Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Transmigration of the Xuanxue Zunshi "Slap!" A vicious palm struck her face. Zhao Taohua's ears rang as she stumbled and fell to the ground... Who dared to hit her? Her cheek stung, and a sweet, metallic taste filled her mouth. She had no strength left in her body. Zhao Taohua was so hungry that her stomach was cramping; she felt as if she could devour an entire cow right now... She was someone who pampered herself and had never suffered. How could she have let herself starve like this? "Pah!" Zhao Taohua spat out the bloody saliva. She forced her head up, ready to lash out at the culprit, only to see an old woman in ancient clothing. The woman's face was clouded with dark Yin Qi, and she was glaring down at Zhao Taohua with a look of pure loathing... Was she seeing a ghost again? And an ancient one at that? This ghost's Yin Qi didn't seem particularly powerful. How could it have dragged her into such a realistic illusion? Zhao Taohua surveyed her surroundings. It was a cramped, ancient-style courtyard. The walls were uneven and riddled with countless cracks. The house was even more dilapidated. The thatched roof was sparse, with several sections already caved in. The doors and windows were on the verge of collapsing. The interior was dim and lightless, and the few pieces of furniture were broken and incomplete. An old wooden table with legs of varying lengths stood crookedly against a corner, holding a few chipped, coarse porcelain bowls. Just as Zhao Taohua was feeling bewildered, the old woman’s sinister voice rang out: "Little Grass Dog, your position as Landlord Li's ninth concubine has already been settled. Even if you die, you’ll be a ghost of the Li family. Stop playing tricks and put on your wedding clothes right now!" What? Landlord Li? Ninth concubine? Zhao Taohua clenched her fists in rage. A dead old hag dared to humiliate her like this, trying to make her a ghost's concubine? "To hell with you! You want me to be a ninth concubine?" Zhao Taohua stood up and delivered two slaps to the woman's face. However, her body was weak and limp, and her hands had almost no strength behind them. Grandmother Sun flew into a rage. In all her years, she never expected to be slapped by her own granddaughter. "You little grass dog!" Fuming, Grandmother Sun wanted to beat Zhao Taohua to death on the spot. But when she remembered that they were about to miss the auspicious hour, she forced herself to suppress her fury. She barked orders at her youngest son, Zhao Sanshi, and his wife, Mrs. Wang: "You two, get those wedding clothes on her quickly! Deliver her to Li Fu immediately!" As Zhao Taohua heard the old hag's words, a flood of foreign memories rushed into her mind. This person was her grandmother, and she? She was a fourteen-year-old village girl from Zhaojiacun? So, she had transmigrated, not encountered a ghost? Zhao Taohua was utterly stunned. She was a formidable Xuanxue Zunshi from the 21st century. Her skills in fortune-telling, ghost-catching, Feng Shui, talisman drawing, and alchemy were all at their peak. Countless wealthy individuals sought her out to read their fortunes and dispel evil. At only twenty-six years old, her annual income reached ten figures. She lived every day like a pampered flower of the high society, and now she had transmigrated into a poor, miserable village girl in ancient times? The original owner of the body was also named Zhao Taohua. She was a resident of Zhaojiacun, a village named because it was a clan village where everyone shared the surname Zhao. Zhaojiacun was surrounded by mountains. It was often foggy and damp, and the crop yields were poor. It was a notoriously impoverished village for miles around, and many people chose to work in town just to survive. Zhao Taohua’s family didn't even own land, so her parents worked in town year-round. They couldn't bear to let Zhao Taohua suffer, so they left her at home. Zhao Taohua’s father was the second son of the Zhao family, Zhao Ershu. Years ago, Mrs. Qian had nearly died giving birth to Zhao Taohua and was unable to conceive again. Grandmother Sun had made a scene, demanding that Zhao Ershu divorce Mrs. Qian. Zhao Ershu stood his ground and refused, which enraged Grandmother Sun so much that she kicked the second branch out of the Zhao family’s ancestral home. Over the years, though the family lived in poverty, they were together. She never expected Grandmother Sun to take advantage of Zhao Ershu and his wife's absence to scheme against Zhao Taohua. In town, the fifty-year-old Landlord Li had suddenly fallen seriously ill and needed a woman born on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month for a Chongxi marriage. Landlord Li was willing to pay twenty taels of silver as a dowry. Twenty taels of silver! To the Zhao ancestral home, that was an astronomical sum. The entire family working hard for a year would only earn about two taels. Grandmother Sun’s grandsons were at an age where they were growing rapidly, and they complained about being hungry at every meal. If they could get those twenty taels, life at the Zhao ancestral home would become much better! So, Grandmother Sun steeled her heart and tried to persuade Zhao Taohua to become Landlord Li’s ninth concubine. The original Zhao Taohua had refused to comply, so Grandmother Sun locked her in the house and starved her for three days, eventually leaving her to die of hunger. When the eyes opened again, a different soul occupied the body. Today was the wedding day. Grandmother Sun had returned, bringing her youngest son and his wife. They were prepared to tie Zhao Taohua up and send her to Li Fu if necessary! At the thought of the money in her 21st-century bank account, her villas, and her luxury cars, Zhao Taohua’s heart ached. And her boyfriends—each one eighteen years old, 185cm tall, with eight-pack abs—now she was expected to be a concubine for a fifty-year-old man who was practically on his deathbed just for a Chongxi? She was always the one breaking spells for others; no one had ever used her as a tool for a spell!! At the Zhao ancestral home, Grandmother Sun held all the power. Zhao Sanshi and Mrs. Wang were used to obeying her. Besides, Zhao Taohua wasn't their daughter. Furthermore, as long as they sent Zhao Taohua to Li Fu, the family would have twenty taels. By then, they could afford meat for all three meals a day! The two exchanged a glance, seeing the irrepressible excitement in each other's eyes. Zhao Sanshi and Mrs. Wang—one tall and one short—were both thin, but they looked much healthier than Zhao Taohua. Moreover, Zhao Taohua hadn't eaten in three days. Zhao Taohua tensed up as she saw the two approaching. If she was truly sent to Li Fu as a concubine, she’d be finished! Unfortunately, she was powerless right now and couldn't outrun the three of them. Suddenly, Zhao Taohua felt a tiny trace of Ling Qi within her body. Though the Ling Qi was meager, it was better than nothing. Her gaze fell upon Zhao Sanshi. The malevolent Yin Qi clinging to him was so thick it almost obscured his person. The Yang Qi in his body had been sucked away by a vengeful ghost until it was nearly zero. However, to an ordinary person, there was nothing unusual to see. Zhao Taohua’s eyes narrowed slightly as a plan formed in her mind. Her right hand secretly performed a Qiajue, channeling the tiny bit of Ling Qi she had into Zhao Sanshi’s body. But that bit of Ling Qi was too small to produce an immediate effect. She asked, seemingly at random, "Uncle, have you been having frequent nightmares lately? Being chased by a vengeful ghost that you just can't shake off?" As soon as Zhao Taohua spoke, Mrs. Wang, who had just stepped toward her, felt a sudden chill in the room. She couldn't help but shiver. She assumed it was because the door hadn't been opened in three days, making the room cold. Zhao Sanshi’s pupils constricted. "How do you know that?" Suspicion rose in his heart. He hadn't told anyone about his recent nightmares. How did this brat know the details so clearly? Zhao Taohua sneered inwardly. Of course she knew! "Uncle, did you dream last night that a vengeful ghost was strangling you? You almost died, didn't you?" Zhao Taohua asked again. Zhao Sanshi’s expression changed drastically. She was exactly right! He stared at Zhao Taohua with wide eyes and asked, "Why would that ghost appear in my dreams every night?" "Because there is Yinguo between you and it. That's why it's haunting you. It's about to take your life." In the eyes of others, Zhao Sanshi looked no different from anyone else, but in Zhao Taohua's eyes, he was on the brink of death. His face was as pale as paper, his eyes were sunken, and his lips were dry and cracked. His Yang Qi had been drained to almost nothing by the vengeful ghost. Zhao Sanshi’s face became extremely grim. Grandmother Sun cursed loudly, "You little grass dog, what nonsense are you spewing? My youngest son is the kindest person. He wouldn't even dare to kill a chicken, let alone harm someone!"