Chapter 1: Wu Wei Transmigrates

“You ungrateful daughter! Get out and never come back!”

“Weiwei, your father’s not well. Don’t upset him like this. There’s no such thing as an overnight grudge between father and daughter. He’s only doing this for your own good…”

Scenes of the man’s roars and the woman’s pleas flashed through Wu Wei’s mind. They were her parents, and she hadn’t been home in nearly five years.

After graduating from university, Wu Wei had resolutely packed her bags and set off on a hiking trip. Lately, whenever she had a quiet moment, those final images of her father and mother would flood her thoughts. She hadn’t gone home once during her entire four years of college. Deep down, she quietly asked herself: Had she made a mistake? But then she remembered how her father had arbitrarily changed her college entrance exam choices, and she felt justified in her resentment.

Four years wasn’t long, but it wasn’t short either. The fury she’d felt upon not receiving her acceptance letter had faded. Her hatred for her father had dulled as well. Still, the thought of it left a stubborn lump in her chest, impossible to dislodge.

Wu Wei had been born into a family of forensic experts. Legend had it that her ancestors included a renowned coroner, and every few generations produced exceptional forensic pathologists. Her grandfather and father were both forensic pathologists, and naturally, her father hoped his daughter would carry on the family legacy.

From a young age, he’d focused on nurturing her forensic skills. While other girls had dolls or cute stuffed toys by their bedsides, Wu Wei’s held a miniature yet intricately detailed human anatomical model, complete with removable organs.

Other girls listened to children’s books before bed; Wu Wei’s bedtime stories came from her father’s carefully selected cases in the family forensic notebooks.

She hadn’t disappointed him. She showed early promise as an outstanding forensic pathologist and even aspired to become one—at least, Wu Wei before the age of sixteen had.

Wu Wei let out a soft sigh, pulling her gaze back from the misty sea in the distance. She swallowed the last bite of her bread and couldn’t help reflecting: Lately, she’d been dwelling on the past so much. Was it because she’d been away from home too long?

Wu Wei had graduated from a medical university’s forensic program, scraping by with the bare minimum grades. After that, she’d resolved to live life on her own terms. After turning sixteen, she’d fallen in love with history. She dreamed of becoming an archaeologist, unearthing stories buried in the currents of time and sharing them with future generations.

A few days ago, she’d heard that a drought had exposed half of an ancient structure in a river on the outskirts of some old city. After poring over local histories, she’d found no records of it. Her instincts told her this submerged relic in the lake might hold an undiscovered tale. She rushed here without delay.

The lake hiding the ancient structure lay at the foot of the mountain. There had been some rain lately, so she hoped it hadn’t been submerged again.

Wu Wei silently gathered the trash at her feet, shouldered her pack, and headed toward the lake.

The outskirts were peaceful, the sky overcast and gray, with no houses nearby.

Squinting, Wu Wei spotted a short stone structure still protruding from the lake’s surface. She breathed a sigh of relief. “Good thing it’s still there. Looks like more rain’s coming—better hurry.”

She set down her pack and pulled out an inflatable kayak and a simple hand pump. After half an hour of pumping, she assembled the paddles and pushed the kayak into the water. With splashes of the oars, the ancient structure at the lake’s center grew clearer.

Wu Wei stowed the paddles, adjusted the camera slung around her neck, and felt a surge of uncontainable excitement. The kayak drifted to a stop. Before her loomed a stone archway, its plaque damaged and faded. She could only make out a traditional character: “Jie.”

Wu Wei snapped photos of the details and measured the plaque’s length with a ruler.

“There are words here too…” On the rippling water surface, a row of smaller characters below the plaque flickered in and out of view. Wu Wei waited patiently for the water to still, then read aloud: “The chaste wife of a direct descendant of the Wu clan from Yuhong County, Wu [something]’s wife, the virtuous widow [something]?” After a moment’s thought, she exclaimed, “No way—is this a Chastity Archway? Hmm… A direct heir from some prominent Wu family in Yuhong County, married to a woman surnamed… something. The virtuous widow… what? What’s the deal with this archway? What’s the guy’s name? The woman’s surname? They really had to ruin it right at the key parts.” Anger flared up in her chest again. She rolled her eyes at the archway and scoffed, “If I’d known it was one of these things, I wouldn’t have bothered coming.”

Chastity Archways were one of the most brutal oppressions inflicted on women in ancient times. Those in power sacrificed countless women’s lives to shore up their rule. Survival was already hard for women in agrarian societies, yet they piled on shackles and chains!

Though venting her frustration, Wu Wei still photographed the row of damaged characters below the plaque, where the crucial details were lost. Once done, she reached into the water below. These “praise monuments” usually had a stone tablet underneath the plaque inscribed with more information—if it hadn’t fallen off…

Her hand grasped at empty water. She grabbed a paddle, rolled up her sleeves, and probed downward vigorously. Sure enough, she hit something solid. From the feel and size, it was the informational tablet, but it was deep—about two meters down.

Wu Wei set the paddle aside and stared at the water surface, tugging her jacket tighter. She hesitated about diving in. Sometime during this, a layer of mist had risen over the lake, spreading like it had been poured out. The distant green mountaintops took on a veiled, mysterious air. A gentle breeze stirred the fog, carrying a dampness out of place in the dry season.

The weather had turned chilly. The surroundings were utterly still, a natural quietude that had a soothing power over the mind.

Wu Wei pulled out an energy bar and ate it, then removed her camera and phone and other electronics, setting them aside. She took off her jacket and shoes, fastened a safety clip around her waist—its other end hooked securely to the kayak—and gave it a firm tug.

With everything ready, she adjusted her goggles, took a deep breath, and dove into the lake.

Seconds later, bubbles erupted furiously from where she’d submerged, like boiling water. Thick fog rolled in… obscuring the protruding stone archway and the kayak on the lake’s surface.