Xia Zhaozhao, who runs a coffin shop in Yunjing, has a peerless beauty, but makes her living from the dead.
Her coffins are finely crafted, exquisite, and excellent in quality, making them the top choice of Yunjing's noble families.
Recently, the heir to Prince Duan's residence defeated the enemy forces in the northern frontier.
On his triumphant journey back to the capital, strange signs appeared in the sky. Countless rays of light fell out of nowhere and pierced into his skin and bones, targeting only him.
After those rays of light battled inside the heir's body, all that remained on the ground was an empty human skin.
The royal family was horrified. To avoid disaster, they stripped Prince Duan's residence of its title and reduced the family to commoners.
Once a household of unmatched splendor, Prince Duan's residence soon fell into disarray, with everyone abandoning it and kicking it while it was down.
The Princess Consort of Duan, who loved her son as her own life, came to Xia Zhaozhao's coffin shop to order a coffin for her son, who had died an unnatural death.
Xia Zhaozhao accepted the order and personally escorted the coffin on the day it was completed.
With his bones incomplete and his skin laid to rest in the grave,
Xia Zhaozhao could not help sighing. She had once seen the heir to Prince Duan's residence from afar.
The young general, still a boy, had returned victorious and ridden through the bustling streets of Yunjing. He had been breathtakingly handsome, utterly dashing.
After delivering the coffin, Xia Zhaozhao went up the mountain to cut wood and was accosted by bandits who tried to assault her.
She had always possessed the ability to imbue inanimate objects with souls. She grabbed something at random, cast a spell with her fingertips, and sent it flying at the bandits.
In no time, the lecherous ruffians were scared out of their wits.
Xia Zhaozhao picked up the object she'd grabbed and took a closer look. It was a human bone.
The soul-infusing art wore off in an instant unless an inanimate object was nurtured over time with the caster's heart's blood.
Xia Zhaozhao promptly tossed the bone away.
After she had taken a few steps, someone tapped her on the shoulder.
Xia Zhaozhao turned around. A pale, white bone was suspended in midair, staring at her mournfully.
Theme: Defend the homeland
