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Li Mei stepped to the side as Qian lunged toward her with outstretched hands. Xiulan’s fist connected with the other girl’s jaw with a satisfying crack.

The eldest sister collapsed beside Fei in a heap of silk and broken pride.

The world spun. Blood pulsed behind Xiulan’s eyes as fear and adrenaline warred in her system. What did I just do? The thought barely registered before Fei’s shrill voice cut through the mountain air.

"Guards! Kill her! Kill this beast!"

Sharp pain lanced through Xiulan’s ankle as Fei’s manicured nails dug into flesh like daggers. Xiulan pivoted and drove her foot into her sister’s already broken face. The crunch sent her sister rolling away with fresh screams.

Both her sisters wailed on the ground, their perfect makeup streaked with tears and blood.

The guards stood frozen, weapons half-drawn as they stared at the scene.

Zhang Wei bounced on his toes, beaming like it was New Year’s Festival. "That was… amazing, Sister Xiulan," he whispered as he came over.

Exhaustion crashed over her in a giant wave. Her legs trembled beneath the weight of her robes. Zhang Wei guided her toward a nearby carriage, helping her settle onto the wooden seat.

Time blurred. Servants shuttled Qian and Fei and their shrieks away for treatment while she waited.

The physician finally appeared, his robes pristine despite the dusty mountain path. The man’s expression was unreadable, a mix of calm efficiency and professional detachment. "Greetings to the second daughter. I am Jin Wei and will treat you," he announced with a slight bow.

"Doctor." Xiulan winced at even the slight movement of turning her head to meet his gaze. "I think I have a concussion." Her voice was low, tinged with both pain and exhaustion.

Jin Wei’s eyebrows rose slightly. "A perceptive diagnosis, Miss Lin," he remarked, setting his leather medical bag down beside her.

He carefully examined her head wound, his fingers gentle yet firm, parting her hair to assess the injury. She flinched as he applied a disinfectant, the sting biting through the dull ache. "The impact was severe, but the wound is clean," he noted clinically. A clean white bandage replaced her little brother’s silk triage.

Her ankle was bad, too. Crescent-shaped cuts marred the skin. Jin Wei’s expression remained neutral, but there was a faint tension in his hands as he dabbed medicine over the wounds. "These gashes will need to be kept clean and treated daily to prevent infection," he said, his voice steady as he pressed a clean bandage over the bleeding scratches. "You’re fortunate the skin wasn’t torn further."

When he reached her bruised knuckles, Jin Wei paused for a moment, glancing up at her. "I assume this injury is recent?"

Xiulan’s lips curled into a faint, wry smile. "It was self-inflicted."

Jin Wei nodded, seemingly unaffected by the confession. He applied a cool poultice, the herbal scent strong and earthy. "This should reduce the swelling."

"You likely have a concussion," he continued. "While not immediately fatal, you could become very ill. Symptoms may worsen, and you’ll need constant monitoring."

"Sister!" Zhang Wei cried, clutching her sleeve with sudden urgency. "Will she be okay?" His young voice was shaky, caught between fear and hope.

"It could prove fatal without proper observation," Jin Wei replied gravely, glancing briefly at Zhang Wei. "The next few days are critical, so she should not be left unattended."

Jin Wei quickly gathered his supplies, packing them back into his bag. "My apologies, but I must return to attend the eldest daughter again, as commanded," he said with a bow.

"Thank you for your help, Doctor Jin Wei," Xiulan managed.

Jin Wei paused, surprise flickering across his face, before he offered another bow and then hurried away.

A guard approached with stiff shoulders and a practiced bow. "Apologies, Second Daughter, but we must place you in the supply wagon. No carriages remain available."

"What nonsense!" Zhang Wei stomped his foot. "There’s a perfectly good carriage right here! How dare you insult the Second Daughter of the Lin family!"

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The carriage window creaked open. A pale face peered out, eyes wide with fear.

That face... I know her. The familiar sensation washed over Xiulan like cold water. Memories that weren’t quite her own surfaced—shared meals, whispered conversations, gentle smiles.

"Sister Suyin," Xiulan whispered.

"You can’t ride with me!" Suyin gripped the window frame. "They’ll take revenge! Zhang Wei, come quickly before they associate you with her and beat you again!"

This family is a real mess. Xiulan rubbed her temples.

"No!" Zhang Wei planted his feet. "I won’t abandon Sister Xiulan! This is wrong!" His voice rose with each word, drawing attention from nearby servants.

"Zhang Wei." Xiulan touched his shoulder. "Go with Sister Suyin. I’ll be fine."

"But—"

"Please. For me."

Zhang Wei’s shoulders slumped. He climbed into the carriage, shooting worried glances back at her.

"Lead me to my spot," Xiulan ordered the guard.

The supply wagon lurked at the back of the convoy, piled high with crates and bundles. No cushions. No blankets against the mountain chill.

Once she was situated, the guard left her alone. It wasn’t long before they began to move. Each bump and jostle sent fresh shocks of pain through her ankle and temple.

Somehow, getting to where they were supposed to be going didn’t seem like it would be any better.

Actually, it felt worse, like an impending cloud of doom.

The fear seeping in was clearly another echo from Lin Xiulan…

They were moving so slow. At least it would take them all day to get anywhere.

Xiulan leaned against the rough wooden slats of a crate, tilting her face toward the sky. The thick, layered silk robes cocooned her against the crisp air. Through gaps in the overhead branches, patches of azure peeked between wisps of white clouds.

Fresh buds dotted the trees—it was definitely early spring.

She tucked her arms deeper into the voluminous sleeves, grateful for the warmth even if it couldn’t do anything about the comfort. The hard planks beneath offered no cushioning, each bump and jostle wakening her injuries.

Focus. She needed to sort out this mess.

The memories flowed like water—both foreign and familiar. Her mother ranked as third concubine to Lord Lin, stripped of her position as his first wife after becoming barren.

Madam Zhang had swooped in to claim that title, along with all its privileges. House Song, her mother’s family, had already fallen before then, so there was no one to protest the treatment.

The family hierarchy took form in her mind: Qian and Fei, Zhang’s scheming daughters. Lin Jin, the precious heir and father’s favorite. Then there was Zhang Wei, sweet but dismissed as merely a backup child. Only he and Sister Suyin showed her any genuine kindness among her siblings.

Everyone else might as well paint ’enemy’ on their foreheads.

Her father ruled Blackmere County as the provincial magistrate. Something about that name tickled at her memories—not Xiulan’s memories, but her own. Why did it seem so familiar?

She raised her hand toward the sky, squinting past her fingers at the drifting clouds. The wagon hit another rut, nearly toppling her sideways. Fresh pain bloomed.

Jin Wei’s treatments had helped, but bouncing around in a supply wagon definitely qualified as the opposite of proper medical care.

The sun slipped past its zenith, casting long shadows through the thinning trees. Xiulan braced against another jolt as the wagon descended from the mountain pass onto more level ground. A clear stream meandered alongside the road, widening into a gentle river that reflected the afternoon light.

Tendrils of smoke curled above the distant tree line. The forest opened into rolling grasslands, revealing a stone-walled settlement that dominated the landscape. That triggered fragments of memory—this wasn’t just any town, but the county capital of Blackmere.

The Lin Family Manor they’d left rivaled it in size, though both paled compared to the grander cities she’d known in... another life?

From her position at the back of the convoy, she watched the massive gatehouse doors swing wide. The procession crawled forward through throngs of festival-goers who packed the approaching road.

Everyone wanted to attend Madam Zhang’s birthday celebration—a thought that sent ice through Xiulan’s veins.

Qian and Fei will be center stage at the banquet. The realization tightened around her throat like a noose. Their mother’s reaction to the earlier fight would be...

Xiulan pulled her knees to her chest and rested her aching head against them. Escape tempted her, but phantom pain ghosted across her skin at the thought. She’d tried before—when? The memory slipped away like smoke, leaving only echoes of punishment.

The gentle swaying of the wagon lulled her into an uneasy sleep despite the thrum of the crowd. That didn’t last long, though, and nearby shouts jolted her awake.

"Find Lin Xiulan! She escaped!"

"The Lord demands she account for her actions!"

Guards and soldiers swarmed the area, their voices rising.