Chapter 4

    A cute little girl was happily tending to a fire. At seven years old, she was the beloved daughter of a great general stationed at the border. Whenever she smiled, charming dimples appeared on both her cheeks. A small red mole at the corner of her eye hinted that she would grow into a woman of captivating beauty.

    “Ying Ying,” a gruff voice called from behind.

    When the little girl turned and saw her father carrying a bundle of dry wood, her eyes curved into a smile. “Father.”

    This little girl was none other than Yue Haili, reborn once again. As far as she could remember, this was her twelfth life. In each life, she had the same appearance and the same name, only her surname changed. In this life, her surname was Li, just as it had been in her previous life, and her father’s name was Li Taixuan.

    Li Yue Haili’s rebirths didn’t follow a set timeline. Sometimes she was born during ancient dynasties, and other times, she was born in eras when lands were no longer called kingdoms but nations. She had no choice in the matter and couldn’t even decide not to be reborn again. She was compelled to continue this endless cycle, following the will of the heavens.

    Her memories spanned the experiences of eleven lifetimes, and this was the twelfth. If counted altogether, her soul’s true age was now over three hundred years old.

    "Today, we have a nice fat wild rabbit," Li Taixuan said, raising his other arm, hidden behind him, to show her the catch. He laughed heartily. "I remember you love rabbit meat."

    Li Yue Haili beamed and gave her father a thumbs-up. "Father, you’re the best," she said cheerfully. “What about mother and big brother?”

    “Your mother’s still fishing, and your brother went to check the traps in the forest,” her father replied in his deep voice, sitting down to skin the rabbit he had caught in preparation for cooking.

    Li Yue Haili poked at the firewood absentmindedly. She knew well that her mother loved fishing, but was not very skilled at it. No matter how excellent the bait, in six long hours she’d catch no more than two fish—sometimes none at all. Yet, her mother never gave up, always carrying her bamboo fishing rod out to try again each day.

    Her older brother was now eleven, having trained in martial arts with their father and participated in military drills since he was young. He had become quite skilled.

    Compared to her past lives, this life was quite a good one for Li Yue Haili. She wasn’t an orphan, and her family was warm and harmonious. Despite being of noble rank and having plenty of wealth, her father had no concubines. When there were no wars, they often went hunting in the mountains together, staying in a small cabin, roasting the game they caught, and enjoying lively conversations.

    This was one of the few lives in which she had both parents. In most of her other lives, she was often an orphan, or if she was born into a wealthy family, she usually had no mother. If she had a father, he would have concubines, leading to a fragmented family with a chaotic household where every step had to be taken cautiously. In those lives, she would inevitably meet Yongyuan, get to know him, fall in love with him, and devote her entire heart to him. She would become accustomed to his coldness, and in the end, she would die foolishly with a broken heart, consumed by love.

    She had once dreamed of many things, giving herself countless hopes. With each rebirth, she became more entangled with him, believing that she and Yongyuan were fated lovers destined by the heavens. Otherwise, why would they meet again in every life?

    She had loved him in every life for nearly three hundred years, enduring countless trials, and never once managed to remove him from her heart. But this time, she had spent the last six years of her previous life and the first seven years of this one decisively cutting him out.

    Looking back, her previous life wasn't all that bad. Even though Yongyuan remained cold and did not love her, he was far less disdainful of her than in past lives. There were even moments when he visited where he accidentally smiled at her two or three times.

    Being a concubine was foolish—she had always known that. But her deepest desire had always been to bond with him, both physically and emotionally. She wanted to be his wife, to live under the same roof, and to share his bed at least once.

    That desire had been fulfilled. She no longer had any lingering regrets.

    And then, she let go. She moved on.

    In this life, she no longer hoped to meet Yongyuan again, as she had in the past. The farther apart they were, the better. Though she could not forget him, she no longer intended to give herself to him.

    She had decided to sever ties completely.

    In all eleven of her past lives, two things remained constant: she would die on the night of her twenty-fifth birthday, and there was always Yongyuan.

    She loved him in every life, often pleading for his love and compassion as soon as they met. But he never loved her—not in any of those lives.

    The tears she had shed could have filled the lake she jumped into during her last life. After six or seven lifetimes, no matter how much pain she endured, she stopped crying. She simply smiled and accepted her fate. Because, in the end, it always ended the same: she died, and he continued living with a woman who was more suited to him.

    The only benefit to this endless cycle of reincarnation was that before she turned twenty five, nothing could kill her. Even if a hundred assassins surrounded her, she would still survive—perhaps with a few injuries, but nothing fatal.

    Her life span was limited to twenty-five years, and thus, she decided she should never love again. Love was far too cruel.

    "It seems your elder brother has returned," Li Taixuan said as he skillfully skinned the rabbit with a sharp dagger. Being a general, his senses were sharp, able to detect movement from several zhang away. "Someone else is with him. Ying Ying, come to me," he added cautiously.

    "Yes, Father," Li Yue Haili responded immediately, quickly standing up to hide behind her father, using him as a shield like a strong fortress.

    The rustling of leaves mixed with the sound of footsteps—more than just one pair. With her long experience and keen hearing, Li Yue Haili instantly estimated there were at least ten people. Her large eyes focused on her father’s tensed back, prepared for any situation.

    "Father, Ying Ying, I’m back," called the clear and confident voice of a young boy. His tone was steady, with no hint of coercion, easing the tension of those waiting. Soon, the tall figure of Li Zhengqing appeared. He was a striking young man, but at the moment, he seemed slightly uneasy.

    "Big Brother, what happened?" she asked, but stopped abruptly when she saw the group of people following him out of the forest.

    "I accidentally came across them while they were hunting, but they got separated from their guide. I couldn’t make a decision on my own, so I brought them to Father," Li Zhengqing explained, scratching his head, as if worried his sister would disapprove.

    Li Yue Haili shifted her gaze past her brother to the group behind him. At first glance, it was clear they weren’t ordinary villagers or young men from small families. They wore clothing made of shimmering silver-threaded silk, exclusive to the upper class. Even the simplest-dressed man among them wore brocade fabric with intricate designs woven directly into the material—an expensive textile, difficult to make, and highly favored by nobles and the wealthy.

    Yet, from their demeanor, Li Yue Haili could tell that not all of them were true nobles. Most were merely disguised escorts accompanying one individual…

    That person was... Yongyuan.