Warning: The following content contains abuse and might not be suitable for a younger audience.

- - - - -

Someone was going to die tonight.

Thunder crackled in the distance as heavy rain poured from the gloomy grey clouds. Rivers nearly flooded the forests, as trees crashed to the ground, and crops were overturned.

Chaos erupted everywhere that the eyes could see.

Inside the enormous Bai Manor, a pale-faced young lady hovered over a bleeding body. Not less than a minute ago, she had awakened from a fitful sleep. She couldn't remember the events that occured before waking up in the tiny room of the servants' corridor.

"N-nanny…?" Xueyue breathed out in shock, her eyes trembling in disbelief.

Lying in front of her was the unconscious body of the elder woman who took care of her father, Viscount Bai Sheng, since he was a mere child. A sharp hairpin was embedded through her chest, a pool of blood soaking the ground.

"What happened here?" she said through shaking teeth. She frantically turned the woman over until the nanny was lying flat on her back.

"Oh my goodness," she muttered upon seeing the pale lips and ghastly white skin. The nanny had been dead for hours now. She reached for the hairpin, hoping to distinguish whose it belonged to. Who could've done this? What was she doing here? Questions swarmed her thoughts.

Just then, the door slammed open without warning. Her head shot in that direction and to her horror, her entire family was there.

"M-murderer!" Bai Tianai, the older sister wailed, pointing a shaking finger in Bai Xueyue's direction.

Bai Xueyue instantly understood this was another scheme set up by Bai Tianai. But this time, there would be no escape from it. She was doomed. Everything here was too obvious to ignore. She was afterall, hovering over the dead body, her hands too close to the murder weapon.

"No, wait, Father, it wasn't me—"

"Guards!" Viscount Bai Sheng snarled, his face marred with disgust and pure hatred. Instantly, servants swarmed the room, armed with spears and weapons.

"Take this filthy scum and drag her to the Prayer Halls!"

"Mother, please, it wasn't me!" Bai Xueyue shrieked, right when guards grabbed both of her arms, forcing her into submission

Bai Xueyue knew the Viscount would never take her side, but there was a small possibility that his wife, Viscountess Mu Yihua would show compassion towards her daughter.

Viscountess Mu Yihua was frozen by the door, her eyes larger than the full moon outside. Her attention darted from her pleading daughter to the dead body on the floor. One thing was for certain. Bai Xueyue was doomed. Regardless if she killed the Viscount's nanny or not, there would be no way out of this punishment. 

- - - -

Deep within the Prayer Halls, a maiden was screaming for her life. Unfortunately, her cries were silenced by the disruptive storm outside.

Even so, almost every guard outside of the Prayer Halls' gates could hear the sickening sound of wooden paddles repeatedly striking a thin child. They did not flinch as her painful howls bounced off the walls.

They were too used to this sound

Bai Xueyue's face was covered with blood and bruises. Her bright-hazel eyes had lost its shimmer, her rosy lips were split open, and her cheeks were filled with cuts. Ugly purple bruises could be seen on her neck and each plea came out hoarse until she could barely speak.

She was barely over sixteen and her life was already flashing before her eyes.

"P-please…" she sobbed, struggling against the weight holding her down. Through the corner of her hazy eyes, she saw the blurry figure of Zheng Leiyu, her childhood best friend. A man she had desperately fallen in love with only to be scorned by him.

Like any man greedy for power and wealth, Zheng Leiyu decided to pursue the oldest daughter of the household, Xueyue's older sister.

Bai Tianai was the most beloved child in the Bai Household. So long as she desires something, she shall get it without qualms.

Xueyue was skilled in archery, horseback riding, and sword fighting whilst possessing a face that easily swayed men into her bidding. She was supposed to be a sparrow that soared the skies, but she had trusted the wrong man and allowed her wings to be snipped off.

"Continue the beating," Viscount Bai Sheng said to his men who immediately nodded.

The servants cringed when the men raised their paddles and continued the beating. They never expected the refined Viscount Bai to be so rough and heartless towards her. No one knew of the Bai Family's secret about Xueyue.

Placing a gentle hand on her protruding stomach, Viscountess Mu Yihua wiped the sweat off her brows.

Sensing his wife's distress, Viscount Bai Sheng turned towards her with a soft smile.

The superstitious signs indicated she was pregnant with a baby boy, and Viscount Bai Sheng would finally get an heir.

"It'll harm the baby if you listen and watch this scene any longer. I'll end this now," Viscount Bai Sheng gently told his wife.

Viscountess Mu Yihua panicked at his words. "Wait, my lord husband—"

"I've had enough of this. Finish her." Viscount Bai Sheng demanded.

When the guards raised their wooden paddles, lightning flashed in the distance. The sound of the sky immediately blended with the sound of a head bashed to the ground, and the flash of the lightning revealed a pool of blood on the ground.

The pain was so excruciatingly painful, Xueyue didn't even register what had happened to her. Her tear-filled eyes fluttered, and black dots tainted her vision.

In her blurry sight, she saw Viscount Bai Sheng guiding his pregnant wife out of the Prayer Halls.

The last thing Xueyue saw before blacking out was the sight of Leiyu bending down to press a kiss onto Tianai's lips.

Hatred and a thirst for revenge grabbed Xueyue's heart. Using her last breath of air, Xueyue vowed to seek revenge on the injustice that had fallen upon her.

"Poor thing...She was beaten too severely." The old butler sighed at the battered sight of his Young Miss.

The blood from her cracked skull had trailed from her forehead, down her eyelids. Her entire face was covered with dark, purple bruises. Her left arm and right leg were bent in a weird shape.

"She suffered greatly before dying." One of the beaters gruffly spoke up. His voice was laced with tiredness from hitting the girl for so long, but his eyes were sharp and dark.

He didn't expect Viscount Bai to be so harsh on his own daughter. He thought he would only be cracking her skull with one hit. He never expected his Master to want the girl to die so painfully.

"Let's get her out of here before Master comes back." Another servant spoke up. His voice was shaky because it was his first night on the job. He didn't expect his first day of work would be killing a beautiful girl.

The butler watched the servants pick up the battered body of Xueyue and sighed. It was such a shame she had to die so young, but he knew it must be done.

If words get out that Viscount Bai had ordered the death of his daughter, people would criticize him. But the people will judge him more for not properly raising the child. To discover a young child committed murder right underneath his roof, would deal great damage to Viscount Bai's reputation.

In a stern and unremorseful voice, he told the servants, "Master Bai said to throw her deep into the forest where she'll be left to rot."

"Yes, sir." The men said in unison.

They carried Xueyue's body out of the Prayer Halls and walked into the forest. During the entire journey, they grumbled and complained underneath their breath. It was storming heavily outside, and they were forced to lug her deep into the forest.

"It's so much work bringing her all the way in there. Let's just leave her at the edge of the forest. I'm sure Viscount Bai wouldn't mind." One of the men finally spoke up.

The men exchanged thoughtful glances with each other. Almost everyone here shared the same idea as him. "Besides, it's raining too heavily tonight. If we take her all the way to the center of the forest, we might get lost. The rain has knocked down some trees. The paths are blocked and muddy, so it'll be hard to identify which is the right way back." Another man spoke up.

After a few thoughtful seconds, the men all nodded. "Okay, let's just drop her off at the edge of the forest. There will be animals roaming at night, so if nature doesn't take her, the beasts will."

And just like that, they all walked towards the edges of the forest. Climbing over an enormous tree that had fallen from the violent wind, they threw the Xueyue's body onto the muddy ground. Rain poured on her face, washing away the dried blood.

Even with the painful, purple marks on her face, Xueyue was still stunningly beautiful. Even though her skin was ghostly pale and her lips were blue, it wasn't enough to diminish her beauty.

"Hey, where are you going?!" One of the men shouted at the new worker who was walking back to Xueyue's body.

"It seems like I dropped something along the way. You guys head back first, I'll go look for it!" The new worker shouted back.

The men were all too drained and tired to care about the man. He was new to working here, so there wasn't any close bond formed between him and the other workers.

"Whatever, it's not my problem." The workers grumbled to themselves. They continued the long trudge back to the Manor.

Meanwhile, the new worker was quickly running in the direction of Xueyue's body. Once he got there, he glanced down at her battered face. "I don't know what you did wrong...but I truly feel bad for you." He whispered to her.

"I didn't think I'd be the one to place the finishing blow on you..." He said with a heavy heart. This was the first time he had ever killed someone...nevertheless, a child.

The young man raised his head and sheltered his eyes from the heavy rain. He walked a few feet into the forest and picked out enormous lotus leafs. After picking up the leafs, he walked towards Xueyue's unresponsive body.

Draping the leafs over her body, he sheltered her from the rain. Because the leaves were so big and thick, it was enough to form three protective layers over Xueyue's body.

In a silent voice, he said, "Though this isn't a proper burial, it's the least I could do for you."

After covering Xueyue's body from head-to-toe with lotus leafs, he walked away from her and began the journey back to the Bai Manor.

His mother always taught him to respect woman, and that no matter what a person has done, they always deserve a proper burial. He was always the obedient type, especially when it came to his mother's words. He was a very clingy son that dearly loved his mother, so he always listened to her advice.

The younger worker didn't realize by placing the lotus leafs onto Xueyue's body, he had unknowingly saved her from hypothermia.

The next morning, the sun was overwhelming bright and warm. The skies were incredibly blue, and the clouds looked extra fluffy. It was as if the storm never happened and the sky was always this calm.

But on the grounds, it was chaotic. There were branches everywhere and a lot of overturned crops and shops. Because Lanbei was such a prosperous city, the people worked very quickly. From the first hour that the sun had rised, the people immediately began to clean up their environment.

But, only the servants and the lower class people were working. The rich and wealthy stayed in their expansive Manors, enjoying their morning breakfast. It was the same in almost every family, except the outstanding Li family.

Duke Li was preparing to step outside of his Manor after enjoying a quick breakfast. He was within his room, getting clothed by the servants.

His cold gaze softened when it trailed to his glum wife. She was sitting by the window, and glancing out towards the distance. With her chin propped up by her arm, there was a sullen and gloomy look on her face.

Duke Li sighed at the melancholic state of his wife. In a soft and gentle voice, he said, "My dear wife, it's not good to cope yourself in your room..."

After the servants finished dressing him, he strolled towards his wife. Immediately wrapping an arm around her frail shoulders, he provided her warmth. 

"Where are you going?" Her voice was hoarse and barely above a whisper. From crying all night long at the death of her daughter which occurred a few weeks ago, her voice was bound to be broken.

"The city is working very hard to clean up the streets. Our servants are also working very hard to clear the grounds of branches and knocked over trees. I'm going to check up on their progress." Duke Li said to his wife.

She doesn't look at him. instead, she continued to stare into the distance.

Duke Li felt his heart clench painfully at the painful sight of his dazed wife. The two were extremely heartbroken when their daughter's dead body was found in a lake. Someone had murdered their precious daughter who was only seventeen years old when she died.

Duke Li was slowly recovering, and he was doing it faster than his wife. Duchess Li was having an extremely hard time coping the death of her daughter. She had tenderly raised the child through her own hands.

When most noble ladies would pass their babies to a wet nurse or a nursemaid, Duchess Li didn't. She kept her only daughter close to her. When the baby cried at night, she was the first to respond. When the baby had wet or dirtied itself, she was the one to change her clothes. When the baby was hungry, she had breastfed it herself.

This was extremely rare for noble ladies of outstanding families and rank, but she didn't care. Duchess Li loved her daughter too much to let other woman handle her.

Duchess Li gave birth to two sons a few years after she gave birth to her daughter. She had healthy twins, who were currently nine years old. But a mother could never get over the death of her precious daughter. No mother could ever get over such a tragic and unknown death.

"I will come back very soon and then we can take a stroll in Lanbei. How does that sound?" Duke Li gently asked his wife. After a few unresponsive seconds, she slowly nodded her head.

"After our sons finish their morning lessons, they will also be joining us." Duke Li added on. His lovely wife slowly nodded her head. At the mention of her sons, her eyes had lightened the slightest bit.

Seeing her small responses pained Duke Li, but he had ran out of any other options of cheering her up. It seemed time would be the only way of healing her. Just when Duke Li bend down to press a soft kiss to his wife's cheeks, the thumping sound of a servant racing through the halls could be heard.

Duke Li stopped his kiss and raised his head towards the door. "Open it." He told the Eunuch waiting by the door. The Eunuch immediately nodded and slid the door open.

An out of breath girl stood outside the door. She immediately bowed low at the sight of Duke and Duchess Li.

"G-greetings-"

"What is it?" Duke Li cut to the chase. His tone was calm, but had a slight touch of irritation. He hated being interrupted, especially when he was with his wife. But the matter must've been urgent for a servant to risk her life.

"A-at the edge of the forest, behind a tree, the body of an unconscious girl was found." The servant stuttered out between pants for air.

Duke Li raised a curious brow at her words. A girl was found at the edge of the forest? Why would a girl wander into the forest, especially when it was muddy and there was a storm the night before?

"It was the edge near the Li Manor, so the matter couldn't be ignored." The servant added on. She never dared to raise her head when she was addressing her Master. Instead, she kept it very low.

Duke Li sighed at the news. "I will be back, my dear." He said to his wife. She didn't say anything and continued to stare out the window. He cracked a dry smile and pressed a swift kiss to her cheeks.

He walked towards the servant and followed her out the door.

'It's going to be a tiring day ahead of us,' Duke Li thought to himself and indeed, just as he had predicted, the day would be long and strenuous...