[TCFO] Arc 3 — Chapter 109
The Vicious Princess Wants to Reverse Fate (3)
Suddenly the system said, “In order to make you more genuine in the future, or rather, to let you personally experience the emotions of every task world and every commissioner, I have decided that from now on, all the names of the worlds and commissioners will be your name, Zhou Min!”
“What do you mean?!” Zhou Min hadn’t even reacted yet when she was unexpectedly attacked without any defence. She was kicked out of the space, and at the same time, her empathy was activated.
Amidst Zhou Min’s astonishment, fragments of memories flooded her mind. Suddenly, there was a segment of memories that didn’t belong to her. Accompanied by the activation of “empathy,” she felt an indescribable pain and bitterness in her heart.
These were the memories of the princess of this country. Perhaps it was the princess’s desire—the princess of this country was called Zhou Min. It was a tragic story of an unattainable love, where a spoiled girl didn’t know how to express love correctly and ended up hurting the person she loved the most, causing anguish to her beloved family as well.
The male protagonist was Shangguan Qi, the master physician of the Valley of Divine Physicians. He had profound medical skills and was unrivalled with his silver needles. He was ruthless and cold-blooded, not trusting anyone! However, when he was young, he was fed a highly toxic substance by the person he trusted the most. Although his medical skills were exceptional, he couldn’t cure himself and could only suppress the toxicity within his body. But every 15th of the month, the poison would flare up, turning his whole body deep purple as if torn by knives.
The female protagonist was Yin Mei, the daughter of the pharmacy owner at the foot of the mountain. From a young age, she had remarkable observation skills and was knowledgeable about herbs. She was gentle, kind, and intelligent, a true embodiment of a pure-hearted person rather than the ambiguous mockery of a white lotus flower.
Zhou Min’s mission character was the fifth princess of the Zhou Dynasty. She was willful, bold, daring in love and hate, stubborn and obstinate. She would stop at nothing for the sake of love, especially her deep infatuation with the male protagonist.
The entanglement among these three characters was actually caused by the obsessions of Zhou Min’s commissioner herself. The female protagonist of this world did nothing wrong, but she was still hurt by the commissioner. It could only be said that everything was melodramatic.
Shangguan Qi encountered the female protagonist Yin Mei when he went up the mountain to gather medicinal herbs. They first met because of a certain herb. Later, when Shangguan Qi fell unconscious and was surrounded by a pack of wolves, the princess of the Zhou Kingdom, Zhou Min, saved him from the wolves. She took him to a cave, intending to go down the mountain to seek help but was discovered by Yin Mei, who was climbing up the mountain to gather herbs. Due to their brief encounter, Yin Mei also had a favourable impression of Shangguan Qi. Combined with her kind-heartedness as a doctor’s daughter, Yin Mei used the silver needle techniques taught by her father to revive Shangguan Qi.
After waking up, Shangguan Qi looked at Yin Mei, who had a brief encounter with him and had a favourable impression of him. Naturally, he felt grateful and touched. By the time Zhou Min brought people to rescue her injured self, Shangguan Qi had already left. Then followed a series of subsequent encounters. Shangguan Qi was moved by Yin Mei’s kindness and gentleness and even more so by her broad-mindedness and silent companionship. Finally, they ended up together, and Shangguan Qi eventually found the antidote. The main couple had a happy ending.
Originally, Zhou Min had nothing to do with the story, but as a supporting character, although she was the fifth princess, she was the only princess in the Zhou Dynasty. The emperor’s love for the queen was so deep that he favoured her above the three thousand concubines in the palace. Among their five children, they only had a daughter in their later years, so she was particularly cherished.
Furthermore, with her four older brothers obsessed with their little sister, Zhou Min grew up being showered with love and affection. She hoped to meet a man who was similar to her father, the emperor, and she fell in love with the male lead at their first encounter. She became infatuated to the point of madness, and when she learned that Shangguan Qi had feelings for Yin Mei because of their rescue in the cave, she resented Yin Mei even more. She believed that Yin Mei had stolen her happiness.
Although Shangguan Qi eventually told Zhou Min that Yin Mei had informed him the day after their rescue that she had seen him already inside the cave and was not the one who saved him from the wolves, he still admired Yin Mei since their first encounter due to a certain herb. But this revelation caused even more pain for Zhou Min. Shangguan Qi and Yin Mei's initial meeting was also because of her. Zhou Min was bewitched by someone, and as a result, Emperor Zhou used a million pieces of gold to invite Shangguan Qi to cure her. Shangguan Qi owed a favour to the royal family and was also enticed by a generous payment, so he personally went up the mountain to gather herbs. It was because of Zhou Min's special poison that required a unique medicine guide that he encountered Yin Mei. Zhou Min liked Shangguan Qi, but she couldn't muster the courage to confess her feelings. She could only secretly admire him, silently observe him, and follow him from a distance, which eventually led to her timely rescue of Shangguan Qi from the pack of wolves.
When her poison was finally cured, but her injuries worsened due to saving Shangguan Qi, Zhou Min had no choice but to return to the palace. After recovering, she hesitated several times in the palace before finally gathering the courage to confess her feelings. However, by that time, Yin Mei and Shangguan Qi had developed mutual affection, especially when Zhou Min discovered that their meeting and love were all because of her; she couldn't accept it.
Zhou Min, who was spoiled since childhood, was willful, domineering, stubborn, and obstinate. She could resort to any means for the sake of love, so she began to plot against Yin Mei. Rumours spread in the martial arts world that Yin Mei's body possessed extraordinary medicinal properties, which led to people attacking the Valley of Divine Physicians for their own gain. Zhou Min took the first step by setting fire to the Valley of Divine Physicians. Her temperament turned ruthless, unable to tolerate any affectionate relationships. If someone had a romantic interest, she would make sure to separate them. Gradually, she became known as the malicious princess in the eyes of the world.
But she didn't care. When she found out that Shangguan Qi had protected Yin Mei at the cost of his martial arts skills, disfiguring his face and falling off a cliff without knowing his fate, she became even more crazed for love. She sent people to search the cliff desperately, willing to go to any lengths, even if it meant becoming a ghostly wife to Shangguan Qi. She loved him madly. Towards the end, Zhou Min didn't even know if she loved Shangguan Qi or if she couldn't accept watching Shangguan Qi's unwavering loyalty towards Yin Mei. However, she didn't realise who Shangguan Qi really was. He was the master of the Valley of Divine Physicians, but he also had another unknown identity. He was the younger brother of the neighbouring country's emperor, and he was the head of the demonic sect in the martial arts world. So, when Zhou Min pushed him to the limit, she discovered that Shangguan Qi's loss of martial arts skills and disfigured face were merely part of his plan for revenge against the Zhou Kingdom for harming Yin Mei. He also took the opportunity to steal the ultimate treasure of the Zhou Imperial Palace, the Blood Clam!
