Li Meirong transmigrated to a different world.
On her first day, she was sold to a brothel house and was nearly raped by a man who was later murdered right on top of her.
She was drugged by the smoke in the room she was imprisoned in, and ended up d-doing such shameful activities with that man.
She couldn't help the gush of shame that flooded her.
And she was so eager for it too!
She wished she wouldn't remember!
Why can't a convenient memory loss appear right now?
On her second day, she woke up in a forest straight out of a fairytale.
But…How did she get here, and where is that man? Did she hallucinate the whole ordeal?
One way or another, she can't stay here!
At least she's not in the brothel and whether that whole episode was a figment of her imagination or not, she will focus on finding her whereabouts and identity, and quite hopefully a place to stay.
In her previous life, Li Meirong never aspired for grand dreams or great achievements in life. She just wanted to live peacefully, to be one with the crowd. Get a stable job, find a man and settle down, make her parents happy.
But now all of that was lost, she had no one here, and she was an easy target.
She felt weak. Useless.
No matter what, she refused to reach a position where she was sold or tossed around again.
She thought about the man with the golden glowing eyes and wondered if what they had could be counted as a one night stand? She most likely won't see him again.
The bitter taste of disappointment unwittingly surfaced on her face.
At least if what occurred yesterday was real, at least he fulfilled his promise and took her out of that whorehouse.
Now she was free.
She sighed and rose up, gathered her long dress in her hands and waltzed forth.
No point in thinking about the past, she had to move on!
Making her way through the forest, she found a traveler's path in the woods.
There were signs pointing north, so she tread through the unfamiliar path.
The further she walked, the more the atmosphere changed. It was morning yet there were so many trees around that barely any light shined through.
Little fireflies roamed about, some even circled her.
She reached out her hand to touch one and felt a stab of pain.
It bit her!
Frightened, she hurriedly jogged ahead away from the swarm of glowing fireflies.
It got darker still, creeping vines crawled about and as her gaze focused, she realized the vines were actually the roots of the trees.
And the roots moved.
Through the shrubs on the sides of the path, she could see many pairs of red eyes blinking at her.
With her senses on high alert she rushed down the path and the more she looked the more she feared, but eventually, she made her way safely through the woods.
In front of her, a large opening at the edge of the woodland path slowly appeared.
Li Meirong walked forward and saw a crowd of people lining up.
Almost jumping in joy, she hurriedly ran to the population nearby.
The majority of the people lining up appeared quite wealthy, but there were a few people dressed in rags as well, it seemed as though anybody was able to follow through if they wished.
Most of the people around her were in fact very young, they were at Li Meirong's age or younger, still, some parents came with their children and held their hands.
At the end of the line sat a woman on top a large boulder with her shoulders upright and her legs folded into a lotus position.
She stood apart from the crowd with strikingly beautiful and youthful features. She was surrounded by a strong blue aura, her eyes were dark and piercing.
Behind the said woman was a vast and empty abyss, only the blue-grey skies and fluffy clouds could be seen. If a person walked forward, they would fall to their doom.
The distinguished woman gazed at the crowd. She was clothed in a light blue robe and her waist was adorned with a white sash around it.
The woman atop the boulder was giving instructions to the people on their destination.
In front of the boulder, there was a large metal bowl filled with water.
Each time the person in line reached the lady on the boulder, they would put their left hand into the water.
It was very peculiar for Li Meirong to witness this scenario. Sometimes the water glowed really brightly in different colours and at other times it has a dim glow with a sole or pair of shades.
The people who placed their hand in the water and no glow showed were instructed to leave the premises.
Li Meirong noticed how deeply affected some people were by their results, when the water didn't glow, one little girl burst into tears. Her mother quickly grabbed her and urged her to follow. In the distance, both men and women alike with distinguished bearings and a white sash around their waist were gazing at the occurrence. They looked down on the people lined up with undiguised disdain.
There is no place for weaklings here.
The line was so long that Li Meirong was sure that by the time she reached the front, nighttime would arrive, but everyone still stood there patiently.
She really had nowhere to go and her curiosity was peaked by the magical occurrences around her.
Might as well stick around and give it a shot.
The people waiting in line in front of her started whispering among themselves.
They were three cheerful and excited teenagers, two boys and a girl. Their plump cheeks and happy smiles definitely gave the impression of spoiled noble children.
"The Forgotten Waters sect only recruits once every fifty years, this is such a lucky event for us! If we get accepted, not only do we have the opportunity to become stronger and elevate our households, but we can practice immortality!" The girl squealed, but her expression quickly changed to alarm.
"But if I don't get accepted…"
The boy in the middle was all smiles towards her and he pat her head gently. "I'm sure you will be accepted, little Qianqian. After all we've been practicing our internal strength since infancy."
Li Meirong remembered the Asian dramas she used to watch before she died and most of them dealt with bickering women in harems, empires and politics, but she once came across a drama that had to do with cultivating powers.
After hearing the kids in front talking about it, this event seems to be a test to get accepted into a sect, like in that drama, where you gain magical powers.
Practicing immortality, becoming stronger? That doesn't sound half bad!
She was already sure of it, in this world, there were no laws to protect a person, she was a discarded and punished maid. If she didn't become stronger, the odds of her finding herself in a situation as the original owner of this body did were very high.
She had to find a way to get into this sect and become powerful!
With this newfound determination in mind, she tapped on the shoulder of the boy in the middle.
The boy turned his gaze towards her and the two youngsters at his side soon followed.