In the dim room, mosquitoes flew about in a frenzy. A Willow Eyebrow and Almond Eye Girl spoke through the iron bars to the figure curled in a corner, her expression somewhat anxious. “Sister, won’t you help the family just once? Just this once?”
The person locked in the seven-foot-high cage had shackles around her feet and held her knees with both hands. Her head hung powerlessly, her hair disheveled and her face grimy; she remained motionless as if asleep. Her clothes were clearly too small, and her exposed wrists were as thin as bamboo poles.
Seeing no reaction, the girl gripping the iron bars grew irritated but remained patient. “Sister, you don’t travel outside, so you don’t know that our Xin family is having a hard time lately. Those bald donkeys from Xuehua Temple, backed by Shaolin, have always been troublesome. In the past, they only preached and begged for alms around Mount Baili, but recently they’ve come to…”
So noisy!
The person in the cage frowned slightly, her eyes rolling beneath closed lids. With no peace in her ears, she wanted to tell the person blathering there to shut up, but… but she couldn’t muster any strength. Her brow furrowed deeper, and the arms holding her legs tightened.
“They keep coming to my Fanxi City to spread Buddhist teachings; their intentions are obvious. The Nianyue Nunnery in the north isn’t staying quiet either, often finding excuses to practice charity and virtue in the city…”
What is this person saying? Xin Shensi struggled to open her eyes, her matted eyelashes trembling slightly.
“Shan Hongyi just gained the upper hand at the Mount Shiyun arena a while ago and is currently feeling quite proud. For her grand wedding, several major sects like Shaolin and Wudang have sent representatives. If you were to mask yourself and snatch her groom in front of everyone, it would surely cause chaos. If you could seriously injure Shan Hongyi, that would be even better. Then, we could launch a sneak attack on Xuehua Temple and Nianyue Nunnery. There’s no need to kill anyone; if we just have the monks and nuns rolling around together, the reputations of both houses will be ruined…”
Shaolin, Wudang, Shan Hongyi, Xuehua Temple… Xin Shensi let out a soft moan, and her tightly closed eyelids finally parted a crack. Her vision was blurred, and her surroundings were damp and dark. Gradually her focus sharpened, and the scene became clear. A broken bed, tattered blankets, a coarse bowl of rancid rice… Where was she?
Seeing her move, the girl outside the cage redoubled her efforts, her tone becoming mournful. “Yue’er knows Sister has resentment in her heart and blames Father. But Father also had no other choice. You are his flesh and blood; how could he not love you? It’s just that your illness comes and goes, making it difficult to control…”
Xin Shensi’s mind was a chaotic mess, her eyes staring incredulously at a dirty black wooden bucket not far away. If she wasn’t mistaken, that was a commode. If it were scrubbed clean, it would look exactly like the one in her old house back home.
“Father keeps you locked up to protect you,” the person outside the cage continued.
Xin Shensi’s hands tightened around her knees, her heart pounding. Was… was she dreaming? She couldn’t help but swallow, her throat dry and aching. The sensation was real; she wasn’t dreaming.
“For the sake of your illness, whenever Father gets any aged, high-quality herbs, he sends them to Baicao Hall without delay…”
Xin Shensi tried her best to remain calm, her gaze slowly shifting to look cautiously at the speaker.
The other girl had delicate features and slightly full red lips, though the bridge of her nose was not high, making her face look a bit flat, but her skin was pale. Her hair was meticulously combed, with a single braid hanging over her chest, adding a touch of sweetness to her. The lotus-pink cross-collared dress she wore made her complexion look excellent.
“In the third month, Father even said happily that Mr. Bai Qian had finally agreed to see you. But who could have expected that in the fourth month, Mr. Bai Qian would accidentally fall off a cliff while out gathering herbs? The grass below was thick; who knows what snakes or insects were there… By the time the people from Baicao Hall found his tracks, his body was already mangled. When Father heard the news, he got dead drunk.”
A pair of clear, clean eyes stood out particularly on Xin Shensi’s dirty little face. Xin Shensi roughly knew who this person complaining was. Her cracked lips parted, and she spoke tentatively, “Xin… Xin Yue’er?”
The voice was like a kitten’s meow, hoarse and raspy. But Xin Yue’er heard it and was so delighted she nearly wept. “Sister, you’re finally willing to talk to me.”
Stay calm, stay calm, Xin Shensi screamed internally. Heavens, she had transmigrated into a book—the martial arts novel The Legend of Xue Yu Ying Yang that she had read before bed yesterday. “Yu” for Tan Siyu, the female lead, the daughter of a landlord’s concubine. “Yang” for Yao Yi, corresponding to the male lead, Meng Yao.
The novel’s background was modeled after the mid-Yuan Dynasty, though the dynastic name was not “Yuan” but “Meng.” The royal surname was also Meng. It told the story of Tan Siyu, a woman of humble birth who, while seeking medical help for her mother, was accidentally caught up in a fight. While fleeing, she stepped into a mountain hole and was washed by an underground river to the bottom of Huai Mountain Valley, where she encountered a “crazy woman.”
The crazy woman was experiencing a Qi Deviation. To stay alive, she funneled all sixty years—One Jiazi—of her Internal Energy into Tan Siyu. Because of this encounter, Tan Siyu recovered from her severe injuries. However, without the support of her profound Internal Energy, the crazy woman only stayed conscious for a day before dying. Tan Siyu buried the woman and hurried home before her injuries were fully healed.
But her home was empty; her mother had disappeared without a trace.
From then on, Tan Siyu embarked on a journey to find her mother. A weak woman traveling alone, especially a beautiful one, would inevitably be harassed by villains. At first, she only knew how to flee, but she slowly learned techniques and took up weapons to resist. Because she possessed profound Internal Energy, she rarely lost and quickly made a name for herself.
When the flowers are fragrant, butterflies come of their own accord. When the parasol tree is lush, the phoenix will arrive. Gradually, people gathered around Tan Siyu. The handsome young master of Yijian Villa, the morally ambiguous leader of the Santong Sect, the master of Yijie Tower who knew everything from astronomy to geography… they all swarmed around her.
Faced with the advances of these talented men, Tan Siyu remained as pure as a snow lotus atop a mountain, untainted by worldly dust, focused solely on finding her mother—until she met Meng Yao, a prince of the Meng capital.
Meng Yao was under imperial orders to destabilize the increasingly powerful martial world. Initially, his approach toward Tan Siyu was not out of love, but a desire to recruit her and use her hand to strike at the martial arts community. Tan Siyu fell for him just as he intended.
The male and female leads came together, and a series of tragic, passionate scenes of love, hate, and parting ensued… Finally, to elevate Tan Siyu’s status, her mother, who had been a mere concubine, was revealed to be the Imperial Eldest Princess?!
Xin Shensi’s mind was in a whirl. For now, she had confirmed three things. One: She was locked in an iron cage, and a fairly large one at that… Wait, what was she thinking? Two: The girl blathering outside the cage was the number one female antagonist of The Legend of Xue Yu Ying Yang, Xin Yue’er. Three: Xin Yue’er called her “Sister.”
Combining these three points, she knew she was the “crazy woman” who would eventually pass her Internal Energy to Tan Siyu.
In the book, Xin Yue’er, the daughter of a fifth or sixth-rate martial arts family, was able to skip along until the final chapter and secure her place as the top female antagonist not just because of her malice, but because of her crazy sister—Xin Shensi. After the female lead Tan Siyu learned that the crazy woman who gave her Internal Energy but refused to leave a name was Xin Shensi, she was very tolerant toward the Xin family and Xin Yue’er.
However, Xin Yue’er eventually died by Tan Siyu’s hand.
“Sister…” Xin Yue’er softened her voice. “I’m talking to you, why do you just keep staring at me without saying a word?”
Xin Shensi moved her bare feet; the shackles on her ankles were very heavy. In The Legend of Xue Yu Ying Yang, the entanglements between characters were deep and their emotions intense. But after reading the whole story, the only one she truly felt sorry for was “Xin Shensi.”
“Sister…” Xin Yue’er knit her brows and said coquettishly, “Promise me.”
Promise her what? To snatch the groom? Xin Shensi withdrew her gaze. The original host had been imprisoned because her Internal Energy was profound and she frequently suffered from bouts of madness. In the book, the reason she was able to run away from the Xin family and pass her energy to Tan Siyu was that Xin Yue’er had instigated her to go snatch the groom of Shan Hongyi, the mistress of Hongdai Valley.
Her stiff toes wiggled, slowly regaining flexibility. Her nose was filled with a foul, rot-like stench. She didn’t even have shoes for her feet. Was this what Xin Yue’er meant by “Father loves her”?
Absolutely ridiculous!
Xin Shensi had only one thought now: to leave this place. It was dark outside; it was night. She didn’t know when the original host had left the Xin family in the story, but she herself didn’t want to stay for another moment. Making up her mind, she organized her words.
“What… what you mentioned…”
Hearing her voice, Xin Yue’er’s hands gripping the iron bars couldn’t help but tighten, and she stared at the “madwoman” without blinking.
Xin Shensi was very thirsty. She gathered a bit of saliva, swallowed hard, and continued. “It’s not impossible, but… I have conditions.” Her eyes tried to remain emotionless as she looked around. She didn’t have the original host’s memories and didn’t know how she had survived all these years; her heart ached.
“Conditions?” Xin Yue’er was quite surprised. The madwoman actually knew how to set conditions?
Xin Shensi constantly told herself to be bold. The original host was a madwoman, but a very powerful one; the Xin family feared her.
She kept her tone as steady as possible, saying slowly, “Yes, I can help you snatch the groom, and I can help you kill Shan Hongyi, but after it’s done, I don’t want to live here anymore.” Her gaze returned to Xin Yue’er. “I can continue to be locked up, but I want to eat well… and dress well.”
Meeting her cool, clear gaze, Xin Yue’er couldn’t quite read her for a moment. Today, the madwoman seemed a bit different; she was talking quite a lot.
“If you agree…” Xin Shensi let go of her knees and slowly crawled to her feet. Her body swayed a couple of times before she managed to steady herself. “Unlock my leg shackles now. If you’re unwilling, then just turn around and leave.”
Xin Yue’er swallowed, making a gulping sound. She looked at the madwoman and asked hesitantly, “Unlock the shackles?”
“I want to wash up and eat. Have someone clean this place.” Xin Shensi knew that Xin Yue’er’s opposition to Hongdai Valley and her desire to ruin Shan Hongyi’s reputation weren’t for the Xin family… but because she was jealous of Shan Hongyi’s daughter, Shan Xiangsang.
Shan Xiangsang, the number one beauty in the martial world. She was as beautiful as a celestial being. If she didn’t have Hongdai Valley and her mother protecting her, what would her fate be?
To say Xin Yue’er was malicious was no exaggeration.
“But your…” Xin Yue’er saw the madwoman frown and swallowed her words. She had almost forgotten that the madwoman had just had an episode two days ago and wouldn’t have another for at least half a month. She began to weigh her options…
When the madwoman was sane, she wouldn’t hurt people. Unlocking the shackles wasn’t impossible. Even if she were caught, she had an explanation. Though they were of different mothers, the madwoman was her sister by blood. If she showed pity for her own sister, her father would only praise her for being sensible.
Xin Shensi inconspicuously flexed her hands and feet. “Go…” Before she could finish, she saw Xin Yue’er take a key from her sleeve, and her heart couldn’t help but tighten.
Opening the iron cage, Xin Yue’er didn’t want to step inside. She smiled and said, “Sister, come out quickly.”
Xin Shensi steadied her mind, moved her still-numb legs, and shifted toward the cage door. The sound of the iron chains clashing was extremely piercing in the quiet night. Leave this place, leave this place, leave… Her gaze fell on the gold bracelet on Xin Yue’er’s wrist. Finally reaching the door, she stopped.
Now that the door was open, Xin Yue’er had nothing left to hesitate about. She knelt down and unlocked the madwoman’s shackles. “I’ll take you to wash up.” She really couldn’t stand the smell.
Freed from the shackles, Xin Shensi’s legs felt incredibly light, as if they weren’t her own. She held onto the cage door and carefully stepped out. As soon as she stood firm, she suddenly took hold of Xin Yue’er’s left hand and said with great envy, “This bracelet is so beautiful!” She gave it a push with her finger; it was solid gold.
A wave of nausea surged from her stomach, and Xin Yue’er wanted to shake her off, but she knew she couldn’t. She simply took off the bracelet. “If Sister likes it, then it’s yours.” But in her heart, she thought she would just take it back when the madwoman had another episode and passed out.
Xin Shensi wasn’t polite, letting Xin Yue’er slide the bracelet onto her wrist. It was heavy, weighing at least three or four liang. But her wrist was too thin; the bracelet was more than one size too large.
“Thank you, Yue’er!”
“If Sister is happy, Yue’er is happy.” Fearing the madwoman would touch her again, Xin Yue’er quickly turned and walked out of the low room. “I came to see you in secret. Let’s hurry and wash up. We mustn’t let Father and Mother find out, or I won’t be able to come see you next time.”
“Mhm.” Xin Shensi picked up the candle holder and followed her out. A rush of fresh air hit her, and she took a deep breath. It was a gloomy night, and not a star could be seen. This courtyard was small, but the walls were quite high. There was an old well in front of the house.
Xin Yue’er drew two buckets of well water and poured them into the vat in the small kitchen. “Sister, wash up quickly. I’ll go inform Old Lady Zhang to come back and clean your room, then I’ll swing by the main kitchen to get some food.”
So she did have a guard. Xin Shensi replied, “Alright.” She watched the other girl leave and closed the small kitchen door. Though the weather was muggy, washing with well water? Xin Yue’er truly had no affection for “Xin Shensi” at all. She glanced around the kitchen; it wasn’t very clean. She sniffed; there was a smell of grease and smoke.
She looked at the back window. It wasn’t large, but it was enough for her current scrawny frame to squeeze through.
Time was limited; she didn’t dare overthink. She slid the gold bracelet from her left wrist up to her upper arm, found a small tattered cloth bag, and started gathering things. She took a fire striker. There were jars of oil and salt in a small cabinet.
There was even some rice and flour. Though not much, it was enough to surprise Xin Shensi. She stuffed the oil and salt jars into the rice and flour and packed it all into the cloth bag. She weighed it; it was light. Opening the door, she placed the bag outside. Then she closed the door and bolted it. She soaked a greasy rag in water and hung it over the edge of the vat, the sound of dripping water filling the room.
Without much effort, she squeezed through the back window, picked up the bag, and left the small courtyard. In her previous life, Xin Shensi had studied civil engineering and, out of interest, had researched ancient architecture. It was easy for her to determine directions based on the orientation of the courtyard gate. She turned left and walked quickly.
The Xin family wasn’t extremely wealthy; the house wasn’t large, and the servants were few. This worked to her advantage. She stepped lightly, held her breath, avoided notice, and entered the rear service quarters. She saw clothes hanging under the eaves. Though they were still dripping wet, she needed them and wasn’t picky. She quietly snatched a set of shirt and pants, wrung out the water, and left quickly.
Reaching the high wall of the residence, she used the clothes to tie the bag to her body, gritted her teeth, ran, and jumped. Her hands easily gripped the top of the wall. With a surge of strength, Xin Shensi flipped over and hit the ground, running fast in one direction.
Perhaps out of fear of being caught, although she was starving and carrying a bag of grain on her back, her legs felt light. The wind whistled past her ears, and she didn’t even feel winded.
At that moment back in the Xin residence, an old woman with a pockmarked face entered the courtyard where Xin Shensi was kept, muttering under her breath, “Tossing people about in the middle of the night, nothing but trouble… Clean what? Is she not going to eat and poop tomorrow?” She strode to the kitchen and pushed the door. “Fourth Miss, are you done washing?”
No answer. The old woman curled her lip and angrily turned back to clean the iron cage.
Xin Yue’er was disgusted by the smell on her body. She went back to her own courtyard to wash before taking some leftovers from the main kitchen and carrying them to the courtyard.
When she arrived, the old woman was just coming out of the low room with a broom. Seeing her mistress, the old woman hurriedly stepped forward, bowing obsequiously with a flattering look. “Fifth Miss.”
Xin Yue’er glanced at the closed kitchen door and asked with a frown, “Where is she?”
“Still washing.”
Still washing? For no reason, Xin Yue’er’s heart tightened. She handed the food box to the old woman and took a few steps to the kitchen door.
“Sister, I brought back some roast chicken.”
There was no response. Her expression sharpened as she kicked the door. With a bang, the door fell, and the resulting wind blew out the weak candle on the stove.
There was no sign of life in the room. Thoughts of the madwoman’s unusual behavior tonight flashed through Xin Yue’er’s mind, and her lips tightened.
Xin Shensi didn’t care about the Xin family. She ran along the empty road, not daring to look back once, and only stopped when her path was blocked by the city wall. Resting her hand against the wall, she bent over and gasped for breath. The night was silent; except for her, there was no other living thing here. Her legs went weak, and she slumped to the ground.
What a mess. Tears welled up in her eyes. Just because she felt a bit of pity for the madwoman with the same name while reading a novel, she had transmigrated?
What about the original host? According to the plot, it wasn’t time for the madwoman to die yet.
Had she possessed her?
Her eyes had long since adjusted to the darkness. Looking at her strange surroundings, Xin Shensi couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of sorrow. In her past life, her parents and grandparents had died early, and she had lived with her maternal grandparents since she was four.
Her grandparents were artisans; one was skilled at weaving, the other loved carving and creating penjing (potted landscapes). Their income was good but unstable. When customers made custom orders, the two would often travel far to select materials.
She had stumbled her way through childhood. She had graduated from university and worked for three years, preparing to take the exam for a First-Class Cost Engineer, when her grandmother was diagnosed with liver cancer.
In just six months, she was gone. Her grandfather was overwhelmed with grief and became confused, remembering no one except that he had to exercise every morning.
To take care of her grandfather, she quit her job and opened an online shop selling bamboo weaving, wood carvings, and penjing. Such a life was hard but peaceful. Her grandfather remained in his confused state for two years until one day he suddenly became clear-headed. He cooked a table full of food, all her favorites. That night, after the old man lay down, he never woke up again.
Once the funeral was over, her strength was spent. She became despondent, stopped weaving, stopped carving, and had no heart for penjing. Leaving the online shop unattended, she just lay around, reading novel after novel. She ordered takeout when she was hungry, drank water when thirsty, and only went out to throw away trash… Six whole months passed like that.
Just when she had finally accepted her solitude… she ended up here. A sob escaped her, and tears flowed freely. Xin Shensi, what sin did you commit to have to endure this?
What should I do next?
Although she had no ties left in her former world, here… who wanted to be here?
I want to go home, ahhh…
Xin Shensi broke down, but she didn’t dare vent loudly. She bit her lower lip and hugged herself. She cried for at least fifteen minutes. Perhaps due to physical and mental exhaustion, her sobbing gradually ceased, and her short breaths leveled out. She drifted into a dream.
In the dream, it was also a summer night with a gloomy sky. Rows of six-story old buildings were newly painted orange-yellow due to the government’s concern for urban appearance. In Room 101, Building 31, a woman with disheveled hair and a face as pale as paper was huddled on a bed, her large, terrified eyes scanning her surroundings warily.
After a long time, having presumably decided the room was safe, her body slowly relaxed. Her gaze was fixed on the open door leading to a small courtyard, and she tentatively moved her foot toward the edge of the bed. Getting off the bed, she moved her stiff body to the open door. After standing there for a long time, she awkwardly stepped outside.
The small courtyard was about ten square meters, with three flower stands filled with penjing, each one delicate and beautifully conceived. However, they seemed to lack care; the plants were somewhat wilted. Stones, porcelain pots, and wood scraps were scattered in the corners of the yard…
The woman stood in the middle of the yard, looking up at the sky. Tears filled her eyes and overflowed, streaming down to her hair. Muffled thunder rumbled in the dark sky. She gradually grew weak and collapsed. Lying paralyzed on the ground, she didn’t get up, her eyes slowly closing as she stared at the night sky.
A flash of lightning passed, followed by a loud crack. Xin Shensi woke with a start, her voice still calling out, “Live well…” Before the words faded, fragmented memories surged into her mind, playing like a film. Her eyes were glazed, and she even forgot to breathe.
The original host had lived for eighteen years and had remembered things since she was four, but since the age of six, her memories were mostly of the cage and her mother. Xin Shensi’s eyes grew wet again, and she whispered chokingly, “Live well.” These words were not just for her self in the dream, but for herself now.
She didn’t know if the dream she just had was real, but a voice deep in her consciousness told her: You can’t go back.
If she truly couldn’t return, she hoped this was a soul swap. she hoped the original host would live well in her former world and reclaim the nature that had been imprisoned by the cage.
Bean-sized raindrops fell, pitter-pattering on the back of her hand. Xin Shensi wiped her eyes, looked up at the sky, and used the wall to pull herself up. she couldn’t stay here; once it was light, she would definitely have to leave the city.
Leave the city?
If nothing went wrong, Xin Yue’er should know by now that she had escaped. Xin Shensi frowned and thought carefully. Would the Xin family willingly let her, such a powerful weapon, leave? In her memories, in the last three years, she had left the Xin family three times, and every time it was to kill someone.
The head of the Xin family, Xin Liangyou—this body’s father—really knew how to manipulate people.
After a moment, Xin Shensi’s eyes brightened, and she touched her own face. She knew how to evade the Xin family’s notice. She set off to find a river. The thunder rumbled, and the rain fell harder. She took off the cloth bag tied to her back and held it in her arms. Not in a hurry, she tilted her head back and opened her mouth to drink the rain.
With good luck, it didn’t take long for Xin Shensi to find a pond. There was even a dilapidated thatched shack by the edge. Rain fell inside the shack, but one corner was dry. She placed the bag in that corner and sat down. Listening to the rain, she sniffled, wanting to cry again.
Live well, live well… but how am I supposed to live? No phone, no computer, no takeout… She was completely unfamiliar with this world. How was she to survive?
After a moment of despair, Xin Shensi took a deep breath to regain her composure and began to piece together the thread of “Xin Shensi” using both the novel and the original host’s memories.
If she wanted to live well, she first had to understand exactly who she was.
The original body’s mother was named Hong Shujuan. She was the daughter of an old scholar, beautiful in appearance, and her family ran a private school and two bookstores. Such a background could be considered respectable. By all rights, Hong Shujuan should not have married into the Xin family. To put it nicely, the Xin family was a martial arts clan, but in truth, they were just ruffians.
This ill-fated marriage all began with a mountain bandit robbery. Before Hong Shujuan reached adulthood, she accompanied her mother to her maternal home and was intercepted while passing through Yuehua Mountain. With her outstanding appearance, she caught the eye of the thieves and was abducted. It was Xin Liangyou who rescued her, but because a lone man and woman had spent a night together in the wild, her reputation was ruined.
Old Scholar Hong had no choice but to marry off his daughter.
After the marriage, although Hong Shujuan disliked Xin Liangyou’s coarseness, she did not treat him coldly. Instead, she used her heart and actions to influence her husband bit by bit, guiding him toward nobility. Xin Liangyou was a good student; in just one year, his manners became much more graceful and elegant. Another year later, Hong Shujuan gave birth to a daughter, whom she named Xin Shensi.
The couple lived in harmony, but the good times did not last. When Xin Shensi turned one, the Xin family unknowingly offended some powerful enemy and suffered blow after blow. Xin Liangyou’s two older brothers lost their lives away from home. The burden of the Xin family suddenly fell upon Xin Liangyou. At this time, the Han family from Lanchuan City came knocking.
The youngest sister of the Han family head, a widow living at home, took a fancy to the handsome and refined Xin Liangyou. Xin Liangyou developed ulterior motives and begged his wife to save the Xin family.
Hong Shujuan understood his meaning, but she was unwilling to step down and become a concubine, so she proposed a divorce.
Xin Liangyou tried to persuade her to stay repeatedly, but he could not keep her. For the sake of his reputation, he painfully bought a manor in the suburbs of Luohe City for Hong Shujuan. However… a few years later, Hong Shujuan still returned to the Xin family.
Sigh…
Sorting through things up to this point, Xin Shensi couldn’t help but sigh, her eyelashes drooping. When the original body was five years old, she and her wet nurse found a dying old woman by the Luo River. As it happened that day, Hong Shujuan was not at the manor. The old woman was a high-level master who, in a desperate last-ditch effort at her final hour, actually poured a lifetime of profound Internal Energy into a five-year-old girl.
How could a delicate little girl endure such turmoil? She could not circulate the True Qi, and soon she was unable to control herself, finding life worse than death.
For the sake of her daughter, Hong Shujuan had no choice but to beg the Xin family for help.
After the original body was imprisoned, she wasn’t always dirty. Before she was thirteen, she was cared for by her biological mother, and the iron cage was kept very clean. Her mother taught her to read, write, and identify acupuncture points. It was only after she turned thirteen that… no one cherished her anymore. Hong Shujuan was “imprisoned” for stealing the Xin family’s Neigong Heart Method.
“Imprisoned” was what Xin Liangyou had told the original body.
In reality, Hong Shujuan had died on the very night she stole the Neigong Heart Method. In the book, one of Xin Liangyou’s internal monologues mentioned that he had killed Hong Shujuan with a single palm strike to her Tianling Cover.
The reason he killed Hong Shujuan was entirely because, with her around, it was difficult for the Xin family to control Xin Shensi. Meanwhile, Xin Liangyou had long wanted to hone Xin Shensi into a sharp blade.
When Xin Shensi was fourteen, Xin Liangyou began teaching her a rudimentary Breath Regulation Method. At fifteen, Xin Liangyou proposed that she “atone for her mother’s sins” by demanding she kill someone. Xin Shensi missed her mother dearly, so she agreed.
Once there was a first time, there would be a second, and a third… In the text, Xin Shensi never knew until her death that her mother had long since passed away.