Chapter 99: The First Songstress of Dongguan Kingdom

"Red Lady, I'm afraid Miss Luo is..."

The sobbing came one after another, and Lian understood—the body she was about to borrow was on the verge of death.

"Though Sister Yue was accused of lip-syncing, she didn't have to go so far as to drink poison! Aunt Red, you must find out the truth for Sister Yue!"

That voice was as delicate as a nightingale singing in the evening, filled with grief and indignation, seemingly lamenting the loss of her beloved Sister Yue.

Suddenly, the "nightingale" gasped, her eyes going wide as she stared fixedly at a spot behind the physician: the woman who had already lost her breath was slowly raising one hand, and from her neck came a creaking, grinding sound.

The excitement and joy in Red Lady's eyes could no longer be hidden. "Luo Yue? Luo Yue! Physician, give her a thorough examination at once!"

Everyone present wore nothing but hope and prayer on their faces—except the "Miss Nightingale," whose heart was filled with trepidation.

The physician wiped his eyes in disbelief, then took out a handkerchief and placed it beneath his fingers, carefully taking Luo Yue's pulse once more.

A moment later, his expression shifted dramatically!

"A miracle! This is nothing short of a miracle! In my decades of practicing medicine, this is the first time I've seen someone survive such a long time after taking crane's crest poison!"

The physician stroked his beard, streaked black with white, his face alight with extraordinary excitement.

Red Lady pressed him anxiously, "Does this mean our Luo Yue is out of danger?"

The physician nodded. This was the first time he had encountered someone returning from the dead. Every organ had already been corroded by the poison, yet now it had all recovered—he simply had to study the herbs he'd just used on Miss Luo Yue!

Luo Yue slowly opened her eyes. Many people surrounded her, and the lamp by the bedside was blindingly bright—she needed a moment to adjust.

Red Lady gently helped her sit up, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.

Two young girls quietly hid behind the others, wiping tears away. Their Sister Luo Yue was back; their Bieying House would no longer be bullied by the other pleasure establishments.

No one spoke. After the physician wrote out the prescription, they all left the room together, giving Luo Yue the best space to rest.

"Luo Yue, you must never do such a foolish thing again. Outsiders may not believe you, but every sister in our Bieying House believes in you!"

Luo Yue sat at the edge of the bed, Red Lady's words still echoing in her ears. Having just entered this body, it seemed a trace of the original owner's will still lingered.

[Of course there's a lingering will! Miss Luo Yue was poisoned to death by her most trusted little sister—how could she not harbor hatred?]

She took a yin-yang mirror from her space and scanned the room, but there was no ghostly remnant of the original owner.

"Since I've taken over your body, I will naturally find out the truth for you. I won't let you die with your name sullied."

Luo Yue spoke into the air. A moment later, the resentment stored within the body gradually released, and the body belonged to her from then on.

"Tell me about this world."

Luo Yue waved a hand, and a barrier fell over the room, sealing off all sound.

A small white ball of fluff quietly materialized on the bed, its tiny mouth opening and closing. [Master, I'm suffocating in the space! When are you going to find us new playmates!]

Luo Yue scooped up the round, fluffy white ball. "My standards are this high—you think it's that easy to find one?"

The white ball of fluff, stroked into contentment, let out a low purring rumble. [Hasn't Master always just gone with whatever fate brings?]

Luo Yue gently pinched the tip of its newly grown ear, and Little Wretch instantly bristled. [Master! My ear's going to go bald!]

The hand above its head refused to let go. Little Wretch had no choice but to yield to its oppressor.

[This little world has no spiritual cultivators. The people here are all ordinary. Right now we're in the top pleasure house of the Dongguan Kingdom—the Bieying House—and you're its leading performer, Luo Yue, famed for your singing, the foremost songstress of the kingdom.
No hints about your origins yet. You're an orphan, picked up by the madam of Bieying House, Red Lady.
Bieying House is the most respectable pleasure establishment in Dongguan. It sells performances, never bodies. The guests who come here do so to listen to songs and watch dances, and men and women alike drop by for tea when they have nothing to do.
As for the one who poisoned you—the original owner's dearest little sister—Nanyan, the first dancer of Bieying House. Her singing was second only to Luo Yue's. But she was born with a face like a fox, the kind that made people uneasy, and in the end, the one who became famous was Luo Yue, and the leading performer's spot went to Luo Yue too.
Nanyan...]

Before Little Wretch could finish, Luo Yue had already guessed the rest. "Nanyan grew jealous and slipped poison into Luo Yue's drink, right? That must be it."

Little Wretch rumbled uncomfortably. [Master, why did you interrupt? There's something to it—Nanyan really did once treat Luo Yue as a sister!]

Luo Yue gave a cold snort. Even blood brothers keep separate ledgers; sisters born from the same womb will fight over an inheritance.

Nanyan and Luo Yue had no blood relation whatsoever. Just because they were both orphans who sympathized with each other, a word here and a word there, and that made it true?

Luo Yue had died for nothing. She suddenly found herself doubting what "Yun Ranran" had said—that every useless mortal body was actually a celestial maiden who had descended to the lower realm to undergo tribulation?

But if that were really true, how could they have been given such an absurd fate? Even a fool couldn't have written something that ridiculous!

The Ninth Heaven.

The Hall of Destiny, where the Star Lord of Destiny resided, was emitting wisps of smoke. An old man with white hair, singed to a faintly fragrant crisp by lightning, leaned on a cane and glared up at the heavens. His beard was burnt into curls. A passing celestial maiden expressed her sympathy, then hid a laugh behind her sleeve.

For years now, the old Lord of Destiny had been struck by lightning every so often. No one knew what offense he had committed.

Looking up at the scorched plaque hanging behind him, the old man couldn't help but berate the heavens: "When you asked me to take this job, it was you. When you told me not to reveal a word, it was you. Now, deciding I gave her a poor fate, it's you. And the one sending divine lightning to strike me—it's still you! Do you believe this old man will wash his hands of this whole damned affair today!?"

Another clap of thunder rumbled through the clouds. The old Lord of Destiny instinctively raised his hand to shield his face, but the expected lightning never fell, and the storm clouds slowly dispersed.

His face was black with soot, his hair shooting straight up, and the only thought in his mind was praying that a certain someone would hurry the hell back.

A celestial crane landed on the rosy clouds. "The Star Lord of Destiny, once so handsome and fair, has turned into this hideous sight. How ugly."

The old man shot the crane a vicious glare, unable to help recalling the past.

...

"You truly wish to do this?"

Two muffled claps of thunder rang across the sky. The Star Lord of Destiny furrowed his brow. "I owe her a debt. This favor—I'll accept it."

The thunderclouds dispersed, and the distant sky returned to its rosy glow.

That was the last time he used that handsome face. He went to see her.

This was the most desolate place in the Ninth Heaven. A figure in red stood not far off, her crimson dress lifted by the wind, ribbons dancing wildly through the air. The sky was immaculate, clear as washed sapphire.

This place was the nightmare of all immortals. An immortal who descended from here was no different from being reborn in the underworld. No immortal enjoyed coming here to feel the wind. It had a beautiful name—the Boundless Sea.

(End of chapter.)