Return of the Mystic Ancestor: The Prince’s Savior - Chapter 1

“Is this girl really dead?”

“She’s completely gone. The yin energy she’s cultivated is ours now!”

“Such a feast! Quick, absorb it!”

Shen Mingshu was still reeling from the searing pain of being struck by heavenly lightning when she vaguely sensed something cold, damp, and slimy brushing against her face. Her entire body felt as though she had been plunged into an icy abyss, chilled to the bone.

“Something’s wrong! Why is my hand burning?!”

“Ah—”

A shrill, ghostly wail pierced her ears, making her frown in irritation as she snapped, “Shut up!”

The wailing around her didn’t stop, the ghostly cries stabbing at her eardrums.

Annoyed, she opened her eyes and glared at the shadowy figures.

They writhed on the ground, their ghostly forms wrapped in dark energy now engulfed in blazing crimson-gold flames. It wouldn’t be long before they were completely annihilated.

“Crimson Sun Golden Flame?”

“When did I strike?” Shen Mingshu sat up and looked at her fingers, her eyes widening in shock. “What’s going on?!”

Her once fair, delicate fingers—pale as jade and tinged with pink—now looked like ten withered twigs protruding from her palms.

The veins beneath her pallid skin stood out starkly, as if about to burst through.

A sharp pain shot through her head as memories that weren’t hers flooded her mind, unfolding like a scroll before her eyes.

“Shen Mingshu… the same name I bore as a mortal before ascending to immortality.”

Slowly, she opened her eyes. The room was silent—the malevolent spirits had already turned to ash.

Moonlight streamed in through the broken, drafty lattice window, illuminating the barren little hut.

A cold gust of wind blew in, making Shen Mingshu instinctively hunch her shoulders.

She summoned the Crimson Sun Golden Flame within her to warm her body before slipping on her shoes and heading toward the door.

The ghosts had intended to feast on the corpse’s yin energy, but they hadn’t expected her soul to inhabit the body, instantly filling it with the power of the Crimson Sun Golden Flame. Mistakenly absorbing the flames, they were burned to nothingness.

The door creaked loudly as she pushed it open. The night wind, carrying the glow of the moon, brushed against her cheeks, stirring the strands of hair at her temples.

Shen Mingshu was now certain—she had died during her heavenly tribulation, struck down by lightning, only for her soul to possess this corpse and return to life.

She sighed softly. “Fate works in mysterious ways. Since I’ve come here, it must be a tribulation I’m destined to face. Only by overcoming it can I ascend to divinity.”

After taking a few steps in the small, dilapidated courtyard, she heard voices outside the gate.

A woman’s pleading voice rang out: “As long as Physician Liu can cure her, Yunniang is willing to serve you like a beast of burden!”

“Heh, let’s take a look first.” The man’s voice sounded gentle.

The gate creaked open, and Yunniang’s eyes lit up with joy when she spotted the figure in the courtyard. “Shengsheng! You’re awake!”

Shengsheng—Shen Mingshu’s childhood name.

She hurried over and grasped Shen Mingshu’s hands. “Why are you outside? The night wind is cold, and you just fell into the water—you mustn’t catch a chill. Come back inside and let Physician Liu examine you.”

Shen Mingshu tightened her grip on Yunniang’s hands, her gaze fixed on the man entering the courtyard.

Sparse eyebrows, deep-set eyes, and dark circles beneath them—his face bore all the hallmarks of a lecherous scoundrel.

Liu Xingde’s beady eyes gleamed as he took in the slender young woman standing gracefully under the moonlight. “Listen to your mother. Come inside, and I’ll take a look at you.”

Beside her, Yunniang nudged Shen Mingshu’s shoulder, urging her to return to her room. But Shen Mingshu said, “Thank you for making the trip, Physician Liu. I’m perfectly fine, so there’s no need to trouble you further. Please, you may leave now.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Xingde immediately grew displeased. “Your mother wept and begged me to come, and now you’re sending me away before I’ve even examined you? Isn’t this just wasting my time?”

Sensing his anger, Yunniang quickly interceded, “Shengsheng, let Physician Liu take a look at you and prescribe some medicine. The winter water is freezing cold—I’m afraid you might develop lasting ailments.”

Liu Xingde snorted coldly and made to step forward, only to be blocked by Shen Mingshu’s outstretched hand.

Her tone was cool and distant. “You won’t leave empty-handed. Tomorrow, I’ll personally visit to deliver your consultation fee. But at this late hour, it’s hardly appropriate for a man and woman to be alone together. I wouldn’t want to tarnish your reputation, Physician Liu.”

Yunniang coaxed softly, “Shengsheng, what’s improper about just taking your pulse?”

Liu Xingde’s eyes darted shrewdly before he turned to Yunniang. “Yunniang, your daughter’s complexion doesn’t look good at all. She’s probably chilled to the bone. Let her rest in her room, and I’ll write a prescription. You can fetch the medicine tomorrow.”

Yunniang nodded repeatedly. “Shengsheng, let me take you back to your room to rest.” She then turned to Liu Xingde. “Physician Liu, please wait in the sitting room. I’ll bring you pen and paper shortly.”

Shen Mingshu pressed her lips together helplessly and allowed Yunniang to guide her back to the bedroom.

It seemed she would have to let Yunniang witness Liu Xingde’s true nature firsthand. Only then would her mother believe her later actions.

Yunniang tucked the blankets around her as she lay down. “I’ll come check on you later.”

As she turned to leave, Shen Mingshu caught her fingers. “Mother, there’s something I must tell you.”

“Go ahead,” Yunniang leaned in gently.

Shen Mingshu lowered her voice. “That Liu Xingde is a lecher. He’s bound to take liberties with you later. Remember not to make a scene, or the neighbors will come to gawk, and we’ll never be able to explain ourselves.”

Yunniang found this amusing and lightly touched her forehead. “Child, are you feverish and delirious? Physician Liu is the village’s great benefactor.” Then she muttered under her breath, “No fever… so why the nonsense…?”

Watching Yunniang close the door and leave, Shen Mingshu quickly climbed out of bed.

She pressed her ear to the door, listening until the sitting room door creaked shut. Then she quietly slipped out through a crack.

Faintly, she could hear Yunniang inquiring about her condition. Shen Mingshu formed a hand seal, summoning the power of the Crimson Sun Golden Flame at her fingertips to trace an intricate spiritual sigil in the air.

Moonlight spilled over her, yet it paled against the dazzling golden-red glow at her fingertips.

With a flick of her wrist, she sent the sigil flying toward a shadowy figure in the courtyard. The ghostly figure froze instantly, startling the other specters huddled in the corners, who shrank back in fear.

Shen Mingshu beckoned, and the ghost under her control drifted forward. She whispered sternly, “Later, you’ll possess that man—but harm not a hair on his soul. Disobey, and I’ll make sure you burn in agony, begging for death!”

The ghost trembled and stammered, “Y-yes, I’ll do exactly as you say!”

Heavens! Since when had this little girl become so terrifyingly powerful?

In the past, when they surrounded her to tease and frighten her, she would only curl up, shut her eyes, and cry pitifully. But now, she was ablaze with golden flames—terrifying!

No, terrifying to the ghosts!!!

Shen Mingshu tiptoed and pressed her ear against the main hall’s door, unsurprisingly hearing Yunniang’s hushed scolding.

Peering through the thin window paper, she could faintly make out Yunniang dodging Liu Xingde’s pursuit.