Lingshan Temple stood on the outskirts of the capital. On ordinary days, countless families came to burn incense and pray to the Buddha. Now, dusk had fallen, and the foot of the mountain was crowded with carriages carrying worshippers home.
A luxurious carriage that appeared understated on the outside rolled steadily down the road. Near Lingshan Temple, several other carriages traveled alongside it. But as the route wound deeper into the remote mountain forest, only a single carriage bearing the Yao family emblem remained.
[System, will we really run into bandits?]
An Jin lifted the curtain with slender fingers. As she watched the carriage enter the forest, her heart pounded harder and harder with every passing moment.
If everything the System had told her was true, she was about to be kidnapped by bandits, only to be rescued by a swordsman.
The System’s cold voice carried an unusual trace of reassurance.
[Don’t worry. Gong Yue is the greatest swordsman in the world. He’ll save you.]
The young woman pressed her lips together.
The words did nothing to comfort her.
The person she was afraid of was him.
[System, are you sure you’ve chosen the right person? I was only eighteen when I died. I don’t even know how to raise a child.]
In her previous life, she had been sickly since birth. Most of her brief eighteen years had been spent in hospitals. Her world had revolved around her family, and she had rarely interacted with anyone else.
Yet now, after being bound to this System, she had become the doomed mother of a future villain.
The villain of this world was a notorious femme fatale who brought disaster upon an entire nation.
She poisoned the emperor, slaughtered loyal officials, and single-handedly destroyed her country’s fortunes, leaving it weakened for a century and vulnerable to foreign invasion.
But the System had explained that many villains became scourges because of tragic childhoods and broken families.
An Jin’s mission was simple in theory, though difficult in practice.
Before these future villains were even born, she was to create a loving and nurturing family for them. If they grew up surrounded by warmth and care, they would become upright and kind people instead of monsters.
This was her first assignment.
The future villainous consort had grown up in her maternal grandfather’s household, the residence of the Minister of Personnel.
Her mother had once been the most outstanding daughter of the Yao family. Yet before her arranged marriage, she had eloped with a wandering swordsman.
Later, she died after giving birth in a ruined temple.
The swordsman left their newborn daughter at the gates of the Yao residence.
The elopement had humiliated Minister Yao and ruined his reputation.
When he saw the infant girl wrapped in swaddling clothes, he had wanted the servants to smash her to death on the spot.
Only because Madam Yao begged desperately was the child allowed to live.
Yet her very existence was a stain upon the family.
She suffered endless bullying in the Yao residence.
While Madam Yao was alive, she at least had someone protecting her. But when Madam Yao died at the age of ten, the little girl lost her only shield.
From then on, the entire family treated her as a harbinger of misfortune.
Within the walls of a noble household, tormenting a person was all too easy.
A crumbling courtyard.
Living alongside servants.
Spoiled leftovers passed off as meals.
Endless abuse from cousins.
A marriage carefully designed to ruin her future.
Bit by bit, every shred of kindness and conscience within her was destroyed.
Eventually, she fell completely into darkness.
She seduced the aging emperor and entered the palace as one of his favored consorts.
At the height of his affection, she persuaded him to order the extermination of the entire Yao family.
Yet revenge brought her no satisfaction.
She wreaked havoc throughout the imperial harem.
Every adult prince was killed by her schemes.
She even poisoned the emperor himself.
Her plan was to place a child emperor on the throne and rule from behind the curtain as regent.
In the end, she failed.
She was burned alive at the execution grounds.
But by then, the nation had already been plunged into endless internal turmoil and external threats because of her actions.
And so An Jin had arrived.
She had become Yao Wei, the third daughter of the Yao family, the woman who would one day elope for love and become the villain’s mother.
Her task was to prevent the original tragedy from ever unfolding.
At this point, the future villain had not yet been born.
Today was the day she would first meet the child’s father.
[Host, please stop doubting my choice.]
The System’s voice sounded unusually firm.
[You grew up surrounded by your family’s unconditional love. You understand what love is. You know how to love a child. You’re the most suitable candidate.]
A heaviness settled in An Jin’s chest.
She remembered the final moments of her life.
The moment her heart stopped beating.
The desperate sobs of her family ringing in her ears.
She had been born with a rare illness.
Countless surgeries had marked her childhood.
Many people had advised her parents to have another child.
But they had never once considered giving up on her.
They refused to have a second child, and her mother had even quit her job to care for her full-time.
Later, it was An Jin herself who persuaded them.
She was afraid that after she died, her parents would be unable to bear the grief.
She wanted someone to stay with them.
That was how her younger brother was born.
His arrival never lessened their love for her.
Instead, it simply added another person who loved her.
He had been a remarkably obedient child.
As soon as he learned to read, he would bring storybooks into her hospital room and stumble through the words one by one.
He was afraid she would feel lonely.
Thinking of those memories, An Jin finally made up her mind.
[I’ll do my best to complete the mission.]
As long as she succeeded, she would be given a healthy body and return to her family.
“I’ve heard Lingshan Temple is especially effective when it comes to matters of marriage.”
The elegant, richly dressed woman seated across from her smiled and patted her hand.
“I donated quite a generous amount of incense money. If Wei’er finds a worthy husband through the embroidered-ball matchmaking ceremony, I’ll donate enough to gild the Buddha statue itself.”
The fine lines at the corners of Madam Yao’s eyes curved upward when she smiled, making her appear especially gentle and warm.
Thinking about what would happen later in the original story, An Jin could only force a bitter smile.
“Mother…”
If future events unfolded as before, it would already be merciful if Madam Yao refrained from tearing this temple apart.
Suddenly, the carriage lurched violently.
Madam Yao nearly struck her head against the wall.
An Jin quickly caught her.
“Be careful, Mother.”
“Bandits!”
“Madam, Miss, don’t come out!”
The sounds of swords being drawn mixed with the cries of the guards.
Madam Yao’s face turned pale.
“How can there be bandits so close to the capital?”
An Jin felt even more frightened.
The plot was unfolding exactly as the System had predicted.
Their party had only brought a handful of household guards.
There was no way they could defeat a group of hardened bandits.
Her maid, Tao Hong, lifted the curtain and peeked outside.
Her face immediately drained of color.
“Madam, Miss, there are so many of them. We’re completely surrounded.”
An Jin’s thoughts were in chaos.
Gathering her courage, she called out loudly.
“Are you after money? We’ll give you all our valuables. Will you let us go?”
Her voice was naturally soft and sweet.
Now, trembling with fear, it sounded even more alluring.
A rough burst of laughter echoed outside.
“At first we only wanted money. But who would’ve thought there’s a beauty hiding inside? Come down and let us have a look. Then we’ll decide whether we’re after your money or your body. Hahaha!”
An Jin’s heart sank.
Madam Yao’s eyes filled with tears as she pulled her daughter tightly into her arms.
“Wei’er, you’re too beautiful. You absolutely can’t let them see you.”
“Mother, we’re surrounded. We can’t escape.”
An Jin drew a deep breath.
“They’ve already heard my voice. Even if I stay hidden, they won’t let me go.”
A decision formed instantly in her mind.
“I’ll go down and distract them. While they’re focused on me, all of you drive the carriage out and find help.”
Madam Yao clutched her desperately.
“No! Bandits are vicious and lawless. How could you handle them alone? If word gets out, your reputation will be ruined!”
“Mother.”
An Jin looked at her pleadingly.
“Can we survive first? Sister-in-law is pregnant. Second Brother hasn’t even married yet. The family still needs you to hold everything together.”
Her gaze shifted to Tao Hong, who was so frightened she seemed ready to collapse.
“Tao Hong, take care of Mother.”
She had the System.
No matter what happened, her life would not be in danger.
But if they delayed any longer, everyone else might die.
With that, she lifted the carriage curtain and stepped outside.
At a glance, anyone could tell she was a noble young lady raised in seclusion.
Her skin was as white as snow.
Her beauty was breathtaking.
Even the soles of her shoes were spotless.
Every inch of her looked delicate and precious, as though she had been pampered all her life.
She wore a pale pink dress.
Her eyes were clear and moist.
Her cheeks were rosy, her lips soft and red.
Her jade-like face seemed to glow beneath the fading light.
Faced with the crowd of bandits, she was visibly terrified.
She instinctively stepped backward.
But the carriage was behind her.
There was nowhere left to retreat.
Her trembling hands removed the hairpin from her head and the jade pendant from her waist.
In a timid voice, she said,
“I’ll give you all my valuables. Can you let us go?”
The bandit chief stared at her in a daze.
He wiped drool from the corner of his mouth and grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.
“Don’t be afraid, little beauty. I don’t want your money. Come back with me and be my bandit wife.”
An Jin’s face turned even paler.
She shouted toward the carriage.
“Mother, run!”
The coachman reacted immediately.
His whip cracked sharply across the horse’s back.
The horse reared up with a shrill neigh and charged forward.
The nearest bandits had no time to react.
Several were trampled beneath the horse’s hooves, throwing the entire scene into chaos.
An Jin immediately ran in the opposite direction.
“Damn it! Forget the carriage! Catch that girl first!”
Hearing the shouts behind her, despair washed over her.
She gathered her skirts and fled deeper into the forest.
The mountain paths were uneven and difficult even for walking.
Running was far worse.
After only a short distance, she felt blood rising in her throat.
Yet the curses and pursuit behind her left her no choice but to continue.
“Ah!”
Her foot caught on a branch.
She crashed heavily to the ground.
The bandits’ laughter grew closer.
“Run! Go on, keep running! Once I catch you, I’ll have my fun right here!”
Her palms were scraped raw and bleeding.
Pain stung her skin.
Tears immediately gathered in her eyes.
She glared resentfully at the tree blocking her path.
Then, through her blurred vision, she suddenly noticed someone standing among the branches.
A man.
He lay sideways upon a thick branch, a sword wrapped in cloth resting in his arms.
His emotionless eyes were fixed on her.
An Jin stared upward.
Tears slipped down her cheeks.
“Please save me.”
The man did not move.
The bandits’ shouts drew nearer.
Her despair deepened.
“Please…”
A slight movement flickered between the man’s brows.
The next instant, he flipped off the branch and landed beside her.
“Who the hell are you?” the bandit chief roared.
“I saw this girl first. If you know what’s good for you, get lost!”
The man raised his sword with one hand.
The cloth wrapped around the blade suddenly exploded apart.
A terrifying cold gleam flashed from the exposed steel.
The bandit chief’s pupils contracted.
Instinctively, he tried to retreat.
A moment later, blood erupted from his neck.
His eyes bulged as he collapsed.
“Master!”
“Kill him! We’ll use this brat’s head as an offering for our master!”
An Jin curled herself into a ball.
Her face was deathly pale.
This was the first time she had ever witnessed someone being killed.
Terrified, she squeezed her eyes shut.
Bodies continued falling one after another.
The smell of blood thickened in the air until it became nauseating.
Then everything fell silent.
The only sound left was the rustle of boots crushing dry leaves.
Closer.
Closer.
An Jin’s eyes flew open.
The man stood only a step away.
Blood still dripped from the sword in his hand.
She immediately lowered her head again.
Her tear-soaked eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings.
“Th… thank you for saving me.”
“Mm.”
An Jin blinked.
What kind of response was that?
Carefully, she looked up at him.
A man capable of making a proper noble lady abandon everything and elope for love could not possibly be unattractive.
His features were sharp and handsome.
His nose was straight.
His lips were thin.
His figure was tall and upright.
Perhaps…
He wasn’t quite as frightening as she had imagined.
After all, he had saved her.
And he had killed those bandits to do it.
Truthfully, when she first learned the details of the mission, she had strongly disliked him.
Yao Wei’s difficult childbirth had been caused by people hunting them.
A group of martial artists had been pursuing what they believed was a secret sword manual.
Pregnant and exhausted, she had followed him from place to place, constantly fleeing and living in fear.
Eventually, she went into premature labor inside a ruined temple.
Outside, countless martial artists surrounded the building in search of the sword manual.
And Gong Yue stood alone, guarding the entrance.
But how could Yao Wei possibly give birth peacefully while swords clashed and people screamed outside?
The System suddenly spoke.
[I’ve detected that you may have misunderstood the future villain’s father. Such misunderstandings could affect future missions. If you have questions, I can answer them.]
An Jin replied quietly,
[When so many people wanted the sword manual, why didn’t he just hand it over? His wife was in labor. Maybe Yao Wei wouldn’t have died if he had surrendered it.]
[Because there was no sword manual. The Gong Family Sword Technique has always been passed down orally from generation to generation.]
An Jin’s heart trembled.
After a long silence, she continued listing his faults.
[After Yao Wei died, he abandoned their daughter at the Yao residence. He never raised her and never visited her. That’s why the future villain suffered so much abuse growing up.]
[Because he died.]
What?
An Jin froze.
The System’s words struck her like a hammer.
[When Gong Yue left the child outside the Yao residence, he remained hidden nearby. He only left after confirming the family had taken her in.]
[Then he carried his sword from house to house, hunting down every person who had surrounded the ruined temple that day.]
[After killing the last enemy, he bought a flower hairpin and pastries that little girls liked.]
[He died on the road back to the Yao residence.]
An Jin felt a sharp ache in her chest.
[How… how did he die?]
[His old injuries had never healed, and he sustained many new ones. He exhausted the last of his life seeking revenge.]