Lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder, as a torrential downpour lashed against the Feng family mansion.
Outside the mansion gates stood a spectral figure, charred black, with flesh and tattered clothes peeling away from the burnt skin in places, a truly horrifying sight.
The rain, falling from the heavens, felt like sharp knives piercing Feng Jin Yao.
She could never forget the agonizing pain of flames searing her skin, while the one who had deliberately set the fire outside had laughed with abandon.
"A Yao, be reborn into a good family in your next life. Don't be born into a nest of fortune and happiness like the Feng family, only to be schemed against from birth, and naturally, you won't have a good end!"
"Wen Meng Sheng, may you die a terrible death!"
The physical pain was far less than the despair she felt upon learning the truth.
The raging inferno burned for several hours. Feng Jin Yao watched as her soul, as if leaving her body, drifted from the Wen family to the Feng mansion gates.
Staggering, she pushed the door open, but instead of the usual laughter and merriment, she found several coffins neatly arranged.
"Father!"
"Mother!"
"Brother..."
No one answered.
Her eldest brother, brutally hacked to death by bandits, his flesh and blood a bloody mess.
Her second brother, unable to bear the humiliation after his leg was broken, died of grief.
Her mother, who coughed blood daily, unable to eat or sleep, emaciated to mere skin and bones before her death.
And her father, whose severed limbs were gone, leaving only his head.
They all opened their bloodshot eyes, crawled out of their coffins, and moved towards Feng Jin Yao, yet passed through her as if they couldn't see her.
"Ah..."
A scream tore through the sky. The pent-up blood in Feng Jin Yao's chest erupted, her hatred spreading throughout her body. If she had a blade in her hand at that moment, she would have flayed the Wen family beasts alive!
The scent of blood grew stronger. Just as her head throbbed violently and she felt something about to burst from within her body, she heard a familiar voice calling out, pulling her from the nightmare.
"Miss? Miss?"
Shaken awake, Feng Jin Yao's eyes snapped open, filled with hatred. She grabbed the hairpin from Yun Xu's head and lunged towards her neck.
"Miss!"
The maid, terrified, stumbled backward and fell to the ground. The coldness of the hairpin stopped a mere hand's breadth from her throat.
"Yun Xu?"
"It's me, it's me, Miss, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"
Countless images flashed through her mind: the tragic deaths of her parents and brothers, the Wen family's cold-blooded ruthlessness, the Liang family's instigation, and the secret machinations of the Wei family and the Ninth Prince!
Each incident ignited the deep-seated hatred within Feng Jin Yao.
That was not a nightmare, but the bloody storm the Feng family had faced.
She had clearly been burned to death, so how had she come back to life?
Didn't Yun Xu die before her? Could it be that she had been reborn?
Feng Jin Yao took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and regulated her breathing. The hairpin was still clutched tightly in her hand, her guard never lowered.
Seeing her pale face, furrowed brow, and the fine sweat on her forehead, Yun Xu knew she must have been plagued by nightmares.
She composed herself and said,
"Miss, did you not sleep well last night? You have dark circles under your eyes. Tomorrow is the Bai family matriarch's birthday banquet. If you go looking like this, the old madam will worry."
Grandmother's birthday?
This time, Feng Jin Yao was certain she had truly been reborn.
"Is it now Tian Qi year eleven?"
"Yes. Miss."
Yun Xu grew more perplexed. How could her miss forget such things after sleeping for a night?
Everything could still be changed! It was not too late!
She slammed her fists onto the bed, her delicate skin quickly turning red and swollen.
She was immensely grateful to heaven for giving her this chance to live again. Since that was the case, she would make those who harmed the Feng family taste the bitterness of a ruined family!
When she opened her eyes again, there was no trace of panic left.
Take it slow, no need to rush.
The Wen family, the Liang family, the Wei family, and the Ninth Prince, all stained with the blood of the Feng family, would not escape.
"Has Mother's cough improved?"
In her previous life, her mother had died from a mysterious cough.
In her past life, she had been foolish, failing to see such a clumsy scheme and instead rushing headlong into it, giving the Wen family the opportunity to solidify their supposed mutual affection!
It was also because of this mistaken marriage that a series of misfortunes followed.
Her family members met with one disaster after another. She could never forget her mother's sunken eyes, withered limbs, and constant coughing of blood before her death, calling out "A Yao" repeatedly, her greatest concern before she died being her.
"Bai Mama said it's still the same. The medicine from the Imperial Hospital hasn't helped after two months."
"Go to Ren Family Pharmacy in the south of the city and buy three bottles of cough medicine. Remember to go quietly, don't let anyone find out."
"Miss, what is this..."
"Just do as I say. Have Xiu Qiu come to help me wash up."
"Yes."
Not long after her mother's death in the previous life, Feng Jin Yao discovered from the dregs of the medicine that there was an additional ingredient that aggravated damp heat. No wonder her mother's condition never improved, growing weaker and weaker until she coughed blood and died.
Unfortunately, just as she was about to investigate further, her brother and father were killed by outsiders, and her mother's death remained unresolved.
In this life, she would protect her mother who loved her so dearly!
And those behind her who dared to harm her mother would not be spared.
Although Yun Xu didn't understand her miss's intentions, she, who always focused on her tasks, dared not be careless. She instructed the maids waiting outside to enter in an orderly fashion and serve her miss in her ablutions.
She herself made an excuse to go out to buy hair oil for her miss, and quietly made her way to Ren Family Pharmacy in the south of the city.
With skin like ice and bones like jade, she was as beautiful as nature itself. Her slender frame was complemented by a small, palm-sized face adorned with a pair of alluring peach-blossom eyes that were unforgettable.
The dark circles under her eyes were covered with a touch of peach-colored powder. Her ink-black hair was tied into a simple bun, adorned with a plum blossom hairpin made of mutton-fat jade.
Xiu Qiu found a pleated skirt of hibiscus purple shimmering brocade for her, paired with a palace satin snow-white sleeveless jacket. The white rabbit fur trim at the collar and cuffs kept her warm in the winter.
"Winter snow color, Miss. Wearing this will be both warm and flattering to your complexion."
Feng Jin Yao did not respond to Xiu Qiu's words, but instead instructed,
"Tell Bai Mama that I will go to have breakfast with Mother."
"Yes."
After tidying her clothes, she lifted the curtain and stepped out. The mid-winter wind blew, causing the maids to shiver.
In contrast, Feng Jin Yao, walking ahead, stood tall and unaffected.
A plain cloud brocade cloak shielded her from the wind and frost, but the gilded copper hand-warmer in her hand could not warm her heart.
A few red-hearted plum trees had been transplanted to the corner of the corridor of Ning An Courtyard. They were in full bloom, their fiery red color resembling the heart's blood of the wronged Feng family, a constant reminder that the destruction of her clan was an unforgivable debt!
Step by step, her resolve grew stronger!
It took only half an incense stick's time to walk from Ning An Courtyard to Yun Hai Courtyard, where her mother resided.
As Feng Jin Yao and her entourage entered the courtyard, they were greeted by Bai Mama, who was waiting to welcome her.
"Miss has come quite early."
"Bai Mama, thank you for your hard work. Did Mother cough badly last night?"