Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Winter Thunder

After a snowfall, the chill in Qizhou City deepened, but this did not dampen the bustling activity in the streets. The townsfolk, wrapped in thick robes, came and went within the city walls.

Suddenly, the urgent pounding of hooves sounded from beyond the city gates. The crowds entering and leaving the gates looked over and saw that the normally stern gate guards, far from stopping or inspecting the riders, were instead hastily dispersing the people near the gates.

A contingent bearing black banners emblazoned with a four-clawed dragon pattern appeared at the city gate.

The Chu Kingdom's imperial procession used bright yellow five-clawed dragon banners, while feudal princes used black four-clawed dragon banners.

The townsfolk, who had retreated to both sides, turned their gazes toward the young nobleman at the head of the procession.

The young nobleman wore a thick cap and was wrapped in a fox-fur scarf, leaving only a pair of handsome eyes visible.

"It's the Heir Apparent of the Prince of Qi!"

"The heir has returned!"

A stir rose along the streets. The people who had stepped aside surged forward, waving their arms and cheering at the young man.

However, Zhao Chengzhi, the Heir Apparent of the Prince of Qi, did not slow his pace. He galloped past like a gust of wind, leaving the townsfolk staring at his retreating figure and murmuring among themselves.

"Didn't the heir go to the capital?"

"He's been gone for a year now."

"The Emperor ordered all members of the imperial clan to undergo three years of military camp training. How did it go? Training in archery and horsemanship, learning marching formations, so as to avoid indulging in idleness, extravagance, and dissipation that could bring chaos to the court."

"Oh dear, the heir suddenly returning—has the Princess Dowager's illness taken a turn for the worse?"

The old Prince of Qi was the current Emperor's uncle. The old Prince of Qi had already passed away, but the old Consort was still alive. Upon hearing that this aunt was unwell, the Emperor immediately dispatched imperial physicians to treat her.

However, the physicians had already arrived two months ago, and the Princess Dowager's condition had been brought under control. Earlier, it was said that the Princess Dowager planned to personally host the Plum Blossom Banquet this month. How could it be that her illness had worsened again, and the heir had been summoned back?

Amid the worried discussions about the Dowager Consort of Qi, other voices mingled in.

"And there's a carriage too—who's sitting inside?"

This remark drew the crowd's attention once more, and sure enough, they saw a carriage closely following within the guards' procession behind the heir...

"It's not a carriage bearing the mansion's insignia."

"Oh my, could it be a noble lady from the capital?"

"Has the Emperor arranged a marriage?"

The Heir Apparent of the Prince of Qi was eighteen this year, just at the age for betrothal.

At the Prince of Qi's Mansion in the eastern part of the city, the vermilion gates had already been thrown open. Guards stood solemnly before the entrance, while a dozen eunuchs craned their necks in anticipation, though their expressions betrayed some unease.

When the figure of the Heir Apparent of the Prince of Qi appeared at the lead on horseback, everyone bowed in greeting.

An elderly red-robed eunuch took the reins of the heir's halted horse and asked urgently, "Why has the heir suddenly returned? Does the Emperor know?"

A feudal prince could not leave his fief without an edict, and likewise, sons of feudal princes summoned to the capital by the Emperor could not leave at will.

Zhao Chengzhi dismounted: "Of course the Emperor sent me back. Grandmother is ill."

The eunuch breathed a slight sigh of relief but said uneasily, "The Emperor has already granted imperial physicians, and the heir has also written letters of filial concern. There was really no need to return in person..."

"What nonsense are you talking?" Zhao Chengzhi cut him off irritably. "Earlier, being busy with military training and showing filial piety only on paper was one thing. Now that training is over and leave has begun, of course I must return in person. This is basic human decency and duty. Does Grandmother know I'm back?"

The red-robed eunuch said, "The young prince has returned so suddenly that we haven't dared to inform the Princess Dowager, for fear she might worry."

Zhao Chengzhi removed his hat and scarf, revealing a face as fair as jade. Half a year of military training in the capital and the hardships of the road had left no mark upon it.

He smiled. "That's fine—I'll give Grandmother a surprise."

With that, he moved to go inside, but the eunuch pulled him back. "Young prince, wait—the people from the Imperial Medical Academy are all over at the Princess Dowager's quarters..."

Zhao Chengzhi's expression shifted. "Grandmother, is she—"

"No, no." The eunuch hurried to reassure him. "The Dowager Consort is fine. It's just that..."

He paused there, lowering his voice.

"It's the female apprentices of the Imperial Medical Academy—they've had a fight that ended in a death."

For the consorts of the harem and the ladies of noble and powerful families, especially when it concerned women's ailments, female physicians were more convenient for treatment. Thus, Great Chu had specially established female physicians at the Imperial Medical Academy, and where there were female physicians, there were female apprentices.

Although this time the Princess Dowager's illness was not a women's complaint, for ease of care, the Imperial Medical Academy had sent female apprentices to assist the imperial physicians.

These women studying medicine had actually fought to the point of killing someone? Zhao Chengzhi frowned. "How could something so absurd happen? Grandmother must have been frightened."

"The Dowager Consort is unharmed, and the culprit was apprehended immediately. The Dowager Consort is personally conducting the interrogation," the eunuch said. "Young prince, go wash up and change your clothes first. It won't be too late to see her once she's finished."

The Consort of the Prince of Qi had passed away from illness years ago, and the Prince of Qi had not taken another consort. There were only two concubines in the mansion, and the young prince was not yet married, so all the household affairs could only be managed by the Princess Dowager.

But this kind of matter should be left for the Imperial Medical Academy to handle on their own—it wasn't a family affair of the Prince of Qi's Mansion. Zhao Chengzhi shook his head. "Why should Grandmother bother with it?"

"The imperial physicians were sent by imperial decree, after all. With a death on their hands, it must be handled with due care," the eunuch said softly, guiding the way again. "Let's not speak of this. Young prince, do come into the house."

"Is Father still at the mine?" Zhao Chengzhi asked as he stepped forward. "Grandmother is ill, and he still won't come home to stay?"

A light cough sounded from behind him.

The eunuch turned and saw the carriage parked at the gate, its curtain lifted from within by a hand. At the same moment, Zhao Chengzhi let out an "ah" and slapped his forehead as he hurried back toward the carriage.

"My apologies, I forgot about you," he called out, smiling and clasping his hands in a bow. "I was just too excited to be home."

The eunuch had indeed noticed the carriage at the gate, but had assumed it was for the young prince to rest in during his journey—riding horseback the whole way would have been too tiring.

So there really was someone inside.

The young prince had come back to visit his grandmother—who would be visiting at a time like this?

Through the half-raised curtain, the eunuch caught a vague glimpse of a figure. He was just about to step forward for a closer look when a thunderclap exploded directly overhead.

The thunder came so suddenly and violently that it seemed to split the very sky in two. The eunuch let out a startled cry and instinctively shut his eyes. All around him was chaos—clearly, he was not the only one frightened.

"What's going on?"

"Thunder?"

"Why would there be thunder all of a sudden?"

Amid the clamor, the eunuch heard a strange male voice glide past softly.

"Thunder in winter—an ill omen."

...

...

The explosion still rang in her ears, shaking her entire body.

Such a violent blast—death had come in an instant.

Lin Lin felt as if her body had been torn into pieces, yet why hadn't her consciousness faded?

The professor's bomb couldn't possibly be a defective product, could it?

Hadn't he boasted it could take out half a city?

Couldn't it even destroy an underground base?

But soon the sound of the explosion faded, and she seemed to be suspended in a void.

Finally, she was about to be truly dead.

Whether it could destroy the base or not, she no longer cared.

Anyway, she was released, free.

Pain...

A searing pain surged through her, instantly yanking her scattered consciousness back.

No way.

Could the dead still feel pain?

*Thud* — a dull sound rang out in the previously empty void, followed by even more intense pain.

Lin Lin sharply sucked in a breath of cold air, but once inhaled, she couldn't seem to exhale it—suffocation, suffocation...

*Thud* — another dull sound, like an inflated air bag suddenly bursting, and Lin Lin thrashed violently like a fish landed on dry ground.

Countless breaths flooded into her chest. She gasped in and out desperately, the void dissipating as blurred figures appeared before her eyes.

"Will you confess or not!"

A harsh shout rang in her ears.

Confess? Lin Lin panted, her vision slowly focusing as she saw a man standing over her, his face dark and heavy as he looked down at her.

Around forty years old, a man, wearing a crown-like hat and a dark ancient-style robe.

"Will you confess or not!"

Their eyes met, and the man's voice rose again.

Confess what? Lin Lin stared at him blankly. Who was he, what was happening now? A dream? Not dead? Captured...

What kind of race dressed like that? Or was it a disguise? It couldn't be the underworld, could it?

Impossible! Was there really an underworld?!

Seeing her stay silent, the man's face twisted with anger: "Beat him!"

At the command, another *thud* sounded in Lin Lin's ears—

She turned her head and saw herself lying face-down on a wooden bench, with two men in blue robes standing on either side. One held a wooden staff at the ready, the other also gripped one, and at that moment the staff landed on her buttocks and thighs...

So the *thud* sound was the staff striking her body. As the thought flashed through her mind, agony spread through her entire being. Lin Lin felt like her internal organs were about to be beaten out of her, and she spat out blood.

"Will you confe—"

The man's shout came again, but this time, before he could finish, Lin Lin, lying on the bench, raised her head and, spitting blood, spoke hurriedly.

"I confess, I confess—"

Though she had no idea what was going on, no idea what she was supposed to confess to, no idea if this was a dream or an illusion, the sensations from this body told Lin Lin that three more strikes of the staff would end her life.

Though she had already died, she now seemed to be alive again, and since she was alive, she couldn't just be beaten to death so easily.

With her words, the staff behind her did not fall again, and Lin Lin was able to gasp for breath in short, urgent bursts.

The room fell silent for a moment, then a female voice spoke.

"Since you've confessed, sign and press your seal."

At that, the man standing before her stepped aside, and Lin Lin could now see this was a grand hall, resplendent and ornate. At the front sat a carved floral chair, occupied by a plump, richly dressed old woman, with maids in colorful attire standing on either side.

This shouldn't be the underworld, and this isn't an illusion—it's too real.

Could this be transmigration?

Meaning, she died, and was reborn?

She actually got to experience something this fortunate?

There's a saying that good deeds bring good rewards, but she wasn't exactly a good person, was she?

Well, she supposed she was somewhat good, since she had ultimately destroyed the Black Organization's main base...

"Sign it." The man returned, shoving a piece of paper in front of her with a shout.

The unfamiliar handwriting blurred Lin Lin's vision, and she couldn't make out what was written at first.

"Sign the confession, and you won't be handed over to the Qizhou Government Office for interrogation, nor will you suffer in prison—you'll just be beaten to death directly."

The old woman's voice came through again.

Huh? She was still going to be beaten to death?

"I won't confess, I won't—"

Lin Lin shouted again immediately.