With just one glance, Shen Yingzi knew that this figure before him was his mother. Her delicate features, her graceful demeanor, and even the light yellow dress she wore were exactly the same as the portrait of his mother that hung in his father's study.
Seeing the indistinct figure of the woman, Shen Yingzi's grip on the bamboo flute loosened slightly. In a daze, he called out, "Mother..."
Hearing his call, the woman smiled softly, her gentle expression blending with her striking beauty. Her features were both delicate and radiant, a breathtaking sight.
"You've grown so much…"
Her voice was as captivating as her appearance, soft and melodious.
This was his mother.
Every slight movement of her brow seemed full of subtle emotion, and every glance was filled with a depth of charm.
So this is what she looked like when she was alive, Shen Yingzi thought.
The painting never did her justice.
Unconsciously, Shen Yingzi shuffled forward on his knees, his voice trembling, "Mother... I've been unfilial. If not for me, you wouldn't have left this world so soon..."
But the woman's clear, gentle eyes turned to him without acknowledging his words. Instead, she softly spoke, her voice laced with a hint of sadness, "The first time he saw me, he promised that I would never suffer."
"When I was carrying you, I was anxious and fearful, but he swore to me that, as a formidable Golden Core cultivator, ensuring a safe delivery was as easy as lifting a finger. I, a mere mortal, believed him completely."
"That day, your father was at home, staying by my side…"
"But then, just like today, he was called away by an urgent order."
"You were already eight months along, and I don't know why, but as soon as he left, I went into labor."
The woman lowered her head as she spoke, gazing into the distance, lost in thought.
Hearing this, Shen Yingzi's heart twisted in pain, and he wanted to say something, anything to comfort her.
So, this was the truth of his mother's death.
But before he could speak, the woman suddenly raised her dark, fathomless eyes and stared at Shen Yingzi with an intense gaze.
Shen Yingzi felt as though an invisible force had seized him, his heart tightening, his throat constricted. Though he tried to speak, no words came out as he gazed helplessly at his mother.
"Yingzi, do you know how much blood I lost?"
Her voice, filled with lingering resentment, seemed to slip through the wind and burrow into his ears, echoing endlessly in his mind.
The woman slowly rose from her place beside the grave and walked toward Shen Yingzi, who remained frozen, kneeling before her.
With a wave of her hand, blood began to pool beneath Shen Yingzi's knees, soaking his trousers and shoes in crimson. In an instant, he was kneeling in a sea of blood.
The woman bent down, her lips almost brushing against his ear, whispering softly, "Do you know how much blood is in a person's body?"
"My blood ran dry. Look, it's all here beneath your feet. That's why I died."
"But if I could have your blood instead, I could live again."
"Yingzi, let Mother live, won't you?"
——
Xuan Yuan Haoyue awoke to a gentle, rocking motion.
She was seated in a carriage with her mother, Madam Xuan Yuan, heading home. Earlier that morning, her mother had taken her to the capital's temple to pray for a good marriage.
Having come of age at the beginning of the year, her father had shown little concern for arranging her marriage. He continued to delay his decision, rejecting every proposal her mother presented. Each time her older half-brother saw her, his gaze made her feel like she was nothing more than a commodity waiting to be sold. Only her mother seemed genuinely worried for her future.
Her mother was a gentle soul, and since she had failed to bear a son, her influence in the Xuan Yuan household had waned as her half-brother grew older and her father increasingly favored him. Despite being the official wife, her authority had gradually diminished.
Her mother wished for her to marry into a lesser family, where her maternal lineage could still offer some protection, preventing her from being mistreated in the future. However, every suitable match her mother suggested was dismissed by her father, who seemed intent on using her marriage as a tool to secure benefits for the Xuan Yuan family and her half-brother.
Glancing at her mother, who sat with perfect posture, lost in thought, Xuan Yuan Haoyue felt a pang of anxiety. She absentmindedly picked at the cushion beneath her.
Noticing her daughter stirring, Madam Xuan Yuan smiled warmly, "You've awakened, Yue'er. We're almost home. I had the kitchen prepare your favorite Jade Lotus Pastries. You'll be able to enjoy them as soon as we return."
Xuan Yuan Haoyue forced a small smile, "Thank you, Mother."
Looking at her daughter, now a graceful young woman, Madam Xuan Yuan sighed softly, reaching out to brush a stray hair from Haoyue's forehead, her voice tinged with sorrow, "If only you could marry into the Mo family…"
Madam Mo was her close friend, and Mo Yuanjiao, Mo's youngest son, had grown up with her daughter. He was a good boy, and the Mo family was highly influential—exactly the type of family her husband sought connections with. If this marriage could be arranged, her husband would have no reason to object.
The Mo family was an ideal match in every way. If her daughter could marry into such a household, her life would be far better than her own.
But Mo Yuanjiao was the apple of the Mo family's eye, and they would never force him into a marriage he didn't want. Unfortunately, when his mother had brought it up, Mo Yuanjiao had refused without hesitation. After that, Madam Mo never mentioned the matter again.
For years, Haoyue had heard her mother lament that a marriage to the Mo family would solve all their problems and bring them peace of mind. She repeated it so often that it had become a truth in her mind.
So, Xuan Yuan Haoyue resolved to make it happen. If this marriage could secure their future, there was nothing she wouldn't do.
After all, it was just Mo Yuanjiao. If she had to chase him, she would.
Mother and daughter each carried their own burdens of worry.
The carriage soon arrived at the side gate of the Xuan Yuan residence.
But instead of finding the promised Jade Lotus Pastries waiting, they were met with an unexpected imperial decree: their family was to be exiled, their assets confiscated.
Xuan Yuan Haoyue was bewildered.
In the blink of an eye, she had gone from being the pampered second daughter of the Xuan Yuan family to a filthy, impoverished prisoner, forced onto the long road of exile.
Countless days and nights passed.
The lush green mountains and rivers of the journey's start gradually gave way to barren deserts and endless yellow sand.
Xuan Yuan Haoyue felt as though her legs no longer belonged to her. They moved mechanically, carrying her forward.
Her head, once held high as her mother had taught her, now hung low, her gaze fixed on the ground beneath her.
She stared at her toes, peeking out from her tattered shoes, and found it strange.
Her body had wasted away to almost nothing, yet her toes remained round and plump.
This world, she thought, is full of strange things.