A quiet, deserted night.
The winter froze everything, the cold wind that blew hard could almost crush bones and skulls. The winter in Shuntian was definitely much colder than in Yingtian or Kaifeng. Especially when it snowed so heavily.
Suddenly the quietness of this snowy night was broken out. By the steps of three people who were running fast. They ran as fast as they could so as to avoid death.
One of them, a haggard middle-aged man, fell down. "I... can run... again..."
"Stick it out, Father!" A young woman tried to help her father to stand up. But the middle-aged man was apparently so weak to get to his feet.
"Don't force Father-in-law, Sai'er! He's too exhausted due to forced labor!" The young man at her aside stopped her.
"But, San, if we stop here... we will!..."
Sai'er's sentence was interrupted by the footsteps getting closer to them.
"The guards from Shuntian Palace!" Fear tormented San. "How fast they track us... just like the terrible black dogs!..."
"Come on, San, carry Father!" Sai'er lifted her father forcefully. San helped her. They had just been continuing their runaway when three hefty soldiers blocked their way.
The soldiers' eyes shone sharply as if they were ready to kill. "How dare you take the worker away!"
Sai'er immediately pulled out the dagger from her waist. The soldiers laughed. "Young lady! Your pretty face is not suitable for playing with a weapon! You'd better come with us and then we have fun together!"
"God damn it!" Sai'er sped off, soon got into a fight with the soldiers.
"Jeez! This woman... is skillful..." Clashing a few moves, Sai'er quickly showed her skill in using daggers. Sai'er was indeed not just an ordinary woman. She only learned kungfu from his father, but when she was fifteen she had managed to defeat all martial arts masters in her village. The imperial soldiers were indeed still far more powerful than her, that was why Sai'er could not subdue them easily, but they were quite troubled by Sai'er's skill which they did not expect before.
San also joined the fight. However, it turned out that San was less skillful than Sai'er. A soldier attempted to stab his sword into his stomach.
"Aaaaauuuuccchhh!" San vomited blood from his mouth, at the same time the blood was gushing from his stomach. He fell onto the ground, died.
"San!!!" Watching the death of his husband, Sai'er went berserk. She could finish all soldiers in a sudden. After her enemies were all defeated, Sai'er immediately approached San.
"San... wake up! My dear! Get up!!! Don't die!"
Heartbreaking sobs and screams echoed one after another. Sai'er could no longer hold back her sadness. Sai'er's father could do nothing but sat on the ground, groaning and cursing.
Snowflakes fell, drop by drop, filled the earth and turned it white. However, the red blood ruined the pure whiteness of the snow. San's blood poured down and soaked the earth, as if echoing his sorrow to the earth. The blood of someone who had died as a result of saving a life but was taken away by the cruelty of power. San's sadness also asked for help and accountability for this injustice and cruelty from the Earth.
Sai'er buried her husband on the mountain. She was just married not long ago, she loved her husband very much, but Fate soon separated her from her husband mercilessly. She often came to San's grave and cried alone there. She even chatted with his grave as though she was chatting with a living human. Several villagers who watched that scene were touched by Sai'er's condition, then reported this to Sai'er's mother.
"My daughter... don't be sad anymore... let go of your husband..." Lying weakly on her bed, Sai'er's mother advised her daughter. The woman was afraid that her daughter would go insane because she could not accept her husband's death.
"Mother, I'm alright! I'm not crazy! Don't listen to those people, Mother! They know nothing!" Realizing that her mother was worried about her sanity, Sai'er quickly assured her mother. She held the old woman's hand. "You are unwell... worrying too much will harm your body... so, rest assured..."
"I'm okay, my dear..." The woman smiled weakly. But her lips shook hard, showing that she was too weak to even smile.
The illness that Sai'er's mother endured had reached the terminal stage. Her condition was very critical. Moreover, they could not find good doctors or medicines because they were very poor. They lived in Xiguan town of Putai County - now called Binzhou in Shandong - whose condition was very woeful at that time. During Jingnan Campaign, Shandong became the major area of warfare, many people became the victims because of the war. Furthermore, many natural disasters occurred. Floods, droughts... Shandong was much more woeful than Kaifeng. Rubbed salt into the wound, infectious diseases also spread out. Sai'er's mother became infected. Her weak body due to poor nutrition made her unable to fight against illnesses, her condition was getting weaker and weaker, and no hope of recovery for her.
Shortly thereafter, Sai'er's mother died.
"Mother!!!" Sai'er screamed out loud. "Before it is San, now it is my mother! Oh, Heaven! Why must I endure such a bad fate?!? Why do my family leave me one by one?!"
But Heaven seemed to say to her, It was still not enough. The pressure that Sai'er had to endure was still not enough. Her father was also snatched from her side afterward.
Sai'er sat in frustration in front of the graves of her family. First, San left her. Then, her mother. After that, his father too. All people she loved now left her.
Heaven did not give her miracles and blessings. Heaven actually liked to see her suffered.
"Why is Heaven so cruel to me?!?"
Sai'er looked down. She continued that way for a long time. She did not move an inch from her original place.
Until she saw that.
"What is that?" Sai'er moved forward, approached "that thing". As she saw it, something rolled through her and it soon made her chill.
A thought smoldered inside her body, let her tremble so violently.
"Heaven doesn't dislike me... Heaven is instead calling me... to destroy those tyrannical despots..."
The breeze suddenly blew hard. The wind was so strong it blew her hair and clothes and made them flutter frantically. Sai'er's lips curved. She smiled. A moment later, she burst out laughing.
Sai'er looked heavenward. She stared at the sky, her expression was full of pride. She smiled widely.
"I am Tang Sai'er, Female Buddha of Bai Lian Jiao. I will bring justice to the entire country by bringing down the Tyrant Emperor from his throne!"