Daybreak arrived, the morning light spreading across the sky.
The Lingxi County town gates were already crowded with commoners heading out to work, the flow of people surging and clamoring endlessly.
The gate guards were lackadaisical, having long since mastered the routine of guarding the city.
A time of peace and prosperity, no disasters or wars—what enemy spies could there be?
With a monthly salary of two taels of silver scraps, why risk your life? Perfunctory passage was just the daily norm.
Bai Shuangshuang’s legs went weak, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she dragged her frail body along, using the crowd as cover to slip out of the city at the tail end of the line.
But the moment her feet cleared the city gates, a sharp shout from the yamen runners rang out behind her.
“The county magistrate orders! Citywide lockdown! Everyone entering or leaving will be strictly inspected!”
Bai Shuangshuang’s throat tightened.
She knew that escaping the city was only a temporary reprieve.
A defenseless, weak woman with no money and nowhere to go.
In this desolate wilderness, where would she stay? What would she eat?
“Yeah, what would I eat?” she murmured, full of resentment.
In the past, when the Qingyun Sect was annihilated and flames consumed her, she could still fight to the death even in the direst straits.
But now, just to escape a ridiculous marriage, she was at her wit’s end, utterly disheveled and pathetic.
The only hope now was to stop a traveler on the main road and hitch a ride out of Lingxi County.
As long as she stepped beyond this territory, the Bai family’s influence could no longer reach her.
By the main road, a small River Granny Temple.
Three travelers dismounted and walked slowly into the temple.
“Miss, you are truly devout—traveling south and worshiping at every shrine you come across,” the accompanying matron teased with a smile.
The girl did not reply.
Qingluan stood guard outside the temple door, her posture erect and her expression cold.
Fortunately, the road was empty; otherwise, passersby might have mistaken her for the River Granny incarnate.
Inside the temple, incense smoke curled upward.
It seemed this River Granny was quite revered by the common folk.
The girl took some incense and lit it, her posture elegant and her ritual movements practiced.
She spoke softly.
“Zhao Qingyue of the Jingnan Prince’s Manor pays respects to the River Granny Great Deity. Now the Southern Region’s mountains and rivers are locked, spiritual energy stagnates, the people cannot find peace, and all immortals are silent. I have prepared a humble offering and beseech the Great Deity to accept the spirit of the mountains and rivers and resolve the Southern Region’s predicament.”
As she finished speaking, the matron’s expression tightened.
She raised her hand and produced an ancient bell seal, pressing it precisely onto the forehead of the clay statue.
In the next instant, an anomaly occurred.
The dull clay statue suddenly lit up, specks of golden light spreading over its body.
Obscure patterns crawled across its form, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a golden statue, majestic and solemn.
Faced with this miraculous sight, Zhao Qingyue’s clear, autumn-like eyes remained calm and unruffled, her expression indifferent.
Clearly, she was long accustomed to such phenomena.
“Miss, the scattered deities of the Southern Region’s mountains and wilds have now all been enfeoffed and installed,” the matron reported in a low voice as she put away the bell seal.
Zhao Qingyue nodded slightly and let out a light breath, as if releasing a heavy burden from her shoulders.
The spiritual energy of the entire Great Xia Dynasty’s Southern Region had become eerily stagnant.
Cultivators’ cultivation stalled, the government’s spiritual fields yielded poor harvests, the human world’s daylight grew dim, and the common folk struggled to get by.
The Jingnan Prince’s Manor had investigated extensively but found no solution.
They had no choice but to send the Commandery Princess Zhao Qingyue to traverse the mountains and rivers of the Southern Region.
When encountering orthodox deities of famous mountains and great rivers, she offered precious gifts.
When encountering wild temples built by the people, she used the manor’s authority to enfeoff and establish them as proper gods.
All this was done in the hope of gathering the power of mountain and river spirits to break through this strange celestial deadlock.
“Let’s go,” Zhao Qingyue said, turning to leave.
But as soon as she took a step, an invisible force gently tugged at her robe, lingering without dissipating.
She paused, looked back at the statue, and showed confusion.
The matron smiled warmly.
“Miss, the River Granny’s golden body has just taken form. She is grateful for your kindness and wishes for you to make a wish.”
Mountain and river spirits can glimpse worldly affairs and reverse fortunes.
This was not unusual; otherwise, the people would not come to worship.
But the depth of their divine power varied, so whether a wish would come true depended entirely on fate and opportunity.
Zhao Qingyue knew that this newly enshrined golden deity’s cultivation was still shallow, unable to bear her grand aspirations of saving the people and stabilizing the realm.
It was likely just a symbolic response.
So she shifted her gaze, a hint of girlish playfulness spreading across her face as she blinked lightly.
“Then I beseech the River Granny Great Deity to grant me a good marriage!”
“The Great Deity says it has been received,” the matron replied, her smile deepening.
Qingluan, standing at the door, heard this and her tight lips relaxed slightly.
She lowered her head with a soft smile.
Her young lady was always like this—bearing the weight of the world’s people, yet never losing her girlish innocence, switching seamlessly between serious matters and jokes.
But in an instant, Qingluan’s smile vanished.
She squinted, her sharp gaze piercing the morning mist to lock onto the main road.
In the distance, two household servants were swiftly pursuing a young girl. The girl’s face was flushed, her lips purple, and she staggered as she walked.
Qingluan’s expression remained cold and indifferent.
Her duty was to protect the young lady; worldly affairs were not her concern.
Unless the young lady ordered, she would not intervene.
On the main road ahead, a hunt was unfolding.
“Second Miss, be a good girl and come back to the manor with us! Today is your happy day—why cause trouble for yourself?”
“Exactly. If you force us to get rough, you might get hurt, and then no one will be able to explain!”
Bai Shuangshuang was already exhausted.
Her legs were sore and numb, unable to support her any longer.
Her feet gave way, and she collapsed heavily into the dust.
This was the limit of her frail body.
She propped herself up on the ground, barely lifting her head to look at the two approaching servants.
Her voice was hoarse and dry.
“Don’t… come any closer!”
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a tree trunk nearby with an old peachwood sword stuck into it, likely left behind by some Taoist after performing a ritual.
A flash of memory—the fat, lecherous face of the county magistrate’s son—sent a shiver through her, but it also gave her a surge of strength.
Gritting her teeth, she leveraged the sword, shaking it repeatedly until she finally pulled it free.
The peachwood sword was blunt and soft; it wouldn’t be good for killing, but it was enough to cut flesh and skin.
Bai Shuangshuang held the sword to her cheek, her eyes sharp and fierce.
“One more step, and I’ll disfigure myself! Bring a scarred Bai Shuangshuang back—see how you explain that!”
The two servants halted abruptly, intimidated, not daring to advance recklessly.
Bai Shuangshuang’s eyes no longer held their usual foolish timidity; instead, they bore the cold edge of one who had weathered slaughter.
It was a look that didn’t belong to a foolish maiden, and it sent an inexplicable chill through the two men.
Bai Shuangshuang’s mind raced.
‘If I let these two go back easily, word will reach the Bai Mansion instantly, and a flood of pursuers will arrive in no time. I won’t have any chance to escape. Even if I can’t kill them, I have to knock them unconscious.’
With that decision, the edge in her eyes faded slightly.
She let her hand drop weakly, her voice trembling.
“Fine… I can’t run anymore. Come here. I’ll go back with you…”
The two servants were overjoyed, completely letting down their guard.
Rubbing their hands, they hurried forward.
The moment they let their guard down, Bai Shuangshuang suddenly sprang into action.
She lunged forward, twisting her wrist, and swung the peachwood sword with force, striking the servant on the left squarely in the neck.
At the same time, she shifted her weight, aimed precisely, and kicked the other squarely in the groin.
The entire sequence was clean and ruthless, flowing like smooth water.
The two servants didn’t even have time to scream.
Their bodies went limp, and both fell to the ground unconscious.
Though her body was weak, the combat experience etched into her bones and blood remained intact.
This was the senior brother of the Qingyun Sword Sect.
Bai Shuangshuang looked at the two curled-up figures on the ground.
Her body stiffened, and she shivered involuntarily.
Those in the know would understand: that kick really hurt.
She could empathize.
At that thought, she suddenly felt a moment of distraction.
‘Can I still truly empathize?’
‘Cough. Don’t think about that now. I need to keep escaping.’
Bai Shuangshuang shook her head fiercely, pushing aside the stray thoughts.
But as soon as she took two steps, the overwhelming pain of her spent body surged through her.
Her vision went black.
Her body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness.
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