***
Spring arrived especially late in the Western Regions. It wasn't until May that the peach, plum, pear, and apricot blossoms in Green Abyss Valley finally began to bloom. Yao Ji strolled along the cobblestone path beside the valley's clear stream.
Seeing the blossoms in full bloom, she reached out and plucked one. Just as she was about to inhale its fragrance, Qing Lan, who was always closest to her in the valley, called out, “Yao Yao, come quickly, Aunt Dong is summoning everyone.”
Yao Ji quickly tucked the flower into her sleeve and hurried with Qing Lan towards Autumn Festival Court.
Autumn Festival Court was the largest building in Green Abyss Valley. Aunt Dong sat in the main hall, watching as the young women, summoned from all corners of the valley, arrived. Despite the limited time, they maintained graceful and composed strides, their skirts undisturbed, each step as delicate as a lotus blossom.
Aunt Dong nodded in satisfaction. Once all thirty young women stood in the hall, she spoke softly, “You all understand, the previous assessments have concluded. Today, you face the final trial.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a solemn silence fell over the hall. Qing Lan, standing beside Yao Ji, nervously squeezed her hand beneath her sleeve. Knowing her anxiety, Yao Ji gently returned the squeeze.
In truth, her own heart pounded with anticipation. She didn't know what awaited her after this final test, but a premonition told her that if she succeeded, she would be one step closer to finding the person she sought.
A woman standing next to Aunt Dong unfurled a scroll containing a list of names and began to call them out one by one. With each name, one of the thirty young women stepped forward and was led into an inner chamber by an attendant. Within that chamber awaited their final assessment.
Eleven years had passed since she arrived in this world. Yao Ji still remembered the words spoken by every teaching matron in the valley: “If you pass the trials, you can leave this place.”
And if they failed?
Death.
The body she now inhabited had perished, unable to endure one of the trials. When Yao Ji transmigrated, the body was that of a mere five-year-old girl. Small and frail, it had been a frustrating experience for Yao Ji, feeling so restricted.
But this was the inevitable outcome. The Destiny Compass automatically drew her soul to a compatible mortal vessel. When that mortal's spirit faded, it became her time to be reborn. In her previous life, Princess Xincheng had died of illness at sixteen. This little girl, Nian Yao, however, had perished at the tender age of five.
Once Yao Ji finally adapted to her new body, she discovered an even more arduous life awaited her.
Nian Yao had been an orphan, taken in as a babe by a traveling disciple of the Boundless Sea Pavilion and brought to Green Abyss Valley, an oasis in the Western Regions. The Boundless Sea Pavilion was a secretive martial arts sect, hidden from the world and unknown to most.
When Yao Ji first arrived, she had little understanding of the martial world. Although she inherited Nian Yao's memories, they were the memories of a child, innocent and unaware of worldly affairs.
However, her innate intelligence allowed her to gradually piece together an understanding of this world through years of careful observation, despite never having stepped foot outside Green Abyss Valley.
This world was one where martial arts sects held sway over even the imperial court. Practicing martial arts was commonplace, not only among the common folk, who knew basic self-defense, but also among grandmasters whose powers reached the realm of myth, capable of moving mountains and parting seas.
The imperial court lacked the power to control the land. While the royal family still existed, they were mere figureheads. The true power resided with several prominent sects and clans, who every five years selected a Martial Alliance Leader as their representative to govern the jianghu.
The most powerful among them was the Heavenly Capital Estate.
The Heavenly Capital Estate was a centuries-old martial arts family, holding immense influence and commanding respect from all, high and low. Upon her arrival, Yao Ji had eagerly consulted the Registry of Reincarnation, which clearly stated: Reincarnated as the Lord of Heavenly Capital.
Initially, unaware of the world's intricacies, she puzzled over the meaning of "Heavenly Capital." Later, she learned of the Heavenly Capital Estate and its current leader, the centenarian Grandmaster Pei Che. Though holding the title of Estate Lord, Pei Che had long been in seclusion, leaving the management of the estate to his grandson, Pei Yan. Thus, Pei Yan was the true master of the Heavenly Capital Estate.
At the time, Yao Ji was five, and Pei Yan was only thirteen. Despite his youth, his exceptional talent allowed him to manage the vast estate flawlessly, earning widespread admiration.
Yao Ji knew that Zong Jun, her beloved husband from her past life, had been reborn as Pei Yan. But what connection could an orphaned girl like her possibly have with such a celestial figure?
With the Destiny Compass, she was certain their paths would cross, but confined within Green Abyss Valley for eleven years, she couldn't fathom how their destinies would intertwine.
Before Yao Ji could unravel this mystery, the rigorous training that followed consumed her entirely, leaving no room for such contemplation.
Raised in the celestial realm, she had never experienced hardship. Even after descending to the mortal realm in her previous life as a princess, and later marrying Zong Jun, she had been cherished and protected, showered with love and affection.
But within Green Abyss Valley, she lived among hundreds of girls in a communal dormitory, wearing simple cloth garments. Each day began before dawn with studies, followed by martial arts training and etiquette lessons. While the teaching matrons didn't resort to physical punishment, they were cold and demanding, quick to criticize and reprimand.
The physical exhaustion was bearable, but Yao Ji, with her inherent pride, couldn't tolerate the humiliation. She argued with a matron, expecting a beating at worst, and was fully prepared for it. Instead, the matron sneered, “Disobedient? Then throw her into the Serpent Pit.”
Unaware of what the Serpent Pit entailed, Yao Ji was led to a chasm dozens of feet deep. Peering down, she saw the pit's walls teeming with venomous snakes, a sight both terrifying and repulsive. Her body went limp, tears welling in her eyes, all strength draining away.
Believing her death imminent, another matron intervened, “This child is quite beautiful. I foresee her becoming a true beauty, a promising prospect. It would be a shame to waste her. If she's disobedient, then train her diligently.”
Yao Ji was spared. Though her innate pride prevented any outward display of distress, she was drenched in cold sweat and fell gravely ill upon returning to her quarters.