At dusk, torrential rain poured from the sky as lightning flashed and thunder roared. Deep in a dense primeval forest, the special forces soldier Xiang Zhuiyue and her companions were pursuing a group of vicious drug traffickers.
The downpour came down in sheets, obstructing their vision. Facing the drug traffickers fleeing wildly ahead, Zhuiyue ran at full speed while repeatedly firing at them.
One of the drug traffickers was hit and fell backward. At the same time, Zhuiyue was struck by the gunfire and toppled backward, plunging off a towering cliff…
When she awoke again, she found herself lying inside a mountain cave. There were many chests all around her, with countless pieces of gold, silver, and jewelry piled on top of them. Several enormous night-luminous pearls[1]Legendary Chinese treasures, called ye ming zhu, said to shine in darkness. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3740501_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3740501_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); had been placed high up in the cave, spaced out in an orderly fashion as they extended toward its depths. They illuminated the entire cavern, filling it with light and giving it a warm, welcoming atmosphere.
Zhuiyue struggled to sit up and leaned against a wooden chest. She felt somewhat dazed. Her last memory seemed to be of being shot and dying. How was she alive again? Could it be that, just as the books described, she had crossed into another world?
As she wondered about this, she saw a bronze mirror resting on the wooden chest opposite her. She struggled to crawl over, picked up the mirror, and held it up to examine herself.
The woman in the mirror left her completely stunned. She was breathtakingly beautiful, with skin as smooth as cream and features as lovely as a painting. The movement of her eyes was captivating; she was beautiful enough to topple a kingdom[2]An echo of the Chinese idiom qingguo qingcheng, describing beauty so overwhelming it could captivate an entire city or state. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3740501_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3740501_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });… This was not what she had originally looked like. It seemed she really had transmigrated.
As she thought this, unfamiliar information began surging into her mind.
It turned out that this girl’s given name was also Zhuiyue. As for her original surname, no one knew. When she was five, she had been kidnapped while playing outside her home and forced to beg in the streets. Because she failed to get any money from begging, she was beaten viciously in public. A passing Daoist[3]A practitioner of Daoism, a Chinese religious and philosophical tradition centered on the Dao, or Way. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3740501_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3740501_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); rescued her, brought her back to his Daoist temple, and accepted her as his disciple.
Because the Daoist had rescued her on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival[4]A Chinese festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, when the full moon symbolizes family reunion. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3740501_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3740501_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, he gave her the name Zhuiyue.
The Daoist’s title was Perfected One[5]A Daoist honorific often translated from zhenren, used for an accomplished spiritual adept or master. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3740501_1_5').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3740501_1_5', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); Lingxiao. Few people in Great Xia could match his martial arts or medical skills, and his qinggong[6]The lightness skill of Chinese martial-arts fiction, associated with extraordinary agility, speed, and leaps. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3740501_1_6').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3740501_1_6', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); was especially outstanding.
Most unbelievable of all, Perfected One Lingxiao was said to know some magic. However, he had never displayed it before anyone, so no one had ever seen how he cast spells.
Perfected One Lingxiao used a horsetail whisk[7]A handled whisk traditionally associated with Daoist practitioners, also portrayed as a martial-arts weapon in fiction. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3740501_1_7').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3740501_1_7', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); as his weapon. Since Zhuiyue was a girl and a horsetail whisk was not very suitable for her, Daoist Lingxiao specially made her a soft oxhide whip, then began teaching her martial arts.
Zhuiyue was also an exceptionally gifted child. She learned everything she was taught, was clever and quick-witted, and never forgot anything she had once seen. Daoist Lingxiao adored her and taught her everything he knew without reservation.
Time flew past, swift as a white colt darting through a narrow gap[8]An allusion to the Chinese idiom baiju guoxi, from the Zhuangzi, expressing how swiftly time passes. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3740501_1_8').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3740501_1_8', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. Before she knew it, ten years had gone by. Zhuiyue had grown from a five-year-old child into a fifteen-year-old girl, and her master was deeply pleased with her martial arts skills.
One day, Perfected One Lingxiao summoned Zhuiyue before him and said earnestly, “Child, your martial arts are now fully mastered. It is time for you to go down the mountain and gain experience in the mortal world. More importantly, you must search for your parents.”
Perfected One Lingxiao pointed at the bracelet on Zhuiyue’s right wrist and continued, “When I rescued you and brought you back, you were already wearing this colorful bracelet. Over the years, you have grown, and it has grown with you, but it cannot be removed.
“Moreover, this bracelet cannot be pierced by blades or swords. It is extraordinarily hard and possesses the ability to neutralize poison. It is clearly no ordinary object, and it may well be connected to your origins.
“This time, when you go down the mountain, you must do your utmost to find your parents and uncover the truth of your birth.”
Zhuiyue packed a few things into a bundle, slung it over her back, and tearfully bade farewell to her master before descending the mountain.
Some time later, she arrived in the great city where her master had found her all those years ago. People streamed through the streets, and the cries of vendors rose one after another. The city was extraordinarily lively.
Having grown up in a Daoist temple, Zhuiyue gazed at everything with excitement, finding it all new and fascinating.
Suddenly, a burst of crying and shouting reached her ears. Following the sound, she saw a woman being dragged by the hair by a vicious-looking man. Her body scraped along the ground as she uselessly raised both hands above her head to protect her hair, pleading incessantly. Two girls behind her trembled all over and sobbed loudly.
The man cursed as he desperately yanked the woman’s hair and kicked her. Many people stood watching, but no one stepped forward to stop him.
Zhuiyue rushed over and shouted at the man, “Let her go!”
The man clearly froze for a moment when he saw her, but he quickly returned to his vicious expression.
With a false smile that did not reach his eyes, he said, “Let her go? Fine, I can do that. But my brother is already dead, so this woman is no longer part of my family. She has no right to keep living in my brother’s house or using his land. She has to get out.
“As for you… seeing how beautiful you are, I suppose I could let you move in…”
As he spoke, a lecherous expression spread across his face.
Zhuiyue understood. The woman’s husband had died, and her husband’s brother was driving her and her children out in order to seize the family home and land.
No one saw how Zhuiyue moved. They only heard a crisp series of smacks.
The man released the woman’s hair and staggered around clutching his cheek. When he finally stopped spinning, he opened his mouth and spat out two teeth.
Turning toward the courtyard, the man shouted, “Big Brother, come quickly! Help your little brother deal with this busybody of a slut!”
A fat, bloated man came running out from inside, carrying a long wooden club. As he ran, he kept asking, “Where is she? Where’s that little slut? Let’s see if I don’t beat her to death!”
The man pointed at Zhuiyue. “There!”
Even from a considerable distance away, the fat man raised the club high above his head. He ran toward Zhuiyue and brought it swinging down at her head.
If that blow landed, it would kill her. He was clearly trying to beat her to death.
Zhuiyue made a light leap and easily dodged the incoming club. Once again, no one saw how she struck. They only heard another rapid series of sharp slaps.
The man’s club fell to the ground. He, too, clutched his face and spun around in place. When he stopped, he opened his mouth and spat out two teeth, then opened it again and spat out two more.
Zhuiyue helped the woman to her feet and told her not to be afraid. Supporting her, she turned and beckoned to the woman’s two children before slowly leading them away from the scene. The two men each wiped the blood from the corners of their mouths and glared viciously at them, but neither dared to stop them.
Zhuiyue carefully asked the mother and her two daughters about what had happened. As expected, the woman’s husband had died, and his family had seized the house and farmland before driving the three of them out.
Zhuiyue took out her money pouch, kept a small portion for herself, and gave the rest to the woman. She urged her to buy a small house, take good care of her children, and live a good life.
After making proper arrangements for the mother and daughters, Zhuiyue wandered aimlessly through the city for a long time. She had no idea where to look for her parents. She could only ask everywhere whether anyone had lost a child many years ago, but for the time being, she found no clues.
Later, when she had spent all the money on her, she suddenly remembered the bully who had mistreated the mother and her two daughters.
That night, Zhuiyue slipped into the home of the two men.
Zhuiyue searched the entire house and took all the money she could find.
Yet she felt no unease. Taking money from such villains was only what they deserved.
As before, Zhuiyue kept a small portion for herself. She distributed the rest of the money among the children begging for food by the roadside and gave financial assistance to an elderly couple who could not afford medical treatment.
Looking at their grateful eyes and listening to their words of thanks, Zhuiyue understood that life was terribly hard for some people. They truly needed help.
From then on, robbing the rich to aid the poor became one of Zhuiyue’s hobbies.
At night, she often slipped into the homes of officials and wealthy, heartless merchants. She took their money, used part of it to help people in need, and stored the rest for herself.
As her wealth grew, she began to wonder where she should keep the money she had not yet spent.
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