Zhao Lingxi stared at her for a long moment, her cold dark eyes unreadable. Then, with a slight wave of her hand, she said calmly, "Let her rest for now." Without another word, she turned and walked out, the two servant girls quickly following after her.
The room fell silent.
Bethany slowly released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Her shoulders slumped against the rough bedding as she stared at the cracked wooden ceiling.
She had died once. Betrayed by those she trusted the most, people she fought beside, protected, and even considered family. When she closed her eyes that day, she never expected to open them again.
Heaven? She knew she didn't deserve that. Not with the number of lives she had taken to survive. But waking up here… in a strange world with no zombies, no bloodshed, no desperate battles for food. It was unexpected.
Was this her punishment? Or a second chance?
Whatever it was, it felt a little easier than her past life. If she could just avoid the main plot, lay low, and not attract attention, maybe she could live a quiet, peaceful life this time.
No more responsibilities. No more sacrifices.
Bethany took a deep breath, then slowly closed her eyes.
Maybe... just maybe...
She focused her mind, reaching inward, searching for the familiar feeling she hadn't felt since waking up in this strange world.
And then...
Whoosh.
When she opened her eyes again, everything around her had changed.
She was standing in a dark, enclosed space filled with floating glimmers of soft blue light, like fireflies frozen in time. The air here was still, quiet, and slightly cold. Her personal dimension, her space was still intact.
But it was... smaller?
Bethany looked around with a slight frown. What once stretched as wide as a small warehouse now looked more like a cramped storage room. Still, it was hers. She spotted a few metal shelves in the corner, holding what little remained of her precious supplies from the apocalypse. Energy bars, canned food, purified water, spare clothes, and a few weapons. Some of the more advanced tech items flickered faintly, their energy cores unstable in this foreign world.
So she had transmigrated with her abilities.
Bethany exhaled a breath she didn't realize she was holding and smiled faintly.
Good. That meant she wasn't completely helpless.
Here, in a world ruled by cultivation and spiritual strength, she might actually have a chance at survival.
Because Bethany wasn't just an ordinary awakened.
She was a rare dual-ability user with control over spatial manipulation and the terrifying Spirit Devouring ability, one of the deadliest powers known in her world. An SSS-ranked anomaly feared by allies and enemies alike.
Bethany exited her space and opened her eyes back in the dim little room. Just then, she heard faint voices outside. There was some kind of commotion near the entrance of the small courtyard.
Curious, she walked over quietly, peeking through the worn wooden screen.
Two servant girls dressed in refined robes stood just beyond the gate. They looked nothing like the maids who'd been attending Zhao Lingxi earlier. Their expressions were calm, but their posture was arrogant, shoulders straight, eyes filled with disdain as they looked around.
One of them held a scroll sealed with a crimson wax stamp.
Soon, Zhao Lingxi stepped out from her room, her face as composed as ever. "What is it?" she asked coldly.
The servant holding the scroll stepped forward and bowed stiffly.
"Miss Zhao Lingxi, we were sent by the General's residence," she said. "The master sent a message."
She handed over the scroll.
Zhao Lingxi opened it and quickly read through the contents. Her hand trembled ever so slightly, but her face remained unreadable.
Bethany could just make out the words on the letter from where she stood:
"You must have reflected on your mistakes over the past ten years. In two days, someone will come to bring you back to the Zhao residence."
Zhao Lingxi stared at the letter for a long moment, then calmly folded it. "I understand. You may go."
The servants bowed again, though it was clear they didn't respect her in the slightest, before turning and leaving.
As the gate creaked shut behind them, an odd silence settled over the courtyard.
Bethany glanced at Zhao Lingxi, whose eyes were fixed on the cloudy sky.
Something about her posture looked tense… but not weak.
Bethany's eyes dimmed as she recognized the scene unfolding before her.
This moment… it was straight out of the novel.
When Zhao Lingxi was just ten years old, she was framed for a terrible crime, the murder of one of her father's favored concubines' unborn child. The fifth concubine, Madam Hua, had accused Zhao Lingxi of pushing her down a flight of stairs during a minor quarrel.
Even though there was no proof, and Zhao Lingxi had always been quiet and obedient, the entire Zhao household turned on her. Her father, General Zhao, never once questioned the truth. After all, in his eyes, a daughter born from a lowly concubine was hardly worth defending.
She was branded insane, accused of jealousy and cruelty, and hidden away from the capital like a shameful secret.
Banished to the cold countryside as punishment, separated from her younger brother, never allowed to see him again. Left to survive in a ruined courtyard with harsh winters, little food, and no protection.
Zhao Lingxi's spirit power was been pitiful—only three shattered spirit roots, the weakest foundation any cultivator could have. With such a broken base, her cultivation speed was slower than ordinary servants. Even if she wanted to defend herself, she simply couldn't.
Ten years of suffering. Ten years of being forgotten.
And now, after all that, they dared to send a letter?
Zhao Lingxi's fingers clenched around the parchment, crumpling it in her hand.
"Young Miss!" Liu Ruyan, the taller maid, stepped forward with genuine joy in her eyes. "The Master has finally forgiven you! You can finally return home!"
Zhao Lingxi laughed softly. It wasn't warm. It was sharp, bitter, mocking.
"Forgiven me?" Her lips curled into a cold smile as her dark eyes glinted. "But I never did anything wrong. Do you also believe I'm a murderer?"
Her voice was calm, but the weight behind it made the air heavy.
The two servants stiffened. For a moment, neither dared to answer. Finally, they exchanged awkward looks and forced smiles.
"Of course not," one of them said quickly.
But the way their eyes shifted away told another story entirely.
Huh, even her own servants didn't believe in her.