Liu Rumeng took out the pastries Erxue had picked up and handed them to Mother Yang. Mother Yang merely glanced at them, a flicker of shock crossing her eyes. "Where did you get these?"
Liu Rumeng froze for a second, contemplation flashing in her eyes.
The woman sat up in agitation. "It's all my fault for being of lowly birth; there are many things I failed to tell you out of guilt. This is Black Spirit Ointment."
"Black Spirit Ointment?"
"It's no wonder you don't recognize it—I never mentioned it to you. Black mulberry has miraculous restorative properties, but it grows only on the cliffs of the Realm of Ice and Snow and is extremely difficult to obtain. Back then, your father spent a fortune to get just a single piece. Ah An, tell me the truth, did you... steal this?"
Yang An had never been favored. Because her birth was scandalous to begin with, Yang Zhengchun felt she had brought shame upon him and that he could not face First Madam, so he simply kept mother and daughter locked away in the side courtyard. Normally, only two maidservants were sent in rotation to deliver meals, and he paid them no mind whatsoever. He had never even come to ask after Yang An when she fell ill. How could a man like that possibly give her something as precious as Black Spirit Ointment?
Liu Rumeng was slightly stunned, never expecting the thing in her hand to be so valuable. Had she known, she would have let Erxue haul back two wagonloads of it.
With a slight smile, she said, "Mother, you must be joking. With so many people in the estate and so many guards, how could I possibly steal anything? A white-bearded Daoist master I happened to meet on the road saw how frail I was and kindly gave it to me."
"A white-bearded Daoist master?"
"Yes. The great universe is full of wonders, and there are many high-level masters in this world. How could we ever imagine them?"
The woman thought for a moment and nodded. "Though your life has been hard, you are kind-hearted by nature, and good people will be rewarded. My body is fine for the moment; you should keep this and eat it."
Liu Rumeng shook her head, broke off a piece, and brought it to the woman's lips. "Only when Mother's health improves will I be free of worry, right?"
Mother Yang sighed helplessly. "It is Mother who is holding you back."
"Mother is An's sweet burden."
Delighted by the coaxing, the woman finally ate a piece. Liu Rumeng tucked the blanket around her properly, turned, and left the room. She quietly summoned a few Snow Demons, instructed them to gather some firewood, and then returned to the inner room.
The room was as shabby as imagined: broken windows, blackened cotton quilts, and apart from those, almost no furniture to speak of.
Liu Rumeng had no great demands for material comforts. She sat on the edge of the bed, closed her eyes, and began to sift through the information in her mind.
After a good while, she finally sorted the information out.
First of all, this was a place she did not know and which had never been recorded in history—the Tianwei Continent.
The Tianwei Continent was the general name for this vast region, across which several countries were distributed, taking mountains as their spines and rivers as their boundaries. For hundreds of years, wars among these countries had been incessant, with conflicts erupting from time to time. However, within the Tianwei Continent, there were three most powerful nations known as the Three Gods of Tianwei, situated in the three most fertile zones of the continent.
They were: Hong, which took mountains as its stronghold, boasting bizarre and perilous terrain that was easy to defend and hard to attack; Lin, bordering abysses of water with vast territories and lush water-meadows; and Wei, which dwelt in the realm of high mountains, looking down upon ten thousand nations.
For hundreds of years, the three nations of Hong, Lin, and Wei had not infringed upon one another, each occupying its own corner and enjoying peace. But with a massive tremor that struck the Tianwei Continent over a decade ago, causing enormous crustal shifts, the boundaries between the three nations had become increasingly blurred, and covert struggles among them had begun to quietly emerge.
The country she was currently in was precisely Hong, the one situated in the mountains with terrain that was easy to defend and hard to attack.
And her nominal father—that beast who had abandoned his wife and daughter, Yang Zhengchun—was a high-ranking official of this country.
Throughout Hong Country—no, throughout the entire Tianwei Continent—martial prowess was paramount, and martial arts were supreme. Those with superior might could win the respect of all and even break through the limits of the Tianwei Continent to become borderless martial masters, heavily employed by various nations.
Yet this "martial" was not martial arts in the ordinary sense, but a kind of spiritual power generated from within the body. This spiritual power was present from birth and varied from person to person. A very few people possessed spiritual power superior to others right from birth, progressing rapidly with just a little training. But some people had shallow, meager spiritual power, which was almost nonexistent; their constitutions were weak, and even in their teens, they were unable to channel their abilities for their own use, missing the optimal training window. Such people were despised and scorned in Hong Country—people like Yang An, for instance.
When Mother Yang was pregnant with Yang An, to avoid First Madam's framing, she had kept the pregnancy a secret, all the while burdened with heavy labor, which led to premature birth.
Yang An was born from her mother's womb at six months, naturally afflicted with illness and possessing incomplete six pulses. Furthermore, due to malnutrition, she contracted a cold right at birth, and her health had never been good.
Her spiritual power was so scarce as to be practically nonexistent, so even by age fourteen, she was unable to channel a single shred of spiritual power. Because of this, she was frequently bullied by the maidservants and guards in the courtyard.
Liu Rumeng lowered her gaze. As the pain in her body began to flare up again, she quickly took out the Black Spirit Ointment and ate a piece. But strangely, not only did the pain not subside, it grew even more intense.
Enduring the agony, Liu Rumeng turned back the hem of her clothes and saw that the frostbitten area on her foot was now turning black and red, with a faint red line beginning to creep upward. She hurriedly pressed several major acupuncture points on her leg to block the upward surge of the dark Qi.
What was going on?
Wasn't it said that Black Spirit Ointment was an excellent remedy for restoring the body? How could it make the wound worse?
Could it be that this wasn't any Black Spirit Ointment at all, but poison?
Gritting her teeth against the pain, Liu Rumeng tore off a piece of tattered cloth to bind her foot tightly, then pushed open the window.
With a simple summons, a series of snowballs came running over, biting into newly found firewood with their mouths.
"I need sharp blades, medical alcohol, and clean cotton cloth."
"Squeak!"
The snowballs dropped the firewood and scampered off again.
Liu Rumeng brought the firewood into the room and endured the pain to build a fire; the room grew warm instantly. Liu Rumeng went to check on Mother Yang—fortunately, she had eaten and was fast asleep.
Remembering the information she had seen in her mind earlier, Liu Rumeng recalled that Mother Yang had actually stood up to Yang Zhengchun this time to protect Yang An, and had even suffered a brutal beating before being driven out. She couldn't help feeling a renewed sense of respect for this woman.
In her previous life, she had been an orphan. Her grandfather had seen that she possessed exceptional physical aptitude and keen comprehension—a rare talent for martial arts—so he took her in and taught her martial arts day and night, yet rarely gave her affection. Thus, she yearned deeply for a mother.
Since she had now become Yang An, she would fulfill filial duties in her stead.
Before long, squeaking calls came from outside the window.
Liu Rumeng pushed open the window and saw that all the items had been retrieved.
Daxue tilted its head, its bright round eyes carrying an ingratiating expression that was overflowing with cuteness.
Liu Rumeng smiled and patted its head. "Well done."
Daxue immediately started rolling around on the snow, even exposing its short tail for her to pet, assuming the absolute posture of a puppy.
Liu Rumeng closed the window, brought over the brazier, heated the blade over it, and disinfected it with the alcohol. With a swift movement, she shaved away the dead flesh on her foot.
Cold sweat dripped from her forehead, yet her expression remained largely unchanged. She had lost count of how many times she had endured this kind of suffering; a woman living in the military had to be tougher than a man, and she had long since forgotten what crying felt like.
Having scraped away the dead flesh and bandaged her foot, Liu Rumeng sat cross-legged on the bed to recuperate and regulate her breathing.
Because her body was weak, she could only access a portion of the information; she did not yet know how to channel spiritual power. All she could do now was nurse this frail body back to health.
Liu Rumeng tried to regulate her breathing to stop the pain, using her breath to slowly probe the condition of her body. The breath circulated through her body, only to be suddenly blocked halfway. Liu Rumeng tried again, but it still didn't work—it really was blocked, as if something was clogging her meridians.
Moreover, even in the areas that weren't blocked, there were many damaged and injured spots, showing just how poorly Yang An had lived all these years.
Incomplete six pulses, a feeble physique, compounded by subsequent malnutrition and limb damage caused by frostbite.
Things truly could not get any worse.
Nursig this dilapidated body back to health was certainly not something that could be achieved overnight.
Catching a glimpse of a copper mirror fragment beside the pillow, Liu Rumeng reached out to pick it up and take a look.
Even though she was mentally prepared, when she saw the sallow, withered, corpse-like face in the mirror, she was still startled.
In her previous life, she had been a notoriously fiery rose in the unit, with a fine figure and a striking face, attracting numerous suitors. But she had poured her heart entirely into her career and never cared for personal relationships—until she met Long Kui.
Suddenly transmigrated into such a body, even with her exceptional psychological resilience, she couldn't help sighing a little.
The physical weakness and mental fatigue suddenly made her somewhat drowsy. Liu Rumeng closed her eyes and spent her first night in this strange land.
Before dawn, Liu Rumeng's biological clock caused her to open her eyes early.
Pushing open the window, large snowflakes drifted with the wind into her eyes.
It was snowing again.
She truly was in the Realm of Ice and Snow; two-thirds of the year was spent snowing. Trying to survive in such a harsh environment seemed simply impossible.
Yet she was determined to turn the impossible into the possible.
Unwrapping yesterday's bandage and taking a quick look, she found that the area that had still been bleeding was actually beginning to heal. It seemed the Black Spirit Ointment possessed the function of removing damaged tissue and cleansing impurities; the pain yesterday had simply been the process of it removing the dead flesh.
She closed her eyes to regulate her breathing and suddenly discovered that the spot that had been blocked last night was still impassable.
Liu Rumeng set her mind at ease, ate another piece, rebandaged the wound, and only then pushed open the door to the inner room.
Mother Yang was still sleeping.
Liu Rumeng used the very last of the grain to make breakfast for Mother Yang, and then stepped outside.
Outside, the cold wind mixed with snowflakes battered her face mercilessly. Liu Rumeng pulled her leather clothes tighter around her and walked out.
What she needed to do now was first understand the surrounding environment so she could prepare for survival here.
Liu Rumeng wandered outside for a good long while before she figured out the surrounding terrain.
Their dwelling was located on a relatively flat patch of snow. A few hundred meters ahead was a cliff of unfathomable height, with a bottomless abyss below. To the right was the path down the mountain, which was rugged and difficult to traverse; walking to the nearest dwelling place of the guards would take two hours. To the left was a vast forest covered in thick white snow, and behind the house, bypassing a pile of giant boulders obscured by snow, there was actually a large waterfall, its current crashing against the boulders in a most spectacular sight.
Having mapped out the terrain, she began her first step: finding food.
She remembered that Yang An had frozen to death on her way to ask the guards for food. It seemed Yang An was still allocated rations every month, but they were required to go and fetch them themselves.
Instructing Sanxue and Sixue to guard Mother Yang outside, Liu Rumeng set off toward the guards' quarters.
Following the map in Yang An's mind, Liu Rumeng walked for a long time before she spotted a tiny black shadow standing against the vast white snowfield. If one didn't look closely, it was impossible to tell there was a house there.
Had it not been for her sharp eyesight, relying on Yang An's vision, she would have overlooked this small house even upon reaching it.
That meant even if Yang An hadn't been bullied by those Snow Demons, she would have collapsed from exhaustion out on the snowfield anyway.
What a fine Yang Zhengchun! Fearing gossip, you put on a hypocritical front, yet overtly and covertly you sought to drive mother and child to their deaths. This debt—she had committed it to memory!
Liu Rumeng ate another small piece of Black Spirit Ointment, felt her strength return, and continued toward the house.
"Who goes there?!" Someone barked at her from a distance.
Who goes there? Aside from her and her mother, who else could possibly be in this Realm of Ice and Snow?
Liu Rumeng sneered. "It's me, Yang An."
The other party's attitude did not change in the slightest upon hearing her give her full name.
"Why are you only just getting here? Our brothers have been waiting for you all day!" As it turned out, Yang Zhengchun had people regularly deliver food to mother and child; since Yang An hadn't been able to fetch it yesterday, naturally they couldn't leave.
Just a bunch of petty scumbags, yet they dared speak to her like this!
It was evident that Yang An had frequently been bullied in the estate.
It was evident that Yang An had frequently been bullied in the estate.
Liu Rumeng said indifferently, "The wind and snow were heavy, and I lost my way."
Speaking thus, she finally arrived at the guards' cabin.
It was a wooden house with five or six rooms. Aside from being responsible for the food of Yang An and her mother, the guards also handled certain security duties.
Seeing Yang An approach, the few guards did not salute her; instead, they walked away dismissively.
No rush... when the day came for her to sweep across the world, they would naturally have their time of regret.
Liu Rumeng walked into the room and saw a sharp-featured woman sitting on a chair.
Liu Rumeng searched her memories.
As it turned out, this person was the cook responsible for the diet of Yang An and her mother, commonly known as Song Sanniang. She was harsh and slick. Because her son was a petty accountant's assistant in the estate, she put on haughty airs and didn't take Yang An and her mother seriously.
Ordinarily, she skimped on their food and clothing quite a bit, while Yang An and her mother, daring to be angry but not to speak, could only endure it in silence.
Ever since Yang An and her mother were banished to the Realm of Ice and Snow, Song Sanniang had been assigned to deliver food to them every month, which only made her even more furious.
Her usual finickiness had escalated to a new level.
Liu Rumeng walked up to Song Sanniang. "I've come to fetch the food."
Song Sanniang sat in her chair, crossing her legs and cracking melon seeds. Hearing this, she lazily rolled her eyes, her mockery dripping from her expression: "There's none left!"
Knowing full well that Song Sanniang was deliberately provoking her, Liu Rumeng feigned ignorance. "But I didn't collect any food yesterday."
"None means none!"
Liu Rumeng sneered. "How is it that good food just happens to be gone?"
Song Sanniang sprang up with a start. "Do you think the stuff I deliver is gold that doesn't spoil? Why am I so unlucky to be saddled with masters like you? Not only do I get no benefits from the Yang Estate, but I also have to run out to this freezing wasteland to deliver your meals! Look at the other servants—don't every single one of them bask in their masters' light, eating and drinking the finest? Not like me, working myself half to death every day only to come here and take your abuse!"
Song Sanniang's shouting brought the guards outside rushing in.
"What's all the shouting about? Take your things and get out!"
"My good young sirs, you be the judges! I bring them food from so far away, yet not a word of gratitude do I get, and on top of that, she comes over to suspect me! I've been in the Yang Estate all these years, utterly blameless with not a single fault to be found! You be the judges! How can someone be so ungrateful?!"
Yang An had been ostracized back in the Yang Estate, with no one treating her as a mistress; now that she had fallen on hard times, it was truly a case of everyone pushing a falling wall.
The guards had been sent to this desolate place with bellies full of resentment, and they were just lacking an outlet.
One guard laughed loudly. "She probably still thinks she's the eldest miss, having her fond dreams here!"
"Hahaha, eldest miss! Her dream has lasted long enough!"
"Just looking at that face makes me lose my appetite. Don't bring her here next time; just throw it somewhere and let her forage for herself!"
"The Yang Estate probably forgot ages ago that there's still an eldest miss here. If I, Song Sanniang, hadn't remembered you, you would have starved to death long ago!" Still feeling unsatisfied, Song Sanniang spat melon seed shells toward Yang An, spitting a few times with a *bah bah bah*. "Running into you is truly bad luck!"
Liu Rumeng watched the farce quietly, as if the center of the spectacle wasn't her at all, entirely unmoved.
Song Sanniang couldn't help feeling somewhat surprised. In the past, Yang An would have already turned tail and fled in shame; how could she be so calm?
Instead, she heard Liu Rumeng slowly say, "Sanniang is right. It is my incompetence that caused you to suffer this bitter errand; I ask for your magnanimity in all things."
Song Sanniang was somewhat stunned. Liu Rumeng then turned to the guards: "Big brothers, I've caused trouble for everyone during this time. I know none of you have it easy; serving as guards here is already hard enough, let alone having to take care of our mother and child's livelihood. I have some small items here. If you don't mind, please graciously accept them as a token of my thanks."
The guards looked at each other in dismay. When had Yang An ever been so articulate?
Previously, when they mocked her, she would roar that she would go report them to her father in the future, and then run off in tears.
Yet the Yang An standing before them now had clear eyes and a modest attitude. Though seemingly delicate and helpless, she exuded an unyielding aura—neither frightened nor angry, calm to the point of being unpredictable.
They didn't realize the old saying was true: better to offend a gentleman than provoke a petty person.
Liu Rumeng was currently beset by difficulties on all sides and lacked a firm foundation; it was not worth creating targets for herself, and besides, these people still had utilitarian value.
Just as the men were stunned, Liu Rumeng pulled out a few items and quietly slipped them into each of their palms.
The men turned their hands over to look, and all were greatly startled.
"This... this is Black Spirit Ointment?!" One of the guards recognized it and cried out in astonishment.
Liu Rumeng feigned surprise. "What is Black Spirit Ointment? I picked this up on the mountain; I thought it was just ordinary wild food."
Someone whispered, "It's normal that you don't know since no one told you. This stuff is extremely precious. Aside from us, even the Yang Estate probably doesn't have a few pieces. Where did you pick this up?"
Liu Rumeng put on a troubled expression. "I can't remember clearly either. I only remember the wind and snow were heavy at the time, and I lost my way. When I woke up, this thing was beside me."
Several of them thought about it. "It was probably dropped by those Snow Demons while playing."
Having obtained such a fine item, they were all somewhat envious. Exchanging glances, they secretly pocketed the items.
Their attitudes also softened somewhat. "The food is in the back kitchen; take it and go."
Liu Rumeng thanked them and made to walk past.
Seeing that everyone else had gotten something while she got nothing, Song Sanniang rushed over.
Only to be intercepted by the guards: "How much longer are you going to make a scene? The food has been delivered, why aren't you rolling back?!"
"You lot took the bribes and speak on her behalf, but I've worked so hard and haven't seen a shred of benefit from anyone! Be careful or I'll report you to the master!"
A ruffian meeting a genuine thug.
The men exchanged glances, grabbed Song Sanniang, and subjected her to a flurry of blows and kicks.
They beat Song Sanniang until she cried for mercy endlessly, her face bruised and battered, looking quite pitiful.
Liu Rumeng walked into the back kitchen and indeed found the food Song Sanniang had hidden away. Along the way, she also took some daily necessities and secretly stuffed them into her basket. As she turned to leave, she noticed several books resting by the window, looking as though they were frequently thumbed through. Liu Rumeng scooped them up and put them into the basket as well.
Walking out, Liu Rumeng saw Song Sanniang lying on the ground wailing incessantly, her face a pathetic mix of blue and red.
"Big brothers, I'm heading back anyway, so let me give her a hand on the way," Liu Rumeng said.