Si’s son and Feng’s daughter were destined to love for three lifetimes.

“I’m back. You’ve waited so long!” said Si Mobai.

The dungeon was dark and damp. The stench of rotten bodies hung in the air. Chains clanked in the wind, crying out for someone to shackle. Ah! Ah! Ah! cried the chains, sending s.h.i.+vers down your spine like a vengeful ghost seeking souls.

A bloodied figure sat in a dimly lit corner. With her limbs chained and head hanging low, her face was not visible. Only a skinless, b.l.o.o.d.y chin. Blood dripped to the ground, drop by drop.

A handsome man stood in front of her in lavish clothes. Beside him, an unrivaled beauty in a white dress held a piece of b.l.o.o.d.y human skin, a stark and ironic contrast to her pure, fairy-like aura.

“Why?” asked the bloodied figure hoa.r.s.ely, her tone indistinguishable.

Why did he deceive her? Why did he drain her blood? Why did he dig up her bones and peel off her skin? Why?!

“It’s because Ya’er is the one I love. Because of your exceptional talent for enlightenment, your blood is medicine for her illness. You’re a good-for-nothing, and your existence is a stumbling block to her future.”

Jiang Ying glanced with disgust at the bloodied figure, then looked at Shen Yunya with eyes as gentle as water. “Be careful of her. Mad dogs bite, and their bites are poisonous.”

Shen Yunya nodded slightly, and Jiang Ying left. Now, only Shen Yunya and the b.l.o.o.d.y chained-up Shen Qingdai remained in the dungeon. She raised her head to look at the bloodied figure and lifted her lips into her usual innocent smile. She shook the human skin in her hands and asked, “Shen Qingdai, how do you feel about being deboned and skinned alive by the man you love?”

“Shen Yunya, you’ll die a horrible death!”

Shen Yunya ignored Shen Qingdai’s threats. She replied with her sweet, clear voice, “You and your brother Jiang Ying are merely my steppingstones. Your beloved Jiang Ying will give his life for me, like the lowest of lowlifes. And Jin, who loves you the most, will marry me. We will have children of our own.”

“It’s all thanks to you that I reached the Earth Supreme stage. My father would also like to thank you for handing over the Shen Clan Seal, as well as the Shen Clan’s treasures.”

“I almost forgot to tell you. My father’s an accomplice in your Uncle and Aunt’s murders. All this while, you thought your father was the killer. Qingdai, how can you still face Uncle and Aunt in the afterlife?”

Upon hearing the truth of her parents’ deaths, Shen Qingdai couldn’t even scream. She widened her eyes and stared at Shen Yunya in disbelief.

Shen Yunya fingered the piece of human skin in her hands, peeled from Shen Qingdai’s face, and examined her b.l.o.o.d.y, mushy, and skinless face. She flashed an innocent smile and said, “Big brother Jin loves you, his sister, the most. To fulfill his wishes, I will brew a soup with the bone from your kneecaps, and use your porcelain skin as dumpling skin, and…”

Shen Yunya suddenly stabbed a finger into each of Shen Qingdai’s eyes, and with a slight hook, gouged out both her eyeb.a.l.l.s.

Arghh! Shen Qingdai screamed excruciatingly, and the metal chains clanked louder as she struggled.

“…and your eyes, so full of spirit, I’ll make dumpling filling with them. When the bowl of piping hot dumplings is ready, I’ll serve it to your brother, Jin…” Shen Yunya wrapped the two eyeb.a.l.l.s in the skin she’d cut from Shen Qingdai’s face. “Jin will lose all ability to love you in this life.”

“I will never let the two of you go, even as a ghost. I’ll haunt you in my next life, and every life after. You will both die a horrible death in every reincarnation.” At that moment, Shen Qingdai forgot about all the pain and only felt the vengeance growing deep within her soul.

“Don’t worry. I will not let you become a vengeful ghost, and I won’t let you go to the afterlife with a spirit full of hatred.” Shen Yunya moved her finger slightly and slashed Shen Qingdai’s throat. “Instead, I’ll watch your soul dissipate into nothingness.”

Fresh blood spurted out of her slit throat. Shen Qingdai glared at Shen Yunya with the two b.l.o.o.d.y pits where her eyes had been. She was a fierce ghost intent on dragging Shen Yunya and the rest of her enemies into the pits of h.e.l.l. “Your lives are mine.”

Boom!

The wind howled while the azure sky instantly darkened. Stormy clouds churned overhead. Thunder cracked, and rain spilled from above like a heavenly river overflowing.

In a run-down courtyard, a ragged woman was bleeding all over. Battered by the punis.h.i.+ng winds and brutal rain, not a soul cared if she was alive. The rain washed away the blood, surrounding her with red puddles. In the midst of the storm, she barely breathed, yet began to move a finger. Shen Qingdai felt something beating her body down, yet something stronger seemed to squeeze into her brain, tearing her mind apart.

“Feng Tianlan, you’re trash and a s.l.u.t. Don’t you know your place? How dare you call yourself the Third Prince’s betrothed.”

“You’re not even fit to lift Yu’er’s shoes. Calling you a b*tch is a disservice to the world’s female dogs. I, Si Rong, have just one stain on my entire life, and that’s taking you as my betrothed.”

“Yu’er, we’ll sell her into the brothel once we annul the engagement. A s.l.u.t like this will only pollute the earth if she dies. If she’s alive, she can at least please filthy men with her body.”

“Make sure that the s.l.u.t remains alive after the beating. Otherwise, we cannot annul the marriage, and you will simply be my second wife.”

…

“Avenge me and take back what was mine. I want them to suffer a fate worse than death!”

Shen Qingdai’s last sentence resounded torturously in her mind like a vengeful ghost filled with anguish and torment. The words were like formless hands trying to rip apart her mind.

She groaned softly, “Avenge you, and take back what was yours. Make them suffer a fate worse than death.”

The agonizing cry in her mind disappeared the moment she uttered those words. She blinked into consciousness. Shen Qingdai snapped open her cold, gleaming eyes, and watched the raindrops falling and bursting in front of her. The heavens had decreed that it was not time for her to die! Shen Qingdai’s soul was reborn!She was reborn into South Winds Nation of the Guiyuan Continent, into the body of the Feng Family’s First Miss, Feng Tianlan. While the Feng Family had no t.i.tles in the South Winds Nation, their n.o.bility was second only to the Imperial Family. The Fengs ranked top among the three most prestigious and aristocratic families in influence and power.

The body she’d been reborn into was now undergoing something similar to the one she’d left behind. They were both good-for-nothing First Misses, but Shen Qingdai had possessed the most exceptional talent for cultivation. Still, she had been unable to absorb the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth due to a physical defect. Feng Tianlan, meanwhile, had now received the best body for cultivation, but there was no one to guide her training. She had absorbed Spiritual Qi severely tainted with impurities, and so remained at the sixth level of Gathering Spirit.

Feng Tianlan had been betrothed to the Third Prince since she was young. However, the young prince was in love with her third sister—Feng Xiuyu. To please his sweetheart, the Third Prince accompanied Feng Xiuyu to whip Feng Tianlan, bully, and torture her. He’d even threatened to sell her to a brothel after annulling their marriage. A plaything for the filthiest of men.

Her father did nothing but stand aside and watch. He’d only speak up if they were about to go too far, saying that they should let her live. Otherwise, Feng Xiuyu would only be the Second Consort, not the First.

All of this was happening because his father had married into the Feng Family. Now that he’d finally flipped his fate, he flaunted his gains like all petty man. Feng Tianlan’s existence continually reminded him that he was a son-in-law who’d married into his wife’s family; she was his humiliation. Her father had burned the Feng Family’s ancestral hall right after her mother had died. When he’d rebuilt it, he’d no longer included the real Fengs of the past, effectively stealing the Feng name so that he could enjoy the family’s esteemed status in the South Winds Nation.

Since Shen Qingdai had been granted rebirth as Feng Tianlan, she would live well and powerfully. Those who bullied and humiliated and dragged her through the mud would have their reckoning. She was going to seize everything they’d robbed from her.

“Feng Tianlan, from this day on, we will no longer be stepped on. We will stand on top of the world, and everyone who tormented us will kneel in front of us, begging for forgiveness!”

Feng Tianlan’s body stood still like a ragged cloth. Standing firm, she raised her slender chin and revealed a face of unrivaled beauty, even wounded. She let the pearl-sized raindrops pound her body.

Messy strands of hair stuck to the wound on her face, which was as long as a finger, and her blood-stained lips slowly lifted into a devilish and bloodthirsty smile. She stuck out her tongue and slowly licked the rain from her lips. As she parted her lips, blood-stained teeth could be seen. “Second Uncle, Shen Yunya, I promise to return victorious!”

She turned around. Dragging her body, which could fall at any moment, she slowly trudged toward the battered house.

“The Feng name is my mother’s.”

“Feng Manor is my mother’s.”

“The treasures of the Shen family are mine.”

“Your lives are mine!”

She repeated that sentence with every step, again and again, like the Grim Reaper’s promise. She trailed blood, turning and winding, like a b.l.o.o.d.y path leading to h.e.l.l.

“First Miss, First Miss…” A series of anxious cries awakened Feng Tianlan. When she opened her eyes and sat up, a figure broke through the door and grabbed her hand, trying to pull her out of the room. “We need to save Miss Luo right away; she’s reached her limit!”

“Chuling, what happened?”

Chuling was the only maid Feng Tianlan had ever known. She’d bought Chuling as a child. Since then, Chuling had always protected Feng Tianlan whenever they were bullied, even if it meant being injured continuously. Chuling had been extremely loyal to her.

“Miss Luo’s fighting with Third Miss right now in the battle ring, the battle ring that leads to death!”

Chuling filled her in on the details as they ran. When Chuling saw Feng Tianlan beaten to the brink of death, she’d gone to Miss Luo for help. When Miss Luo arrived, Feng Tianlan had been lying unconscious on the bed. After they’d dressed her wounds, the enraged Miss Luo had charged out to settle the score with Feng Xiuyu, vowing that she would kill her future brother-in-law’s shameless seductress. All of these events had led them to today’s fight in the battle ring.

After hearing about what was going on, Feng Tianlan ignored the ache pulsing throughout her entire body and quickened her footsteps. Luo Yunzhu, the “Miss Luo” whom Chuling was talking about, was her former soul’s best friend. She’d been the only one who’d befriended Feng Tianlan while everyone else was bullying her, even if it meant offending others. She’d always protected her like an elder sister, despite being a year younger.

The moment they arrived at the Martial Training Square, Feng Tianlan saw a red-clad figure slammed onto the ground below the battle ring, sending spurs of dust into the air.

“Luo Yunzhu, for the Dean’s sake, I’ll only injure you this time. However, if you continue to run your mouth and smear my name, don’t blame me if, next time, I go all out.

Feng Tianlan quickly rushed over and helped Luo Yunzhu up. “Yunzhu!”

“I’m sorry, Tianlan, I lost.”

Luo Yunzhu felt pained at the sight of the long scar on Feng Tianlan’s face. She had sworn to be Feng Tianlan’s guardian, but in the end, she couldn’t protect her. She was too weak.

Feng Tianlan consoled her, “Don’t worry, you’ll be strong enough to defeat her soon.”

“Feng Tianlan, you despicable trash. Why do you keep instigating Luo Yunzhu to kill me? Are you trying to pit the Fengs and the Luos against each other? Are you trying to destroy the Feng Family?” Feng Xiuyu stared down at Feng Tianlan as she stood on top of the battle ring, a desire to kill in her eyes.

“Chuling, take care of Yunzhu.” Feng Tianlan handed Luo Yunzhu to Chuling and picked up a long soft-skinned whip. She stood up and looked icily into Feng Xiuyu’s eyes. “The Feng Family is mine. What has it got to do with you? An outsider with a different name.”

“You…” Feng Xiuyu was taken aback by Feng Tianlan’s response. To think that this person, who was always weak and submissive, could have a voice so chilling! Even more shocking, while Feng Tianlan was clearly looking up at her, she felt a rush of inferiority.

“Tianlan.”

“Miss.”

Luo Yunzhu and Chuling shrieked together when they saw Feng Tianlan walk toward the battle ring. If she went into the ring, she would be surrendering all rights of death or survival. She alone would be responsible if she died.

“How boastful for a First-stage Spiritualist to call herself a young genius.” Feng Tianlan stood on top of the ma.s.sive stage. Snap! The long whip cracked loudly in the air. She lifted her cold eyes and challenged, “Fight me, Tu Xiuyu!”

Whoa! Feng Tianlan’s words resounded through the sky like a sudden clap of thunder.