Trying to recall how she even got here in this melodramatic era, Shizumu couldn't help but question the cruel hand fate had dealt her. "Of all the places, why here?" she muttered to herself, her voice tinged with frustration. The Tang dynasty was notorious for its chaos, from the great collapse of the empire to the tumultuous war between China and Japan. It was hardly the ideal setting for a fresh start.
"My misfortune really stuck to me in my next life, didn't it?" she lamented, feeling dejected at the seemingly endless cycle of suffering. But amidst her despair, a steely resolve began to take hold. "No, I can't allow them to meddle with my afterlife," she declared, her tone firm with determination. "Let's review the facts."
Taking a moment to collect her thoughts, Shizumu recounted the events leading up to her bizarre reincarnation. "One moment I was at the gates of hell, walking into its never-ending dark void," she recalled with a shudder. "And the next thing, I was pulled out of that abyss and brought to this era in the body of a fucking boy."
As she continued her never-ending rants and mumbling, she suddenly heard the footsteps of not one but two people approaching her chambers. With that, she made her way to the bed and covered her face using the sheets she had previously laid on. Her eyes half closed as she saw a familiar yet uncanny face, a dainty figure with a troubled expression on her face, a face she could remember from one of Liang Xuan's broken memories. ' Wait, what was her name again? I think it started with Mei-. Oh, she is Liang Xuan's sister, Meiying. She thought to herself.
'Xuan Xuan, are you feeling better now?' Meiying said with a worried expression . Before she could respond, the other one spoke, 'Father is worried about your wellbeing.' in contrast to Meiying's cheerful appearance, he had an intimidating yet cold demeanour; his tallness just made him more scary. She thought while she looked towards the other figure, ' And this must be Jinwei, his older brother, I get that he's worried, but can he stop giving me death stares? I am guessing the father he is talking about is Minister Hui Feng. " I can't believe my father; maybe I can get something out of this". She thought while smiling like a maniac, which left the siblings in deep concern.
But seconds later she soon recalled the tragic past of the previous owner, Liang Xuan, and her head was burdened with guilt. In contrast to the treatment of her past life, the Liang siblings were very close, and for them to treat her like there own made her numb. "If only they knew he was gone," she continuously muttered under her breath as if she were in a trance.
"Are you feeling any better?" Liang Jinwei enquired; the abrupt question made her snap out of it, but she shivered as a response. "I'm alright, brother," she tried to say in a smile, but she had never acted like this before in her previous life, so her expressions were very stiff, which grew more concern for her siblings. Jinwei was troubled but did not push any further than that to not trigger Liang Xuan.
Meiying, who was not able to read the room, jumped on the bed and tried to comfort Liang Xuan. "Xuan, you once said a gloomy face leads to an unhappy life. Except you want to live this world for the other." Shizimu became irritated with the sudden talk of death since she already escaped once and another is trying to jinx her fate. Although she couldn't tell Meiying, she shot her a cold glare, which gave her an unsettling feeling of fright. Which made her scurry to Jinwei side, which ultimately concluded the siblings short stay.
As she lay down on the bed, her brain was flooded with questions. How did Liang Xuan die, why was she sent back from the underworld, why did she take over this body, where did Liang Xuan, and lastly, what is wrong with this body?
To the other people, Liang Xuan must have appeared fine, but for someone that was from the Nomura clan, it was written all over that Liang Xuan was poisoned. A poison that even someone with deep knowledge was not able to deduce. "Why would someone poison Liang Xuan? He is not even the oldest son's child."
The poison was made from "Torikabuto" (wolfsbane), a rare and deadly plant found in the remote mountains of Nagano Prefecture. Somewhere she went daily to collect herbs for her clan's business. " But wait, how did they even get here? " Something that was only found in Japan could not possibly have been casually used to poison him. Shizumu sighed in fury at the complexity of this new life in the Qing dynasty. She closed her eyes. "Well, today has been rough, and I still don't have answers. Who killed you, Liang Xuan?".