Chapter 2: The Original Owner Was a Pitiful Creature
The original owner was also named Jiang Qing. She was born to Jiang Tan, the head of the household, and a maid named Liu'er. Liu'er was the original owner's mother. Because of her beauty, she was often resented and bullied by the other maids.
One night, after returning home from drinking, Jiang Tan stumbled upon Liu'er. Whether it was the influence of the alcohol or simply that he was captivated by her beauty—or perhaps a bit of both—he ended up sleeping with her.
Sleeping with her was one thing, but one would think he might at least grant her some official status. Not Jiang Tan; once it was over, he simply tossed the matter to the back of his mind and ignored her.
He didn't exactly abandon her entirely; he would occasionally send some items her way, but these were always mere material things—gold, silver, and trinkets. As for an official title, there was none.
Naturally, Jiang Tan continued to seek Liu'er out in private. As time went on and the liaisons grew more frequent, the masters and servants of the estate all became aware of the situation.
It was during this time that Liu'er became pregnant with the original owner. She had hoped that the pregnancy would compel Jiang Tan to grant her official status, making her a concubine of the Jiang household. Unfortunately, Jiang Tan was a man who prioritized interests above all else.
The wives and concubines of the Jiang household were all legitimate or illegitimate daughters from prominent cultivation families. Jiang Tan was unwilling to make a maid—especially a mortal—a concubine. Even after she gave birth to the original owner, it made no difference; he merely continued to send people to deliver gifts to her.
Liu'er made a few attempts to push the issue, but she failed to secure the status of concubine. On the contrary, her persistence only caused Jiang Tan to visit even less frequently.
Fearing that she would fall out of favor, Liu'er dared not stir up trouble again, choosing instead to cater to Jiang Tan with utmost caution. Alas, good times do not last. Within a few years, Jiang Tan grew tired of Liu'er, and his visits dwindled further, until finally, he forgot about the mother and daughter entirely.
Without status or affection, the lives of the original owner and her mother were truly a living hell.When Liu'er was in favor, no one dared to do anything to her, but after falling out of favor, it was a different story. Moreover, she had no official status, so when it all came down to it, mother and daughter were still just maidservants.
Before long, Liu'er was worn down and hounded to death by Madam Zhou. As for the original owner, at the age of five, because of an incomplete spiritual root, she was packed off by the Madam to wash clothes in this remote courtyard, and had stumbled and scraped her way through to the present day like this.
An incomplete spiritual root was the same as having no spiritual root at all, which meant she could not cultivate. A mortal unable to cultivate mattered even less to Jiang Tan, who had most likely long forgotten that he even had such a daughter.
She remembered that when the original owner's spiritual root was tested at age five, a flash of cyan light had appeared for a single moment. At the time, the head of the family and the elders present had all looked utterly shocked and overjoyed, suggesting the type of spiritual root was quite good.
Drawing on the various novels of all sizes she had read in her past life, Jiang Qing guessed there was a high probability it was a wood spiritual root; cyan represented the wood attribute, so this was not hard to guess. Unfortunately, the cyan light vanished the instant it appeared.
Subsequent tests over several times yielded the exact same result. In the end, they could only attribute it to the original owner having an incomplete spiritual root. After letting out a chorus of shared sighs over what a pity it was, they promptly cast the original owner to the back of their minds.
Others thought she could not cultivate, but in reality, that was not the case.
Upon receiving these memories, she realized this was a world inside a book, and what was more, a male-oriented web novel world.
She only vaguely remembered a story about a modern youth who transmigrated into the body of Qin Lingtian, a pageboy in the Jiang family, and spent his time leveling up by defeating monsters and gathering a harem along the way.
As for the original owner, she was one of the male protagonist's early-dying white moonlight figures.
As for the cause of death, it seemed she died blocking a sword for the male protagonist. Such a death was simply brainless devotion.
She only knew that after the original owner died, the male protagonist kept collecting members for his harem over and over again, which completely sickened her, prompting her to toss that book aside.
She hadn't read the subsequent content, and now, thinking back on it, she somewhat regretted it.One thing is certain, however: her spiritual root can be repaired. It seems the male lead eventually found a Ten-Thousand-Year Wood Spirit Essence for her, though Jiang Qing has no idea where he actually got it.
Since she had practically skipped through those parts when reading, and so much time had passed besides, it would be a miracle if she could remember.
Oh well, I'll take it one step at a time, she thought. Since the male lead can find the Ten-Thousand-Year Wood Spirit Essence, surely I can too. I won't give up as long as there is the slightest chance.
And if I truly can't find it, the worst I can do is go suck up to the male lead. It's sickening, sure, but at least it gives me a shot at immortal cultivation. That's still better than living out a mortal life, turning into a pile of dust after a hurried hundred years.
Then, Jiang Qing suddenly remembered she hadn't even checked what the original body looked like. Fortunately, there was a bronze mirror in the room, though it was small—only about the size of a palm.
With a look of utter disgust, Jiang Qing picked up the palm-sized bronze mirror and peered into it to see the original owner's appearance.
The moment she saw the face clearly in the mirror, her mind went completely blank.
The woman in the reflection had delicate brows that seemed knitted in a perpetual slight frown, resting like misty smoke above a pair of eyes that held a hint of tender emotion, whether smiling or not. Her dimples carried a trace of melancholy, and her frail frame was burdened with a delicate sickness. Tearful glints shone in her eyes, and her breath came in soft, faint gasps.
Though thin, she had curves in all the right places. Her skin was white—too white, in fact, with a sickly pallor that instantly marked her as someone vulnerable to a gust of wind.
Someone like this? Forget immortal cultivation; who knows if she'd even live to old age as a mortal? She gave off the exact vibe of Lin Daiyu or a sickly Xi Shi.
Damn you, heavens, are you toying with me? While she wasn't exactly a tomboy, she had always been a straightforward and crisp sort of woman.
What was the deal with handing her the appearance of a sickly Xi Shi? Heaven knows she despised that type the more than anything.
If she wasn't a sickly Xi Shi, she was practically a white lotus. With a face like that, no wonder she ended up as the male lead's white moonlight and cinnabar mole.
Isn't that the standard package for a white moonlight anyway? Poor health, frail, and dies young—how else could she become a white moonlight if she didn't die?
"Gurgle..."
Right on cue, an untimely sound broke the silence.
Then again, she hadn't eaten a single thing since yesterday; it would be a miracle if her stomach wasn't rumbling.
Rubbing her hollow, aching stomach, Jiang Qing finally pushed the door open and stepped outside.
Opening the door, she inevitably caught sight of Goodwife Liu once more.
"You dead girl, you finally know to get up? Hurry over here and wash these clothes for me."
Seeing Jiang Qing emerge, Goodwife Liu's already unpleasant old face instantly darkened as she pointed toward several large wooden basins in front of her.
Jiang Qing glanced at the large wooden basins piled high with garments by Goodwife Liu's feet, and walked right past without even turning her head.
Over her shoulder, she tossed out a single line: "I'll talk after I've eaten my fill!"
Her expression was cold and her posture aloof. This version of Jiang Qing formed such a sharp contrast with the formerly timid and easily bullied original owner that it left Goodwife Liu stunned. "Could this dead girl be possessed by a ghost?"
Jiang Qing didn't care what Goodwife Liu thought. She had no intention of acting according to the original owner's personality—even if she could fake it, she'd choke to death from holding back.
Besides, her personality was different from the original owner's. She could fake it for a moment, but not for a lifetime, so she might as well just be openly and unapologetically herself.
As for what others thought, what did that have to do with her? After all, the original owner was completely on her own with no close family to speak of—a poor little thing. Wasn't it entirely normal for someone bullied to this extent to suddenly undergo a drastic change in temperament?
While Jiang Qing's mind wandered through these messy thoughts, her feet had already followed the original owner's memories to the dining hall specifically designated for the manor's maids, manservants, and other domestics.