The improved female villains regained their memories.

Qi Pengju stared wide-eyed, his face full of innocence: "Why do you say that, sister? I just wanted to help you complete the plan as soon as possible. Wang Jingxing's exposure was unexpected, and his assassination was something I never imagined."

"You didn't expect that? You also possess the power of destiny; you can clearly see the threads of fate connecting them!"

"Yes, I saw it clearly, yes, that's right, so what?"

Qi Pengju suddenly roared:

"Not only do they see it very clearly, but I see it very clearly between us too!"

"Sister, you're desperately trying to sever the thread of fate between us, and desperately trying to maintain the thread of fate between you and Wang Jingxing. I don't understand, I don't get it!?"

"If you despise me and think I'm a burden, you don't need to treat me like this. You could just tell me to die. Why go through all this trouble?"

Why bother?!

Nangong Qingyang was stunned by his shout.

She took a few steps back, leaned against the table, and looked dazed.

destiny......

She remembered what her master had told her: "You must think clearly, those who study destiny will surely die because of destiny."

Chapter 613 Sin

In general, when things are close yet not in harmony, misfortune will ensue; harm may result, regret, and loss. — *The Commentary on the Book of Changes*

She heard from her father that they did not originally live in the State of Chu.

They originally lived next to the Zhou royal family. When Prince Chao fled to Chu, his ancestors followed him and came to the State of Chu, where they eventually settled.

They cast aside the past and from this day forward, they became the people of Chu.

Because the Zhou Dynasty is now a thing of the past.

But even though it's in the past, many things can't be let go of just like that.

The more vivid the memory, the harder it is to let go.

-------------

The Zhou Dynasty is now a thing of the past, and there's nothing we can do about it.

As a child, Nangong Qingyang often listened to his father tell stories of the Zhou Dynasty, including King Wen of Zhou, King Wu of Zhou, Duke Dan of Zhou, and so on, all the way up to the story of the beacon fire that amused the feudal lords and the scheming of the Protector of Heaven Sect.

My father said, "What is destined to happen is fate."

Flowers can only be flowers, grass can only be grass, eagles soar in the sky, chickens hop on the ground, but they are only a few feet high.

That was the first time Nangong Qingyang had heard the word "fate".

At that time, the Qin state had become powerful, the Chu state was gradually declining, the royal family was incompetent, and the Linlang clan, relying on the royal family's support, acted tyrannically.

As if it were destined, the state of Chu was destined to be destroyed by the state of Qin.

The father held Nangong Qingyang's hand and said, "What is destined cannot be changed. At the right time, you must learn to give up. I used to consider myself a Zhou person and always wanted to restore the Zhou royal family, but now I think that's impossible."

"Little Qingyang, go and grow up happily. Don't pursue anything. Living like this is just fine."

In such an era, the Zhou royal family had become a thing of the past.

Stubbornly clinging to the name "Zhou people" will only lead to a miserable life.

Nangong Qingyang was born in the State of Chu, speaks the Chu language, and writes the Chu script.

For her, the Zhou people were a more distant concept.

-------------

My father loved to sing Qu Yuan's poem "Elegy for the Fallen".

Sometimes, when he was drunk, he would sing at the top of his lungs: "Truly brave, tenacious, and heroic, always strong and unyielding, inviolable. Though man dies, spirit never fades; your soul is truly a hero among ghosts!"

Nangong Qingyang asked, "Father, what kind of person was Qu Yuan?"

The father smiled and said, "Qu Yuan was a remarkable person."

Nangong Qingyang asked again, "But Father, Qu Yuan was a man from the State of Chu."

Since my father claimed to be a Zhou person, why did he particularly like Qu Yuan, who was from the state of Chu?

She heard her father say, "To know something is destined to happen, yet still want to change it, that's what makes someone remarkable."

This sentence accompanied Nangong Qingyang as he grew up.

She understood perfectly that although her father often told her that giving up was a form of wisdom, he still admired those who persisted in changing their destiny.

He said that kind of person is remarkable.

The father didn't explain why it was so remarkable.

Before she could understand the wisdom her father spoke of, or enjoy the love and care of her family, a shocking upheaval in the State of Chu disrupted everything.

Many years later, when Nangong Qingyang tried to recall her former home, most of the memories were blurry. The only clear ones were her father singing loudly after drinking, her mother gently lulling her to sleep, and her mother dressing her in thick clothes when the snow came.

She remembered her last night with her parents. That night, snow was falling heavily, and she fell asleep in her mother's arms, watching her warm breath escape and spray onto the window, forming a thin mist.

The night before every dramatic event is always peaceful.

-------------

Before dawn, the capital of Chu was thrown into chaos.

The great fire that broke out in the palace awakened the city. The roar of the immortals' magic continued, and the greenery reflected in the sky obscured the harbinger of dawn.

She didn't know what had happened, only that in her half-asleep state, she heard many people outside.

Disordered footsteps, something booming in the sky, the white snow being stained with color, no longer a pure white expanse.

"Father, Mother?"

She rubbed her eyes and got up. Outside the courtyard, there was a commotion, but inside it was quiet. She pushed open the door and went out. Hot blood was buried in the cold white snow. Her father, mother, and many servants in the courtyard were all decapitated.

The snow fell little by little, covering the blood.

"Seal this place off."

“Her people have hidden inside, I’m sure I saw it right.”

"Are there still survivors?"

She looked up blankly and saw the immortals of the Linlang Sect standing on the eaves like ghosts, looking at her as if she were prey.

This was her first impression of the immortal.

-------------

Her master saved her.

She didn't know her master's name or gender; all she knew was that her master was her master.

The master killed the people of the Linlang Sect, took her hand, and stood on the outskirts of the capital.

They stood atop the high mountain, watching the capital city descend into chaos.

He held her cold little hand and asked, "Are you scared?"

Nangong Qingyang sniffed and shook his head.

The master asked, "Why aren't you afraid?"

Nangong Qingyang replied softly, "Being afraid is useless. What's done is done, and there's no way to change it."

Master smiled.

His laughter was hoarse and unpleasant, not like a human laugh.

“You are very smart. Your talent has given you a mindset beyond your years, but it has also stifled your childlike innocence,” he said. “That’s how the world is. You gain some things, and you will lose others.”

Nangong Qingyang didn't understand and could only nod blankly.

The master asked, "Do you want to learn the power of destiny?"

Nangong Qingyang asked blankly, "What is the power of destiny?"

"Destiny is fate."

"Then what is destiny?"

“That which is done without being done is Heaven; that which arrives without being brought about is destiny. This is the mandate of Heaven.”

The master tapped her forehead a few times and said, "All the knowledge I have stored in your mind is now yours to do as you please."

"I have only one request: never tell anyone that you have such a master."

After saying these words, the master disappeared.

From that day on, Nangong Qingyang's life was changed. Her fate was intertwined with her own, and she could never escape it.

-------------

Before she could even collect her parents' remains after becoming an orphan, she was kidnapped by a group of people.

These people spoke with a Qin accent, and thanks to the knowledge given to him by his master, Nangong Qingyang, who was blindfolded, was able to understand their conversation.

What happened in the Qin state?

"I don't know, it looks like it's from the Chu King's palace."

"Linlang Sect has gone mad. Under the pretext of searching for someone, they have started killing innocent people indiscriminately again."

"This is to our advantage. The master is urging us to collect orphans from the six kingdoms, and here we are!"

"Wait a minute, why is the fabric of the clothes worn by this kid we caught in the suburbs so good?"

"Who cares? Once we get to Qin, we can hand everything over to you, sir."

She didn't know what they were saying, but she understood that they seemed to want to take her to the Qin state.

No, how could she go to Qin? Her parents' remains hadn't been recovered yet. Her home was in Chu; she didn't want to go anywhere else.

Almost instinctively, she activated the power of fate.

In the pitch black, the group seemed to have used some kind of supernatural power, and she was led into a dark room. Suddenly, the sounds of fighting came from outside, then disappeared. She heard voices outside:

"Is the test over?"