29 Chapter 78: Return

Young General Shen Sheng returns to the capital victorious, riding alone. On the way, she rescues a woman who insists on marrying her in gratitude. In a drunken haze, they muddle through the wedding ceremony.

The woman in the bridal chamber has snow-white skin and jade-like flesh. Under the influence of alcohol, they complete the wedding night rituals.

Upon waking, Shen Sheng realizes she entered the wrong bridal chamber.

The true bride has died mysteriously, and she becomes the prime suspect. Left with no choice, she begs the woman to provide her with an alibi.

The woman refuses coldly: "It has nothing to do with me."

Shen Sheng is furious; the passion of the previous night has turned into heartless indifference by morning.

~~~

Shen Sheng returns to the capital for a debriefing and sees the beauty from that night seated below the Emperor, a faint, alluring smile on her lips, her beauty unmatched.

Shen Sheng: "..." It's over. She's provoked someone she shouldn't have.

The Emperor pursues the path of immortality, delegating all state affairs to the State Preceptor, a woman whose fearsome reputation makes people tremble.

A beautiful woman, yet a born Evil Devil.

She is a general loyal to the court, fighting for the common people; she is the universally feared Devil State Preceptor.

When Shen Sheng crosses this forbidden line, the State Preceptor walks up to her and gently lifts her chin: "General Shen, have you met our daughter?"

Shen Sheng: We've only known each other for less than a month...

Later, at the State Preceptor Manor, there is indeed an exquisitely beautiful girl who looks remarkably like Shen Sheng.

No, wait... there are two of them...

~~~

The most serious synopsis:

A thousand years ago, South River was a sacred land where women could bear children with other women. Its river water could heal injuries, restore flesh and bone, and even bring back the dead.

This sacred place was destroyed. Anu defies the natural order, traveling a thousand years into the future to find the reincarnation of her beloved. In this era, everything has returned to the mundane—there are no Gods, no Devils—only the young general Shen Sheng, full of fervent passion for the people.

Shen Sheng travels back a thousand years three times to save South River. The first time, she meets the brilliant and radiant South River Clan Leader, Jiang Yue, pure and untouchable.

The second time, she meets the young woman Jiang Wan, who has just ascended to Godhood, full of chivalrous spirit.

The third time, she meets a baby in swaddling clothes, its mother turned to dust, utterly alone and helpless.