Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Rebirth
“Such bad luck. Of all days, it just had to be our turn to be on duty today. We two Senior Brothers have to stand watch and cannot see Master Qing Yan’s disciple ceremony.”

“Right? Master Qing Yan already said long ago that he will take Junior Sister Ye as his Closed Door Disciple and will not take any more disciples after that. If we miss this ceremony, we will never have another chance.”

“It is all Yu Zhao’s fault. If she had not been so jealous and purposely hurt Junior Sister Ye during the spar, she would not have been punished by Master Qing Yan to reflect in the Black Prison, and we would not have been dragged down with her.”

“…”

The space was dark and sealed.

A girl of about thirteen or fourteen years old sat curled up in a corner with her eyes closed.

Her face was paler than snow, her hair was a mess, and her lips were stained with mottled traces of blood.

Even in her sleep, her brows were deeply knitted. Her eyelashes, like the wings of a broken butterfly, trembled from time to time, showing how restless her sleep was.

All at once, she opened her eyes. The clear, glass-like pupils were full of fear, which slowly faded and was replaced by confusion.

[Wasn’t she dead?]

Her hand moved on its own to cover her heart.

Yu Zhao could still feel the cold and pain of the sword tip piercing her chest, and she remembered all the contemptuous, disgusted gazes around her.

Her gaze slowly swept around.

All around was pitch black. There was not a trace of light, and the silence was so heavy it felt like a land of the dead.

A familiar sense of fear rushed up from inside her.

Yu Zhao’s body started trembling out of her control.

[She knew where she was.]

The Black Prison.

This was the place the Five Elements Dao Sect used to punish vicious, murderous heretic cultivators.

She had been locked up here once before.

After that time, she had become afraid of the dark, and her nature grew more and more timid and obedient.

Because she was afraid. She was afraid of coming back here again.

So…

[So she had been reborn?]

This thought made Yu Zhao’s chest feel tight. She could hardly breathe, and her heart pounded louder and louder.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Just before the dizziness overwhelmed her, Yu Zhao bit down hard on the tip of her tongue.

The sharp pain and the rusty taste of blood shocked her nerves. Her eyes cleared in an instant, and the corners of her lips slowly lifted in a mocking curve.

[She had already died once. What was there left to be afraid of?]

In her previous life, her parents were unknown. From as far back as she could remember, she had drifted outside with no home.

When she was six years old, she happened to meet Master Qing Yan, who was out visiting a friend. He brought her back to the Five Elements Dao Sect and gave her the name Yu Zhao.

Later, at the Initiation Ceremony, she tested with the top talent of a Single Water Spiritual Root. She naturally took Master Qing Yan as her teacher and became the youngest of his six disciples.

At that time, Master Qing Yan had also declared in front of everyone in the Five Elements Dao Sect that Yu Zhao would be his Closed Door Disciple.

Those words still seemed to ring in her ears, but in the end, she was the only one who had taken them seriously.

Just like how she had tried so hard to please everyone, only to end up with a sharp sword through her heart and her body destroyed.

Scenes from the past flashed one after another through Yu Zhao’s mind like a revolving lantern. The blazing anger in her eyes slowly went out and finally turned into dead stillness.

In her previous life, Master Qing Yan had saved her life. Later, she repaid him with her own life and flesh.

[In this life, she did not owe anyone anything.]

At that moment.

Deliberate footsteps came from far away, slowly approaching.

Yu Zhao lifted her head.

A tall, straight figure stood in front of her.

“Sixth Junior Sister, do you know what you did wrong?”

The man wore all white. His features were handsome, his body tall and upright, and his voice was gentle like warm jade. A long sword hung at his waist, and his bearing was that of a proper gentleman.

It was her First Senior Brother, Fang Cheng Lang.

Yu Zhao’s gaze slowly traced his face, inch by inch.

At this time, they had not yet turned against each other because of Ye Cong Xin, so she could still find hidden care and worry in his eyes.

This was something she had longed for but could not get in her last life.

Now, she no longer cared.

Fang Cheng Lang seemed to notice that Yu Zhao had not spoken for a long time. His brows drew together: “Sixth Junior Sister, you were too reckless this time. Do you know that Junior Sister Ye lay in bed for three full days because of you and almost ended up with a hidden injury?

For your sake, Master agreed to take Junior Sister Ye as his disciple to atone for your fault.

Thankfully, Junior Sister Ye has a kind heart and does not blame you. As long as you truly admit your mistake, I will beg Master to take you out of here as soon as possible.”

Yu Zhao gave a cold laugh in her heart.

Yes, in her previous life she had indeed been jealous of Ye Cong Xin.

Master Qing Yan had taken six disciples in total. She was the youngest and also the only young woman, so of course she received special favor.

Even Fourth Senior Brother, who did not like dealing with people and was obsessed with alchemy, would only show patience and talk a little more when he was facing her.

But after Ye Cong Xin appeared, everything changed.

Ye Cong Xin was the only daughter of Elder Ye of the Five Elements Dao Sect. She had been born with a weak body.

Pitying his young daughter, Elder Ye brought her to his side and taught her personally.

Though her body was frail, her personality was lively, naive, and full of laughter. She quickly grew close with the Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters of the Five Elements Dao Sect.

By the time Yu Zhao sensed that something was wrong, all five of her Senior Brothers were talking about Ye Cong Xin in every sentence, and Lone Moon Peak, where they lived, had become a place Ye Cong Xin often came to visit.

Back then, Yu Zhao had only been thirteen. When she saw her Senior Brothers’ attention drawn away by someone else, of course she felt upset.

To win back their attention, she had done many things, but she could swear that hurting Ye Cong Xin was the one thing she had never done.

Ye Cong Xin’s injury, from beginning to end, had been nothing but a scheme.

“I know I was wrong.”

Yu Zhao lowered her eyes slightly and spoke each word clearly.

In her previous life, because she had refused to admit her mistake, she had stayed in the Black Prison for a full month.

There was no day or night here, and no sound at all.

The extreme darkness had almost driven her mad.

In the end, it was the disciple serving as warden who noticed that her mind was not clear and reported it to the sect, and only then was she able to leave this ghostly place.

Even so, after she left, she still could not wash away the crime on her body.

[Since they had already put the blame on her, what difference did it make whether she admitted it or not?]

“Was it really you?” Fang Cheng Lang’s voice held undisguised disappointment.

“Yes.”

“Good. Since you have sincerely admitted your mistake, I will go report to Master right away and ask him to take back his order.”

“Thank you, First Senior Brother.”

The girl’s voice was still cold and quiet.

Fang Cheng Lang nodded and turned to walk out. He had only taken a few steps when his feet suddenly stopped.

He realized, a bit late, that Yu Zhao was acting strangely.

After Yu Zhao had injured Junior Sister Ye in front of everyone, she had not reflected at all. Instead, she had pushed the blame onto Junior Sister Ye, which angered Master and led to her harsh punishment.

Before she was locked in the Black Prison, he had talked with Yu Zhao once. At that time, she had refused to admit she was wrong and had even cried as she begged him to help her look for evidence.

Seeing how sincere she seemed, he had thought there must be more to the story and had agreed to her request. He had run around asking questions for her, but the answers were all the same. Everyone said that Yu Zhao had attacked on purpose and that Junior Sister Ye had been hurt for no reason.

He had been bitterly disappointed. He had come to the Black Prison to see Yu Zhao and told her the result, hoping she would take the initiative to admit her mistake.

Even now, he could still recall the look on Yu Zhao’s face, as if her heart had died, her eyes full of disbelief.

Only three short days had passed, yet Yu Zhao’s reaction was completely different.

[Had she really repented, or…]

Fang Cheng Lang could not help turning back to look.

The girl held her head slightly bowed. Her thin body almost blended into the darkness, and the expression on her brows and eyes was hard to make out.

The unfamiliar look made his heart tighten. His lips parted, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, no words came out.

He turned and strode away, his back carrying a hint of confusion.