The First Chapter

During the Lantern Festival, a light snow fell from the sky, and the Thirteen Heavenly Streets directly facing the Vermilion Bird Gate were ablaze with light.

If someone were to stand atop the Reaching Heaven Tower within the Imperial City and look down, they would see the surging vitality of the people merging with the brilliant lanterns, forming a complex totem that illuminated the firmament and awed the Nine Provinces. Beneath the afterglow of this totem, the demons and monsters lurking in the darkness were scattering in a frantic escape.

Some ghosts and spirits risked everything to flee the city, while others were willing to forfeit their lives just to force their way in.

The city gates, which should have been closed at Xushi, remained wide open. The city gate guards looked toward the Thirteen Heavenly Streets, their souls wandering as they calculated whether they could still make it to the lantern festival with their families after their shifts ended.

Just as their attention wavered, a shadow flashed by. The Nine Dragon Lanterns hanging on the city gate flickered, and when they brightened again, there was not a trace of a shadow to be seen within the reach of the light.

Only a few dark bloodstains remained in the shadows of the gate.

At the same time, a young girl in a thin, plain white jacket and skirt stood forlornly by the side gate of the Jinyang Marquis Manor. Fine, powdery snow drifted from the sky, coating her eyelashes in a thin layer of frost and masking the confusion and unease in her eyes.

The gatekeeper took about a quarter of an hour to return, accompanied by a middle-aged woman with a cold, stern expression.

When the woman saw Ji Chan, her brows furrowed involuntarily. She stepped forward, her tone sounding exceptionally cold and rigid: "Eldest Miss, why have you come?"

"Mama Qian, today is Father's birthday, I wanted to..."

Before she could finish, she was interrupted by Mama Qian, whose tone carried obvious impatience: "Eldest Miss, you know full well it is the Marquis's birthday today, why come to disturb him? Do you intend to ruin the Marquis's birthday banquet?"

Ji Chan choked, saying softly, "I only wanted to see Father and speak a few words with him."

"There is no need. You had best remember your own status; you have not the slightest connection to our Marquis Manor, and the Marquis will certainly not see you." She turned to leave, but at that moment, a round-faced maid approached from the opposite direction.

Ji Chan remembered this maid; she was the personal attendant brought by the step-madam, Madam Xue, and seemed to be called Chun He.

Chun He walked up to the two of them, scrutinized Ji Chan for a few moments, then turned to ask Mama Qian, "What is Mama Qian doing?"

Mama Qian explained with a fawning smile, "It is just the Eldest Miss, insisting on seeing the Marquis. How could the Marquis have time to see her now?"

"So that is how it is." Chun He swept a glance at Ji Chan from the corner of her eye before speaking, "The Marquis is indeed very busy today, but I can take the young lady into the manor first to report it. If the Marquis is unwilling to see you, you can only take a look from afar and kowtow; that would fulfill the father-daughter bond you shared with the Marquis for all these years. How about that?"

Ji Chan bit her lower lip, yet felt no pain. She heard herself answer, "Very well."

Chun He smiled, and as she turned, her tone suddenly became stern toward Mama Qian: "The Eldest Miss of this manor is our own young lady, not anyone else. Mama Qian, you must be more cautious in the future."

"Yes, yes, look at this old slave's brain, it truly is useless." Mama Qian bowed her head repeatedly, fawning and daring not say another word.

Ji Chan watched this scene in silence. She still could not understand how she had fallen to such a state.

A dozen days ago, she was still the legitimate eldest daughter of the Jinyang Marquis. Yet in the blink of an eye, someone claiming to be her mother's personal maid from eighteen years ago arrived, claiming she was not the Marquis's blood, but an illegitimate child born of an affair between the late Marchioness and another man.

Her father did not believe it at first and had the woman driven away, until Madam Xue spoke up to persuade him, insisting he must uncover the truth to avoid tarnishing the late wife's reputation.

They first verified the maid's identity, then, under the maid's guidance, found the midwife who had delivered her. The midwife insisted that she had been born prematurely, yet did not show the signs of a premature birth.

Based solely on the slanders of these people of unknown origin, her father's expression changed instantly.

He never considered that her mother's premature labor was merely caused by the shock of learning he had been ambushed while away on a military campaign.

Later, they somehow found several servants who had worked in the manor when her maternal grandfather's family had not yet fallen. Those people swore that they had seen her mother meeting with a man before her marriage.

These people acted as if they were performing in a play; one after another, they took the stage, each saying a word that easily destroyed her mother's reputation entirely.

And she, the legitimate daughter of the Marquis, became the evidence of her mother's infidelity.

Five days ago, she was driven out of the manor. Before she left, Madam Xue looked down at her from a position of superiority, saying that her father, mindful of the years of raising her, was unwilling to pursue the matter further, and hoped she would remember the grace of the Marquis Manor.

Ji Chan could not accept such a heavy charge on her mother's behalf. She thought that since today was her father's birthday—a day her mother had spent with him for many years—perhaps he would remember their past affection and re-examine the matter.

Qing He led her to a corridor in the garden to wait, then headed straight toward the brightly lit area of the garden.

Ji Chan gazed at the distant lights, suddenly remembering last year, when the garden was also filled with lanterns and her mother had accompanied her to guess lantern riddles at her request.

In just a year's time, her maternal grandfather's entire family had been exiled, her mother had passed away from illness, and she was left standing in the Marquis Manor waiting for others to pass word.

After hesitating for only a moment, Ji Chan stepped toward the lights. The closer she got, the clearer the sound of women's laughter became.

Ji Chan stopped beside a rockery. She saw her father not far away, accompanying Madam Xue and the pair of children she had brought to guess lantern riddles.

Xue Zhao held a lantern, standing to her father's left.

Xue Ying stood to her father's right, even affectionately clutching her father's arm.

The four of them stood before the lanterns, chatting and laughing. Xue Ying called out "Father" repeatedly, as if they were truly a family.

A family?

Ji Chan felt a sudden constriction in her chest, staring fixedly at Xue Zhao and Xue Ying standing beside her father.

In the past, she had rarely seen Madam Xue's children, so she had never paid attention, but now she suddenly realized that the profiles of these two were so similar to her father's! Especially Xue Zhao.

And if Madam Xue could allow Xue Ying to be so intimate with her father, what other explanation could there be besides them being biological father and daughter?

She finally understood why, only three months after her mother passed, Madam Xue was able to enter the manor and bring her two children with her.

Perhaps she should also understand why she had fallen to such a fate. She even began to suspect: after her maternal grandfather's family was exiled and her mother suddenly fell ill and died, was she truly sick?

Ji Chan felt her body growing colder and colder. She discovered that she might never have truly known her father.

When she was young, she would ask her father to play with her, and he would always say he was busy. It turned out he wasn't truly busy; it was just that his beloved daughter was not her.

Ji Chan did not watch any longer and left quietly the way she came.

The words she had brewed in her heart for so long dissipated. What was there left to say? The crimes pinned on her mother were likely fabricated by her father himself for the sake of Madam Xue.

About a quarter of an hour after Ji Chan left, Qing He went to the corridor to find her, only to discover that she had already vanished without a trace.

She went to the gatehouse to ask, only to learn that Ji Chan had already left.

She quietly relayed the news to Madam Xue, who was sitting in the stone pavilion watching her daughter solve lantern riddles. Madam Xue's gaze shifted slightly, and she whispered a few words to her eldest son, Xue Zhao, who stood up and departed.

Ji Chan walked out of the Jinyang Marquis Manor, looked back at the tightly shut vermilion gate, and finally let her shoulders slump.

She asked herself, what was the point of guessing those so-called truths? What could she possibly do?

Her maternal grandfather and uncle, who could have stood up for her, had both been exiled; her mother was gone, and she was left all alone.

Even if she told the people of Shangjing the truth, would anyone believe her? No one would, and she didn't even have any evidence.

The snow was falling even harder tonight.

Ji Chan moved through the bustling crowds like a walking corpse. Because she was dressed thinly, her hands and feet were frozen stiff, yet she walked toward Changping Quarter as if she didn't notice at all.

After she was driven out of the Marquis Manor, she had lived in a small shop in Changping Quarter—a shop her mother had gifted her last year.

When she left the manor, they hadn't let her take a single one of her mother's belongings. If not for the fact that the shop had been officially registered in her name through the government, she feared she wouldn't even have a place to shelter now.

Changping Quarter was over an hour's walk from the Marquis Manor, but fortunately, it was the Lantern Festival tonight, so there was no curfew.

Ji Chan crossed the brightly lit, clamorous main street and passed through Yongping Quarter. Finally, the noisy human sounds faded away, leaving only the crunch of her soles pressing into the snow.

At some point, the white snow had covered the ground completely, leaving only her footprints along the long, winding road.

The further she walked toward Changping Quarter, the sparser the lights became, but fortunately, the snow tonight illuminated the path beneath her feet.

She only needed to pass through Anping Quarter to see Changping Quarter. Ji Chan stopped to rest, cupping her hands over her mouth to blow warm air onto her fingers, which were so cold they had nearly lost all sensation.

After catching her breath for a moment, she continued toward Changping Quarter. As she passed a small alley, she suddenly heard heavy breathing. The sound wasn't far away—it seemed to be right inside the alley, like a wild beast panting.

However, before she could think it through, a sharp, piercing roar tore through the night. A terrifying sound erupted from a residence not far from her, and several figures soared into the sky, blades flashing.

Ji Chan heard someone shout, "The Evil Spirit has headed toward the east side!"

The east side of that residence was exactly where Ji Chan was currently standing. Her heart was in a panic, and before she could decide what to do, she felt a fishy wind coming from behind her.

Following it were several arrows like shooting stars. Before she could even react, one of them pierced straight through her back and out her chest.

The next moment, the Evil Spirit changed direction and headed toward the south side, and the people chasing the monster in the distance turned and followed it as well.

As she collapsed to the ground, Ji Chan vaguely saw a figure holding a bow pause on a rooftop, seemingly looking in her direction.

She heard someone say, "Lord Xue, the monster seems to have escaped..."

The figure vanished in an instant.

Ji Chan lay on the ground, the intense, soul-crushing pain driving her to the brink of despair. Xue... So, they never wanted her to live, but she didn't want to die.

Her hands clawed at the ground, and she dragged her body forward inch by inch. Ji Chan's mind was a blank slate; she didn't know if there was any point to what she was doing, but she didn't want to give up.

She didn't know how long she had been crawling. The pain seemed to be fading, but she was already so weak that she could barely continue to breathe.

Until her body was shrouded in the darkness of the alley, she struggled to lift her head, only to come face-to-face with a pair of blood-red beastly pupils.