After covering the grave with the last handful of soil, Shen Xia finally turned around.
Li Xiao was already gone. Only the lingering scent of blood remained in the air.
Pressing a hand to her chest, she let out a long sigh of relief.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t sensed the danger. She had simply been gambling…
Gambling on whether this villain still possessed a shred of humanity, and whether she should continue helping him.
Fortunately, she had won the bet. Otherwise, given her current physical condition, she wasn’t even sure she could withstand a few exchanges with them.
After tidying herself up, she returned to the original owner’s residence.
It was the most remote courtyard in the Shen Manor. Not a single servant was stationed there, making the place bleak and deserted.
Shen Duancheng, the head of the Shen family, had eighteen concubines and a multitude of sons and daughters. Aside from the legitimate children, he could hardly remember the names of the rest.
Among all his concubines, the original owner’s mother had come from a brothel and was the most despised of them all.
Moreover, she had died young. As her daughter, the original owner had become someone everyone in the manor could bully at will, her status even lower than that of a maid.
Shen Duancheng was well aware that she was mistreated by everyone, yet he always turned a blind eye. After all, he had countless daughters born of concubines and simply couldn’t be bothered to concern himself with her life or death.
There was another reason as well. The timing of the original owner’s mother’s pregnancy had been rather awkward. It had happened shortly after she was redeemed from the brothel, so Shen Duancheng had always suspected that the original owner might not even be his biological daughter. As a result, he disliked her even more.
Shen Xia scrubbed the blood from her hands with force. Only after the scent of blood had faded considerably did she sit before the mirror and carefully examine this body.
Not only did the original owner share her name, but their appearances were also ninety percent alike.
However, the original owner was only fourteen years old. Her features were still youthful, and her temperament was nothing like Shen Xia’s bright and confident demeanor.
Pressing her fingers against her temple, she began considering her next move.
Only by successfully completing her mission could she return to the twenty-first century.
The criteria for mission success had nothing to do with the system. As long as the fractured and chaotic state of the nations came to an end and the world was unified, the Gate of Time and Space would open.
After secretly studying the rules, she had discovered that all it required was for someone to unify the realm and ascend the throne. As for who that person was… it did not necessarily have to be the Male Lead.
That was why she would never follow the system’s original arrangement and support the Male Lead it had chosen.
If not for the one restriction that stated outsiders could not complete the mission by unifying the world themselves, she might even have considered seizing the throne personally.
After much deliberation, she concluded that aside from the Male Lead’s protagonist halo, Li Xiao had even greater potential.
Therefore, her top priority now was to survive first, then lend Li Xiao a helping hand.
The original owner’s body was far too weak. Frail and sickly since birth, she had also suffered years of abuse. The fact that she had survived until now was already a miracle. She would have to restore her health before anything else.
“Seventh Miss, Master has summoned you to the front courtyard!”
At that moment, a voice sounded from outside.
Hearing it, Shen Xia slowly opened her eyes, a chill flashing through them.
So they were already coming to demand an explanation?
After changing into a clean set of clothes that had been washed so many times they had faded white, she finally opened the door and stepped outside.
The maid standing at the entrance wore a face full of resentment.
“Seventh Miss certainly has airs. You took so long to open the door. The Old Madam and Master are both waiting for you in the front courtyard. Are you trying to get yourself punished?”
Smack!
Shen Xia raised her hand and slapped the maid across the face without hesitation.
“Y-you hit me?” Qianxue covered her cheek and stared at Shen Xia in disbelief.
She was one of the Old Madam’s senior personal maids. Recently, the Old Madam had even mentioned promoting her to become Master’s nineteenth concubine.
Shen Xia was merely an unfavored daughter born to a prostitute. How dare she hit her?
“No matter how insignificant I may be, I am still a young lady of the Shen family. No matter how favored you are, you’re still only a maid. If I want to hit you, then I hit you. Do I need your permission first?”
Shen Xia wanted to survive in this world, but that didn’t mean she intended to become a punching bag whom everyone could trample over.
She, too, had grown up cherished and protected by her parents.
“Y-you…”
It was the first time Qianxue had seen Shen Xia like this, and for a moment she had no idea how to respond.
Qianzhu, standing behind her, stepped forward and pulled her back.
“Why bother arguing with her? The Old Madam can seek justice for you later.”
Upon arriving at the front courtyard, Shen Xia could already hear Shen Ying speaking coquettishly to Shen Duancheng from afar.
“Father, don’t worry. On Nanli Island, our Shen family is among the most prominent families. As for my appearance and talents, I am second to none. If Brother Shunyuan doesn’t like me, who else could he possibly like? The marriage alliance between our Shen family and the Song family will definitely succeed.”
“It’s all because of that little slut Shen Xia. She actually dared to show herself while Brother Shunyuan and I were enjoying a pleasant conversation. She must have been trying to seduce him. She’s utterly shameless! Father, you must punish her severely for me.”
Shen Xia’s footsteps paused slightly.
So this was all because of Song Shunyuan.
The thought made her want to sneer.
On the island, the Song family could be considered one of the major clans.
Years ago, members of their family had committed crimes in the capital and were exiled here. However, in recent years, the Song main branch in the capital had gradually regained the Emperor’s favor, causing the status of the family’s collateral branches to rise along with it.
Several families on the island had begun entertaining the idea of forming marriage ties with the Song family.
Although Shen Duancheng possessed considerable wealth and property, he was merely a minor official. He had always dreamed of elevating the Shen family into a true aristocratic house.
For that reason, he required all his sons, whether legitimate or born of concubines, to prepare for the imperial examinations. He especially valued his legitimate son, whom he had sent off the island at an early age to pursue his studies.
His second legitimate daughter, Shen Yi, was being raised according to the standards of a noble young lady from the capital and would one day enter the palace selection.
As for his third legitimate daughter, Shen Ying, since she would not be entering the palace, she was naturally expected to marry into another prominent family. The Song family was an excellent choice.
Because of this, everyone in the Shen family regarded Song Shunyuan, the Song family’s legitimate eldest son, as Shen Ying’s future husband.
Yet the original owner had never known Song Shunyuan would be visiting that day. Encountering him had been entirely accidental.
However, because her face was already beginning to reveal breathtaking beauty, Shen Ying was both jealous and resentful. Naturally, she couldn’t swallow this grievance.
“Old Madam, Master, Seventh Miss has arrived.”
Qianzhu spoke up to announce her presence.
Shen Ying immediately shot her a venomous glare.
Shen Duancheng also looked up impatiently, but when his gaze landed on Shen Xia’s face, he froze for a moment.
“Are you Ruan Niang’s daughter?”
He frowned and thought for quite a while before finally recalling the name of that short-lived woman.
“She is indeed that woman’s daughter.”
Madam Zhao cast Shen Xia a glance and spoke first.
“Her looks are even more seductive than those of her lowly, short-lived mother.”
She continued speaking, her tone sharp and unpleasant.
She had always despised Shen Xia’s mother’s background. Even though the woman had been dead for many years, she still found her existence inauspicious, and by extension, she could never bring herself to like Shen Xia.