A Reborn Life Under the Sun

The sun shone brightly today.

After enduring countless years of sunless, demonic cultivation in her previous life, Bai Yuan found herself yearning for the warmth of the sun.

She lay comfortably in a handcrafted rattan chair, basking in the balmy weather, savoring the feeling of bright sunlight on her skin.

A delightful warmth permeated her limbs, a truly unparalleled pleasure.

Bai Yuan narrowed her eyes, a wave of drowsiness washing over her.

‘Perhaps this entire existence is merely a dream,’ she mused, ‘a beautiful illusion to spare me agony in my dying moments.’

‘One day, I might close my eyes and never wake up again.’

She contemplated this with a listless mind.

Then again, it might not be a dream at all.

She had lost count of the days since she had opened her eyes anew.

Was it the one thousand one hundred eighteenth day, or the one thousand one hundred nineteenth?

If it were a dream, it stretched on for far too long.

Yet, if it was indeed rebirth, then the timing was regrettably late. For when her consciousness had returned, she had already been lying naked beneath Yang Xuan.

She had utterly lost any chance to rectify her past mistakes.

Her only small comfort was that Yang Xuan’s fury and resentment seemed to have been spent by then, making her days less torturous.

Now, however, she no longer cared for such trivialities. To live out her days quietly cultivating within this manor, dutifully and uneventfully, was not an overly difficult prospect.

After all, if the sky were to fall, Yang Xuan would be there to hold it up. He was, by all accounts, the protagonist of this world.

Speaking of Yang Xuan, she wondered if it was her imagination.

Since her return, she had noticed Yang Xuan’s visits were far more frequent than in her previous life, and his ‘technique’ had also improved significantly. Most remarkably, he even seemed to consider her feelings now.

Or perhaps, she pondered, it was simply because she had become more docile and cooperative?

If that were the case, perhaps their plump, healthy son might arrive sooner than expected.

The now-married woman, who had spent far more of her life as a concubine than as a beloved, shamelessly pondered these trivial thoughts.

Suddenly, the familiar voice of a maid echoed nearby.

“Concubine Bai, your letter.”

The tone was far from deferential, lacking any of the respect a maid should show her mistress. Bai Yuan, however, paid it no mind.

She had entered Tianhe Gate as a captive, and even her concubinage ceremony had been held here, with no one from the Bai family present. Naturally, these servant girls were born into the Tianhe Gate household, and it was only logical they held no affection for her.

That they didn’t serve her spoiled food daily or mock her with veiled barbs was already a blessing.

She could only wonder how many red packets the messenger had given the gatekeeper and this maid for the delivery of this letter.

Bai Yuan opened her eyes, casually accepting the letter and tearing it open.

The letter was from the steward of a minor family she had once dealt with. It mentioned that a sect called Tieyang Gate wished to negotiate a business deal with Tianhe Gate and sought her assistance in mediating.

The words subtly conveyed that a rather substantial introduction fee was on offer.

‘They want me to be a middleman? This Tieyang Gate certainly has ideas.’

Bai Yuan pursed her lips, rummaging through the dusty corners of her memory. She eventually unearthed some information about the sect: they hailed from Longyou, later relocated to Hexi, and their primary business was iron smithing. They controlled an iron mine, but unfortunately, they only produced common-grade weapons and possessed no exceptional techniques.

‘So, they lack skill, and that’s why they want me to whisper sweet nothings in Yang Xuan’s ear?’

Bai Yuan felt a flicker of annoyance, about to tear the letter when another piece of information surfaced in her mind.

‘Ah, that family’s iron mine seemed to hold something special. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to eradicate them in my previous life, earning them a small corner in my memories.’

‘Perhaps, it’s worth a look?’

“Is the messenger who delivered this still here?”

Bai Yuan thought for a moment, then looked at the maid who was idly sitting nearby.

“Yes, they said if there was a reply, I should just tell them to go to the West Gate.”

The maid nodded, a hint of expectation on her face.

Evidently, the errand fee had been quite generous.

“Then tell them I’ll be there this afternoon.”

Bai Yuan saw no need to write a formal reply, simply giving a verbal message. She then closed her eyes, resuming her comfortable sunbath.

At this particular season, sunbathing was of paramount importance.

Time swiftly passed, and soon it was past noon.

As the de facto controller of the two northwestern provinces, the Yang Manor’s kitchen was actually quite excellent. However, with a grand banquet scheduled for the evening, Yang Xuan and the various madams were all absent for lunch.

Consequently, the midday meal was somewhat perfunctory, and since the maids in the courtyard were always impatient to wait in line, the food was largely cold by the time it reached Bai Yuan.

She idly took a few bites, then set her bowl aside. After a short rest, she changed into casual attire, left her small courtyard, and strolled leisurely towards the West Gate.

Over the past three years, her conduct in this life seemed to have been exemplary. She had proven quite submissive, both in her daily life and in the bedroom.

Yang Xuan had gradually loosened his reins on her. Six months prior, he had even personally bestowed upon her a waist token, permitting her free entry and exit without prior announcement—a privilege she had never obtained in her previous life.

Presenting the token to the guards at the gate, Bai Yuan stepped through the west side door, acutely aware of their slightly peculiar gazes.

Wuzhou City, situated at the junction of Longyou and Hexi provinces, boasted thriving commerce and a prosperous population, making it a strategic stronghold perpetually contested by military powers.

It was also the very foundation of Tianhe Gate.

Before the Five Dynasties, Tianhe Gate had seized control of this city, enabling its expansion and growth. Through decades of astute management, conquering both east and west, and defeating numerous challengers, including the Bai family of Longyou, it had, over five generations, become the dominant power in the Northwest.

With this foundation, Wuzhou City had grown increasingly prosperous.

Pedestrians bustled to and fro, shoulder to shoulder, and vendors’ calls along the streets created an incessant din. It was precisely lunchtime, and the tantalizing aromas drifting from the roadside eateries stirred one’s appetite.

Bai Yuan bought two skewers of lamb, along with a flatbread. She casually ate to sate her hunger while wandering aimlessly through the streets.

Since gaining the freedom to move about, she had explored every corner of this city, now hailed as the ‘Number One in the Northwest.’

She knew where to buy sundries, where to find good food, which stalls offered delicious lamb, which noodles were perfectly springy, and where to hear captivating tunes. She might even be more familiar with these aspects than Yang Xuan himself.

As she walked, lost in thought, she unexpectedly found herself before the city’s bustling Jade Emperor Temple.

Bai Yuan halted, looking up to gaze at the archway, inscribed a century ago by a renowned calligrapher.

‘Honoring the Supreme Sovereign, who governs the ten directions and relies on the True Lord;

Sanctified as boundless, observing myriad eons to restore purity and emptiness.’

The calligraphy, strong as iron and sharp as silver hooks, exuded powerful vigor.

‘To think… I’ve ended up here again?’

Bai Yuan paused, a bitter smile slowly gracing her lips. ‘Perhaps it’s because it’s etched so deeply into my bones?’

This archway indeed held a profound significance for her, though certainly not a positive one.

In another life, a decade or so later, seizing the opportunity while Yang Xuan led the main force of the Northwestern Allied Army in a direct confrontation with the Six-Heavens Demonic Prison’s legions, Bai Yuan—who had escaped the Yang family in disarray and remained dormant for years—personally commanded a ragtag army of various demonic creatures and fiends.

They bypassed the meticulously constructed Helan Mountain defense line of Tianhe Gate, suddenly appearing beneath this long-peaceful city.

In the ensuing chaos, she launched a surprise attack that severely wounded the second madam, Qian Ying, who was left to guard the city. With inside help opening the gates, she finally stepped into the city that had once been her downfall.

What followed was a grand blood sacrifice.

Amidst the celebratory prayers of demonic fiends, the Bai Yuan of that time stood beneath this very archway, facing a city of corpses, seas of blood, and crumbling ruins. Laughing madly, tears of blood streaming down her face, she ascended the sacrificial altar steps, built from countless bones, and attained the Xiantian realm—crossing into the realm she had once so desperately coveted.

Through this battle, the northwestern gateway was breached, and the Helan Mountain defense line was utterly shattered. From then on, the situation in the Northwest spiraled into chaos, dragging down the central battlefield and nearly causing a full-scale collapse.

Indeed, Bai Yuan had almost single-handedly reversed the entire anti-demon war effort, unleashing endless calamity.

She had also earned herself the fearsome title of ‘Bloody Butcher Rakshasa.’

‘In this life, surely none of that will come to pass?’

Bai Yuan thought, lowering her gaze to the statue of the Jade Emperor within the main hall.

In her previous life, this clay and wood sculpture had long been smashed to pieces and trampled by fiends, prepared to be replaced by a statue of the Scarlet Heaven Ghost King. Yet, at this very moment, it still stood tall.

Wafts of incense smoke curled around it, making the statue’s face appear somewhat indistinct.

‘No,’ she affirmed silently. ‘It definitely won’t.’

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she had already turned, walking towards the vibrant hustle and bustle of human life.