"Bang!" A gun roared from the dark muzzle, and Leng Zhiyan turned around in shock, only to catch a glimpse of Leng Zixue's fierce and unrestrained sneer, before a whirlwind of dizziness hit her, and she plunged into complete darkness…
Cold! She didn't know how much time had passed when Leng Zhiyan woke from the darkness, feeling icy all over, her knees numb. She looked around and saw only pitch blackness, a wind coming from behind her, and white gauzy curtains fluttering in front of her. The thick scent of sandalwood pervaded her nostrils, and the atmosphere was dark and eerie, somewhat reminiscent of a horror movie set. Wasn't she shot to death? How come she was here?
She tried to push herself up from the ground but her body suddenly froze. When did her hands become so plump and soft? And why was she in the body of a child? As Leng Zhiyan struggled to understand, she felt a throbbing in her head, followed by a rush of memories!
Ouyang Zhiyan, the owner of this body, an adopted daughter of the Ouyang Aristocratic Family, nine years old, silent and timid, a person with the lowest status and the least presence in the Ouyang Family.
The Ouyang Aristocratic Family, a martial arts family among the top ten in the Youming Continent. Ouyang Feng, the head of the Ouyang Family, a renowned Spirit Illusionist in the Imperial City known for his Sword-riding Beastmaster abilities. A rigid man with strict family discipline, he demanded a lot from the younger members of the family. Furious over Ouyang Zhiyan's poor performance during his end-of-month inspection, he sent her to kneel as punishment in the family shrine.
Massaging her temples, Zhiyan looked around with a headache, never expecting that she had encountered the clichéd plot of transmigration and, moreover, the legendary soul transmigration. Soul transmigration was one thing, but to be reborn and still be an orphan, living off others – was this her fate, forever destined to be abandoned?
A trace of sorrow flashed through Leng Zhiyan's eyes. She sniffled and struggled to get up from the ground.
The old shrine of the Ouyang Family had been abandoned for five years. It was spacious and filled with Yin Energy, far from the main residence, and most importantly, there was no one to guard it at night, not even a single lamp lit. Due to being terrified of the dark from a young age and being tormented by both mental and physical hunger, this was how the original owner of the body had been overwhelmed, allowing Leng Zhiyan to take her place.
Today was the third day of kneeling as punishment. If she got through this night, she could leave this place. Leng Zhiyan didn't mind much, but what really bothered her was the hunger pangs. Groping her way forward, the moonlight outside shone through the clear roof tiles, casting a circle of light and shadows on the ground in the middle of the room.
Zhiyan was drawn towards the circle of light as if bewitched. When her small body finally bathed in the silver moonlight, her body trembled violently, and a dazzling light shone from the gold bracelet on her left hand. With a snap, something in her mind seemed to break, and then an overwhelming flood of information came crashing down on her!
"Hahaha, after a ten-thousand-year seal, the old man is finally free!" A booming voice overflowed from the bottom of her heart, causing Leng Zhiyan to startle, frozen in place.
"Who are you?" Suppressing the panic deep inside, Zhiyan asked calmly.
"Haha, good child, brave. You may call me Master Fei, or Grandfather if you like." Suddenly, a transparent figure sprang up before Zhiyan, an elderly man with white hair and a white beard, smiling kindly and affectionately at her.
Being looked at in such a way, Leng Zhiyan felt her skin crawl, as if she were being watched by a ghost.
"Why are you here, and what is all this about?" Frowning, Leng Zhiyan felt that all the incredible things happened to her on this day, and even she, who had been steeped in scientific upbringing, had to believe in the existence of ghosts.
"Hehe, the bracelet on the little girl's wrist is called the Qiankun Bracelet, originally a storage space; it later became the Soul Lock that trapped my soul, sealing it for ten thousand years. Had your soul not unlocked it, this old man wouldn't know how much longer it would have been before I could see the light of day..."
"The Qiankun Bracelet can harness both yin and yang. It requires not only blood for recognition but also guidance by moonlight, representing the ultimate yin. This ancestral hall is precisely a place of supreme yin. Coupled with the strong soul inhabiting you, the surge of yin energy broke the ancient seal..." Professor Fei elaborately explained the properties and functionality of the Qiankun Bracelet, as well as the history of his own imprisonment.
The Qiankun Bracelet had been on Ouyang Zhiyan's wrist since birth, growing suitably larger as she grew up, neither too loose nor too tight, yet impossible to remove.
"A storage space for souls?" Gently caressing the bracelet, Zhiyan murmured to herself, her eyes filled with an indescribable meaning—as if she were talking in her sleep, or confused!
"This is no mere storage space, but rather a Soul Storage Space. Within it, spiritual energy is rich, ideal for cultivation and nurturing creatures. Ha! The little girl's current strength is so low that entering would cause her body to explode. However, it could be used to transform her body. Tsk tsk, no offense, but your aptitude is really..." Professor Fei floated in mid-air, shaking his head. He had seen the lacking, but never such a lack of talent. Were it not for the evidential reality before him, he would never believe that such a body was the one to release him from his seal.
"Pfft, isn't it just trash?" Leng Zhiyan curled her lip, her delicate and smooth little face showing a touch of scorn. The speaker with purpose, the listener unaware. The former Ouyang Zhiyan might have been hurt, but she, Leng Zhiyan, wouldn't. The words of irrelevant people did not matter, and it was only a waste of energy to pay them any attention.
"Ahem, child, you need not worry. Since you are the benefactor of this old man, Fei, I will take responsibility for your future life. This 'The Demon Doctor's Meridian Classic' is a work I came across by chance. Its medical theories are profound, and its techniques are enigmatic, spanning nine levels, and it can be used to heal or to poison indiscriminately..." Zhiyan's mind swelled, and then she knew much about "The Demon Doctor's Meridian Classic."
Zhiyan's spiritual sense carefully scanned the medicinal names and theories involved, a wild joy crossing her face. In her previous life, she had been the adopted daughter of a Medical Family. Since she could remember, she had been dealing with various herbs. After more than a decade of intense interest and study, she unexpectedly became the foremost figure in the Leng Family and, indeed, in the entire medical community.
Understanding medicine, she recognized immediately the immense value of "The Demon Doctor's Meridian Classic." At this moment, her facial expression surpassed wild joy, and her entire body trembled. Shiny tears slid from the corners of her eyes, displaying unreservedly the excitement and delight that welled up from her heart, and the deep, marrow-deep love that she exhibited at this instant.
Because of love, she had given up everything, merely to have more time close to herbs; because of love, she had stood at the cusp of controversy to willingly become the heir to the Leng Family's medicine; because of love, she had ventured through mountains and waters to the Shennong Primeval Forest; and because of love, she had lost a boyfriend, been expelled from the Leng Family, and at the mere age of twenty-five, lost her life, arriving in this strange space...
"Ahem, girl, are you alright?" Professor Fei frowned, looking worriedly at the little person in front of him.
"Thank you, this is the best gift I've ever received. I will practice diligently!" Zhiyan, fiercely wiping away her tears, promised resolutely as she gazed at Professor Fei. She was going to practice diligently, master skills, and she swore that she would never again be bullied by anyone...
"Get some good sleep, we can talk about cultivation tomorrow," Professor Fei consoled her, then vanished into the Qiankun Bracelet. The whole ancestral hall fell silent, ethereally quiet, with only a chilling solemnity remaining...