“Am I... dead again?”
Yun Pianpian’s consciousness drifted in the void, like a fallen leaf floating in a dark Deep Pool. Unlike before, she could clearly perceive her existence now—her limbs were intact, the pain was gone, and she could even stand in this Chaos.
Looking up, she saw what seemed like twinkling stars overhead, faint lights floating like fireflies, illuminating a hazy gloom. There was no sky, no earth, only the "ground" beneath her feet that was like water but wasn't, rippling with faint light with every step she took.
“Where is this... Hell? Heaven? Or...”
Suddenly, her gaze locked onto something ahead—
A thin, yellow-clad figure squatted silently not far away, her back to Yun Pianpian. Her long hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and the hem of her ruqun spread across the ground, resembling a withered flower.
Yun Pianpian’s steps froze abruptly.
Horror movie tropes flashed wildly through her mind—
A female ghost smiling back with blood streaming from all seven orifices?
A skull suddenly twisting around after tapping her shoulder?
A pale hand slowly reaching out from behind...
“Gulp.” She swallowed, cold sweat beading on her palms.
“Wait for her to come over? No... Run? But I can’t move at all!”
Yun Pianpian currently hated how vivid her imagination was, having watched too many horror films.
Just as she struggled—
*Swish!*
The yellow-clad woman was suddenly standing in front of her without a sound! The pale face, inches away, was almost touching her nose.
“Ghost!”
“I didn’t blink!!” Yun Pianpian’s hair stood on end, her heart nearly stopping.
What was more terrifying was—
This face... was exactly the same as hers!
The girl before her wore a goose-yellow ruqun, her dark hair loosely tied up with a few yellow Silk Ribbons, clearly a noble lady dressed in ancient style. But the face, identical to Yun Pianpian’s, had eyes devoid of light, like a Puppet whose soul had been extracted.
“Hello, my name is Yun Pianpian,” the girl spoke, her voice ethereal like the wind.
“Same name?! Wait—”
Before she could react, the yellow-clad girl suddenly grew agitated:
“I’m sorry, Pianpian... for bringing you to this world without permission.” Her Withered Hand grabbed Yun Pianpian’s sleeve, “But I truly had no other choice...”
Tears rolled from her empty eyes, yet they bizarrely dissolved into fluorescent light:
“I am the Eldest Miss of the Duke Zhenguo's Residence in the Eastern Profound Nation... My Grandfather is paralyzed, my younger brother is blind, and my Father is missing. Those wolf-like relatives seized the family fortune and lured me to the Scarlet Moon Mountain Range to kill me...”
Her voice gradually distorted, finally turning into a piercing shriek:
“They all deserve to die—!!”
The surging resentment stirred up a fierce wind, and the entire space began to tremble. Yun Pianpian watched in horror as—
Black blood seeped from the girl’s seven orifices, and her yellow clothes instantly turned scarlet!
Yun Pianpian stared at the face identical to her own, now twisted by malice, her chest heaving violently. She didn't know if what surged in her heart was absurdity, anger, or pitiful compassion.
“So—” she sneered, her voice echoing in the void, “you dragged me here to be your scapegoat? To avenge you? To clean up your mess?!”
The more she spoke, the more agitated she became, her nails digging deeply into her palm.
“What a joke! Me? A wage slave, and you want me to engage in household infighting? Are you crazy!”
“Besides! I was inexplicably thrown into this damned place, chased by a tiger, and almost lost my life! A tiger! I’ve only ever seen them on TV! Do you know what it feels like to be pinned under a tiger’s paw?! I crawled for so long... bled so much... If someone hadn't happened to pass by, I would have been torn to shreds by now!”
She almost roared, her voice hoarse as if rubbed by sandpaper.
“And now you tell me I have to avenge you? Kill people for you? Dream on! This old lady is quitting!”
The “Yun Pianpian” she yelled at froze, then tears streamed down, but those tears were like illusory fluorescent light, vanishing before they hit the ground.
“Help me take revenge, Pianpian...” she pleaded softly, her voice ethereal like the wind, “You are me, and I am you... We are one entity...”
“Cut the crap! What ‘you are me, I am you’? You are you, and I am me! Why should I risk my life for you?!”
“Yun Pianpian” suddenly leaned closer, that pale face almost touching her nose, her voice abruptly becoming seductive—
“Here, you can have everything you never had before...”
“Power, wealth... even—immortality.”
Yun Pianpian’s pupils contracted.
Her fists slowly clenched, knuckles turning white. At some point, she realized she could move.
Taking two steps forward, she grabbed the collar of the “Yun Pianpian” opposite her, gritting her teeth: “In your dreams!”
But as soon as the words left her mouth, her strength seemed to drain away instantly, and she collapsed limply onto the ground.
“Yun Pianpian” looked down at her, her voice as gentle as if coaxing a disobedient child—
“Pianpian, you weren’t living well in your original world, were you?”
“A relative on their sickbed, endless Debt, a life where you are always stepped on... Are you truly content?”
Yun Pianpian’s breath hitched.
Those images flooded back like a tide—her Grandfather’s Withered Hand, her younger brother’s pale smile, the cold hospital bills, the boss’s harsh face...
She clenched her jaw, her throat tight.
“Here, you can start anew.”
“Yun Pianpian” leaned down and whispered in her ear, “As long as you avenge me... I will grant you anything you desire.”
Yun Pianpian looked up at the almost fanatical “self” before her, finding the situation utterly absurd.
A lunatic!
A complete lunatic!
But she had to admit—
She was tempted.
If life hadn't forced her hand, who would want to live that 996 life?
Yun Pianpian’s consciousness floated in the Chaos, memories of her Previous Life flashing like a revolving lantern—her short twenty-seven years, the farthest she had traveled was to a neighboring province, commuting between her rented room and the office daily, like a bird trapped in a cage, its strength to even flutter ground down bit by bit by life.
But now...
She didn't even know if she was dead or alive.
After an unknown amount of time, her consciousness finally sank slowly, as if surfacing from the deep sea.
Faint human voices reached her ears, as if muffled by a thick pane of frosted glass. Yun Pianpian tried to open her eyes but found her eyelids heavy as lead, refusing to lift no matter how hard she strained.
“Mmm...”
She tried to speak, but her throat was so dry it felt stuffed with hot sand, only managing a weak moan.
“Water... give me... water...”
Her voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible, but she lacked the strength to even lift a hand, able only to hope someone heard her plea.
*Creeeeak—*
The sound of a wooden door opening came from a distance, footsteps approaching.
Yun Pianpian felt someone gently support her back, slowly helping her sit up against the edge of the bed. Immediately after, a cool Porcelain Bottle was pressed against her lips.
“Hiss...”
The sudden coolness made her shiver involuntarily, but when the first drop of water slid down her throat—
Sweetness.
That cool liquid was like sweet rain after a long drought, moistening her burning throat, and the pain in her body seemed to lessen slightly.
“The young lady is awake?”
The girl’s voice was crisp and pleasant, like a mountain spring, lightly entering her ears.
A wave of gratitude washed over Yun Pianpian. She rasped, “Hello... Did you save me? Thank you! May I ask your name? If I have the chance in the future, I will certainly repay you.”
She had been taught since childhood to repay kindness, let alone a life-saving one?
But at that moment, she suddenly realized—
Her eyes... why couldn't she see?
Before her was only thick darkness, as if covered by a veil of eternal night.
“...”
Yun Pianpian fell silent.
This transmigration, first almost getting killed by a tiger, and now she was blind?
“Don’t let me catch that ‘Yun Pianpian’ again...” she thought fiercely, “or I’ll beat her until even her ancestors wouldn’t recognize her!”
The girl gently placed the Teacup on the low table beside the bed, folded her hands in front of her, and stood respectfully to the side.
“Your servant is Liu Yun. Miss is too kind; this servant will report to the Master immediately.”
Yun Pianpian reached out blindly into the darkness, instinctively grabbing Liu Yun’s sleeve while rubbing her throbbing temples with the other hand.
“Wait... I remember I was in a forest, being chased by a tiger, and then saved by someone wearing white...”
“A tiger?” Liu Yun tilted her head slightly, a thoughtful expression on her face, “Does Miss mean a Third Tier Scarlet Heaven Tiger?”
“Third Tier? Scarlet Heaven Tiger?” Yun Pianpian rolled her eyes internally. What was all this? Did people here describe animals like this? Forget it, when in Rome, do as the Romans do; on someone else’s turf, they can call it whatever they like.
She suddenly recalled the revenge matter mentioned by the “self” in the dream, instantly giving her a splitting headache. Household infighting? She was just a miserable 996 wage slave who couldn't even handle office politics, how could she manage household infighting? But thinking about the wealth and glory the other party promised... well, her mood balanced out a little.
Liu Yun brought over a basin of clear water and poured a few drops of crystalline liquid from an exquisite Jade Bottle. The clear water in the basin immediately shimmered, but all of this was meaningless to the sightless Yun Pianpian.
Feeling the damp cloth gently wipe her eyes, Yun Pianpian couldn't help but marvel at the Maidservant’s professional technique.
“Miss, please try to open your eyes.”
Upon the initial attempt to open her eyes, a stinging, burning sensation struck her. The vision was blurry, but with Liu Yun’s help, the double images gradually focused. After a few minutes of struggle, finally—
The sight before her made Yun Pianpian freeze instantly:
On the carved redwood bed, the exquisite vine patterns glowed with a warm luster in the sunlight; the plain white bed curtains swayed gently in the breeze, embroidered with lifelike Immortal Cranes; the antique rosewood furniture emitted a faint fragrance...
This was clearly the kind of bed she had seen during her trip to an ancient town in her province! But it was far more exquisitely crafted than those imitation ancient buildings, exuding a genuine historical weight everywhere.
Yun Pianpian slapped her thigh hard, screaming internally:
“It’s over, it’s over! I really transmigrated! And it’s a soul transmigration! That crazy woman wasn’t lying to me!”
She subconsciously touched her face, then looked down at the clothes she was wearing—sure enough, it was an exquisitely tailored ancient costume.
If she had doubted it was an illusion just moments ago, everything before her eyes now was ironclad reality.
Yun Pianpian tilted her head slightly, carefully observing the girl beside her—Liu Yun was about seventeen or eighteen, her long black hair styled in a simple bun, adorned only with two plain silk flowers. She wore a light cyan dress; although the style was simple, the intricate Dark Patterns on the collar and cuffs revealed an extraordinary taste.
This attire was exactly like a court lady stepping out of an ancient painting.
Similar to modern Hanfu, yet imbued everywhere with an innate ancient charm. Yun Pianpian couldn't help but muse: If this were in her Previous Life, it would absolutely be a top-tier restoration style fiercely sought after by the Hanfu community.
“Liu Yun, where is this?” Yun Pianpian asked softly. Seeing the girl standing still, she instinctively patted the edge of the bed, “Why don’t you sit down and talk?”
This casual action clearly startled Liu Yun.
The Maidservant set down the Jade Bottle but did not sit as invited, only moving slightly closer. A huge wave of shock surged through her heart—having been trained in the Secret Guard camp since childhood, she was accustomed to bowing and scraping. Her Master offering a seat? That was a fantasy in the rigidly hierarchical Shangjing City.
What shocked her even more was the abnormality of this “Miss Yun.”
Liu Yun came from a poor family and was chosen by Qin Ying due to her outstanding talent. Before coming here, she had heard of the “notorious reputation” of the Eldest Miss of Duke Yun's Residence—who in all of Shangjing City didn't know she was a good-for-nothing obsessed with the Second Prince?
The rumored Yun Pianpian:
Pestered the Second Prince relentlessly
Cultivation talent was almost zero
Behavior was vulgar and unbearable
But this one before her... Liu Yun observed discreetly:
Composed and measured in speech and demeanor
Eyes clear, showing no infatuation
Gentle and polite in treating others
How could this be a good-for-nothing? She was clearly a Noble Lady with excellent upbringing!
If the bewildered Yun Pianpian knew what was being said, she would be ecstatic internally.
What concerned her more was—the Master seemed to pay unusual attention to this person. One must know, the Master had always been indifferent toward women...
“This place is Ziwei City, Miss.”
“Ziwei City?” Yun Pianpian closed her eyes in thought, trying to search her memory for clues. She didn't notice that this subconscious action caused a deeper look of confusion to flash in Liu Yun’s eyes.
At this moment, Yun Pianpian’s internal monologue: Ziwei City? I know of the Imperial Palace... Could this be the alternate world's version of the Imperial Palace?!