Chapter 3: She is the Binding Spirit of the Earth

Outside the city of Tai Ao, a hundred miles to the west, there stands a towering mountain peak, surrounded by lush greenery and a variety of flourishing plants. Nestled within this secluded and deep mountain forest is a semi-old hermitage named White Egret Hermitage.

The location of White Egret Hermitage is exceptionally tranquil, so even after the end of the heat of summer, one would not feel much warmth there.

At this moment, in front of the courtyard of White Egret Hermitage, there is a maid named Indigo, dressed in a thin linen garment and simple wide-legged pants, looking refreshingly elegant as she sits on a cool stone bench. Resting her arms on a stone table, she has a pot of sour plum soup and a small dish of black melon seeds. Beside her lies a broom, indicating that she has been assigned the task of sweeping the floor.

Despite her seemingly content appearance, Indigo's face does not show much joy. While munching on melon seeds and sipping sour plum soup, she complains, "The young lady has been sick for so long, and still hasn't recovered. If she doesn't get better, how will I ever go back? I don't want to stay here forever."

She has been here for three whole years. When the young lady arrived, she was thirteen years old, and now she is sixteen. As for herself, she is already eighteen.

Spending so much time here, she indeed feels somewhat unwilling.

Suddenly, she thinks how good it would be if the young lady were to die. But if the young lady were to die, how would she ever return home? This conflicting dilemma only adds to her distress.

Not far from Indigo, sunlight filters through the trees and gently caresses the face of a woman lying on a bed. Her complexion is pale, indicating her prolonged illness.

However, at some point, Duan Ge Xi suddenly opens her eyes. Her once pure eyes are now tinged with deep resentment.

Despite her feelings of hatred, when she realizes her surroundings, she is momentarily shocked. Looking at her unharmed hands, delicate and fair as jade, hands that were once envied by many in the palace, and later scalded by a palace maid out of jealousy, she realizes that her hands can move.

A ludicrous thought quickly blooms in her mind – rebirth.

Could it be that she has been reborn? Just a moment ago, she was filled with hatred, but after touching the pillar, she left with resentment. But looking at the current situation, it seems she might have truly been reborn.

If not for rebirth, why would her hands have healed, and why would she be in this environment?

Her eyes suddenly push back all emotions, returning to their innocent and harmless appearance.

Because she is about to face the maid named Indigo, who had served her closely in her previous life, even becoming a concubine in the palace. She always thought that Lu Yue Shu was her biological mother, and Indigo was Lu Yue Shu's person, so she must be loyal to her.

Little did she know, Indigo always spoke well of Duan You Xi in front of her, causing her to be deceived for so long, nurturing a tiger to cause her own demise.

In her previous life, Indigo always complained about not wanting to stay in that place. Feeling guilty, she gave all her belongings to Indigo, including jewelry, just to appease her.

But now, she finds this utterly ridiculous.

Lu Yue Shu, all these years you have been finding ways to deal with me, taking away my rightful position as the daughter, and preventing me from reuniting with my real mother, Xia Yu.

Duan You Xi, you are always smooth and popular, and in the past, you have caused me a lot of trouble. This time, I will make sure none of you have a good ending.

Lu Yue Shu, Duan You Xi, and even Qin Xiu Yi, who is now the king, none of them are good people.

Duan Ge Xi's heart is filled with overwhelming resentment.

But the first thing she needs to do now, something she has always been unwilling to do, is to go to the front hall of White Egret Hermitage and burn incense for her real mother, the original wife of the current prime minister, Xia Yu, and kowtow to express her repentance.

As the wooden door creaks open, a woman dressed even more modestly than Indigo steps out.

Indigo is surprised. Is the young lady better? Wasn't she unable to get out of bed?

Looking at Indigo's expression, Duan Ge Xi gives a barely noticeable smile. In her previous life, she was extremely ill at this time, and Jing Xian Shi Tai wrote a letter to the prime minister's family in the capital, and she was quickly brought back.

Because she was to be a stepping stone for Duan You Xi, Lu Yue Shu would not let anything happen to her.

At that time, she even thought that Lu Yue Shu cared for her and cried in her arms.

Now thinking back, it is truly laughable. A year after returning to the capital in her previous life, she coincidentally gained the title of "Bamboo Maiden."

It was because of her strong self-esteem and refusal to bend, even when being bullied, she refused to ask for help. Even when being mistreated, she did not care. It was because of her strong-willed nature that she met such a tragic end.

In this life, she wants to change her attitude and her character.

So, she offers a friendly smile to the surprised Indigo and says, "Indigo, what's wrong?"

Indigo is stunned for a moment. Is this the dying young lady, Duan Ge Xi? Why does she seem to have changed a bit? But where exactly has she changed, she cannot say for sure.

If she had to point out one change, it would seem to be her gaze.

The previous Duan Ge Xi had clear eyes, as pure as water, with a beautiful and untainted appearance, like a lotus untouched by the mundane world. But now, the young lady's eyes are still clear, yet they seem to be covered by something.

The young lady still had an unparalleled beauty, but there was a hint of inscrutable aura in her, as if she possessed the spirit of the netherworld, which was deeply unsettling.

Yes, the current Duan Gexi was indeed a bound spirit.

Dian Lan, for the first time, inexplicably said, "I saw that the young lady's body is better, and I am happy."

Duan Gexi still had a smile on her face and said, "I'm feeling a little better. Accompany me to the main hall. I want to burn incense for the former lady."

Dian Lan was even more astonished. The young lady was brought here by Lu Yueshu, and she already hated Xia Yu to the core. Now she was saying that she wanted to burn incense for Xia Yu.

Did she hear it wrong?

Duan Gexi said lightly, "Dian Lan, hurry and accompany me to the main hall."

Her tone was faint, but it carried an undeniable command.

Dian Lan quickly led Duan Gexi to the main hall, pondering whether to inform the lady of the young lady's changes.

Duan Gexi entered the main hall and found Xia Yu's memorial tablet.

This was the ancestral temple of the Duan family, with the ancestors of the Duan family enshrined on one side and several deities on the other.

Although Duan Hu was a civil official, he had a strong belief in the gods and always believed that people become gods after death.

Therefore, he not only built a shrine in the Duan family, where he often knelt and prayed, but also constructed an ancestral temple in these remote mountains, enjoying the offerings of the Duan family.

The main reason was that this place was a place of dragon veins, which could protect the eternal prosperity of the Duan family.

Therefore, the White Egret nunnery also had a continuous stream of incense offerings.