“Thrust! Sweep! Strike!”
“Hah! Hah! Hah!”
The thunderous shouts pierced through the haze, jolting Jiang Xingyan awake.
“Xiao Ya!”
She gasped, her ears ringing with the clang of metal.
Looking down, she saw herself clad in armor.
Her outstretched hands were pale and slender, yet calloused.
When she lifted her gaze, a battle map lay unfurled on the nearby desk, surrounded by an array of weapons.
Panicked, Jiang Xingyan called out, “Someone—come here!”
But the voice that escaped her lips was not her own—it belonged to her husband, Huo Ci, the young general of Western Yue.
The tent flap lifted, and in strode a young man with bold, unrestrained features.
Jiang Xingyan recognized him.
When Huo Ci had come to fetch her as his bride, this man had been the first to charge ahead, grinning wildly.
Huo Ci’s deputy—Xin Zhui.
“What are your orders, General?”
He gave a casual wave, utterly unbothered by formalities.
Jiang Xingyan stood frozen, only snapping back to reality when Xin Zhui called her name for the third time.
Her soul… was in Huo Ci’s body!
A splitting pain shot through her head.
Her mother-in-law had drowned Xiao Ya, yet Huo Ci had blamed her for everything.
Heartbroken, she had clutched Xiao Ya’s lifeless body and dashed herself against a pillar.
Her four maids had all hanged themselves in the main hall, a final act of defiance.
But none of it had moved Huo Ci’s conscience.
Their bodies had been carelessly tossed into a mass grave.
Her property had been seized by her mother-in-law, who then lavishly arranged a new marriage for Huo Ci.
This was no nightmare!
Cold sweat drenched Jiang Xingyan’s back. She grabbed Xin Zhui’s arm and demanded, “What is the date and time right now?”
Xin Zhui smirked. “Did you doze off, General? How could you forget the date?”
Jiang Xingyan cut him off sharply. “Answer me!”
Startled by Huo Ci’s uncharacteristic intensity, Xin Zhui blurted, “The fifteenth year of Yonghe, late spring, the third month, Renchen day, early morning.”
Her heart sank. Without another word, she bolted outside.
Xiao Ya!
Maybe she could still save her!
She snatched a horse and galloped toward the general’s estate.
Xiao Ya, wait for Mother.
Mother is coming to save you!
…..
Jiang Xingyan’s frantic ride drew gasps from onlookers.
She thanked her grandfather silently for teaching her to ride.
When she reached the estate, she leapt off the horse and stormed inside.
A servant at the gate paled and rushed to block her.
“General, why have you returned so suddenly? The Madam is resting—allow me to announce your arrival.”
Announce her arrival—or warn them?
Jiang Xingyan gritted her teeth.
She had always known the servants were complicit with her mother-in-law.
But she hadn’t realized they were all accomplices in Xiao Ya’s murder.
Seeing Huo Ci return, their first thought wasn’t to save the child—it was to cover it up!
Xiao Ya was only two years old!
How could they do this?
Didn’t they fear Xiao Ya’s ghost haunting them at night?
A bunch of heartless monsters, unworthy of being called human!
She had pitied them before, thinking they were just helpless victims of her mother-in-law’s tyranny.
Now she saw the truth—evil masters and wicked servants, all deserving death!
With a furious kick, she sent the servant sprawling.
Caught off guard, he tumbled head over heels before slamming into the screen wall.
Moaning, he writhed on the ground.
“Since when do I need your permission to enter my own home?”
Jiang Xingyan didn’t waste time arguing. Drawing her sword, she charged inside.
The other servants, peeking from the sidelines, shrank back at the sight of the gleaming blade. None dared move.
Xin Zhui, who had caught up using qinggong, nearly dropped his jaw at the scene.
Their general was known for his refined grace—what had gotten into him today?
Jiang Xingyan rushed to the rear courtyard—and what she saw made her heart stop.
She had thought the worst her mother-in-law would do was push Xiao Ya into the pond and watch her drown.
But reality was even more monstrous.
The head maid, Jin Zhu, was strangling Xiao Ya, forcing her underwater.
Xiao Ya couldn’t even scream, her tiny hands flailing helplessly.
“You vile wretch!”
Rage burned through Jiang Xingyan, searing her soul.
Huo Ci’s muscle memory kicked in—she flew forward with qinggong, kicking Jin Zhu away.
Her sword flashed, severing the maid’s right arm before stabbing through the left, pinning her to the ground.
“Aaaah!”
The agonized scream sent birds scattering from the rooftops.
Servants dropped to their knees in terror.
The Madam stumbled out of the pavilion, her face draining of color at the bloodshed.
“S-son—!”
Jiang Xingyan ignored her, spinning around—only to see the most heart-wrenching sight.
A small, motionless body floating on the water’s surface.
Trembling, she scooped Xiao Ya up.
Her grandfather’s teachings echoed in her mind.
“Yanyan, I won’t be with you forever.
Learn these skills—they’ll protect you and save others when it matters most.”
“Yanyan, live well.”
Tears stung her eyes as she pressed gently on Xiao Ya’s swollen belly, rhythmically applying pressure.
She couldn’t bring herself to check for a pulse—she couldn’t bear the worst.
One press, two presses, three…
Xiao Ya, wake up!
We still have to live well, you and I.