However…
There was one tiny problem.
Her current identity was, to put it mildly, rather awkward.
Back when she was still in the underworld, Yuchi Mengxing had confidently demanded a good family background.
And technically speaking…
the ghost messengers had delivered.
She had indeed become a noble young princess.
She had the status.
She had the looks too.
Her small face was fair and delicate, with refined brows and beautiful features that gave her a naturally fragile, pitiful appearance.
Most importantly— it was the perfect face for pretending to be weak while secretly being anything but.
To outsiders, Yuchi Mengxing looked like a helpless little girl who couldn’t possibly fend for herself.
Delicate.
Pitiful.
So fragile that a slightly stronger breeze might blow her away.
But in reality?
The words that came out of her mouth could cut deeper than knives.
So yes.
She was satisfied with her appearance.
Very satisfied.
But there was still one question she couldn’t understand.
Why was she, a dignified young princess, living like a poor farm girl?!
Ever since she was three years old, her wet nurse had brought her to this enormous, gloomy residence that everyone called the “Ghost Manor.” And from then on, the two of them had basically been left to fend for themselves.
The land surrounding the manor was completely barren.
If they wanted food, they had to clear the land and grow it themselves.
Fortunately, the manor backed onto a mountain, and there was a stream running through the forest.
Otherwise, Yuchi Mengxing genuinely wondered whether the two of them would have starved to death.
As a result, little Yuchi Mengxing developed an impressive collection of survival skills at an age when other noble girls were probably learning embroidery and etiquette.
Climbing trees to steal bird eggs?
Easy.
Catching fish in the river?
No problem.
Running through the mountains chasing rabbits?
Child’s play.
Her wet nurse, meanwhile, devoted herself to clearing the land and growing vegetables around the manor.
One hunted.
One farmed.
Somehow, the two of them managed to turn their miserable situation into a reasonably comfortable life.
Their cooperation was excellent.
Their days were peaceful.
They were even rather free.
But— was this really how a young princess was supposed to live?!
Yuchi Mengxing genuinely couldn’t understand it.
So eventually, she made a decision.
She would cause trouble.
If nobody wanted to explain things properly, then she would simply make enough noise until someone did.
And so, Yuchi Mengxing marched straight up to her stepmother.
Hands planted firmly on her hips, she raised her voice several pitches and demanded furiously, “Why do I have to live like this?!
I’m a dignified young princess, yet my life is worse than that of a farmer’s child!
Are you really so petty that you can’t even tolerate me?!” After saying that, she even tossed her hair dramatically.
Her entire posture screamed— I’m getting an explanation today whether you like it or not!
Unexpectedly, her shameless stepmother looked genuinely aggrieved.
“Mengxing, although I may only be your stepmother, hearing you question me like this truly breaks my heart!” Yuchi Mengxing stared at her.
Her stepmother continued sorrowfully, “The residence I gave you is the largest property belonging to our princely household.
Even my own children have never received such treatment!” Yuchi Mengxing’s eyelid twitched.
“And as for servants…” Her stepmother sighed helplessly.
“It’s not that I didn’t want to send any.
But every servant I assigned there either went mad on the way or mysteriously disappeared.
After enough incidents, no one dared to go anymore…” Yuchi Mengxing nearly turned to stone.
Her thoughts, however, exploded.
Listen to yourself!
Is that even something a normal person would say?!
The largest property?
The largest haunted house, maybe!
And those weren’t servants you sent over—they were cannon fodder!
The way her stepmother described it, anyone sent to Ghost Manor might as well have been participating in some deadly survival trial.
And she still had the nerve to make it sound like Yuchi Mengxing had received some extraordinary privilege!
Still…
there was one part Yuchi Mengxing couldn’t deny.
The servants going mad or disappearing?
That was probably true.
After all, she knew better than anyone what lived around Ghost Manor.
Ghosts.
Spirits.
Monsters.
Strange creatures.
All kinds of supernatural beings wandered through the area.
Yuchi Mengxing had lived among them for so long that she barely reacted anymore.
After that confrontation, she simply accepted her fate.
Fine.
Ghost Manor it was.
She would live there.
Whenever she became bored, she would run into the mountain behind the manor.
Sometimes she captured a few minor ghosts to practice on.
Sometimes she dragged strange spirits over for a little “friendly sparring.” And sometimes she simply wandered through the mountains looking for something interesting to do.
Honestly?
Life wasn’t that bad.
As for things like bloodline awakening and the aptitude test at six years old…
Hmph!
None of that had anything to do with Yuchi Mengxing.
If nobody cared enough to arrange it for her, then she wasn’t going to beg.
Fortunately, there was still one person in the family who genuinely treated her well.
Her second uncle— Yuchi Yunying.
He worried that she would become unbearably bored living alone in Ghost Manor, so he sent her a huge collection of martial arts manuals.
The moment Yuchi Mengxing opened them, she couldn’t put them down.
She studied page after page with shining eyes, completely absorbed.
“So what if no one teaches me?” she muttered while flipping through another manual.
“I’ll teach myself.
This old lady can still beat everyone into the ground!” And just like that, Yuchi Mengxing embarked on a path that ordinary cultivators wouldn’t even dare imagine.
Cultivate.
Capture ghosts.
Torment evil spirits.
Beat up strange creatures.
Day after day.
Year after year.
While other children cultivated under the careful guidance of teachers and elders, Yuchi Mengxing learned by fighting whatever supernatural creature was unlucky enough to cross her path.
If she lost?
She went back and practiced.
Then she returned for another fight.
If she won?
Excellent.
She found something stronger.
And somehow— this completely unreasonable method actually worked.
By the age of twelve, Yuchi Mengxing had forcefully cultivated her way to the Peak Mystic Rank!
Twelve years old.
Peak Mystic Rank.
Without a proper academy.
Without a formal master.
Without even undergoing the normal aptitude test everyone else completed at six.
If anyone from the outside world knew the truth, they would probably wonder whether she was even human.
But the human world might not know much about her.
The other realms certainly did.
Somewhere along the way, Yuchi Mengxing’s terrifying reputation had quietly spread throughout the Nether Realm, Demon Realm, and Devil Realm.
Ghosts knew her.
Spirits knew her.
Monsters knew her.
Even the beasts living in the mountain behind Ghost Manor knew exactly who she was.
Anything that passed near her territory—whether it was a wandering ghost, a strange spirit, a demon, or an unfortunate beast that lingered for slightly too long—would react the same way upon seeing her.
Run.
Immediately.
No hesitation.
No looking back.
They fled as though a terrifying predator had suddenly appeared behind them.
At this point, Yuchi Mengxing had become the undisputed nightmare of everything supernatural living around Ghost Manor.
After all— who didn’t know the name Yuchi Mengxing?
Who dared challenge Yuchi Mengxing?
And more importantly— who wouldn’t immediately take a detour the moment they spotted Yuchi Mengxing coming their way?