Past Events

The memory ends.

So this is Rong Yan's memory. Rong Yan had a poor childhood, lost his parents, and his family suffered misfortune.

She finally had an older sister, but she was a disciple of the Hehuan Sect. Because they belonged to different sects, they couldn't acknowledge each other.

In her heart, Rong Yan was not a bad person at heart, and he held her and his master in high esteem.

They were just a little too afraid of demons. Living in those memories, if they showed even the slightest fear, they would lose their heads.

Rong Yan, living in the cannibal village, didn't show much emotion; he didn't even cry after the old woman died.

So in front of her, he could freely express his true nature, his fear and apprehension, and even cry without reservation in front of her.

For Rong Yan, she was someone he could rely on.

Lin Yueyao's heart slowly melted, unconsciously filled by Rong Yan, and she realized that her former cowardly appearance was not without reason.

Her junior brother was so pitiful. His parents were nowhere to be found, and it was unknown whether they were alive or dead. He was even forced to eat his own kind. Later, he was fortunate enough to be adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Wu Meng, but this also brought them disaster.

He wholeheartedly protected the fox demon because she had helped him subdue Ku Bei. Despite his desperate attempts to explain afterward, she abandoned him in a fit of anger.

He gets close to those who treat him well and avoids those who don't. Take Lingfang, for example. She did so many bad things to him, yet he never complained to her and even tried to win her over with his virtue.

If it were her, she would never forgive so easily.

But he is Rong Yan. Lin Yueyao once looked down on him, but after more than a year of getting along, Rong Yan has been diligent in his work, and his flaws do not outweigh his merits.

Even after being schemed against by his fellow disciples, he never considered seeking revenge or retribution.

At this moment, Lin Yueyao began to reflect on herself.

Since she is Rong Yan's senior sister, she must protect Rong Yan to the end.

The array above her head was still there, but she had already broken free from the memories of others.

Lin Yueyao's heart was as firm as a rock; this kind of formation could not trap her. In whose memories was Rong Yan trapped at this moment?

Ba County is located in the Jiangnan region, which has abundant rainfall and beautiful scenery.

The houses here are fresh and unique, with wind chimes hanging on the gable walls, making a clear and crisp sound when they are swayed.

Women from Jiangnan are petite and would lean out of windows, beckoning with their red sleeves, or hide behind doorways, leaning against the door and looking back.

Behind a grand mansion, young ladies and gentlemen were playing shuttlecock in the flowerbed. The shuttlecocks were made by servants, with reddish-purple rooster feathers at the ends.

"Da-da-da-da"

The kicking and shoving continued, but only one girl sat on the stone steps, watching silently, detached from the situation.

My mother often said that we are all family, and we should talk and visit each other.

That's why we inappropriately entered the flowerbed and have been sitting here ever since. The group has been kicking the ball back and forth, and they're all sweating profusely from exhaustion.

The servants who were taking care of the group were dozing off in the corridor when one of the boys lost control of his strength and kicked a shuttlecock that flew towards Lin Yueyao's face.

Lin Yueyao reacted quickly, immediately stood up, raised her foot to block the shuttlecock, and the shuttlecock returned smoothly along the original path, landing on the ground with a thud and scattering in all directions.

The girl burst into tears, and she immediately rushed forward and pushed her, but couldn't move her, so she symbolically punched her stomach.

She was about to hit him again as if to vent her anger, but Lin Yueyao wouldn't stand for it. She grabbed the girl's wrist and threw her to the ground.

The girl cried out in pain, fell flat on her back, and cried even harder.

The servants, who were dozing off, were terrified when they heard the crying. They and the young masters helped the girl up and tried to persuade her, saying, "Miss, even if it's just sisters playing around, you should give way to the fifth young lady. If she gets hurt, how will you explain it to Madam?"

"Why should I give way?" she asked the servant, standing on the steps.

The servant was immediately speechless.

The fifth daughter cried uncontrollably. Upon hearing the commotion, the first wife rushed over, took out a handkerchief to wipe her daughter's face, and in front of the servants, pointed at Lin Yueyao's nose and scolded, "You heartless thing, you dare to talk back after hurting your sister!"

“Mother, actually it is…” Several young masters wanted to explain for her, but since she was born to a concubine in the family and her status was not even as high as Lin Yueyao’s, they were all silenced after being stung by a glare.

"Even if the master protects you, I am still in charge of this family." The lady was furious. Seeing that her daughter had been wronged, she was only concerned with settling personal scores and did not care about the whole situation. The servants who accompanied her originally wanted to offer some advice, but seeing that the lady was so angry, they dared not say anything more.

At this critical juncture, no one dared to plead for Lin Yueyao.

Corporal punishment can leave external injuries. If they accidentally get some wounds, and that bitch whispers in their ear, the master will definitely take action for these two mothers.

When the master returns, she can add or subtract words, turning black into white, and spouting nonsense. Not to mention whether the master will be angry with her, even if he wants to punish her, he has to consider her relationship with the master.

“Lock her in the woodshed and don’t let her eat or drink for two days.”

After giving her instructions, the first wife escorted the still tearful fifth young lady away. The young masters dared not speak out and followed her.

"Young Miss, please." The capable stewardess who served the first wife stayed behind.

Lin Yueyao could walk on her own. She took a step and headed towards the woodshed. Just as she entered, the head maid called out to her, "Miss, Madam has punished you by making you fast. To prevent you from tampering with anything, please allow me to search you."

That's what she said, but the stewardess's hand was already on her shoulder. How could she let her get close? Lin Yueyao slapped her hand away, took off her outer garment, and even emptied her purse.

Is it okay now?

The contents of her purse fell to the ground, swirling as they landed. The head maid picked them up; they were some scribbles on yellow paper. She handed them back with great satisfaction, saying, "Young Miss, please."

She entered the woodshed, the door behind her slammed shut, followed by the sound of it being locked.

Lin Yueyao carefully put the talisman into her purse. These things had been obtained by a concubine the year she became pregnant, who said she had seen something unclean in the mansion.

The master specially invited a Taoist priest to exorcise evil spirits in the mansion. The priest had a fierce look on his face and a long scar on his face. Everyone in the mansion was afraid of him and hid in their rooms, not daring to come out.

Only Lin Yueyao stepped out of the room. Not only was she unafraid, but she also observed and measured the scene. After a few exchanges, the monk offered some pointers, which she quickly grasped.

Seeing her extraordinary talent, the sorcerer gifted her many talismans and taught her incantations. No one knew these things.

Locked in the woodshed, with nothing to do, he silently recited an incantation. With a thought, he threw out a talisman, and the woodpile in the corner collapsed.

It really worked.

Everyone in the manor knew that she had been punished by the principal wife and sent to the woodshed, but Madam Zhou was the only one who did not know. She had an eccentric personality and was not well-liked by the master and mistress. She did not even have a personal servant by her side, and no one dared to bring her meals.

Lin Yueyao endured it for two days.

On the day she was released, she walked with a limp, and although she was a little unsteady on her feet, her face still showed that resolute and determined look.

No one came to pick her up along the way, and she walked alone to the back room.

It wasn't that she didn't have maids to serve her, but rather that the maids around her were all spies for the principal wife, so she simply sent them all away.

As soon as they returned to the courtyard and pushed open the door, Madam Zhou, who was inside, heard the commotion and immediately opened the door, and the mother and daughter met face to face.

"You're back. Where have you been these past few days?" Madam Zhou was clearly kept in the dark. Not wanting her to worry, Lin Yueyao said, "The First Madam had some matters to attend to, so she asked me to stay for a couple of days."

"The First Madam didn't make things difficult for you, did she?" Madam Zhou believed her completely, holding her hands and looking her over repeatedly. Seeing no injuries, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "I see your lips are dry and peeling, and your eyes are dark. Didn't you sleep well?"

"No, I'm just a little hungry," she said weakly.

"Please sit down first, I'll go get you some food." Madam Zhou went out of the room and went to the kitchen to get some fruit and wheat cakes. "These are all made by your mother, please eat."

Lin Yueyao sat at the table, eating slowly and deliberately. The wheat biscuits were astringent, and the fruit had been sitting for a while and didn't taste very good, but it wasn't a big deal; it was still enough to fill her stomach.

With only dry biscuits and cold tea, she felt craving meat. She put down the half-eaten biscuit and said, "Mother, I want to eat meat."

Mrs. Zhou sat down next to her and patted the back of her hand. "Wait a little longer, your father will be back soon."

"I haven't eaten meat in ages." Finding it tasteless, Lin Yueyao simply stopped eating.

Rong Yan noticed her clothes at this moment. Her clothes were a bit old, the collar was frayed, and the stitches on the sleeves were frayed.

The belt was tightly wrapped around her waist, which looked quite small, indicating that she had worn it for many years. She wore almost no gold or silver jewelry, only a jade hairpin to hold her hair in place.

They didn't look like young ladies from wealthy families at all; they were clearly maids serving young ladies. Even Madam Zhou was dressed simply.

Looking at the mother and daughter's dwelling, it was simple and there was no maidservant in the courtyard.

"I'll think of a way for you. You just want to eat meat, what's so difficult about that?" Madam Zhou made a move to get up and open the door. Knowing what she was going to do, Lin Yueyao stood up abruptly, "Mother, you don't need to do this for me."

"My child, it's nothing for your mother to suffer some grievances. The important thing is not to wrong you. Life is tough now, but everything will be alright when your father comes back."

"What are you waiting for him to do?" Lin Yueyao looked up at her, her eyes sharp as a blade.

“Wait for your father to come back and stand up for us,” Madam Zhou comforted her. Lin Yueyao replied, “Mother, please don’t think about it. If he dies out there, probably no one will even know.”

“These are things you shouldn’t say.” Madam Zhou hurriedly stepped forward to stop her, but Lin Yueyao sneered.

"If people find out and it gets to the old lady's ears, you can imagine what our situation will be like."

"What's there to be afraid of in a useless old woman?" Lin Yueyao was arrogant and conceited, looking down on everyone.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore." Madam Zhou dared not continue, fearing she might say something reckless, and got up to open the door.

"Clang—" Lin Yueyao overturned the dining table, spilling wheat cakes and fruit all over the floor, and the teacup shattered with a crack, the flying fragments cutting her skin.

Madam Zhou was so frightened by her crimson face that she dared not move.

"It's just talk. Mother, you don't need to ask anyone for help, much less submit to someone else."

Madam Zhou remained silent with her eyes lowered, not speaking for a long while.

"Anyway, we have hands and feet, and we won't starve to death. My mother and I should try to find a way to survive."

A servant who has taken over the mother's body and flaunts himself in public—this kind of person will die at her hands sooner or later.