Fu Le knew her cousin had always looked down on her.
They were both children of the Fu family, the most prominent martial arts clan in the land. Fu Xuanmo was an accomplished scholar and fighter, famous throughout the martial world.
By contrast, she had ordinary abilities. She couldn't write a good strategy or draw her sword to defend against an enemy. In the eyes of outsiders, she was a complete good-for-nothing.
Apart from her lovely looks, she had no redeeming qualities.
So whenever she saw her cousin, she felt a little afraid.
Later, after her parents were brutally killed, her brother became the only family she had left in this world.
Fu Le's situation grew even more difficult. Every day, she had to face a brother whose moods were impossible to predict.
Fu Xuanmo's gaze grew darker by the day, burning with a possessive heat, as if he wanted to swallow her whole and make her part of him. Then, when the truth finally came out, everything came crashing down.
She wasn't the real second daughter of the Fu family at all. The true heiress, who had been lost for years, returned, leaving Fu Le with nowhere to belong in the Fu family fortress.
Fortunately, while her mother was still alive, she had arranged a marriage for Fu Le.
The man was sincere in his feelings and didn't care about her background.
To escape this suffocating cage, Fu Le began keeping her appointments and meeting with him.
But every time they met, Fu Xuanmo's expression darkened, and his possessiveness surged more fiercely in his eyes.
That day.
She stepped into the room as agreed, and the wooden door slowly closed behind her.
The man waiting inside wasn't her betrothed. A figure in dark robes emerged from the corner. Fu Xuanmo's expression was sinister, and a dark, obsessive tide churned in his deep black eyes.
An unusual fragrance filled the room. Fu Le had once lived in the Poison Pavilion, and she recognized the scent at once.
Her heart sank. "Passion Flower poison?"
She hurriedly raised a hand to cover her nose and mouth, but it was too late.
Heat surged through her limbs and every inch of her body. Fu Xuanmo slowly approached and gently caressed her cheek with his long, distinctively jointed fingers. His voice sounded calm, but beneath it lay an almost deranged obsession.
"Don't be afraid. Big Brother will cure you."
Fu Xuanmo had always thought that as long as she stayed by his side, that was enough. He didn't care what he had to do, whether she wanted it or liked him. He had all the time and patience in the world, and they could take as long as they needed.
Until that day, when Fu Le lay in his arms, her body ice-cold.
The last warmth in her body slowly faded, and her bright almond-shaped eyes weakly closed.
Overwhelming regret swept over him like a tide, nearly drowning him. Only then did Fu Xuanmo finally realize how completely and utterly wrong he had been.
The world was shaken overnight.
Fu Xuanmo, the ruthless and merciless lord of the Fu family fortress, had gone mad.
With a scheme, Fu Le faked her death and escaped, returning to her birth mother.
After surviving a brush with death, Fu Le had come to see things differently. Her old memories held both good and bad, but, one way or another, they were exhausting. So she chose to drink the potion and forget everything.
At last, the princess who had been lost among the common folk was found, and the whole country celebrated.
With no memories, Fu Le was like a blank sheet of paper, carefree and innocent. One day, she accompanied her mother to the royal temple to pray and give thanks, when assassins suddenly attacked.
An arrow whistled through the air. At the very last moment, a figure abruptly stepped in front of her and took the deadly arrow.
He had an exceptionally handsome face, but his eyes were filled with an unbearable sorrow.
Blood soaked through his black robes, a shocking sight.
Though he was gravely wounded, he comforted her instead, his voice hoarse and gentle:
"Don't be scared. It's all right now. Don't be scared."
Possessive love, then a groveling pursuit of the wife
No blood relation + intense bond + possessive love + groveling pursuit of the wife
Ruthless, scheming, unhinged older brother + soft but strong-willed younger sister with steel in her bones
Theme: Face hardship and never give up
