The Sword Pavilion Hears the Bell

Time flows like an arrow, yet who knows the Way of Heaven bends like a bow? Zhou Man's life was one of misery. She could never have everything she wanted. She thought she'd defied fate, attained the Great Way, and become a ruler of Qizhou, only to be besieged by countless sects on the day of her sacrificial ceremony and die atop Jade Emperor Peak. The past scattered away, and in a single morning she returned to an earlier time... Above Sword Pavilion, golden bells rang distantly once more. Within White Emperor City, the goddess's mournful song could still be heard. That year, in the thatched hut beneath the mountain, her frail mother raised a rusty hatchet and chopped off her little finger so she wouldn't learn swordsmanship. Sixteen-year-old Zhou Man sat under the eaves, clutching her wound, and listened to the rain all night. -Starting over in this life, how should I live? -However brings me joy. Notes: 1. I'm writing this book because I like it. I'm a third-rate author who writes by rolling my face across the keyboard. Updates depend entirely on how I'm feeling. No writing advice, no guarantees of any “quality” or “quantity,” and please don't promise on my behalf, either. 2. The heroine practices archery and is no saint. 3. The title comes from another name for 《Remembering the True Consort》, but the story is unrelated. Cover art thanks to @Zuye Zhuye, title lettering thanks to @Zhao Xizhi, and character designs thanks to @Yu Yu Huadiao. Theme: Greatness lies in imperfection