Chapter 1: CHAPTER 1

<p>I watched as the oak stood firm while the ferocious storm raged in the early hours of winter. The thunderstorm loomed as if an enduring test demanding whether anyone had ever felt remorse for the sin that had drizzled in the whitest of pillows and the pureness of its quilt. <br/><br/><br/>The coldness gnawed at my bones as I lay bare naked, motionless on the ground.<br/><br/><br/>There is not much more to do aside from looking for refuge within my own warm soul. I watched as Yanluo Wang of the yellow spring cocooned my soul as memories of vibrant color came dancing in as though the wind were their favorite melody.<br/><br/><br/>I saw how my spirit embraced and nourished my grief as I screamed all the pain I could accumulate in this lifetime.<br/><br/><br/>How did I get from being a delicately handled lily among thorns to the vulnerable and powerless person that I am now?<br/><br/>I married the man of my dreams and witnessed how his love for my sister morphed into madness. My love for him evokes feelings of betrayal, abandonment, and the darkest memories, like a twisting knife in the gut. <br/><br/><br/>I wailed as the chasm of guilt deepened. It was the kind of scream that didn't go through the ears but spoke directly to the listeners' hearts. My family was destroyed by my love for him, and my trust in him drove me to a brutal death. It drags me down to the lowest depths of despair and misery. <br/><br/><br/>From listening to the great emperor pronounces the verdict of nine familial exterminations until the memory of my family's kids howled for mercy, and the old cried as they were slowly beheaded and cut. Everything was like witnessing a slow-motion suspense play, painful and internal torture.<br/><br/><br/>I woke up groaning, breathing laboriously, and drenched in copious amounts of sweat. Am I redeemed? My gaze flits over the spaciousness of the luxurious room. <br/><br/><br/>A startling voice that said, "Eldest miss, you're awake," swept the meandering grief away and replaced it with a sense of normalcy. As the waves of sadness subsided, happy memories began to flood in. The dream resembled a protracted ocean voyage. <br/><br/><br/>The universe indeed heard my plea to be reborn. <br/><br/><br/>I spent my formative years in this boudoir, where my precious moments and hopes bloomed. To be back and live here was only a hope, a fleeting plea. But I never came to imagine being here once more. An opportunity to redo my life and make those who conspire to pay ten-thousandths folds. Heaven's Net is wide, and none can escape its mesh. An eye for an eye.</p>