The night was quiet, with only the occasional howl of a wild beast and the rustling of the wind blowing through the grass.
A full moon was embedded in the dark blue sky. Beneath it was a tranquil pool, emitting a faint mist. In the hazy white fog, a graceful figure was barely visible.
"Miss, I've found out." By the poolside, a figure in black knelt on one knee, respectfully lowering their head to express reverence for the beauty in the water.
"Mm—go on—" The woman's voice was as crisp and pleasant as mountain spring water, especially captivating in the quiet night.
"Five years ago, you and Murong Xinlian went into the palace to visit Murong Xuelian, who was then a noble lady. You stole the Night Pearl that the Emperor had gifted to Murong Xuelian, and Murong Xinlian discovered and reported it to Prime Minister Murong Tai. He punished you according to family law and then sent you to Jingxin Nunnery..."
The woman chuckled upon hearing this.
So that was the reason. No wonder she had woken up in a broken hut in the back mountain of the nunnery, alone.
Hearing the woman's laughter, the black-clothed person paused. They had been puzzled by her sudden request to investigate this matter, but after finding out, they understood the reason behind it.
They had thought their own background was miserable, but it turned out that the young lady's background was even worse—she had been beaten half to death by her biological father and left to fend for herself in a nunnery. It seemed that being born into a powerful family was not necessarily a blessing.
It seemed that the woman in black detected their emotions, and the woman smiled gently. "It's alright, I'm fine. You continue."
"According to my investigation, Murong Xinlian actually took the Night Pearl and had your maid, Feicui, hide it in your room to frame you. Now, Feicui has become Murong Xinlian's close maid."
"Oh, so that's how it is—Feicui, Murong Xinlian—"
The woman idly played with a strand of her ink-black hair. Her white jade-like fingers danced like serpents in her black hair that fell like a waterfall, incredibly beautiful.
"Miss, do you want..." The person in black made a throat-cutting gesture.
They despised the wicked master and servant who had used such despicable means to frame the young lady. They should have killed them long ago! The resolve in the black-clothed person's eyes flickered. With just a nod from the young lady, they would immediately go to the Prime Minister's House and slay the despicable pair.
The young lady was well aware of the loyalty of the person in black, but she had never thought of taking their lives. After all, she was not "her".
The true second daughter of the Murong family probably died during her father's punishment. The young lady of today was merely a visitor from another world who had no interest in entangling herself with such petty people, as long as they didn't provoke her.
"I'm not Madame Li Qiushui's biological daughter, am I? Why would Murong Xinlian, a concubine-born daughter, dare to do this to me? Are Murong Tai and Madame Li Qiushui so ignorant?"
"To answer Miss, although you are the legitimate daughter, you have been weak and unable to practice martial arts since childhood, so..."
The black-clothed person hesitated, not finishing their sentence, but pondering internally.
Demon Lord had described the young lady as a "genius blessed by the heavens", and even he had said that she was a once-in-a-century talent. How could her family call her a waste?
"So I'm just a useless decoration; unloved by my father and mother. Even though they know I was framed, a useless daughter's death is no big deal. Is that what you're trying to say?"
The young lady dived and swam to the shore, smiling at the kneeling person in black.
Upon hearing her words, the person in black shuddered and immediately lowered their head. "Miss, that's not what I meant—"
"Hahaha! Get up! Didn't I say there are no rules here? I'm just teasing you!"
The young lady's laughter was like silver bells. Seeing that she wasn't angry, the person in black sighed with relief.
Everyone knew that the young lady closely resembled the Demon Lord: capricious and unpredictable, yet incredibly talented. That was why the Demon Lord was extremely fond of her, not only acknowledging her as his daughter but also passing down the Demon Domain to her.
In this world, no one could be offended except for the young lady.
To offend the Demon Lord meant at most certain death, but to offend the young lady meant living a life worse than death. The person in black had been following the young lady for five years and had learned this lesson well.
"Miss, it's those people who are blind for not recognizing you as the gem that you are, discard you like a common pebble. It's their loss." The person in black stood up, looking at the young lady with amazement.
Even after serving the young lady for so long, they had rarely seen her true face. Yet every time they saw her, they couldn't help but be attracted by her beauty, even as a woman themselves.
Such a beautiful woman made people not dare to approach, not dare to defile, and could only bow down in worship—
"Don't worry about them. It's all in the past. They're just small fry. I'm too lazy to bother with them." The woman swam back into the water, the white mist enveloping her.
"Miss, I found out something else while I was away."
"King Jing Longze Jingtian, who you are engaged to, has won the battle against Helan Yu in the south and will soon return to the court. Now, people in the court are praising King Jing as the Young War God. It seems that Murong Xinlian has taken a liking to Longze Jingtian and wants to sabotage your engagement."
At first, the young lady intended not to bother anyone who didn't bother her. But after hearing this, she snorted and laughed again.
"King Jing is returning? I guess it won't be long before Murong Tai sends someone to fetch me. Fun times are about to begin!"
Su Mei couldn't figure out why her lady was so happy, but she understood that when her lady was happy, someone would have bad luck. She just didn't know if that unlucky person would be Murong Xinlian or someone else—
"You go back to the Demon Domain first, settle everything, and then come back with Su Yue. Go—"
"Yes!"
With a gust of wind, the person in black vanished without a trace. The young lady lounged in the hot spring, her eyes fixed on the moon in the sky.
It had been five years since she came to this world. She wondered if the people in her own world could see such a beautiful moon—
As the young lady lost herself in her thoughts, a series of clashing swords gradually approached.
"Die, Longze Jingtian! Your men won't make it in time! Brothers, hurry up! Whoever kills King Jing shall be rewarded handsomely! Hahaha!"