Chapter 36: Qin Wan’s Strength

I grew up in a small, secluded village—a peaceful place that felt like a world apart from all the noise outside.

But in the end, we’re just ordinary people. We can’t compare to those cultivators.

They dare to defy fate, walk paths no one else dares, so their lives stretch far beyond ours.

To us, the cycle of birth, aging, sickness and death is as natural as breathing. Living out our days and passing away peacefully is all we hope for.

As the years went by, word of our village slowly started to spread.

Turns out, there were plenty of other villages tucked away on the far side of the mountain.

Bit by bit, the outside world seeped into ours and we began to see what life beyond our borders looked like.

The Sword Qi Continent is a world where only the strong are respected—ordinary people are nothing more than ants underfoot.

Cultivators with real power can slaughter people like us without ever facing consequences, because that’s simply how this continent works.

Survival of the fittest—that’s the law of the land.

In a place like this even being a beautiful woman is dangerous—looks can bring nothing but trouble.

That year I turned fifteen. I inherited my mother’s beauty and started to blossom into a young woman.

News of this spread quickly, catching the eye of all the young men in our village.

It wasn’t long before word reached everyone in the mountains around us too.

On the other side of the mountain there was a landlord named Wang Jia. He first heard about me from his servants.

Driven by lust he wanted to make me his concubine, so he kept sending people to persuade me to accept his offer.

Rumor had it Wang Jia was a lecherous man who took pleasure in abusing women. Whenever he was displeased, he’d whip them mercilessly. If he grew bored, he’d just find any excuse to kill them off.

My face turned ghostly pale when I heard this. How could I ever agree? So I told them I needed to care for my mother and refused.

When Wang Jia heard my excuse he just laughed and said he could bring my mother along too. I still said no.

The more you can’t get what you want, the more you crave it. Denying him only made Wang Jia more obsessed.

He sent his men to harass my family again and again, hoping to force me into submission.

But he underestimated my resolve—I refused to give in, no matter how many times they came and left empty-handed. Finally, Wang Jia got angry and decided to come in person.

One morning, a racket outside jolted me awake. Bleary-eyed, I peeked out the window.

I saw a crowd of his servants blocking the doorway, arms full of so-called betrothal gifts. Wang Jia himself had come to snatch me away and was yelling at me to get outside or he’d start spreading rumors about me.

All that noise woke my sleeping mother and she stepped into the hallway.

One of Wang Jia’s thugs, ever eager to please, quickly said, “Master, that’s the girl’s mother! Should we grab her and force the girl to give in?”

Wang Jia thought that sounded good enough and ordered his men to seize my mother.

The moment I realized what was happening I dashed outside, begging them to let my mother go.

Wang Jia stared at me, eyes dark and greedy. “You want your mother safe? Fine. Become my concubine!” he said, licking his lips as if he couldn’t wait.

I looked at Wang Jia—fat as a pig, his face covered in greasy wrinkles—and the way he leered at me made me sick to my stomach.

When I refused him again, his patience snapped. He snarled, “If you dare say no, I’ll beat your mother to death!”

I was so young and frail, I’d never been threatened like that before. My head spun and I didn’t know what to do. I was terrified he really would kill my mother, so I started thinking maybe I had no choice but to give in.

Just then, a commotion rose up behind me. A group of uncles, aunts and young men from the village rushed forward, brandishing hoes, shovels and kitchen knives. Led by the Village Chief, they hurried to my house.

The Village Chief took one look at the scene and exploded with rage. He pointed at Wang Jia and shouted, “Are you even human? Using such despicable tricks to threaten a young girl! You’re worse than a beast!”

The villagers all chimed in, “That’s right, get out of here! You’re not welcome in our village!”

Seeing he was outnumbered, Wang Jia lost his nerve and slunk away with his men.

Tears poured down my face as I knelt on the ground, bowing to everyone in thanks.

But Wang Jia wasn’t willing to give up. He came back to harass us again and again.

Each time, with my fellow villagers behind me, we drove him off.

Then, after what felt like ages, Wang Jia suddenly vanished and never returned.

We finally enjoyed a year of peace. When I turned sixteen, something miraculous happened one morning—my mother’s dementia just disappeared.

During that time, neighbors kept coming by to visit, each hoping my mother would let me marry their sons.

But I didn’t want to leave her, so I put them off, saying I was still too young and needed to care for my mother. She agreed with me.

The years slipped by. I watched as my mother’s hair gradually turned from black to white, her once-straight back stooped and the beauty in her face was replaced by the marks of time.