Boom… rumble…
The storm poured down in torrents. Sitting with her knees hugged to her chest, Xin Siansi let out another long sigh. Having sorted through her thoughts, she felt hollow inside, staring blankly at the firewood pond.
The heavy rain lasted only a short while before losing its intensity. Time was of the essence, so she stood up and stepped out of the thatched shed in her damp clothes. Taking a deep breath, she broke off a reed stalk and waded into the firewood pond.
Having lived twenty-seven years in the modern world, Xin Siansi was no stranger to solitude. During holidays, she often accompanied her grandparents into the mountains, rivers, and deep forests, so her courage was not lacking.
Using the reed to test the water, she moved forward cautiously, heading deeper to wash her hair and scrub off the grime. Her tangled hair was knotted in countless places, and it took immense effort to finally smooth it out. The dirt on her body softened in the water, and with each scrub, several “worms” of filth came off.
The rain stopped, the dark clouds dispersed, and the moon revealed its face. The chirping of insects began around the firewood pond.
By the moonlight, Xin Siansi noticed fish swimming not far away, and her mouth watered. She was truly starving. Grabbing the reed stalk, she thrust it sharply into the water, intending only to scare the fish away. Unexpectedly, the reed pierced straight through the fish’s belly… Stunned for a moment, she watched as the impaled fish tried to escape and hurriedly grabbed it.
At the crow of the rooster, the Xin household stirred. It wasn’t that Xin Liangyou didn’t care about Xin Siansi’s whereabouts; he had only just received the news.
“Didn’t you know your sister is not in her right mind?”
Xin Yue’er knelt on the ground, her tearful eyes pitiful: “Father, it is my grave mistake. I shouldn’t have gone to see my sister. If I hadn’t gone, I wouldn’t have felt heartache, nor would I have pitied her and released her after her recent episode. Sister… sister has betrayed my trust…”
“Silence.” The square-faced woman standing behind Xin Liangyou was none other than Xin Yue’er’s mother, Han Feng Niang. She, too, was furious: “When you discovered your sister was missing, you should have come to tell us immediately. Why did you delay until now?” Last night in bed, Liangyou had even said that Fang Kuo, the old bald donkey of Xuehua Temple, deserved to die.
“Daughter…” Xin Yue’er sobbed, “Daughter went to look for my sister. I searched everywhere—the house, the nearby areas—but couldn’t find her. She tricked me out of my gold bracelet… Sister must have been planning this for a long time…”
Xin Liangyou believed this, as Siansi had been raised by Hong Shi until she was thirteen. However, Yue’er going to the Po Zhang Courtyard… His eyes darkened: “Why did you go looking for her in the first place?”
“Let’s not dwell on that now. Quickly send more people to search for her.” Han Feng Niang understood all too well the great use of a madwoman.
Xin Liangyou, however, was not worried: “She won’t go far.” Siansi could never let go of her mother.
Meanwhile, after washing herself clean, Xin Siansi emerged from the pond with two cleaned grass carp in hand. Her damp clothes clung to her body, and she held the two garments she had changed out of in her left hand. Entering the thatched shed, she dared not light a fire to dry them. At night, flames were too conspicuous. After setting the fish aside, she tore the unwearable clothes into strips.
Her fingers flew as she wove a pair of shoes.
Her hair, reaching down to her waist and hips, dripped with water, but she paid it no mind. While bathing, she had already made up her mind. Since she couldn’t change the broader circumstances, she would simply have to adapt. How to adapt? It wasn’t difficult, really—she needed silver in hand.
Silver? Xin Siansi smiled, lifting her left arm where a bracelet hung. After finishing the shoes, four cloth strips remained. Her hair was almost dry. She used the strips to tie her hair halfway up, then divided it into two strands, braided them, and coiled the braids into a bun.
She now had a clear plan for the future. Avoid the male and female protagonists and all supporting characters. Stay out of the affairs of the martial world and the jianghu. Don’t be a saint, don’t be weak, and don’t break the law or disrupt order. Be an ordinary, unremarkable passerby, find ways to accumulate silver, purchase land, and build a peaceful paradise amidst mountains and waters.
In her previous life, she had a particular fondness for grinding stones, carving wood, weaving, and searching for moss… creating landscapes in clay pots and broken jars. She had always dreamed of bringing her imagined idyllic home into reality. Unfortunately, back then, her financial situation didn’t allow it, so she could only dream.
But now it was different. Xin Shensi could hardly wait. In this world, land wasn’t expensive. As for Xin Liangyou and the Xin family… the murder of her mother would be avenged sooner or later. This was also the only thing she could do for the original owner of this body.
As dawn broke, she stepped out of the thatched shed and surveyed her surroundings. Not far west of the firewood pond was a village. She went to the riverbank to examine her appearance in this body.
Her eyebrows were long, neither thick nor thin. She had a pair of auspicious phoenix eyes, clear and spirited. Her nose bridge was straight, and her mouth was slightly wider than her nose. Both the upper and lower parts of her face were narrow, a typical oval shape. Having been locked in an iron cage for years, her skin was pale without a trace of color. Her bone structure was beautiful, but she was too thin. If she could gain a little weight, she would resemble her former self by about seventy percent.
Using her palm to measure her height—one, two… ten and a half palms. Her palm was roughly sixteen centimeters long, so she was definitely over one meter sixty. Xin Shensi’s lips curved slightly upward, revealing adorable dimples.
She found a small stone and placed it on a flat rock surface. Focusing her gaze, she raised her left hand, took a breath, gathered her strength, and slapped down. With a thud, the small stone turned to dust, and even the rock surface cracked.
She couldn’t help but swallow hard. Although she had suspected it earlier… she was still a bit frightened. Suddenly, she understood why she hadn’t been panting or tired while escaping last night. In an instant, she felt delighted—having great strength was wonderful! With great strength, she could farm and do a lot of heavy labor. As long as she wasn’t lazy, she wouldn’t have to worry about making a living.
Gurgle… gurgle…
Xin Shensi placed a hand on her stomach—she was so hungry. She stopped dwelling on other matters, returned to the thatched shed, picked up the fish and the bag, and headed west. She didn’t enter the village but circled around to the foot of the mountain behind it, where she found a small cave shorter than her height. It was very secluded. There was a fire pit on the ground, and scattered firewood lay at the back of the cave.
Bending down, she entered the cave and set down her things. She gathered some firewood, arranged it in the pit, and stuffed in a handful of dry grass. She knew how to use a fire starter, and with her great strength, she quickly struck a spark.
Once the fire was lit, Xin Shensi opened the cloth bag. Half of the rice and flour inside were damp. The salt hadn’t spilled, but the oil jar was noticeably lighter. She couldn’t help but smile bitterly, grabbing some salt to marinate the fish, rubbing it both inside and out. The two grass carp, each about a foot long, weighed around three catties. There was no cooking wine or barbecue seasoning, but if she roasted them and ate them hot, they shouldn’t be too fishy.
After applying the salt, she massaged the fish and coated them with a layer of oil. Letting them sit for a moment, she began roasting. Without a wire rack, she used small tree branches laid across the fire pit. As she roasted the fish, she replaced the branches to prevent them from burning through and the fish falling into the pit.
When the fish were half-cooked, Xin Shensi drizzled a bit more oil. Oil wasn’t easy to store, so she didn’t mind using it. By the time the fish were done, her body was warm and toasty, with no trace of dampness left. She extinguished the fire, used small twigs as chopsticks, and went for the fish belly.
“Hiss… haha…” It was so hot, but Xin Shensi couldn’t bear to spit it out. She opened her mouth to breathe. The fish meat was tender and fresh, with almost no fishy taste. Her stomach growled, and only after finishing one fish did it quiet down. After finishing the other, her energy returned, but her eyes began to droop.
She didn’t force herself, shifting her buttocks inward and leaning against the cave wall to rest. She had originally planned to leave the city as soon as possible, but she was wearing the clothes of a Xin family servant. Xin Liangyou was cunning and deceitful, and he was bound to be meticulous. She needed to find a way to get a change of clothes.
The bracelet on her arm couldn’t be pawned in Fanxi City either.
Where could she get clothes? Xin Shensi pondered, her breathing gradually slowing.
Outside the cave, the sun slowly rose higher. A group of half-grown children, some carrying baskets and others small backpacks, went up the mountain to pick mushrooms, laughing and playing along the way. On the village path, an old man had just driven his ox cart past when two large geese led a dozen molting ducks across toward the firewood pond. Farm work was never easy; in the southern fields, men and women tending the crops had their backs bent toward the sky. Neighbors occasionally exchanged a few words, sharing a laugh.
Cicadas sang loudly, but it wasn’t overly noisy, and the countryside exuded a sense of tranquility.
Xin Shensi slept until noon, waking up dazed and unsure of who she was or where she was, but clarity soon returned. She groaned, whimpered a couple of times—she was still stuck in this wretched place. Her eyes were dry, her eyelids burning and slightly painful. She raised a hand to rub her face, accepting reality.
After calming herself for a moment, she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Picking up the fish bones, she bent over and left the cave. Perhaps it had just rained; the sun was intense but not overly hot. Finding a patch of soft soil, she used a small wooden stick to dig a hole and buried the fish bones. Clapping her hands clean, she gazed toward the village and began stretching her body, twisting her waist left and right and kicking her legs.
After a good sleep, she felt much better. Once her joints were loosened, she went through a set of Eight Brocades, followed by Chen-style Tai Chi. These were routines she had learned while accompanying her grandfather during morning exercises in her previous life. It had been half a year since she last practiced, so her movements were a bit rusty. After finishing one round, she felt uneasy and started another.
The world she was in now was a low-martial world, with Internal Energy, True Qi, and legendary martial arts. Xin Shensi comforted herself: practicing was better than nothing. She went through three consecutive rounds, only stopping when she broke a sweat. Standing still for a moment, she bent down, picked up a small stone, and threw it with force at a lantern grass leaf a few steps away.
Thwack! The stone pierced the leaf.
Frowning in thought, she wondered if she should try her luck in the mountains. Aside from a gold bracelet, she had no money in her pockets. Without money, she couldn’t go anywhere.
After a brief consideration, Xin Shensi pinched her nose, turned back into the cave, tied her pant legs tightly with cloth strips, grabbed her cloth bag, and stepped outside. She looked around and headed north. The mountains here weren’t very high, but they were lush and densely covered with vegetation. Picking up a stick as thick as a child’s wrist, she found a trail and followed it up the mountain.
July and August were the most annoying months because of the insects. The forest was damp, with plenty of rotting leaves and wood, making it an ideal habitat for bugs, ants, birds, and snakes. Being alone, she felt a bit scared. She focused intently, staying alert to her surroundings. After walking for a while, she turned south.
Coo… coo-coo-coo…
A pheasant? Xin Shensi spun around, catching sight of a flash of bright color. She wanted to chase after it, but her foot caught on a vine, and she tumbled forward.
“Oof!”
Falling flat on the ground, her left hand still tightly gripping the mouth of the cloth bag. She wasn’t hurt, and after catching her breath, she got up, but the pheasant was long gone. She tried to recall: was that one male or female? Its tail feathers seemed quite long… It was a rooster, so there was no need to waste energy looking for eggs here.
Continuing south, Xin Shensi reflected on her experience as she walked. When she saw the pheasant earlier, she shouldn’t have rushed to chase it. That fall had startled the bird. She should have observed quietly first, and then… Just as she was lost in thought, a gray shadow darted past in front of her. Instinctively, she swung her stick with her right hand, and the leaping gray shadow fell.
A plump rabbit twitched on the ground.
Sniffling, Xin Shensi stared wide-eyed at the rabbit, as if she couldn’t believe she had caught it. After a few stunned moments, her left hand relaxed, and the cloth bag dropped to the ground. Bending down to grab the rabbit by its ears, a slow smile spread across her lips.
This gray rabbit weighed about seven or eight catties. She tied its legs with vine grass and stuffed it at the bottom of the cloth bag, placing the rice and flour on top. With this catch, Xin Shensi’s confidence soared. However, until the sun began to set in the west, she hadn’t caught a second rabbit. Her mouth felt parched, so she found a mountain spring, cupped her hands to drink a few sips of water, and squatted down to rest for a while before preparing to descend the mountain.
With a rabbit for tonight, she wouldn’t go hungry. Her mood wasn’t exactly cheerful, but it wasn’t bad either. She lifted the bag and slung it over her shoulder, holding a stick in her right hand to support herself on the ground. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly heard a faint voice…
“Is… is anyone there… is anyone there?”
Who? Xin Shensi, sharp-eared and keen-eyed, turned her head toward the direction of the voice but didn’t move her feet. The person calling for help was a woman, and she hesitated.
“Is someone there? Please, save me…”
Xin Shensi smiled bitterly. What was she hesitating about? Given her current situation, could things possibly get any worse? She slowly moved toward the source of the voice. Deep down, she knew very well that if the person was just an ordinary individual, spending a night trapped in these woods would likely mean no chance of survival. Climbing up a rocky slope, she immediately spotted the trap.
“Save me…” The woman’s choked voice was filled with desperation.
After five or six steps to the edge of the trap, Xin Shensi looked down. A girl with a round face and round eyes, about fourteen or fifteen years old, fair-skinned and not resembling a farm girl. Yet the bamboo basket beside her, filled with mushrooms, suggested her home was nearby.
“Please, save me…” Seeing it was a woman, the girl relaxed her shoulders slightly, looking up with tear-filled eyes as she struggled to climb up by gripping the walls. Her right foot was caught in an animal trap, and blood had already seeped through her shoe.
The bottom of the pit was covered with vine grass, dry wood, and broken branches. Xin Shensi glanced at the scattered mushrooms in the corner, set down her cloth bag, and extended the stick toward the girl. “Hold on tight, I’ll pull you up.” Fortunately, the trap wasn’t very deep, or she would have needed to find a longer stick.
“Th-thank you.” The girl’s fingers were slender as she gripped the stick tightly, adding apologetically, “I’m a bit heavy.”
It was fine—she had plenty of strength. Xin Shensi took a deep breath, held it, and pulled upward. Once the girl’s head emerged from the pit, she grabbed her arm. With one pulling and the other scrambling, they made it out.
“Wah… I was so scared…” The girl lay on the ground, crying. “I still have my grandmother… I can’t leave her alone in this world…”
Since she had saved her, she might as well see it through. Xin Shensi examined the animal trap clamped around the girl’s right foot. It wasn’t complicated, similar to a mouse trap—just pry it open.
“What’s your name?”
“I’m grateful, benefactor. My surname is Li, and my name is… hic… Man Xiu…” Man Xiu gasped, her right foot throbbing with pain.
Xin Shensi removed the trap, let out a long sigh, and cleared away the vine grass stuck to her embroidered shoe. “You came into the mountains alone. Why didn’t you bring a sister or friend along?”
Man Xiu bit her pale lips, enduring the pain before replying softly, “I… I don’t have any close sisters or friends.”
Xin Shensi sensed the unspoken difficulty in her words and didn’t press further. Instead, she asked, “Is your home in the village down the mountain?”
“Yes, at the very end of the village.” Man Xiu turned over and looked at her benefactor. “You’re not from our village.”
Xin Shensi nodded. “No, I’m just passing through.” She took the stick, jumped into the trap, gathered the scattered mushrooms, placed them in the bamboo basket, and slung it over her back. Using the stick, she dug a foothold into the edge of the trap, braced herself with the stick, stepped onto the foothold, and climbed out.
Man Xiu’s anxious heart finally settled. “Benefactor, you really didn’t have to retrieve the bamboo basket.” Compared to her life, what was a bamboo basket worth?
“Having it makes things easier.” Xin Shensi emptied the mushrooms from the bamboo basket, placed her cloth bag inside, and then picked up the mushrooms to put on top. “By the way, my name is Shan Niang. Is it just you and your grandmother at home?”
Man Xiu gave a soft hum, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead, her expression sorrowful. “My father… passed away early. Grandma only had my father as her son. All these years, she’s been living with me, and I… I can’t afford to have anything happen to me.”
She said her father passed away early but didn’t mention her mother’s death. Her mother wasn’t dead, yet only she and her grandmother were at home. Xin Shensi understood the situation. “You carry the bamboo basket, and I’ll carry you down the mountain.” She glanced up at the sky, her tone resigned. “I might have to ask you to take me in for a day today.”
Hearing this, Man Xiu quickly replied, “We have a room at home. You can stay as long as you like. If I hadn’t met you today…” Her gaze met her savior’s, and her voice softened. “I’m afraid I would have been done for.”
“Thank you!” Xin Shensi picked up the basket, helped her put it on her back, then crouched down, hands reaching behind her.
Seeing how thin her savior was, Man Xiu felt a pang of self-reproach. She should have eaten less on ordinary days.
“I’m very heavy.”
“You’re just right. Being too thin isn’t good-looking. It’s getting late; we need to hurry down the mountain.”
Right, right, her grandmother should be back soon. Man Xiu didn’t dare delay any longer. She placed her hands on her savior’s shoulders and leaned against her. Xin Shensi lifted her up. “You point the way.”
“Over there.”
Xin Shensi followed her direction. “Can you still move your toes? If not, we’ll need to call a doctor as soon as we get home.”
“Hiss… ow,” Man Xiu tried, her face scrunching up in pain. “It seems I can move them.” Gritting her teeth, she tried again and could indeed curl them against the sole of her shoe. “I can move them.”
“That’s good.”
They rested three times on the way down the mountain, and by the time they reached the bottom, the sun was already hanging low in the west.
“Where is your home?”
“There…” Man Xiu caught sight of her own courtyard wall and hesitated for a moment before saying, “My grandmother is very kind, she just doesn’t smile often. Since you saved me, she’ll be very happy to have you stay at our home. Please… please don’t misunderstand.”
“I won’t.” Xin Shensi understood. A widow raising a granddaughter alone—if she weren’t tough, how could she survive in this world?
“She works very hard, busy every day buying pigs, raising them, slaughtering one every two days, then going to the market to sell the pork…” Man Xiu’s heart ached. “My father used to do all this work. After he left us, Grandma ate pig’s head meat one meal and pig offal the next, forcing herself to grow strong over three months. A few troublemakers in the village would often loiter around our house, so Grandma would carry firewood and chop it right at the gate.”
“You are your grandmother’s reason to live.” Xin Shensi spotted a dark-skinned old woman running toward them.
“Xiu Ya…” The old woman’s face was stern and fleshy, indeed looking fierce.
Man Xiu felt a little uneasy. “Grandma…”