Life and Death Were but a Cycle of Reincarnation

"Third Miss, Third Miss?"

Seeing Xu Chunniang staring blankly, Fourth Miss reached out and waved a hand before her eyes.

"Surely you were joking just now? Why would you want to go to an estate when everything is fine?"

Xu Chunniang came back to herself. "I merely want to live a different kind of life."

The capital was prosperous, yet it resembled an exquisite cage.

The estate lay far from the capital. Once she went there, at the very least, she would be able to hold her own fate in her hands.

Seeing that she was not joking, Fourth Miss could not help but panic.

"Third Miss, you mustn't lose heart and ruin your own future! How could a noble young lady live in a place like an estate?

You should learn from Second Sister and marry a suitable husband. That is the proper thing to do."

Xu Chunniang's expression remained calm. "As a woman, marriage is not the only way to live."

"But most women in this world live that way. If you do not wish to marry, would that not be defying convention and departing from the Dao?"

Looking at the Third Miss before her, Fourth Miss felt that she simply could not understand her at all.

"What is defying convention and departing from the Dao? Qian is Heaven, Kun is Earth. Qian has Qian's Dao, and Kun has Kun's Dao. All things beneath Heaven follow their principles and walk their paths, going round and round, nothing more."

Xu Chunniang rose and walked to the window, gazing at the withered yellow leaves outside.

"Life and death are a cycle of reincarnation, and human life is merely one part of that cycle.

Look at these leaves, yellow and withered, falling into decay. Yet when spring comes next year, new