Yu Lingshe gradually calmed down.
"It's actually not so bad. At least I entered this world before we ascended to the middle world. There are many chances to do things."
After thinking this through, she stood up. As the first lady of the ancient Yu clan in this world, she was served by many maids. Yu Lingshe herself had inherited the memories of her 'first life,' though she didn't know whether it was transmigration or reincarnation.
Regardless, she was able to quickly calm down and accept these things as a kind of prophecy. Her true identity was the first lady of the Yu clan, and the other things were in the past.
When she stood up, the maids outside heard her steps and came to serve her. She was used to this and let them do so while contemplating her next steps.
'This world is similar to the martial arts novels I read. The spiritual power here is so thin that it has degenerated, barely perceptible. When absorbed into the human body, it only becomes 'inner strength.' The strongest masters can reach the ninth stage of qi refining, but there is a natural chasm they can't cross beyond this point.
So, it doesn't matter if I try martial arts. They are useless and might even hinder my path.
For now, the matter of the ancestral inheritance treasure must be considered… In the novel, they said I have a mutated wood root, but there was no further mention of it.
The only side note we got was that this treasure was incredibly powerful, but as an ancestral treasure, it was impossible for the main character to use it. It seems I must get it first. This time, I will ascend all the way to the immortal realm!'
After preparing herself, Yu left her room. Her room was near the main hall, so her goal—the first back hall, also called the ancestral hall—was right behind the main hall, not far away.
These courtyards all had the title 'hall,' but in fact, each of them was many times the size of an average house from her memories. So, it took Yu much longer to reach her destination than she had anticipated.
When she was just halfway through the little garden that separated her courtyard from the main hall, an unpleasant smell wafted toward her nose. Her nose twitched twice, trying to endure it, but the stench was so strong it felt as if a bee were stinging her directly. Unable to bear it any longer, she raised her sleeve to cover her nose.
Just as she was seriously contemplating which dog had peed in this beautiful garden, she saw something worse than a dog.
She pulled a fan from her sleeve, fanning away the overwhelming perfume toward the flowers on the side. She could have sworn they wilted for a second.
After doing this, she clasped her hands. "Yu Lingshe greets the madam!" As she spoke, she didn't even bother bowing.
Standing opposite her was a beautiful woman of smaller stature, with exquisitely styled dark brown hair and almond-shaped eyes. She wore the somewhat tight-fitting robes of this time period—still a long robe, with sleeves that reached her hips when she stretched her arms.
Unlike Yu's own long sleeves, which didn't hide her smooth jade-like hands, the other woman's robes didn't even attempt to conceal her waist. It was cinched so tightly that it seemed impossible for a human to achieve such a figure naturally.
Her upper and lower proportions must have been like the training weights of professional lifters from Yu's memories. At least, Yu couldn't comprehend how such things were possible in this age.
This woman was her father's concubine. After her mother's passing, the concubine had been elevated to the status of the main wife, taking the title of Madam Yu. But Yu Lingshe had never acknowledged this, begrudgingly using 'Madam' only to demonstrate that her lack of respect was intentional, not a result of poor upbringing.
'Tsk, I respect any prostitute who works hard for her income, but a vixen like this doesn't deserve the least bit of respect. My spit would be wasted on this waste of air!'
The concubine, whose name Yu intentionally forgot, was infuriated by her lack of formality. She snapped, "You little brat! If you don't call me Madam Yu, just wait and see!"
Uneducated as she was, she didn't even allow her attendants or servants to scold Yu on her behalf. She made no attempt to play the role of a teaching mother.
Yu Lingshe was already irritated by this loud-mouthed, useless woman. She simply frowned and said, "I don't know what the madam wants. This is the path from my courtyard to the main hall. There should be no one else walking this path besides me."
The concubine was enraged, ignoring her attendants, who were clearly trying to stop her. She nearly screamed, "I am the madam of this house! How dare you disrespect me?!"
She raised her hand as if to slap Yu Lingshe.
Right at that moment, a middle-aged man walked out from the side, gently grasping her wrist. He regarded her with a calculating look, his eyes scanning her whole body as his other hand moved to touch her. His intent was clear, even in broad daylight, even in front of his own daughter.
That's right. This was Yu's father.
She looked at him with resentment and disgust. 'This man only became the clan leader because of my mother—the only daughter of the Immortal Taoist Temple's head priest—who supported him!
Now that she's passed away, he instantly took a roadside tramp as his main wife. No wonder he lost his position as clan leader!'
Though her father had lost his authority, her own position as the first young lady of the clan remained intact.
After all, she still represented the clan's most valuable connection. More importantly, she was favored by the Yu ancestor. He had loved her mother deeply, believing her to be the most suitable lady to rule the family alongside the clan leader. Unlike other clans of this era, the Yu clan adhered to ancestral traditions, choosing their leader based on talent rather than gender.
This was the secret to their enduring power. Generational wealth typically declined within three generations if no capable heirs emerged. But by doubling the pool of candidates—allowing all those with blood ties or marriage ties to compete for leadership—the Yu clan ensured their continued prosperity.
Although this system led to many internal factions, it was far superior to other old families that had long since crumbled. The Yu clan operated under the belief that there was no such thing as a direct lineage. Or rather, that the concept had become meaningless over the centuries.
Their ancestors had ways of determining the true lineage, but that knowledge had been lost to time. By now, every member had at least some claim to the direct line. Thus, leadership was determined solely by ability and skill. Yu Lingshe's father had held a nominal title, but her mother had been the true ruler.
This philosophy was deeply ingrained in the Yu bloodline. Throughout history, they had faced many internal struggles, but they had never suffered from a lack of talent—only a lack of resources. If one's own child failed to inherit their position, then it was both a reflection of poor upbringing and the child's own failure to work hard.
'And yet,' Yu thought coldly, 'I will not fail.'