Zi Family's Falling Rain Pavilion.
Zi Linling suddenly opened her eyes and, before she could even think, felt danger sweeping over her.
She instinctively rolled to the ground, dodging the attack.
Only then did she see that the one attacking her was a red whip, its handle held by a young girl.
The girl was no more than thirteen or fourteen years old, dressed in a pale green long dress, with pale blue lotuses embroidered on the sleeves and a wide band of brocade wrapped around her chest.
Zi Linling stood up, exuding a chilling aura.
If it weren't for the girl lacking any killing intent, she would likely have already become a departed soul.
However, the girl's attire and the surrounding environment exuded an ancient atmosphere, giving her a bad premonition.
What was going on? How did she end up here? She remembered...
Her best friend, Lan Qianji, had exhausted ten years of her life force to finally glimpse the heavenly secrets and deduce the Zi family's lost "Human Emperor's Medicinal Canon" from a hundred years ago, which was located in the Human Emperor's Cave.
Thus, she endured countless hardships and finally found the Human Emperor's Cave in a forbidden human zone, and obtained the "Human Emperor's Medicinal Canon." But when she opened it, there wasn't a single word on it!
As she was racking her brain, a gunshot rang out, and blood splattered.
When she woke up again, she found herself in the scene just described.
Zi Linling furrowed her delicate brows. She had no recollection of who fired the gun. The most important thing now was to figure out the current situation.
Her sharp gaze fell on the girl. "Who are you? Where is this?"
Her voice was like a warbler's song, a phoenix's cry, cold yet with a hint of gentleness, giving the impression of being unique in heaven and unparalleled on earth.
The green-skirted girl was stunned by her series of actions, and the whip she was wielding paused unknowingly.
However, she did not answer Zi Linling's question. Instead, she sneered, "You're truly tenacious. You've already taken twenty-nine lashes from me, and you can still stand."
Her voice was crisp and clear, incredibly pleasant to hear.
If not for the faint bloodstains on the whip in her hand, anyone would have taken her for a mischievous child.
Hearing the girl's words, Zi Linling finally felt a burning pain all over her body.
Her expression was somewhat grim. Although such injuries were child's play to her, it didn't mean she felt no pain.
Her aura grew colder, and she said sternly, "Who are you?"
A mocking smile played on the girl's lips. She said sarcastically, "Zi Linling, have you been beaten silly? Who am I? Hehehe... Aren't I your second sister?"
"Second sister?"
Zi Linling's delicate brows shot up, her pupils contracting sharply. A torrent of unfamiliar memories flooded into her mind, and the explosive pain forced her to close her eyes involuntarily.
It turned out that this place was called the Tianqi Kingdom, a land where spirit was revered.
And the identity of the body she was now inhabiting was the only daughter of Zi Guochang, the former head of the Zi family. Her name was also Zi Linling.
When she was born, it was the middle of winter in Dark Night City, yet suddenly flowers bloomed everywhere, filling the air with fragrance. The anomaly lasted for seven days and seven nights.
Therefore, everyone believed that she, born under such auspicious signs, must be a peerless cultivation prodigy.
Because of this, her fame was unprecedented. Even the Emperor personally issued a decree to betroth her to the Crown Prince.
But who would have thought that she would be poisoned in her mother's womb, her spiritual roots crippled, and born unable to cultivate, becoming a well-known useless person throughout the Tianqi Kingdom.
Not long after Zi Linling was born, her mother, Yue Wu Mei, suddenly disappeared. Half a year later, her father, Zi Guochang, received some news and also vanished without a trace.
Subsequently, her second uncle, Zi Wenchang, temporarily took over as the family head, and his wife, Wang Pingtíng, became the matriarch.
Madam Wang was adept at disguise. In front of outsiders, she showered Zi Linling with concern and care, appearing to be a virtuous wife and loving mother.
However, in private, she banished her to the most dilapidated Falling Rain Pavilion in the estate and withheld her allowance.
She also frequently berated and beat her, making her kneel on pebbles, stand in the rain, and tormenting her in various ways.
Moreover, Madam Wang also hinted to the servants to assign all the dirty and difficult work to Zi Linling.
Her cousins also subjected her to arbitrary humiliation, frequently beating and scolding her. In their eyes, Zi Linling was merely a tool for their amusement and venting.
When the matriarch and the young ladies of the household disliked her, how could the servants in the estate possibly treat her well?
They took advantage of the situation. To please the matriarch and the young ladies, Zi Linling was served either spoiled food or watery broth with barely any rice, only vegetable leaves.
One could imagine how tragic Zi Linling's life was.
Even more distressing was that she had a betrothal with the Crown Prince!
The Crown Prince was a renowned cultivation genius, having already reached the advanced stage of Qi Induction at the young age of fifteen.
Combined with his unparalleled handsome features, he was naturally the object of adoration for countless maidens.
Zi Linling, lacking ability and constantly in the spotlight, faced a predictable fate.
The green-skirted girl before her was her second cousin, Zi Jinling, who was also one of the Crown Prince's admirers.
Simply because she accidentally brushed against the Crown Prince's clothes that morning, she was severely beaten by Zi Jinling.
Who knew that Zi Jinling's blow was too heavy, and it coincided with the outbreak of toxins within her body, causing her to die, leaving this body to the current Zi Linling.
After clarifying the sequence of events, Zi Linling rolled her eyes internally and couldn't help but curse, "Damn heaven! How could I encounter such a cliché plot!"
She gave a bitter smile, recalling her best friend Lan Qianji's words before she left, "Linling, this journey, though perilous, holds a sliver of hope in the unseen..."
It seemed this was the sliver of hope Lan Qianji spoke of, except this sliver of hope was no longer in her original world.
So be it. Since she had been reborn, she would not betray heaven's good intentions. Since heaven had allowed her to take over this body, she would repay grievances with grievances and vengeance with vengeance.
Zi Linling's principle had always been: I don't offend others unless they offend me. If they offend me, I will return it tenfold.
Zi Jinling watched as Zi Linling ignored her and even closed her eyes. A sense of ignored humiliation surged within her.
She angrily swung her whip again, lashing out at Zi Linling.
Zi Linling, having just absorbed that memory, felt the danger approaching.
Relying on instinct, she precisely caught the oncoming object, her palm firmly gripping a section of the whip's tail.
Zi Jinling tugged hard several times, even using her spiritual power of Body Tempering Triple Realm, but the whip seemed rooted, and she couldn't retrieve it.
Zi Linling suddenly opened her eyes, a deep, meaningful smile curving her lips.
That smile sent a shiver down Zi Jinling's spine, and she couldn't help but tremble.
She commanded with a hint of faltering confidence, "Let go!"