Death and Rebirth

The last moments of her life as Huang Ruilin... she would never forget!

Lying on the grimy floor of her prison cell, she held onto her stomach tightly, the very core she had spent a millennium cultivating now gone. It wasn't the physical agony or the venom coursing through her veins that had brought her to her knees, but the crushing weight of betrayal.

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Why?" she whispered hoarsely. "Why did you betray me?"

Her words echoed through the cold, damp cell, the sound of her grief and anger ringing out through the dark, empty space.

Bai Tianzun reached out, his fingers brushing against Huang Ruilin's hair. A moment later, his hand came down on her chest, sending a shockwave through her body. Bai Tianzun's fingers were like a branding iron, searing into her skin. Huang Ruilin gasped, struggling to breathe. Bai Tianzun's hand pressed against her chest, his qi suffocating her.

"Don't fight it," he murmured. "You can't win."

He really intended to kill her, she realized. Her heart sank, despair washing over her. She had been so blind, so stupid. She had trusted him implicitly, and now she was paying the price.

Her gaze turned lifeless.

"Bai Tianzun, explain... You have completely betrayed me. But even now I struggle to figure out the full extent of your betrayal!"

Bai Tianzun didn't seem to hear her. He was already turning away, his thoughts elsewhere. "My destiny is greatness. The heavens have chosen me. But they don't have a place for you."

Huang Ruilin felt her heart harden. How could she have ever loved this man? He was nothing but a coward, a liar, and a traitor. He had used her, manipulated her, and now he had tried to kill her.

"You are wrong," she said. "You have defied the heavens! Bai Tianzun, I swear that I will not die until I have taken everything you hold dear. Until the heavens have had their fill."

Her eyes flashed, her lips twisting into a cold, cruel smile. "And then, when I'm finished, when you have nothing left, I will come for you. And I will take your life."

It was a promise, a vow, and a death sentence.

Bai Tianzun laughed. "You are weak. And now, without your core, you are nothing."

"I may be weak now," Huang Ruilin said, her voice trembling with rage. "But I will rise up."

Bai Tianzun shook his head, a bitter smile on his lips. "You will die before you can exact your revenge," he said. "I will make sure of that."

….

And Huang Ruilin would die.

Not immediately, no.

After that final conversation, much suffering awaited her.

Huang Ruilin, who had initially been determined to suppress her screams, failed. Her pain was so severe that she could not help but cry out. She bit her lower lip until blood oozed from the corners of her mouth. She knew her body was reaching its limit.

She would never forget the faces of the guards who grinned as she was tortured day after day. She carved them, scream by scream, into her memory. She would never forgive them.

The extent of her torture... she did not wish for it to be recorded, nor remembered.

Eventually, the day of her death arrived. The poison was slow-acting, and only her own core could have saved her. As the venom finally consumed her, she cursed her own foolishness.

She urged the heavens to smile down on a foolish soul like hers one last time.

A single tear fell from her eyes as the poison began to take its toll.

"I will have my revenge," she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. She did not believe her own words. But she kept repeating them, like a prayer.

Why had no one come to save her? Why had the heavens not taken pity on her?

And then, Huang Ruilin's eyes closed one last time.

…

Huang Ruilin — that name would not be spoken again for a long time.

************

The sixth daughter of the Wang family had not woken up for the past five days. Despite the efforts of her maidservants, her fever had not subsided. Moreover, the medication provided by the madam had been ineffective. The maidservants were becoming increasingly worried when, abruptly, the young lady's fever subsided, and color returned to her face. They began to expect her to wake up at any moment.

This was the scene Huang Ruilin woke up to.

The light from the oil lamp cast lovely shadows on embroidered silk panels, depicting serene landscapes through silk-covered windows. The slight perfume of sandalwood and peonies from strategically placed vases created an atmosphere of tranquil elegance. Huang Ruilin looked up at the ceiling, adorned with painted wooden beams of celestial dragons and auspicious clouds.

Huang Ruilin was too dazed to feel anything other than gratitude for being liberated from that prison cell and her battered body. Given that Huang Ruilin was raised as a princess, the opulent room she was in did not seem all that unusual to her, though it lacked in luxury compared to her own room.

She instinctively felt for her core, which should have had a gaping hole after Bai Tianzun removed it, and basked in the peaceful sensation of the modest stream of spiritual energy. It appeared that she had forgotten to be shocked because a removed core could not be replaced. That was the cruel nature of Bai Tianzun's punishment.

Clink!

"Young Miss!"

The happy shriek of the young woman who had entered her apartment broke her peaceful moment. She was dressed in a maidservant's blue and white robes, which contrasted with the palace's color scheme. The maidservant had an expression that suggested she and Huang Ruilin were acquainted. That was the moment when Huang Ruilin's mind started to become uneasy.

And after that, the strangeness of the situation began to hit Huang Ruilin in earnest.

Her thinking was clear, and she always possessed adaptable and flexible mind. As a result, Huang Ruilin wasted little time in renouncing her preconceived assumptions and thoroughly analyzing the situation.

Beside the door to her room, the maidservant's expression turned confused.

First, Huang Ruilin tried to get up. As she did so, she became aware of this body's deficiencies in terms of cultivation and physical strength. At most, this body was at Mortal Core Realm's third level! It was way too weak in comparison to her own body's Golden Core Realm. Its youth—roughly sixteen years old—was its lone redeeming quality. But even for a sixteen year old, was this level not too low, especially considering they came from a noble family?

Secondly, Huang Ruilin approached the mirror by the dresser.

She let out a sigh.

This wasn't good. Although it would require time and good preparation, low cultivation could be remedied. However, this...

The face staring back at her was youthful and her features were not bad.

Her skin was as smooth as porcelain, her eyes almond-shaped and sparkling with a hint of mystery. A slender nose complemented a gentle curve of lips, inviting yet enigmatic. Long, flowing hair framed her face like a cascade of dark silk, adding to its charm. Every feature seemed meticulously crafted, achieving a harmonious balance.

However, there was a horrendous scar that stretched from her chin to the bottom of her eye on the right side of her face. It wasn't even a mild pinkish color, but a dark purple hue, the scar tissue bumpy and disturbing. It was a stark contrast to the rest of her flawless appearance.

The maidservant had arrived at her side at this point and started gently supporting Huang Ruilin by her elbow. "We were all quite concerned, young miss! As much as possible, please go slowly. You may not be fully recovered yet." When Huang Ruilin looked at her, she thought that this maidservant was rather cute. Huang Ruilin quite liked her pouty look.

Huang Ruilin gave her a light smile. "And…who are you?" she asked, infecting her voice with some naiveté. "I seem to have woken up confused."

The maidservant's little mouth fell open in surprise. "Huh? Miss, you don't know who I am?" Her shock turned into concern. "You must not have recovered fully yet. How could you not know who I am, your maidservant of fifteen years, Mei Ying?"

Huang Ruilin feigned confusion. "You must be right."

Inside, she was thinking about how to proceed. If Mei Ying were smart, Huang Ruilin, unfortunately, could not let her stay by her side. She couldn't afford suspicion when she had not yet figured out her enemies and allies.

For now, she decided to test and observe.

Huang Ruilin's face contorted with a delicate semblance of distress, her hand pressing lightly against her forehead as she swayed slightly on her feet. Mei Ying's eyes widened in concern, and she hurried forward.

"Miss, are you feeling unwell?" Mei Ying asked anxiously, gently guiding her mistress towards the bed. "Let me help you to lie down."

Huang Ruilin allowed herself to be led, her movements weak and unsteady. As she reclined onto the soft cushions, she let out a feigned sigh of discomfort, her voice frail and faint. "I... I don't feel right," she murmured, her eyes fluttering as if struggling to focus. "Where... where am I?"

Mei Ying's brow furrowed with worry. "Miss, it's me, Mei Ying, your loyal maidservant," she replied softly, brushing a cool hand against Huang Ruilin's brow. "You've had a fever recently. Please rest."

Huang Ruilin blinked slowly, trying to muster confusion and weakness in her gaze. "My name... who am I?" she muttered, her voice tinged with desperation. "Am I from a noble family? This room appears so nice…"

Mei Ying's concern deepened. She appeared as though she might want to leave or call for help, but Huang Ruilin grabbed her sleeve and showed no intention of letting go. The maidservant eventually relented and began answering her questions to ease her mistress's muddled mind. Huang Ruilin listened intently, her mind racing behind her feigned illness, carefully calculating her next moves.

...

This body's name was Wang Ruilin. She was the sixth daughter of the Wang family. The head of the family and Wang Ruilin's uncle, Wang Chengming, served as a county governor in Zhaohua City and could be said to be influential. Zhaohua City, while not the largest, held governance over villages near the Great Mount Lua, a lucrative source of income.

The family consisted of three branches, with Wang Ruilin belonging to the second branch. She had only one illegitimate sibling, a young boy named Wang Shouzhi, from her father's concubine, but their relationship was distant due to his tender age. Wang Ruilin's parents, Wang Jiahao and Wang Yanlin, were seldom mentioned by Mei Ying, implying their limited influence within the family. The sole supporter of Wang Ruilin appeared to be her grandmother, Mo Suyin.

As for Wang Ruilin herself, she seemed an unambitious person. Her mild personality and unremarkable looks contributed to a situation where she was allowed some freedom. Wang Ruilin considered herself rather plain, harboring a serious inferiority complex compared to her accomplished cousin, the first daughter of the main family, Wang Ruiqing.

She did not strike an impressive figure, neither in presence nor background, but it was not an impossible situation for Huang Ruilin to take advantage of.

The only thing that Huang Ruilin was concerned with was getting her revenge. She was unable to find it within herself to complain about the situation so long as she had the opportunity to exact her revenge. At the end of the day, she had already evaded death, which was her greatest challenge. All of the other issues could be regarded as relatively minor in comparison to that.