and participating in corruption. She is to be sentenced to death."

As she was dragged by the executors to the execution ground, the bedraggled woman remained graceful and elegant. She stood aloof like a plum blossom in the square despite facing death.

Everyone on the scene pitied her because they knew that the woman standing there was just a scapegoat, a victim of the power struggle between the rich and powerful.

Gu Jin raised her head slightly, and there was a visible trace of fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. Nonetheless, it did not hide the fact that she was a beautiful woman when she was young.

She looked up at the blue sky as the corner of her lips curled up in a smirk.

Bang!

A loud bang later, she dropped to the ground.

A healthy, innocent life came to an abrupt end as red blood smeared the world.

Gu Jin's eyes remained open even after she had died. Indignation and hatred along with a hidden sense of tenacity, as well as loneliness, were found in her eyes.

Her pupils slowly dilated, and her eyes became empty as the die was cast.

...

"Hand over that thing in your hand, little bastard!"

"Not even your mother wants you, little bastard! How dare you bite me! Just you watch, I'll kill you!"

A grating voice rang in her ears. Gu Jin's eyes felt heavy, while her heart was filled with pain and regret as she thought of the sacrifices she had made in the past twenty years.

The pain at the back of her head was still vivid in her memories. It was the last thing she had ever wanted to experience again.

The bang and vituperation were upsetting Gu Jin.

She opened her eyes slowly, and her vision was blurry. She could barely see what was in front of her.

"Beat that bastard! Beat the daylights out of him! He freaking bit me!"

"You got it!"

Gu Jin's vision gradually cleared up, and she saw a few minors bullying a boy on the ground while a few others were clapping their hands nearby.

The scene looked rather familiar, especially the scenery in the background. It reminded her of the poor village sitting under Mount Blackbird in her memories.

This was none other than Blackmount Village, where she had lived for over a decade.

When Gu Jin finally regained consciousness, her pupils contracted as she scanned everything in her surroundings.

She looked down at the blue clothing she was wearing, especially at the patches on her pants. The rudimentary stitching and threadwork were apparently hers.

A painful groan brought Gu Jin out of her thoughts.

She looked up and saw that the bullied boy had clambered to his feet. He had his back to her.

He was holding a big rock in his hand, threatening to hit those boys who were trying to get near him.

One boy had his hand to his head as blood oozed down his hand.