Husband and Wife to Battle – Bittersweet Memories

A rebellion for the throne took place twelve years ago between summer and autumn. It was swiftly squandered; the rebellion didn't last for even half a year. Alas, the people suffered as a consequence.

The siege on the capital failed. The army that laid siege to the capital retreated. The rebels defended their city with elite strategies and lives. The man behind the rebellion, being a Northerner, did his best to hold out until winter, when he could leverage his experience fighting in snowy conditions to defeat the imperial court's military. Unfortunately, he fell at the city walls before winter came, as the Seven Champion White Princes joined the fray.

The city the rebellion army occupied was situated along an important travel route connecting the North and South. The leader refused to leave the city walls. Meanwhile, rations in the city eventually ran out. Death from starvation, bloody corpses, decayed corpses, skeleton sightings and woeful cries were ubiquitous and became a daily norm for those months he occupied the city. Hell on Earth was one way of describing the tragedy that ensued.

A young girl in the city during the turmoil fought for her life every day on the mean streets. Her mother once said, "Lian'er… Live." Her mother's words were her source of courage and hope during those days, yet they eventually became a curse that stopped her from pursuing death when despair hit. After the imperial court's army broke through the defence line and punished the rebel, the imperial court expressed and exercised sympathy to all of the victimised families, thus beginning the period of recovery. Sadly, the girl's nightmare had yet to end.

After the war was winter. The girl's residence - if it could be considered one - was worn out and unable to keep the cold old. She had nothing to wear except thin and tor clothing and nothing to do but count her days before she froze to death. She would be a skeleton had she not encountered Brilliant Consort returning to the capital that fateful day.

Brilliant Consort didn't feed her sumptuous food or gift her resplendent clothing. The only difference between her and other servants was the consort spent more time chatting with her daily compared to the others. Nevertheless, the girl cherished those conversations.

The girl assiduously learnt martial arts under a teacher's tutelage and climbed to a rank few could match within the next twelve years. She treated Brilliant Consort's child more importantly than her own life and protected the mother and son duo with her life simply because she was grateful for Brilliant Consort taking her in back then.

Life in the imperial palace wasn't a lavish life and came with its difficulties. If anything, she often needed to devote all of her efforts to her endeavours if she wanted to grab even the lowest hanging fruit.

She was a girl, yet she had to abandon common perceptions of males and females to assume the identity of eunuch. She understood that meant she was doomed to spend her entire life alone and without descendants. As if it wasn't enough, seeing others live out that very fate in the imperial palace was routine for her. Despite that, Bai Lian was sincerely grateful, for she, at least, wasn't continuously plagued with the questions, "Will I freeze to death tomorrow? Will I even have food tomorrow?" At the very least, she didn't have to work so hard to fulfil her promise to live on. Thankfully, it had been a long time since she felt overwhelmed with fear again. At some point, she forgot about the miserable times; perhaps she dissociated with those memories, forgetting she once lived in a hell.

Bai Lian, seeing the villagers crying and writhing in pain, clenched her fists tight without self-awareness of what she was doing. Her fear and detest turned her face red. She stood still in place and breathed heavily until her breathing was erratic. Her true qi began to run wild.

An elite adept taught Bai Lian the one-of-a-kind internal strength palm style she used. Top that off with her diligent practice and talent, and she qualified to stand among the highest-ranked members amongst the Seventeen Hidden Dragons. At one point, her teacher remarked, "You're not weak anymore. You defeat ten imperial martial arts exam winners. What are you still training so hard for? I was only half as good as you are at your age, and I could barely sleep at night from the excitement."

Bai Lian didn't agree with her teacher's evaluation. Her goal was to help Lord Zi succeed the throne. His six brothers had countless formidable names under their wings. Therefore, she had to do everything she could to shield him from his brothers. Subsequently, she continued to dedicate herself to improving her skills.

Bai Lian's style was highly advanced; she merely hadn't reached its peak due to her young age. Once she did reach its pinnacle, she would struggle to find someone who could match her. Her style took the quick route. One could