As Xiao Meiying stepped into her designated trial ground, a shroud of unease settled over her. Unlike Feng Lou, who faced his trials with determination and resolve, Xiao Meiying felt a gnawing fear clawing at the edges of her mind.
As she wandered through the mist-shrouded landscape of her soul trial, fragments of memories began to surface, drifting like specters through the haze of her consciousness. At first, they were fleeting and indistinct, mere whispers of a forgotten past. But as she delved deeper, the memories grew clearer, sharper.
Suddenly, a piercing scream tore through the air, shattering the fragile tranquility of the soul trial. It was Xiao Meiying, her voice raw with terror and anguish as if she were reliving a nightmare from which she could not awaken.
As Xiao Meiying's memories flooded back, they didn't reveal the life of a modern girl, but rather the vivid recollections of a bygone era—an era where kingdoms rose and fell, and she stood not as an ordinary girl, but as a queen.
In the depths of her mind, she saw herself adorned in regal attire, her posture exuding grace and authority. She walked among the opulent halls of a grand palace, her every movement commanding respect and reverence. As she gazed upon her subjects, she felt the weight of responsibility resting upon her shoulders, the burden of leadership that came with ruling a kingdom.
In these memories, she witnessed scenes of courtly intrigue and political maneuvering, of alliances forged and betrayals plotted.
As Xiao Meiying's memories continued to unfold, the once-glorious tapestry of her reign began to darken with shadows of betrayal and loss. She witnessed the invasion of her beloved empire, the thundering hooves of enemy armies trampling over fields once lush with prosperity.
Amidst the chaos of battle, she searched frantically for her husband, the love of her life, but he was nowhere to be found.
And then, in a cruel twist of fate, she found herself captured by the very forces that sought to overthrow her kingdom. Bound in chains and stripped of her royal finery, she stood as a prisoner in her own land, her spirit bruised but unbroken.
In the darkness of her captivity, Xiao Meiying was tortured and abused by men who were worse than pigs, She endured the taunts and abuses of her captors. Her beautiful face and body were ruined with scars of abuse, sometimes she couldn't walk or talk due to the horrifying abuse she went through.
In the depths of her despair, she clung to a glimmer of hope which was a crimson gem bead given to her by her beloved husband as a token of his love and devotion. This precious keepsake became her sole source of strength and solace in the face of these endless abuses.
Finally, As the weight of captivity crushed her spirit, Xiao Meiying turned to her fellow prisoners for aid, hoping against hope that they would offer her the assistance she so desperately needed. But to her dismay, they turned their backs on her, leaving her to fend for herself in the darkness of her captivity.
With no other recourse, Xiao Meiying made a desperate decision—to sell her body in exchange for the help she sought. It was a choice born of desperation, a last resort in the face of overwhelming odds.
For two long years, she endured the indignity of her situation, trading herself for morsels of hope. Each exchange was a soul-crushing compromise, a betrayal of her own dignity in the pursuit of freedom.
But Xiao Meiying refused to lose sight of her ultimate goal. She bided her time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike back against her captors and reclaim her rightful place as ruler of her empire.
And when that moment finally came, she seized it with both hands, unleashing the full fury of her wrath upon those who had dared to imprison her. With courage and fire of vengeance, she fought tooth and nail, overcoming every obstacle in her path until victory was hers.
In the end, Xiao Meiying emerged triumphant, and she got her empire back.
With her empire restored and her enemies defeated, Xiao Meiying's thoughts turned once again to the love of her life—her husband who had been her anchor in the darkest of times. With renewed determination, she set out on a quest to find him, her heart filled with hope and anticipation.
After a year of tireless searching, she finally found him, but what she discovered shattered her world into a million pieces. The man she had loved and sacrificed everything for had moved on, building a new life with another woman.
Fury burned in Xiao Meiying's heart as she faced the woman who had stolen her beloved and the children who bore the mark of his betrayal. With a cold resolve, she approached them, her anger simmering beneath the surface as she played with the innocent faces that reminded her of the life she had lost.
When her husband appeared, his smile faltering at the sight of her, Xiao Meiying's heart twisted with a mixture of pain and rage. She confronted him, her voice tinged with bitterness and hurt, demanding answers to questions she already knew the answers to.
"It's been a long time. Where were you? Come back with me to the palace, please," she pleaded, her voice trembling with emotion. Despite everything, a small part of her still longed for his embrace, still yearned for the love they had once shared.
Her husband's face twisted with a mixture of pain and pity. "I can't," he replied, his voice steady but filled with regret. "I love my new family. I never loved you. I was only with you because of my parents' orders."
The words cut through her like a knife, shattering the remnants of her heart. Anger surged within her, a raging inferno fueled by the betrayal of the man she had once trusted with her heart. She wanted revenge on this man who had played with her heart, so she did what she did best: violence.
As fury consumed her, Xiao Meiying's thoughts turned to vengeance—a burning desire to make her betrayer suffer as she had suffered, to inflict upon him the same pain and anguish that had torn her apart.
With cold eyes, she orchestrated a cruel and calculated revenge, capturing her husband's entire family and subjecting them to unspeakable horrors. She watched with a twisted satisfaction as her men played with his new wife before his eyes, relishing in the agony that twisted his face as he witnessed her degradation.
But it was the children who bore the brunt of her wrath, innocent victims caught in the crossfire of her rage. Xiao Meiying ordered her men to torture and abuse them, their cries echoing through the air as they begged for mercy that would never come.
Her husband, once a proud and powerful man, now reduced to a sobbing wreck, pleaded for her to stop, promising to return to her and begging for forgiveness. But Xiao Meiying's heart had turned to stone, hardened by the betrayal that had shattered her world.
She watched impassively as her husband's family suffered, unmoved by his pleas for mercy. Only when every last one of them lay dead at her feet did she finally relent, her thirst for vengeance temporarily sated.
With a chilling calmness, Xiao Meiying met her husband's gaze as he cursed her with his dying breath. His words cut through the air like a knife, each syllable laden with venom and hatred. But she remained unmoved, her heart hardened against the pain and suffering she had inflicted upon him and his family.
As he spoke his final words, Xiao Meiying's grip tightened around the dagger in her hand, With a swift and decisive motion, she drove the blade into his heart, extinguishing the last flicker of life from his eyes, "I hate you, you monster" he said as his last words.
As his lifeless body crumpled to the ground, Xiao Meiying stood over him, her expression unreadable. There was no remorse in her eyes, no hint of regret for the atrocities she had committed. She had become the monster he accused her of being, a creature consumed by vengeance.
And as she looked upon the lifeless form of her husband, Xiao Meiying felt nothing but emptiness—a hollow void that echoed with the echoes of her own sins.
In that moment, she realized that her quest for revenge had cost her everything, leaving her with nothing but the bitter taste of regret and the knowledge that she had become the very thing she despised, an emotionless monster.
Suddenly, with the same dagger, she turned the blade upon herself, driving it into her own heart. As the metal pierced her flesh, a wave of pain washed over her, but she remained steadfast, her eyes burning with emotions.
At the same moment, the necklace she wore, bearing the red bead given to her by her husband, seemed to come alive, its energy pulsating with a newfound intensity. With a flash of blinding light, the bead surged into Xiao Meiying's chest, merging with her very essence as if drawn by an unseen force.
And then, in an instant, it was over. Xiao Meiying's body went limp, her breathing ceased, and she crumpled to the ground in a lifeless heap.