Ten Years Dead, Then Accidentally Awakened by My Mortal Enemy

Ten years ago, Jiang Zui was seventeen, with a steely will and an unyielding nature. Proud and arrogant, she was famous for her talent for a time. Later, her death made her famous across the land... Whether the fame she left behind was good or bad is another matter...

Ten years ago, the Wanfu Sect began to decline after its leader, Jiang Changming, lost its most powerful talisman, the Talisman of All Beings. She joined the Wanfu Sect around that time. Inspired by Jiang Changming, she vowed to become the greatest talisman master in the world!

She wanted to do all she could to seal the savage Yinglong and secure a place for the Wanfu Sect in the struggle among sects.

Alas, she practiced diligently for ten years but never managed to draw the Talisman of All Beings. She died of exhaustion fighting Yinglong, and all she got in return was a draw.

After that battle, the Wanfu Sect not only failed to secure its standing, it was completely disbanded.

Yinglong trapped her soul in the Cold Abyss, where she wandered through the darkness for years, studying the Way of Talismans day after day. Ten years later, she chanced upon an opportunity and unexpectedly attached her soul to a sweet osmanthus vine. When she awoke, she had become a little flower spirit.

Only then did she discover that the Cold Abyss, said to be unreachable and barren of all plant life, was full of sweet osmanthus vines and abundant spiritual energy.

The roots of the vine she inhabited grew over the bones of a man who had fallen to one knee, twining around his heart.

His white brocade robe remained intact, but beneath it there was nothing but bones. Drawing on her experience from her previous life, she could tell at a glance that the man had used a forbidden art, willingly letting his flesh be consumed and his cultivation dissipate, all to awaken the one he loved... only for her to get there first!

Jiang Zui felt rather guilty, so she gathered the spiritual energy on the mountain and restored the man's body.

As luck would have it, the man was a handsome young man of seventeen or eighteen, and her sworn rival! He was a renowned prodigy of the sword, known as the foremost swordsman, Song Qingci!

The moonlight in the Cold Abyss fell coldly on the two of them.

Jiang Zui looked at the young man's bright, startled eyes and smiled awkwardly. "Sorry... I think I took the wrong place..."

His eyes turned red at the corners, and a pool of tears suddenly welled in them. He stared silently at her without saying a word.

Jiang Zui grew uneasy under his gaze.

In her previous life, she had been familiar with Song Qingci, too. She thought there was no way he could ever fall for anyone!

She could only blame her early death. She had missed so much that she never imagined he would one day use a forbidden art for the woman he loved, and... cry!

With a face like his, he must have started using forbidden arts pretty young.

It's more unbelievable than fish flying through the sky that he could love someone this much!

But now clearly wasn't the time to gossip.

Jiang Zui straightened his clothes and stiffly tried to comfort him. "Don't cry. Maybe someone else summoned her away? Since I took her place, I'll help you look for her!"

"To the death! You know I always keep my word!"

The young man said quietly, "Liar."

Jiang Zui frowned. "Have I ever lied to you?"

The young man accused her, each word deliberate. "I waited all day and night that day, and you never came."

Jiang Zui fell silent for a moment, suspecting he was doing this on purpose. She couldn't help glaring at him. "That day, Yinglong worked me to death. I had no idea where my soul had drifted off to. How was I supposed to bring you food?"

The young man gazed at her stubbornly. "You promised me."

Jiang Zui was speechless. "How did I never realize you were so petty in my previous life?"

"Let's get out of here first. I'll treat you..." She glanced at herself. She didn't look like she had any money on her. "You pick a place, and I'll cook for you, okay?"

At last, the young man gave a soft hum of assent.

Jiang Zui felt like she'd seen a ghost. In her previous life, he had clearly hated her. Whenever she did anything, he'd make a snide remark. He looked down on the Wanfu Sect's food most of all, let alone anything she cooked.

Time really can change a lot.

Fine, let him eat. It's not like it'll kill him.

*

Bonus Scene

As a newly made demon, Jiang Zui finds that her arms and legs don't work very well. She can barely walk a mile in a whole day, and she's at her wit's end.

The young man silently picks her up and carries her out of the Cold Abyss, one step at a time.

Jiang Zui is a little surprised. She rests her hands on his shoulders, careful not to put any weight on him. "Song Qingci, if you do this, I'm afraid the girl you like won't be happy when she finds out."

She may not have much experience from her previous life, but she understands some things.

The young man supports her knees steadily and says in a muffled voice, "She isn't unhappy."

"..."

How is she supposed to respond to that?

After a moment's silence, Jiang Zui says, "You're much easier to talk to now. When we find her, I'll put in a good word for you."

The young man presses his lips together. After a moment, he says earnestly, "She... believes herself more."

Jiang Zui: "...Oh, I see. That's... something we have in common."

He really isn't giving her anything to work with.

After a long while, she falls asleep from exhaustion, unconsciously resting her head on his shoulder.

The young man glances at her face and can't help sighing.

"Jiang Zui..."

His brows draw together slightly, his gaze unbearably tender as he whispers:

"Fool."

Theme: Hard work can change your fate and create miracles