CHAPTER 2

After Ah wan left with the empty dishes, Meng Fusheng sat on her bed spaced out, thinking about her family. Meng Fusheng belonged to the prestigious Meng Family that even the emperor had to show respect to. Her grandfather MENG WANNING had been a powerful commander during his time, he was the head of the GOLDEN HORSE SQUAD that even the emperor himself treats respectfully. Fusheng's grandfather had once fought alongside the previous emperor and he was given a very prestigious title and honor down to his following generations.

Meng Wanning also had an exceptional daughter; MENG XIWU. Meng Xiwu was Fusheng's mother, while growing up Meng Xiwu took after her father and was also an exceptional commander, she led the GOLDEN HORSE SQUAD to several victories against the barbarians at the border, she was well respected and loved. She was equally beautiful so beautiful she was rumored to be capable of causing a nation's downfall. She was the perfect daughter and soldier, perhaps the only mistake Meng Xiwu made was getting married to Fusheng's father WANG WUZHONG. 

Wang Wuzhong was an ordinary scholar, so ordinary that when Meng Xiwu told her father she wanted to get married to him, her father almost had her eye checked. Till this day, many people in the capital always commend which ever witch doctor that prepared the charm for Wang Wuzhong, because the charm worked effectively. As Meng Xiwu continued pestering her father over her marriage with Wang Wuzhong, her father had no other choice but to approve the marriage, but he was deeply disappointed at his daughter. So eventually Wang Wuzhong married into the Meng Family and changed his name to Meng Wuzhong. This sparked ridicule throughout the capital, but the subject of the ridicule did not feel bad or anything instead he maintained his appearance as a dutiful husband.

After some time in the marriage, Meng Xiwu became pregnant and had Meng Fusheng. Meng Wanning forgot his initial disappointment and happily welcomed his granddaughter. He excited announced her as his heir, this made a few people angry, but Xiwu was happy with the outcome, because she knew that her father had forgiven her. Meng Wanning took it upon himself to personally train Fusheng, he requested the emperor to grant one of the royal Momo(Nanny) to his daughter, and the Emperor feeling happy for his commander fulfilled all his requests. So in this way Fusheng grew up like one of the royal princesses. Growing up it was discovered that she had an incredible amount of inner strength and could be a formidable cultivator if nurtured, the grandfather became more happy and decided to greatly nurture Fusheng so she does not end up like her mother. 

But just a few years after Fusheng discovered her inner strength her grandfather suddenly fell sick and died, he died when she was 5 years old, not just that Meng Xiwu, Fusheng's mother got sick as well and became completely immobile. Then slowly Fusheng's father Meng Wuzhong started to show his true colors, he no longer cared for his wife and daughter and he suddenly brought back a woman and her own daughter that was almost the same age as Fusheng. The entire capital was shocked, the emperor couldn't do anything to stop it, he just watched. Maybe the shock of finding out that her so-called husband had a mistress all these years, or that he never truly loved her made Meng Xiwu's health to suddenly worsen and unfortunately when Fusheng was 7, her mother died. 

Even after her grandfather and her mother's death, Fusheng continued to grow in her inner strength and cultivation, she also treated the woman her father brought home and her daughter very well. This made the capital at least comforted that Fusheng took after her grandfather and her mother. She was set for great things, until one time when she was 10 she suddenly fell ill. Surprisingly her father and his new wife did not call the imperial Physicians and locked her up inside the house constantly giving her medicines for fever, it was not till a week passed that her father reluctantly called for the imperial Physicians. By the time the physicians came along, it was discovered that the illness destroyed Fusheng's cultivation and her inner strength and the possibility of her rising again is almost like a pheasant turning into a phoenix which is impossible. The sickness also ruined Fusheng's beautiful face giving her black spots. That was how Fusheng fell from grace to grass, the entire Meng Family was ruined, no eligible successor was found to carry on old Meng Wanning's legacy.

Shortly after Fusheng lost her cultivation, her step-sister Meng Meilan, became a prodigy and gradually took over Fusheng. Unknown to Fusheng, people started spreading rumors about her, saying that She was excessively rude and petty, blamed her for being a waste. Slowly people began to forget the original story of the Meng Family members and Fusheng started becoming timid and almost died at the hands of that Meilan and her minions.

***

As Fusheng remembered all of these, she couldn't help but feel sad and detest how she had been previously. She hated herself for letting her grandfather down, she hated herself for forgetting about her mother, she couldn't even remember her mother's face. She really hated herself for thinking that her father and his wife were not behind her loss of cultivation, she hated herself for forgetting everything that her grandfather ever taught her. She hated herself for allowing strangers to come into her family and throw her out of it, and taking advantage of her family's name and turning her into a waste. But she did not dwell on self pity, she knew clearly that self pity will not solve her problems so she did not dwell in it. 

As she lay on her bed, she thought back to the absurd notion of rebirth that she had just experienced, even though she lived in a cultivation world, a world with spirits, demons and other supernatural things, she was sure she had never heard of someone dying and coming back to life. She thought back to the woman she saw in that beautiful city in her dream. She knew deep down that if not for the woman she would not have woken up, but she doesn't know the woman from anywhere. Fusheng concluded that she was just lucky and maybe fate had pity on her and decided to bring her back, while she was still thinking of this she fell into a deep slumber.

She had a dream, she saw that woman again this time she clearly saw the woman's face, the woman was very beautiful just like a fairy. This time around Meng Fusheng asked her "Who are you?"

The woman smiled warmly and said "You will naturally find out about me later, but for now you have a long journey ahead of you. You might likely not see me again but just know that you are never alone. I will also send you someone to help you. You have to be strong, very strong because your enemies are not little, neither are they weak. I wish I can physically help you fight this battle, but I can't unfortunately, but I can give you tips to help you. You have to search around your surroundings very carefully, there are many things you have overlooked that will be of help to you. You have to also look for the one that has been your friend since you were little, they will be of good help to you. Be extremely careful, what you see might not be all to it. But above all, remember that you are your grandfather's hope, remember all that he has ever taught you. Be brave, bold and courageous, you will definitely make it." 

The woman said so much and spoke so fast as if she did not have enough time, as she finished speaking she gave a sad smile. Her body was slowly fading when Fusheng woke up. She was dazed as she woke up, she didn't even get to know the woman's identity or find out why the woman was helping, how she knew her grandfather and other questions. Fusheng gave a disappointed sigh and decided to forget about woman and instead focused on what the woman said about searching her surroundings carefully, she looked around her present room and discovered that ever since they sent her to this courtyard which was her mother's previous courtyard, she had never looked through her mother's things. While thinking of this Ah wan came in with the breakfast...