[Prequel to Chinese Paladin 5: Zhuo Chu] Before Summer Solstice

Blurb: Before summer comes, you cannot know how scorching it will be. Before winter comes, fireflies cannot know its cold. They met when they were young, stayed by each other's side and protected one another, supporting and accompanying each other all the way. But the world is ever-changing. One day, the demon clan invaded, the martial world fell into chaos, and the four great families crumbled and collapsed. There was the ancient sword Chang Li, born amid bloodshed, with a spirit within its blade and power enough to become invincible. But the sword was inherently vicious, and the malice within it was almost impossible to dispel. She was a lonely wanderer, with no one to rely on, a forsaken girl painstakingly sought out by the Huangfu family, one of the four great families, to nurture the sword with her mortal heart. From childhood, she possessed pure spiritual energy capable of cleansing all the world's evil and malice. As she spent her days with the young master of the Huangfu family, feelings grew between them. Their bond was deep, but fate was cruel, and in the end, they could not escape its tricks. When the city fell and the demons invaded, she plunged a sword into herself, hoping to free the spirit of Chang Li, whom she cherished as if it were her own child. Yet even her death changed nothing. The young master of the Huangfu family, once adorably earnest, invincible, and brimming with justice, forgot everything that came before and lost his memories of his past life. When she opened her eyes one day, she was horrified to discover that she had returned to the moment she first arrived. She had even become bound to a strange fellow who called himself a System. He wasn't a sword spirit, but he was unusually clever and smug. Which path should she take this time? Would every step be like walking on thin ice? Would flowers bloom all around her? Or would all her struggles and efforts turn out to be no more than a dream of fleeting beauty, or a bowl of forgetfulness soup in Meng Po's hands beside the Bridge of Helplessness? [Pairing: Huangfu Zhuo x Xia Chu Lin (Yes, that's right, she's the canon pairing for the young master in Gujian 5.)] Don't let the blurb scare you. It's not actually that terrifying. The author searched high and low and was practically starving, but couldn't find a single fanfic pairing the young master with a girl. It was unbearable, so I had to do it myself and make sure I got what I wanted. A little angst is good for the soul, too much is bad for you, so moderation is best~ Also known as "My Young Master Has Such an Unusual Style," "Young Master, Could You Stop Being So Adorable?" and "A Reborn Girl's Inner World Is Falling Apart"