Chapter 1 - Inheriting the Divine Legacy

 

Chapter 1: Inheriting the Divine Legacy

“Your husband, my master, has fallen.”

"Until the young mistress comes of age, the master's divine remains shall be entrusted to you for safekeeping."

Mi Bayue had just returned from a house call and hadn't even put down her surgical toolbox when the steward launched into a tirade of funeral announcements.

After listening, she first put down her toolbox, then washed her hands in the copper basin on the washstand, and calmly asked, "Has the body been found? How long will it take to bring it back? Have his relatives been notified? How many people are coming to attend the funeral? If there aren't enough guest rooms at home, we'll need to discuss with the villagers about finding lodging. As for the cemetery, we'll arrange for it to be in the backyard, in a place with a nice view that I've seen."

After taking her hands out of the basin, Mi Bayue took a handkerchief from the side and dried them. Then she took the homemade moisturizer from the small compartment and gently spread it on her hands, making sure not to miss any corners.

The hands of a top-tier doctor are as important as those of a master musician.

“I just happened to be going to Uncle Wu’s house for a medical check-up today. All four men in his family have returned. I’ll spend some money to hire them to dig a grave, and then have Old Liu from the end of the village carve a tombstone. Although the old man is old, he’s still in good health and has excellent skills.”

Her scalpel was custom-made by Old Liu.

After a while of not hearing the steward speak, Mi Bayue looked at him.

The steward, barely regaining his senses, replied, "The master's spirit body has been sacrificed to heaven and will not remain in the mortal world. He also has no relatives or friends, so there is no need to go through these mortal funeral procedures."

Mi Bayue readily agreed that it wouldn't cost any money, saying, "Then let's not do it. This money is exactly what we planned to give to Feixue to attend the private school."

Speaking of Feixue, Mi Bayue thought of asking the steward, "Did Feixue eat well today?"

The steward said, "They have finished eating. Now practicing their calligraphy in the study."

Mi Bayue took out a candied fruit packet from the inner pocket of her wide sleeve and handed it to the steward, saying, "Take this to Feixue and tell her not to eat it all at once."

After the steward accepted it, he handed the small wooden box that he had been carrying to Mi Bayue, saying, "This is the master's divine legacy."

"Hmm." Mi Bayue said calmly, "I will keep it safe and give it to Feixue when she comes of age."

Mi Bayue had no feelings for her husband, whom she had never met in the six months since she transmigrated to this world, and she had no intention of pretending in front of the steward.

After the steward left, Mi Bayue first methodically summarized the experiences from her house calls that day. Then she washed up, changed into comfortable, casual clothes, and returned to her room intending to read by lamplight when she noticed the wooden box on the table.

Her nominal 'husband's' belongings.

Perhaps there might be moldy clothes or other valuables inside, or maybe some money left for the orphan and widow?

Mi Bayue went to open the box, but found neither clothing nor money.

The contents inside are clearly visible.

A book, a bronze mask, and a token.

Mi Bayue first took out the token that most likely represented her identity, but upon closer inspection, she found it covered in incomprehensible characters, thus eliminating any possibility of deducing her identity. Next was the bronze mask, which looked substantial but felt surprisingly light. The workmanship and materials were likely substandard; it wasn't genuine bronze but rather coated with a cheap lacquer.

Finally, there were the booklets without titles.

It might well be a last will.

If it contained any information about the deceased's life, it wouldn't be entirely useless.

But the moment her fingers touched the cover, the book vanished into her palm in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, Mi Bayue's vision blurred as a torrent of information flooded into her brain, like a long movie being shown to her deepest consciousness.

Humanity was filled with ignorance, and monsters roamed freely. Years later, the gates of the underworld opened wide, and the yin energy corrupted the mortal realm. From then on, countless lives were lost, the underworld was overflowing, and all sorts of strange creatures roamed the night. 

This scene of devastation unfolds from the perspective of a little girl. The entire film is permeated with the theme of "Heaven will entrust great responsibilities to those who are destined for them, and will first test their minds, strain their muscles and bones, starve their bodies, empty their minds, and thwart their plans." As the protagonist, the little girl suffers unbearable pain from childhood to adulthood. Betrayal and framing are daily occurrences, and the cycle from hope to despair is constant. She carries the burden alone and ultimately sacrifices herself due to her special constitution, voluntarily jumping into the gates of the underworld to die for the cause and achieve her goal of saving the world.

She traveled through time for six months and replaced not the savior in this story, but the savior's mother who was sacrificed at the beginning of the story.

Amid the echoing words, "Time is up," Mi Bayue's consciousness returned to her body. Opening her eyes, she found the sky outside the window already half-dark—at least an hour had passed in the blink of an eye.

She opened her palm and held it before her eyes.

A book appeared at her will.

On its cover, which previously bore no title, were now the words: [Book of Good and Evil].

Very good.

Mi Bayue dismissed the steward's earlier descriptions of "fallen," "divine legacy," "divine body," and "sacrifice to heaven" as some kind of custom in this world, or as a servant's way of showing respect to his master.

Only now did she realize that her husband, who had never appeared, was a real god, and that the steward who was in charge of taking care of everything in the old house was actually the Spirit of the House in disguise. The maids and cooks she had seen before were all in disguise as it.

No wonder she hadn't seen these people leave the mansion in the past six months, which meant that she had to handle all errands herself.

It turns out that the Spirit of the House couldn't leave its own domain.

Mi Bayue looked at the [Book of Good and Evil] in her hand for a while, then made a decision, turned around, put the scalpel in her surgical toolbox into her sleeve, and walked out the door.

Parents offer sacrifices to Heaven, while their child sinks into the netherworld.

The whole family is complete.

Let whoever wants to save the world do it; Mi Bayue has no sentiment of sacrificing herself for love, and she doesn't intend to let Mi Feixue take it on.

Mi Feixue was the name she gave to the original owner's daughter. On the day she transmigrated, she saw a tiny, skinny little girl hiding behind the door, peeking out. And this little girl looked exactly like her in her childhood in the orphanage in her previous life. Mi Bayue knew then that she couldn't let go of this child.

You can develop a bond with a cat or dog after raising it for six months, let alone a child.

----

The four- or five-year-old child was tiny, with pale, bloodless skin and hair that barely reached her ears and shoulders. Her large eyes stood out on her small face, the dark pupils big and black, but devoid of any sparkle.

Mi Bayue hadn't gone far when she saw Mi Feixue.

This was the result of her careful care for half a year, which led to some improvement. Six months ago, the child looked like a little refugee dug out of a kiln.

At this moment, following behind Mi Feixue was a boy who looked to be twelve or thirteen years old.

"Elder sister."

The young man called out to Mi Bayue.

He was dressed in brocade robes, but there was blood on his legs.

He had a handsome appearance with red lips and white teeth.

The boy, his forehead sweating and face pale, said, "Sister, my servant and I were ambushed and chased by villains while traveling. My servants were killed by the villains while covering my escape. There are still pursuers behind us. Please help me, sister. I will reward you handsomely when I get home!"

Mi Bayue walked a few steps to the boy and squatted down. "Let me take a look at your wound first."

Her voice was clear, gentle, and soft, like misty rain.

The boy's tense body relaxed under the soothing voice, and the wariness hidden deep in his eyes melted away.

The next second, his legs went weak and he lost his balance, falling to the ground. Two more subtle, almost imperceptible pains came from his wrists. He turned his head to look and saw a small red mark on his wrist, oozing blood.

He tentatively clenched his fist, only to find that his hands and feet had lost power. The boy looked at Mi Bayue in horror.

Mi Bayue wiped the small, thin scalpel with a handkerchief, beckoned to Mi Feixue beside her, and said softly, "Come here."

Mi Feixue quickly walked up to her.

Mi Bayue held her thin shoulders and said, "Baobao*, let me teach you another lesson today. The more handsome a man is, the more likely he is to lie. Don't believe what they say."

*Baby

The child tilted her head and blinked.

Mi Bayue met her lifeless eyes.

After reading the last will, she realized that the child's silence for the past six months was not only a psychological problem, but also a sign of an eye or mouth ailment.

The boy lying motionless on the ground now is her future childhood sweetheart and scumbag. Giving this love-starved savior a little warmth will make her wholeheartedly serve him like a slave.

The original owner of this body had not died for the savior but had sacrificed herself to buy time for this scumbag to escape, only to be killed by his pursuers.