The world today is composed of five countries, with monarchs who are merely figureheads. Political power is controlled by powerful families and clans, and some monarchs have never even been to court in their entire lives, spending their days indulging in a life of pleasure and debauchery in their harems.
The original owner was born in Yi State, which was controlled by the Wang family. The Xun family, to which Xun Shiba belonged, was only a middle-to-lower-middle-class family in Yi State. The original owner was a maid bought by the Xun family and assigned to Xun Shiba's courtyard by the steward.
When the original owner first arrived, she was only a five or six-year-old child. Xun Shiba was two years older than her. As his maid, she had to stay by his side. However, Xun Shiba went to the clan school every day, and she had nothing to do, so she wandered around. When she passed by the martial arts training ground, she saw people practicing martial arts. Out of curiosity, she tried to imitate a few moves. There happened to be a talent-loving guard among the guards, who called her over. After examining her, he found that she had good bones and was very agile, so he reported her to the commander.
The commander thought it was just a little girl and nothing serious, and since there were also noble ladies in the manor who practiced swordsmanship, he allowed her to wander around here.
The original owner continued to drift along like this until she was thirteen years old. By then, her swordsmanship was already quite advanced. Because women are naturally weak, she followed the commander's advice and practiced a light and swift sword style.
Xun Wu accidentally learned about the original owner of the body and decided to turn her from a maid into a personal bodyguard.
The original owner told Xun Shiba the news, and Xun Shiba was very unhappy. He was just an ordinary young master from a family and had no right to have a bodyguard who could serve him personally.
The original owner had developed feelings for Xun Shiba that were different from those between master and servant during their years of getting along. When she saw that Xun Shiba was unwilling, she rejected his kindness.
From then on, she served as both a bodyguard and a maid to Xun Shiba.
Three years passed in the blink of an eye, and Xun Shiba grew into an outstanding young man. At the same time, he fell in love with Xiang Shisan, the daughter of the Xiang family, whose strength was similar to that of the Xun family.
Xiang Shisan's real name is Xiang Hongyuan. She is the eldest daughter of the Xiang family and is quite beautiful. The young men from several nearby families admire her beauty and, like Xun Shiba, are all infatuated with her.
Xun Shiba was even more obsessed. When he saw some young masters fawning over Xiang Shisan, he ordered the original owner to teach them a lesson. The other young masters also brought guards, but the original owner was a master swordsman and was always able to win by a slight margin.
This happened repeatedly, and over time, it led to enmity.
Once, several young masters gathered their forces and attacked together. The original owner was overwhelmed and her arm was severed. It was Wang Liu, who happened to be passing by, who saved her. When he learned that she was injured while protecting her master, Wang Liu admired her loyalty and bravery. He ordered someone to send her back to the Xun family. Later, he mentioned the original owner at a gathering and praised her highly.
Coincidentally, Xiang Shisan was also at the table that day, and he spent the entire night trying to curry favor with Wang Liu.
As the eldest son of a prominent clan, Wang Liu's concubines had to be carefully selected. When the Xiang family tried to win his favor, Wang Liu casually refused. Xiang Shisan was not only rebuffed but also ridiculed by other noble ladies from other families who overheard the story. When she was filled with anger, she was even more furious when she heard the original owner's name being mentioned by Wang Liu.
Upon returning, he found Xun Shiba and demanded the return of the original owner.
Xun Shiba was always willing to grant Xiang Shisan's requests. He showed no gratitude whatsoever to the original owner of the body who had saved him countless times, and ordered her to be brought to him without a second thought.
The original owner was so badly injured that she had great difficulty even getting out of bed, but Xiang Shisan didn't care at all. He took her back to the Xiang family, didn't treat her, and just handed her over to the old servant who happened to see it.
The old servant was very old and had been drinking heavily for many years, so his health had long since deteriorated. However, he was unwilling to accept that he could not possess the young woman he had obtained, so he drank every day and beat the original owner when he was drunk.
The original owner had lost too much blood and was still seriously injured. There was no medicine to treat her wounds, and after they became festering and inflamed, she knew that she was about to die. So, while the old servant was drunk and asleep, she struggled to set fire to the thatched hut where she lived, and she and the old servant perished there.
After receiving the memories, Shi Lan gritted her teeth in hatred. The leaves swayed gently, and through the gaps, she saw Xun Shiba arguing again with the young master who had previously said he wanted to switch her with him by the car in the distance.
Shi Lan frowned and recalled that the young master should be from the Shan family, ranked twelfth, and his status was similar to that of Xun Shiba. At this time, they were just having a minor skirmish, and everyone was still mindful of each other, so it hadn't reached the point of a complete falling out.
However, they later became bitter enemies who fought each other. The original owner's arm was broken, and Shan Twelve played a crucial role in this.
Lightly leaping down from the tree trunk, Shi Lan strolled to the back of the Xun family's caravan. Xun Shiba and Shan Shier were already arguing heatedly, their faces red and necks thick, both with their hands on their swords.
A young man in a guard's uniform nudged her quietly from behind. "Your husband is arguing with someone. Aren't you going to help him?"
Shi Lan glanced at him indifferently and said, "My lord has not summoned me. Wouldn't it be beneath his heroic spirit if I went over?"
The young man exclaimed in surprise and laughed, "I've advised you many times before, but you never listened. Why have you suddenly come to your senses today?"
Shi Lan glanced at him sideways: "You're making fun of me again. You know I've already angered the young master. If you go forward now, you'll probably only provoke him further. Besides, the Twelve Swordsmen of the Mountain are ordinary, while the young master's swordsmanship is superb. You'll be fine fighting him."
The guards had all witnessed Shan Shier's swordsmanship while hunting, and it was comparable to Xun Shiba's. Although Yi felt that Shi Lan was somewhat indifferent to Xun Shiba today, he understood why, considering the exchange they had discussed earlier.
In the distance, guards were gathered in twos and threes, and when they saw the two, they waved to them.
Yi chuckled and agreed, then pulled Shi Lan along.
A young man with fierce eyes and thick eyebrows handed over warm fermented water. Yi tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, while Shi Lan held the cup and slowly sipped the slightly sour fermented water.
The young man carefully approached Shi Lan and whispered, "Don't worry about what you just said, young master. When we get back, I'll go find Commander Gu. With him on my side, he'll definitely protect you."
Shi Lan silently drank her soup. The young man nudged her. "Why don't you say something?"
Shi Lan looked up at him. In the original owner's childhood memories, his shadow often appeared. This man named Di should have feelings for the original owner, but the original owner was stubborn and only focused on Xun Shiba, who did not cherish her at all, ignoring another kind of scenery.
"Okay, I understand," Shi Lan smiled as she saw him getting increasingly anxious.
Seeing her smiling face, Di touched his head shyly, a slight blush appearing on his face.
The tall, strong man, who had spent years sweating it out in the training ground, had skin that had turned a healthy light bronze color. His thin muscles were tightly wrapped in coarse linen, revealing a firm curve as he moved his arms.
Silly.
A smile appeared on Shi Lan's lips.
A few feet away, Xun Shiba and Shan Shier started fighting. A number of young men from prominent families gathered around them, including members of the Xun and Shan families, as well as members of other families.
The guards quickly surrounded them, fearing that these young men, who only knew how to perform fancy but ineffective martial arts, might actually get hurt.
Di Mang pulled Shi Lan over.
Shi Lan rolled her eyes at him, then pulled him along, strolling slowly over.
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