"With the power granted by the Son of Heaven, Empress Xi Youran shall be executed for the murder of Consort Wan'er's son, and for her attempted assassination of the Emperor."
The imperial edict ended with a quiet echo — and a sincere smile from the fallen Empress.
"If Heaven pities me," she whispered softly, "in my next life… I will never look toward the palace again. Let alone dream of being your Empress."
As the cold edge of the executioner's blade drew near, Xi Youran closed her eyes, welcoming death's chill. But instead of steel, a gentle voice reached her.
"Sister Xi Youran! Sister!"
Her eyes fluttered open. A bright, tearful face hovered over her — so familiar it made her heart ache.
"Xi Yue? Why am I—"
Before she could finish, a searing pain exploded in her skull. It felt as though a thousand needles were stabbing her at once. Memories — her memories — flooded back, playing endlessly: from the day she was chosen as Empress to the moment she died in disgrace.
"Ugh! My head!" she groaned.
Xi Yue clutched her hand tightly, chanting like a prayer. "Pain, pain, please go away!"
Youran forced a weak smile, brushing aside the agony. "Sister, why are you crying? Does your head hurt too?"
Tears streamed down Xi Yue's cheeks as she tried to comfort her, and for a brief, bittersweet moment, Xi Youran thought perhaps Heaven really had pitied her this time.
"I'm sorry for making you worry," she murmured, gently patting her little sister's head. Outwardly she looked calm, but inside her heart bled — she could still feel the sharp pain of dying without ever confessing her true feelings to Zang Tianzi.
"My beloved daughter, are you awake?"
The familiar, trembling voice made Xi Youran's heart lurch. When she turned, she saw a middle-aged woman standing there, eyes wide with both shock and relief.
"Y-Youran? Are you hurt?" the woman cried, rushing to her.
"I'm… fine. But these tears…" Youran pressed her fingers against her wet cheeks. "They just won't stop."
Her mother, Xi Mei, embraced her tightly. "It's all right, my child. You're safe now."
Though Youran remembered her other life, she found it strange — she had no recollection of this version of Xi Youran. The confusion only deepened when a mocking voice cut through the tender moment.
"Hah! So the crippled daughter is still alive?"
Youran froze. She turned to see her father standing by the doorway, surrounded by several sneering relatives.
"Crippled?" she repeated under her breath.
Her mother went pale, shielding her instinctively. "Mind your tongue! Have you no shame?"
Another girl laughed cruelly. "Did your brain scatter when you fell from that hill, sister?"
The moment her eyes met the girl's, another burst of pain flashed through her skull — fragments of this new life's memories forcing their way in.
"Ugh… my head again…" she gasped.
Her father hurried forward, steadying her. "Eldest Daughter, don't push yourself. Rest first. You don't need to remember everything right now."
She nodded weakly. Soon everyone left the room, leaving her in silence.
"Will you be alright alone?" her mother asked before closing the door.
"Yes, Mother. I'll be fine."
When the door shut, Xi Youran exhaled heavily and lay back down. Sleep came quickly — and with it, a dream.
She was standing in a foggy field. A dying man lay before her, his body surrounded by faint golden light.
"You can see me," he said hoarsely. "Help me… fulfill my dream — to become the Alchemist Immortal!"
Youran's heart pounded. The next moment, a powerful surge of Dou energy burst through her body.
"No!" she screamed — and jolted awake.
Her stomach growled loudly. "Why am I… hungry?"
Trying not to wake anyone, she slipped into the kitchen and started cooking something simple. The warm scent filled the air — and then a deep voice spoke behind her.
"You're up late."
Youran nearly dropped the ladle. Turning, she found her maternal grandfather sitting there, watching her quietly.
"Grandfather! I— I was just hungry, that's all." She looked down, embarrassed.
He raised an eyebrow. "Then give me some."
Her stomach growled again — this time from his direction. They both paused. Then Youran burst into laughter.
"All right, all right! Just a few minutes."
After sharing their late-night meal, she leaned back in her chair, satisfied.
"Feeling better now?" her grandfather asked.
She smiled sheepishly. "Don't worry, Grandpa. I'm fine enough to cook, at least."
"Hmph." He crossed his arms but his eyes softened. "If you're cooking at midnight again, call me."
Before she could reply, he was gone — vanished as quietly as he'd appeared.
Youran stared at the empty chair, sighing. "Just how many regrets did the old me leave behind?"
Her heart tightened. "Back then, I did everything for love… yet I was the one who ended up with nothing. Isn't that pathetic?"
After cleaning up, she noticed a faint glimmer from her bookshelf. "Crippled, huh? So this version of me practiced martial arts?" She laughed weakly. "There's no way… right?"
She walked over, pulled a dusty book from the shelf — Essence Flame.
Her brow furrowed. "Essence Flame? I remember this…" As she read, a smile crept across her face. "I actually know all this stuff. Am I a genius in this life too?"
Before she knew it, dawn had arrived.
"Xi Youran, are you awake?" Her mother's voice startled her. The door opened to reveal Xi Mei staring at the mountain of books scattered across the room.
"Don't tell me… you read all of these without sleeping?"
Youran grinned sheepishly. "I already slept for a long time, remember?"
Xi Mei sighed and crossed her arms. Before she could scold her, Youran hugged her arm and pouted. "Mother~ it's just this once. Please don't be mad."
Little Xi Yue peeked in, puffing her cheeks. "Sister! That's not fair — I want a hug too!"
Laughing, Youran scooped her up. "Oh? Since when did my little sister learn to sulk?"
"Last night!" Xi Yue declared proudly.
Their laughter filled the room — until a cold, mocking voice cut through it.
"Heh. I didn't know the cripple could still laugh."
Song Yi stood at the door, smirking triumphantly. Moments later, Father stepped in.
"What's with all the noise so early?" he asked, frowning.
Youran's lips curled into a mischievous smirk. She suddenly had an idea to wipe that smirk off Song Yi's face.
"Father! I missed you so much!" she cried, throwing herself at him dramatically. "Last night I dreamed about becoming an Alchemist!"
The room froze.
"Alchemist?" her father repeated, shocked. "You're not joking, are you?"
"Of course not!" Youran said, sweating slightly. "I—I know about the twenty-three Essence Flames, so I studied them all night!"
Without warning, her father pulled her into a crushing hug. "My daughter!"
"F-Father! I can't breathe— your muscles aren't as soft as Mother's—!"
Xi Mei's face turned scarlet. Xi Youran gasped for air while Song Yi's face twisted with fury. Youran, meanwhile, was already planning her next move — not realizing the consequences of the "dream" she had just revealed.
"We should go find your grandfather," her father said.
"No need," a calm voice answered from the doorway.
Everyone turned. There stood her grandfather, expression unreadable — eyes glinting like he already knew what was coming next.
The morning sun had barely risen when a calm yet weighty voice broke the tension in the room.
"There's no need for that."
Everyone turned. The old patriarch of the Xi family — Grandfather Xi Jin — stood at the doorway, hands clasped behind his back. His robes were plain but carried the quiet authority of a man who had seen generations rise and fall.
"Father," Xi Cheng, Youran's father, greeted quickly. His tone wavered between respect and nervousness.
Xi Jin's eyes, sharp as polished jade, landed on Xi Youran. "So, the cripple who could not even circulate Qi now dreams of becoming an alchemist?"
The mockery in his tone stung — but strangely, Youran smiled.In her past life, she had faced emperors and death itself. A few words couldn't possibly crush her anymore.
"Dreams make people alive, Grandfather," she replied softly. "Even if I'm crippled, I can still dream, can't I?"
Xi Mei almost gasped, while Xi Yue's small eyes widened. Song Yi bit her lip, unable to hide her sneer.But Grandfather… he chuckled.
"Ha! Bold tongue. I see that fall didn't damage your spirit, at least."
He stepped inside, the faint scent of medicine and incense following him. "Since you claim to have studied the Essence Flames, recite their classification."
The room went silent.
Xi Youran blinked. Oh no, he's testing me for real?But her lips curved upward anyway. "There are twenty-three known Essence Flames recorded through the ages. The first — Heavenly Blue Flame. The last — Soul Devourer Fire. Only six have been seen within the past millennium…"
Her words flowed naturally, effortlessly, as though she had spent decades studying them — which, technically, she had… just not in this lifetime.
When she finished, Grandfather Xi Jin's expression had shifted completely.
"You—" He squinted, his composure cracking for a second. "You actually remember all that?"
Youran folded her hands politely. "It's only what I read last night, Grandfather. Perhaps Heaven took pity and gave this cripple a decent brain."
The corners of her lips quirked. Her calm self-deprecation made her family both stunned and uneasy.
Xi Jin finally laughed — genuinely, this time. "Interesting. Truly interesting."
He turned to Xi Cheng. "Prepare the family's old testing jade. If her Qi veins are still broken, then at least we'll confirm it once and for all. If not…" His voice trailed off. "Then the heavens may have returned something precious to us."
That afternoon, the Xi family gathered in the courtyard. The testing jade — a smooth, ancient slab that shimmered faintly with spiritual light — rested on a carved table.
Youran sat across from it, her heart oddly steady. She had faced execution. How terrifying could a piece of jade be?
"Place your hand here," her father said gently.
Youran nodded and laid her palm against the jade surface.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then — a faint pulse of warmth surged through her hand, spreading up her arm like liquid fire. Gasps rippled through the onlookers as faint golden threads glowed under her skin.
"That's… Dou energy?""Impossible! Her meridians were shattered!"
Youran blinked at the light, half fascinated, half startled. Oh, so I'm not crippled anymore? That's convenient.
The jade brightened again — the energy flaring stronger this time. Then, just as suddenly, it flickered and vanished, leaving everyone speechless.
Grandfather Xi Jin stared at her hand for a long moment before speaking. "Your Dou veins have reconnected… imperfectly. But they are healing."
Xi Youran tilted her head. "So… I'm only half-crippled now?"
Xi Yue clapped her hands happily. "Half-crippled Sister is still amazing!"
Xi Mei quickly hushed her, while Song Yi's face turned several shades of green.
"Father," Xi Cheng said cautiously, "what should we do next?"
Xi Jin's gaze lingered on Youran, thoughtful. "We will observe. If her body truly awakens Dou energy again… then I will personally take her as my disciple."
The courtyard fell silent.
Xi Mei gasped softly. "Father, are you saying—"
"Yes," Xi Jin interrupted. "If she can channel even a fraction of spiritual power again, I will train her. The Xi family needs a successor who is not blind to the art of alchemy."
Youran froze. Grandfather… wants me as his disciple?In her past life, countless scholars begged for such an opportunity. Yet now, Heaven had tossed it to her doorstep like a spare coin.
Later that night, she sat by the window, moonlight draping her like a veil. Her reflection shimmered faintly in the bronze mirror on her desk.
"An alchemist, huh…?" she whispered. "Maybe that dream wasn't just a dream."
The voice from last night echoed faintly in her mind — desperate, pleading.
"Help me achieve my dream… to become the Alchemist Immortal…"
Youran rubbed her temples. "If that voice was some wandering spirit, it's chosen the wrong body. I can barely stay awake, much less ascend to immortality."
But deep down, she could feel it — a flicker of energy coiling beneath her ribs. Faint, but unmistakably real.
Maybe Heaven really did pity me, she thought. Or maybe… it wants to laugh at me one more time.
Either way, Xi Youran decided she wouldn't waste this second life.If she had to live again, she would do it on her own terms — with her head high, her heart steady, and maybe, just maybe, a little mischief along the way.